Search

Fang-Yi Yu,* Kua Zheng,* Yin-Fang Wu,* Shen-Wei Gao, Qing-Yu Weng, Chen Zhu, Yan-Ping Wu, Miao Li, Zhong-Nan Qin, Jia-Fei Lou, Zhi-Hua Chen, Song-Min Ying, Hua-Hao Shen, Wen Li Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease of Zhejiang Province, Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Wen Li, Tel +86-571-87783729, Fax +86-571-87068001, Email liwen@zju.edu.cnPurpose: This study aimed to explore the effect of Rapamycin (Rapa) in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) pneumonia and clarify its possible mechanism.Methods: We investigated the effects of Rapa on S. aureus pneumonia in mouse models and in macrophages cultured in vitro. Two possible mechanisms were investigated: the mTOR-RPS6 pathway phosphorylation and phagocytosis. Furthermore, for the mechanism verification in vivo, mice with specific Mtor knockout in myeloid cells were constructed for pneumonia models.Results: Rapa exacerbated S. aureus pneumonia in mouse models, promoting chemokines secretion and inflammatory cells infiltration in lung. In vitro, Rapa upregulated the secretion of chemokines and cytokines in macrophages induced by S. aureus. Mechanistically, the mTOR-ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6) pathway in macrophages was phosphorylated in response to S. aureus infection, and the inhibition of RPS6 phosphorylation upregulated the inflammation level. However, Rapa did not increase the phagocytic activity. Accordingly, mice with specific Mtor knockout in myeloid cells experienced more severe S. aureus pneumonia.Conclusion: Rapa exacerbates S. aureus pneumonia by increasing the inflammatory levels of macrophages. Inhibition of mTOR-RPS6 pathway upregulates the expression of cytokines and chemokines in macrophages, thus increases inflammatory cells infiltration and exacerbates tissue damage.Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus, pneumonia, macrophage, rapamycin, mTOR- ribosomal protein S6 signaling pathway

Background: Staphylococcus aureus, particularly methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), is an important cause of pyogenic skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). The aim of present study is to investigate the molecular characteristic of Staphylococcus aureus isolates isolated from the pus samples from the patients with purulent skin and soft tissue infections in Wenzhou, China.Methods: Between December 2002 and June 2008, a total of 111 nonduplicate S. aureus isolates were collected from the pus samples of the patients with SSTIs in a teaching hospital in Wenzhou, China. All the tested isolates were confirmed as S. aureus using a Staph SPA agglutination kit, Gram's stain and a Vitek-60 microbiology analyzer. The homology among the tested isolates was determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to determine the sequence types (STs) of the selected isolates. The genotypes of SCCmec were determined by a multiplex PCR in the MRSA isolates. Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) genes and mecA were also determined by another multiplex PCR.Results: Among the 111 S. aureus isolates, 48 and 63 isolates were community-acquired and hospital-acquired respectively. Sixty isolates were confirmed as MRSA harboring mecA detected by PCR. A total of 32 PFGE clonal types were obtained by PFGE, with 10 predominant patterns (types A to J). Twenty-five different STs including ST398 and three novel STs were found among 51 selected isolates. The main STs were ST239, ST1018, ST59, ST7 and ST88. Of 60 MRSA isolates, SCCmec II, III, IV and SCCmec V were found in three, 50, three and two isolates, respectively. The positive rates of PVL genes in overall isolates, HA-isolates, CA-isolates, MRSA isolates and MSSA isolates were 23.4% (26/111), 20.6% (13/63), 27.1% (13/48), 21.7% (13/60) and 25.5% (13/51), respectively. Eight (33.3%, 8/24) of 24 CA-MRSA isolates and 5 (13.9%, 5/36) of 36 HA-MRSA isolates were positive for PVL genes. ST239-MRSA-SCCmecIII and ST1018-MRSA-SCCmecIII clones were found to be main clones and spread between community and hospital.Conclusion: S. aureus isolates causing SSTIs showed considerable molecular heterogeneity and harbored high prevalence of PVL genes. Clonal spread was responsible for the dissemination of the isolates of S. aureus associated with SSTIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: The development of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) agents targeting programmed death protein 1(PD-1), PD-1 ligand (PD-L1), cytotoxic T-lymphocyte- associated protein 4 (CTLA-4), and CD40 has gained increasing interest in clinical cancer treatment. Among these targets, blocking of PD-1 binding to its ligand PD-L1 managed to induce immune responses and inhibit tumor growth. In this work, we aimed to screen a specific PD-L1 nanobody against human PD-L1, derived through phage display assay, and further study its biological characteristics and antitumor ability., Materials and Methods: Specific PD-L1 nanobody was screened through phage display and its biological characteristics were explored by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis. In addition, its cytotoxicity and antitumor ability was confirmed in vitro and in vivo., Results: After all, an anti-PD-L1 nanobody with high specificity and affinity was generated. This PD-L1 nanobody was highly specific for human PD-L1 and had strong penetration ability due to its size. PD-L1 nanobody enhanced immune cell-killing ability by inhibiting the immune checkpoint and further activating innate response. Furthermore, this new PD-L1 nanobody also had high binding affinity, as shown by its use in western blotting, flow cytometry staining and immunofluorescence staining methods., Conclusion: The new PD-L1 nanobody substantially improved upon the FDA-approved PD-L1 monoclonal antibody by surpassing the disadvantage of having large molecular weight (MW) and low tissue penetration. The cytotoxicity and antitumor ability of PD-L1 nanobody, in vitro and in vivo, also support its potential as a therapeutic agent for lung cancer immunotherapy., (Copyright © 2025 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.)

