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Background: The CALLY index, which is derived from C-reactive protein (CRP) content, serum albumin level, and total lymphocyte count, reflects the immune, nutritional, and inflammatory status of the body. Lack of sufficient evidence on the correlation between the CALLY index and the prognosis of cancer patients with various cancer forms. This study seeks to elucidate the association between the CALLY index and mortality from all causes as well as specific causes in cancer patients within a U.S., Methods: This investigation encompassed 3511 cancer-afflicted adults from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Surveys (NHANES) spanning 1999 to 2018. The CALLY index was measured at baseline only. The relationship between the CALLY index and mortality from both all causes and cancer specifically was examined using Cox proportional hazards models. Additionally, restricted cubic spline, piecewise linear regression, and various subgroup and sensitivity analyses were employed., Results: Over a median follow-up of 103 months, 1,355 deaths occurred, and the incidence of all-cause mortality for these participants was 38.34%. Our findings indicate that an elevated CALLY index correlates with a diminished risk of all-cause mortality. Upon applying a natural logarithmic transformation to the CALLY index, the comprehensively adjusted model revealed that each one-unit increment in ln CALLY corresponded to a 18% decrease in all-cause mortality risk among cancer patients (HR = 0.82, 95% CI:0.79-0.86). Analyses of mortality due to cardiac and cancer-related causes yielded consistent results, which were robust across various subgroup and sensitivity analyses., Conclusion: The CALLY index demonstrated a linear and negative association with all-cause mortality, as well as mortality caused by cancer and cardiac conditions, highlighting its significant prognostic value in patients with oncological conditions., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. This study utilized publicly available data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which was approved by the National Center for Health Statistics Ethics Review Board. All participants provided informed consent at the time of data collection by NHANES. Consent for publication: Not applicable. This manuscript does not contain any individual person’s data in any form. Competing interests: The authors declare that no commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest influenced the research conducted., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Sulfur autotrophic denitrification (SAD) using elemental sulfur as the electron donor has aroused increasing interest of its application in treating secondary effluent from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, high influent dissolved oxygen (DO) in secondary effluent would limit the SAD process. This study examined the effect of different DO concentrations on SAD. Results revealed that both low (0-0.5 mg/L) and moderate (2.5-3.5 mg/L) DO concentrations would not harm the nitrate removal rate (NRR) (p > 0.05). However, high DO concentration (5.5-6.5 mg/L) significantly decreased the NRR (p < 0.05) through strong competition over the nitrate for electrons and cutting the relative abundance of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB). Both modeling and experimental results showed that applying internal reflux could serve as a strategy to mitigate the negative effect of high DO concentration, while keeping an appropriate ratio was crucial. When treating real membrane bioreactor (MBR) effluent with high DO concentration (5.5-6.5 mg/L), an internal reflux ratio of 0.5 boosted the NRR by 1.5 times. This study provided potential reference and strategy for dealing with high DO concentration wastewater by applying SAD technology., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Food insecurity, a pervasive global issue exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has been linked to adverse mental health outcomes. However, the role of social capital in mitigating this relationship remains understudied, particularly in the Chinese context., Aims: This study investigated the associations between food insecurity and psychological distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and examined the potential moderating effects of bonding and bridging social capital among Chinese adults in Shanghai., Methods: This cross-sectional study included 3,220 Chinese adults (mean age: 34.45; 51.5% male) in Shanghai. Food insecurity was assessed using the modified Household Food Insecurity Access Scale, psychological distress was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and social capital was evaluated using the Revised Personal Social Capital Scale., Results: Multivariable linear regression analyses revealed that food insecurity was significantly positively associated with both depressive (β = 0.449, SE  = 0.024) and anxiety symptoms (β = 0.391, SE  = 0.022), after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and COVID-19-related factors. Higher levels of bonding and bridging social capital were significantly associated with fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms. Significant interactions ( p  < .001) between bonding social capital and food insecurity indicated that the associations between food insecurity and psychological distress were less pronounced among adults with higher bonding social capital., Conclusions: These findings highlight the critical role of food insecurity as a risk factor for psychological distress and the importance of bonding social capital in mitigating its impact on mental health. Policies and interventions targeting food insecurity prevention and bonding social capital enhancement may promote better mental health outcomes among Chinese adults.

Introduction: Robot-assisted (RA) surgery has many advantages for urinary tract and pelvic floor reconstruction (UTPFR) but its application is only slowly increasing. Studies are limited in number, patients and follow-up duration. The low-volume high-complexity nature of UTPFR warrants specific research to evaluate the potential role of the RA approach., Methods: During its 2024 meeting in Bristol, the International Consultation on Incontinence-Research Society (ICI-RS) reviewed the current literature on RA UTPFR. Priority research questions and strategies were explored in a proposal., Results: Four different topics were discussed. (1) Large multicentre prospective studies on RA UTPFR are needed to evaluate clinical effectiveness and safety. The RA approach needs to be prioritized in specific procedures and patients, to first improve patient care where gains are highest. (2) Models for cost-utility analysis for RA UTPFR are needed to (re)direct limited resources as efficiently as possible in a quickly changing technological field. (3) A modular curriculum for training UTPFR surgeons to become RA certified needs to be developed, to allow valid interpretation and comparison of outcomes. (4) Technological improvements to address tissue handling, accessibility, efficiency and sustainability are needed. Digitalization can be a gamechanger for RA UTPFR through telesurgery (training and expertize coverage), augmented reality and artificial intelligence providing intra-operative assistance, assessment and feedback., Conclusions: The proposal discussed the need for studies on clinical and cost effectiveness, safety, and training curriculum development for RA UTPFR. Recent technological developments hold great promise for RA UTPFR. High-priority research questions were identified., (© 2024 The Author(s). Neurourology and Urodynamics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Despite Asians being the fastest-growing ethnic group in the US, most studies have focused on Asian Americans as an aggregate racial/ethnic group. The burden of mental health problems is increasing among caregivers due to population aging, yet little is known about the distress experienced by Asian caregivers when examined by disaggregated ethnic groups., Methods: Using 2019-2020 California Health Interview Survey data, we examined disparities in psychological well-beings between non-Hispanic White and Asian American adult caregivers, with an emphasis on understudied Asian ethnic groups. Psychological distress was measured using the Kessler 6 scale, with scores ≥6 indicating mental distress and ≥13 indicating serious mental illness. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for socio-demographics, physical health, caregiving relationship, intensity of care, and care recipients' characteristics., Results: The study included 8,722 caregivers (mean age, 58.7 years; 61.3% women; 14.1% Asian [379 Chinese, 260 Filipino, 167 Japanese, 138 South Asian, 105 Korean, 101 Vietnamese, 78 other Asian], 85.9% White). Overall, 26.8% had mental distress, and 8.5% had serious mental illness. Compared to White caregivers, Korean American caregivers had higher odds of mental distress (Odds Ratio [OR], 2.37; 95% CI, 1.47-3.82) and serious mental illness (OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.17-3.92), while Chinese (OR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55-0.95) and Japanese (OR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.45-0.99) American caregivers had lower odds of mental distress. Korean American caregivers had the highest prevalence of mental distress (43.1%) and serious mental illness (15.3%), compared with White and other Asian American caregivers., Conclusion: Disaggregating data reveals significant mental health disparities among ethnic subgroups of Asian American caregivers. Tailored resources should address the distinct needs of ethnic subgroups of Asian American caregivers, considering language barriers, acculturation, and cultural norms that may exacerbate psychological distress.

