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Background: The aim of this study was to explore the microbial variations and biomarkers in the oral environment of patients with persistent pulmonary nodules (pPNs) and to reveal the potential biological functions of the salivary microbiota in pPNs. Materials and methods: This study included a total of 483 participants (141 healthy controls and 342 patients with pPNs) from June 2022 and January 2024. Saliva samples were subjected to sequencing of the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene to assess microbial diversity and differential abundance. Seven advanced machine learning algorithms (logistic regression, support vector machine, multi-layer perceptron, naïve Bayes, random forest, gradient boosting decision tree, and LightGBM) were utilized to evaluate performance and identify key microorganisms, with fivefold cross-validation employed to ensure robustness. The Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) algorithm was employed to explain the contribution of these core microbiotas to the predictive model. Additionally, the PICRUSt2 algorithm was used to predict the microbial functions. Results: The salivary microbial composition in pPNs group showed significantly lower α- and β-diversity compared to healthy controls. A high-accuracy LightGBM model was developed, identifying six core genera—Fusobacterium, Solobacterium, Actinomyces, Porphyromonas, Atopobium, and Peptostreptococcus—as pPNs biomarkers. Additionally, a visualization pPNs risk prediction system was developed. The immune responses and metabolic activities differences in salivary microbiota between the patients with pPNs and healthy controls were revealed. Conclusions: This study highlights the potential clinical applications of the salivary microbiota for enable earlier detection and targeted interventions, offering significant promise for advancing clinical management and improving patient outcomes in pPNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Radiographically, ground-glass nodules (GGN) and part-solid nodules (PSN) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) have significant heterogeneity in their clinical manifestations, biological characteristics, and prognosis. This study aimed to explore the heterogeneity of LUAD in different radiological phenotypes and associated factors influencing tumor evolution. Methods: We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on tumor tissues from eight and seven cases of GGN– and PSN–LUAD, respectively, at different disease stages, including minimally invasive adenocarcinoma (MIA), invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC), and metastatic lung cancer (MLC). Additionally, we analyzed adjacent normal tissues from four cases. Immunohistochemistry, multiplex immunofluorescence, and external scRNA-seq data were employed to confirm the expression of signature genes as well as the distribution patterns of CXCL9 + TAMs and TREM2 + TAMs. A LUAD mouse model was generated using gene editing, organoid culture, and orthotopic transplantation techniques, and comprehensive analyses such as histopathology, RNA sequencing, and Western blotting were performed to validate key pathways. Results: Diverse cellular compositions were observed in the tumor microenvironment (TME) during GGN– and PSN–LUAD invasion and metastasis. Notably, CXCL9 + and TREM2 + tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) exhibited the most significant enrichment changes. It was found that GGN–LUAD exhibited a stronger immune response than PSN–LUAD, with increased interaction between CXCL9 + TAMs and CD8 + tissue-resident memory T cells during invasion stage (MIA–IAC). Conversely, greater interactions between TREM2 + TAMs and tumor cells were observed in PSN–LUAD during the MLC stage. Additionally, TREM2 + TAMs were found to differentiate into TREM2 + /SPP1 + and TREM2 + /SPP1– TAMs at different stages, which promotes tumor progression. This study also emphasizes that during the transdifferentiation process of GGN– and PSN–LUAD, IFN-γ activates the STAT1 signaling pathway to regulate the activation of CXCL9 + TAMs, and further recruiting CD8 + Trm cells and activating T cells through MHC class I antigen presentation. The role of the IFN-γ/STAT1 pathway in the occurrence and development of LUAD was further validated by animal experiments. Conclusions: Our findings offer a potential therapeutic strategy to maintain a dynamic balance within the TME and improve the immunotherapy efficacy by modulating the relative proportions and functional states of CXCL9 + TAMs and TREM2 + TAMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oral cavity contains a site-specific microbiota that interacts with host cells to regulate many physiological processes in the human body. Emerging evidence has suggested that changes in the oral microbiota can increase the risk of lung cancer (LC), and the oral microbiota is also altered in patients with LC. Human and animal studies have shown that oral microecological disorders and/or specific oral bacteria may play an active role in the occurrence and development of LC through direct and/or indirect mechanisms. These studies support the potential of oral microbiota in the clinical treatment of LC. Oral microbiota may therefore be used in the prevention and treatment of LC and to improve the side effects of anticancer therapy by regulating the balance of the oral microbiome. Specific oral microbiota in LC may also be used as screening or predictive biomarkers. This review summarizes the main findings in research on oral microbiome-related LC and discusses current challenges and future research directions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oral microbiota imbalance is associated with the progression of various lung diseases, including lung cancer. Pulmonary nodules (PNs) are often considered a critical stage for the early detection of lung cancer; however, the relationship between oral microbiota and PNs remains unknown. Methods: We conducted a 'Microbiome with pulmonary nodule series study 1' (MCEPN-1) where we compared PN patients and healthy controls (HCs), aiming to identify differences in oral microbiota characteristics and discover potential microbiota biomarkers for non-invasive, radiation-free PNs diagnosis and warning in the future. We performed 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing on saliva samples from 173 PN patients and 40 HCs to compare the characteristics and functional changes in oral microbiota between the two groups. The random forest algorithm was used to identify PN salivary microbial markers. Biological functions and potential mechanisms of differential genes in saliva samples were preliminarily explored using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Cluster of Orthologous Groups (COG) analyses. Results: The diversity of salivary microorganisms was higher in the PN group than in the HC group. Significant differences were noted in community composition and abundance of oral microorganisms between the two groups. Neisseria, Prevotella, Haemophilus and Actinomyces, Porphyromonas, Fusobacterium, 7M7x, Granulicatella and Selenomonas were the main differential genera between the PN and HC groups. Fusobacterium, Porphyromonas, Parvimonas, Peptostreptococcus and Haemophilus constituted the optimal marker sets (area under curve, AUC = 0.80), which can distinguish between patients with PNs and HCs. Further, the salivary microbiota composition was significantly correlated with age, sex, and smoking history (P < 0.001), but not with personal history of cancer (P > 0.05). Bioinformatics analysis of differential genes showed that patients with PN showed significant enrichment in protein/molecular functions related to immune deficiency and energy metabolisms, such as the cytoskeleton protein RodZ, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate dehydrogenase (NADPH) dehydrogenase, major facilitator superfamily transporters and AraC family transcription regulators. Conclusions: Our study provides the first evidence that the salivary microbiota can serve as potential biomarkers for identifying PN. We observed a significant association between changes in the oral microbiota and PNs, indicating the potential of salivary microbiota as a new non-invasive biomarker for PNs. Trial registration: Clinical trial registration number: ChiCTR2200062140; Date of registration: 07/25/2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study proposed a noninvasive, automated, in vivo assessment method based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and deep learning techniques to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the biological effects of 2-µm laser-induced skin damage at different irradiation doses. Different doses of 2-µm laser irradiation established a mouse skin damage model, after which the skin-damaged tissues were imaged non-invasively in vivo using OCT. The acquired images were preprocessed to construct the dataset required for deep learning. The deep learning models used were U-Net, DeepLabV3+, PSP-Net, and HR-Net, and the trained models were used to segment the damage images and further quantify the damage volume of mouse skin under different irradiation doses. The comparison of the qualitative and quantitative results of the four network models showed that HR-Net had the best performance, the highest agreement between the segmentation results and real values, and the smallest error in the quantitative assessment of the damage volume. Based on HR-Net to segment the damage image and quantify the damage volume, the irradiation doses 5.41, 9.55, 13.05, 20.85, 32.71, 52.92, 76.71, and 97.24 J/cm² corresponded to a damage volume of 4.58, 12.56, 16.74, 20.88, 24.52, 30.75, 34.13, and 37.32 mm³. The damage volume increased in a radiation dose-dependent manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: With the rapid progress of laser technology and its expanding applications, there