Background: The safety of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for pancreatic stones (P-ESWL) and adverse events were not evaluated and classified within large sample population. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and classify the adverse events of P-ESWL based on a large sample cohort., Methods: This is an observational study based on the large prospective chronic pancreatitis (CP) cohort. Patients with painful pancreatic stones over 5 mm who underwent P-ESWL between March 2011 and June 2018 at Shanghai Changhai Hospital were included. Adverse events after P-ESWL including complications and transient adverse events (TAEs) were recorded. Risk factors of adverse events were analyzed through univariable and multivariable logistics regression analysis. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the stability of the study., Results: Totally 2,071 patients underwent 5,002 sessions of P-ESWL were included. The overall complication rate and TAEs rate after all P-ESWL procedures were 5.2% and 20.9%. The complications and TAEs rate decreased obviously within the first 6 sessions. Several independent risk factors for adverse events after P-ESWL were identified. Sensitivity analysis suggested the stability of the results., Conclusions: P-ESWL is a safe treatment for pancreatic stones. Multiple P-ESWL sessions did not increase the complications and TAEs rate. ClincialTrials.gov number, NCT05916547., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The practical application of aqueous Zn metal batteries (AZMBs) is impeded by inferior reversibility and stability of Zn metal anode (ZMA) originated from side reactions and dendrite growth. Herein, anion receptor l-Proline (LP) is selected to simultaneously manipulate solvation chemistry and electric double layer (EDL) for constructing dendrite-free and stable AZMBs with an ultra-high depth of discharge (DOD of 100 %) and low negative/positive capacity ratio (N/P of 1.1). Experimental and computational results demonstrate that the strong interaction between -SO 3 2- group from OTf - anion and LP promotes the coordination effect of cation and solvent, which improves the stability of electrolyte and induces fine and uniform Zn nucleus formation. Meanwhile, the preferential reduction of OTf - and adsorption of LP establish an anion-derived ZnF 2 -rich solid electrolyte interface by altering EDL structure, which enhances the mechanical stability and Zn 2+ diffusion kinetics of the interface and prevents the contact of H 2 O molecules. Consequently, ZMA in LP/Zn(OTf) 2 electrolyte delivers a satisfactory cycling lifespan under DOD of 100 % and an outstanding Coulombic efficiency of 99.93 % for 10,000 cycles at 10 mA cm -2 . Moreover, Zn||O d -NH 4 V 4 O 10 full cells with LP/Zn(OTf) 2 electrolyte demonstrate excellent cycle stability at high cathode loading (20.412 mg), low N/P (1.1), and high temperature (50 °C)., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The development of advanced catalysts frequently employs trial-and-error methods and is lack of highly controlled synthesis, resulting in unsatisfactory development efficiency and performance. Here we propose a data-driven prediction coupled with precise synthesis strategy to accelerate the development of single-atom catalysts (SACs) for efficient water purification. The data-driven approach enables the rapid screening and prediction of high-performance SACs from 43 metals-N4 structures comprising transition and main group metal elements, followed by validation and structural modulation for improved performance through a highly controllable hard-template method. Impressively, a well-designed Fe-SAC with a high loading of Fe-pyridine-N4 sites (~3.83 wt%) and highly mesoporous structure, exhibits ultra-high decontamination performance, representing the best Fenton-like activities for sulfonamide antibiotics to date. Furthermore, the optimized Fe-SAC shows excellent robust environmental resistance and cyclic stability with almost 100% degradation efficiency of sulfonamide antibiotics for 100-h continuous operation. Theoretical calculations reveal that Fe-pyridine-N4 sites can reduce the energy barrier of intermediate O* formation, the rate-determining step, resulting in highly selective generation of singlet oxygen. The integration of data-driven method with precise synthesis strategy provides a novel paradigm for the rapid development of high-performance catalysts for environmental field as well as other important fields including sustainable energy and catalysis., (© 2025 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg) and flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) are essential to sustaining genomic stability and integrity, while the abnormal activities of Fpg and FEN1 may lead to various diseases and cancers. The development of simple methods for simultaneously monitoring Fpg and FEN1 is highly desirable. Herein, we construct a multiple cyclic ligation-promoted exponential recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) platform for sensitive and simultaneous monitoring of Fpg and FEN1 in cells and clinical tissues. We designed two programmable substrate probes with 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine (8-oxoG) damage sites and 5' flaps that can be identified/cleaved by Fpg and FEN1 to produce nicking sites. The juxtaposition of the cleavage sites is ligated by DNA ligase to form intact double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) templates that can be amplified via RPA to produce abundant dsDNA products labeled with Cy5 and Cy3 fluorophores and biotin, respectively. The resultant dsDNA can be captured by magnetic beads and subsequently disassembled into dispersed Cy3 and Cy5 molecules upon heat treatment, generating significant fluorescence signals. This assay exhibits a limit of detection of 1.12 × 10 -10 U μL -1 for Fpg and 1.66 × 10 -9 U μL -1 for FEN1, and it can be used for the analysis of enzymatic kinetic parameters, screening of inhibitors, and simultaneous monitoring of Fpg and FEN1 in a single cell and in clinic tissue samples. Moreover, the proposed strategy can be applied to monitor other DNA repair proteins by merely changing the recognition sites of dsDNA substrate probes, providing a promising platform for clinical diagnosis, biomedical research, and drug discovery.

The fixation of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) directly from flue gas into valuable chemicals like 2-oxazolidinones is of great significance for economic and environmental benefits, which is typically catalyzed by noble-metal catalysts and under harsh conditions. Herein, a novel 2-fold interpenetrated framework {[Co 3 (μ 2 -O)(TCA) 2 (HDPTA) 2 ]·2H 2 O·2DMF} n [Co(II)-based metal-organic framework ( Co-MOF )] containing [Co 3 ] clusters and highly dense amino groups (-NH 2 ) dispersed in the channel was prepared, exhibiting high solvent/pH stability and CO 2 adsorption capacity (24.9 cm 3 ·g -1 ). Catalytic experiments demonstrated that Co-MOF could catalyze the carboxylative cyclization of propargylic amines to generate 2-oxazolidinones with yields of up to 98% under mild conditions with CO 2 directly from flue gas. In addition, Co-MOF retained its structure and catalytic activity after five-cycle catalytic experiments, showing the promising practical application. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation suggested that the [Co 3 ] centers in the MOF activated the C≡C of propargylic amines with much more binding energy than Co(NO 3 ) 2 , partly accounting for the high catalytic activity of Co-MOF . This work demonstrates the first Co-based MOF material that is highly efficient for carboxylative cyclization of propargylic amines with flue gas as the CO 2 source, inspiring further rational design of porous catalysts for efficient CO 2 utilization.

Background: Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori ) infection is a prevalent disease encountered in military internal medicine and recognized as the main cause of dyspepsia, gastritis, and peptic ulcer, which are common diseases in military personnel. Current guidelines in China state all patients with evidence of active infection with H. pylori are offered treatment. However, the prevalence of H. pylori infection and its regional distribution in the military population remain unclear, which hinders effective prevention and treatment strategies. Understanding the prevalence of H. pylori infection in the military population will aid in the development of customized strategies to better manage this infectious disease., Aim: To investigate the prevalence of H. pylori infection in the Chinese military population in different geographic areas., Methods: This multicenter, retrospective study included 22421 individuals from five tertiary hospitals located in north, east, southwest, and northwest cities of China. H. pylori infection was identified using the urea breath test, which had been performed between January 2020 and December 2021., Results: Of the 22421 military service members, 7416 (33.1%) were urea breath test-positive. The highest prevalence of H. pylori was in the 30-39 years age group for military personnel, with an infection rate of 34.9%. The majority of infected subjects were younger than 40-years-old, accounting for 70.4% of the infected population. The individuals serviced in Lanzhou and Chengdu showed a higher infection prevalence than those in Beijing, Nanjing, and Guangzhou, with prevalence rates of 44.3%, 37.9%, 29.0%, 31.1%, and 32.3%, respectively., Conclusion: H. pylori infection remains a common infectious disease among military personnel in China and has a relatively high prevalence rate in northwest China., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article., (©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Recent studies have shown that late-onset epilepsy (LOE) is accompanied with cognitive decline and increased risk of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the pathophysiological mechanism underlying the cognitive decline in LOE remains unclear. The aim of current study was to evaluate the relationship between glymphatic system (GS) function and cognitive decline in LOE patients using the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analysis along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS)., Methods: Medical records and neuro-imaging data were obtained from 21 LOE patients with cognitive decline, 14 LOE patients without cognitive decline, and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). Plasma biomarkers including Aβ42 and Aβ40 were examined using single-molecule array (Simoa) assays. The DTI-ALPS parameter was calculated and correlated with the clinical characteristics of LOE, including age, seizure frequency, duration of epilepsy, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Aβ42/40. Regression models were used to evaluate the influencing factors of DTI-ALPS index., Results: LOE patients exhibited a decreased ALPS index and Aβ42/40 compared with the HCs. Post-hoc analysis indicated that the DTI-ALPS index and Aβ42/40 in LOE patients with cognitive decline was significantly lower in relative to LOE patients without cognitive decline and HCs. Spearman correlations showed a negative correlation between DTI-ALPS index and age, seizure frequency and disease duration while a positive correlations between the DTI-ALPS index and Aβ42/40 and MMSE scores in LOE patients. Linear regression analysis suggested that the DTI-ALPS index was independently related to age, Aβ42/40 and MMSE score after correcting for gender, education, and vascular risk factors., Conclusion: Our findings using DTI-ALPS method found a positive correlation between cognitive decline and GS dysfunction in LOE patients, and may indicate a potential internal link between age-related LOEU and dementia formation. Therefore, the DTI-ALPS index may serve as a potential imaging marker for diagnosing and monitoring the GS function in LOE patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Immunotherapy is a promising cancer treatment, but its application is hindered by tumors' low immunogenicity and the difficulty of immune cell infiltration. Here, to address above issues and achieve targeted tumor treatment, we designed the first activated small molecule photosensitizer immune-prodrug HDIM based on pyroptosis, and proposed a self-amplified immune therapy strategy (SITS) for enhanced tumor therapy. HDIMcan be specifically activated by the tumor hypoxiaand then simultaneously initiate immuno-therapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT)-induced pyroptosis with NIR laser irradiation. Mechanism study demonstrated that the immunogenicity in tumor can be significantly enhanced by HDIM-induced pyroptosis and immune cells are recruited, thus effectively amplifying the therapeutic effect of the released immune drugs. As proof of application, we have utilized HDIM for primary tumor and distant tumor therapy. And the experiment results showed that compared to current monotherapy as well as simple combination therapy, the photosensitizer prodrug HDIM exhibited much superior tumor treatment effect owing to its synchronous activation of pyroptosis and immuno-therapy in tumor., (© 2025 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

