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The nature of the metal-insulator transition in thin films and superlattices of LaNiO3 only a few unit cells in thickness remains elusive despite tremendous effort. Quantum confinement and epitaxial strain have been evoked as the mechanisms, although other factors such as growth-induced disorder, cation non-stoichiometry, oxygen vacancies, and substrate-film interface quality may also affect the observable properties of ultrathin films. Here we report results obtained for near-ideal LaNiO3 films with different thicknesses and terminations grown by atomic layer-by-layer laser molecular beam epitaxy on LaAlO3 substrates. We find that the room-temperature metallic behavior persists until the film thickness is reduced to an unprecedentedly small 1.5 unit cells (NiO2 termination). Electronic structure measurements using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and first-principles calculation suggest that oxygen vacancies existing in the films also contribute to the metal-insulator transition.

We report intense, narrow line-width, surface chemisorption-activated and reversible ultraviolet (UV) photoluminescence from radiative recombination of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) with photoexcited holes at LaAlO3/SrTiO3. The switchable luminescence arises from an electron transfer-driven modification of the electronic structure via H-chemisorption onto the AlO2-terminated surface of LaAlO3, at least 2 nm away from the interface. The control of the onset of emission and its intensity are functionalities that go beyond the luminescence of compound semiconductor quantum wells. Connections between reversible chemisorption, fast electron transfer, and quantum-well luminescence suggest a new model for surface chemically reconfigurable solid-state UV optoelectronics and molecular sensing.

Rechargeable lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are promising for high-energy storage. However, conventional redox reactions involving sulfur (S) and lithium (Li) can lead to unstable intermediates. Over the past decade, many strategies have emerged to address this challenge, enabling nonconventional electrochemical reactions in Li-S batteries. In our Perspective, we provide a brief review of these strategies and highlight their potential benefits. Specifically, our group has pioneered a top-down approach, investigating Li-S reactions at molecular and subatomic levels, as demonstrated in our recent work on stable S isotopes. These insights not only enhance understanding of charge transfer and storage properties but also offer exciting opportunities for advancements in battery materials research.

The effects of tiger nut insoluble dietary fiber (TNF) (1%-3% w/w) on techno-functional properties and in vitro protein digestibility of low-fat meat emulsions were examined. The results showed that TNF (especially 2% and 3%) could improve techno-functional performances of low-fat meat emulsions in terms of water binding capacity and textural attributes, which were even preferable to the high-fat control. The improvements were associated with the attenuated fluidity of inner water within the gels, the increased storage modulus (G'), the formation of a well-joined gel network with uniformly-dispersed fat particles and the uncoiling of α-helix and the formation of β-sheet. The weakened water mobility, the heat-triggered conformational shift from α-helix to β-sheet, as well as less and evenly distributed fat particles ulteriorly led to elevated protein digestibility in meat emulsions. Therefore, TNF shows promise as a fat substitute to develop fat-reduced emulsified pork meat products with desirable quality and digestion behaviors., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: In recent years, Autoimmune diseases (ADs) and hearing loss are both significant public health burdens worldwide. An increasing number of studies are focusing on the potential link between these two diseases and exploring how hearing loss can be prevented and treated in the context of autoimmune diseases. In response to this focus, it is very necessary to conduct bibliometric analysis and molecular mechanism exploration to provide guidance for the exploration of basic mechanisms and clinical management., Method: Studies focusing on hearing loss and autoimmune disease were extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection database from 2000 to 2024. Bibliometric and visual analysis of the collected publications was conducted using VOSviewer and CiteSpace. The investigation of molecular pathways associated with diseases was carried out in the GeneCards and STRING databases., Results: A total of 696 papers met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and were chosen for further research. The number of papers on hearing loss and autoimmune diseases is increasing every year. These papers were mainly from 65 countries, led by the United States, China and Italy. These investigations included 3505 authors in total, with Greco A contributing the most publications. Harvard Medical School and Sapienza University Rome were the two institutions with the highest number of publications. Otology & Neurotology was the journal with the highest number of publications. The most common keywords include " sensorineural hearing loss", "endolymphatic hydrops", "management" and "autoimmune", which represent current and prospective future research trends and target topics in the field. Among them, the highest proportion of hearing loss in autoimmune ear diseases is sensorineural hearing loss, and the highest proportion of primary autoimmune ear diseases is Autoimmune inner ear disease. In addition, A total of 295 potential targets common to both diseases were also identified. Their pathogenesis involves cancer pathways, infectious disease pathways, cell senescence, epithelial and myocyte proliferation, hypoxia response, and inflammatory response., Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis reveals global research trends on hearing loss in the context of autoimmune diseases. Based on this, combined with preliminary bioinformatics analysis, a potential yet close link between the autoimmune diseases and hearing loss has been demonstrated. The current study highlights the need to fully consider the common genetic and pathophysiological mechanisms of these two types of diseases to promote interdisciplinary research and the development of personalized treatments for this clinical focus, with particular attention to the elderly population with comorbidity diseases. A deeper understanding of disease mechanisms has also led to advances in the clinical management of autoimmune ear diseases, including diagnosis and treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is marked by prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke, which accelerates senescence in lung fibroblasts and contributes to lung fibrosis. Cortex Mori Radicis [Morus albal. (Moraceae)], a traditional Chinese medicinal herb known for its antitussive properties, has emerged as a potential therapeutic agent for COPD. This study aims to elucidate the immunological mechanisms by which Cortex Mori Radicis mitigates COPD progression, utilizing a mouse model and the MRC-5 cell line., Methods and Results: COPD mouse models were established through chronic cigarette smoke (CS) exposure, followed by isolation of lung fibroblasts. Senescence markers and inflammatory mediators were assessed in both the isolated cells and the mice. Lung fibroblasts and bleomycin (Bleomycin)-treated MRC-5 cells exhibited elevated expression of senescence markers, including senescence-associated beta-galactosidase activity, p16INK4A, p21, p38 MAPK, and p53, along with increased levels of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) mRNA, such as IL-6 and IL-8. Treatment with Cortex Mori Radicis significantly attenuated the protein levels of these senescence markers and reduced SASP mRNA expression. Furthermore, integration of transcriptomic data from lung tissues and primary fibroblasts, combined with network pharmacology analysis, indicated that Cortex Mori Radicis inhibits fibroblast senescence via the PI3K/Akt pathway, thereby ameliorating lung pathology in COPD mice., Conclusion: Through the application of transcriptomics and network analysis, this study identifies that Cortex Mori Radicis suppresses cigarette smoke-induced senescence in pulmonary tissues and bleomycin (Bleomycin)-exposed MRC-5 cells by targeting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. These findings underscore the therapeutic potential of Cortex Mori Radicis as a novel intervention for COPD., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier GmbH.. All rights reserved.)

