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Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) employ a very unique metabolic pattern to maintain themselves, while the spectrum of their metabolic adaptations remains incompletely understood. Here, we uncover a distinct and heterogeneous serine metabolism within HSCs and identify mouse HSCs as a serine auxotroph whose maintenance relies on exogenous serine and the ensuing mitochondrial serine catabolism driven by the hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2)-methylene-tetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2 (MTHFD2) axis. Mitochondrial serine catabolism primarily feeds NAD(P)H generation to maintain redox balance and thereby diminishes ferroptosis susceptibility of HSCs. Dietary serine deficiency, or genetic or pharmacological inhibition of the SHMT2-MTHFD2 axis, increases ferroptosis susceptibility of HSCs, leading to impaired maintenance of the HSC pool. Moreover, exogenous serine protects HSCs from irradiation-induced myelosuppressive injury by fueling mitochondrial serine catabolism to mitigate ferroptosis. These findings reframe the canonical view of serine from a nonessential amino acid to an essential niche metabolite for HSC pool maintenance., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this study, the isolation and purification of melanin pigment from Mesona chinensis (MCM) were conducted, and the structural characterization and stability evaluation of MCM were performed. The results indicate that MCM is consistent with the spectral features of catechins and polyphenols, identified the stretching vibrations of functional groups such as OH, CH, CO, and CO. It is inferred that the structure of MCM is consistent with that of theophylline and it is mainly composed of phenolic acids, terpenoids, and organic acids. Stability evaluations indicate that MCM exhibits stability under white light, ultraviolet (UV) light, neutral, and alkaline environments, and it shows low sensitivity to reducing agents., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells have set world-record efficiencies among single-junction silicon solar cells, accelerating their commercial deployment. Despite these clear efficiency advantages, the high costs associated with low-temperature silver pastes (LTSP) for metallization have driven the search for more economical alternatives in mass production. 2D transition metal carbides (MXenes) have attracted significant attention due to their tunable optoelectronic properties and metal-like conductivity, the highest among all solution-processed 2D materials. MXenes have emerged as a cost-effective alternative for rear-side electrodes in SHJ solar cells. However, the use of MXene electrodes has so far been limited to lab-scale SHJ solar cells. The efficiency of these devices has been constrained by a fill factor (FF) of under 73%, primarily due to suboptimal charge transport at the contact layer/MXene interface. Herein, a silver nanowire (AgNW)-assisted Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene electrode contact is introduced and explores the potential of this hybrid electrode in industry-scale solar cells. By incorporating this hybrid electrode into SHJ solar cells, 9.0 cm 2 cells are achieved with an efficiency of 24.04% (FF of 81.64%) and 252 cm 2 cells with an efficiency of 22.17% (FF of 76.86%), among the top-performing SHJ devices with non-metallic electrodes to date. Additionally, the stability and cost-effectiveness of these solar cells are discussed., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

CO 2 -enhanced oil recovery (CO 2 -EOR) is a crucial method for CO 2 utilization and sequestration, representing an important zero-carbon or even negative-carbon emission reduction technology. However, the low viscosity of CO 2 and reservoir heterogeneity often result in early gas breakthrough, significantly reducing CO 2 utilization and sequestration efficiency. A water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection is a technique for mitigating gas breakthrough and viscous fingering in CO 2 -EOR. However, it encounters challenges related to insufficient mobility control in highly heterogeneous and fractured reservoirs, resulting in gas channeling and low sweep efficiency. Despite the extensive application and research of a WAG injection in oil and gas reservoirs, the most recent comprehensive review dates back to 2018, which focuses on the mechanisms of EOR using conventional WAG. Herein, we give an updated and comprehensive review to incorporate the latest advancements in CO 2 -WAG flooding techniques for enhanced sweep efficiency, which includes the theory, applications, fluid displacement mechanisms, and control strategies of a CO 2 -WAG injection. It addresses common challenges, operational issues, and remedial measures in WAG projects by covering studies from experiments, simulations, and pore-scale modeling. This review aims to provide guidance and serve as a reference for the application and research advancement of CO 2 -EOR techniques in heterogeneous and fractured reservoirs.

With the widespread application of nuclear technology across various fields, ionizing radiation-induced injuries are becoming increasingly common. The bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic tissue is a primary target organ of radiation injury. Recent researches have confirmed that ionizing radiation-induced hematopoietic dysfunction mainly results from BM hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) injury. Additionally, disrupting and reshaping BM microenvironment is a critical factor impacting both the injury and regeneration of HSCs post radiation. However, the regulatory mechanisms of ionizing radiation injury to BM HSCs and their microenvironment remain poorly understood, and prevention and treatment of radiation injury remain the focus and difficulty in radiation medicine research. In this review, we aim to summarize the effects and mechanisms of ionizing radiation-induced injury to BM HSCs and microenvironment, thereby enhancing our understanding of ionizing radiation-induced hematopoietic injury and providing insights for its prevention and treatment in the future., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The confinement effect in micro- and nanopores gives rise to distinct flow characteristics in fluids. Clarifying the fluid migration pattern in confined space is crucial for understanding and explaining the abnormal flow phenomena in unconventional reservoirs. In this study, flow characteristics of water and oil in alumina nanochannels were investigated with diameters ranging from 21 nm to 120 nm, and a heterogeneous viscosity flow model considering boundary fluid was proposed. Compared with the prediction of the HP equation, both types of fluids exhibit significant flow suppression in nanochannels. As the channel size decreases, the deviation degree increases. The fluid viscosity of the boundary region displays an upward trend as the channel size decreases and the influence of the interaction between the liquid and solid walls intensifies. The thickness of the boundary region gradually decreases with increasing pressure and eventually reaches a stable value, which is primarily determined by the strength of the interaction between the liquid and solid surfaces. Both the pore size and wettability are essential factors that affect the fluid flow. When the space scale is extremely small, the impact of wettability becomes more pronounced. Finally, the application of the heterogeneous flow model for permeability evaluation has yielded favorable fitting results. The model is of great significance for studying the fluid flow behavior in unconventional reservoirs.