is a growing need for detailed information regarding its effects on living tissue and the treatment of skin damage caused by this kind of radiation. Both collagen levels and apoptosis-related protein expressions were quantitatively and comparatively analyzed in porcine skin injuries induced by laser exposure. The findings revealed skin injuries primarily manifested as white spots and burnt spots. There was a progressive increase in the size and depth of skin damage as the laser dosage was elevated. Laser-induced apoptotic cells in porcine skin injuries were significantly increased in the late stages of healing. Subjection to a 1064 nm laser led to a decline in skin healing efficiency as the radiation dosage escalated, leading to disrupted collagen arrangement and inadequate collagen content. Heightened Bax, caspase-3, and caspase-9 protein expressions in healing skin tissues were directly linked to escalated cell apoptosis. To investigate the associated factors concerning collagen and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins in porcine skin injuries induced by laser exposure, live pig skin was irradiated at multiple spots one time, using a grid-array method with a 1064 nm laser at different power outputs. The healing process of the laser-treated areas, alterations in collagen structure, and changes in apoptosis were continuously observed and analyzed from 6 h to 28 days post-irradiation. On the 28th day following exposure, wound contraction and recovery were notably sluggish in the medium-high dose group, displaying more premature and delicate type III collagen within the newly regenerated tissues. The collagen density in these groups was roughly 37–58% of that in the normal group. Between days 14 and 28 after irradiation, there was a substantial rise in apoptotic cell count in the forming epidermis and granulation tissue of the medium-high dose group, in contrast to the normal group. Notably, the expression of proapoptotic proteins Bax, caspase-3, and caspase-9 surged significantly 14 days after irradiation in the medium-high dose group and persisted at elevated levels on the 28th day. During the later stage of wound healing, augmented apoptotic cell population and insufficient collagen generation in the newly generated skin tissue of the medium-high dose group were closely associated with delayed wound recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myopia, as the most common disease in ophthalmology, has developed into a serious international public health burden, the development situation is not optimistic. It is necessary to put forward new and effective intervention measures to curb the prevalence of myopia. In recent years, red light intervention to delay the progress of myopia has become a new research hotspot. Starting with the epidemic situation and inducement of myopia, this paper briefly introduces the commonly used clinical treatment methods, summarizes the research status of red light intervention in myopia, and discusses the possible mechanism of red light intervention in improving myopia. Some potential laser safety problems are put forward, hoping to provide reference for related research in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have shown great potential as novel biomarkers for cancer detection; however, comprehensive quantitative analysis is lacking. In this study, we performed a bibliometric analysis of non-invasive cancer diagnosis using VOCs to better characterise international trends and to predict future hotspots in this field, and then we focussed on human studies to analyse clinical characteristics for presenting the current controversies and future perspectives of further clinical work. Methods: Publications, from 2002 to 2022, were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection database. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to generate network maps and identify the annual publications, top countries, authors, institutions, journals, references, and keywords. Then, we further screened clinical trials, and the key information was extracted into Microsoft Excel for further systematical analysis. Results: Six hundred and forty-one articles were identified to evaluate research trends, of which 301 clinical trials were selected for further systematical analysis. Overall, the annual publications in this area increased, with an overall upward trend, while the quality of clinical research remains remarkably uneven. Conclusion: The study of non-invasive cancer diagnosis using VOCs would continue to be an active field. However, without stringent clinical design criteria, most suitable acquisition and analysis devices and statistical approaches, a list of exclusive, specific, reliable and reproducible VOCs to identify a disease and these VOCs appearing in a breath at detectable levels at early stage disease, the clinical utility of VOC tests will be difficult to have any breakthroughs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term blue light exposure beyond the risk limit is an important factor that causes retinal degenerative diseases, and damage to the retinal pigment epithelium is the key source of retinal light damage. In this study, we investigated the damaging effects of 448 nm blue light on human retinal pigment epithelial (ARPE-19) cells and the mode of apoptosis. ARPE-19 cells were irradiated with 25 mW/cm² blue light for 3, 6, 9 and 12 hours, and cell activity was detected immediately by Calcein AM staining 24 h after irradiation. RT-PCR was used to examine the expression of necrotic apoptosis related genes 24 hours after irradiation, and the Western blotting was used to examine the expression of necroptosis-related and DNA-damage related proteins. The cell morphology changed significantly in the 9-hour and 12-hour groups, the cells swelled, the intercellular space was enlarged, and a large number of cell fragments and non-adhesive cells were observed. Compared with the normal group, the expression levels of the necroptosis-related genes RIPK1 and RIPK3 were significantly higher 3-9 hours after blue light irradiation, and reached the maximum value at 9 h. The expression levels of necroptosis-related proteins RIPK1, RIPK3, P-MLKL markers significantly increased with the increase of irradiation time after 6 ~ 12 h blue light irradiation, and reached the highest value at 12 h. The expression level of DNA damage-related γ-H2AX protein increased significantly after 3 ~ 12 h blue light irradiation, and reached the highest value at 12 h. The expression of necroptosis-related genes reached the maximum after 9 hours of blue light irradiation, while the expression of necroptosis-related proteins reached the maximum after 12 hours irradiation. It was speculated that 25 mW/cm² blue light irradiation for 12 h may cause the necroptosis in ARPE-19 cells, and the degree of DNA damage may be related to the occurrence of necroptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To develop and evaluate a radiomics signature based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from multicenter datasets for identification of invisible basal cisterns changes in tuberculous meningitis (TBM) patients. Methods: Our retrospective study enrolled 184 TBM patients and 187 non-TBM controls from 3 Chinese hospitals (training dataset, 158 TBM patients and 159 non-TBM controls; testing dataset, 26 TBM patients and 28 non-TBM controls). nnU-Net was used to segment basal cisterns in fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. Subsequently, radiomics features were extracted from segmented basal cisterns in FLAIR and T2-weighted (T2W) images. Feature selection was carried out in three steps. Support vector machine (SVM) and logistic regression (LR) classifiers were applied to construct the radiomics signature to directly identify basal cisterns changes in TBM patients. Finally, the diagnostic performance was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results: The segmentation model achieved the mean Dice coefficients of 0.920 and 0.727 in the training and testing datasets, respectively. The SVM model with 7 T2WI–based radiomics features achieved best discrimination capability for basal cisterns changes with an AUC of 0.796 (95% CI, 0.744–0.847) in the training dataset, and an AUC of 0.751 (95% CI, 0.617–0.886) with good calibration in the testing dataset. DCA confirmed its clinical usefulness. Conclusion: The T2WI–based radiomics signature combined with deep learning segmentation could provide a fully automatic, non-invasive tool to identify invisible changes of basal cisterns, which has the potential to assist in the diagnosis of TBM. Key Points: • The T2WI–based radiomics signature was useful for identifying invisible basal cistern changes in TBM. • The nnU-Net model achieved acceptable results for the auto-segmentation of basal cisterns. • Combining radiomics and deep learning segmentation provided an automatic, non-invasive approach to assist in the diagnosis of TBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Although the promoting roles of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), tumor microenvironment (TME), and oncogenic ncRNAs in tumor metastasis have been fully verified, the mechanisms by which Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) contributes to the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) remain poorly understood. The main scope of the current work is to summarize the potential molecular mechanisms by which Fn promotes the proliferation and migration of CRC cells by affecting biological processes, such as EMT, TME, and oncogenic ncRNAs. The ultimate goal is to provide a possible strategy for effective CRC treatment in the near future. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common cancer worldwide with poor prognosis. The presence of Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) in the intestinal mucosa is associated with the progression of CRC. In this review, we explore the mechanisms by which Fn contributes to proliferation and migration of CRC cells from the following four aspects: induction of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), regulation of the tumor microenvironment (TME), expression of oncogenic noncoding RNAs, and DNA damage. This review outlines the scientific basis for the use of Fn as a biomarker and therapeutic target in CRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore a 3.8-µm laser-induced damage and wound healing effect, we propose using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and a noninvasive monitoring-based in vivo evaluation method to quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the time-dependent biological effect of a 3.8-µm laser. The optical attenuation coefficient (OAC) is computed using a Fourier-domain algorithm. Three-dimensional (3-D) visualization of OCT images has been implemented to visualize the burnt spots. Furthermore, the burnt spots from the 3-D volumetric data was segmented and visualized, and the quantitative parameters of the burnt spots, such as the mean OACs, areas, and volumes, were computed. Then, OCT images and histological sections were analyzed to compare the structural changes. Within a certain radiation range, there is a linear relationship between radiation dose and temperature. Dermoscopic images, OCT images, and histological sections showed that, within a certain dose range, as the radiation doses increased, the cutaneous damage became more serious. One hour after laser radiation, the mean OACs increased and then decreased; the areas of burnt spots always increased and were 0.95 ± 0.07, 1.01 ± 0.06, 1.025 ± 0.07, 0.99 ± 0.07, 0.98 ± 0.07, 1.00 ± 0.07, 0.96 ± 0.05, and 0.98 ± 0.06 mm−1, respectively; the areas were 2.10 ± 0.63, 3.75 ± 1.85, 5.95 ± 1.62, 8.35 ± 0.88, 9.44 ± 1.28, 10.29 ± 0.49, 12.27 ± 0.96, and 13.127 ± 1.90 mm2; and the volumes were 1.54 ± 0.41, 2.86 ± 0.09, 3.73 ± 0.49, 4.14 ± 0.80, 7.21 ± 0.52, 6.77 ± 0.45, 8.36 ± 0.25, and 10.65 ± 0.51 mm3; and 21 days after laser radiation, the volumes were 0.67 ± 0.18, 1.64 ± 0.08, 1.87 ± 0.12, 2.57 ± 0.34, 3.43 ± 0.26, 3.64 ± 0.04, 3.84 ± 0.15, and 4.16 ± 0.53 mm3, respectively. We investigated the time-dependent biological effect of 3.8-µm laser-induced cutaneous damage and wound healing using the quantitative parameters of OCT imaging and noninvasive monitoring. The real-time temperature reflects the photothermal effect during laser radiation of mouse skin. OCT images of burnt spots were segmented to compute the mean OACs, burnt area, and quantitative volumes. This study has the potential for in vivo noninvasive and quantitative clinical evaluation in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Chronological age (CA) is not a perfect proxy for the true biological aging status of the body. A new biological aging measure, phenotypic age (PhenoAge), has been shown to capture morbidity and mortality risk in the general US population and diverse subpopulations. This study was aimed at evaluating the association between PhenoAge and long-term outcome of patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods. A total of 609 multivessel CAD patients who received PCI attempt and with follow-up were enrolled. The clinical outcome was all-cause mortality on follow-up. PhenoAge was calculated using an equation constructed from CA and 9 clinical biomarkers. Cox proportional hazards regression models and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were performed to evaluate the association between PhenoAge and mortality. Results. Overall, patients with more diseases had older PhenoAge and phenotypic age acceleration (PhenoAgeAccel). After a median follow-up of 33.5 months, those with positive PhenoAgeAccel had a significantly higher incidence of all-cause mortality (P = 0.001). After adjusting for CA, Cox proportional hazards models showed that both PhenoAge and PhenoAgeAccel were significantly associated with all-cause mortality. Even after further adjusting for confounding factors, each 10-year increase in PhenoAge was also associated with a 51% increased mortality risk. ROC curves revealed that PhenoAge, with an area under the curve of 0.705, significantly outperformed CA, the individual clinical chemistry measure, and other risk factors. When reexamining the ROC curves using various combinations of variables, we found that PhenoAge provides additional predictive power to all models. Conclusions. In conclusion, PhenoAge was strongly associated with all-cause mortality even after adjusting for CA. Our findings suggest that PhenoAge measure may be complementary in predicting mortality risk for patients with multivessel CAD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biological effects of cutaneous thermal injury and wound healing after 3.8-μm laser radiation were investigated by observing the effects of different radiation doses on in vivo cutaneous tissue. A 3.8-μm laser with a radiation dose that changes from small (5.07) to large (15.74 J/cm2) was used to irradiate mouse skin with the 2 × 4 grid array method. The healing progress of laser-injured spots, pathological morphology (H&E staining), and collagen structure changes (Sirius Red staining) were dynamically observed from one hour to 21 days after laser radiation, and the capillary count and collagen content were quantitatively and comparatively analyzed. When the radiation doses were 5.07, 6.77, 8.21, and 9.42 J/cm2, a white coagulation spot predominantly occurred, and when the radiation doses were 11.09 12.23, 14.13, 15.74 J/cm2, a small injured spot predominantly occurred. One hour after radiation, the collagen structure was obviously damaged. Three to fourteen days after radiation, the hyperplasia and morphology of the collagen in the 5.07 J/cm2 group were significantly better than those in the other dose groups. The number of capillaries in the 5.07 J/cm2 and 6.77 J/cm2 groups was significantly higher than that in the normal group (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05). Twenty-one days after radiation, only the collagen in the 5.07 J/cm2 group was densely arranged, and it was basically close to the normal group level. The collagen content in the 5.07 J/cm2 group was approximately 10.7%, but it was still lower than that in the normal group (with a collagen content of approximately 14.1%). The collagen in the other dose groups was diminished and had not returned to the normal group level. As the dose of the 3.8-μm laser increased, skin thermal injury gradually increased, the full-thickness skin increased, and the collagen content decreased, showing better dose-dependent and time-dependent effect relationships. The increase in capillaries in the early stage of laser radiation and the significant increase in collagen content in the middle and late stages of laser radiation were two important factors that promoted wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The multi-task reconstruction network successfully synthesized virtual DKI images from DWI sequences. • The synthetic DKI-based radiomics model showed good performance for pCR in locally advanced rectal cancer. • The combination of DKI and artificial intelligence provided an efficient and accurate approach for rectal cancer management. To assess the feasibility and clinical value of synthetic diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) generated from diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) through multi-task reconstruction network (MTR-Net) for tumor response prediction in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). In this retrospective study, 120 eligible patients with LARC were enrolled and randomly divided into training and testing datasets with a 7:3 ratio. The MTR-Net was developed for reconstructing D app and K app images from apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) images. Tumor regions were manually segmented on both true and synthetic DKI images. The synthetic image quality and manual segmentation agreement were quantitatively assessed. The support vector machine (SVM) classifier was used to construct radiomics models based on the true and synthetic DKI images for pathological complete response (pCR) prediction. The prediction performance for the models was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The mean squared error (MSE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and structural similarity index measure (SSIM) for tumor regions were 0.212, 24.278, and 0.853, respectively, for the synthetic D app images and 0.516, 24.883, and 0.804, respectively, for the synthetic K app images. The Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), positive predictive value (PPV), sensitivity (SEN), and Hausdorff distance (HD) for the manually segmented tumor regions were 0.786, 0.844, 0.755, and 0.582, respectively. For predicting pCR, the true and synthetic DKI-based radiomics models achieved area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.825 and 0.807 in the testing datasets, respectively. Generating synthetic DKI images from DWI images using MTR-Net is feasible, and the efficiency of synthetic DKI images in predicting pCR is comparable to that of true DKI images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stage 1 hypertension, newly defined by the 2017 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA) hypertension guideline, has been the subject of significant interest globally. This study aims to assess the impact of the new blood pressure (BP) stratum on subsequent subclinical cardiovascular outcomes in low‐risk young adults. This longitudinal study consisted of 1020 young adults (47.7% female; ages 18–23 years) free of cardiovascular disease from the Hanzhong Adolescent Hypertension Cohort with up to 25‐year follow‐up since 1992–1995. Outcomes were available through June 2017. Young adults with stage 1 hypertension accounted for 23.7% of the cohort. When it comes to middle adulthood, subjects with early life stage 1 hypertension were more