Interleukin 3 (IL-3) plays an important role in hematopoiesis and immune regulation, brain IL-3/IL-3R signaling has been shown to involve in the physiological and pathological processes of a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, but its role in prion diseases is rarely described. Here, the changes of IL-3/IL-3R and its downstream signaling pathways in a scrapie-infected cell line and in the brains of several scrapie-infected rodent models were evaluated by various methods. Markedly decreased IL-3Rα were observed in the brains of scrapie-infected rodents at terminal stage and in the prion-infected cell model, which showed increased in the brain samples collected at early and middle stage of infection. The IL-3 levels were almost unchanged in the brains of scrapie-infected mice and in the prion-infected cell line. Morphological assays identified close co-localization of the increased IL-3Rα signals with NeuN- and Iba1-positive cells, whereas co-localization of IL-3 signals with NeuN- and GFAP-positive cells in the scrapie-infected brain tissues. Some downstream components of IL-3/IL-3R pathways, including JAK2-STAT5 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways, were downregulated in the brains of scrapie-infected rodents at terminal stage and in the prion-infected cells. Stimulation of recombinant IL-3 on the cultured cells showed prion that the prion-infected cells displayed markedly more reluctant responses of JAK2-STAT5 and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways than the normal partner cells. These data suggest that although prion infection or PrP Sc accumulation in brain tissues does not affect IL-3 expression, it significantly downregulates IL-3R levels, thereby inhibiting the downstream pathways of IL-3/IL-3R and blocking the neuroregulatory and neuroprotective activities of IL-3., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics Approval: Not applicable. Consent to Participate: Not applicable. Consent for Publication: Not applicable. Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is becoming as a promising area of interest for treating refractory diseases. In this study, we investigated the effects of FMT on diabetes-associated cognitive defects in mice as well as the underlying mechanisms. Fecal microbiota was prepared from 8-week-aged healthy mice. Late-stage type 1 diabetics (T1D) mice with a 30-week history of streptozotocin-induced diabetics were treated with antibiotics for 7 days, and then were transplanted with bacterial suspension (100 μL, i.g.) once a day for 14 days. We found that FMT from healthy young mice significantly alleviated cognitive defects of late-stage T1D mice assessed in Morris water maze test. We revealed that FMT significantly reduced the relative abundance of Gram-negative bacteria in the gut microbiota and enhanced intestinal barrier integrity, mitigating LPS translocation into the bloodstream and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in the hippocampus, thereby reducing T1D-induced neuronal loss and astrocytic proliferation. FMT also reshaped the metabolic phenotypes in the hippocampus of T1D mice especially for alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism. Moreover, we showed that application of aspartate (0.1 mM) significantly inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome activation and IL-1β production in BV2 cells under a HG/LPS condition. We conclude that FMT can effectively relieve T1D-associated cognitive decline via reducing the gut-brain metabolic disorders and neuroinflammation, providing a potential therapeutic approach for diabetes-related brain disorders in clinic., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Pharmacological Society.)

Mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the hallmarks in the pathophysiology of prion disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. Various metabolic dysfunctions are identified and considered to contribute to the progression of some types of neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, we evaluated the status of glycolysis pathway in prion-infected rodent and cell models. The levels of the key enzymes, hexokinase (HK), phosphofructokinase (PFK), and pyruvate kinase (PK) were significantly increased, accompanying with markedly downregulated mitochondrial complexes. Double-stained IFAs revealed that the increased HK2 and PFK distributed widely in GFAP-, Iba1-, and NeuN-positive cells. We also identified increased levels of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and the downstream signaling. Changes of AMPK activity in prion-infected cells by the AMPK-specific inhibitor or activator induced the corresponding alterations not only in the downstream signaling, but also the expressions of three key kinases in glycolysis pathway and the mitochondrial complexes. Transient removal or complete clearance of prion propagation in the prion-infected cells partially but significantly reversed the increases of the key enzymes in glycolysis, the upregulation of AMPK signaling pathway, and the decreases of the mitochondrial complexes. Measurements of the cellular oxygen consumption rate (OCR) and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) showed lower OCR and higher ECAR in prion-infected cell line, which were sufficiently reversed by clearance of prion propagation. Those data indicate a metabolic reprogramming from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis in the brains during the progression of prion disease. Accumulation of PrP Sc is critical for the switch to glycolysis, largely via activating AMPK pathway., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics Approval: This study was performed in line with the principles of the Chinese Laboratory Animal Management. Approval was granted by the Research Ethics Committee of the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, China CDC. Consent to Participate: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Consent for Publication: The authors affirm that human research participants provided informed consent for publication of the images in figures. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

A pair of enantiomers is known to have different biological activities. Two catalysts with opposite chirality are nearly always required to deliver both enantiomeric products. In this work, chiral rhodium(III) cyclopentadienyl complexes are repurposed as efficient catalysts for enantiodivergent and atroposelective hydroamination of sterically hindered alkynes. Products with opposite chirality have been both obtained using the same or closely analogous chiral catalyst in good efficiency and excellent enantioselectivity, and the enantiodivergence was mainly enabled by an achiral carboxylic acid and its silver salt. Mechanistic studies revealed the origin of the enantiodivergence ascribable to the switch of the enantiodetermining step (alkyne insertion versus protonolysis) under acid control, which constitutes a previously unidentified working mode of enantiodivergence by leveraging two elementary steps.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) encompass a range of disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels, such as coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular disease (e.g., stroke), peripheral arterial disease, congenital heart anomalies, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism. CVDs are often referred to as the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Recent advancements in deep sequencing have unveiled a plethora of noncoding RNA transcripts, including circular RNAs (circRNAs), which play pivotal roles in the regulation of CVDs. A decade of research has differentiated various circRNAs by their vasculoprotective or deleterious functions, revealing potential therapeutic targets. This review provides an overview of circRNAs and a comprehensive examination of CVDs, the regulatory circRNAs within the vasculature, and the burgeoning research domain dedicated to these noncoding RNAs., 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., (© 2024 Cheng, Wang, Lan, Mao, Xu, Shen and Zeng.)