This study presents the first successful generation of polyclonal antibodies (pAbs) and oligonucleotide aptamers specifically targeting fusaric acid (FA). Utilizing these pAbs and aptamers, three highly sensitive and specific assays were developed for the detection of FA in cereals with limits of detection (LOD) ranging from 5 to 50 ng/g: an antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), an aptamer-based enzyme-linked aptamer-sorbent assay (ELASA), and a hybrid enzyme-linked aptamer-antibody sandwich assay (ELAAA). The recovery rates of FA in spiked cereal samples ranged from 87 % to 112 % across all assays. Analysis of 15 cereal feed samples revealed FA contamination levels of 459 to 1743 ng/g (ELISA), 427 to 1960 ng/g (ELASA), and 381 to 1987 ng/g (ELAAA). These results were further validated by HPLC analysis, confirming high consistency within developed assays. Overall, the ELISA, ELASA, and ELAAA are promising tools for the rapid detection of FA, significantly contributing to food safety monitoring., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The importance of evaluating the nutritional status and immune condition prior to surgery has gained significant attention in predicting the prognosis of cancer patients in recent years. The objective of this study is to establish a risk model for predicting the prognosis of gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) patients. Data from GBC patients who underwent radical resection at West China Hospital of Sichuan University (China) from 2014 to 2021 were retrospectively collected. A novel risk model was created by incorporating the prognostic nutritional index and glucose-to-lymphocyte ratio, and each patient was assigned a risk score. The patients were then divided into low- and high-risk cohorts, and comparisons were made between the two groups in terms of clinicopathological features and prognosis. Propensity score matching was conducted to reduce potential bias. A total of 300 GBC patients receiving radical surgery were identified and included in this study. Patients in the high-risk group were older, had higher levels of serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen 125 (CA125), and cancer antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), were more likely to experience postoperative complications, and had more aggressive tumor characteristics, such as poor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and advanced tumor stage. They also had lower overall survival (OS) rates (5-year OS rate: 11.2% vs. 37.4%) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates (5-year DFS rate: 5.1% vs. 18.2%). After propensity score matching, the high-risk population still experienced poorer prognosis (5-year OS rate: 12.7% vs 20.5%; 5-year DFS rate: 3.2% vs 8.2%). The risk model combining prognostic nutritional index and glucose-to-lymphocyte ratio can serve as a standalone predictor for the prognosis and assist in optimizing the treatment approach for GBC patients.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells have a high p53 mutation rate, but there were rare reported about the p53 gain of function through the prion-like aggregated form in p53 mutated HNSCC cells. Thioflavin T (ThT) is used to stain prion-like proteins in cells. Previously, we found that ThT and p53 staining were co-localized in HNSCC cells (Detroit 562 cells) with homozygous p53 R175H mutation. NAMPT inhibitor can repress ThT staining in Detroit 562 cells. In our previous study, co-treatment with p73 activator NSC59984 and NAMPT inhibitor FK886 synergistically repressed Detroit 562 cell proliferation. In this study, we found that two heterozygous p53-R280T mutation HNSCC cell lines, TW01 and HONE-1, also have the ThT staining signal. Treatment with chlorophyllides and p73 activator or NAMPT inhibitor did not synergistically repress cell proliferation in either Detroit 562 or HONE-1 cells. Chlorophyllides reduced the ThT aggregation signal in both Detroit 562 and HONE-1 cells. Chlorophyllides also induced p73 and caspase 3/7 expression and repressed NAMPT expression in both Detroit 562 and HONE-1 cells. Chlorophyllides reduced tumor size in vivo in Detroit 562 cells injected into a xenograft nude mice model, but this in vivo tumor repression effect was not found in p73 knockdown Detroit 562 cells. Moreover, NAMPT was repressed by chlorophyllides independent of p73 status in vivo. We thus concluded that chlorophyllides have a dual anticancer function when applied to HNSCC cells with p53 gain-of-function mutation, via activation of p73 and repression of p53 aggregation., 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 © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Muscle fatigue, characterized by reduced force generation during repetitive contractions, impacts older adults doing daily activities and athletes during sports activities. While various sensors detect muscle fatigue via muscle activity, biochemical markers, and kinematic parameters, a real-time wearable solution with high usability remains limited. Plantar pressure monitoring detects muscle fatigue through foot loading changes, seamlessly integrating into footwear to improve the usability and compliance for home-based monitoring., Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of muscle fatigue on plantar pressure measurements using a self-developed wearable plantar pressure system., Methods: Twelve healthy participants completed a 5-minute calf muscle fatigue protocol. The plantar pressures and surface electromyography (sEMG) activity of the gastrocnemius muscles were recorded before and after exercise. The plantar pressures at 6 regions and the median frequency (MDF) of sEMG were analyzed to quantify fatigue., Results: The self-developed foot pressure system showed a significant decrease in plantar pressure peak values at the heel of the left (P=.003) and right feet (P=.001) and at the lateral toe of the left (P=.001) and right feet (P=.026). A significant increase was observed at the metatarsal head of both the left foot (P=.001) and the right foot (P=.017). The MDF of sEMG signals significantly decreased in the left (P=.001) and right gastrocnemius (P<.001)., Conclusions: Plantar pressure changes and sEMG signals effectively detect gastrocnemius muscle fatigue using the proposed wearable system, supporting the development of a wearable solution for detecting muscle fatigue suitable for home-use., (© Fu-Yu Chen, Tzu-Yao Lin, Yi-Cheng Huang, Evina Widianawati. Originally published in JMIR Human Factors (https://humanfactors.jmir.org).)

Objective: To investigate how surface treatment affects the color of enamel and dentin, and to evaluate whether the color differences are acceptable., Materials and Methods: Freshly extracted premolars were prepared using diamond burs (blue, red, and yellow tapes). Tooth surfaces were divided into control and acid-etched areas and treated with phosphoric acid (5, 15, 30, 45, and 60 s). Adhesives were applied and light-cured. Hyperspectral images were captured to analyze reflectance spectra, calculating L, a, b, and ΔE2000 values under the D65 illuminant. Enamel and dentin slices underwent atomic force microscopy for surface roughness. A random forest model was trained to assess the effects of multiple factors on color differences. Statistical analyses included one-way ANOVA, Tukey tests, and independent-sample t-test., Results: Extended acid-etching times notably increased ΔE2000 values for enamel, surpassing acceptable thresholds in all groups except for the 5-s acid-etching followed by adhesive application. Dentin ΔE2000 remained stable regardless of surface treatment. Machine learning highlighted the influence of acid etching and surface roughness on enamel. Bur tape color had minimal impact., Conclusions: The effects of acid etching on the color vary between enamel and dentin. Greater attention should be focused on enamel surface. Acid-etching time should be appropriately reduced., Clinical Significance: Comprehending the varying impacts of surface treatment on the color of enamel and dentin could contribute to achieving superior esthetic outcomes., (© 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

There are no therapies for reversing chronic organ degeneration. Non-healing degenerative wounds are thought to be irreparable, in part, by the inability of the tissue to respond to reparative stimuli. As such, treatments are typically aimed at slowing tissue degeneration or replacing cells through transplantation. Building on our previous studies showing acutely injured salivary glands, and specifically secretory acini, can be regenerated, we reveal that non-healing, degenerating murine salivary glands remain responsive to a neuromimetic (muscarinic) agonist with treatment resulting in the restoration of tissue. Not only is degenerated tissue structure and function returned to a homeostatic-like state, but this outcome is also sustained months after treatment termination. Furthermore, despite an eventual reduction in saliva secretion, the gland responds to a second round of treatment, fully regaining secretory function that resembles uninjured controls. Our findings suggest this rescue is due to a reversal of an aberrant de-differentiated acinar cell state and mitochondrial dysfunction through a muscarinic-calcium signaling pathway. Thus, these data challenge the concept that organ degeneration is irreversible and provides a readily testable therapeutic strategy for epithelial organ restoration that may significantly benefit a diversity of chronic disease conditions., Competing Interests: DECLARATION OF INTERESTS SMK, and CSB are inventors on a patent related to this work filed by UCSF (NO. 17/312196, Filed 10/12/2019, Published 02/24/2022). The authors declare no other competing interests. DECLARATION OF AI-ASSISTED TECHNOLOGIES No AI-assisted technologies were used.