likely to experience BP progression, and they had a 1.61‐fold increased risk of high‐risk brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and a 2.92‐fold risk of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) comparing with their normotensive counterparts. Among participants without any active treatment in midlife, the risk associated with stage 1 hypertension for BP progression was 2.25 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.41–3.59), high‐risk baPWV was 1.58 (95% CI = 1.09–2.79), LVH was 2.75 (95% CI = 1.16–6.48), and subclinical renal damage (SRD) was 1.69 (95% CI = 1.02–2.82) compared with the normal BP group. Overall, young adults with stage 1 hypertension had significantly higher risks for midlife subclinical cardiovascular outcomes than normotensive subjects. BP management targeting low‐risk young adults is of importance from both clinical and public health perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To evaluate the accuracy and performance of the Autof MS1000 mass spectrometer in bacteria and yeast identification, 2342 isolates were obtained from microbial cultures of clinical specimens (e.g. blood, cerebrospinal fluid, respiratory tract samples, lumbar puncture fluid, wound samples, stool, and urine) collected in 2019 in Henan Provincial People's Hospital. Repetitive strains from the same patient were excluded. We tested the Autof MS1000 and Bruker Biotyper mass spectrometry systems and the classical biochemical identification system VITEK 2/API 20C AUX. Inconsistencies in strain identification among the three systems were identified by 16S rDNA and gene sequencing. Results: At the species level, the Autof MS1000 and Bruker Biotyper systems had isolate identification accuracies of 98.9 and 98.5%, respectively. At the genus level, the Autof MS1000 and Bruker Biotyper systems were 99.7 and 99.4% accurate, respectively. The instruments did not significantly differ in identification accuracy at either taxonomic level. The frequencies of unreliable identification were 1.1% (26/2342) for the Autof MS1000 and 1.5% (34/2342) for the Bruker Biotyper. In vitro experiments demonstrated that the coincidence rate of the Autof MS1000 mass spectrometer in the identification of five types of bacteria was > 93%, the identification error rate was < 3%, and the no identification rate was 0. This indicates that the Autof MS1000 system is acceptable for identification. Conclusions: The Autof MS1000 mass spectrometer can be utilised to identify clinical isolates. However, an upgradation of the database is recommended to correctly identify rare strains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, porous sandwich structure Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated by polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes and β‐cyclodextrin were prepared by surface polymerization and were used as the magnetic solid phase extraction adsorbent for the extraction and determination of carbaryl and carbofuran. The Fe3O4 nanoparticles coated with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes and β‐cyclodextrin were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, vibrating sample magnetometry, and scanning electron microscopy. After optimizing the extraction conditions, a method that combined magnetic solid phase extraction with high‐performance liquid chromatography was developed for the determination of carbaryl and carbofuran in apple. The method exhibited a good linearity in the range of 2–400 μg/kg for carbaryl and carbofuran (R2 = 0.9995), respectively. The limits of detection were 0.5 μg/kg of carbaryl and 0.7 μg/kg for carbofuran in apple, respectively. Extraction recoveries ranged from 94.2 to 103.1% with the preconcentration factor of 300 and the relative standard deviations were less than 5.9%. These results indicated that the method combined magnetic solid phase extraction with high‐performance liquid chromatography and was promising for the determination of carbaryl and carbofuran at trace amounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasing pressure of social environment and the increasing demand of human for energy, it is urgent to seek a sustainable and pollution-free new energy. Hydrogen is considered as a new type of energy because of its high calorific value, no environmental pollution and low cost of raw materials. In this experiment, to improve the visible-light driven catalytic activity of two-dimensional g-C 3 N 4 , g-C 3 N 4 and Ag/AgBr nanoparticles (NPs) were used as the carrier and cocatalyst, and the g-C 3 N 4 /Ag/AgBr (CNAA-α, α = 1, 2 and 3) heterojunction photocatalysts with different amounts of Ag/AgBr were synthesized via solvothermal technology. The morphology, composition, structure, photochemical and electrochemical characteristics of the samples were analyzed through XRD, FTIR, TEM, XPS and a series of photoelectrochemical characterizations, and the visible-light driven catalytic hydrogen evolution activities of the samples were studied by catalyzing water splitting. Research showed that the CNAA-2 exhibited the smallest overvoltage (86.5 mV vs RHE) and Tafel slope (61.0 mV·dec−1), so that the highest photocatalytic activity (47.84 μmol·g−1·h−1) for hydrogen evolution was obtained at the absence of Pt co-catalyst. Furthermore, this heterojunction photocatalyst exhibited good photostability and could be recycled several times with no significant decrease of its activity. This indicated that the addition of Ag/AgBr NPs to the two-dimensional g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets to construct an effective p-n heterojunction system at their interfaces could promote the conduction of photo-induced carriers and inhibit their combination, so that it would significantly improve the photoresponse ability and catalytic activity of two-dimensional g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets. A g-C 3 N 4 /Ag/AgBr photocatalyst based on p-n heterojunction with superior photoelectrochemical characteristic and enhanced visible-light driven activity for H 2 production. Unlabelled Image • The g-C 3 N 4 /Ag/AgBr photocatalyst based on p-n heterojunction was synthesized. • Superior photoelectrochemical characteristic promoted the separation of photo-induced carriers. • This photocatalyst presented enhanced activity for H 2 production at the absence of Pt co-catalyst. • The enhanced activity attributed to the synergistic effect of heterostructure and surface plasma. • This photocatalyst can be recycled for several times without obvious decrease of activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iron-sulfur proteins are important components of the photosynthetic electron transport complex in thylakoid membrane of cyanobacteria. The aim of this study was to enhance the expression of a putative iron-sulfur protein Slr0351 in E. coli by truncating the transmembrane region and to explore the iron-sulfur cluster binding properties of Slr0351. We truncated the N-terminal transmembrane region of Slr0351 (sample Slr0351_tr), which resulted in higher yield and higher solubility of Slr0351_tr expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3) without supplementation of Fe2+ and S2- in LB media, compared with the full-length Slr0351. Using affinity chromatography under anaerobic conditions, we obtained purified Slr0351 and Slr0351_tr. Unlike full-length Slr0351, Slr0351_tr was of brown color and showed distinct absorption peak at 460 nm, which is characteristic of Fe/S cluster. To identify the binding cysteine site of Fe/S cluster in Slr0351_tr, we obtained four mutants of Slr0351_tr via site-directed mutagenesis. The binding sites were identified as C140, C141, and C288 based on disappearance of the absorbance at 460 nm characteristic of the mutants. These results confirm that Slr0351 is an iron-sulfur protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copolymerizations of ethylene and 1-dodecene were conducted with a series of ansa-fluorenylamidodimethyltitanium complexes, [ t-BuNSiMeFlu]TiMe ( 1a), [ t-BuNSiMe(2,7-BuFlu)]TiMe ( 1b), and [(1-adamantyl)NSiMe(2,7-BuFlu)]TiMe ( 1c) activated by modified methylaluminoxane. The activity increased by the introduction of the alkyl groups on the fluorenyl and amido ligands, and 1c produced the highest molecular weight copolymers. Complex 1c also promoted copolymerization of ethylene and BuAl protected 10-undecen-1-ol with high activity (~2000 kg·mol·h), affording hydroxy-functionalized ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene. The hydroxy content of the copolymers obtained was controllable by changing comonomer feed ratio. The introduction of a small amount of hydroxy group can alter the surface properties of polyethylene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore mechanism of hedyotis diffusa extract attenuating acute pancreatitis (AP) lung injury in rats from 5'-adenosine monophosphate activated protein kinase (AMPK)/autophagy-related protein 5 (ATG5) signaling pathway. Methods: AP lung injury rat model was established, and rats were randomly divided into model group, extract (hedyotis diffusa extract) group, 3-MA (autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine) group, AICAR (AMPK activator) group and extract+AICAR group, with 15 rats in each group, and another 15 rats were selected as sham operation group. ELISA was performed to determine levels of serum amylase (AMY), IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-18; amount of ascites and proportion of lung wet/dry (W/D) in rats were determined; HE was performed to observe pathological damage of pancreas and lung tissues; Western blot was performed to determine lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP2), autophagy substrate p62, IL-1β precursor protein (pro-IL-1β), trypsinogen activation peptide (TAP), AMPK, p-AMPK, ATG5, autophagy marker LC3-II/I, ubiquitin-specific protease 10 (UPS10) expressions. Results: Compared with sham operation group, ascites volume, lung W/D, pancreas