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the distribution of plantar pressure and anterior-posterior (AP) or medial-lateral (ML) shear forces in healthy younger (HY) people, healthy older (HO) people, and diabetic patients, both in static standing and during gait., Materials and Methods: A total of 20 HY adults, 16 HO adults and 15 diabetic patients were included. The static mechanical distribution measurements included: static horizontal, AP slope plane, and left/right slope standing. Data collected during the gait cycle encompassed the plantar pressure-time integral (PTI), peak pressure (PP), AP/ML shear force-time integral (AP-STI/ML-STI), and AP/ML peak shear force (AP-PS/ML-PS). The plantar surface was segmented into regions including hallux (HL), 2 nd ~5 th toes (T 2-5 ), 1 st metatarsal head (M 1 ), 2 nd ~3 rd metatarsal heads (M 2-3 ), 4 th ~5 th metatarsal heads (M 4-5 ), lateral foot arch (LA), and heel regions., Results: The HO group exhibited increased static pressure in M 2-3 and heel regions and AP shear force in the entire plantar and M 1 regions, in comparison to the HY group. The diabetes group showed increased static pressure in entire plantar, M 1 , M 2-3 and heel regions and AP shear force in the entire plantar, T 2-5 , M 1 , M 2-3 and heel regions. During gait, the HO group exhibited increased PTI in the whole plantar, T 2-5 , M 2-3 , and M 4-5 regions, while the diabetes group showed increased PTI in the whole plantar, M 1 and M 2-3 regions. The HO group showed increased PP in the whole plantar, M 1 and heel regions, while decreased in the M 2-3 region. The diabetes group showed increased PP in the whole plantar, T 2-5 , M 2-3 , M 4-5 and heel regions. The HO group showed increased AP-STI in the T 2-5 , M 1 , and M 2-3 regions, while the diabetes group showed increased AP-STI in the whole plantar, M 2-3 and heel regions., Conclusions: Our findings indicate that both static and dynamic plantar pressures and shear forces are significantly greater in diabetic patients and HO individuals compared to HY adults. The most substantial increases was occurred under the M 2-3 and heel regions., 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 © 2024 Yang, Hu, Wang, Peng, Luo and Lu.)

The incorporation of fluorine atoms into three-dimensional sp 3 -rich scaffolds represents an attractive tactic during bioisosteric evolution campaigns by endowing bioisosteric candidates with improved pharmacokinetic properties. Photo- or Lewis acid-mediated bicyclo[1.1.0]butane cycloaddition has offered an efficient approach for the construction of numerous regular bicyclo[ n .1.1] scaffolds ( n = 1-5) but remains a significant challenge to the synthesis of related 3D fluorinated scaffolds. Herein, we unveiled a photochemical single-electron oxidative strategy for gem -difluorodiene activation and subsequent [2π + 2σ] cycloaddition with bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes to provide a broad range of gem -difluorobicyclo[2.1.1]hexane scaffolds containing several post-transformable handles. A combination of experimental and computational mechanistic studies suggested that the conjugated π system of gem -difluorodiene plays important dual roles in promoting its preferential single-electron oxidation and stabilizing various radical-involved intermediates during the cyclization.