Aging is a complex biological process that involves the gradual decline of cellular, tissue, and organ functions. In kidney, aging manifests as tubular atrophy, glomerulosclerosis, and progressive renal function decline. The critical role of senescence-associated macrophage in diseases, particularly kidney diseases, is increasingly recognized. During this process, macrophages exhibit a range of pro-damage response to senescent tissues and cells, while the aging of macrophages themselves also significantly influences disease progression, creating a bidirectional regulatory role between aging and macrophages. To explore this bidirectional mechanism, this review will elucidate the origin, characteristic, phenotype, and function of macrophages in response to the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), extracellular vesicles from senescent cells, and the senescence cell-engulfment suppression (SCES), particularly in the context of kidney disease. Additionally, it will discuss the characteristics of senescent macrophage, such as common markers, and changes in autophagy, metabolism, gene regulation, phagocytosis, antigen presentation, and exosome secretion, along with their physiological and pathological impacts on renal tissue cells. Furthermore, exploring therapies and drugs that modulate the function of senescent macrophages or eliminate senescent cells may help slow the progression of kidney aging and damage., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Leading-edge serrations inspired by owls exhibit the capability to control airfoil-turbulence interaction noise, but the design principle of the serration shape is still an open issue. To this end, we designed five types of serration shapes with different combinations of curvature, namely, triangular, ogee, anti-ogee, feather-like, and anti-feather-like. These curves are applied to serrated modifications with different bluntness levels (sharp or blunt) and amplitudes (0.05, 0.075, and 0.1 chord length). Considering these serration shapes, 30 cases with various curved types, bluntness levels, and amplitudes are investigated using compressible large-eddy simulation and the acoustic analogy of Ffowcs-Williams and Hawkings on a rod-airfoil configuration. The outcomes reveal a general trend where increased amplitude and blunted serrations are more effective in noise mitigation. Notably, the blunt feather-like (FB) serrations demonstrate the maximum noise reduction capacity across all amplitude levels, decreasing the overall sound power level by up to 2.1 dB. Through multi-process acoustic analysis, source characteristics responsible for generating noise are diagnosed. It is found that noise reduction primarily stems from the change in the source distribution and destructive interference among sound sources, consistent with prior studies. Generally, the serration shape would significantly affect the source distribution and sound interference without altering the fundamental noise reduction mechanisms. The FB shape exhibits the highest concentration of sources at its peaks and roots among all shapes. The presence of concentrated sources in these locations enhances destructive interference, effectively reducing noise emissions. The superior noise-reduction feature of FB serrations should be attributed to both the concentration of sources and the destructive interference. This extensive examination underscores the importance of serration design, especially the potential of FB serrations, in noise control strategies for rod-airfoil configurations, contributing to advancements in aeroacoustic engineering., (© 2025 Acoustical Society of America.)

Background/purpose: Studies have demonstrated a relation between hypercholesterolemia and development of apical periodontitis (AP), but the underlying mechanism is uncertain. 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC), produced by cytochrome P450 27A1 (CYP27A1)-catalyzed hydroxylation of cholesterol, is known to possess pro-inflammatory activity. Felodipine is an anti-hypertensive agent able to inhibit CYP27A1. The study aimed to examine the inflammatory response of macrophages to 27HC and the relation between 27HC accumulation and progression of experimental AP. The therapeutic effect of felodipine was also evaluated., Materials and Methods: J774 murine macrophages were used. Expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and C-C motif chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20) were examined by Western blot. Concentrations of 27HC were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Fluorescence assay was used to evaluate cholesterol levels. AP was induced in male rats receiving high fat/high cholesterol diet (HFHCD) or normal diet (ND). Micro-computed tomography and immunohistochemistry were employed to evaluate disease progression and therapeutic effect of felodipine., Results: Cholesterol enhanced production of 27HC which in turn stimulated COX-2 and CCL20 synthesis by macrophages. HFHCD consumption significantly augmented serum and lesion tissue levels of 27HC in rats. Lesion size and infiltration of COX-2 + and interleukin (IL)-17 + cells increased in parallel with 27HC accumulation in AP. Felodipine suppressed cholesterol-induced 27HC production in macrophages. Felodipine treatment reduced serum and tissue levels of 27HC in HFHCD rats and concurrently mitigated AP propagation., Conclusion: Our results suggest a pivotal role of 27HC in hypercholesterolemia-exacerbated AP. By repressing 27HC production, felodipine may have the potential to help mitigate AP in obese individuals., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article., (© 2024 Association for Dental Sciences of the Republic of China. Publishing services by Elsevier B.Vé.)

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) refers to a clinical condition characterized by gastric content reflux into the esophagus, causing symptoms like acid regurgitation and heartburn. While patient education is essential for GERD treatment, traditional educational models often struggle to effectively improve treatment outcomes., Methods: Between January 2021 and April 2022, we enrolled 257 patients and assessed their GERD knowledge. The patients were randomly assigned to either the WeChat group (60 participants) for health education via WeChat platform or the control group (60 participants) for conventional education only. GERD-Q scores were collected at 1, 3, and 6 months post-intervention, with compliance and satisfaction assessed at the study's conclusion., Results: The overall awareness rate of GERD among patients was approximately 22.3 %. The WeChat group showed better compliance than the control group in terms of adhering to a proper diet, taking medication on time, and engaging in moderate exercise (P < 0.05 for all). Furthermore, the WeChat group demonstrated significantly higher treatment effectiveness and satisfaction than the control group (P < 0.05 for all)., Conclusion: Patients have a relatively low level of knowledge regarding GERD. WeChat has the potential to facilitate lifestyle changes and improve compliance, treatment effectiveness, and treatment satisfaction among patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The development of efficient platforms for the evaluation of anti-angiogenic agents is critical in advancing cancer therapeutics. In this study, we exploited an ultrabright semiconducting polymer dots (Pdots) integrating with a three-dimensional (3D) near-infrared-II (NIR-II) fluorescence imaging system designed to assess the efficacy of potent anti-angiogenic agents PX-478 and BPR0C261 in an oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tumour model, which depends on angiogenesis for dissemination. PX-478, a hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) inhibitor, and BPR0C261, a microtubule-disrupting agent, were administrated into tumour-bearing mice established using murine MTCQ1 tongue cancer cells through intraperitoneal injection and oral gavage, respectively. Our findings showed that PX-478 and BPR0C261 significantly inhibited tumour growth and extended the life span of tumour-bearing mice without decreasing the body weights. The Pdots-based NIR-II vascular imaging demonstrated that the tumour vascularity was suppressed by PX-478 and BPRC0261. Accordingly, the excised tumours treated with anti-angiogenic agents showed less blood vessels than that treated with vehicles. The expression of endothelial markers CD31 was also found to be reduced in tumours treated with PX-478 and BPRC0261 using immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and Western blot analysis. Furthermore, PX-478 could suppress the expression of HIF-1α and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A), but BPRC0261 only suppressed VEGF-A. Taken together, this innovative 3D NIR-II imaging system combining the biocompatible Pdots with unique optical specificity enables non-invasive, real-time monitoring the efficacy of anti-angiogenic compounds., (© 2025 The Author(s). Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To investigate the value of radiomics analysis of dual-layer spectral-detector computed tomography (DLSCT)-derived iodine maps for predicting tumor deposits (TDs) preoperatively in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC)., Materials and Methods: A total of 264 pathologically confirmed CRC patients (TDs + (n = 80); TDs - (n = 184)) who underwent preoperative DLSCT from two hospitals were retrospectively enrolled, and divided into training (n = 124), testing (n = 54), and external validation cohort (n = 86). Conventional CT features and iodine concentration (IC) were analyzed and measured. Radiomics features were derived from venous phase iodine maps from DLSCT. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was performed for feature selection. Finally, a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm was employed to develop clinical, radiomics, and combined models based on the most valuable clinical parameters and radiomics features. Area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis were used to evaluate the model's efficacy., Results: The combined model incorporating the valuable clinical parameters and radiomics features demonstrated excellent performance in predicting TDs in CRC (AUCs of 0.926, 0.881, and 0.887 in the training, testing, and external validation cohorts, respectively), which outperformed the clinical model in the training cohort and external validation cohorts (AUC: 0.839 and 0.695; p: 0.003 and 0.014) and the radiomics model in two cohorts (AUC: 0.922 and 0.792; p: 0.014 and 0.035)., Conclusion: Radiomics analysis of DLSCT-derived iodine maps showed excellent predictive efficiency for preoperatively diagnosing TDs in CRC, and could guide clinicians in making individualized treatment strategies., Clinical Relevance Statement: The radiomics model based on DLSCT iodine maps has the potential to aid in the accurate preoperative prediction of TDs in CRC patients, offering valuable guidance for clinical decision-making., Key Points: Accurately predicting TDs in CRC patients preoperatively based on conventional CT features poses a challenge. The Radiomics model based on DLSCT iodine maps outperformed conventional CT in predicting TDs. The model combing DLSCT iodine maps radiomics features and conventional CT features performed excellently in predicting TDs., Competing Interests: Compliance with ethical standards. Guarantor: The scientific guarantor of this publication is Chun-Hong Hu. Conflict of interest: The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies, whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article. Statistics and biometry: No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper. Informed consent: Written informed consent was waived by the Institutional Review Board. Ethical approval: Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. This study was approved by the institutional review board of our institution. Methodology: Retrospective Diagnostic or prognostic study Performed at two institutions, (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Society of Radiology.)