and lung tissue pathological damage scores, serum AMY, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18 levels, pancreatic tissue p62, TAP, pro-IL-1β expressions, lung tissue p-AMPK/AMPK, ATG5, LC3-II/I, UPS10, pro-IL-1β expressions of rats in model group were increased (P<0.05), while LAMP2 protein expression in pancreas and lung tissue was decreased (P<0.05); after model rats were intervened by hedyotis diffusa extract or autophagy inhibitor 3-MA, the above indexes were significantly improved (P<0.05), and improvement effect of hedyotis diffusa extract was better than 3-MA (P<0.05); while AMPK activator AICAR could attenuate improvement effect of hedyotis diffusa extract on lung injury in AP rats (P<0.05). Conclusion: Hedyotis diffusa extract can reduce inflammatory response and autophagy level by inhibiting AMPK/ATG5 signaling pathway, and improve lung injury in AP rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug resistance has always been the main problem in osteosarcoma treatment, and hypoxia seems to be one of the many causes for drug resistance. Therefore, in this study, we investigated how hypoxia triggers chemotherapy resistance in osteosarcoma. We first screened hypoxia- and normoxia- cultured osteosarcoma cellsin silicoto identify the differentially expressed genes specifically related to drug resistance. This led to the identification of spindle and kinetochore associated complex subunit 1 (SKA1) as a probable gene of interest. SKA1 was further overexpressed by a lentiviral vector into an osteosarcoma cell line to study its role in chemoresistance. Our data revealed that SKA1 overexpression reduced the expression of some multidrug resistance genes, and enhanced the sensitivity of two common chemotherapeutic drugs used in osteosarcoma patients, epirubicin (EPI) and ifosfamide (IFO). In addition, we also confirmed the role of SKA1 in EPI drug sensitivityin vivo. Taken together, our study indicated that hypoxia mediated downregulation of SKA1 expression increased the chemotherapy resistance in human osteosarcoma cells. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In cyanobacteria, phycobiliproteins (PBS) show excellent energy transfer among the chromophores absorbing over most of the visible. The energy transfers are used to study phycobilisome assembly and bioimaging. Using All4261GAF2(C81L) as energy donor, ApcE(1-240/Δ87-130) as energy acceptor, we co-expressed fusion protein ApcE(1-240/Δ87-130)::All4261GAF2(C81L) with phycobiliprotein in Escherichia Coli and studied the energy transfer between two protein domains. With N-terminal His6 tag, ApcE(1-240/Δ87-130)::All4261GAF2(C81L) cannot be purified by nickel-affinity column. We added six histidines in the C-terminal of ApcE(1-240/Δ87-130)::All4261GAF2(C81L) and co-expressed it with phycobiliprotein. ApcE(1-240/Δ87-130)::PCB-All4261GAF2(C81L) His6 was purified successfully and only singly chromophorylated at All4261GAF2(C81L) His6 domain. The singly chromophorylate ApcE(1-240/Δ87-130)::PCB-All4261GAF2(C81L) His6 was incubated with fresh PCB and the doubly chromophorylated PCB-ApcE(1-240/Δ87-130)::PCB-All4261GAF2(C81L) His6 was obtained. The double chromophored fusion protein absorbed light in the range of 615–660 nm, and fluoresced only at 668 nm. Photochemistry analysis showed that excitation energy transfer from the short-wavelength absorbing at All4261GAF2(C81L) domain was achieved successfully to the long-wavelength absorbing at the ApcE(1-240/Δ87-130) domain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine serum albumin (BSA), a non-toxic natural polymer material, is used as a template agent to modify the as-prepared photocatalyst ZnO, changing the ZnO nanorod into a nanosheet. The synthesized samples were characterized by scanning microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method (BET). The photocatalytic performance of the samples was evaluated via the photocatalytic degradation process of methylene blue (MB) and phenol under UV-light irradiation. Compared to pure ZnO, the ZnO/BSA composites exhibited superior photocatalytic activity, which could be attributed to the distensible surface area and the effective separation of photoinduced electron–hole pairs. Besides, the BSA used as a template could promote the photocatalysts to absorb more dye particles on its surface and improve degradation performance, which could be applied in a similar fashion between the protein and MB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethylene-propylene-methyl methacrylate (MMA) and ethylene-hexene-MMA A-B-C block copolymers with high molecular weight (>100 000) are synthesized using fluorenylamide-ligated titanium complex activated by modified methylaluminoxane and 2,6- di- tert-butyl-4-methylphenol for the first time. After diblock copolymerization of olefin is conducted completely, MMA is added and activated by aluminum Lewis acid to promote anionic polymerization. The length of polyolefin and poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is controllable precisely by the change of the additive amount of olefin and polymerization time, respectively. A soft amorphous polypropylene or polyhexene segment is located between two hard segments of semicrystalline polyethylene and glassy PMMA blocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanobacteriochromes are phytochrome homologues in cyanobacteria that act as photoreceptor sensors. We report the photochemistry of All4261 GAF2, a novel cyanobacteriochrome from the heterocyst-forming cyanobacteriumAnabaenasp. PCC 7120. All4261 contains four tandemly arranged GAF domains. The respective chromophore domains were co-expressed inEscherichia coliwith the genes for phycocyanobilin biosynthesis enzymes, HO1, and PcyA. The resulting proteins were analyzed by zinc-induced fluorescence, UV-Vis absorption and emission fluorescence spectra. Only All4261 GAF2 binded chromophore covalently, having zinc-induced fluorescence band in SDS-PAGE gel with the zinc acetate solution existed. Absorption spectra analysis showed that All4261 GAF2 had absorption peaks at 340 nm and 590 nm, failing to show photoreversibility. Fluorescence spectra revealed that All4261 GAF2 had a fluorescence emission peak at 645 nm, with high fluorescence quantum yield and molar extinction coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine whether and how tumor self-seeding by circulating tumor cells (CTCs) plays a role in the initiation and progression of osteosarcoma. Methods: Two different nude mouse models of human osteosarcoma were established for detecting tumor self-seeding by fluorescently labeled CTCs. Various tumor growth indicators were quantitated for seeded and unseeded groups. Growth mechanisms were characterized using cell proliferation assays and immunohistochemical staining. Conditioned media of primary osteosarcoma cells was characterized in a Transwell migration assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The effect of cytokines secreted by primary tumor cells was verified by small interfering RNA and recombinant human cytokine experiments. Results: Red fluorescent protein-labeled CTCs seeded primary tumors in both models. Seeded primary tumors groups grew faster than control groups ( P < 0.05), which was partially attributed to the CTCs having a higher proliferation rate and higher vascular endothelial growth factor expression after self-seeding. Conditioned media of primary osteosarcoma cells attracted CTCs, through an IL-6-dependent mechanism. Conclusions: CTC tumor self-seeding occurs in osteosarcoma and promotes the growth of primary osteosarcoma. CTCs appear to be recruited by cytokines secreted by primary osteosarcoma cells, particularly IL-6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The main phenolic components of purple potato were identified. [•] Selenium significantly increased the main phenolic components. [•] Selenium significantly increased tuber numbers and total production. [•] Single tuber weight was negatively correlated with selenium. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cyanobacteriochromes are the extended family of phytochrome photosensors characterized in cyanobacteria. Alr1966g2C56A is a cyanobacteriochrome mutant of Alr1966g2 in Nostoc sp. PCC 7120 from freshwater. In this paper, we truncated ten residues in the N-terminus and ten residues in the C-terminus of Alr1966g2C56A and obtained truncated Alr1966g2C46A, termed as Alr1966g2C46A-tr. Alr1966g2C46A-tr binded covalently not only phycocyanobilin but also biliverdin via Cys74 of the conserved CH motif, and showed a significant improvement in binding-PCB efficiency in E. coli, compared with that of untruncated Alr1966g2C56A. We also captured a persistent red fluorescence of Alr1966g2C46A-tr-PCB or Alr1966g2C46A-tr-BV expressed in live E. coli. Thus, Alr1966g2C46A-tr was suitable for the stable red fluorescent probe as a starting material. • Alr1966g2C46A-tr was obtained with truncation of Alr1966g2C56A, a CBCR mutant of Alr1966g2 from Nostoc sp. PCC 7120. • Most CBCRs can bind either PCB or BV, and a few CBCRs can bind not only PCB but also BV. Alr1966g2C46A-tr binded not only PCB but also BV. • Alr1966g2C46A-tr showed a significant improvement in binding-PCB efficiency in E. coli, compared with that of untruncated Alr1966g2C56A. • Alr1966g2C46A-tr-PCB orAlr1966g2C46A-tr-BV in E. coli had persistent red fluorescences under fluorescence microscope. • Thus, Alr1966g2C46A-tr was suitable for the stable red fluorescent probe as a starting material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the conductance spectrum of graphene quantum dots, both single- and multiple-dot cases. The single electron tunneling through a graphene dot is investigated and the periodicity, amplitude and line shape of the Coulomb blockade oscillations at low temperatures are obtained, which are consistent with the recent experimental observations. Further, we discuss the transport behavior when multiple dots are assembled in array and find