Objectives: Periampullary diverticulum (PAD) is usually incidentally discovered during abdominal imaging, gastrointestinal endoscopy, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The influence of PAD on ERCP outcomes is unclear. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to provide an up-to-date evaluation of the impact of PAD on cannulation and ERCP-related complications., Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and EMBASE databases were searched for relevant articles published up to October 31, 2023. The rates of successful cannulation and post-ERCP complications were compared between the PAD and non-PAD groups. The quality of the studies was evaluated with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). The meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.3., Results: Twenty-eight articles were included. Non-PAD was associated with a relatively high cannulation success rate (odds ratio [OR] 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.54-0.97, p = 0.03). However, after 2015, PAD was not correlated with cannulation failure (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.59-1.11, p = 0.20). Compared with intradiverticular papilla (IDP), non-IDP had a higher successful cannulation rate (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.25-0.72, p = 0.002), while IDP increased the difficult cannulation rate (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.05-2.44, p = 0.03). Additionally, PAD increased the incidence of ERCP-related pancreatitis (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.10-1.40, p = 0.0006) and bleeding (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.03-1.73, p = 0.03)., Conclusions: Although PAD, especially IDP, decreased the cannulation success rate, PAD was no longer considered a significant obstacle to cannulation after 2015. PAD increased the incidence of post-ERCP pancreatitis and bleeding., (© 2024 Chinese Medical Association Shanghai Branch, Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Achieving high energy density has always been the goal of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). SiO x has emerged as a compelling candidate for use as a negative electrode material due to its remarkable capacity. However, the huge volume expansion and the unstable electrode interface during (de)lithiation, hinder its further development. Herein, we report a facile strategy for the synthesis of surface fluorinated SiO x (SiO x @vG-F), and investigate their influences on battery performance. Systematic experiments investigations indicate that the reaction between Li + and fluorine groups promotes the in situ formation of stable LiF-rich solid electrolyte interface (SEI) on the surface of SiO x @vG-F anode, which effectively suppresses the pulverization of microsized SiO x particles during the charge and discharge cycle. As a result, the SiO x @vG-F enabled a higher capacity retention of 86.4 % over 200 cycles at 1.0 C in the SiO x @vG-F||LiNi 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 O 2 full cell. This approach will provide insights for the advancement of alternative electrode materials in diverse energy conversion and storage systems., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Purpose: To examine the adaptive self-management strategies of enterostomy patients across different health trajectory phases and explore how patients utilize a combination of digital tools and traditional practices to manage their condition effectively within the Chronic Illness Trajectory Framework (CITF)., Methods: Participants were recruited from Qingdao Municipal Hospital's Stoma Clinic between October 2022 and August 2024. A total of 26 adults who had undergone permanent enterostomy surgery at least six months prior were selected through purposeful sampling to capture diverse experiences across different health trajectory phases. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and data were analyzed using thematic analysis, with saturation reached when no new insights emerged., Results: Three primary trajectory types emerged: (1) Living with a Stable Enterostomy Condition, where structured routines and preventive practices helped patients maintain health stability; (2) Experiencing Cycles of Deterioration and Recovery, characterized by proactive monitoring and recovery practices, often supported by family and telemedicine; and (3) Responding to Unstable Changes, requiring immediate actions, real-time adjustments, and crisis planning, with patients relying on both wearable monitors and established self-care routines. Across all phases, a balanced use of digital and non-digital methods enhanced adaptability and resilience., Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of phase-specific, adaptive self-management strategies that blend digital innovations with foundational self-care practices. CITF offers a valuable framework for clinicians to assess patients' trajectory phases and provide tailored support that aligns with their unique health needs. This approach can promote patient autonomy, improve quality of life, and inform the development of comprehensive, patient-centered care models for enterostomy and other chronic conditions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Jia Qiao reports administrative support was provided by China Social Welfare Foundation. None of the other authors have any known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Rectal neuroendocrine neoplasms (rNENs) are among the most frequent gastrointestinal neuroendocrine neoplasms and pose a serious challenge for clinical management. The size of the primary neoplasm is considered to be the most important predictor of disease progression, but the genetic alterations that occur during the progression of rNENs remain unknown. Here, we performed a comprehensive whole-exome sequencing study on 54 tumor-normal paired, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens from patients locally diagnosed with rNENs. Of these, 81.5% (n = 44) were classified as small-sized (≤2 cm) rNENs, while the remainder (18.5%, n = 10) were classified as large-sized (>2 cm) rNEN samples. Comparative analysis revealed marked disparities in the mutational landscape between small- and large-sized rNEN samples, and between large-sized rNEN samples with or without lymph node metastases. The high-confidence driver genes RHPN2, MUC16, and MUC4 were significantly mutated in both small- and large-sized rNEN specimens, whereas mutations in MAN2A1, and BAG2 were only identified in large-sized specimens diagnosed with lymph node metastases. Correspondingly, we observed that the mTOR and MAPK pathways were preferentially enriched in the large-sized rNEN specimens. Signature-based analysis revealed that mutational processes associated with defective DNA base excision repair (SBS30) significantly accumulated in large-sized rNEN samples with lymph node metastases, highlighting the important role of this mutagenic process in promoting rNEN progression. We further found that most rNEN subjects, regardless of tumor size, harbored at least one alteration with targeted therapeutic implications. Taken together, these results elucidate the genetic features associated with tumor size and lymphatic metastasis in rNEN patients, which will deepen our understanding of the genetic changes during rNEN progression and potentially directing improvements in rNEN treatment strategies., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Objectives: Maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients are at a higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a common complication and leading cause of death. Persistent micro-inflammation is a unique feature of MHD. Given the established role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, this study aims to explore whether novel inflammatory markers (inflammation index) can serve as independent risk factors for CVD in MHD patients., Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on patients from three dialysis centers, categorized into a CVD and non-CVD group based on medical history, laboratory tests, and physical examination. Fasting blood samples were collected from all participants for indicator testing., Results: The analysis of 209 patients revealed that 104 had concurrent CVD. Patients in the CVD group were significantly older and exhibited higher anxiety and depression scores. Forward stepwise multivariate logistic regression results identified the inflammation index neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) (OR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.082-1.491, P < 0.05) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) (OR = 1.001, 95% CI 1.0001-1.002, P < 0.05) as independent risk factors for CVD in MHD patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated that SII, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and NLR all possess predictive diagnostic values for CVD events in this patient population., Conclusions: Hemodialysis centers can utilize simple and cost-effective inflammatory markers to proactively identify patients at risk of CVD. Future research into how inflammation contributes to CVD in MHD is required., Competing Interests: Declarations Ethics approval and informed consent The Ethics Committee of Dongzhimen Hospital, Affiliated with the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, approved this study (2024DZMEC-313–02), and all enrolled patients signed valid informed consent forms. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Ischemic stroke (IS) is a commonly seen cerebrovascular disease which seriously endangers the health of middle age and old people. However, its etiology and pathogenesis have not yet fully comprehended. miR-30 gene is a novel gene which may be involved in IS. However, no studies have investigated the relationship between IS and the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of miR-30. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between miR-30 polymorphisms (rs2222722, rs1192037, rs10095483 and rs16827546) and the risk of IS., Methods: Totally 248 IS patients and 230 age-, sex- and race-matched controls were involved in this study. Based on SNPscan technique, four polymorphisms (rs2222722, rs1192037, rs10095483 and rs16827546) were genotyped., Results: There exists a significant association between rs2222722 polymorphism and the risk of IS according to analyses of genotypes, models and alleles (GA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 1.616, 95% CI: 0.943-2.768, P = 0. 081); (AA vs. GG: adjusted OR = 2.447, 95% CI: 1.233-4.858, P = 0.011); dominant model: adjusted (OR = 1.806, 95% CI, 1.082-3.016, P = 0.024); (G vs. A: adjusted OR = 1.492, 95% CI: 1.148-1.939, P = 0.003). Besides, miR-30a expression was significantly higher in patients undergoing IS relative to that in controls (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: To conclude, the rs2222722 polymorphism of the miR-30 gene shows a significant relationship to elevate the risk of IS in Chinese population., Competing Interests: Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate The study protocol was approved by the Review Board of the People’s Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, (2024KY-ZC-2024-207). All the subjects signed informed consent to participate in this work. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Waste gourd shells enriched with ash-forming elements are selected as raw materials in this paper, discovering that the K and Ca compounds in the precursor not only exhibit the ability of self-forming pores, but also demonstrate catalytic graphitization of the hard carbon during the pyrolysis procedure.

The dry roots of Lindera aggregata (Sims) Kosterm have a long-standing history in traditional Chinese medicine, renowned for their ability to regulate vital energy, relieve pain, warm the kidney, and dissipate cold. Recently, L. aggregata has been approved as a new food resource. To gain insights into the bioactive phytochemicals in L. aggregata , an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution electrospray ionization quadrupole orbitrap spectrometry method was developed to investigate the chemical profiles of the ethanol extract of L. aggregata . This approach identified 80 compounds, predominantly alkaloids and sesquiterpenoids. Furthermore, 16 selected compounds were simultaneously quantified using the parallel reaction monitoring mode. The quantification method was validated and showed good linearity, sensitivity, and accuracy. The anti-inflammatory activities of the ethanol extract and selected compounds were assessed in vitro using lipopolysaccharide-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. The results revealed that the ethanol extract of L. aggregata and norisoboldine, isolinderalactone, methyllinderone, and linderin B inhibited the production or expression of nitric oxide, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6. Molecular docking of iNOS with isolinderalactone, methyllinderone, and linderin B showed that hydrogen bonds, π-π interactions, and hydrophobic interactions contributed to their iNOS inhibitory effects. The results offer insights that may be instrumental in enhancing the quality control for L. aggregata., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

One new cyclic heptapeptide, cadophorin C ( 1 ), and one known analogue cadophorin B ( 2 ) were isolated from the mangrove-derived fungus Penicillium sp. GXIMD 03101 from the mangrove Acanthus ilicifolius  L. The chemical structure of 1 was elucidated by comprehensive analysis of the spectroscopic data, including 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS, and the known compound was identified by comparing the data with literature values. Compounds 1 and 2 were screened for antibacterial activity and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) inhibitory activity. The results showed that compounds 1 and 2 have weak activity against Vibrio harveyi with MIC values of 3.12 and 12.5 μg/mL, respectively. Compounds 1 and 2 have significant inhibitory activity against BPH with IC 50 values of 2.62 and 2.23 μM, respectively.