The integrated approach of interfacial engineering and composite electrolytes is crucial for the market application of Li metal batteries (LMBs). A 22 μm thin-film type polymer/Li 6.4 La 3 Zr 1.4 Ta 0.6 O 12 (LLZTO) composite solid-state electrolyte (LPCE) was designed that combines fast ion conduction and stable interfacial evolution, enhancing lithium metal interface stability and cycling performance. The ether-based molecular coordination groups/clusters formed by triethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TGDE) and anions facilitated the movement of Li + between the polymer chain segments. These specific coordination clusters significantly "constrained" the interaction between anions and Li + , inducing the anions to follow the clusters to the Li metal and preferentially participate in solid electrolyte interface (SEI) derivatization. The inorganic salt-rich gradient SEI modulates Li + deposition and inhibits uncontrolled dendrite growth, achieving stable cycling of Li symmetric cell at 0.2 mA cm -2 for over 2000 h. Furthermore, the Li||NCM811 cell at a rate of 0.1 C exhibits an initial discharge capacity of 194.5 mAh g -1 , maintaining a capacity retention rate of over 90% after 500 cycles. This work demonstrates the importance of domain-limited ion clusters in ion transport and interfacial evolution, providing a perspective for solid-state LMBs.

Effective angiogenesis is essential for creating complex vascular networks in tissue engineering; however, there is a scarcity of safe and potent pro-angiogenic factors. Although a decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) offers excellent biocompatibility and is widely used in tissue engineering as a pro-angiogenic additive, its conventional extraction technique resulting in significant loss of bioactivity limits clinical potential. The dorsal dermal tissue has rich blood perfusion and its dECM is rich in angiogenic factors. In this study, the dECM components from the dorsal dermis of mice (DD) were produced to enhance in vitro and in vivo pro-angiogenic abilities using a novel physical method. Morphological studies showed no significant difference between DD-wild-type (DD-wt) and DD-wild-type-newborn (DD-wtn), and there was also no difference in DNA or RNA concentration. In addition, DD-wtn outperformed DD-wt in maintaining the stemness of MSCs, promoting inflammatory response and facilitating endothelial cell differentiation. It is of greater significance to note that the dermal combined fibrous capsule thickness is greater in the DD-wt treated group than in the DD-wtn group. Furthermore, the number of blood vessels in the subcutaneously implanted scaffold with DD-wtn increased by 233%. Consequently, our current finding provides a promising strategy to produce a novel pro-angiogenic bioink additive for enhancing vascularization in 3D bioprinting.

Certain immune-checkpoint inhibitors have a narrow therapeutic window (TW) as cancer therapeutics, and engineered dual-/multi-targeting agents could potentially widen the TW to bring true clinical benefits. We report a new rationally-designed bispecific-antibody (BsAb), HX009, simultaneously targeting PD1 and CD47 to improve both the efficacy and safety over the respective single-targeting agents by grafting the extracellular domain of SIRPα onto the parental anti-PD1-monoclonal antibody, HX008. This resulted in an IgG4-based "2 × 2" symmetric structure but with an intentionally-reduced CD47-binding affinity, suggesting a novel candidate cancer immunotherapy. Specifically, HX009 has binding affinity constant of 8.951 × 10 -9  M for human PD1 and 2.557 × 10 -8  M for human CD47, respectively, where the CD47 binding is significantly weaker as compared to the binding affinity of HX008 to PD1 as well as the binding affinity of SIRPα-Fc to CD47, leading to little binding to RBCs and platelets and is contrasting to many CD47-agents in development. However, HX009 effectively and simultaneously binds to the PD1 and CD47 on PD1 + CD47 + T-cells via cis-binding and elicits enhanced T cell activation compared to the parental HX008. HX009 caused little cytokine-release in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. HX009 cross-species binds to cynomolgus monkey PD1/CD47 but not to rodents, making cynomolgus monkeys the choice of species to investigate the pharmacokinetics (PK) and toxicology of HX009. HX009's anti-tumor activities were confirmed in several humanized preclinical mouse models by determining either its anti-PD1 (humanized hu-CD47-MC38 models) or anti-CD47 (HuT-102 lymphoma CDX and three PDX-AML models) functions, although limited available humanized models have hindered broadly demonstration of enhanced anti-tumor activities contributed from the dual targeting of the BsAb. The expanded DLBCL-PDX trial data suggested that both EBV-status and OX40 expression could potentially be two positive predictors for response to HX009. An intravenous (IV) infusion PK study in cynomolgus monkey revealed its largely vasculature distribution, terminal half-life (T 1/2 ) of ~ 50 h, and dose-proportional exposure without accumulation. The anti-drug antibody (ADA) was observed in all monkeys as expected, affecting the PK parameters of repeated administration. The IV single-dose toxicology study with a 14-day observation revealed a maximum tolerated dose of 150 mg/kg, while the repeated-dose (once weekly for 4 weeks, 5 doses in total) study showed a highest non-severely toxic dose (HNSTD) of 15 mg/kg. The desired preclinical PK and safety profiles, along with its antitumor activity, support HX009's candidacy for its clinical development., Competing Interests: Declarations Competing interests The authors are employees of the affiliated organizations listed. The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Increasing evidence suggested the multifactorial nature of nocturia, but the true pathogenesis of this condition still remains to be elucidated. Contemporary clinical medications are mostly symptom based, aimed at either reducing nocturnal urine volume or targeting autonomic receptors within the bladder to facilitate urine storage. The day-night switch of the micturition pattern is controlled by circadian clocks located both in the central nervous system and in the peripheral organs. Arousal threshold and secretion of melatonin and vasopressin increase at night-time to achieve high-quality sleep and minimize nocturnal urine production. In response to the increased vasopressin, the kidney reduces the glomerular filtration rate and facilitates the reabsorption of water. Synchronously, in the bladder, circadian oscillation of crucial molecules occurs to reduce afferent sensory input and maintain sufficient bladder capacity during the night sleep period. Thus, nocturia might occur as a result of desynchronization in one or more of these circadian regulatory mechanisms. Disrupted rhythmicity of the central nervous system, kidney and bladder (known as the brain-kidney-bladder circadian axis) contributes to the pathogenesis of nocturia. Novel insights into the chronobiological nature of nocturia will be crucial to promote a revolutionary shift towards effective therapeutics targeting the realignment of the circadian rhythm., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Background: While Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) prevalence is increasing among younger individuals, few studies have examined how age at T2DM diagnosis relates to dementia risk in diabetic populations. We aimed to investigate the association between age at T2DM diagnosis and subsequent dementia risk, and to determine whether obesity moderates this relationship., Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study using data from the Health and Retirement Study (2002-2016) matched with its 2003 Diabetes Mail-Out Survey. The study included 1,213 dementia-free adults aged ≥50 with diagnosed T2DM. Primary exposures were age at T2DM diagnosis (categorized as <50, 50-59, 60-69, and ≥70 years) and obesity status (BMI ≥30 kg/m2). The outcome was incident dementia, assessed using the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), adjusting for sociodemographic factors, health behaviors, health status, and diabetes medication use., Results: Over a median follow-up of 10 (interquartile range, 6-14) years, 216 (17.8%) participants developed dementia. Compared to participants diagnosed with T2DM at age ≥70 years, those diagnosed at younger ages had increased dementia risk: HR 1.70 (95% CI, 1.03-2.80) for 60-69 years, 1.72 (95% CI, 1.06-2.79) for 50-59 years, and 1.90 (95% CI, 1.14-3.18) for <50 years. Obesity significantly moderated this relationship, with obese individuals diagnosed with T2DM before age 50 showing the highest dementia risk (HR 3.05; 95% CI 1.23-7.56) compared to non-obese individuals diagnosed at ≥50 years., Conclusions: Younger age at diagnosis of T2DM was significantly associated with a higher risk of dementia, particularly among individuals with obesity. Interventions specifically targeting obesity may be more effective in preventing dementia for adults with a younger onset of T2DM., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (Copyright: © 2024 Qi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Few studies have compared pain management provided by informal and formal caregivers of older adults in China at the end of life. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the association between formal and informal care and painfulness at the end of life among older adults in China. Specifically, the study focuses on the influence of various types of informal care. Data were obtained from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) conducted from 2002 to 2018, which is the largest nationally representative study of older adults in China, with a sample size of 21,849 deceased participants. Results from multiple logistic regressions suggest that informal care is associated with a more painful end-of-life experience compared to formal care, with care provided by adult children being a more favorable option within informal care. These findings underscore the urgent need to prioritize education on death and dying, improve the formal care system, and enhance professionalism within informal care.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of a function-focused multicomponent exercise program on long-term nursing home (LTNH) residents' ability to maintain activities of daily living (ADL), physical performance, cognitive function, quality of life, and frailty., Methods: This multicenter single-group pre-post quasi-experimental study involved 148 participants from 16 LTNHs in Gipuzkoa, Spain. Participants underwent a twice-weekly, 6-month function-focused multicomponent exercise program and were assessed both before and after the intervention., Results: Following the intervention, participants significantly maintained ADL ability, improved physical performance and quality of life, and reduced frailty (all p < 0.05). Cognitive function showed a positive trend. Subgroup analysis showed consistent improvements across demographics and health variables., Conclusions: The exercise program effectively maintained or improved ability to perform ADL, cognitive function, physical performance, and quality of life while reducing frailty in LTNH residents, irrespective of individual characteristics. This highlights the importance of exercise interventions to preserve overall function and wellbeing in this population., Trial Registration: NCT04221724., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into functional urology management must be assessed for its clinical utility, but hopefully will change, perhaps to revolutionize the way LUTD and other conditions are assessed, the aim being to offer patients more rapid and effective management which enhances patient outcomes. The aim of this proposal, discussed at the ICI-RS annual meeting, is to evaluate the available evidence on AI and the way it might change the approach to urodynamic (UDS) diagnoses, including overactive bladder syndrome (OAB), and perhaps other LUTDs such as bladder outflow obstruction., Methods: A compendium of discussion based on the current evidence related to AI and its potential applications in UDS and OAB., Results: AI-powered diagnostic tools are being developed to analyze complex datasets from urodynamic studies, imaging, and other diagnostic tests. AI systems can leverage large volumes of clinical data to recommend personalized treatment plans based on individual patient profiles to optimize surgical procedures, enhance diagnostic precision, tailor the therapy, reduce the risk of complications, and improve outcomes. In the future, AI will be able to provide tailored counseling regarding the outcomes and potential side effects of drugs and procedures to a given patient., Conclusion: AI's role in functional urology has been poorly investigated, and its implementation across several areas may improve clinical care and the pathophysiological understanding of functional urologic conditions., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Context: Water intake in drinks and food is essential for life. Multiple guidelines exist to help give recommendations for healthy water intake and urine output, but few of these are specific to patients with lower urinary tract symptoms., Methods: A debate held at the International Consultation on Incontinence-Research Society meeting, held in Bristol in June 2024, considered ways to improve this situation., Results and Conclusion: There are challenges in measuring both total water intake and also urine output, but we suggest that urine output may be the most helpful measure to focus on for future guidelines for patients., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Aim: To evaluate the association between oral hygiene behaviour and cognitive decline in adults. The outcomes include changes in global cognitive function, visual attention, task switching and the risk of dementia., Design: We conducted a systematic review following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines., Data Sources: A systematic search of 11 databases and grey literature sources was conducted from inception to January 2024. We included interventional trials or cohort studies that investigated the effect of oral hygiene behaviours (e.g., toothbrushing, mouth washing, flossing, using toothpicks and cleaning dentures) on cognitive decline in adults., Methods: Data extraction and risk of bias assessment were performed by two independent reviewers with expertise in conducting systematic reviews. Meta-analyses were conducted using random-effects models, and heterogeneity was assessed with the I 2 statistic and χ 2 test., Results: A total of eight studies (six intervention studies and two cohort studies) met inclusion criteria, including 261,772 participants. Follow-up periods ranged from 30 days to 48 months for interventions and 9 to 18 years for cohorts. Toothbrushing was associated with a significantly slower decline in global cognitive overtime. Toothbrushing in older adults with moderate/severe dementia could achieve significant changes in cognitive decline. There was no significant difference between the effectiveness of toothbrushing performed by professionals and caregivers. Other oral hygiene behaviours, including dental flossing, using mouthwash, using toothpicks and cleaning dentures, were not associated with the risk of dementia., Conclusions: Toothbrushing is linked to a decreased risk of dementia and improved global cognitive function. Promoting toothbrushing at least twice daily may significantly reduce the risk of cognitive decline and dementia., Impact: These findings highlight the urgent need for programmes that encourage daily toothbrushing, particularly in nursing home settings and among older adults with moderate-to-severe dementia., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Optimizing the balance between thermodynamic interaction and kinetic diffusion is pivotal to obtaining high-performance gas chromatographic stationary phases. Here, three aluminum-based metal-organic frameworks featuring fym topology were chosen to achieve such balance by refined controlling the thermodynamic interactions toward analytes at angstrom level in a confined space. The CAU-10-H with the middle-sized channels (5.4 Å) provided weak interactions with xylenes because of the benzene ring around the channel, leading to the fastest diffusion. While the MIL-160 provided stronger interactions toward the analytes due to the abundance of O-heterocyclic sites of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid ligands, resulting in slightly higher diffusion barriers. Thereby, although MIL-160 had a larger channel (5.9 Å) than CAU-10-H, the xylenes still diffused more slowly in MIL-160 than in CAU-10-H. The CAU-10-NH 2 with the channel of 4.7 Å provided overstrong thermodynamic interactions and significant stereospecific blockade to the analytes because of the NH 2 sites in the confined channels. These factors collectively contributed to achieving the lowest diffusion kinetics. The confined interactions were also proved by molecular dynamics simulation. Furthermore, the application indicated that MIL-160 exhibited the highest separation ability as a GC stationary phase among all reported materials. This strategy offers an approach for developing high-performance MOF stationary phases.