Objective: When performing radiofrequency ablation for thyroid nodules, it is essential to avoid thermal injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve. This porcine animal model study used continuous intraoperative neuromonitoring to investigate the thermal safety parameters of thyroid radiofrequency ablation., Study Design: Porcine animal study., Setting: University animal laboratory., Methods: Twelve piglets were tested at different radiofrequency power levels, and the real-time electromyography signal changes were recorded under continuous intraoperative neuromonitoring. The spread heat study (8 piglets) included spontaneous recovery tests and cold water irrigation tests to investigate the safety distance from the recurrent laryngeal nerve to the active tip during 5-second activation with standard stimulation patterns. The residual heat study (4 piglets) investigated the safety cooling durations by touching the recurrent laryngeal nerve with the tip after a 5-second activation., Results: In the spread heat study, substantial signal attenuation events were observed at an spread heat distance of 2, 3, 5, and 5 mm when the power was set as 10, 20, 30, and 50 W, respectively. No signal recovery could be observed in 20 minutes with or without cold water irrigation in the injured recurrent laryngeal nerve area. The residual heat study shows the residual thermal effect of the tip is minimal, and no substantial signal attenuation event was observed at all experiments., Conclusions: This innovative study established the thermal safety parameters for radiofrequency ablation in a porcine model at various power levels, which can potentially assist operators in delineating a precise ablation field and providing effective thyroid ablation treatment safely., (© 2024 American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.)

Significance: Consistent and accurate probe placement is a crucial step towards enhancing the reproducibility of longitudinal and group-based functional neuroimaging studies. While the selection of headgear is central to these efforts, there does not currently exist a standardized design that can accommodate diverse probe configurations and experimental procedures., Aim: We aim to provide the community with an open-source software pipeline for conveniently creating low-cost, 3-D printable neuroimaging head caps with anatomically significant landmarks integrated into the structure of the cap., Approach: We utilize our advanced 3-D head mesh generation toolbox and 10-20 head landmark calculations to quickly convert a subject's anatomical scan or an atlas into a 3-D printable head cap model. The 3-D modeling environment of the open-source Blender platform permits advanced mesh processing features to customize the cap. The design process is streamlined into a Blender add-on named "NeuroCaptain"., Results: Using the intuitive user interface, we create various head cap models using brain atlases, and share those with the community. The resulting mesh-based head cap designs are readily 3-D printable using off-the-shelf printers and filaments while accurately preserving the head topology and landmarks., Conclusions: The methods developed in this work result in a widely accessible tool for community members to design, customize and fabricate caps that incorporate anatomically derived landmarks. This not only permits personalized head cap designs to achieve improved accuracy, but also offers an open platform for the community to propose standardizable head caps to facilitate multi-centered data collection and sharing.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the mechanism of Taohong Siwu decoction (THSWD) in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by using comprehensive analysis., Methods: The active components and relevant targets of THSWD were analyzed by network analysis to construct the active component-target-disease network diagram. Gene Ontology analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were conducted on the core targets by the Metascape database. Molecular docking verification was used for molecular visualization., Key Findings: A total of 69 active compounds and 114 targets were filtered in lung cancer treatment with THSWD. KEGG analysis suggested that tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway, and apoptosis pathway played critical roles. The results of molecular docking showed that populoside&#95;qt with IL-6, baicalein with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and luteolin with MAPK8 had the strongest binding ability. Moreover, experiment validation revealed that THSWD regulated the expression of IL-6, AKT, Cyclin D1, E-cadherin, and LC3A/B, thereby inhibiting the proliferation and migration ability, promoting apoptosis, and blocking the cell cycle of NSCLC cells., Conclusions: The potential targets and molecular mechanisms of THSWD in the treatment of NSCLC were preliminarily revealed by a comprehensive analysis in this study, which will provide new ideas and methods for the study of the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in treating lung cancer., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

A complex heteropolysaccharide SCP-2 named schisanan B (M w  = 1.005 × 10 5  g/mol) was obtained from water extracts of Schisandra chinensis fruits, and its planar structure was finally deduced as a galacturonoglucan by a combination of monosaccharide compositions, methylation analysis, partial acid hydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis and 1D/2D-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The conformation of SCP-2 exhibited a globular shape with branching in ammonium formate aqueous solutions. The rheological properties of SCP-2 were investigated on concentrations, temperature, pH and salts. The in vitro immunomodulatory activity assay demonstrated that SCP-2 significantly enhanced the production of nitric oxide (NO) and stimulated the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in macrophages. Through a combination of high-resolution live-cell imaging, surface plasmon resonance, and molecular docking techniques, SCP-2 exhibited a strong binding affinity with the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Moreover, western blot analysis revealed that SCP-2 effectively induced downstream signaling proteins associated with TLR4 activation, thereby promoting macrophage activation. The evidence strongly indicates that TLR4 functions as a membrane protein target in the activation of macrophages and immune regulation induced by SCP-2., 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: Scrub typhus is underdiagnosed and underreported but emerging as a global public health problem. To inform future burden and prediction studies we examined through a systematic review the potential effect of environmental covariates on scrub typhus occurrence and the methods which have been used for its prediction., Methods: In this systematic review, we searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and other databases, with no language and publication time restrictions, for studies that investigated environmental covariates or utilized methods to predict the spatial or temporal human. Data were manually extracted following a set of queries and systematic analysis was conducted., Results: We included 68 articles published in 1978-2024 with relevant data from 7 countries/regions. Significant environmental risk factors for scrub typhus include temperature (showing positive or inverted-U relationships), precipitation (with positive or inverted-U patterns), humidity (exhibiting complex positive, inverted-U, or W-shaped associations), sunshine duration (with positive, inverted-U associations), elevation, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and the proportion of cropland. Socioeconomic and biological factors were rarely explored. Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) (n = 8) and ecological niche modelling (ENM) approach (n = 11) were the most popular methods for predicting temporal trends and spatial distribution of scrub typhus, respectively., Conclusions: Our findings summarized the evidence on environmental covariates affecting scrub typhus occurrence and the methodologies used for predictive modelling. We review the existing knowledge gaps and outline recommendations for future studies modelling disease prediction and burden., Trial Registration: PROSPERO CRD42022315209., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests:Qian Wang reports financial support was provided by Wellcome Trust. Fangyu Ding reports financial support was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China. Fangyu Ding reports financial support was provided by Chinese Academy of Sciences Youth Innovation Promotion Association. Kartika Saraswati reports financial support was provided by NRF International Partnership Funding Initiative. If there are other authors, they 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 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