The function and homeostasis of the mammalian ovary depend on complex paracrine interactions between multiple cell types. Using primary mouse tissues and isolated cells, we showed in vitro that ovarian follicles secrete factor(s) that suppresses the growth of ovarian epithelial cells in culture. Most of the growth suppressive activity was accounted for by Anti-Mullerian Hormone/Mullerian Inhibitory Substance (AMH/MIS) secreted by granulosa cells of the follicles, as determined by immune depletion experiments. Additionally, conditioned medium from granulosa cells from wild-type control, but not AMH knockout, suppressed epithelial cell growth. Tracing of the AMH-regulated cells using AMHR2 (AMH receptor 2)-Cre:ROSA26 mutant mice indicated the presence of populations of AMHR2-positive epithelial cells on the ovarian surface and oviduct epithelia. Cells isolated from the mutant mice indicated that a subpopulation of cells marked by AMHR2-Cre:ROSA26 accounted for most cell growth and expansion in ovarian surface epithelial cells, and the AMHR2 lineage-derived cells were regulated by AMH in vitro; whereas, fewer AMHR2-Cre:ROSA26-marked cells accounted for oviduct epithelial cell outgrowth. The results reveal a paracrine pathway in maintaining follicle-epithelial homeostasis in the ovary and support a subpopulation of AMHR2 lineage marked epithelial cells as ovarian epithelial stem/progenitor cells with higher proliferative potential regulatable by follicle-secreted AMH., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Microplastics and nanoplastics (M-NPs) are widespread pollutants in the environment, posing growing risks to human health and garnering increasing concern from researchers. Due to their small particle size, ease of adsorption, and resistance to degradation, M-NPs can retain and migrate in the environment for long-term periods. Upon entering organisms, M-NPs have been reported to cause inflammation and oxidative stress and result in abnormalities in glycolipid metabolism. Furthermore, research suggests that exposure to M-NPs may act as a causative agent for metabolic and cardiovascular diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and atherosclerosis. This paper aims to review the consequences of exposure to M-NPs on animal and cellular glycolipid metabolism and discusses the disruption of gut microbial homeostasis and the subsequent emergence of insulin resistance. PPAR signaling pathway activation after exposure to M-NPs was found to lead to increased hepatic fat accumulation and impaired lipid metabolism. Additionally, the paper highlights how M-NPs exacerbate the progression of obesity and diabetes in patients, induce damage to vascular endothelial cells, trigger oxidative stress, and contribute to the development of atherosclerosis. Despite the growing concern, the toxicity and molecular mechanism of M-NPs on glycolipid metabolism remain understudied, and effective methods for removing plastic pollutants deposited in the body are yet to be established. These findings provide valuable insights for future research in this field., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Ear and temporal bone squamous cell carcinoma (ETBSCC) is a rare and aggressive malignant tumor with minimal clinicopathological studies. The object of this study was to retrospectively evaluate the predictive effect of clinicopathological variables on the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate of ETBSCC patients in a single tertiary medical center in Tianjin, China., Methods: A cohort of 44 patients with diagnosed ETBSCC from December 2012 to August 2022 were retrospectively studied. Univariate and multivariate analysis were, respectively, performed for the assessment of clinicopathological predictors, including sex, age, history of chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM), lesion side, diameter, the choice of surgical approach, parotidectomy, neck dissection, adjuvant therapies, T stage, lymph node metastasis, tumor grade, margin, perineural invasion (PNI), and Ki-67 index., Results: Seventeen females and 27 males were included, with the mean age of 65 years old, ranging from 36 to 89 years. The 5-year OS rate was 43% (mean 51 months, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 39-64). Significant prediction of a worse prognosis for 5-year OS rate was observed under univariate analysis for advanced T stage, positive margin, identified PNI, and higher Ki-67 index, respectively. Advanced T stage was confirmed to be an independent prognostic factor strongly affecting 5-year OS rate among this cohort of patients using a multivariate cox proportional hazard model., Conclusion: We found that clinicopathological parameters, especially postoperative pathological parameters, play a critical role in predicting the prognosis of ETBSCC patients., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Neuroinflammation is a common pathological feature in a number of neurodegenerative diseases, which is mediated primarily by the activated glial cells. Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor pyrin domain-containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome-associated neuroinflammatory response is mostly considered. To investigate the situation of the NLRP3-related inflammation in prion disease, we assessed the levels of the main components of NLRP3 inflammasome and its downstream biomarkers in the scrapie-infected rodent brain tissues. The results showed that the transcriptional and expressional levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC) in the brains of scrapie-infected rodents were significantly increased at terminal stage. The increased NLPR3 overlapped morphologically well with the proliferated GFAP-positive astrocytes, but little with microglia and neurons. Using the brain samples collected at the different time-points after infection, we found the NLRP3 signals increased in a time-dependent manner, which were coincidental with the increase of GFAP. Two main downstream cytokines, IL-1β and IL-18, were also upregulated in the brains of prion-infected mice. Moreover, the gasdermin D (GSDMD) levels, particularly the levels of GSDMD-NT, in the prion-infected brain tissues were remarkably increased, indicating activation of cell pyroptosis. The GSDMD not only co-localized well with the astrocytes but also with neurons at terminal stage, also showing a time-dependent increase after infection. Those data indicate that NLRP3 inflammasomes were remarkably activated in the infected brains, which is largely mediated by the proliferated astrocytes. Both astrocytes and neurons probably undergo a pyroptosis process, which may help the astrocytes to release inflammatory factors and contribute to neuron death during prion infection., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common subtype of thyroid carcinoma. The most effective treatment for PTC is surgical resection, and patients who undergo surgery have good survival outcomes, but some patients have distant metastasis or even multiorgan metastases at the time of initial diagnosis. Distant metastasis is associated with poorer prognosis and a higher mortality rate. Helper T lymphocyte 17 (Th17) cells and regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) play different roles in PTC, and the Th17/Treg balance is closely related to the progression of PTC. Th17 cells play anticancer roles, whereas Tregs play cancer-promoting roles. A Th17/Treg imbalance promotes tumor progression and accelerates invasive behaviors such as tumor metastasis. Th17/Treg homeostasis can be regulated by the TGF-β/IL-2 and IL-6 cytokine axes. Immune checkpoint inhibitors contribute to Treg/Th17 cell homeostasis. For PTC, monoclonal antibodies against CTLA-4, PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibit the activation of Tregs, reversing the Th17/Treg cell imbalance and providing a new option for the prevention and treatment of PTC. This article reviews the role of Tregs and Th17 cells in PTC and their potential targets, aiming to provide better treatment options for PTC., 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 © 2024 Huo, Adeerjiang, Abulitipu, Khan, Li, Zhang, Tian, Jiang, Xu, Chao, Yang, Zhang and Du.)