Background: Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) regeneration underlies hematopoietic recovery from myelosuppression, which is a life-threatening side effect of cytotoxicity. HSC niche is profoundly disrupted after myelosuppressive injury, while if and how the niche is reshaped and regulates HSC regeneration are poorly understood., Methods: A mouse model of radiation injury-induced myelosuppression was built by exposing mice to a sublethal dose of ionizing radiation. The dynamic changes in the number, distribution and functionality of HSCs and megakaryocytes were determined by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, colony assay and bone marrow transplantation, in combination with transcriptomic analysis. The communication between HSCs and megakaryocytes was determined using a coculture system and adoptive transfer. The signaling mechanism was investigated both in vivo and in vitro, and was consolidated using megakaryocyte-specific knockout mice and transgenic mice., Results: Megakaryocytes become a predominant component of HSC niche and localize closer to HSCs after radiation injury. Meanwhile, transient insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) hypersecretion is predominantly provoked in megakaryocytes after radiation injury, whereas HSCs regenerate paralleling megakaryocytic IGF1 hypersecretion. Mechanistically, HSCs are particularly susceptible to megakaryocytic IGF1 hypersecretion, and mTOR downstream of IGF1 signaling not only promotes activation including proliferation and mitochondrial oxidative metabolism of HSCs, but also inhibits ferritinophagy to restrict HSC ferroptosis. Consequently, the delicate coordination between proliferation, mitochondrial oxidative metabolism and ferroptosis ensures functional HSC expansion after radiation injury. Importantly, punctual IGF1 administration simultaneously promotes HSC regeneration and hematopoietic recovery after radiation injury, representing a superior therapeutic approach for myelosuppression., Conclusions: Our study identifies megakaryocytes as a last line of defense against myelosuppressive injury and megakaryocytic IGF1 as a novel niche signal safeguarding HSC regeneration., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The tumor microenvironment (TME) significantly influences disease progression through immune infiltration, while ferroptosis, a recently discovered cell death mechanism, plays a crucial role in tumor suppression. However, its role in breast cancer is not clear. In this study, we analyzed bulk RNA and single-cell RNA sequencing data from 1217 samples, including 1104 breast cancer patients and 113 controls, to identify ferroptosis-related genes (FRGs) and construct a prognostic model. Using univariate cox regression, LASSO regression, and multivariate cox regression analysis, we discovered 21 FRGs and 3 TME-related immune cell types with prognostic value. Dimensionality reduction clustering and visualization were performed using the UMAP method, while the immune infiltration process was calculated with the TIP online tool. We employed GSEA enrichment analysis, WGCNA clustering analysis, and correlation analysis to examine functional differences, and the mutation analysis of the best and worst prognosis groups was conducted using the maftools package. Our findings revealed that knocking down the expression of the hub gene SLC39A7 significantly impacted cancer cell apoptosis and combining ferroptosis and TME scores yielded high prognostic power. Epithelial cells and B cells exhibited higher ferroptosis scores, which were independently associated with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) response and ICB gene expression. This study provides a foundation for further exploration of the relationship between ferroptosis and ICB response in breast cancer. In conclusion, we developed a prognostic model based on ferroptosis and infiltrated immune cells that effectively stratified breast cancer patients and demonstrated the role of SLC39A7 in breast cancer pathogenesis through the regulation of apoptosis., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Despite breakthroughs in modern medical care, the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is even more prevalent globally. Increasing epidemiologic evidence indicates that emerging cardiovascular risk factors arising from the modern lifestyle, including psychosocial stress, sleep problems, unhealthy diet patterns, physical inactivity/sedentary behavior, alcohol consumption, and tobacco smoking, contribute significantly to this worldwide epidemic, while its underpinning mechanisms are enigmatic. Hematological and immune systems were recently demonstrated to play integrative roles in linking lifestyle to cardiovascular health. In particular, alterations in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) homeostasis, which is usually characterized by proliferation, expansion, mobilization, megakaryocyte/myeloid-biased differentiation, and/or the pro-inflammatory priming of HSCs, have been shown to be involved in the persistent overproduction of pro-inflammatory myeloid leukocytes and platelets, the cellular protagonists of cardiovascular inflammation and thrombosis, respectively. Furthermore, certain lifestyle factors, such as a healthy diet pattern and physical exercise, have been documented to exert cardiovascular protective effects through promoting quiescence, bone marrow retention, balanced differentiation, and/or the anti-inflammatory priming of HSCs. Here, we review the current understanding of and progression in research on the mechanistic interrelationships among lifestyle, HSC homeostasis, and cardiovascular health. Given that adhering to a healthy lifestyle has become a mainstream primary preventative approach to lowering the cardiovascular burden, unmasking the causal links between lifestyle and cardiovascular health from the perspective of hematopoiesis would open new opportunities to prevent and treat CVD in the present age.

Immune engineering, a burgeoning field within regenerative medicine, involves a spectrum of strategies to optimize the intricate interplay between tissue regenerative biomaterials and the host tissue. These strategies are applied across different types of biomaterials and various disease models, which encompasses finely modulating the immune response at the levels of immune cells and factors, aiming to mitigate adverse effects like fibrosis and persistent inflammation that may arise at the injury site and consequently promote tissue regeneration. With the continuous progress in electrospinning technology, the immunoregulatory capabilities of electrospun fibers have gained substantial attention over the years. Electrospun fibers, with their extracellular matrix-like characteristics, high surface-area-to-volume ratio, and reliable pharmaceutical compound capacity, have emerged as key players among tissue engineering materials. This review specifically focuses on the role of electrospun fiber-based immune engineering, emphasizing their unique design strategies. Notably, electrospinning actively engages in immune engineering by modulating immune responses through four essential strategies: (i) surface modification, (ii) drug loading, (iii) physicochemical parameters, and (iv) biological grafting. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the intricate mechanisms of the immune system in injured tissues while unveiling the key strategies adopted by electrospun fibers to orchestrate immune regulation. Furthermore, the review explores the current developmental trends and limitations concerning the immunoregulatory function of electrospun fibers, aiming to drive the advancements in electrospun fiber-based immune engineering to its full potential., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Authors. Smart Medicine published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH on behalf of Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

Importance: Standard postpartum pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) can effectively reduce the incidence of pelvic floor dysfunction diseases., Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the adherence of PFMT with smartphone application reminders on women in the postpartum period., Study Design: We conducted a randomized controlled trial. This single-center randomized (1:1) controlled study included primiparous women admitted to Tongji Hospital between March 2022 and June 2022 (ChiCTR2200059157). Every puerpera was given pelvic floor muscle (PFM) assessment and PFMT guidance at 6 weeks after delivery. After randomization, women in the intervention group received daily training reminders from the smartphone application WeChat. Adherence to PFMT, a symptom of stress urinary incontinence, and PFM characteristics were measured 3 months later., Results: A total of 148 participants were included in the final analysis (76 in the intervention group and 72 in the control group). The adherence rate of daily PFMT was higher in the intervention group than in the control group (53.9% vs 20.8%, P = 0.00) at 3-month follow-up. In addition, participants in the intervention group showed higher peak surface electromyography of PFMs (39.8 ± 6.2 vs 37.5 ± 5.9 μV, P = 0.03) and longer PFM endurance (8.1 ± 2.0 vs 7.3 ± 2.0 seconds, P = 0.01) than in the control group, whereas there was no difference between the 2 groups in International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Short Form ( P = 0.60) and the Patient Global Impression of Improvement scores ( P = 1.00)., Conclusions: Smartphone application-based PFMT could increase adherence and improves electromyography of PFMs in the short term but did not affect stress urinary incontinence symptoms in women in the postpartum period., Competing Interests: The authors have declared they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 American Urogynecologic Society. All rights reserved.)

The hole collector in silicon heterojunction cells serves not only as an integral component of the p / n junction, determining the strength of the built-in electric field, but also as a layer responsible for hole transport, thereby affecting carrier transport capacity. To enhance carrier extraction and transport properties of the hole collector, various interface treatments have been employed on p -type nanocrystalline ( p -nc-Si:H) hole collectors. Through an examination of characteristics such as dark conductivity, crystallinity, and contact resistance, the impact of interface treatment on p -nc-Si:H hole collectors is clarified. Furthermore, considering distinct requirements for the hole collector at different locations, interface treatment processes are optimized accordingly. The introduction of interface treatment on p -nc-Si:H hole collectors has demonstrated significant enhancement of both front and rear junction cell efficiencies, which increased from 17.74% to 21.61% and from 16.83% to 20.92%, respectively., (© 2023 IOP Publishing Ltd.)