a phase transition of conductance spectra from individual Coulomb blockade to collective Coulomb blockade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyanobacteriochromes are photochromic sensory photoreceptors in cyanobacteria that are related to phytochromes but cover a much broader spectral range. Using a homology search, a group of putative blue-absorbing photoreceptors was identified in Nostoc sp. PCC 7120 that, in addition to the canonical chromophore-binding cysteine of cyanobacteriochromes, have a conserved extra cysteine in a DXCF motif. To assess their photochemical activities, putative chromophore-binding GAF domains were expressed in Escherichia coli together with the genes for phycocyanobilin biosynthesis. All except one covalently bound a chromophore and showed photoreversible photochromic responses, with absorption at approximately 420 nm for the 15 Z states formed in the dark, and a variety of red-shifted absorption peaks in the 490-600 nm range for the 15 E states formed after light activation. Under denaturing conditions, the covalently bound chromophores were identified as phycocyanobilin, phycoviolobilin or mixtures of both. The canonical cysteines and those of the DXCF motifs were mutated, singly or together. The canonical cysteine is responsible for stable covalent attachment of the bilin to the apo-protein at C31. The second linkage from the cysteine in the DXCF motif, probably to C10 of the chromophore, yields blue-absorbing rubin-type 15 Z chromophores, but is lost in most cases upon photoconversion to the 15 E isomers of the chromophores, and also when denatured with acidic urea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a method to use gapped graphene as barriers to confine electrons in gapless graphene and form a good quantum dot, which can be realized on an oxygen-terminated 2 substrate partly hydrogen-passivated. In particular, we use deposited ferromagnetic insulators as contacts which give rise to spin-dependent energy spectrum and transport properties. Furthermore, we upgrade this method to form two-dimensional quantum dot arrays, whose coupling strength between neighboring dots can be uniquely anisotropic. Compared to complexity of other approaches to form quantum dot in graphene, the setup suggested here is a promising candidate for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of the research is to create an experimental data set of coronal section images of a human head. Methods: The head of a 49-year-old male cadaver was scanned by computed tomography (CT), then perfused with a green filling material via the bilateral common carotid artery, before being frozen and embedded. The head was sectioned along the coronal plane by a computer-controlled 5520 engraving and milling machine, capable of either 0.03-mm or 0.06-mm interspacing. All images were captured with a Canon 5D-Mk III digital camera. Results: A total of 3854 section images were obtained, each with a resolution of 5760 × 3840 pixels. The number of section images at 0.03- and 0.06-mm interspacing were 1437 and 2417, respectively. All the images were stored in JPG and RAW formats. The image size of each RAW format was about 24.5 MB, whereas for JPG format, the equivalent size was about 5.9 MB. All the RAW and JPG images together occupied 117.35 GB of disk space. Conclusions: The interspacing of this data set section was thinner than those of any comparable studies, and the image resolution was higher, too. This data set was also the first to take coronal sections of the human head. The data set contains image information from the smallest structures within the human head and can satisfy the needs of future developments and applications, such as the virtual operation training systems for otolaryngology, ophthalmology, stomatology, and neurosurgery, and help develop medical teaching software and maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a novel scaffold system comprising sodium alginate hydrogels (SAh) co-encapsulated with cell-free fat extract (CEFFE)-loaded core-shell nanofibers (NFs) and menstrual blood stem cell-derived exosomes (EXOs). The scaffold integrates the regenerative potential of EXOs and CFFFE, offering a multifaceted strategy for promoting articular cartilage repair. Coaxially electrospun core-shell NFs exhibited successful encapsulation of CEFFE and seamless integration into the SAh matrix. Structural modifications induced by the incorporation of CEFFE-NFs enhanced hydrogel porosity, mechanical strength, and degradation kinetics, facilitating cell adhesion, proliferation, and tissue ingrowth. The release kinetics of growth factors from the composite scaffold demonstrated sustained and controlled release profiles, essential for optimal tissue regeneration. In vitro studies revealed high cell viability, enhanced chondrocyte proliferation, and migration in the presence of EXOs/CEFFE-NFs@SAh composite scaffolds. Additionally, in vivo experiments demonstrated significant cartilage regeneration, with the composite scaffold outperforming controls in promoting hyaline cartilage formation and defect bridging. Overall, this study underscores the potential of EXOs and CEFFE-NFs integrated into SAh matrices for enhancing chondrocyte viability, proliferation, migration, and ultimately, articular cartilage regeneration. Future research directions may focus on elucidating underlying mechanisms and conducting long-term in vivo studies to validate clinical applicability and scalability. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary of the process applied in the study. Schematic diagram of the mechanism of action of nanoparticle injection after subcutaneous injection. [Display omitted] • Poly sulfonamide-phenylboronic acid-co-N-vinylcaprolactam p(SAPBA-co-NVCL), was synthesized. • p(SAPBA-co-NVCL) had high stability and good glucose sensitivity. • Nanoparticle size and insulin release increased with the glucose concentration. • p(SAPBA-co-NVCL) was non-toxic to normal cells but lethal to tumor cells. • p(SAPBA-co-NVCL) nanoparticles can be used for subcutaneous injection of insulin. A novel glucose- and temperature-responsive random copolymer, poly sulfonamide-phenylboronic acid-co-N-vinylcaprolactam p(SAPBA-co-NVCL), was synthesised via the "one-pot" method. After the polymer was made into nanoparticles, their properties, including insulin loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency, were investigated; their cytotoxicity and treatment effectiveness were also explored. Thermogravimetric results confirmed that p(SAPBA-co-NVCL) had high stability. Performance test results showed that p(SAPBA-co-NVCL) nanoparticles had round morphology and good glucose sensitivity under physiological conditions. Concurrently, we found that the size of the nanoparticles and the amount of insulin released increased significantly with the increase of glucose concentration. In addition, cytotoxicity results suggested that p(SAPBA-co-NVCL) nanoparticles were non-toxic to normal cells, but had a certain lethality effect on tumour cells. Animal experiments showed that p(SAPBA-co-NVCL) nanoparticles stably lowered blood sugar within 12 h. Moreover, they did not cause toxic damage to the tissue; however, there was a small amount of bleeding at the injection site. In conclusion, our results suggested that p(SAPBA-co-NVCL) nanoparticles are safe and can be used for the subcutaneous injection of insulin or other hypoglycaemic proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the invisible bias quantification of urban governments in their affordable housing service delivery, which can accurately identify the deficiencies of affordable housing policy and alleviate homelessness, poverty, and inequality. We identified complicated eligibility criteria for public rental housing programs in 153 prefectural cities and constructed a public rental housing accessibility index for urban residents and migrants. We used the principal component analysis method; this study offers a new perspective to explore these disparities. We found distinct regional differences in local governments' behaviors and preferences regarding affordable housing. Cities' affordable housing provision for migrants is selective and mainly targets young and highly educated migrants. We suggest that local governments pay more attention to elderly migrant workers in affordable housing provision and build a comprehensive evaluation system to set reasonable access conditions to prioritize those with urgent housing needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early vascular aging (EVA) increases cardiovascular mortality, but its long-term determinants are unknown. We included 2098 participants with ≥4 blood pressure (BP) measurements from childhood to adulthood (from the Hanzhong Adolescent Hypertension Cohort study) to investigate the impact of child-to-adult cumulative BP exposure on EVA patterns in midlife. Participants with EVA had significantly higher long-term BP burden than those with normal vascular age in midlife despite being much younger. Child-to-adult cumulative burden and trends of systolic and diastolic BP were associated with vascular age (standardized regression coefficient [β] =.31 to.53; P <.001 for all). Higher cumulative systolic and diastolic BP exposure significantly increased the risk of EVA in midlife (odds ratio, OR=1.67 to 2.75, P <.05 for all). All associations were independent of socio-demographics and cardiovascular risk factors. Excluding participants who were receiving anti-hypertensive, antidiabetic, or lipid-lowering treatments did not substantially change the above associations. This study, for the first time, reported that high cumulative child-to-adult BP exposure accelerated the vascular aging process. Stabilizing BP across life course could be beneficial to vascular health in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the efficacy of modified Allgöwer–Donati suture (MADS) technique on cosmetic outcomes compared with vertical mattress suture (VMS) technique in spinal surgery wounds. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted at the First Hospital of Lanzhou University (Gansu, China) from September 2019 to August 2020. The patients were randomly divided into two groups, a VMS group and a MADS group, by staff not involved in the treatment using a computer‐based random number table program (no restrictions on age or sex). Both procedures were performed by the same group of physicians as well as assistants. All suture wounds were completed by the same person. The primary endpoint was the scar area, and the postoperative scar area was scored by the Patient and Observer Scar Scale Assessment (POSAS). The scar area was calculated by ImageJ software. The second outcome measure was wound complications, including poor wound healing, wound edge necrosis, and infection. The trial was recorded in the Chinese Clinical Trial Register on 18 August 2019 (ChiCTR1900024548). Results: A total of 143 patients were included: 72 in the VMS group and 71 in the MADS group. There was no significant difference in their demographics in terms of age (49.71 ± 8.91 vs 50.15 ± 6.79 years, P = 0.737), sex (M/F, 30/41 vs 31/41, P = 0.923), suture time (3.39 ± 0.22 vs 3.47 ± 0.25 s/mm, P = 0.057), or body mass index (BMI, 23.88 ± 3.50 vs 24.05 ± 3.50, P = 0.765) for MADS to VMS. The postoperative scar area was compared between the two groups transversely on day 12, the MADS wound scars decreased by 58.95% (75,133.24/127,452.58). In the POSAS evaluation, after MADS treatment, surface area score decreased from 5 (4, 5) to 2 (2, 3) (P < 0.0001), observer's overall opinion from 5 (4, 5) to 3 (2, 3) (P < 0.0001), itching from 3 (3, 4) to 3 (2, 3) (P = 0.001), color from 4 (4, 5) to 3 (2–4) (P < 0.0001), stiffness 4 (3–4.75) to 3 (3, 4) (P < 0.0001), or thickness from 4 (3–5) to 4 (3, 4) (P = 0.004). In terms of overall opinion evaluation, the MADS showed a significant difference in observer's overall opinion to the VMS (5 (4, 5) vs 3 (2, 3), P < 0.0001) and in patient's overall opinion 5 (5, 6) to 3 (3, 4), (P < 0.0001). There was no significant statistical difference in poor wound healing (3 vs 0, P = 0.245), wound edge necrosis (3 vs 0, P = 0.245), and infection (1 vs 0, P = 1.000) with the MADS to the VMS. Conclusion: The results of this study show that the MADS effectively reduced the surgical scar area to 58.95% with no additional adverse events compared with that of the VMS in spine surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes complications are the leading cause of mortality in diabetic patients. The common complications are decline in antioxidant capacity and the onset of micro-inflammation syndrome. At present, glucose-responsive nanoparticles are widely used, as they can release insulin-loaded ultrafine particles intelligently and effectively reduce blood sugar. However, the toxicology of this method has not been fully elucidated. The plant extracts of pterostilbene (PTE) have a wide range of biological applications, such as antioxidation and inflammatory response improvement. Therefore, we have proposed new ideas for the cross application of plant extracts and biomaterials, especially as part of a hypoglycaemic nano-drug delivery system. Results: Based on the PTE, we successfully synthesised poly(3-acrylamidophenyl boric acid-b-pterostilbene) (p[AAPBA-b-PTE]) nanoparticles (NPs). The NPs were round in shape and ranged between 150 and 250 nm in size. The NPs possessed good pH and glucose sensitivity. The entrapment efficiency (EE) of insulin-loaded NPs was approximately 56%, and the drug loading (LC) capacity was approximately 13%. The highest release of insulin was 70%, and the highest release of PTE was 85%. Meanwhile, the insulin could undergo self-regulation according to changes in the glucose concentration, thus achieving an effective, sustained release. Both in vivo and in vitro experiments showed that the NPs were safe and nontoxic. Under normal physiological conditions, NPs were completely degraded within 40 days. Fourteen days after mice were injected with p(AAPBA-b-PTE) NPs, there were no obvious abnormalities in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, or kidney. Moreover, NPs effectively reduced blood glucose, improved antioxidant capacity and reversed micro-inflammation in mice. Conclusions: p(AAPBA-b-PTE) NPs were successfully prepared using PTE as raw material and effectively reduced blood glucose, improved antioxidant capacity and reduced the inflammatory response. This novel preparation can enable new combinations of plant extracts and biomaterials to adiministered through NPs or other dosage forms in order to regulate and treat diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The endogenous lipid molecule sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) has received attention in the cardiovascular field due to its significant cardioprotective effects, as revealed in animal studies. The purpose of our study was to identify the distribution characteristics of S1P in systolic heart failure patients and the prognostic value of S1P for long-term prognosis. Methods: We recruited 210 chronic systolic heart failure patients from June 2014 to December 2015. Meanwhile 54 healthy people in the same area were selected as controls. Plasma S1P was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Patients were grouped according to the baseline S1P level quartiles, and restricted cubic spline plots described the association between S1P and all-cause death. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to determine the relationship between category of S1P and all-cause death. Results: Compared with the control group, the plasma S1P in chronic heart failure patients demonstrated a higher mean level (1.269 μmol/L vs 1.122 μmol/L, P = 0.006) and a larger standard deviation (0.441 vs 0.316, P = 0.022). Based on multivariable Cox regression with restricted cubic spline analysis, a non-linear and U-shaped association between S1P levels and the risk of all-cause death was observed. After a follow-up period of 31.7 ± 10.3 months, the second quartile (0.967–1.192 μml/L) with largely normal S1P levels had the lowest all-cause mortality and either an increase (adjusted HR = 2.368, 95%CI 1.006–5.572, P = 0.048) or a decrease (adjusted HR = 0.041, 95%CI 0.002–0.808, P = 0.036) predicted a worse prognosis. The survival curves showed that patients in the lowest quartile and highest quartile were at a higher risk of death. Conclusions: Plasma S1P levels in systolic heart failure patients are related to the long-term all-cause mortality with a U-shaped correlation. Trial registration: CHiCTR, ChiCTR-ONC-14004463. Registered 20 March 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have reported the role of the M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M3R), a member of the G‐protein coupled receptor superfamily, encoded by the CHRM3 gene, in cardiac function and the regulation of blood pressure (BP). The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of CHRM3 genetic variants with salt sensitivity, longitudinal BP changes, and the development of hypertension in a Chinese population. We conducted a chronic dietary salt intervention experiment in a previously established Chinese cohort to analyze salt sensitivity of BP. Additionally, a 14‐year follow‐up was conducted on all participants in the cohort to evaluate the associations of CHRM3 polymorphisms with longitudinal BP changes, as well as the incidence of hypertension. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs10802811 within the CHRM3 gene displayed significant associations with low salt‐induced changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP), while rs373288072, rs114677844, and rs663148 exhibited significant associations with SBP and MAP responses to a high‐salt diet. Furthermore, the SNP rs58359377 was associated with changes in SBP and pulse pressure (PP) over the course of 14 years. Additionally, the 14‐year follow‐up revealed a significant association between the rs619288 polymorphism and an increased risk of hypertension (OR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.06‐2.87, p =.029). This study provides evidence that CHRM3 may have a role in salt sensitivity, BP progression, and the development of hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research, the magnetic mesoporous silica microspheres with double-cavity structure (DHFS) were first synthesized by combining the hydrothermal technique, sol-gel hydrolysis and chemical etching method, then the BiOCl-CoP-x (BC-x, x = 1, 2, 3) heterojunctions were fabricated on the surface of the amino-functionalized DHFS microspheres. The morphologies, crystal characteristics, compositions and photoelectrochemical properties of the samples in different stages were characterized by various technologies. Furthermore, methylene blue (MB), as the targeted organic pollutant, was used to study the enriching property and activity of the photocatalysts by the corresponding adsorption and degradation experiments. Research showed that the introduction of the DHFS microspheres could significantly enhance the adsorption ability of the photocatalyst for the existence of concentration gradient effect of the mesoporous and double-cavity structure, so that the DHFSBC-2 possessed the most superior activity under visible-light illumination (VLI) for the effective fabrication of heterojunction interfaces between BiOCl and CoP NPs. More importantly, this photocatalyst exhibited very strong photo-stability, and no decrease of the photocatalytic activity could be observed after being recycled for several times. A hierarchical BiOCl-CoP heterojunction on magnetic mesoporous silica microspheres with double-cavity structure, fast enriching, slow releasing property and enhanced photocatalytic performance. Unlabelled Image • BiOCl-CoP heterojunction was fabricated on the surface of DHFS microspheres. • Both the double-cavity and mesoporous structure