Background: The association between diuretics and falls in older adult has been reported in previous studies, but discrepancy remains between the different types of diuretics. The association of diuretics with the risk of wrist fractures due to diuretics is also unclear. Therefore, in this study, we determined the association of diuretics with falls and wrist fractures by Mendelian randomization., Methods: We used a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to evaluate the effects of the loop diuretics\potassium-sparing diuretics\thiazide diuretics (LDs\PSDs\TDs) on the risk of falls and wrist fracture using the three diuretic-associated genetically-predicted single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as genetic tools. The inverse variance weighting (IVW) method was used as the main evaluation method, with odds ratio (OR) as the evaluation criterion. Additionally, weighted median (WME), MR-Egger, weighted mode (WM) and simple mode (SM) methods were used together for the MR analysis, and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the main results., Result: A total of 35 SNPs were included in this study as instrumental variables to replace LDs, PSDs, and TDs, which were 24, 7, and 4. Genetic substitutions for diuretics associated with increased risk of falls were LDs (OR = 1.012043, 95%CI: 1.001607-1.022588, p  = 0.022337), PSDs (OR = 1.023794, 95%CI: 1.005605-1.042312, p  = 0.010138). Genetically proxied TDs showed no association with falls, but the use of TDs showed a negative correlation with the incidence of wrist fracture (OR = 0.833, 95%CI: 0.767-0.905, p  < 0.001). The Cochran Q -test showed no heterogeneity and MR-PRESSO method excluded data pleiotropy., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the use of loop diuretics (LDs) or potassium-sparing diuretics (PSDs) increases the incidence of falls, but there is no causal relationship between thiazide diuretics (TDs) and falls, and TDs may actually reduce the risk of wrist fractures. Clinical use of diuretics necessitates vigilance and appropriate preventive measures to minimize fall-related events., 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 © 2024 Liu, Dai, Deng, Cao, Cheng and Wang.)

Prion diseases are fatal neurodegenerative disorders characterized by neuron damage and loss. Growth-associated protein 43 (GAP43) functions in neuronal plasticity and synaptic function, but its role in prion diseases is not fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the changes of GAP43 in the central nerve system (CNS) of several prion-infected rodent models and explored the potential relationship of GAP43 with PrP Sc deposit and neuron loss using various methods. We found that GAP43 levels were significantly decreased in the brain tissues of scrapie-infected rodent models at the terminal stage of the disease. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that GAP43 colocalized with NeuN-positive cells morphologically, indicating the presence of GAP43 in mature neurons. On contrary, the levels of GAP43 and p-GAP43 increased in a prion-infected cell line SMB-S15 in vitro, accompanying with the increase of intracellular calcium. Stimulation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) upregulated while removal of PrP Sc propagation downregulated the level of GAP43 in SMB-S15 cells. Morphological colocalization and molecular interaction between GAP43 and PrP Sc have been addressed in the brains of prion-infected rodents and prion-infected cell line. Histological assays of the serial sections of the whole brains of prion-infected mice proposed that the reduced GAP43 level correlated with large amount of PrP Sc deposits and notable neuron damage and loss showing cell crumpled and nuclear pyknosis. The impairment of GAP43 signaling and disturbance of calcium homeostasis by aberrance of brain GAP43/p-GAP43 not only reflect but also likely contribute to the pathology of severe neuron loss at the end of prion disease., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

As an appendage of the skin, hair protects against ultraviolet radiation and mechanical damage and regulates body temperature. It also reflects an individual's health status and serves as an important method of expressing personality. Hair loss and graying are significant psychosocial burdens for many people. Hair is produced from hair follicles, which are exclusively controlled by the dermal papilla (DP) at their base. The dermal papilla cells (DPCs) comprise a cluster of specialized mesenchymal cells that induce the formation of hair follicles during early embryonic development through interaction with epithelial precursor cells. They continue to regulate the growth cycle, color, size, and type of hair after the hair follicle matures by secreting various factors. DPCs possess stem cell characteristics and can be cultured and expanded in vitro. DPCs express numerous stemness-related factors, enabling them to be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using only two, or even one, Yamanaka factor. DPCs are an important source of skin-derived precursors (SKPs). When combined with epithelial stem cells, they can reconstitute skin and hair follicles, participating in the regeneration of the dermis, including the DP and dermal sheath. When implanted between the epidermis and dermis, DPCs can induce the formation of new hair follicles on hairless skin. Subcutaneous injection of DPCs and their exosomes can promote hair growth. This review summarizes the in vivo functions of the DP; highlights the potential of DPCs in cell therapy, particularly for the treatment of hair loss; and discusses the challenges and recent advances in the field, from basic research to translational applications.

Background: Viral infectious diseases of poverty (vIDPs) remain a significant global health challenge. Despite their profound impact, the burden of these diseases is not comprehensively quantified. This study aims to analyze the global burden of six major vIDPs, including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), HIV/AIDS, acute hepatitis, dengue, rabies, and Ebola virus disease (EVD), using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2021 (GBD 2021)., Methods: Following the GBD 2021 framework, we analyzed the incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of the six vIDPs across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2021. We examined the association between the Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) and the burden of vIDPs. All estimates were reported as numbers and rates per 100,000 population, calculated using the Bayesian statistical model employed by GBD 2021, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UI)., Results: In 2021, vIDPs caused approximately 8.7 million deaths and 259.2 million DALYs, accounting for 12.8% and 9.0% of the global all-cause totals, respectively. Globally, the burden of vIDPs varied significantly: COVID-19 caused around 7.9 million (95% UI: 7.5, 8.4) deaths and 212.0 million (95% UI 197.9, 234.7) DALYs in 2021. Acute hepatitis had the second-highest age-standardized incidence rate, with 3411.5 (95% UI: 3201.8, 3631.3) per 100,000 population, while HIV/AIDS had a high age-standardized prevalence rate, with 483.1 (95% UI: 459.0, 511.4) per 100,000 population. Dengue incidence cases rose from 26.5 million (95% UI: 3.9, 51.9) in 1990 to 59.0 million (95% UI: 15.5, 106.9) in 2021. Rabies, although reduced in prevalence, continued to pose a significant mortality risk. EVD had the lowest overall burden but significant outbreak impacts. Age-standardized DALY rates for vIDPs were significantly negatively correlated with SDI: acute hepatitis (r = -0.8, P < 0.0001), rabies (r = -0.7, P < 0.0001), HIV/AIDS (r = -0.6, P < 0.0001), COVID-19 (r = -0.5, P < 0.0001), dengue (r = -0.4, P < 0.0001), and EVD (r = -0.2, P < 0.005)., Conclusions: VIDPs pose major public health challenges worldwide, with significant regional, age, and gender disparities. The results underscore the need for targeted interventions and international cooperation to mitigate the burden of these diseases. Policymakers can use these findings to implement cost-effective interventions and improve health outcomes, particularly in regions with high or increasing burdens., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