Background: Although epidural analgesia is considered the gold standard for pain relief during labor and is safe for maternity and fetus, the association between the epidural analgesia and pelvic floor disorders remains unclear. Thus we estimate the association between epidural analgesia and early postpartum urinary incontinence (UI)., Methods: A propensity score-matched retrospective cohort study was conducted at a university-affiliated hospital in Shanghai, China. Primiparous women with term, singleton, and vaginal delivery between December 2020 and February 2022 were included. UI was self-reported by maternity at 42 to 60 days postpartum and was classified by International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF). Using logistic regression models, the associations between epidural analgesia and early postpartum UI were assessed., Results: Among 5190 participants, 3709 (71.5%) choose epidural anesthesia during labor. Analysis of the propensity-matched cohort (including 1447 maternal pairs) showed epidural anesthesia during labor was independently associated with UI in early postpartum period (aOR 1.50, 95% CI 1.24-1.81). This association was mainly contributed to stress UI (aOR 1.38, 95% CI 1.12-1.71) rather than urge UI (aOR 1.45, 95% CI 0.99-2.15) and mixed UI (aOR 1.52, 95% CI 0.95-2.45). Furthermore, we observed that the association between epidural anesthesia and UI was more pronounced among older women (≥ 35 y) and women with macrosomia (infant weight ≥ 4000 g), compared with their counterparts (both P for interaction < 0.01). After further analysis excluding the women with UI during pregnancy, the results remained largely consistent with the main analysis., Conclusions: The findings support that epidural anesthesia was associated with SUI in the early postpartum period., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Hernia reconstruction is one of the most frequently practiced surgical procedures worldwide. Plastic surgery plays a pivotal role in reestablishing desired abdominal wall structure and function without the drawbacks traditionally associated with general surgery as excessive tension, postoperative pain, poor repair outcomes, and frequent recurrence. Surgical meshes have been the preferential choice for abdominal wall hernia repair to achieve the physical integrity and equivalent components of musculofascial layers. Despite the relevant progress in recent years, there are still unsolved challenges in surgical mesh design and complication settlement. This review provides a systemic summary of the hernia surgical mesh development deeply related to abdominal wall hernia pathology and classification. Commercial meshes, the first-generation prosthetic materials, and the most commonly used repair materials in the clinic are described in detail, addressing constrain side effects and rational strategies to establish characteristics of ideal hernia repair meshes. The engineered prosthetics are defined as a transit to the biomimetic smart hernia repair scaffolds with specific advantages and disadvantages, including hydrogel scaffolds, electrospinning membranes, and three-dimensional patches. Lastly, this review critically outlines the future research direction for successful hernia repair solutions by combing state-of-the-art techniques and materials., Competing Interests: 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., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

The mechanism by which oil recovery can be enhanced by different injection methods of CO 2 miscible flooding to alleviate the influence of heterogeneous reservoirs was studied to optimize the injection methods, further improving oil recovery. According to the reservoir heterogeneity characteristics of the TI oil formation group in Lunnan Oilfield, a 1 m double-layer long core was designed and prepared for four CO 2 miscible displacement experiments with different injection methods. By analyzing the variation in the injection-production parameters, the displacement effects of different injection methods were compared, and the mechanism of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) was summarized. The results indicate the following. ① The displacement efficiency of the different injection methods lies in the following order. Alternate CO 2 -water injection, continuous CO 2 flooding, cyclic CO 2 flooding, and alternate CO 2 -hydrocarbon gas injection. ② The recovery of crude oil via CO 2 miscible flooding in heterogeneous reservoirs relies on both convective diffusion and miscible mass transfer. Convective diffusion depends mainly on control of the displacement pressure differential and the plugging of preferential seepage channels in high-permeability areas, while miscible mass transfer depends mainly on the swept range of the convective diffusion and the degree of miscibility between CO 2 and crude oil. ③ To improve the recovery efficiency of CO 2 miscible flooding in heterogeneous reservoirs, it is necessary to choose an injection method that optimizes these two aspects., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Hydrogen is a valuable clean energy source, and electrolysis to produce hydrogen from water is a crucial component. However, a major problem of hydrogen generation by electrolysis is its large overpotential and poor economics. To reduce the overpotential, we mainly use nickel foam and Co-Mo ions as feedstock and create an efficient catalytic material by electrodeposition. The Co-Mo interaction improves the current efficiency. In 1 mol/L NaOH solution, the overpotential of the Co-Mo-NF composites was low when the current density is -10 mA/cm 2 , with the best value reaching 45.3 mV, which is less than those of Co-NF (94.4 mV) and Mo-NF (88.2 mV). All deposits had similar Tafel slopes in the 77.9 mV/decade range. The catalyst does not just have a favorable effect on hydrogen formation but also has a surprisingly high double-layer capacitance (up to 180 mF/cm 2 ) and good stability. This research provides an impactful approach for developing a non-precious metal HER catalyst for industrial hydrogen production.

High-pressure air injection (HPAI) is one of the effective methods to improve shale oil recovery after the primary depletion process. However, the seepage mechanisms and microscopic production characteristics between air and crude oil are complicated in porous media during the air flooding process. In this paper, an online nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) dynamic physical simulation method for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) by air injection in shale oil was established by combining high-temperature and high-pressure physical simulation systems with NMR. The microscopic production characteristics of air flooding were investigated by quantifying fluid saturation, recovery, and residual oil distribution in different sizes of pores, and the air displacement mechanism of shale oil was discussed. On this basis, the effects of air oxygen concentration, permeability, injection pressure, and fracture on recovery were studied, and the migration mode of crude oil in fractures was explored. The results show that the shale oil is mainly found in <0.1 μm (small pores), followed by 0.1-1 μm (medium pores), and 1-10 μm (macropores); thus, it is critical to enhancing oil recovery in pores less than 0.1 and 0.1-1 μm. The low-temperature oxidation (LTO) reaction can occur by injecting air into depleted shale reservoirs, which has a certain effect on oil expansion, viscosity reduction, and thermal mixing phases, thereby greatly improving shale oil recovery. There is a positive relationship between air oxygen concentration and oil recovery; the recoveries of small pores and macropores can increase by 3.53 and 4.28%, respectively, and they contribute 45.87-53.68% of the produced oil. High permeability means good pore-throat connectivity and greater oil recovery, and the production degree of crude oil in three types of pores can be increased by 10.36-24.69%. Appropriate injection pressure is beneficial to increasing the oil-gas contact time and delaying gas breakthrough, but high injection pressure will result in early gas channeling, which causes the crude oil in small pores to be difficult to produce. Notably, the matrix can supply oil to fractures due to the mass exchange between matrix fractures and the increase of the oil drainage area, and the recoveries of medium pores and macropores in fractured cores increased by 9.01 and 18.39%, respectively; fractures can act as bridges for matrix crude oil migration, which means that proper fracturing before gas injection can make the EOR better. This study provides a new idea and a theoretical basis for improving shale oil recovery and clarifies the microscopic production characteristics of shale reservoirs., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) is associated with obstetric-related factors; however, the association between the timing of deliveries and UI remains unclear. We examined the association between the interdelivery interval (IDI) and early postpartum UI., Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 2,492 parous women who had consecutive singleton, full-term, and vaginal deliveries. UI was self-reported by the participants from 42 to 60 days postpartum and was classified using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence-Short Form. The IDI was measured as the number of months between 2 consecutive live births, and the participants were divided into 4 groups based on the IDI quartiles. The associations between the IDI and early postpartum UI were assessed using multiple logistic regression models., Results: The median [interquartile range] IDI for the entire cohort was 62 [40-90] months at the baseline. In general, the restricted cubic splines showed a U-shaped curve association between the IDI and the incidence of early postpartum UI. After fully adjusting for potential confounders, a longer IDI was associated with a lower adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of postpartum UI. Among the 4 groups, the Quartile 3 IDI group had the lowest aOR [aORQuartile 1-Quartile 2: 0.48 (95% CI: 0.36-0.63); aORQuartile 1-Quartile 3: 0.37 (95% CI: 0.27-0.49); aORQuartile 1-Quartile 4: 0.40 (95% CI: 0.28-0.57); the P value for the trend was <0.001). The association between the IDI and UI was more pronounced in the younger women (<35 years old) and the women with a pre-pregnancy body mass index of <25 kg/m 2 (the P values for both interactions were <0.01)., Conclusions: We found that the IDI was independently associated with the incidence of early postpartum UI in parous women. IDI ≥41 months was associated with a lower risk of postpartum UI compared to IDI <41 months., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://atm.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/atm-22-4684/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2023 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.)