Background: Alopecia significantly affects the mental health and social relationship of women since childbearing age, highlighting the need for a safe, effective, and convenient treatment., Methods: The authors have conducted a prospective self-controlled trial involving 15 female patients at childbearing age with alopecia. These patients received a subcutaneous scalp injection of platelet-rich plasma once every 4 weeks for 3 treatments in total. Outcome measurements were included below: changes in hair density (hair/cm 2 ), hair follicle density (hair follicle/cm 2 ), and overall photographic assessment (improved or not) at 4, 12, and 24 weeks right after the first treatment., Results: Comparing the photographs taken before and after the intervention, 67% of patients' hair density increased from 151 ± 39.82 hairs/cm 2 (preintervention) to 170.96 ± 37.14 hairs/cm 2 (at 24-week follow-up), representing an approximate increase of 19 hairs/cm 2 . Meanwhile, hair follicle density increased by approximately 15 follicles/cm 2 after 24 weeks since the first treatment, rising from 151.04 ± 41.99 follicles/cm 2 to 166.72 ± 37.13 follicles/cm 2 . The primary adverse reactions observed were local swelling and pain due to injections., Conclusion: Local injection of nonactivated platelet-rich plasma with low leukocytes concentration could be an effective strategy to alleviate alopecia symptoms in female patients., (Copyright © 2024 by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Inc. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Healthy dietary patterns have been negatively associated with methylation-based measures of biological age, yet previous investigations have been unable to establish the relationship between them and biological aging assessed through blood chemistry-based clinical biomarkers. We sought to assess the associations of 4 dietary metrics with 4 measures of biological age., Methods: Among 16,666 participants in NHANES 1999-2018, 4 dietary metrics [Dietary inflammatory index (DII), Dietary approaches to stop hypertension index (DASH), Alternate mediterranean diet score (aMED), and Healthy eating index-2015 (HEI-2015)] were calculated through the 'dietaryindex' R package. Twelve blood chemistry parameters were utilized to compute 4 indicators of biological age [homeostatic dysregulation (HD), allostatic load (AL), Klemera-Doubal method (KDM), and phenotypic age (PA)]. Binomial logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression were employed to evaluate the associations., Results: All 4 dietary metrics were significantly associated with biological age acceleration or deceleration. In comparison to the lowest DII, the odds ratios (ORs) for accelerated HD, AL, KDM, and PA were 1.25 (1.08,1.45), 1.29 (1.11,1.50), 1.34 (1.08,1.65), and 1.61 (1.39,1.87) for the highest. The multivariable-adjusted ORs of the highest quartile of DASH, aMED, and HEI-2015 were 0.85 (0.73,0.97), 0.88 (0.74,1.04), and 0.84 (0.74,0.96) for HD, 0.64 (0.54,0.75), 0.61 (0.52,0.72), and 0.70 (0.59,0.82) for AL, 0.68 (0.54,0.85), 0.62 (0.50,0.76), and 0.71 (0.58,0.87) for KDM, and 0.50 (0.42,0.59), 0.64 (0.54,0.76), and 0.51 (0.44,0.58) for PA when compared with the lowest level. The findings were validated by the best-fitting dose-response curves for the associations. Among participants consuming dietary supplements (P interaction < 0.05), the positive effects of a healthy dietary pattern on biological aging were more pronounced. Systemic immune inflammation index (SII) and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) were identified as being involved in and mediating the associations., Conclusions: Biological aging assessed through blood chemistry-based clinical biomarkers is negatively associated with diet quality. The anti-aging benefits of improving the diet may be due to its ability to reduce inflammation and lower blood lipids., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