For a long time, it was presumed that continuum bands could be readily encompassed by open-boundary spectra, irrespective of the system's modest dimensions. However, our findings reveal a nuanced picture: under open-boundary conditions, the proliferation of complex eigenvalues progresses in a sluggish, oscillating manner as the system expands. Consequently, even in larger systems, the overlap between continuum bands and open-boundary eigenvalues becomes elusive, with the surprising twist that the count of these complex eigenvalues may actually diminish with increasing system size. This counterintuitive trend underscores that the pursuit of an ideal, infinite-sized system scenario does not necessarily align with enlarging the system size. Notably, despite the inherent non-Hermiticity of our system, the eigenstates distribute themselves in a manner reminiscent of Bloch waves. These discoveries hold potential significance for both theoretical explorations and experimental realizations of non-Hermitian systems.

This study addresses the need for high-performance and sustainable air filters by developing a bio-based, high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. Current HEPA filters often rely on non-biodegradable materials, creating environmental burdens. In this paper, we presented a HEPA filter fabricated from natural basalt fiber (BF) and nanocellulose fiber. The developed filter featured a sandwich structure with electrospun nanocellulose fiber deposited onto a base BF layer, followed by a second BF layer and heat treatment. Various techniques were employed to characterize the obtained sample, and the results showed that the nonwoven BF fabric significantly reduced the pressure drop of the filter by up to 60 %. The nanocellulose fiber played a crucial role in achieving a remarkable filtration efficiency of 99.99 % for PM 0.3 . BF-based filter demonstrated exceptional fire resistance, hydrophobia, durability, and ease of cleaning, maintaining its effectiveness at temperatures up to 150 °C. Notably, it exhibited significantly better biodegradability than commercially available HEPA filters. By employing a hierarchical structure of sustainable basalt and cellulose fibers, this study paved the way for the development of next-generation hazardous particulate matter filters with exceptional performance in harsh conditions and reduced environmental impact., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A novel basidiomycete yeast species represented by strain NYNU 2211328 was isolated from a leaf of Akebia trifoliata collected from the Baotianman Nature Reserve in Henan Province, central China. Phylogenetic analysis of the D1/D2 domain of the large subunit rRNA gene and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region suggested that this strain is closely related to Naohidea sebacea CBS 8477, exhibiting the similarity values of 96.5% and 91.3% in the D1/D2 domain and the ITS region, respectively. Physiologically, the novel strain differs from N. sebacea in its ability to assimilate inulin, trehalose and d-arabinose, its inability to assimilate dl-lactate and its incapability of growth at 30 °C. Both phenotypic and phylogenetic analyses indicated that the isolated strain represents a novel species in the genus Naohidea , and the name Naohidea akebiae fa. sp. nov. (holotype: CICC 33584; MycoBank number: MB 855585) is proposed.