The combination of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy (PDT) based on nanoparticles (NPs) has been extensively developed to improve the therapeutic effect and decrease the systemic toxicity of current treatments. However, overexpressed glutathione (GSH) in tumor cells efficiently scavenges singlet oxygens ( 1 O 2 ) generated from photosensitizers and results in the unsatisfactory efficacy of PDT. To address this obstacle, here we design H 2 O 2 -responsive polymer prodrug NPs with GSH-scavenger (Ce6@P(EG- a -CPBE) NPs) for chemo-photodynamic synergistic cancer therapy. They are constructed by the co-self-assembly of photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) and amphiphilic polymer prodrug P(EG- a -CPBE), which is synthesized from a hydrophilic alternating copolymer P(EG- a -PD) by conjugating hydrophobic anticancer drug chlorambucil (CB) via an H 2 O 2 -cleavable linker 4-(hydroxymethyl)phenylboronic acid (PBA). Ce6@P(EG- a -CPBE) NPs can efficiently prevent premature drug leakage in blood circulation because of the high stability of the PBA linker under the physiological environment and facilitate the delivery of Ce6 and CB to the tumor site after intravenous injection. Upon internalization of Ce6@P(EG- a -CPBE) NPs by tumor cells, PBA is cleaved rapidly triggered by endogenous H 2 O 2 to release CB and Ce6. Ce6 can effectively generate abundant 1 O 2 under 660 nm light irradiation to synergistically kill cancer cells with CB. Concurrently, PBA can be transformed into a GSH-scavenger (quinine methide, QM) under intracellular H 2 O 2 and prevent the depletion of 1 O 2 , which induces the cooperatively strong oxidative stress and enhanced cancer cell apoptosis. Collectively, such H 2 O 2 -responsive polymer prodrug NPs loaded with photosensitizer provide a feasible approach to enhance chemo-photodynamic synergistic cancer treatment., Competing Interests: 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., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Purpose: This study sought to explore the obstetric factors affecting early postpartum pelvic floor function of primiparas after vaginal delivery., Patients and Methods: We included 3362 primiparas who underwent postpartum re-examination in International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital at 42-60 days after delivery. The Glazer Protocol was used to evaluate their pelvic floor function, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify obstetric factors that might affect it., Results: Forceps-assisted delivery significantly increased the risk of the decline in fast- and slow-twitch muscle strength in the early postpartum period when compared with natural vaginal delivery (P < 0.05). Women with a pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) of ≥18.5 kg/m 2 had a decreased risk of decline in fast-twitch muscle strength than those with a pre-pregnancy BMI of <18.5 kg/m 2 (P < 0.05). Women who had a pre-pregnancy BMI of 24.0 to <28.0 kg/m 2 bore a decreased risk of decline in slow-twitch muscle strength than those with a pre-pregnancy BMI of <18.5 kg/m 2 (P < 0.05). The risk of decline in fast-twitch muscle strength and slow-twitch muscle in women with anemia during pregnancy was significantly increased (P < 0.05); women with second-stage labors of >2 h had an increased risk of fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle strength decline than those with <2 h (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Both pre-pregnancy underweight and obesity may cause impairment of early postpartum pelvic floor function. Forceps delivery, anemia during pregnancy, and the length of second stage of labor are independent factors leading to pelvic floor function impairment., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work., (© 2023 Chi et al.)

Background: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a common public health issue that negatively impacts the quality of life for women worldwide, of which early detection and rehabilitation are consequently pivotal. The aim of this study is to establish a simple nomogram for identifying women at risk of postpartum SUI., Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in a tertiary specialized hospital in Shanghai, China. The study included only women with singleton, full-term, and vaginal deliveries. 2,441 women who delivered from July 2019 to November 2019 were included in the training cohort, and 610 women who delivered from January 2022 to February 2022 were included in the validation cohort. SUI was determined by the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI-SF). Univariate and multifactorial logistical regression were used to identify independent risk factors for postpartum SUI and further construct the nomogram accordingly. Based on concordance statistics (C-statistics), calibration curves, and decision curve analyses, we evaluated the performance of the nomogram in the training cohort and the validation cohort. In addition, the model was validated internally in the training cohort through cross-validation., Results: There were no significant statistically differences in important baseline data such as age, pre-pregnancy BMI, and parity between the training and validation cohorts. SUI was observed in 431 (17.6%) and 125 (20.5%) women in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. According to the regression analysis, age, parity, second stage of labor, infant weight, and forceps delivery were included in the nomogram. The nomogram had a C-statistic of 0.80 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.74-0.85) for predicting SUI. C-statistics were stable in both internally cross-validated training cohort (mean 0.81) and validation cohort (0.83 [95% CI 0.79-0.87]). The nomogram's calibration curve was near the ideal diagonal line. Additionally, the model exhibited a positive net benefit from the decision curve analysis., Conclusion: We have created a nomogram that can be utilized to quantify the risk of postpartum SUI for women with vaginal delivery. The model might contribute to predicting early postpartum SUI, thereby facilitating the management of SUI., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Pelvic floor dysfunction is a common gynecological disease that adversely affects women's quality of life and mental health. Delivery is considered a significant independent risk factor for pelvic floor dysfunction. Surface electromyography (sEMG) values for the pelvic floor muscles (PFM) have been shown to differ according to different delivery modes. This study aimed to compare sEMG results between intrapartum and antepartum cesarean delivery (CD), 42-60 days after delivery. Data of women who underwent CD at the International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital were collected from September 2021 to December 2021. Myotrac Infiniti System was used to measure the electromyographic activity of PFM after 42-60 days of parturition. Propensity score matching (1:1) was applied to achieve a balance in baseline data between the two groups (intrapartum and antepartum CD). A total of 200 paired cases were selected for statistical analysis. In the propensity score-matched analysis, there were no statistically significant differences in PFM sEMG between women with antepartum or intrapartum CD ( p  > 0.05 for all). We observed similar results with postpartum urinary incontinence (24 [12.0] vs. 21 [10.5]; adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 1.12 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.60-2.12]; p  = 0.717) and stress urinary incontinence (12 [6.0] vs. 14 [7.0]; aOR, 0.80 [95% CI 0.35-1.80]; p  = 0.596) as outcomes. After excluding participants with intrapartum CD when the cervix was dilated <6 cm, all sEMG of PFM had a comparable level of risk in both the antepartum and intrapartum CD groups. There were no significant differences in sEMG of the PFM and the incidence of urinary incontinence between patients undergoing intrapartum or antepartum CD. Excluding women who underwent intrapartum CD when the cervix was dilated to <6 cm produced little change in results. Thus, different opportunities for CD may not impact the sEMG of the PFM and the incidence of urinary incontinence., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Smart Medicine published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH on behalf of Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

Regenerative medicine aims to provide solutions for structural and functional recovery in conditions where organs suffer from varying degrees of diseases or injuries. However, the exogenous inflammation triggered by implanted biomaterials and endogenous inflammation caused by some disease or tissue destruction has not been solved properly yet. Herein, a functional "inner-outer" medicated core-shell electrospun fibrous membrane is fabricated with RGD surface modification for exogenous inflammation suppression and puerarin loading in the core for long-term endogenous inflammation inhibition through microsol electrospinning technique. The "outer" RGD significantly increases biocompatibility of fibrous membrane through promoting cell viability, adhesion, and proliferation while the "inner" puerarin suppresses inflammatory gene expression via sustained drug release in vitro. Moreover, in a rat abdominal wall hernia model, the functional fibrous membrane successfully reduces exogenous and endogenous inflammation response and promotes wound healing through collagen deposition, smooth muscle formation, and vascularization. In summary, the functional "inner-outer" medicated fibrous membrane holds a great potential for clinical treatment of diseases that needs tissue reconstruction structurally and functionally accompanied by immunoregulation., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