A highly efficient, atom-economical α-allylation reaction of NH 2 -unprotected amino acid esters and alkynes is achieved by chiral aldehyde/palladium combined catalysis. A diverse range of α,α-disubstituted nonproteinogenic α-amino acid esters are produced in 31-92% yields and 84-97% ee values. The allylation products are utilized for the synthesis of drug molecule BMS561392 and other chiral molecules possessing complex structures. Mechanistic investigations reveal that this reaction proceeds via a chiral aldehyde-/palladium-mediated triple cascade catalytic cycle.

Ferroptosis, as a unique form of cell death caused by iron overload and lipid peroxidation, is involved in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory diseases of the airways. Inhibition of ferroptosis has become a novel strategy for reducing airway epithelial cell death and improving airway inflammation. The aim of the present study was to analyze and validate the key genes and signaling pathways associated with ferroptosis by bioinformatic methods combined with experimental analyzes in vitro and in vivo to aid the diagnosis and treatment of neutrophilic asthma. A total of 1,639 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the transcriptome dataset. After overlapping with ferroptosis-related genes, 11 differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes (DE-FRGs) were obtained. A new diagnostic model was constructed by these DE-FRGs from the transcriptome dataset with those from the GSE108417 dataset. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve had good diagnostic performance (>0.8). As a result, four key DE-FRGs (CXCL2, HMOX1, IL-6 and SLC7A5) and biological pathway [hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) signaling pathway] associated with ferroptosis in neutrophilic asthma were identified by the bioinformatics analysis combined with experimental validation. The upstream regulatory network of key DE-FRGs and target drugs were predicted and the molecular docking results from screened 37 potential therapeutic drugs revealed that the 13 small-molecule drugs exhibited a higher stable binding to the primary proteins of key DE-FRGs. The results suggested that four key DE-FRGs and the HIF-1α/heme oxygenase 1 pathway associated with ferroptosis have potential as novel markers or targets for the diagnosis or treatment of neutrophilic asthma., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © 2024 Lin et al.)

Background: Information on the influences of daily eating frequency (DEF) and nighttime fasting duration (NFD) on biological aging is minimal. Our study investigated the potential associations of DEF and NFD with accelerated aging., Methods: Out of 24212 participants in NHANES 2003-2010 and 2015-2018, 4 predicted age metrics [homeostatic dysregulation (HD), Klemera-Doubal method (KDM), phenoAge (PA), and allostatic load (AL)] were computed based on 12 blood chemistry parameters. Utilizing 24-h dietary recall, DEF was measured by the frequency of eating occurrences, while NFD was determined by assessing the timing of the initial and final meals throughout the day. Weighted multivariate linear regression models and restricted cubic spline (RCS) were utilized to examine the associations., Results: Compared to DEF of ≤ 3.0 times, subjects with DEF ≥ 4.6 times demonstrated lower KDM residual [β: -0.57, 95% confidence-interval (CI): (-0.97, -0.17)] and PA residual [β: -0.47, 95% CI: (-0.69, -0.25)]. In comparison to NFD between 10.1 and 12.0 h, individuals with NFD ≤ 10.0 h were at higher HD [β: 0.03, 95% CI: (0.01, 0.04)], KDM residual [β: 0.34, 95% CI: (0.05, 0.63)], and PA residual [β: 0.38, 95% CI: (0.18, 0.57)]. Likewise, those with NFD ≥ 14.1 h also had higher HD [β: 0.02, 95% CI: (0.01, 0.04)] and KDM residual [β: 0.33, 95% CI: (0.03, 0.62)]. The results were confirmed by the dose-response relationships of DEF and NFD with predicted age metrics. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and globulin (Glo) were acknowledged as implicated in and mediating the relationships., Conclusions: DEF below 3.0 times and NFD less than 10.0 or more than 14.1 h were independently associated with higher predicted age metrics., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Anaerobic digestion is an indispensable technical option towards green and low-carbon wastewater treatment, with interspecies electron transfer (IET) playing a key role in its efficiency and operational stability. The exogenous semiconductive iron oxides have been proven to effectively enhance IET, while the cognition of the physicochemical-biochemical coupling stimulatory mechanism was circumscribed and remains to be elucidated. In this study, semiconductive iron oxides, α-Fe 2 O 3 , γ-Fe 2 O 3 , α-FeOOH, and γ-FeOOH were found to significantly enhance syntrophic methanogenesis by 76.39, 72.40, 37.33, and 32.64% through redirecting the dominant IET pathway from classical interspecies hydrogen transfer to robust direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET). Their alternative roles as electron shuttles potentially substituting for c-type cytochromes were conjectured to establish an electron transport matrix associated with conductive pili. Distinguished from the conventional electron conductor mechanism of conductive Fe 3 O 4 , semiconductive iron oxides facilitated DIET intrinsically through the capacitive Fe(III/II) redox cycles coupled with secondary mineralization. The growth of Aminobacterium, Sedimentibacter, and Methanothrix was enriched and the gene copy numbers of Geobacteraceae 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid were selectively flourished by 2.0-∼4.5- fold to establish a favorable microflora for DIET pathway. Metabolic pathways of syntrophic acetogenesis from propionate/butyrate and CO 2 reduction methanogenesis were correspondingly promoted. The above findings provide new insights into the underlying mechanism of iron minerals enhancing the DIET-oriented pathway and offer paradigms for redox-mediated energy harvesting biological wastewater treatment., 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.)

Loneliness and social isolation affect more than 1 in 4 community-dwelling older adults in the United States, who may also require long-term care support. Despite being seen as a solution to the long-term care crisis, most older adults prefer to age in place rather than using skilled nursing facilities. However, in-home care is unsustainable due to a shortage of direct care workers and may exacerbate social isolation by confining older adults to their homes. Adult Day Services (ADS) addresses both issues. ADS provides care to adults with physical, functional, and or cognitive limitations in non-residential, congregate, community-based settings. ADS also provides daily cognitive and physical stimulation, often with medical support, in a social and supported environment, centered around the needs and preferences of participants. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 5,000 ADS centers were widely available. However, with limited public support, the ADS industry has struggled as demand by the growing number of older adults and families need health and social support. The ADS industry must be recognized for its unique ability to buffer social isolation and loneliness in chronically ill older adults while serving as an effective platform for chronic disease management. This perspective piece highlights the critical role of ADS centers in reducing loneliness and social isolation and promoting healthy equity. We also explore the benefits of ADS, the financial, policy, and societal barriers to utilizing ADS, and the potential solutions to ensure its sustainability and growth., Competing Interests: William Zagorski is employed by American Senior Care Centers Inc., United States. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Sadarangani, Fernandez Cajavilca, Qi and Zagorski.)