Phospholipase D (PLD) lipid-signaling enzyme superfamily has been widely implicated in various human malignancies, but its role and underlying mechanism remain unclear in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Here, we analyze the expressions of 6 PLD family members between 87 NPC and 10 control samples through transcriptome analysis. Our findings reveal a notable upregulation of PLD1 in both NPC tumors and cell lines, correlating with worse disease-free and overall survival in NPC patients. Functional assays further elucidate the oncogenic role of PLD1, demonstrating its pivotal promotion of critical tumorigenic processes such as cell proliferation and migration in vitro, as well as tumor growth in vivo. Notably, our study uncovers a positive feedback loop between PLD1 and the NF-κB signaling pathway to render NPC progression. Specifically, PLD1 enhances NF-κB activity by facilitating the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of RELA, which in turn binds to the promoter of PLD1, augmenting its expression. Moreover, RELA overexpression markedly rescues the inhibitory effects in PLD1-depleted NPC cells. Importantly, the application of the PLD1 inhibitor, VU0155069, substantially inhibits NPC tumorigenesis in a patient-derived xenograft model. Together, our findings identify PLD1/NF-κB signaling as a positive feedback loop with promising therapeutic and prognostic potential in NPC., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest We declare that we have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The behavior of resistant starch (RS) in meat matrix depends largely on its type. Hence, the comparative impacts of high amylose corn starch (RS2), retrograded starch (RS3), acetylated starch (RS4) and high amylose-lauric acid complex (RS5) on water-fat binding capacities, texture, color and microstructure of low-fat meat emulsions were investigated. Four types of RS improved water retention, emulsion stability, textural properties and brightness of low-fat meat emulsions, displaying even better potential than inulin (positive control). Compared with inulin, RS2 ∼ RS5 induced the transition from free water to immobilized water, increased storage modulus G' (by 21.90 %, 38.13 %, 55.73 % and 45.92 %, respectively), hydrophobic interactions (by 36.03 %, 60.84 %, 44.40 % and 48.04 %, respectively), disulfide bonds and β-sheet, which promoted the formation of tight protein gel networks. Notably, physical or chemical modified RS (RS3, RS4, RS5) displayed preferable and more similar water-fat binding properties, making them more promising for personalized application in low-fat functional meat products., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cardiovascular disease is characterized by chronic inflammation and atherosclerosis (AS) is the pathological basis. Mitigating endothelial dysfunction and mononuclear cell adhesion is a crucial approach in impeding the initial advancement of AS. As an inflammation-immune regulation-related protein, 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase 1 (OAS1) plays a critical role in inflammation, but its impact on endothelial dysfunction and mononuclear cell adhesion is not well understood. In this study, bioinformatic analysis revealed a significant enrichment of OAS1 in atherosclerotic plaques within human aortic sections. In addition, OAS1 was detected in atherosclerotic plaques within human aortic sections across various stages of development, with elevated expression observed in more advanced plaques. The expression of OAS1 exhibited a distinct temporal and concentration-dependent upregulation in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Notably, the deficiency of OAS1 markedly attenuated the elevation in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, nitric oxide (NO) concentrations, and monocyte adhesion induced by LPS. A positive correlation was observed between the levels of NFκBp65 and OAS1 in human plaques, and the deletion of OAS1 led to a down-regulation of P65 expression. Furthermore, the simultaneous knockdown of OAS1 and NFκBp65 resulted in a significant amelioration of endothelial dysfunction (including ROS, NO, and inflammation factors) and monocyte adhesion, suggesting a synergistic interaction between OAS1 and NFκBp65. These findings underscore the potential of OAS1 to modulate the extent of endothelial dysfunction and monocyte adhesion through its regulation of NFκBp65 thereby positioning it as a promising therapeutic target for the management of AS., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether a potential moral cognitive impairment (failure in understanding moral rules) exists in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) and to explore the effect of childhood trauma (CT) on moral cognition in a group of patients with SCZ., Methods: A total of 99 patients with SCZ and 102 healthy controls (HCs) were included in this study. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ) was administered to assess childhood trauma experiences in both groups, while the Moral Identity Measure (MIM) and the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ) were applied for a comparative evaluation of moral cognition across the two groups. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was administered to assess the psychopathology., Results: Patients with schizophrenia had significantly greater CTQ scores than HCs (42.77 ± 13.50 vs. 29.11 ± 4.25, t =9.697, p <0.001). The prevalence of childhood trauma ( χ 2 = 58.452, p <0.001) and history of aggressive behaviors ( χ 2 = 23.565, p =0.001) among patients with SCZ were greater than that among HCs. In addition, the scores of moral cognition (MIM: 61.82 ± 15.12 vs. 70.88 ± 8.87, p =0.001; MFQ: 87.24 ± 22.30 vs. 112.62 ± 23.42, p =0.045) in the SCZ group was lower than that in the HC group after controlling for the influence of CT covariates. The MFQ score was negatively correlated with the CTQ score, the emotional abuse (EA) score, the physical abuse (PA) score and the physical neglect (PN) score in SCZ patients. Among HCs, the MFQ score was positively correlated with the CTQ score, as well as with the dimensions of physical abuse (PA) and emotional Neglect (EN). Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that impaired moral cognition performance was significantly predicted by the CTQ score ( beta =-0.235, p =0.034, 95% CI -0.743 to -0.031) in patients with SCZ but was significantly predicted by years of education ( beta =-0.392, p <0.001, 95% CI -4.783 to -1.876), alcohol use ( beta =0.210, p =0.023, 95% CI 2.191 to 29.399) and the CTQ score ( beta =0.184, p =0.046, 95% CI 0.019 to 1.928) in HCs. CTQ moderated the effect of SCZ on MFQ ( B = 0.516); Simple tests revealed that the group effect on the MFQ was B =12.306 at the lower level(-1SD) and B = 54.089 at the higher level(+1SD) of the CTQ scores., Conclusions: SCZ patients exhibit impaired moral cognition. The contribution of CT to the presence of moral cognitive impairments seems to be independent of psychopathology., 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 © 2024 Peng, Ding, Ren, Zhao, Wang, Zhao, Zhang, Zhang, Zhou and Wang.)

Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) catalyze the dephosphorylation of several pain-related substrates in spinal cord dorsal horn and are critically involved in the modification of pain transmission. The current study demonstrated that protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), a unique endoplasmic reticulum-resident member of PTP family, displayed an activity-dependent increase in its protein expression and synaptic localization in spinal dorsal horn of adult male rats. PTP1B interacted with the Src Homology 3 (SH3) domain of Synapse-Associated Protein 102 (SAP102), one of the postsynaptic scaffolding proteins that anchored PTP1B at postsynaptic sites. The SAP102-tethered PTP1B augmented the synaptic transmission mediated specifically by GluN2B subunit-containing N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype glutamate receptors. Interference with PTP1B activity or disruption of its interaction with SAP102 attenuated GluN2B-mediated nociceptive transmission and ameliorated pain sensitization induced by intraplantar injection of Complete Freund's Adjuvant. These data suggested that the activity-dependent synaptic redistribution of PTP1B served as an important mechanism regulating GluN2B receptor activity and that manipulation of PTP1B synaptic targeting might represent an effective approach for the treatment of chronic inflammatory pain., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Mongolian medicine external treatment, which called five kinds of treatment in ancient time, is a kind of external treatment including fire moxibustion, poultice, soaking and other therapies. The therapy was gradually developed and perfected in the course of Mongolian people's long-term struggle against diseases, which has characteristics of small trauma and suitable for long-term application. In this paper, the research progress of external treatment of orthopedic diseases in Mongolian medicine in recent years was summarized, and it was concluded that external treatment of orthopedic diseases in Mongolian medicine had distinct characteristics and accurate efficacy. However, there are still deficiencies in the standardization of clinical operation and the study of the mechanism of therapeutic action, which need further research and improvement.

Human reproduction is a complex process involving gamete maturation, fertilization, embryo cleavage and development, blastocyst formation, implantation, and live birth. If any of these processes are abnormal or arrest, reproductive failure will occur. Infertility is a state of reproductive dysfunction caused by various factors. Advances in molecular genetics, including cell and molecular genetics, and high-throughput sequencing technologies, have found that genetic factors are important causes of infertility. Genetic variants have been identified in infertile women or men and can cause gamete maturation arrest, poor quality gametes, fertilization failure, and embryonic developmental arrest during assisted reproduction technology (ART), and thus reduce the clinical success rates of ART. This article reviews clinical studies on repeated in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) failures caused by ovarian dysfunction, oocyte maturation defects, oocyte abnormalities, fertilization disorders, and preimplantation embryonic development arrest due to female genetic etiology, the accumulation of pathogenic genes and gene pathogenic loci, and the functional mechanism and clinical significance of pathogenic genes in gametogenesis and early embryonic development., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

One new meroterpene derivative, millmerranones G ( 1 ), and three known analogues ( 2 - 4 ) were identified from the mangrove-derived fungus Aspergillus sp. GXIMD 03004, which was isolated from the leaves of mangrove Acanthus ilicifolius L. collected from Beibu Gulf in China. The structure of 1 was characterised by a comprehensive interpretation of the NMR spectroscopic and HRESIMS data. The absolute configuration for 1 was established using experimental and calculated ECD data. The anti- Vibrio activities of all compounds were evaluated, the result showed that compounds 1 and 2 has weak activity against Vibrio harveyi .