High prevalence of long COVID symptoms has emerged as a significant public health concern. This study investigated the associations between three doses of COVID-19 vaccines and the presence of any and ≥3 types of long COVID symptoms among people with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Hong Kong, China. This is a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional online survey among Hong Kong adult residents conducted between June and August 2022. This analysis was based on a sub-sample of 1,542 participants with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection during the fifth wave of COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong (December 2021 to April 2022). Among the participants, 40.9% and 16.1% self-reported having any and ≥3 types of long COVID symptoms, respectively. After adjusting for significant variables related to sociodemographic characteristics, health conditions and lifestyles, and SARS-CoV-2 infection, receiving at least three doses of COVID-19 vaccines was associated with lower odds of reporting any long COVID symptoms comparing to receiving two doses (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.54, 0.87, P  = .002). Three doses of inactivated and mRNA vaccines had similar protective effects against long COVID symptoms. It is important to strengthen the coverage of COVID-19 vaccination booster doses, even in the post-pandemic era.

Haptophyta represents a major taxonomic group, with plastids derived from the primary plastids of red algae. Here, we elucidated the cryoelectron microscopy structure of the photosystem I-light-harvesting complex I (PSI-LHCI) supercomplex from the haptophyte Isochrysis galbana . The PSI core comprises 12 subunits, which have evolved differently from red algae and cryptophytes by losing the PsaO subunit while incorporating the PsaK subunit, which is absent in diatoms and dinoflagellates. The PSI core is encircled by 22 fucoxanthin-chlorophyll a / c -binding light-harvesting antenna proteins (iFCPIs) that form a trilayered antenna arrangement. Moreover, a pigment-binding subunit, L iFP , which has not been identified in any other previously characterized PSI-LHCI supercomplexes, was determined in I. galbana PSI-iFCPI, presumably facilitating the interactions and energy transfer between peripheral iFCPIs and the PSI core. Calculation of excitation energy transfer rates by computational simulations revealed that the intricate pigment network formed within PSI-iFCPI ensures efficient transfer of excitation energy. Overall, our study provides a solid structural foundation for understanding the light-harvesting and energy transfer mechanisms in haptophyte PSI-iFCPI and provides insights into the evolution and structural variations of red-lineage PSI-LHCIs., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

Metastasis is a well-known factor worsening colorectal cancer (CRC) prognosis, but mortality mechanisms in non-metastatic patients with poor outcomes are less understood. TCF12 is a transcription factor that can be physically associated with the long non-coding RNA MALAT1, creating an alliance with correlated expression levels in CRC patients. This TCF12-MALAT1 alliance is linked to poorer prognosis independently of age and metastasis. To identify the downstream effects responsible for this outcome, we analyzed 2312 common target genes of TCF12 and MALAT1, finding involvement in pathways like Aurora B, ATM, PLK1, and non-canonical WNT. We investigated the impact of WNT downstream genes CTNNB1 and CCND1 , encoding β-catenin and cyclin D1, respectively, on survival in CRC patients with this alliance. Tumors with higher TCF12 and MALAT1 gene expressions alongside increased β-catenin gene expressions were classified as having a "Pan-CMS-2 pattern", showing relatively better prognoses. Conversely, tumors with high TCF12 , MALAT1 , and cyclin D1 gene expressions but low β-catenin expression were categorized as "TMBC pattern", associated with poor survival, with survival rates dropping sharply from 60% at one year to 30% at three years. This suggests that targeting cyclin D1-associated CDK4/6 could potentially reduce early mortality risks in TMBC patients, supporting personalized medicine approaches.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is a popular conduction polymer and widely used in organic electronics, bioelectronics and printed electronics. It is believed that PEDOT:PSS has a core-shell colloidal structure dispersed in the formulation. However, the size and surface functional groups of the PEDOT:PSS dispersion and films remain to be visualized. Here, we have introduced the concept of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) to super-resolution imaging for designing the cationic probe TPE-4N+ and accomplished the nanoscale optical visualization of PEDOT:PSS films through reversible electrostatic interactions. Information on the PEDOT:PSS size and surface charge has been successfully collected via super-resolution imaging. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of PSS nanoparticles was observed to be approximately 30-40 nm. The super-resolution fluorescence imaging method can also be used to monitor the PEDOT:PSS film after acid treatment. It was observed that PSS chains were washed away when exposed to concentrated sulfuric acid, which explains why concentrated sulfuric acid treatment greatly improves the conductivity of the PEDOT:PSS film. Super-resolution imaging is promising as an effective method for characterizing PEDOT:PSS films.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the external oblique intercostal block (EOIB) on early postoperative pain in patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy., Methods: 120 patients were divided into two groups: the EOIB group (Group E) and the control group (Group C). The assessed variables were mainly intraoperative remifentanil usage, numerical rating scale (NRS) pain scores at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 h postoperatively, cumulative fentanyl consumption within 24 h postoperatively and within the first-hour post-anesthesia care unit., Results: Remifentanil consumption during surgery was significantly reduced in Group E compared to Group C. Postoperative fentanyl requirements were also lower in Group E at 1 and 24 h after surgery. Furthermore, Group E demonstrated significantly lower NRS scores at 0, 1, 2, 4, and 6 h postoperatively and a reduced need for rescue analgesia compared to Group C. However, at 12 h post-surgery, Group E's NRS scores were slightly higher than Group C's., Conclusion: The EOIB is associated with reduced pain within the first 24 postoperative hours following laparoscopic cholecystectomy., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: The authors declare that they have no known conflict of interest or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this article., (© 2024 the author(s), published by De Gruyter.)

Introduction: Triple semicircular canal plugging is effective in controlling vertigo in patients with Meniere's disease, however, whether the rate of causing hearing loss during treatment is still not uniform. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Triple semicircular canal plugging (TSCP) on hearing in Meniere's disease (MD) patients., Methods: Databases Reviewed were PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Clinical Trials, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP. The study reported on the duration, follow-up time, hearing loss, and vertigo control outcomes in MD patients evaluated by TSCP. Stata 17 software was used for data analysis and assessing the risk of bias., Results: This meta-analysis included 367 MD patients from 7 studies. TSCP efficiently alleviated vertigo with a rate of 99% (95% CI: 0.97, 1.00) and had a hearing loss rate of 22% (95% CI: 0.16, 0.28). Subgroup analysis revealed that for hearing loss, the proportion of patients with disease duration more than or less than 12 months was 14% (95% CI: 0.05, 0.26) and 24% (95% CI: 0.19, 0.29), respectively. For vertigo control, the rates were 100% (95% CI: 0.96, 1.00) and 99% (95% CI: 0.97, 1.00), respectively. For hearing loss, the follow-up time of MD patients more than or less than 24 months was 20% (95% CI: 0.07, 0.38) and 23% (95% CI: 0.18, 0.29), respectively. For vertigo control, the rates were 99% (95% CI: 0.95, 1.00) and 99% (95% CI: 0.97, 1.00), respectively. The duration of the disease and follow-up time had no significant impact on hearing loss and vertigo control rates., Conclusions: TSCP was efficient for vertigo control but with a risk of hearing loss. It could be used as a surgical method for hearing preservation in advanced MD patients., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Zhu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement. The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest in this paper.

