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Zheng-Gang Xu,1– 3,* Fei-Hong Zhang,1– 3,* Dong-Wei Sun,1– 3,* Qi-Tong Zheng,1– 3 Gu-Wei Ji,1– 3 Ke Wang1– 3 1Hepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 2Key Laboratory of Liver Transplantation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 3NHC Key Laboratory of Living Donor Liver Transplantation (Nanjing Medical University), Nanjing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ke Wang; Gu-Wei JiHepatobiliary Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 300 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 18061675088; +86 15951758275, Fax +86 68136450, Email lancetwk@163.com; drjgw@njmu.edu.cnBackground: Resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) originating in the caudate lobe remains challenging, while the optimal extent of resection is debated. We aimed to evaluate the relative benefits of combined caudate lobectomy (CCL) versus isolated caudate lobectomy (ICL) for caudate HCC.Methods: Patients who underwent curative-intent resection for caudate HCC between January 2010 and December 2018 were identified from a single-center database. Surgical outcomes of the two strategy groups were analyzed before and after propensity score matching. A systematic review with meta-analysis was also performed to compare outcomes of CCL versus ICL for caudate HCC.Results: A total of 28 patients were included: 11 in the CCL and 17 in the ICL group. Compared with ICL, the CCL group contained patients with larger tumors and a higher incidence of vascular invasion. After propensity score matching, 6 pairs of patients were selected. In the well-matched cohort, CCL demonstrated significantly improved recurrence-free survival (RFS) (P = 0.047) compared with ICL; no significant differences were noted for overall survival (OS), operation time, blood loss and morbidity rate. A total of 227 patients from nine eligible studies and ours were involved in the systematic review. Meta-analysis revealed that CCL provided better RFS (hazard ratio 0.54, 95% confidence interval 0.31– 0.92) than ICL; no significant differences were observed in OS, operation time, blood loss and morbidity rate.Conclusion: CCL confers superior RFS over ICL without compromise of perioperative outcomes and should be prioritized for patients with caudate HCC when feasible, especially for those with large-sized tumors.Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, caudate lobe, surgery, outcomes, meta-analysis

Yan Zhang,1 Hui Zhang,2 Wenbin Wu,2 Fuhong Zhang,3,4 Shi Liu,3 Rui Wang,3 Yingchun Sun,1 Ti Tong,1 Xiabin Jing3 1Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Thoracic Surgery, Xuzhou Central Hospital, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China; 3State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin, People's Republic of China; 4Department of Otolaryngology, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, People's Republic of China Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma shows low response to most conventional chemotherapies; additionally, extrahepatic metastasis from hepatoma is considered refractory to conventional systemic chemotherapy. Target therapy is a promising strategy for advanced hepatoma; however, targeted accumulation and controlled release of therapeutic agents into the metastatic site is still a great challenge. Folic acid (FA) and paclitaxel (PTX) containing composite micelles (FA-M[PTX]) were prepared by coassembling the FA polymer conjugate and PTX polymer conjugate. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the inhibitory efficacy of FA-M(PTX) on the pulmonary metastasis of intravenously injected murine hepatoma 22 (H22) on BALB/c mice models. The lung metastatic burden of H22 were measured and tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and histology (hematoxylin and eosin stain), followed by survival analysis. The results indicated that FA-M(PTX) prevented pulmonary metastasis of H22, and the efficacy was stronger than pure PTX and simple PTX-conjugated micelles. In particular, the formation of lung metastasis colonies in mice was evidently inhibited, which was paralleled with the downregulated expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and matrix metalloproteinase-9. Furthermore, the mice bearing pulmonary metastatic hepatoma in the FA-M(PTX) group gained significantly prolonged survival time when compared with others given equivalent doses of PTX of 30 mg/kg. The enhanced efficacy of FA-M(PTX) is theoretically ascribed to the target effect of FA; moreover, the extensive pulmonary capillary networks may play a role. In conclusion, FA-M(PTX) displayed great potential as a promising antimetastatic agent, and the FA-conjugated micelles is a preferential targeted delivery system when compared to micelles without FA. Keywords: pulmonary metastasis, folate receptor, paclitaxel, polymer–drug conjugate, targeted drug delivery

Older adults are at risk of adverse drug events during transition of care from hospital to community, thus optimal communication about medications at discharge is essential. Standardization of medication discharge plan (MDP) is lacking. This study aimed to (1) create a standardized MDP for older adults using consensus-based principles, (2) create a short-version MDP and (3) generate a practical guide. Modified Delphi was used to establish consensus on guiding principles for the MDP. Additionally, participants were asked about guiding principles deemed most essential, patient prioritization, the format and mode of transmission of the MDP. Twenty-six guiding principles reached consensus, with 17 prioritized for a short-version MDP. The practical guide includes explanations of the guiding principles, criteria for patient selection and recommendations on the format and mode of transmission. The results of this study will assist implementation of MDPs when older adults are discharged from hospital., (© 2024 The Author(s). British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Pharmacological Society.)

Two important plant enzymes are 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD; EC 1.13.11.27), which is necessary for biosynthesis of plastoquinone and tocopherols, and phytoene dehydrogenase (PDS; EC 1.3.99.26), which plays an important role in colour rendering. Dual-target proteins that inhibit pigment synthesis will prevent resistant weeds and improve the spectral characteristics of herbicides. This study introduces virtual screening of pharmacophores based on the complex structure of the two targets. A three-dimensional database was established by screening 1,492,858 compounds based on the Lipinski principle. HPPD&PDS dual-target receptor-ligand pharmacophore models were then constructed, and nine potential dual-target inhibitors were obtained through pharmacophore modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations. Ultimately, ADMET prediction software yielded three compounds with high potential as dual-target herbicides. The obtained nine inhibitors were stable when combined with both HPPD and PDS proteins. This study offers guidance for the development of HPPD&PDS dual-target inhibitors with novel skeletons., 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.)

Objective: Multiple myeloma (MM) and Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are distinct hematologic malignancies originating from different cell lineages. Their coexistence is extremely rare, and current treatment approaches are even more so. Therefore, exploring the clinical features of their coexistence and the promising treatment strategy is worthwhile., Case Report: We described three cases involving the coexistence of MM and DNMT3A-mutant AML, two of which presented simultaneous occurrences, while Case 3 had secondary AML about 70 months after the MM., Discussion: All cases exhibited DNMT3A mutations, which characterized by one missense mutation and two frameshift mutations; all were likely loss of function mutations. Among them, two patients were treated with Venetoclax-based regimens and achieved favorable effects. The patients were alive for 62,38 and 103 months., Conclusions: Clonal hematopoiesis of DNMT3A may have a crucial role in the coexistence of MM and AML and Venetoclax-based regimens reveal favorable treatment responses. However, drug resistance still needs to be considered, and further research is required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and treatment strategies., (© 2024 by the Association of Clinical Scientists, Inc.)