A series of poly(lactide)/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PLA/PBAT) composites containing different types of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) such as hydroxyl and carboxyl-functionalized CNTs were fabricated using the melt blending method. The multifunctional epoxy oligomer (ADR) was selected as a chain extender in order to enhance the compatibility between PBAT and PLA. It was revealed that the addition of ADR could induce CNTs-OH to locate at the PLA/PBAT interface. But the inhibition effect of CNTs-COOH on chain extension reaction in PLA/PBAT blend system led to a decrease in the interaction force between PLA and PBAT owing to the high efficiency of the reaction between CNTs-COOH and ADR. The ε' of PLA/PBAT/4CNTs-OH composite was greater than that of PLA/PBAT/4CNTs-COOH composite because of the strong interaction between fillers and polymer matrix in PLA/PBAT/4CNTs-OH composite. The PLA/PBAT/4CNTs-OH composite showed a high ε' (24.9) and a low tan δ (0.23), respectively. The adjacent CNTs-OH could act as assemble microcapacitors electrodes and the polymer acted as a dielectric to, which greatly increased the interfacial polarization. The PLA/PBAT/4CNTs-OH composite has excellent mechanical and dielectric properties., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To determine whether the indication of intrauterine balloon tamponade (IUBT) was associated with postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) outcomes., Methods: Patients with PPH who underwent IUBT between January 2013 and November 2021 were included in a cohort study. PPH outcomes in patients who had IUBT for indications of uterine atony were compared to those who had IUBT for indications of placental site bleeding. PPH outcomes included uterine artery embolization (UAE) or hysterectomy after IUBT, estimated blood loss (EBL) after balloon placement, and blood transfusion. Statistical analysis was performed using multivariate logistic regression., Results: IUBT was performed on 603 cases, with 121 (20.1%) undergoing it for placental site bleeding and 482 (79.9%) for uterine atony. In general, IUBT was a reliable treatment for PPH, but the specific efficacy varied depending on the indication for placement. After controlling for confounding variables, compared to the indication of uterine atony, the indication of placental site bleeding increased the risk of transfusion of ≥4 units of PRBCs (aOR 2.47, 95%CI 1.32-3.98), EBL ≥ 300 ml after IUBT (aOR 3.78, 95%CI 2.22-5.33), and UAE or hysterectomy (aOR 2.52, 95%CI 1.20-6.01), respectively. Other factors associated with adverse PPH outcomes were lower antenatal hemoglobin, higher IUBT volume, longer duration of IUBT and larger shock index values., Conclusions: IUBT was less effective in treating PPH patients with indications of placental site bleeding than with indications of uterine atony. Follow-up monitoring of PPH patients with placental site bleeding should be intensified., 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 © 2022 Xu, Chen, Wen, Chi and Chen.)

High-quality transparent conductive materials are beneficial to improve the charge transfer and light transmittance and reduce the interface defects as well as the production cost of optoelectronic devices. A high threshold thickness of metal layer in oxide/metal/oxide (OMO) compound thin films leads to strong reflectance, especially in the near-infrared region, limiting the broad-spectrum device applications. Here, we propose a novel Zn doping strategy using the low-cost single-target sputtering technology to achieve the growth of Ag-Zn thin films (i.e., Zn-doped Ag) and introduce a trace amount of O 2 to further obtain ultrathin Ag-Zn(O) films (thin-film thickness d ≤ 5 nm), which greatly improves the broad-spectrum characteristics of OMO films. Heterogeneous metal and gas doping technology effectively promotes the formation of two-dimensional continuous film growth. By combining the ultrathin Ag-Zn(O) layer with the MGZO (i.e., Mg- and Ga co-doped ZnO) oxide film grown by reactive plasma deposition, a typical broad-spectrum MGZO/Ag-Zn(O)/MGZO (50/5/50 nm)-OMO compound thin film exhibits an average transmittance of 91.6% in the wavelength range of 400-1200 nm and low sheet resistance. The broad-spectrum organic solar cells based on MGZO/Ag-Zn(O)/MGZO electrodes present a high power conversion efficiency of 15.35%, superior to those devices based on single-layer oxide electrodes. The distinguished performances are attributed to the ultrathin Ag-Zn(O) films in OMO, paving the way for applications in broad-spectrum optoelectronic and flexible electronic devices.

Organic-inorganic metal halide perovskite materials have been widely studied as the light absorber for efficient photovoltaics. However, perovskite layers with defective nature are typically prepared with an uncontrollable crystallization process, intrinsically limiting further advance in device performance, and thus require delicate manipulation of crystallization processes and defect density. Here, we demonstrate an ammonium-assisted crystallization of perovskite absorbers during a two-step deposition to fabricate efficient solar cells. Addition of ammonium iodide (NH 4 I) is devised to manipulate the nucleation and crystal growth of perovskite, wherein the formation and transition of intermediate x [NH 4 + ]•[PbI 3 ] x - enables high-quality perovskite layers with an enlarged grain and reduced defect density. As a result, the perovskite solar cells (PSCs) achieve an average efficiency of 21.36% with a champion efficiency of 22.15% and improved environmental stability over 30 days in ambient conditions with varied relative humidity. These results with addition of NH 4 I provide an available and ingenious way to construct high-quality perovskite layers for efficient solar cells and will advance the commercial application of perovskite-based photovoltaics.