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) patients with peritoneal metastasis (CRC-PM) have a worse prognosis than those with liver and lung metastases. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) followed by hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) is an effective locoregional treatment for CRC-PM. To date, the prognostic analysis of CRS/HIPEC mostly focuses on clinical and pathological characteristics; however, genetic characteristics, such as RAS/BRAF mutation status, are not sufficient. This study aimed to systematically assess the correlation between RAS/BRAF status and PM risk, as well as the prognostic efficacy of CRS/HIPEC for CRC., Method: This study was written in accordance with the 2020 guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Protocols. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library with the following keywords: "Peritoneal Neoplasms," "raf Kinases" and "ras Proteins". The fixed-effects model and inverse variance method were used for analysis. Odds ratios (OR) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI) were used to reflect the risk of PM associated with RAS/BRAF mutations. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % CI were used to evaluate the effects of RAS/BRAF mutations on the prognosis of CRS/HIPEC., Result: Eighteen articles included 5567 patients. In the risk analysis of PM, patients with BRAF mutation were more likely to have PM than those with wild-type BRAF (OR = 2.28, 95 % CI = 1.73-3.01, P < 0.001, I 2  = 0 %). In contrast, there was no significant difference in the effect of RAS mutation and wild-type on PM of CRC (OR = 1.28, 95 % CI = 0.99-1.66, P = .06, I 2  = 0 %). In a prognostic analysis of CRS/HIPEC, RAS mutation predicted poor overall survival (HR = 1.68, 95 % CI = 1.39-2.02, P < 0.001, I 2  = 1 %) and disease-free survival (HR = 1.61, 95 % CI = 1.34-1.94, P < 0.001, I 2  = 42 %). The results for BRAF mutation was consistent with the prognostic impact of RAS mutation's overall survival (HR = 2.57, 95 % CI = 1.93-3.44, P < 0.001, I 2  = 0 %) and disease-free survival (HR = 1.90, 95 % CI = 1.40-2.56, P < 0.001, I 2  = 82 %)., Conclusion: BRAF mutation, rather than RAS mutation, was a high-risk factor for CRC-PM. And both BRAF and RAS mutations negatively affected the prognosis of CRS/HIPEC in CRC-PM patients. Our results could provide suggestions for the selection of comprehensive treatment for CRC-PM with RAS/BRAF mutations., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing interest The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To explore the potential mechanism of lysionotin in treating glioma., Methods: First, target prediction based on Bernoulli Naïve Bayes profiling and pathway enrichment was used to predict the biological activity of lysionotin. The binding between 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) and lysionotin was detected by surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and molecular docking, and the inhibitory effects of lysionotin on 5-LO and proliferation of glioma were determined using enzyme inhibition assay in vitro and cell viability analysis, respectively. Furthermore, the pharmaceutical effect of lysionotin was explored by cell survival rate analysis and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The protein expression, intracellular calcium ion concentration and cytoskeleton detection were revealed by Western blot, flow cytometry and fluorescence labeling, respectively., Results: Target prediction and pathway enrichment revealed that lysionotin inhibited 5-LO, a key enzyme involved in the arachidonic acid metabolism pathway, to inhibit the proliferation of glioma. Molecular docking results demonstrated that 5-LO can be binding to lysionotin through hydrogen bonds, forming bonds with His600, Gln557, Asn554, and His372. SPR analysis further confirmed the interaction between 5-LO and lysionotin. Furthermore, enzyme inhibition assay in vitro and cell survival rate analysis revealed that 50% inhibition concentration of lysionotin and the median effective concentration of lysionotin were 90 and 16.58 µmol/L, respectively, and the results of LC-MS/MS showed that lysionotin inhibited the production of 5S-hydroperoxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (P<0.05), and moreover, the LC-MS/MS results indicated that lysionotin can enter glioma cells well (P<0.01) and inhibit their proliferation. Western blot analysis demonstrated that lysionotin can inhibit the expression of 5-LO (P<0.05) and downstream leukotriene B4 receptor (P<0.01). In addition, the results showed that lysionotin affected intracellular calcium ion concentration by inhibiting 5-LO to affect the cytoskeleton, as determined by flow cytometry and fluorescence labeling., Conclusion: Lysionotin binds to 5-LO could suppress glioma by inhibiting arachiodonic acid metabolism pathway., (© 2024. The Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

To investigate the effect of steel slag used as substrate on the rooting of Hydrangea macrophylla cuttings, and to develop a new mixed substrate that can partially replace conventional cutting substrates and realize the high-efficient utilization of solid waste, we examined the physical and chemical properties of different mixed substrates containing 10% (T 1 ), 20% (T 2 ), 30% (T 3 ), and 40% (T 4 ) volume fractions of steel slag, and investigated the rooting of H. macrophylla 'Red Beauty' cuttings growing on these substrates, with conventional cutting substrates (peat and perlite) as the control (CK). The results showed that pH value, electrical conductivity, and bulk density of the mixed substrates were significantly higher than those of CK. The aeration porosity of T 2 was higher than other treatments, while the total porosity and water holding porosity differed little from others. Both fresh weight and dry weight of all the four treatments were higher than those of CK, with stem diameter being higher than that of CK (except T 4 ), plant height showing no significant difference compared to CK (except T 4 ), and leaf chlorophyll content being significantly lower than CK. Root length ranked as T 2 >CK>T 1 >T 3 >T 4 , the root surface area and root volume both ranked as T 2 >T 1 >CK>T 4 >T 3 , the root tip ranked as T 2 >CK>T 1 >T 4 >T 3 . Both average root diameter and root activity were significantly higher than that of CK, with the highest value being observed in T 2 . Soluble sugar content in the leaves of T 2 was the highest, followed by T 4 , T 3 , CK, and T 1 . The weight ranking of root growth indices was root activity > average root diameter > root volume > root surface area > root tip number > root length. Redundancy analysis indicated that pH value, electrical conductivity, aeration porosity, and water holding porosity of substrates were key factors influencing root growth and development of cuttings. Our results suggested that substrates mixed with 10% to 40% steel slag could be used for H. macrophylla cutting propagation, and 20% (T 2 ) being the best one because it could significantly improve the survival rate, growth status, and root development of cuttings. Steel slag would be a novel substrate to partially replace conventional unrenewable substrates such as peat and perlite for flower seedling propagation, which could reduce agricultural production cost and provide a high-value utilization way of industry solid waste.