Background: Madelung's disease is a rare disorder characterized by massive deposits of excess subcutaneous fat around the neck, shoulders, arms, and other parts of the body. It has a high prevalence among middle-aged alcoholic men in Mediterranean countries and a low incidence in Asian populations. Although patients with Madelung's disease are often associated with a variety of alcohol-induced metabolic disorders, the comorbidity of alcoholic cardiomyopathy is rarely reported, probably because of its low incidence or neglect by clinicians., Case Report: A 67-year-old man with a 10-year history of soft fat masses in the neck developed chest tightness and shortness of breath on exertion for the past 2 years. Laboratory tests revealed elevated γ-glutamyl transferase, glucose intolerance, hyperuricemia, hyperlipidemia, and anemia. Computed tomography of the neck showed symmetric nonencapsulated fat deposits, mainly in the anterior cervical regions. Echocardiography showed left heart enlargement and severe global left ventricular systolic dysfunction with an ejection fraction of 31%. Coronary angiography revealed 40-50% stenoses of the left anterior descending and right coronary arteries. After the exclusion of other causes of dilated cardiomyopathy, the patient was finally diagnosed with type I Madelung's disease and alcoholic cardiomyopathy. He underwent lifestyle changes, including reducing his alcohol intake, and received full pharmacological treatment for heart failure. One and a half years later, his cardiac function was partially restored, and all metabolic abnormalities improved except for elevated liver enzymes., Conclusions: Alcohol use disorder should be assessed in patients with newly diagnosed Madelung's disease. Screening for alcoholic cardiomyopathy in alcoholic patients with Madelung's disease is necessary for early detection of cardiac abnormalities and intervention to improve the prognosis of this group of patients.

Purpose: The fatigue resistance of mechanical nickel-titanium files was tested by phase-locked infrared flaw detection method, in order to timely detect instrument wear, providing reference for clinical safe use and timely abandonment of nickel-titanium files., Methods: Twenty sets of mechanical nickel-titanium files were selected from Reciproc-Blue(RB), MTWO and S3 respectively, and resin simulated root canals with 60° and 90° bending were prepared, which were divided into 6 subgroups. The fatigue value after use, the number of uses before breaking and the length of fracture of file 25# of each group of files were recorded and compared with SPSS 26.0 software package., Results: With the increase of the times of use, the fatigue value of the three kinds of files increased gradually. Among the two types of curved root canals, the number of uses before fracture in RB group was significantly increased compared with that in MTWO group and S3 group (P＜0.05). The number of uses of the three kinds of files in the 90° curved root canal were significantly less than in the corresponding groups in the 60° curved root canal(P＜0.05). There was no significant difference in the length of fracture among the three kinds of files(P＞0.05)., Conclusions: Phase-locked infrared flaw detection method can be used for non-destructive testing and quantitative analysis of the fatigue degree of nickel-titanium files.

Prostate cancer causes numerous male deaths annually. Although great progress has been made in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer during the past several decades, much about this disease remains unknown, especially its pathobiology. The kinesin superfamily is a pivotal group of motor proteins, that contains a microtubule-based motor domain and features an adenosine triphosphatase activity and motility characteristics. Large-scale sequencing analyses based on clinical samples and animal models have shown that several members of the kinesin family are dysregulated in prostate cancer. Abnormal expression of kinesins could be linked to uncontrolled cell growth, inhibited apoptosis and increased metastasis ability. Additionally, kinesins may be implicated in chemotherapy resistance and escape immunologic cytotoxicity, which creates a barrier to cancer treatment. Here we cover the recent advances in understanding how kinesins may drive prostate cancer progression and how targeting their function may be a therapeutic strategy. A better understanding of kinesins in prostate cancer tumorigenesis may be pivotal for improving disease outcomes in prostate cancer 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.)

This study compares the skin structures of Rana kukunoris with two different skin colors living in the same area of Haibei in the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The skin thickness of the khaki R. kukunoris was significantly greater than that of the brown R. kukunoris (P < 0.01), and significantly more mucous and granular glands were present on the dorsal skin of the khaki frog (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the melanocytes on the dorsal skin of the brown frog were significantly larger than those on the khaki one (P < 0.05). Morphological changes in the expansion and aggregation of melanocytes seemed to deepen the skin color of R. kukunoris. Moreover, transcriptome sequencing identified tyrosine metabolism, melanogenesis, and riboflavin metabolism as the main pathways involved in melanin formation and metabolism in brown R. kukunoris. TYR, MC1R was upregulated as the skin color of R. kukunoris was deepened and contributed to melanin production and metabolism. In contrast, the khaki frog had significantly more upregulated genes and metabolic pathways related to autoimmunity. The khaki frog appeared to defend against ultraviolet (UV) radiation-induced damage by secreting mucus and small molecular peptides, whereas the brown frog protected itself by distributing a large amount of melanin. Hence, the different skin colors of R. kukunoris might represent different adaptation strategies for survival in the intense UV radiation environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau., 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. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

The relationship between CD276 and malignancies of the female reproductive system has previously been controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of CD276 expression in clinicopathological features and prognosis of female reproductive system malignant tumors through meta-analysis. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI and Wanfang databases were searched for studies published up to December 2022 on the role of CD276 expression in the clinicopathological features and prognosis of female reproductive system malignancies. STATA 14.0 was used for meta-analysis. A total of 10 studies were included, involving 840 patients with malignant tumors of the female reproductive system. The results showed that in terms of clinicopathological features: CD276 expression was closely related to lymph node status [OR = 2.33， 95 %CI = 1.32-4.11， P = 0.003], tumor differentiation [OR = 2.15， 95 %CI = 1.27-3.63, P = 0.004], and FIGO stage [OR = 2.58， 95 %CI = 1.44-4.61, P = 0.001] of reproductive system malignant tumors. In terms of prognosis: CD276 expression is strongly associated with shorter OS in patients with female reproductive system malignancies [HR = 3.33, 95 % CI = 1.36-8.15, P = 0.01]. CD276 may be a new target for immunotherapy and a biomarker for predicting poor prognosis of female reproductive system malignancies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest 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. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Efficient synthesis of enantioenriched amines is of great importance due to their significant synthetic and biological applications. Photoredox-mediated asymmetric α -amino C(sp 3 )-H functionalization offers an atom-economical and sustainable approach to access chiral amines. However, the development of analogous reactions is in its early stages, generally affording chiral amines with a single stereocenter. Herein, we present a novel synergistic triple-catalysis approach for the asymmetric α -C-H addition of readily available N -sulfonyl amines to aldehydes under mild conditions. This method allows for the efficient synthesis of a diverse array of valuable β -amino alcohols bearing vicinal stereocenters. Unlike previous reports, our protocol employs a radical approach using earth-abundant Cr catalysis. Quinuclidine plays a dual role by facilitating highly selective hydrogen-atom transfer to generate α -amino radicals and promoting the dissociation of the Cr-O bond, which is crucial for the overall catalytic cycle as evidenced by control, NMR, and DFT experiments. Preliminary mechanistic studies, including radical trapping, nonlinear effect, Stern-Volmer plot, kinetic isotope effect, and Hammett plot, offer valuable insights into the reaction pathway.