This study aimed to investigate the potential role of Colquhounia Root Tablets against bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis(RA) and its molecular mechanism. The study used ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze the major components of Colquhounia Root Tablets and predicted its candidate target gene set based on the major components. The key targets of RA bone destruction were obtained through GeneCards and the Database of Genetics and Medical Literature(OMIM), protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed, and the key targets were identified by topological analysis. The molecular mechanism of Colquhounia Root Tablets against RA bone destruction was further revealed using Gene Ontology(GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) enrichment analysis. The effects of Colquhounia Root Tablets on macrophage viability was assessed by MTS assay and screened for non-toxic concentrations. A model of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB(RANKL) induced osteoclast differentiation in vitro was constructed. Colquhounia Root Tablets were used to observe the formation and differentiation of osteoclasts by tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase(TRAP) staining and fibrous actin(F-actin) staining, and the effects of Colquhounia Root Tablets on the changes of core target proteins in the osteoclast differentiation system were detected by immunofluorescence and Western blot. The results showed that the main components of Colquhounia Root Tablets included 14 compounds such as triptolide, celastrol, and triptophenolide. Further network analysis revealed that heat-shock protein 90(HSP90) was the key target gene of Colquhounia Root Tablets for anti-RA bone destruction. TRAP staining and F-actin staining showed that the number and area of TRAP-positive polymorphonuclear cells, as well as actin rings, were reduced in a dose-dependent manner after the intervention of Colquhounia Root Tablets(P&lt;0.01). Western blot results showed that the expression of HSP90 protein was significantly reduced after intervention with Colquhounia Root Tablets at 20 and 40 μg·mL~(-1)(P&lt;0.01); Colquhounia Root Tablets at 10 μg·mL~(-1) could significantly decrease the expression of necrosis factor receptor associated molecule 6(TRAF6) and nuclear factor of activated T cells 1(NFATc1) proteins(P&lt;0.01); moreover, all doses of Colquhounia Root Tablets significantly reduced the expression of osteoclast differentiation marker proteins matrix metalloproteinase 9(MMP9) and cathepsin K(CTSK)(P&lt;0.01).Immunofluorescence results further confirmed that Colquhounia Root Tablets significantly inhibited HSP90 and CTSK levels, as well as NFATc1 activation in osteoblasts. In conclusion, the present study confirmed that Colquhounia Root Tablets may inhibit RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation by regulating the key target of HSP90, thus exerting an anti-RA bone destruction effect, which will provide a new idea for Colquhounia Root Tablets to prevent and treat bone destruction in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: The translocation of intestinal flora has been linked to the colonization of diverse and heavy lower respiratory flora in patients with septic ARDS, and is considered a critical prognostic factor for patients., Methods: On the first and third days of ICU admission, BALF, throat swab, and anal swab were collected, resulting in a total of 288 samples. These samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA analysis and the traceability analysis of new generation technology., Results: On the first day, among the top five microbiota species in abundance, four species were found to be identical in BALF and throat samples. Similarly, on the third day, three microbiota species were found to be identical in abundance in both BALF and throat samples. On the first day, 85.16% of microorganisms originated from the throat, 5.79% from the intestines, and 9.05% were unknown. On the third day, 83.52% of microorganisms came from the throat, 4.67% from the intestines, and 11.81% were unknown. Additionally, when regrouping the 46 patients, the results revealed a significant predominance of throat microorganisms in BALF on both the first and third day. Furthermore, as the disease progressed, the proportion of intestinal flora in BALF increased in patients with enterogenic ARDS., Conclusions: In patients with septic ARDS, the main source of lung microbiota is primarily from the throat. Furthermore, the dynamic trend of the microbiota on the first and third day is essentially consistent.It is important to note that the origin of the intestinal flora does not exclude the possibility of its origin from the throat.

Cigarette smoking is associated with worse clinical outcomes in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection, but the effects on hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance are unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of active smoking on HBsAg seroclearance (SC) and its impact on peripheral blood lymphocytes in patients with CHB infection. Longitudinal follow-up data was retrieved in 7833 antiviral-treated CHB subjects identified from a centralised electronic patient record database (Part 1). Phenotypic analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 27 CHB-infected patients (6 active smokers; 13 with SC) was performed by flow cytometry to assess programmed death-1 (PD-1) expression and proportion of regulatory T cells (CD4 + CD25 + CD127 lo ). Effector function of HBV-specific T cells was examined by comparing granzyme B (GZMB) and transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) production in undepleted PBMCs and Treg-depleted PBMCs after 7 days in vitro stimulation with HBV envelope protein overlapping peptides (Part 2). Over a median follow-up of 5 years, smoking was associated with lower probability of SC (aHR 0.70, 95% CI 0.57-0.87). PD-1 expression was increased in CD4 + T cells, CD8 + T cells and CD20 + B cells among smokers compared to non-smokers and positively correlated with pack years (all p < 0.05). Treg depletion led to partial functional recovery of HBV-specific T cells, with significantly bigger magnitude in smokers (p = 0.0451, mean difference = 4.68%) than non-smokers (p = 0.012, mean difference = 4.2%). Cigarette smoking is associated with lower chance of HBsAg seroclearance, higher PD-1 expression on lymphocytes, and impairment of effector functions of HBV-specific T cells in CHB., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Viral Hepatitis published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) holds promise as a therapeutic modality for wound healing; however, immediate utilization encounters challenges related to volume, concentration, and consistency. Cryopreservation emerges as a viable solution, preserving PRP's bioactive components and extending its shelf life. This study explores the practicality and efficacy of cryopreserved platelet-rich plasma (cPRP) in wound healing, scrutinizing both cellular mechanisms and clinical implications. Fresh PRP and cPRP post freeze-thaw underwent assessment in macrophage, fibroblast, and endothelial cell cultures. The impact of cPRP on active component release and cell behavior pertinent to wound healing was evaluated. Varied concentrations of cPRP (1%, 5%, 10%) were examined for their influence on cell polarization, migration, and proliferation. The results showed minimal changes in cPRP's IL-1β levels, a slight decrease in PDGF-BB, and superior effects on macrophage M2 polarization and fibroblast migration, while no statistical significance was observed in endothelial cell angiogenesis and proliferation. Remarkably, 5% PRP exhibited the most significant stimulation among all cPRP concentrations, notably impacting cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and migration. The discussion underscores that cPRP maintains platelet phenotype and function over extended periods, with 5% cPRP offering the most favorable outcomes, providing a pragmatic approach for cold storage to extend post-thaw viability and amplify therapeutic effects.

Vaccination strategies that can induce a broad spectrum immune response are important to enhance protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants. We conducted a randomized, double-blind and parallel controlled trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the bivalent (5×10 10 viral particles) and B.1.1.529 variant (5×10 10 viral particles) adenovirus type-5 (Ad5) vectored COVID-19 vaccines administrated via inhalation. 451 eligible subjects aged 18 years and older who had been vaccinated with three doses inactivated COVID-19 vaccines were randomly assigned to inhale one dose of either B.1.1.529 variant Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine (Ad5-nCoVO-IH group, N=150), bivalent Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine (Ad5-nCoV/O-IH group, N=151), or Ad5 vectored COVID-19 vaccine (5×10 10 viral particles; Ad5-nCoV-IH group, N=150). Adverse reactions reported by 37 (24.67%) participants in the Ad5-nCoVO-IH group, 28 (18.54%) in the Ad5-nCoV/O-IH group, and 26 (17.33%) in the Ad5-nCoV-IH group with mainly mild to moderate dry mouth, oropharyngeal pain, headache, myalgia, cough, fever and fatigue. No serious adverse events related to the vaccine were reported. Investigational vaccines were immunogenic, with significant difference in the GMTs of neutralizing antibodies against Omicron BA.1 between Ad5-nCoV/O-IH (43.70) and Ad5-nCoV-IH (29.25) at 28 days after vaccination (P=0.0238). The seroconversion rates of neutralizing antibodies against BA.1 in Ad5-nCoVO-IH, Ad5-nCoV/O-IH, and Ad5-nCoV-IH groups were 56.00%, 59.60% and 48.67% with no significant difference among the groups. Overall, the investigational vaccines were demonstrated to be safe and well tolerated in adults, and was highly effective in inducing mucosal immunities in addition to humoral and cellular immune responses defending against SARS-CoV-2 variants.Trial registration: Chictr.org identifier: ChiCTR2200063996.

Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound impacted on various aspects of society, including the healthcare system and patient care. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 control strategies on the lipid profile and blood sugar levels of peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients in Taiwan, a crucial focus for understanding the pandemic's influence on individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD)., Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted, analyzing data from the medical records of 170 PD patients who visited the nephrology division of Taipei Veterans General Hospital in 2021. The generalized estimating equations method was used to analyze the longitudinal data and assess the changes in biomarker levels over different periods. Covariates were taken into consideration in the statistical models., Results: The study enrolled 70 (41%) males and 100 (59%) females, with an average age of 56 years old. Over 12 months in 2021, from the first period (January to April: pre-COVID-19) to the second period (May to August: COVID-19 surge), there was a notable decline in both high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, and a significant surge in triglyceride (TG) levels. However, total cholesterol (TC) and hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels remained stable. Furthermore, the TG to HDL, TG to LDL, TC to HDL, and TC to LDL ratios were analyzed, revealing a pronounced increase during the second period., Conclusion: Our findings underscore the significant impact of COVID-19 pandemic-related disruptions in the healthcare system and the subsequent management strategies on dyslipidemia in PD patients while not affecting dysglycemia. These results provide valuable insights for healthcare professionals to enhance their strategies and interventions for CKD patients undergoing PD during a pandemic., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest related to the subject matter or materials discussed in this article., (Copyright © 2024, the Chinese Medical Association.)

Background: Chinese giant salamander protein hydrolysates (CGSPH) are beneficial to human health as a result of their high content of amino acids and peptides. However, the formation of bitter peptides in protein hydrolysates (PHs) would hinder their application in food industry. The ultrasound assisted wet-heating Maillard reaction (MR) is an effective way to improve the flavor of PHs. Thus, the effect of ultrasonic assisted wet-heating MR on the structure and flavor of CGSPH was investigated in the present study., Results: The results indicated that the ultrasound assisted wet-heating MR products (MRPs) exhibited a higher degree of graft and more significant changes in the secondary and tertiary structures of CGSPH compared to traditional wet-heating MRPs. Moreover, ultrasound assisted wet-heating MR could significantly increase the content of small molecule peptides and reduce the content of free amino acids of CGSPH, which resulted in more significant changes in flavor characteristics. The changed in flavor properties after MR (especially ultrasound assisted wet-heating MRPs) were mainly manifested by a significant reduction in bitterness, as well as a significant increase in the content of aromatic aldehyde ester compounds such as furan-2-carbaldehyde, butanal, benzaldehyde, furfural, etc. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound assisted wet-heating MR between CGSPH and xylose could be a promising way to improve the sensory characteristics of CGSPH. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Alginate, mainly produced by brown algae, is an important polysaccharide that supports the growth of marine bacteria. Vreelandella sp. F11 is a Gram-negative and aerobic marine bacterium, which was isolated from the brown algae sample collected from the Weihai coast, the Yellow Sea, China. Here, we present the complete genome of strain F11 and its genomic characteristics to utilize alginate. The genome of strain F11 comprises one circular chromosome with 4,840,724 bp and a GC content of 55.04 %. Strain F11 could grow with alginate as the sole carbon source. Genomic analysis revealed that strain F11 contains a gene cluster, encoding the enzymes, transporters and a regulator protein involved in utilizing alginate. Gene annotations suggested that the alginate utilization system of strain F11 is similar to those in Vibrio strains. However, strain F11 does not contain homologs of known KdgF (a key enzyme involved in the metabolism of alginate monomer) and inner membrane transporters of alginate oligomer uptake. The result indicated that strain F11 contains novel KdgF and inner membrane transporter system, which warrants further investigation. These data suggested that Vreelandella strains play a role in alginate utilization in the ocean and lay a foundation for the application of Vreelandella in the conversion of brown algae., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no financial conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Nurses who experience verbal abuse often report negative emotions, which can affect their work status and nurse-patient relationship. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study has summarized the prevalence of verbal abuse among nurses by different perpetrators and related risk factors., Aim: This review aimed to synthesize the prevalence of verbal abuse among nurses and identify the most common sources and related risk factors., Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library electronic databases were searched from inception to 15 October 2024, and observational studies reporting the prevalence of verbal abuse among nurses were selected. In this systematic review, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. Methodological quality was appraised using a revised version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale, and the STATA software was used for meta-analysis; PROSPERO registration number: CRD42022385401., Results: The search identified 458 records, of which 45 met the inclusion criteria. The overall prevalence of verbal abuse was estimated at 67% (95% CI: 61-72). Verbally abused nurses reported patients' relatives, friends (48%, 95% CI: 42-55), and physicians (39%, 95% CI: 20-58) as the main perpetrators of verbal abuse. Personal factors, work area, and work characteristics were the main factors related to verbal abuse among nurses., Conclusions: The overall prevalence of verbal abuse among nurses was more than 65%, especially in the emergency department, and South or Southeast Asian countries had a significantly lower prevalence of verbal abuse than other countries. Physicians and patients' relatives were the main sources of verbal abuse. Hospital administrators should prevent various effects of verbal abuse on nurses' physical and mental health., Implications for Nursing and Health Policy: Developing safe workplaces and effective interventions to protect nurses is essential. Supervisors and institutions should thoroughly monitor verbal abuse. Additionally, organizations need to focus on preventive measures and provide the necessary administrative, legal, and psychological support to nurses who are exposed to verbal abuse to ensure nursing care sustainability., (© 2025 International Council of Nurses.)

Severe traumatic bleeding and chronic diabetic wounds require rapid hemostasis and multifunctional dressings, which remain particularly challenging, especially for non-compressible trauma and irregular wounds with dysregulated microenvironments. Chitosan (CS) can be easily cross-linked with genipin to form GpCS hydrogels. However, developing injectable GpCS hydrogels for biomedical applications faces challenges, particularly in enhancing rapid gel formation and optimizing physical properties. In this study, we present an innovative approach to improve these aspects by designing a novel injectable GpCS hydrogel, strategically enhanced through a calcium peroxide (CaO 2 )-activated cross-linking reaction. CaO 2 played a pivotal role in promoting in situ cross-linking of the GpCS hydrogel, leading to significant improvements in its injectable in situ gel-forming ability, mechanical strength, and self-healing and bioadhesive properties. CaO 2 incorporated in the hydrogels rapidly converted to oxygen when combined with catalase (CAT), thereby establishing a self-sustaining oxygen/calcium release system. This system not only promoted hyperoxia and activated the coagulation cascade, facilitating rapid blood clotting, but also significantly accelerated wound healing through enhanced angiogenesis, collagen deposition, and M2 macrophage polarization. These attributes significantly enhanced the capacity of the hydrogel to facilitate wound closure and hemostasis, highlighting its therapeutic value in accelerating recovery and improving healing outcomes in clinical wound care., 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.)

There is limited understanding of the optimal duration and dosage of pentoxifylline (PTX) therapy required to achieve significant reductions in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk, particularly in patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD). This study aimed to evaluate the impact of long-term PTX therapy on the risk of ASCVD in patients with DKD who do not have pre-existing cardiovascular disease, while also exploring potential vascular protective mechanisms. This retrospective cohort study included data from Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare's Health and Welfare Data Science Center. In 2008-2019, we identified and analyzed a specific sample of 129,764 patients with DKD without established cardiovascular disease. Participants were categorized according to their PTX treatment regimen. Short-term PTX users (<763 days) had a greater risk of developing ASCVD than non-PTX users. However, those who used PTX for >763 days (long-term PTX treatment) had a significantly lower risk of ASCVD, with a 47% lower cumulative incidence. A dose-dependent reduction in apoptosis was observed via Klotho treatment in cultured human aortic endothelial cells following PTX treatment. Long-term PTX treatment (24 h) caused a higher reduction in H 2 O 2 -induced reactive oxygen species production and cell apoptosis than short-term PTX treatment (2 h). In the DKD mice model experiments, PTX reduced the ASCVD risk by increasing the Klotho levels to inhibit endothelial cell damage. These findings suggest that the cardiovascular and renoprotective benefits of PTX may be extended to primary prevention strategies for people with DKD.