Soft tissue remodeling is a sophisticated process that sequentially provides dynamic biological signals to guide cell behavior. However, capturing these signals within hydrogel and directing over time has still been unrealized owing to the poor comprehension of physiological processes. Here, a bio-mimicking hydrogel is designed via thiol-ene click reaction to capture the early physical signal triggered by inflammation, and the chemical signals provided with chemokine and natural adhesion sites, which guaranteed the precise soft tissue remodeling. This bio-mimicking hydrogel efficiently facilitated cell anchoring, migration, and invasion in the 3D matrix due to the permissive space and the interaction with integrin receptors. Besides, the covalently grafted chemokine-like peptide is optimal for colonization and functional differentiation of endothelial cells through a HIF-1α dependent signal pathway. Furthermore, the early polarization of macrophages, collagen deposition and angiogenesis in rat acute wound model, and the increased blood perfusion in mouse skin flap model have confirmed that the bio-mimicking hydrogel realized precise soft tissue remodeling and opens new avenues for the phased repair of different tissues such as nerve, myocardium, and even bone., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted unprecedented attention due to their rapidly rising photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE). In order to further improve the PCE of PSCs, new possible optimization path needs to be found. Here, quasi-heteroface PSCs (QHF-PSCs) is designed by a double-layer perovskite film. Such brand new PSCs have good carrier separation capabilities, effectively suppress the nonradiative recombination of the PSCs, and thus greatly improve the open-circuit voltage and PCE. The root cause of the performance improvement is the benefit from the additional built-in electric field, which is confirmed by measuring the external quantum efficiency under applied electric field and Kelvin probe force microscope. Meanwhile, an intermediate band gap perovskite layer can be obtained simply by combining a wide band gap perovskite layer with a narrow band gap perovskite layer. Tunability of the band gap is obtained by varying the film thicknesses of the narrow and wide band gap layers. This phenomenon is quite different from traditional inorganic solar cells, whose band gap is determined only by the narrowest band gap layer. It is believed that these QHF-PSCs will be an effective strategy to further enhance PCE in PSCs and provide basis to further understand and develop the perovskite materials platform., (© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Biomedical hydrogel has been widely used as regenerative biomaterials, however, an immune inflammatory response of hydrogel constantly crops up in body due to crosslinking agent, external stimulus or small molecule residues. Here we present a strategy to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP) by combining both anti-inflammatory and promote tissue regeneration, using drug-loaded hydrogel to reconstruct the pelvic floor and minimize multiple inflammations. Photo-crosslinked gelatin hydrogel (GelMA) loaded with Puerarin (Pue) regulate inflammation by inhibiting the aggregation of neutrophils and eosinophils, simultaneously intervene the matrix regenerating/remodeling via TGF-β/MMPs pathway to repair the fascia of pelvic floor in rabbit models (POP model). The assessment of inflammatory cytokines expression (IL-3, IL-6, TNF-α, TGF-β1) in human uterus fibroblasts (HUVs), and extracellular matrix (ECM) related factors (COL-1, COL-3, MMP2, MMP9) was performed in rabbit. Immune microenvironment was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in rabbit samples. Pue-loaded GelMA (Pue@GelMA) down regulate inflammatory cytokines (IL-3 and IL-6) and matrix metalloproteinase 2/9 (MMP 2/9), and up regulate 1/3 type collagen (COL-1/3) in vitro. In this study, Pue@GelMA was able to regulate immune microenvironment through restricting the aggregation of neutrophils and eosinophils and remodel the distribution of ECM collagen in vivo. In the POP model, Pue@GelMA can effectively inhibits the inflammatory response caused by material implanted and promote fascia regenerate. This Hydrogel drug loading system was considered as an safe and effective method to treat POP without persistent complications, and it can also be applied to other prolapse diseases (e.g., intestinal hernia) or complex diseases treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest from this study., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Although cisplatin is an effective anticancer drug, its clinical application is limited due to various side effects, especially nephrotoxicity. In this study, we investigated the protective effects and possible mechanisms of hesperetin on cisplatin-induced kidney damage. In vitro, hesperetin significantly attenuated oxidative stress-induced apoptosis by reducing ROS levels in cisplatin-treated HK-2 cells. Simultaneously, hesperetin activated the Nrf2 signaling pathway and regulated its downstream genes, including NQO1 and HO-1. In vivo, hesperetin could significantly attenuate cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (SCr). Furthermore, hesperetin clarifies cisplatin-induced oxidative stress by reducing MDA/MPO levels and increasing SOD/GSH levels. In addition, from the histopathological analysis of the kidney, hesperetin significantly reduced the nephrotoxicity caused by cisplatin compared with the cisplatin group. Moreover, western blotting of renal tissue revealed that hesperetin activates Nrf2 in a dose-dependent manner, attenuates the MAPK signaling pathway against inflammation, and inhibits the expression of apoptotic proteins to protect kidneys from AKI caused by cisplatin. Altogether, these findings suggest that hesperetin may be a potential protectant against cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Horseshoe kidney is a rare congenital renal dysplasia. It is often associated with various anatomical abnormalities, including renal vessel and ureter variability, which increase unpredictable surgical risks. This current report describes the case of a 42-year-old woman diagnosed as having cervical squamous cell carcinoma complicated by horseshoe kidney. She underwent laparoscopic radical hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy and lymph node dissection, including dissection of the pelvic, presacral and para-aortic lymph nodes. The surgery was challenging, but no serious complications occurred. Postoperative multi-slice computed tomography angiography confirmed the anatomical variation of the renal location, ureter and renal vessels. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of cervical carcinoma complicated with horseshoe kidney.

BACKGROUND Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is due to age-related atrophy and the weakening of the tissues of the pelvic floor, with degradation of collagen and extracellular matrix (ECM) by metalloproteinases (MMPs). This study aimed to investigates the role of the age-related enzyme klotho, encoded by the KL gene, in cultured fibroblasts obtained from patients with POP and the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and MMPs. MATERIAL AND METHODS Pelvic floor fibroblasts were obtained from connective tissue from three patients with POP and three normal subjects. Cell proliferation and ROS production were measured using a cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry. Levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), klotho, metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), MMP-3, extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2), and p-ERK1/2 were measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blot. RESULTS In cultured pelvic floor fibroblasts from patients with POP, the expression of klotho protein and klotho mRNA were significantly down-regulated in fibroblasts from patients with POP compared with normal fibroblasts. Klotho supplementation in cultured fibroblasts for patients with POP included increased cell growth, reduced expression of ROS reduction, and reduced the secretion of IL-6. Using qRT-PCR and Western blot, klotho supplementation of fibroblasts from patients with POP increased cell growth and reduced the levels of IL-6 and ROS in a dose-dependent way. CONCLUSIONS Klotho protein reduced the expression of MMP-1 and MMP-3 in fibroblasts from patients with POP by down-regulating the phosphorylation of ERK1/2.

This study evaluated the protective effect of proanthocyanidins (PCs) on reducing apoptosis in the mouse intestinal epithelial cell model MODE-K exposed to zearalenone (ZEA) through inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS)-induced apoptosis pathway. Our results showed that PCs could reduce the rate of apoptosis in MODE-K cells exposed to ZEA ( p < 0.01). PCs significantly increased the ZEA-induced antioxidant protective effects on the enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and on the content of GSH. PCs also significantly decreased the ZEA-induced increase in the content of malondialdehyde (MDA). The analysis indicated that ZEA increased both mRNA and protein expression levels of C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), GRP78, c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 12 (caspase-12) ( p < 0.05), which are related to the ERS-induced apoptosis pathway. ZEA decreased levels of the pro-apoptotic related protein Bcl-2 ( p < 0.05) and increased the anti-apoptotic related protein Bax ( p < 0.05). Co-treatment with PCs was also shown to significantly reverse the expression levels of these proteins in MODE-K cells. The results demonstrated that PCs could protect MODE-K cells from oxidative stress and apoptosis induced by ZEA. The underlying mechanism may be that PCs can alleviate apoptosis in mouse intestinal epithelial cells by inhibition of the ERS-induced apoptosis pathway.

Objective: To assess the clinical significance and diagnostic value of the single and combined detection of five tumor markers in patients with cholangiocarcinoma., Methods: In total, 296 patients with biliary tract disease who were diagnosed and received treatment at Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University (17113011) during April 2011 to Dec 2017 were chosen for this study. Patients were divided into a cholangiocarcinoma group and a benign biliary tract disease group. Serum was collected from the patients, and the concentrations of AFP, CEA, CA125, CA19-9, CA72-4 and total bilirubin (TBIL) were tested. BM SPSS Statistics 22.0 was used to analyze the data. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves for the single and combined detection of five tumor markers were generated, and the sensitivity, specificity, and area under ROC curve (AUC) were calculated., Results: The concentrations of serum tumor markers in the cholangiocarcinoma group were higher than those in the benign biliary tract disease group. The AUCs for the single detections of the AFP, CEA, CA125, CA19-9, CA72-4 were 0.654, 0.808, 0.772, 0.833, and 0.743, and the optimal cutoffs were 2.58 ng/mL, 2.85 ng/mL, 23.85 U/mL, 46.75 U/mL, and 2.46 U/mL respectively. The combined detection of CEA, CA125 and CA19-9 had great diagnostic value. Its AUC was 0.888, its sensitivity was 85.1%, and its specificity was 83.1%., Conclusions: The levels of CEA, CA125, CA19-9 and CA72-4 had a different diagnostic value for cholangiocarcinoma, and combined serum CEA, CA125 and CA19-9 would have the best clinical diagnostic effect of cholangiocarcinoma., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

A total of 95 8-week-old male Kunming mice were randomly assigned into five groups and exposed to zearalenone (ZEA) at doses of 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg delivered by intra-peritoneal (i.p.) injection for 5 days. The testis and epididymis indices involving sperm quality and morphology, testis enzyme activities, serum concentrations of testosterone and estrogen, and the expression levels of the three gene and protein of N-cadherin, vimentin, and claudin 11 related to the blood testis barrier (BTB) were analyzed. Results showed that ZEA significantly decreased body weight and semen quality compared to the control group along with increased activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), acid phosphatase (ACP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and reduced serum concentrations of testosterone and estrogen. At the mRNA and protein levels, expression of N-cadherin, vimentin, and claudin 11 significantly increased; however, the mRNA and protein of N-cad expression decreased. These data suggest acute exposure to ZEA reduces sperm quality and significantly decreases the concentration of serum testosterone and estradiol. In addition, the activities of the testis marker enzymes and associated mRNA and protein expressions of the BTB were also significantly affected. Our results demonstrated that ZEA has a significant impact on the reproductive parameters of male mice which showed compensatory response to strengthen the barrier function of the BTB following ZEA exposure.