Mineral trioxide aggregates (MTA) are commonly used as endodontic filling materials but suffer from a long setting time and tooth discoloration. In the present study, the feasibility of using barium titanate (BTO) for discoloration and a calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ) solution to shorten the setting time was investigated. BTO powder was prepared using high-energy ball milling for 3 h, followed by sintering at 700-1300 °C for 2 h. X-ray diffraction was used to examine the crystallinity and crystalline size of the as-milled and heat-treated powders. MTA-like cements were then prepared using 20-40 wt.% BTO as a radiopacifier and solidified using a 0-30% CaCl 2 solution. The corresponding radiopacity, diametral tensile strength (DTS), initial and final setting times, and discoloration performance were examined. The experimental results showed that for the BTO powder prepared using a combination of mechanical milling and heat treatment, the crystallinity and crystalline size increased with the increasing sintering temperature. The BTO sintered at 1300 °C (i.e., BTO-13) exhibited the best radiopacity and DTS. The MTA-like cement supplemented with 30% BTO-13 and solidified with a 10% CaCl 2 solution exhibited a radiopacity of 3.68 ± 0.24 mmAl and a DTS of 2.54 ± 0.28 MPa, respectively. In the accelerated discoloration examination using UV irradiation, the color difference was less than 1.6 and significantly lower than the clinically perceptible level (3.7). This novel MTA exhibiting a superior color stability, shortened setting time, and excellent biocompatibility has potential for use in endodontic applications.

Objective: To investigate the causal relationships between linoleic acid and type 2 diabetes, and between linoleic acid and glycemic traits in European populations., Methods: This study employed a two-sample Mendelian randomization approach to infer causality between linoleic acid and type 2 diabetes, as well as between linoleic acid and glycemic traits, leveraging genetic variations. Data were sourced from genome-wide association study summary datasets. Random-effects inverse-variance weighted, weighted median, and MR-Egger methods were used for the two-sample Mendelian randomization analyses. Results were presented as odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval. Multiple sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess result robustness., Results: MR findings indicated a correlation between linoleic acid levels and the risk of type 2 diabetes, fasting blood glucose, and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), but not with fasting insulin. Specifically: type 2 diabetes (OR: 0.811, 95% CI: 0.688-0.956, P =0.013<0.05),fasting blood glucose (β&#95;IVW): -0.056, 95% CI: (-0.091,-0.021), P =0.002< 0.0125), glycated hemoglobin (β&#95;IVW: -0.032, 95% CI: (-0.048,-0.015), P =0.0002< 0.0125) and Fasting insulin (β&#95;IVW: -0.024, 95% CI: (-0.056,-0.008), P =0.136 >0.05).Reverse MR analyses showed a correlation between type 2 diabetes and reduced levels of linoleic acid (β&#95;IVW: -0.033, 95% CI: (-0.059,-0.006), P =0.014<0.05). Multiple sensitivity analyses also detected study heterogeneity but found no evidence of horizontal pleiotropy., Conclusion: High levels linoleic acid can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, fasting blood glucose, and glycated hemoglobin, but has no significant relation with fasting insulin. Type 2 diabetes can lower linoleic acid levels; however, no significant causal relationship was observed between the three glycemic traits and reduced levels of linoleic acid., 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 © 2023 Liang, Mu, Zhang, Li, Li, Li, Liang and He.)

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of the combined treatment of Yishen Tongluo formula and low-dose tadalafil in diabetic erectile dysfunction., Methods: A total of 80 patients with diabetic erectile dysfunction were randomly divided into two groups. The control group given tadalafil treatment, observation group in the control group given Yishen Tongluo Formula on the basis of treatment. The treatment period was 8 weeks. Erectile function were observed before and after treatment in the two groups patients-5 international questionnaire (IIEF - 5) score, erection quality scale (EQS) score, erectile hardness (EHS) score, TCM syndrome integral, content of serum homocysteine (HCY), endothelial function index ［serum levels of prostaglandin I2 (PGI2)］ and endothelin (ET) content, a The changes of nitrogen oxide (NO), glucose and lipid metabolism indexes ［triglyceride (TC), total cholesterol (TG)］ and oxidative stress related factors ［total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)］ were evaluated, and the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated., Results: In terms of overall efficacy rate, the observation group (79.4%) outperformed that of the control (48.7%, P< 0.01).After treatment, the IIEF-5 score, EQS score, EHS score, and serum levels of PGI2, NO, T-AOC and GSH-Px were higher than those before treatment in the two groups (P< 0.05). The TCM syndrome score and serum HCY, ET-1, TC and TG were lower than those before treatment (P< 0.05), and the comparison group's consequence was comparatively worse than the group under observation (P< 0.01)., Conclusions: Yishen Tongluo Formula can dramatically enhance the erectile dysfunction andimprovement of glucose-lipid metabolism when adopted in together with low-dose tadalafil.