The development of carbon-neutral fuel sources is an essential step in addressing the global fossil energy crisis. Whole-cell biophotovoltaic systems (BPVs) are a renewable, non-polluting energy-generating device that utilizes oxygenic photosynthetic microbes (OPMs) to split water molecules and generate bioelectricity under the driving of light energy. Since 2006, BPVs have been widely studied, with the order magnitudes of power density increasing from 10 -4 mW/m 2 to 10 3 mW/m 2 . This review examines the extracellular electron transfer (EET) mechanisms and regulation techniques of BPVs from biofilm to external environment. It is found that the EET of OPMs is mainly mediated by membrane proteins, with terminal oxidase limiting the power output. Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 and Chlorella vulgaris are two species that produce high power density in BPVs. The use of metal nanoparticles mixing, 3D pillar array electrodes, microfluidic technology, and transient-state operation models can significantly enhance power density. Challenges and potential research directions are discussed, including a deeper analysis of EET mechanisms and dynamics, the development of modular devices, integration of multiple regulatory components, and the exploration of novel BPV technologies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Yeast β-glucan (BYG) possesses extremely low solubility that has limited its applications. In this study, we hydrolyzed BYG using snail enzyme to obtain hydrolyzed yeast β-glucan (HBYG) with desirable water solubility and hypoglycemic activity. On the basis of HBYG, HBYG‑chromium(III) complex (HBYG-Cr) was synthesized. The molecular weight of the complex was 4.41 × 10 4  Da, and the content of trivalent chromium was 8.95 %. The hydroxyl groups of HBYG participated in the coordination and formed the chromium complex. The space conformations of HBYG exhibited remarkable changes after complex formation. HBYG-Cr existed mainly in an amorphous state and presented good dispersibility, and the surface was uneven. The hypoglycemic activity of HBYG-Cr was studied in db/db and C57 mice. The results showed that HBYG-Cr had good hypoglycemic activity. Histopathological studies demonstrated that the liver, kidney, pancreas, and skeletal muscle in the treatment group were significantly improved compared with those in the diabetic model group. The sub-acute toxicity of HBYG-Cr was studied in KM mice and the results indicated that the complex did not cause adverse reactions or toxic side effects. This study broadened the application of yeast β-glucan and provided an important reference for the development of hypoglycemic functional foods and drugs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: This study examines the associations of gum treatment with cognitive decline and dementia risk among older adults with periodontal symptoms in the USA., Methods: A cohort of 866 adults aged ≥50 with periodontal symptoms was recruited for the 2008 Health and Retirement Study "Dental Health Experimental Module" and followed until 2020. Cognitive function was assessed with the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS). Dementia status was ascertained with the Langa-Weir algorithm based on TICS scores and proxy assessments. Linear mixed-effects model and multivariable Cox regression models were utilized to analyze the associations of gum treatment with cognitive decline and the risk of dementia, respectively., Results: Of 866 participants (mean age 67.7, 61.4% women), 105 (12.1%) developed dementia with a median follow-up of 9 (IQR, 6-10) years. The dementia incidence rates were lower in the group with gum treatment (7.4 vs. 12.9 per 1,000 person-years). Compared with participants who did not have gum treatment, those with gum treatment experienced a decline in TICS score that was on average 0.025 (95% CI, 0.005-0.044) points less per year and a 38% lower incidence of dementia (hazard ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.41-0.93). These associations were consistent across participants with a different severity of periodontal symptoms and sociodemographic characteristics (age, sex, race, ethnicity, and education) except for income levels., Conclusion: Prompt gum treatment for older adults with periodontal symptoms may be beneficial for their cognitive health., (© 2024 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Liquid metal (LM) nanodroplets possess intriguing surface properties, thus offering promising potential in chemical synthesis, catalysis, and biomedicine. However, the reaction kinetics and product growth at the surface of LM nanodroplets are significantly influenced by the interface involved, which has not been thoroughly explored and understood. Here, we propose an interface engineering strategy, taking a spontaneous galvanic reaction between Ga 0 and AuCl 4 - ions as a representative example, to successfully modulate the growth of heterostructures on the surface of Ga-based LM nanodroplets by establishing a dielectric interface with a controllable thickness between LM and reactive surroundings. Combining high-resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) analysis and theoretical simulation, it was found that the induced charge distribution at the interface dominates the spatiotemporal distribution of the reaction sites. Employing tungsten oxide (WO x ) with varying thicknesses as the demonstrated dielectric interface of LM, Ga@WO x @Au with distinct core-shell-satellite or dimer-like heterostructures has been achieved and exhibited different photoresponsive capabilities for photodetection. Understanding the kinetics of product growth and the regulatory strategy of the dielectric interface provides an experimental approach to controlling the structure and properties of products in LM nanodroplet-involved chemical processes.

Background: Proprotein convertase subtilisins/kexin 6 (PCSK6) polymorphisms have been shown to be associated with atherosclerosis progression. This research aimed to evaluate the relationship of PCSK6 rs1531817 polymorphisms with coronary stenosis and the prognosis in premature myocardial infarction (PMI) patients., Methods: This prospective cohort analysis consecutively included 605 PMI patients who performed emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at Tianjin Chest Hospital sequentially between January 2017 and August 2022, with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) as the outcome. Analyses assessed the relationships among PCSK6 rs1531817 polymorphism, Gensini score (GS), triple vessel disease (TVD), and MACEs., Results: 92 (16.8%) patients experienced MACEs with an average follow-up of 25.7 months. Logistic analysis revealed that the PCSK6 rs1531817 CA + AA genotype was an independent protective factor against high GS and TVD. Cox analysis revealed that the PCSK6 rs1531817 CA + AA genotype was an independent protective factor against MACEs. The mediation effect results showed that apolipoprotein A1/apolipoprotein B (ApoA1/ApoB) partially mediated the association between PCSK6 rs1531817 polymorphism and coronary stenosis and that total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein (TC/HDL) and TVD partially and in parallel mediated the association between the PCSK6 rs1531817 polymorphism and MACEs., Conclusion: Patients with the PCSK6 CA + AA genotype have milder coronary stenosis and a better long-term prognosis; according to the mediation model, ApoA1/ApoB and TC/HDL partially mediate. These results may provide a new perspective on clinical therapeutic strategy for anti-atherosclerosis and improved prognosis in PMI patients., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Even though catalytic asymmetric bifunctionalization of allenes has been extensively studied, almost all of the reported examples have been achieved in a two-component manner. In this study, we report a highly efficient asymmetric bifunctionalization of allenes with iodohydrocarbons and NH 2 -unprotected amino acid esters. The adopted chiral aldehyde/palladium combined catalytic system precisely governs the chemoselectivity, regioselectivity, and stereoselectivity of this three-component reaction. A wide range of substituted aryl iodides, allenes and amino acid esters can well participate in this reaction and deliver structurally diverse α,α-disubstituted α-amino acid esters with excellent experimental outcomes. One of the resulting products is utilized for the total synthesis of the molecule ( S , R )-VPC01091., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 is considered as one of the most promising cathodes for sodium ion batteries owing to its fast Na + diffusion, good structural stability and high working potential. However, its practical application is limited by its low intrinsic electronic conductivity. Herein, a carbon coated Cu 2+ -doped Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 cathode was prepared. The carbon coating not only improve its apparent conductivity, but also inhibit crystal growth and prevent agglomeration of particles. Moreover, Cu 2+ doping contributes to an enhanced intrinsic conductivity and decreased Na + diffusion energy barrier, remarkably boosting its charge transfer kinetics. Based on the structure characterizations, electrochemical performances tests, charge transfer kinetics analyses and theoretical calculations, it's proved that such an elaborate design ensures the excellent rate performances (116.9 mA h g -1 at 0.1C; 92.6 mA h g -1 at 10C) and distinguished cycling lifespan (95.8 % retention after 300 cycles at 1C; 84.8 % retention after 3300 cycles at 10C). Besides, a two-phase reaction mechanism is also confirmed via in-situ XRD. This research is expected to promote the development of Na 3 V 2 (PO 4 ) 3 -based sodium ion batteries with high energy/power density and excellent cycling lifespan., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Transition metal (TM) single-atom catalysts (SACs) have been widely applied in photocatalytic CO 2 reduction. In this work, n - p codoping engineering is introduced to account for the modulation of photocatalytic CO 2 reduction on a two-dimensional (2D) bismuth-oxyhalide-based cathode by using first-principles calculation. n - p codoping is established via the Coulomb interactions between the negatively charged TM SACs and the positively charged Cl vacancy ( V Cl ) in the dopant-defect pairs. Based on the formation energy of charged defects, neutral dopant-defect pairs for the Fe, Co, and Ni SACs ( P TM 0 ) and the -1 e charge state of the Cu SAC-based pair ( P Cu -1 ) are stable. The electrostatic attraction of the n - p codoping strengthens the stability and solubility of TM SACs by neutralizing the oppositely charged V Cl defect and TM dopant. The n - p codoping stabilizes the electron accumulation around the TM SACs. Accumulated electrons modify the d -orbital alignment and shift the d -band center toward the Fermi level, enhancing the reducing capacity of TM SACs based on the d-band theory. Besides the electrostatic attraction of the n - p codoping, the P Cu -1 also accumulates additional electrons surrounding Cu SACs and forms a half-occupied d x 2 - y 2 state, which further upshifts the d -band center and improves photocatalytic CO 2 reduction. The metastability of Cl multivacancies limits the concentration of the n - p pairs with Cl multivacancies ( P TM@nCl (n > 1)). Positively charged centers around the P TM@nCl (n > 1) hinders the CO 2 reduction by shielding the charge transfer to the CO 2 molecule.