Zearalenone (ZEN) exerts a major effect on human and animal health and has led to serious worldwide economic problems. In this study, we investigated whether proanthocyanidin (PC) can prevent ZEN-induced testicular oxidative damage in male mice and explored the underlying mechanism. Kunming mice were injected with ZEN (40 mg kg -1 ) on the 11th day after intragastric administration of PC (75 or 150 mg/kg) for 10 days; the sperm quality of mice was then analysed statistically. Additionally, testicular morphology parameters related to oxidative damage, apoptosis and the expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related genes (GRP78, CHOP and XBP-1) were all measured. Results showed that ZEN exposure significantly reduced the sperm density, improved the sperm aberration rate, increased the MDA level and reduced SOD and GSH-Px activities. Meanwhile, ZEN was attributed to the downregulation of the expressions of the gene and protein of Bcl-2 and upregulation of the expressions of the gene and protein of Bax and caspase-3. ZEN exposure also upregulated the mRNA expression of GRP78, CHOP and XBP-1; however, PC pre-treatment reduced ZEN-induced oxidative damage and tended to maintain normal testicular morphology. Furthermore, PC pre-treatment substantially downregulated the expressions of the GRP78, CHOP and XBP-1 and upregulated the expression of the Bcl-2 gene. In conclusion, PC, due to its anti-oxidative ability, could ameliorate ZEN-induced testicular reproductive toxicity in male mice by decreasing ER stress and testicular cell apoptosis.

Quasi-one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures have been extensively explored for electronic and optoelectronic devices on account of their unique morphologies and versatile physical properties. Here, we report the successful synthesis of GaInAsSb alloy nanosheets by a simple chemical vapor deposition method. The grown GaInAsSb alloy nanosheets are pure zinc-blende single crystals, which show nanosize-induced extraordinary optoelectronic properties as compared with bulk materials. μ-Raman spectra exhibit a multi-mode phonon vibration behavior with clear frequency shifts under varied laser power. Photoluminescence measurements reveal a strong light emission in the near-infrared region (1985 nm), and the obtained Varshni thermal coefficients α and β are smaller than those of the bulk counterparts due to the size confinement effect. In addition, photodetectors (PDs) based on these single-alloy nanosheets were constructed for the first time. The PDs show a strong response in the near-infrared region with the external quantum efficiency of 8.05 × 10 4 %, and the responsivity of 0.675 × 10 3 A W -1 . These novel nanostructures would make contributions to the study of fundamental physical phenomena in quasi-1D nanomaterial systems and can be potential building blocks for optoelectronic and quantum devices.

This study aims to explore the protective effect of selenium (Se) on chronic zearalenone (ZEN)-induced reproductive system damage in male mice and the possible protective molecular mechanism against this. The chronic ZEN-induced injury mouse model was established with the continuous intragastric administration of 40 mg/kg body mass (B.M.) ZEN for 28 days. Then, interventions with different doses (0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 mg/kg B.M.) of Se were conducted on mice to analyse the changes in organ indexes of epididymis and testis, antioxidant capability of testis, serum level of testosterone, sperm concentration and motility parameters, and the expression levels of apoptosis-associated genes and blood testis barrier- (BTB) related genes. Our results showed that Se could greatly improve the ZEN-induced decrease of epididymis indexes and testis indexes. Results also showed that the decrease in sperm concentration, sperm normality rate, and sperm motility parameters, including percentage of motile sperm (motile), tropism percentage (progressive) and sperm average path velocity (VAP), caused by ZEN were elevated upon administration of the higher dose (0.4 mg/kg) and intermediate dose (0.2 mg/kg) of Se. Selenium also significantly reduced the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) but enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the testis tissue. Further research demonstrated that ZEN increased the level of mRNA expression of BCL2-associated X protein ( Bax ) and caspase 3 ( Casp3 ), decreased the level of mRNA expression of B cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 ( Bcl2 ), vimentin ( Vim ) and cadherin 2 ( Cdh2 ), whereas the co-administration of Se reversed these gene expression levels. Our results indicated that high levels of Se could protect against reproductive system damage in male mice caused by ZEN and the mechanism might such be that Se improved mice antioxidant ability, inhibited reproductive cell apoptosis, and increased the decrease of BTB integrity-related genes caused by ZEN.

Healthy male Kunming mice received selenium yeast for 14 days prior to a single oral administration of zearalenone (ZEN). After 48 h, blood samples were collected for analysis and showed that mice in the ZEN-treated group has significantly decreased lymphocytes (P < 0.05) and platelets (P < 0.05) along with an increased white blood cell (WBC) count and other constituents (P < 0.05). The serum biochemistry analysis of the ZEN group indicated that glutamic pyruvic transaminase (ALT), glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (AST), urea, and uric acid were significantly increased (P < 0.05), whilst total bilirubin (TB) and albumin (ALB) were decreased along with serum testosterone and estrogen (P < 0. 05). The level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum of the ZEN group was significantly increased whilst glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) had significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Treatment with selenium yeast had a significant effect on response with most of the experimental parameters returning to levels similar to those observed in the untreated control mice. From these data, it can be concluded that ZEN is highly poisonous in Kunming mice with high levels of toxicity on the blood, liver, and kidneys. High levels of oxidative stress were observed in mice and pre-treatment with selenium yeast by oral gavage is effective in the ameliorated effects of ZEN-induced damage.

Distributed array radar can improve radar detection capability and measurement accuracy. However, it will suffer cyclic ambiguity in its angle estimates according to the spatial Nyquist sampling theorem since the large sparse array is undersampling. Consequently, the state estimation accuracy and track validity probability degrades when the ambiguous angles are directly used for target tracking. This paper proposes a second probability data association filter (SePDAF)-based tracking method for distributed array radar. Firstly, the target motion model and radar measurement model is built. Secondly, the fusion result of each radar's estimation is employed to the extended Kalman filter (EKF) to finish the first filtering. Thirdly, taking this result as prior knowledge, and associating with the array-processed ambiguous angles, the SePDAF is applied to accomplish the second filtering, and then achieving a high accuracy and stable trajectory with relatively low computational complexity. Moreover, the azimuth filtering accuracy will be promoted dramatically and the position filtering accuracy will also improve. Finally, simulations illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Numerous modifications have been developed over the past two decades seeking to improve the transvaginal repair in the pelvic organ prolapse (POP) by using polypropylene (PP) mesh implants. The hydrophobicity of PP, however, presents a great hindrance for translating potential technologies into viable clinical applications. In this study, by manipulating self-polymerization and strong adhesive characteristics of dopamine, we developed a facile method to enhance the transvaginal repair by modifying PP meshes with polydopamine (PDA), which allowed easy grafting of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) onto the surface of PP. Such surface modification of PP meshes with bFGF was found to efficiently promote bioactivity without changing the morphology or mechanical properties of the PP meshes. Additionally, bFGF-modified PP meshes significantly promoted cell viability and adhesion compared to the unmodified PP. Ultimately, after three months of implantation, the bFGF-modified PP meshes exhibited improved tissue repair with greater degree of organization of deposited collagen, increased tensile strength and reduced inflammatory response. Overall, the surface-modified PP meshes will be highly practical as templates for transvaginal repair in the POP treatment., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Although grape-seed proanthocyanidin extract (GSPE) demonstrates strong anti-oxidant activity, little research has been done to clearly reveal the protective effects on the hepatotoxicity caused by zearalenone (ZEN). This study is to explore the protective effect of GSPE on ZEN-induced oxidative damage of liver in Kunming mice and the possible protective molecular mechanism of GSPE. The results indicated that GSPE could greatly reduce the ZEN-induced increase of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities. GSPE also significantly decreased the content of MDA but enhanced the activities of antioxidant enzymes SOD and GSH-Px. The analysis indicated that ZEN decreased both mRNA expression levels and protein expression levels of nuclear erythroid2-related factor2 (Nrf2). Nrf2 is considered to be an essential antioxidative transcription factor, as downstream GSH-Px, γ-glutamyl cysteine synthetase (γ-GCS), hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1), and quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) decreased simultaneously, whereas the pre-administration of GSPE groups was shown to elevate these expressions. The results indicated that GSPE exerted a protective effect on ZEN-induced hepatic injury and the mechanism might be related to the activation of the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.