Introduction: Myeloid tumors typically harbor TP53 mutations, which are linked to a dismal prognosis. There are fewer studies on whether TP53-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome with excess blasts (MDS-EB) differ in molecular characteristics and should be considered as separate entities., Methods: Between January 2016 and December 2021, a retrospective analysis was done on a total of 73 newly diagnosed AML patients and 61 MDS-EB patients from the first affiliated hospital of Soochow University. We described a survival profile and a thorough characterization of newly found TP53-mutant AML and MDS-EB and investigated the relationship between these characteristics and overall survival (OS)., Results: 38 (31.1%) were mono-allelic, and 84 (68.9%) were bi-allelic. There is no significant difference between TP53-mutated AML and MDS-EB (median OS 12.9 verse 14.4 months; p = .558). Better overall survival was linked to mono-allelic TP53 than bi-allelic TP53(HR = 3.030, CI:1.714-5.354, p < .001). However, the number of TP53 mutations and comutations were not significantly associated with OS. TP53 variant allele frequency cutoff of 50% is significant correlation with OS (HR: 2.177, 95% CI: 1.142-4.148; p = .0063)., Conclusion: Our data revealed that allele status and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant independently affect the prognostic of AML and MDS-EB patients, with a concordance of molecular features and survival between these two disease entities. Our analysis favors considering TP53-mutated AML/MDS-EB as a distinct disorder., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The identification of additional Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.) complex species/genotypes in recent years raises the possibility that there might be more variation among this species in China than is currently understood. The aim of this study was to explore intra- and inter-species variation and population structure of Echinococcus species isolated from sheep in three areas of Western China. Of the isolates, 317, 322, and 326 were successfully amplified and sequenced for cox1, nad1, and nad5 genes, respectively. BLAST analysis revealed that the majority of the isolates were E. granulosus s.s., and using the cox1, nad1, and nad5 genes, respectively, 17, 14, and 11 isolates corresponded to Elodea canadensis (genotype G6/G7). In the three study areas, G1 genotypes were the most prevalent. There were 233 mutation sites along with 129 parsimony informative sites. A transition/transversion ratio of 7.5, 8, and 3.25, respectively, for cox1, nad1, and nad5 genes was obtained. Every mitochondrial gene had intraspecific variations, which were represented in a star-like network with a major haplotype with observable mutations from other distant and minor haplotypes. The Tajima's D value was significantly negative in all populations, indicating a substantial divergence from neutrality and supporting the demographic expansion of E. granulosus s.s. in the study areas. The phylogeny inferred by the maximum likelihood (ML) method using nucleotide sequences of cox1-nad1-nad5 further confirmed their identity. The nodes assigned to the G1, G3, and G6 clades as well as the reference sequences utilized had maximal posterior probability values (1.00). In conclusion, our study confirms the existence of a significant major haplotype of E. granulosus s.s. where G1 is the predominant genotype causing of CE in both livestock and humans in China., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of combination of auxiliary irrigation technology and root canal irrigation solution in the treatment of chronic apical periodontitis with fistula, and try to seek a more effective and minimally invasive therapeutic strategy., Methods: One hundred and fifty patients with fistulous chronic apical periodontitis who were diagnosed in Hefei Stomatological Hospital from January 2021 to January 2022 were randomly divided into 6 groups, 25 cases in each group. The 6 groups were as follows, group A: 0.5%NaOCl +ultrasonically activated irrigation; Group B: 1.0%NaOCl+ultrasonically activated irrigation; Group C: 2.0%CHX+ultrasonically activated irrigation; Group D: 0.5%NaOCl+sonic activation; Group E: 1.0%NaOCl+sonic activation; Group F: 2.0%CHX+sonic activation. The fistula healing time, treatment effect and postoperative pain were observed in each group. The data were analyzed with SPSS 20.0 software package., Results: In terms of fistula healing, the 10-day fistula healing rate of group E and group F was higher than that of group A and group D，and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05); but there was no significant difference between group E and group F (P＞0.05). The effective rate at 1 month after operation in group A was lower, and the difference was significant (P＜0.05). In terms of postoperative pain, the VAS score of group A was lower than that of group E and group F at all time points, and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05)., Conclusions: In the treatment of chronic apical periodontitis with fistula, 1.0% NaOCl or 2.0% CHX combined with ultrasonically activated irrigation or sonic activation obtain a better short-term effect，of which the sonic activation group can also obtain early healing of the fistula, but the incidence of postoperative pain is higher when sonic activation is used.