Objective: Postoperative deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is commonly observed in patients undergoing craniotomy and is associated with a high incidence of pulmonary embolism and poor clinical outcomes. Herein, we investigated the prophylactic effect of DVT of intraoperative intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) in patients undergoing craniotomy., Methods: A total of 516 patients who underwent elective craniotomy between December 2021 and December 2022 were enrolled in this study. Patients were randomly assigned to the intervention group (received intraoperative IPC) or control group (without IPC). Lower extremity ultrasound was performed on both legs before and after surgery (1 h, 24 h, and 7 days post-intervention). DVT was defined as the visualization of a thrombus within the vein lumen of the leg. Coagulation and platelet function were measured at the start and end of the craniotomy., Results: A total of 504 patients (251 in the intervention group and 253 in the control group) completed the study. Among these patients, 20.4% (103/504) developed postoperative DVT within the first week after surgery, with 16.7% occurring within 24 h. The incidence of postoperative DVT in the intervention group (9.6%, 24/251) was significantly lower than that in the control group (22.9%, 58/253, p  < 0.001). Intraoperative IPC reduced the risk of DVT by 64.6% (0.354, 95% CI, 0.223-0.564, p  < 0.001). There was no significant difference in coagulation and platelet function between the two groups (all p  > 0.05)., Conclusion: DVT may develop within 24 h after the craniotomy. Intraoperative application of IPC reduces the incidence of postoperative DVT., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Qi, Wang, Feng, Ma, Zhang, Guo, Fan, Jiao, Zhang, Wang, Shi and Sun.)

Background: Although previous studies have suggested a possible association between bone mineral density (BMD) and intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD), the causal relationship between them remains unclear. Evidence from accumulating studies indicates that they might mutually influence one another. However, observational studies may be affected by potential confounders. Meanwhile, Mendelian randomization (MR) study can overcome these confounders to assess causality., Objectives: This Mendelian randomization (MR) study aimed to explore the causal effect of bone mineral density (BMD) on intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD)., Methods: Summary data from genome-wide association studies of bone mineral density (BMD) and IDD (the FinnGen biobank) have been acquired. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was utilized as the primary MR analysis approach. Weighted median, MR-Egger regression, weighted mode, and simple mode were used as supplements. The Mendelian randomization pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) and MR-Egger regression were performed to assess horizontal pleiotropy. Cochran's Q test evaluated heterogeneity. Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis was further conducted to determine the reliability of the causal relationship. Multivariate MR (MVMR) analyses used multivariable inverse variance-weighted methods to individually and jointly adjust for four potential confounders, body mass index (BMI), Type2 diabetes, hyperthyroidism and smoking. A reverse MR analysis was conducted to assess potential reverse causation., Results: In the univariate MR analysis, femoral neck bone mineral density (FNBMD), heel bone mineral density (eBMD), lumbar spine bone mineral density (LSBMD), and total body bone mineral density (TB BMD) had a direct causal effect on intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) [FNBMD-related analysis: OR(95%CI) = 1.17 (1.04 to 1.31), p = 0.008, eBMD-related analysis: OR(95%CI) = 1.06 (1.01 to 1.12), p = 0.028, LSBMD-related analysis: OR(95%CI) = 1.20 (1.10 to 1.31), p = 3.38E-7,TB BMD-related analysis: OR(95%CI) = 1.20 (1.12 to 1.29), p = 1.0E-8]. In the MVMR analysis, it was revealed that, even after controlling for confounding factors, heel bone mineral density (eBMD), lumbar spine bone mineral density (LSBMD), and total body bone mineral density (TB BMD) still maintained an independent and significant causal association with IDD(Adjusting for heel bone mineral density: beta = 0.073, OR95% CI = 1.08(1.02 to 1.14), P = 0.013; Adjusting for lumbar spine bone mineral density: beta = 0.11, OR(95%CI) = 1.12(1.02 to 1.23), P = 0.03; Adjusting for total body bone mineral density: beta = 0.139, OR95% CI = 1.15(1.06 to 1.24), P = 5.53E - 5). In the reverse analysis, no evidence was found to suggest that IDD has an impact on BMD., Conclusions: The findings from our univariate and multivariable Mendelian randomization analysis establish a substantial positive causal association between BMD and IDD, indicating that higher bone mineral density may be a significant risk factor for intervertebral disc degeneration. Notably, no causal effect of IDD on these four measures of bone mineral density was observed. Further research is required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms governing this causal relationship., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Axially chiral thioethers and sulfoxides emerge as two pivotal classes of ligands and organocatalysts, which have remarkable features in the stereoinduction of various asymmetric transformations. However, the lack of easy methods to access such molecules with diverse structures has hampered their broader utilization. Herein, an oxidative kinetic resolution for sulfides using a chiral bifunctional squaramide as the catalyst with cumene hydroperoxide as the terminal oxidant is established. This asymmetric approach provides a variety of axially chiral thioethers as well as sulfoxides bearing both axial and central chirality, with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities. This catalytic system also successfully extends to the kinetic resolution of benzothiophene-based sulfides. Preliminary mechanism investigation indicates that the multiple hydrogen bonding interactions between the bifunctional squaramide catalyst and substrates play a crucial role in determining the enantioselectivity and reactivity., (© 2024 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Previous research on sleep and aging largely has failed to illustrate the optimal dose-response curve of this relationship. We aimed to analyze the associations between sleep duration and measures of predicted age. In total, 241,713 participants from the UK Biobank were included. Habitual sleep duration was collected from the baseline questionnaire. Four indicators, homeostatic dysregulation (HD), phenoAge (PA), Klemera-Doubal method (KDM), and allostatic load (AL), were chosen to assess predicted age. Multivariate linear regression models were utilized. The association of sleep duration and predicted age followed a U-shape (All p for nonlinear <0.05). Compared with individuals who sleep for 7 h/day, the multivariable-adjusted beta of ≤5 and ≥9 h/day were 0.05 (95% CI 0.03, 0.07) and 0.03 (95% CI 0.02, 0.05) for HD, 0.08 (95% CI 0.01, 0.14) and 0.36 (95% CI 0.31, 0.41) for PA, and 0.21 (95% CI 0.12, 0.30) and 0.30 (95% CI 0.23, 0.37) for KDM. Significant independent and joint effects of sleep and cystatin C (CysC) and gamma glutamyltransferase (GGT) on predicted age metrics were future found. Similar results were observed when conducting stratification analyses. Short and long sleep duration were associated with accelerated predicted age metrics mediated by CysC and GGT., (© 2024 The Authors. Aging Cell published by Anatomical Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

With the ability to generate in situ real-time electric signals, electrochemically active biofilm (EAB) sensors have attracted wide attention as a promising water biotoxicity early-warning device. Organic matters serving as the electron donors potentially affect the electric signal's output and the sensitivity of the EAB sensor. To explore the influence of organic matters on EAB sensor's performance, this study tested six different organic matters during the sensor's inoculation. Besides the acetate, a conventional and widely used organic matter, propionate and lactate were also found capable of starting up the sensor. Moreover, the propionate-fed (PF) sensor delivered the highest sensitivity, which are respectively 1.4 times and 2.8 times of acetate-fed (AF) sensor and lactate-fed (LF) sensor. Further analysis revealed that EAB of PF sensor had more vulnerable intracellular metabolism than the others, which manifested as the most severe energy metabolic suppression and reactive oxygen species attack. Regarding the microbial function, a two-component system that was deemed as an environment awareness system was found in the EAB of PF, which also contributed to its high sensitivity. Finally, PF sensor was tested in real water environment to deliver early-warning signals., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In recent years, doping engineering, which is widely studied in theoretical and experimental research, is an effective means to regulate the crystal structure and physical properties of two-dimensional materials and expand their application potential. Based on different types of element dopings, different 2D materials show different properties and applications. In this paper, the characteristics and performance of rich layered 2D materials under different types of doped elements are comprehensively reviewed. Firstly, 2D materials are classified according to their crystal structures. Secondly, conventional experimental methods of charge doping and heterogeneous atom substitution doping are summarized. Finally, on the basis of various theoretical research results, the properties of several typical 2D material representatives under charge doping and different kinds of atom substitution doping as well as the inspiration and expansion of doping systems for the development of related fields are discussed. Through this review, researchers can fully understand and grasp the regulation rules of different doping engineering on the properties of layered 2D materials with different crystal structures. It provides theoretical guidance for further improving and optimizing the physical properties of 2D materials, improving and enriching the relevant experimental research and device application development.