were integrated in this photocatalyst. • This photocatalyst exhibited fast enriching and slow releasing property. • This photocatalyst presented strong adsorption ability and enhanced photocatalytic activity. • This photocatalyst presented fast interfacial charge migration and superior photo-response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim and objective: To investigate the incidence of intraoperative blanchable erythema and pressure injuries in patients undergoing digestive surgery and to explore potential risk factors. Background: Pressure injuries pose significant economic and healthcare burden to patients and are used as one of the key indicators of nursing in the operation room with high incidence. Design: A retrospective observational study. Methods: Basic information and the results of 3S intraoperative risk assessment scale of pressure injury were obtained from the information system. And the patients with intraoperative blanchable erythema or pressure injuries were followed up for 72 hr by the information system. The clinical data were collected to analyse risk factors for intraoperative blanchable erythema and pressure injuries by univariate analysis and logistic regression analysis. STROBE checklist for cohort studies was applied in the preparation of the paper. Results: Of 5,136 surgical cases, 134 (2.61%) had blanchable erythema, 37 (0.72%) had intraoperative pressure injuries, and 8 (0.16%) had pressure injuries at 72‐hr follow‐up. Preoperative skin under compression, preoperative physical activity, surgical position and extra intraoperative pressure were considered independent risk factors for intraoperative pressure injuries. Conclusion: The incidence of pressure injuries in our study was lower than those reported in the previous studies. Accessing preoperative skin under compression, preoperative physical activity, surgical position and extra intraoperative pressure was considered to be significant for preventing pressure injuries. Relevance to clinical practice: The findings suggest that preoperative skin under compression, preoperative physical activity, surgical position and extra intraoperative pressure are associated with intraoperative pressure injuries in patients undergoing digestive surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Normoalbuminuria has recently been associated with increased cardiovascular risk, and vascular aging is proposed as the early manifestation of cardiovascular disease. Here, the authors aimed to examine the association of high‐normal albuminuria and vascular aging in a Chinese cohort. From our previously established cohort, 1942 participants with estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or urinary albumin‐creatinine ratio (UACR) <30 mg/g were enrolled. Brachial‐ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) ≥1400 cm/s and/or carotid intima‐media thickness (CIMT) ≥0.9 mm were used as indicators of vascular aging. Multivariate regression and receiving operating characteristic curve analysis were performed to examine the relationship between continuous and categorical UACR with vascular aging. We found an average UACR value of 8.08 (5.45–12.52) mg/g in this study. BaPWV and CIMT demonstrated positive correlations with lg‐UACR (p <.05). High‐normal albuminuria (10–29 mg/g) was significantly associated with the presence of vascular aging after adjusting for multiple cardiovascular confounders (OR = 1.540, 95% CI = 1.203–1.972, p =.001). In addition, a lg‐UACR cutoff point of 0.918 lg(mg/g) (equal to UACR of 8.285 mg/g) was significantly associated with the presence of vascular aging and its components for all participants and those without hypertension or diabetes and without medication (p <.05). Briefly, high‐normal albuminuria was significantly associated with vascular aging in this sample of Chinese adults. These findings implied the warning of elevated UACR even within normal range in clinical practice and the importance of UACR screening in normoalbuminuria for early detection and prevention of cardiovascular disease in otherwise healthy participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A Zn 5 functionalized monolithic column was prepared via copolymerization. • Zn 5 adsorption sites and copolymerization improved the adsorption selectivity and capacity of monolith. • The monolith was used for pipette tip micro-solid phase extraction of 4 PAHs. • An µ-SPE-HPLC-UV method was established and applied for the analysis of 4 PAHs. • The limits of detection ranged from 0.050 to 1.5 μg L−1 for analytes in edible oils. The contamination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in edible oil is a health threat. Thus, trace analysis of PAHs is of high necessity. Based on the efficient adsorption of PAHs on Zn 5 metal cluster, a Zn 5 functionalized copolymer monolithic column was rationally designed for pipette tip micro-solid phase extraction (μ-SPE). The modified Zn 5 improved the adsorption selectivity and capacity of the monolith for naphthalene, phenanthrene, fluoranthene and pyrene. Chemical doping and copolymerization stabilized the monolith with a long life. Under optimal extraction conditions, a μ-SPE-high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detector method was established for the detection of 4 PAHs in edible oils. The method yielded detection ranges of 0.15–250 μg L−1 (R 2 > 0.997), detection limits of 0.050–1.5 μg L−1, satisfactory recoveries (86.3–101.5 %), and high precisions (RSDs < 7.9 %). The results indicated that the Zn 5 functionalized copolymer monolithic column was an ideal separation medium for the detection of PAHs residues in edible oils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trichoderma is a genus of common filamentous fungi that display a various range of lifestyles and interactions with other fungi. The interaction of Trichoderma with Morchella sextelata was explored in this study. Trichoderma sp. T-002 was isolated from a wild fruiting body of Morchella sextelata M-001 and identified as a closely related species of Trichoderma songyi based on morphological chracteristics and phylogenetic analysis of translation elongation factor1-alpha and inter transcribed spacer of rDNA. Further, we focussed on the influence of dry mycelia of T-002 on the growth and synthesis of extracellular enzymes of M-001. Among different treatments, M-001 showed the highest growth of mycelia with an optimal supplement of 0.33 g/100 mL of T-002. Activities of extracellular enzymes of M-001 were enhanced significantly by the optimal supplement treatment. Overall, T-002, a unique Trichoderma species, had a positive effect on mycelial growth and synthesis of extracellular enzymes of M-001. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we prepare a series of carbon spheres (CSs) supported CdS photocatalyst via simple co-precipitation combined aging method towards the photocatalytic hydrogen production under visible light irradiation. The synthesized photocatalysts are characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurement, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and so on. The UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy shows that all of the CSs/CdS samples can respond more visible-light than pure CdS. The SEM and TEM images demonstrate that the 1% CSs/CdS sample have less aggregation than pure CdS, which can provide more reactive sites and benefit the photocatalytic reaction. The results of photocatalytic experiments prove that the CSs/CdS composites exhibit a significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity for H 2 production compared with pure CdS under visible light irradiation. Especially for the 1% CSs/CdS sample, the average H 2 -production rate reaches 583 μmol/h, nearly 1.8 times than that of pure CdS. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the CSs/CdS composites can be attributed to the large surface area of CSs/CdS samples and good electroconductivity of CSs, which can effectively separate the photo-generated electron-hole pairs of CdS. This method effectively improves the photocatalytic activity of CdS. In addition, the possible photocatalytic mechanism of CSs/CdS composites for H 2 evolution is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transient high salt intake causes a sustained increase in blood pressure (BP) even after returning to a normal-salt diet, a phenomenon known as "salt memory." However, the molecular mechanisms of this phenomenon remain to be elucidated. Dahl salt-sensitive (SS) rats were fed a high-salt (8% NaCl) or high-salt diet and treated with drugs for 8 to 16 weeks and then returned to a normal-salt diet for 3 months. This study investigated the molecular mechanisms of salt memory and its mediation of SS hypertension and renal damage. We show that transient high salt intake caused persistent elevation of BP and exacerbation of kidney damage in Dahl SS rats even after returning to a normal-salt diet. Both epigenetic changes and inflammatory activation also persisted after resumption of a normal diet. Arterial BP, renal injury and the inflammatory response returned to normal levels in rats administered mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) during the 8-week period of high salt intake, resulting in the disappearance of salt memory. However, the vasodilator hydralazine did not ameliorate kidney damage or inflammatory activation, although it decreased BP to control levels. Transient high salt intake increased histone 3 lysine 4 monomethylation (H3K4me1) levels at the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) subunit p65 promoter in SS rats, promoting p65 gene transcription and NF-κB activation and further leading to a series of inflammatory responses. Our findings demonstrate that transient high salt-induced epigenetic changes and persistent inflammatory activation play important roles in salt memory and its mediation of SS hypertension and renal damage. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]