In this retrospective study, we analyzed the expression of lymphocyte activating gene 3 (LAG-3) and fibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGP1) mRNA and the corresponding proteins in 78 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) to evaluate the clinical significance and prognostic value. mRNA and protein expression were analyzed by reverse transcription PCR and Western blotting, respectively. The expression of LAG-3 and FGL1 mRNA and the corresponding proteins in tumor tissues were significantly increased in comparison with the normal esophageal mucosa. The overexpression of LAG-3 significantly correlated with the content of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), tumor differentiation, and TNM stage. The overexpression of FGL1 also significantly correlated with TILs, TNM stage, and lymph node metastasis. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that tumor diameter, TNM stage, lymph node metastasis, LAG-3 and FGL1 protein expression were related to the progression-free survival (p<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression showed that the level of FGL1 and TNM stage were independent prognostic factors of progression-free survival. We speculated that the tumor microenvironment of ESCC induces immunosuppression due to up-regulated expression of LAG-3 and FGL1 in the tumor tissues, which promotes tumor growth., (© 2023. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Embryos with higher morphologic quality grading may have a greater potential to achieve clinical pregnancy that leads to a live birth regardless of the type of cleavage-stage embryos or blastocysts. Few studies have investigated the impacts of embryo grading on the long-term health of the offspring., Objective: This pilot study aimed to examine the associations between embryo morphologic quality and the physical, metabolic, and cognitive development of singletons conceived by in vitro fertilization and intracytoplasmic sperm injection at preschool age., Study Design: This matched cohort study included singletons born to infertile couples who underwent fresh cleavage-stage embryo transfer cycles with good- or poor-quality embryos from 2014 to 2016 at the reproductive center of the Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University. A total of 144 children, aged 4 to 6 years, participated in the follow-up assessment from 2020 to 2021, and the response rate of poor-quality embryo offspring was 39%. Singletons in the good-quality embryo group were matched with singletons in the poor-quality embryo group at a 2:1 ratio according to the fertilization method and the children's age (±1 year). We measured the offspring's height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, thyroid hormone levels, and metabolic indicators. Neurodevelopmental assessments were performed using the Chinese version of the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence, Fourth Edition, and the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, Second Edition. We also collected data from the medical records. A linear regression model was used to analyze the association between embryo morphologic quality and offspring health outcomes., Results: A total of 48 singletons conceived with poor-quality embryo transfer and 96 matched singletons conceived with good-quality embryo transfer were included in the final analysis. Age, sex, height, weight, body mass index, blood pressure, thyroid function, and metabolic indicators were comparable between the 2 groups. After adjustment for potential risk factors by linear regression model 1 and model 2, poor-quality embryo offspring exhibited a tendency toward higher free thyroxine levels than offspring of good-quality embryo transfers (beta, 0.22; 95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.90; beta, 0.22; 95% confidence interval, 0.09-0.91, respectively), but this difference was not clinically significant. Regarding neurodevelopmental assessments, there was no difference in the full-scale intelligence quotient based on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (109.96±12.42 vs 109.60±14.46; P=.88) or the general adaptive index based on the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System (108.26±11.70 vs 108.08±13.44; P=.94) between the 2 groups. The subindices of the 2 tests were also comparable. These findings remained after linear regression analysis., Conclusion: At 4 to 6 years of age, singletons born from poor-quality embryo transfers have comparable metabolic and cognitive development as those born from good-quality embryo transfers using fresh cleavage-stage embryos. The results of this pilot study indicate that poor-quality embryos that can survive implantation and end in live birth are likely to have a developmental potential comparable to that of good-quality embryos., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To characterize the histopathological subtypes and their clinicopathological parameters of gender and onset age by common, rare and sparse primary esophageal malignant tumors (PEMT). Methods: A total of 272 437 patients with PEMT were enrolled in this study, and all of the patients were received radical surgery. The clinicopathological information of the patients was obtained from the database established by the State Key Laboratory of Esophageal Cancer Prevention & Treatment from September 1973 to December 2020, which included the clinical treatment, pathological diagnosis and follow-up information of esophagus and gastric cardia cancers. All patients were diagnosed and classified by the criteria of esophageal tumor histopathological diagnosis and classification (2019) of the World Health Organization (WHO). The esophageal tumors, which were not included in the WHO classification, were analyzed separately according to the postoperative pathological diagnosis. The χ 2 test was performed by the SPSS 25.0 software on count data, and the test standard α=0.05. Results: A total of 32 histopathological types were identified in the enrolled PEMT patients, of which 10 subtypes were not included in the WHO classification. According to the frequency, PEMT were divided into common (esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, ESCC, accounting for 97.1%), rare (esophageal adenocarcinoma, EAC, accounting for 2.3%) and sparse (mainly esophageal small cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, etc., accounting for 0.6%). All the common, rare, and sparse types occurred predominantly in male patients, and the gender difference of rare type was most significant (EAC, male∶ female, 2.67∶1), followed with common type (ESCC, male∶ female, 1.78∶1) and sparse type (male∶ female, 1.71∶1). The common type (ESCC) mainly occurred in the middle thoracic segment (65.2%), while the rare type (EAC) mainly occurred in the lower thoracic segment (56.8%). Among the sparse type, malignant melanoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma were both predominantly located in the lower thoracic segment (51.7%, 66.7%), and the others were mainly in the middle thoracic segment. Conclusion: ESCC is the most common type among the 32 histopathological types of PEMT, followed by EAC as the rare type, and esophageal small cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma as the major sparse type, and all of which are mainly occur in male patients. The common type of ESCC mainly occur in the middle thoracic segment, while the rare type of EAC mainly in the lower thoracic segment. The mainly sparse type of malignant melanoma and malignant fibrous histiocytoma predominately occur in the lower thoracic segment, and the remaining sparse types mainly occur in the middle thoracic segment.

The merger of photoredox and transition-metal catalysis has evolved as a robust platform in organic synthesis over the past decade. The stereoselective 1,4-functionalization of 1,3-enynes, a prevalent synthon in synthetic chemistry, could afford valuable chiral allene derivatives. However, tremendous efforts have been focused on the ionic reaction pathway. The radical-involved asymmetric 1,4-functionalization of 1,3-enynes remains a prominent challenge. Herein, we describe the asymmetric three-component 1,4-dialkylation of 1,3-enynes via dual photoredox and chromium catalysis to provide chiral allenols. This method features readily available starting materials, broad substrate scope, good functional group compatibility, high regioselectivity, and simultaneous control of axial and central chiralities. Mechanistic studies suggest that this reaction proceeds through a radical-involved redox-neutral pathway., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Owing to the instability of organic materials, an inorganic perovskite solar cell (PSC) attracts much attention in recent years. However, the instability of phase and overmuch traps lead to the inferior performance of inorganic perovskite solar cell, a high performance inorganic PSC is desirable. The element of cerium possesses a suitable chemical and physcial properties to substitute lead. We utilize cerium to partially substitute lead, a lead-cerium (Pb-Ce) bimetal based inorganic PSC is successfully achieved to modify the stability of PSC, the CsPb 0.85 Ce 0.1 I 3 based PSC exhibits a champion PCE (power conversion efficiency) of 17.57%, and the tolerance of thermal, illumination, and environmental are enhanced among 10-20%. The enhanced PCE is ascribed to the structure of lead-cerium (Pb-Ce) bimetal perovskite absorbing layers and high quality of perovskite film.

α-Allenol is a versatile synthon in organic synthesis. The catalytic asymmetric synthesis of α-allenols from readily available starting materials remains a prominent challenge, especially when simultaneous control over axial and central chirality is required. Herein, we describe the Cr-catalyzed enantioconvergent allenylation of aldehydes with racemic propargyl halides to rapidly access a wide range of chiral α-allenols with adjacent axial and central chiralities. This method features excellent regio-, diastereo- and enantioselectivity control with broad substrate scope, and provides facile access to all four stereoisomers when allied with a Mitsunobu reaction. Preliminary mechanistic studies support radical-based reaction pathways. The synthetic utility is demonstrated by the application in late-stage functionalization and the formal total synthesis of (+)-varitriol., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background: One of the serious complications of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is acute lung injury (ALI). Suppressing inflammation is a feasible treatment strategy for SAP-induced ALI. Shenmai injection (SMI), which is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM treatment, can suppress inflammation. Therefore, this study used an established SAP rat model to determine the effect of SMI on ALI induced by SAP., Methods: A total of 40 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were assigned to one of four groups: the SAP group, the sham surgery (SS) group, the SAP + SMI group and the SAP + SMI + zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) group. Rats in the SAP group were intravenously injected with 1.6 ml/kg saline 30 minutes after induction of SAP models, rats in the SAP + SMI group were intravenously injected with 1.6 ml/kg SMI, while rats in the SAP + SMI + ZnPP group were intravenously injected with 1.6 ml/kg SMI and 30 mg/kg ZnPP via intraperitoneal injection. The rates were sacrificed 24 hours after SAP induction. Excised lung tissues were histologically examined, protein concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was measured and lung wet-to-dry (W/D) weight ratio was calculated. The protein and mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, heme oxygenase (HO)-1 and interleukin (IL)-10 in blood and tissue samples were measured., Results: SMI treatment attenuated SAP-induced ALI as evidenced by lower lung damage scores compared with the untreated SAP group (P < .05). SMI also abolished the SAP-induced rise in BALF and W/D ratio protein concentrations (P < .05). Moreover, SMI treatment increased HO-1 and IL-10 levels but decreased TNF-α levels in serum and tissue samples (P < .05). However, inhibition of HO-1 expression by ZnPP led to significant inhibition of all the changes., Conclusion: SMI can alleviate SAP-induced ALI through HO-1 upregulation.