In 2014, a large outbreak of dengue occurred in Guangzhou, China. This outbreak prompted us to evaluate NS1 and RNA for the early diagnosis of acute dengue infection, in addition to the combination with IgM antibody. We aimed to find the differences of three assays about dengue diagnosis. This study was an evaluation of diagnosis test. Based on WHO criteria 2009, dengue RNA, NS1, and IgM/IgG were detected from 294 patients (180 dengue patients, 114 non-dengue patients) by three diagnostic kits made in China. The χ(2) test, sensitivity, and specificity were used in statistical analysis. The ratios of dengue patients with low platelet counts (<100 × 10(9) /L 32.2%) or white blood cell counts (<4.0 × 10(9) /L 58.9%) were significantly higher compared to non-dengue patients (P < 0.05). Dengue NS1 was shown sensitive (93.9%) for diagnostic use. RNA had a better performance with 98.1% of sensitivity from day 1 to day 4 after illness onset. IgM performed better at day 5 or more with 74.0% of sensitivity. The diagnostic rate using a combination of RNA and IgM was 97.8% and 96.7% using NS1 and IgM. A patient with low platelet and white blood cell counts needs additional tests for dengue during an epidemic. RNA and NS1 were most valuable for early diagnosis of dengue, whereas IgM was best suited as a supplementary method for patients at day 5 or more after illness onset., (© 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: The tuberous root of sweetpotato is undisputedly an important organ from agronomic and biological perspectives. Little is known regarding the regulatory networks programming tuberous root formation and development., Results: Here, as a first step toward understanding these networks, we analyzed and characterized the genome-wide transcriptional profiling and dynamics of sweetpotato root in seven distinct developmental stages using a customized microarray containing 39,724 genes. Analysis of these genes identified temporal programs of gene expression, including hundreds of transcription factor (TF) genes. We found that most genes active in roots were shared across all developmental stages, although significant quantitative changes in gene abundance were observed for 5,368 (including 435 TFs) genes. Clustering analysis of these differentially expressed genes pointed out six distinct expression patterns during root development. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis revealed that genes involved in different processes were enriched at specific stages of root development. In contrast with the large number of shared expressed genes in root development, each stage or period of root development has only a small number of specific genes. In total, 712 (including 27 TFs) and 1,840 (including 115 TFs) genes were identified as root-stage and root-period specific, respectively at the level of microarray. Several of the specific TF genes are known regulators of root development, including DA1-related protein, SHORT-ROOT and BEL1-like. The remaining TFs with unknown roles would also play critical regulatory roles during sweetpotato tuberous root formation and development., Conclusions: The results generated in this study provided spatiotemporal patterns of root gene expression in support of future efforts for understanding the underlying molecular mechanism that control sweetpotato yield and quality.

Background: HE4, a novel tumor marker for detecting ovarian cancer, has been recently applied to clinical practice. However, the comprehensive evaluation of HE4 combined with other markers is still missing. We evaluated an optimal mode of HE4 employment for differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pelvic masses., Methods: Serum HE4, CA125, CA153, CA199, CA211 and CA724 were measured from 232 patients with pelvic messes (100 malignant masses, 132 benign diseases), and the risk of ovarian malignancy algorithm (ROMA) was also calculated. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC), the area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity were estimated., Results: The combination of HE4 and CA125 (AUC of 0.963, sensitivity of 96.6%, specificity of 65.7%) provided the best differential power in diagnosing ovarian cancer. ROMA performed better in the diagnosis of pelvic masses (AUC of 0.917, sensitivity of 82.0%, specificity of 78.8%) and uterine cancer (AUC of 0.838, sensitivity of 82.0%, specificity of 60.0%) compared with applying HE4 and CA125 individually., Conclusion: The optimal cut-off values (CA125: 93.2U/ml, HE4: 87.6 pmol/l, ROMA: 18.1% for pre- and 31.5% for postmenopausal women), simultaneous use of CA125 and HE4 complemented by ROMA showed better performance than the traditional detection modes for differential diagnosis of ovarian cancer. We also observed that ROMA added more accuracy for differentiating the benign and malignant pelvic masses and auxiliary diagnosis of uterine cancer., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Drug-loaded electrospun PLLA membranes are not conducive to adhesion between materials and tissues due to the strong hydrophobicity of PLLA, which possibly attenuate the drugs' effect loaded on the materials. In the present work, we developed a facile method to improve the hydrophilicity of doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded electrospun PLLA fibrous membranes, which could enhance the anti-tumor effect at the early stage after implantation. A mussel protein, polydopamine (PDA), could be easily grafted on the surface of hydrophobic DOX-loaded electrospun PLLA membranes (PLLA-DOX/pDA) in water solution. The morphology analysis of PLLA-DOX/pDA fibers displayed that though the fiber diameter was slightly swollen, they still maintained a 3D fibrous structure, and the XPS analysis certified that pDA had successfully been grafted onto the surface of the fibers. The results of surface wettability analysis showed that the contact angle decreased from 136.7° to 0° after grafting. In vitro MTT assay showed that the cytotoxicity of PLLA-DOX/pDA fibers was the strongest, and the stereologic cell counting assay demonstrated that the adhesiveness of PLLA/pDA fiber was significantly better than PLLA fiber. In vivo tumor-bearing mice displayed that, after one week of implantation, the tumor apoptosis and necrosis of PLLA-DOX/pDA fibers were the most obvious from histopathology and TUNEL assay. The caspase-3 activity of PLLA-DOX/pDA group was the highest using biochemical techniques, and the Bax: Bcl-2 ratio increased significantly in PLLA-DOX/pDA group through qRT-PCR analysis. All the results demonstrated that pDA can improve the affinity of the electrospun PLLA membranes and enhance the drug effect on tumors.

Aims: The study aims to evaluate the pelvic floor muscle (PFM) function in patients with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) pre- and postoperatively using digital palpation and surface electromyography., Methods: In this non-randomized prospective study, two groups of patients were recruited for assessment. The surgical group included 74 POP patients receiving the modified pelvic reconstructive surgery and the control group consisted of 30 non-POP patients. One physiotherapist conducted the digital palpation and SEMG evaluation. The scale of PFM strength, the duration and voltage of maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) as well as numbers and voltage of short, fast contractions (SFC) by SEMG were documented and compared in both groups. For statistical analysis, t-test, Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon test were used with a significant level 0.05., Results: A total of 68 POP patients finished the two follow-ups. Sixty-four patients were objectively cured with a 94.1% cure rate. Mesh erosions happened in three patients (4.8%). By digital palpation, the PFM strength increased significantly in POP patients after surgery but still lower than non-POP patients (P<0.001). By SEMG, the electrical activity of PFM increased significantly in the surgical group postoperatively (P 0.001)., Conclusion: The PFM function was improved 3 months after the modified pelvic reconstructive surgery in POP patients based on digital palpation and SEMG. The evaluation of PFM function should be included in the overall assessment of pelvic reconstructive surgeries., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)