The community characteristics of soil nematodes are an important basis for evaluating and indicating soil health. In this study, cotton fields with different continuous monocropping years (5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years) were selected. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to explore the responses of soil properties and nematode communities to long-term continuous monocropping in cotton fields. The results showed that after 10-15 years, soil pH and soil conductivity increased significantly, and the contents of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available phosphorus (AP), available potassium, nitrate and soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) decreased significantly. A total of 25 genera, 18 families, 7 orders and 3 classes of soil nematodes were identified. Among them, Helicotylenchus was the dominant genus. Parasitic nematodes were the dominant trophic groups, showing a trend of first decreasing and then increasing. Compared with other continuous monocropping years, plant parasitic nematodes increased by 9.1%-208.6% and Helicotylenchus increased by 392.0% under continuous monocropping for 25 years. With the increases of continuous monocropping duration, plant parasitic nematodes such as Tylenchorhynchus , Ditylenchus , Discopersicus , Mesocriconema , and Criconemoides were detected. After continuous monocropping for 15 years, soil nematode richness index and maturity index of free-living nematodes (MI) decreased significantly, PPI/MI increased significantly, and diversity index (Shannon) and Wasilewska index were the lowest. Soil AP and MBC were the main environmental factors affecting the changes of soil nematode communities. Our results suggested that, after 10-15 years continuous monocropping, soil nutrients were unbalanced, the diversity of soil nematodes was reduced, the stability of soil food network was deteriorated, and the parasitic nematodes were increased, which resulted in continuous monocropping obstacles in cotton.

An atomic potential should be assigned to several slices in the multislice method owing to its three-dimensional (3D) distribution. Based on a formula including several Gaussian functions to fit electron atomic scattering factors, a simple analytical expression is proposed to calculate the potential of atoms projected onto multiple slices. The potential in 3D distribution is properly projected onto slices that do not contain the atomic centroid. Thus, the fluctuations in atomic altitude influence the assigning of atomic potentials is considered correctly. The projected potential is calculated in a reciprocal space and involves an accurate 3D atomic position. Tests conducted with a plausible Ag chain verify the good performance of this new approach. The simulated exit wave leaving a complex crystal of Ba 6 Nd 2 Ti 4 O 17 demonstrates that the proposed simulation approach is better than the traditional multislice method., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

The association between the phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) gene rs4810479 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and serum lipid levels is largely unknown. This investigation aimed to evaluate the relationship between the PLTP rs4810479 SNP, several environmental risk factors, and serum lipid parameters in the Chinese Maonan and Han nationalities. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism, gel electrophoresis, and direct sequencing were employed to determine the PLTP rs4810479 genotypes in 633 Maonan and 646 Han participants. The frequencies of CC, CT, and TT genotypes and the C allele were different between Maonan and Han groups (29.07%, 53.08%, 17.85%, and 55.61% vs. 35.60%, 49.70%, 14.70%, and 60.45%, respectively, P < 0.05). The C allele carriers in the Maonan group had higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels than the C allele noncarriers, but this finding was only found in Maonan males but not in females. The C allele carriers in Han males had lower total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels than the C allele noncarriers. Serum lipid profiles were also affected by several traditional cardiovascular risk factors in both populations. There might be an ethnic- and/or sex-specific association between the PLTP rs4810479 SNP and serum lipid traits., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Fen-Han Zhang et al.)

Although the skeletal muscle is one of the main sites of metabolism, little is known about the molecular mechanisms involving its response to nutrition stress. The aim of the study was to screen the transcriptome of sheep muscle to identify the metabolism-related genes under nutrition deprivation stress. Ten healthy adult female Small-tailed Han sheep with similar age and weight were randomly divided into a normal group and fasted group. After 3 days, three sheep were randomly selected from each group and the semitendinosus samples were subjected to RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and a series of analyses and function annotations. Compared with the normal group, 391 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the fasted group that had obvious weight loss, including 278 down-regulated and 113 up-regulated genes. Gene Ontology enrichment annotation classified 228 DEGs in the metabolic process, 11 of which were new genes and only Sheep&#95;newGene&#95;4578 had been annotated by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway. The results of Clusters of Orthologous Groups annotation indicated that 11, 9, and 4 DEGs were respectively classified in lipid transport and metabolism, amino acid transport and metabolism, and carbohydrate transport and metabolism. In addition, KEGG enrichment analysis showed that there were not only pathways which were directly related to metabolisms such as protein digestion and absorption pathway, fatty acid metabolism pathway, and biosynthesis pathway of unsaturated fatty acids, but also PI3K-AKT pathway, AMPK pathway, MAPK pathway, and FoxO pathway which were important to metabolism among the top 20 pathways with the lowest significant Q value. The MCODE analysis of protein-protein interaction revealed that two identified subnetworks with top score were closely associated with metabolism. The correlation analysis showed that the mRNA levels of most of DEGs that might be related in the two subnetworks were significantly correlated respectively, and the mRNA levels of most of 10 metabolism-related DEGs including Sheep&#95;newGene&#95;4578 were significantly correlated. Finally, 16 random and 10 metabolism-related DEGs were chosen for confirmation by quantitative real-time PCR, demonstrating the same expression change as determined by RNA-seq. In conclusion, multiple interrelated metabolism-related DEGs in skeletal muscle contributed to the response of sheep to nutritional deprivation stress., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To analyze the influence of bone marrow involvement (BMI) in patients with malignant lymphoma (ML) on laboratory indexes, and evaluate the laboratory markers that can be used to predict/diagnose BMI., Methods: The clinical characteristics and laboratory indexes of 137 ML patients were analyzed retrospectively, from which the indexes of BMI in ML patients was studied. The logistic regression analysis and receiver operating curve (ROC) were used to evaluate independent risk factors and predictors of BMI diagnosis in ML patients., Results: Compared with non-BMI group, the red blood cell distribution width, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, β 2 -microglobulin, transferrin, CA153, CA125, and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels were increased while platelet (PLT) count was decreased in BMI group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The blood indexes related to BMI and the statistically significant indexes in the univariate regression analysis were corrected by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The corrected results showed that T cell-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma (adjusted OR=2.18, 95%CI: 1.48-4.90, P＜0.001), clinical stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ (adjusted OR=3.32, 95%CI: 2.16-5.83, P＜0.001), sIL-2R (adjusted OR=4.26, 95%CI: 2.95-12.85, P＜0.001) were the risk factors for ML patients with BMI, while PLT (adjusted OR=0.89, 95%CI: 0.55-0.96, P= 0.003) was a protective factor. ROC analysis showed that the areas under the ROC curve of PLT and sIL-2R predicting BMI in ML patients was 0.712 (95%CI: 0.646-0.776, P<0.001) and 0.796 (95%CI: 0.739-0.853, P<0.001), respectively. The best cut-off point of PLT and sIL-2R was 160×10 9 /L and 2 568 U/ml, respectively. The diagnostic specificities of the two indexes here were both greater than 80%., Conclusion: PLT and sIL2R show good diagnostic value for ML patients with BMI.

A series of highly active CF 3 -containing 3'-(nitroisoxazole)spiro[pyrrolidin-3,2'-oxindoles] were synthesized and found to be novel glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4)/mouse double minute 2 (MDM2) dual inhibitors. Bioactive spirooxindole and isoxazole skeletons were combined, and the resulting compounds exhibited strong activities against both targets. In particular, compound 3d displayed excellent activity in the suppression of MDM2-mediated degradation of p53, as well as levels of GPX4, in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Moreover, 3d also exhibited inhibitory effects on MDM2 and GPX4 in MCF-7 xenograft model to trigger ferroptotic and apoptotic cell death in in vivo experiments, which was consistent with the results of in vitro experiments., 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 © 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To study the change and significance of serum pentraxin-3 (PTX-3) and syndecan-4 in children with chronic heart failure (CHF)., Methods: A total of 40 children with CHF who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were enrolled as the heart failure group, and 30 children who underwent physical examination in the outpatient service during the same period of time were enrolled as the control group. The serum levels of PTX-3, syndecan-4, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) were compared between the two groups., Results: The children with CHF had significant reductions in the serum levels of PTX-3, syndecan-4, and NT-proBNP after treatment. The levels of these markers in children with CHF were significantly higher than the control group before and after treatment ( P < 0.05). The CHF children with grade II/III/IV cardiac function had significantly higher serum levels of PTX-3 and syndecan-4 than the control group ( P < 0.05). The levels of PTX-3 and syndecan-4 were related to the severity of cardiac function. Compared with the grade II cardiac function group, the grade IV cardiac function group had significant increases in the serum levels of PTX-3 and syndecan-4 ( P < 0.05). The serum level of PTX-3 was positively correlated with that of syndecan-4 in children with CHF ( r s =0.999, P < 0.05); the serum level of PTX-3 was positively correlated with NT-proBNP, left ventricular mass index (LVMI), and cardiac function grade ( r s =0.726, 0.736, and 0.934 respectively, P < 0.05) and was negatively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and left ventricular fractional shortening (LVFS) ( r s =-0.852 and -0.767 respectively, P < 0.05); the serum level of syndecan-4 was positively correlated with NT-proBNP, LVMI, and cardiac function grade ( r s =0.733, 0.743, and 0.934 respectively, P < 0.05) and was negatively correlated with LVEF and LVFS ( r s =-0.856 and -0.771 respectively, P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Serum PTX-3 and syndecan-4 may be involved in the development and progression of ventricular remodeling in children with CHF and may be used as markers for the diagnosis, cardiac function grading, and treatment outcome evaluation of children with heart failure.

Background: The purpose of present study was to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with BMP-9-induced osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by using bioinformatics methods., Methods: Gene expression profiles of BMP-9-induced MSCs were compared between with GFP-induced MSCs and BMP-9-induced MSCs. GSE48882 containing two groups of gene expression profiles, 3 GFP-induced MSC samples and 3 from BMP-9-induced MSCs, was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Then, DEGs were clustered based on functions and signaling pathways with significant enrichment analysis. Pathway enrichment analysis using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) demonstrated that the identified DEGs were potentially involved in cytoplasm, nucleus, and extracellular exosome signaling pathway., Results: A total of 1967 DEGs (1029 upregulated and 938 downregulated) were identified from GSE48882 datasets. R/Bioconductor package limma was used to identify the DEGs. Further analysis revealed that there were 35 common DEGs observed between the samples. GO function and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, among which endoplasmic reticulum, protein export, RNA transport, and apoptosis was the most significant dysregulated pathway. The result of protein-protein interaction (PPI) network modules demonstrated that the Hspa5, P4hb, Sec61a1, Smarca2, Pdia3, Dnajc3, Hyou1, Smad7, Derl1, and Surf4 were the high-degree hub nodes., Conclusion: Taken above, using integrated bioinformatical analysis, we have identified DEGs candidate genes and pathways in BMP-9 induced MSCs, which could improve our understanding of the key genes and pathways for BMP-9-induced osteogenic of MSCs.

A new trans-4-hydroxy-l-proline (trans-Hyp) producing Bacillus cereus HBL-AI, was isolated from the air, which was screened just using l-proline as carbon and energy sources. This strain exhibited 73·4% bioconversion rate from initial l-proline (3 g l -1 ) to trans-Hyp. By sequencing the genome of this bacterium, 6244 coding sequences were obtained. Genome annotation analysis and functional expression were used to identify the proline-4-hydroxylase (BP4H) in HBL-AI. This enzyme belonged to a family of 2-oxoglutarate-related dioxygenases, which required 2-oxoglutarate and O 2 as co-substrates for the reaction. Homologous modelling indicated that the enzyme had two monomers and contained conserved motifs, which included a distorted 'jelly roll' β strand core and the residues (HXDXnH and RXS). The engineering Escherichia coli 3 Δ W3110/pTrc99a-proba-bp4h was constructed using BP4H, which transformed glucose to trans-Hyp in one step with high concentration of 46·2 g l -1 . This strategy provides a green and efficient method for synthesis of trans-Hyp and thus has a great potential in industrial application., (© 2020 The Society for Applied Microbiology.)

This article summarizes and analyzes the clinical features and gene mutation characteristics of children with noncompaction of the ventricular myocardium (NVM). For the 6 children with NVM (4 boys and 2 girls), the age of onset ranged from 3 months to 12 years. Of the 6 children, 5 had arrhythmia, 3 had cardiac insufficiency, 1 had poor mental state, and 1 had chest distress and sighing. NVM-related gene mutations were detected in 4 children, among whom 2 had MYH7 gene mutation, 1 had PRDM16 gene mutation, and 1 had mutations in the ACTN2 and TNNT2 genes. Four children had improvement in cardiac function. The two children with no significant improvement in cardiac function had a younger age of onset, a greater reduction in systolic function on echocardiography, and greater increases in myocardial enzyme and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide. It is concluded that for children with the initial symptoms of chest distress, sighing, arrhythmia, enlarged heart shadow, and increased myocardial enzyme, echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance are recommended for the diagnosis of NVM. NVM can have various genetic mutations.

Background: To explore the mechanism of Shenmai injection (SMI) on severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) through heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling., Methods: A total of 40 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (220-260 g) were grouped into the following four categories (n = 10): SAP + SMI + Zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP), SAP + SMI, SAP, and sham surgery groups. ZnPP is a specific inhibitor of HO-1. Four percent of sodium taurocholate (1 mL/kg) was retrogradely injected via the pancreatic duct to induce the SAP model. The SAP group rats received 1.6 mL/kg saline by intravenous injection 30 min after the induction of SAP. The SAP + SMI group rats received 1.6 mL/kg SMI by intravenous injection 30 min after the induction of SAP. The SAP + SMI + ZnPP group rats received an intravenous injection of 1.6 mL/kg SMI and intraperitoneal administration of 30 mg/kg ZnPP 30 min after the SAP induction. Twenty-four hours after the SAP induction, blood samples were collected for the measurement of amylase, lipase, creatinine, myeloperoxidase, interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and HO-1 level, while tissue specimens were harvested for the determination of HO-1, TNF-α, and IL-10 mRNA level. Meanwhile, histopathological changes in organs (pancreas, lung, and kidney) were stored., Results: The serum concentration of amylase, lipase, creatinine, and myeloperoxidase was higher in the SAP group than in the SAP + SMI group. Treatment with SMI increased HO-1 and IL-10 level and reduced TNF-α level in serum and tissues compared to the SAP group (P < 0.05). Treatment with SMI abolished the organ-damaging effects of SAP (P < 0.05). Furthermore, suppression of HO-1 expression by ZnPP canceled the aforementioned effects., Conclusions: SMI confers protection against the SAP-induced systemic inflammatory response and multiple organs damage via HO-1 upregulation., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study will assess the effect of Xingnaojing injection (XNJI) for the treatment of acute alcoholism (AAH)., Methods: The bibliographic literature sources will be systematically searched in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database, Wan fang Database, and VIP Science Technology Periodical Database. All above electronic databases will be sought from inception to the April 1, 2020. We will not apply any limitations to language and publication time. In addition, we will also search other literature sources. Two reviewers will carry out study selection, data extraction, and methodological quality evaluation, respectively. Any divergences will be resolved by a third reviewer through discussion. We will use RevMan 5.3 software to analyze data analysis., Results: This study will summarize present evidence to assess the effect of XNJI for the treatment of AAH., Conclusion: This study will investigate whether XNJI is effective and safety for AAH., Systematic Review Registration: INPLASY202040197.

Background: This study will assess the efficacy and safety of Shenmai injection (SMI) for the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF)., Methods: The following electronic bibliographic databases will be searched from inception to the March 25, 2020 without language and publication time limitations: MEDLINE, PUBMED, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, WANGFANG, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure. All randomized controlled trials related to the SMI for patients with CHF will be included. All study selection, data extraction, and study quality will be carried out by 2 reviewers. Any disagreements will be solved by a third reviewer through discussion. RevMan 5.3 software will be used for data synthesis and data analysis., Results: This study will summarize the present evidence of SMI for the treatment of patients with CHF., Conclusion: The findings of this study will determine whether SMI is effective and safety for the treatment of CHF or not., Study Registration Number: INPLASY202050029.

We utilize the space-variant structure of the human fovea as a basis for a novel, to the best of our knowledge, foveal approach based on optical-phases array (OPA). This approach can be used to solve issues in 3D imaging and achieve a large field of view and high resolution with real-time application. A foveal scanning model based on the OPA is established. Simulations and experiments are performed to verify the models and illustrate the advantages of foveal scanning compared with traditional raster scanning. Simulations agree well with the theory, and the foveal approach has higher efficiency than traditional raster scanning. These results can serve as a reference for developing biomimetic sensors that mimic the human eye.

The narrow band gap of silicene severely hinders its application in nanoelectronic devices. Therefore, it is significant to open the band gap of silicene and maintain its high carrier mobility. And for that, the adsorption of different coverage superhalogens BO 2 on the silicene surface have been investigated based on density functional theory and the CALYPSO method. The results show that BO 2 unit prefers to adsorb on silicene with adjacent mode irrespective of the size of substrate. The electronic structure analysis indicates that the density of states near the Fermi level are mainly contributed by Si- p and BO 2 - p orbitals. (BO 2 ) n -silicene exhibits metallic character with the exception of (BO 2 ) 2 adsorbed on 4 × 4 supercell. As for (BO 2 ) 2 -silicene, silicene transforms from a gapless direct semiconductor to an indirect semiconductor. Furthermore, the effective electron mass of two BO 2 superhalogens on 4 × 4 silicene is estimated and found to be smaller than that of graphene. It is expected to result in higher electron mobility.

The ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclic esters/carbonates is a crucial approach for the synthesis of biocompatible and biodegradable polyesters. Even though numerous efficient ROP catalysts have been well established, their toxicity heavily limits the biomedical applications of polyester products. To solve the toxicity issues relating to ROP catalysts, we report herein a biocompatible coordination network, CZU-1, consisting of Zn 4 (μ 4 -O)(COO) 6 secondary building units (SBUs), biomedicine-relevant organic linkers and guest water, which demonstrates high potential for use in the catalytic ROP synthesis of biomedicine-applicable polyesters. Both experimental and computational results reveal that the guest water in CZU-1 plays crucial roles in the activation of the Zn 4 (μ 4 -O)(COO) 6 SBUs by generating μ 4 -OH Brønsted acid centers and Zn-OH Lewis acid centers, having a synergistic effect on the catalytic ROP of cyclic esters. Different to the mechanism reported in the literature, we propose a new reaction pathway for the catalytic ROP reaction, which has been confirmed using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, in situ diffuse reflectance IR Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (MALDI-TOF MS). Additionally, the hydroxyl end groups allow the polyester products to be easily post-modified with different functional moieties to tune their properties for practical applications. We particularly expect that the proposed catalytic ROP mechanism and the developed catalyst design principle will be generally applicable for the controlled synthesis of biomedicine-applicable polymeric materials., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)