Objective: To translate Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-Specific Quality of Life-Short Form (ALSSQOL-SF) and test its reliability and validity, so that explore feasibility in Chinese mainland and make up the gap of specific tools for measuring quality of life of patients with ALS., Methods: This was a cross-sectional design. The Brislin translation model was used to translate ALSSQOL-SF, and the Chinese version of ALSSQOL-SF (C-ALSSQOL-SF) was revised through cultural adaptation and pre-test. The convenience sampling method was used to investigate 138 patients with ALS in Tianjin to test the reliability and validity of the C-ALSSQOL-SF., Results: The C-ALSSQOL-SF included 20 items, covering 6 dimensions: physical symptoms, bulbar function, negative emotion, interaction with people and the environment, religiosity and intimacy. The scale-level content validity index (S-CVI) of C-ALSSQOL-SF was 0.964, and the item-level content validity index (I-CVI) was between 0.857 to 1.000. The results of Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) showed that CMIN/DF = 1.161, RMSEA = 0.034, GFI = 0.892, IFI = 0.976, TLI = 0.969, CFI = 0.975, and the 6-factor model fitted well. The scores of C-ALSSQOL-SF and WHOQOL-BREF were positively correlated (r = 0.745). The Cronbach's α coefficient of the scale was 0.85, the Cronbach's α coefficient of each dimension was between 0.59 to 0.86, and the split-half reliability was 0.78., Conclusion: The Chinese version of ALSSQOL-SF has good reliability and validity, and can be used as a tool to evaluate the quality of life of patients with ALS in Chinese mainland., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Wastewater treatment contributes substantially to methane (CH 4 ) emissions, yet monitoring and tracing face challenges because the treatment processes are often treated as a "black box". Particularly, despite growing interest, the amount of CH 4 carryover and influx from the sewer and its impacts on overall emissions remain unclear. This study quantified CH 4 emissions from six wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) across China, utilizing existing multizonal odor control systems, with a focus on Beijing and Guiyang WWTPs. In the Beijing WWTP, almost 90% of CH 4 emissions from the wastewater treatment process were conveyed through sewer pipes, affecting emissions even in the aerobic zone of biological treatment. In the Guiyang WWTP, where most CH 4 from the sewer was released at the inlet well, a 24 h online monitoring revealed CH 4 fluctuations linked to neighborhood water consumption and a strong correlation to influent COD inputs. CH 4 emission factors monitored in six WWTPs range from 1.5 to 13.4 gCH 4 /kgCOD rem , higher than those observed in previous studies using A 2 O technology. This underscores the importance of considering CH 4 influx from sewer systems to avoid underestimation. The odor control system in WWTPs demonstrates its potential as a cost-effective approach for tracing, monitoring, and mitigating CH 4 .

Despite the long-standing exploration of the catalytic asymmetric Tsuji-Trost allylation reaction since the mid-20th century, most reported instances have adhered to a two-component approach. Here, we present a remarkably efficient three-component asymmetric allylation reaction enabled by the collaborative action of chiral aldehyde and palladium. A diverse array of NH 2 -unprotected amino acid esters, aryl or alkenyl iodides, and allyl alcohol esters exhibit robust participation in this reaction, resulting in the synthesis of structurally diverse non-proteinogenic α-amino acid esters with favorable experimental outcomes. Mechanistic investigations reveal the dominance of the allylation/Heck coupling cascade in reactions involving electron-rich aryl iodides, while the Heck coupling/allylation cascade emerges as the dominant pathway in reactions involving electron-deficient aryl iodides. This chiral aldehyde/palladium combining catalytic system precisely governs the chemoselectivity of C -allylation and N -allylation, the regioselectivity of linear and branched allylation, and the enantioselectivity of C -allylation products., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

To explore the role of YAP, a key effector of the Hippo pathway, in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) ankylosis. The temporal and spatial expression of YAP was detected via immunohistochemistry and multiplex immunohistochemistry on postoperative Days 1, 4, 7, 9, 11, 14 and 28 in a sheep model. Isolated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from samples of the Day 14. The relative mRNA expression of YAP was examined before and after the osteogenic induction of MSCs. A YAP-silenced MSC model was constructed, and the effect of YAP knockdown on MSC function was examined. YAP is expressed in the nucleus of the key sites that determine the ankylosis formation, indicating that YAP is activated in a physiological state. The expression of YAP increased gradually over time. Moreover, the number of cells coexpressing of RUNX2 and YAP-with the osteogenic active zone labelled by RUNX2-tended to increase after Day 9. After the osteogenic induction of MSCs, the expression of YAP increased. After silencing YAP, the osteogenic, proliferative and migratory abilities of the MSCs were inhibited. YAP is involved in the early development of TMJ bony ankylosis. Inhibition of YAP using shRNA might be a promising way to prevent or treat TMJ ankylosis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

We analyzed age structure and dynamics, spatial distribution patterns, and reproductive capabilities of four Rosa persica populations in Xinjiang, to evaluate the survival status of the species and explore the reasons behind its endangerment. The results showed that the populations had fewer individuals in the youngest (Ⅰ) and oldest (Ⅵ-Ⅷ) age classes, with a predominance of middle-aged individuals, resulting in an irregular pyramid-shaped distribution, described as "high in the middle, low on both sides". The populations were generally growing, but were susceptible to external environmental disturbances ( V pi ' ＞0, P max ＞0). The mortality rate ( q x ) and vanish rate ( K x ) peaked at age Ⅴ, leading to a sharp decline in plant abundance. The life expectancy ( e x ) decreased progressively with the increases of age class, reaching its lowest at age Ⅷ, which indicated minimal vitality at this stage. A time sequence analysis predicted a future dominance of individuals at age Ⅴ-Ⅷ, suggesting an aging trend. Spatially, the four populations were predominantly clumped, with the intensity of clumping ranked from highest to lowest as P 4 , P 3 , P 1 , and P 2 . P 3 and P 4 exhibited better reproductive capabilities than P 1 and P 2 . There was a significant positive correlation between hundred-fruit weight and plant height and crown width, and between total seed number and crown width and hundred-fruit weight.

Background and Aim: Diabetes and Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are both common and serious health problems. Shuangdong capsule, a Chinese patent medicine, has been used to treat these conditions. This study assesses its efficacy and mechanism in treating diabetes combined with UTIs., Methods: We induced diabetes in rats using streptozotocin and UTIs with Escherichia coli, dividing the rats into five groups: control, model, levofloxacin, Shuangdong capsule, and levofloxacin + Shuangdong capsule. After two weeks, we measured blood glucose, insulin, infection indicators, and bladder histology. We also detected the expression of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1)-phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B (Akt)-C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CXCL2) signaling pathway by Western Blot and the myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Additionally, we conducted a Mendelian randomization study using genetic variants of the insulin receptor to assess its causal effect on UTI risk., Results: Shuangdong capsule improved bladder pathology and infection indicators, similar to levofloxacin. It did not affect blood glucose or insulin levels. Moreover, it reversed the suppression of the IRS1-PI3K-Akt-CXCL2 pathway and MPO levels caused by UTI in diabetic rats. The Mendelian randomization study showed that increased insulin receptor expression reduced UTI risk, which was consistent with the results of the animal experiments., Conclusion: The Shuangdong capsule was effective in treating diabetes with UTIs. It may function by activating the IRS1-PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, thereby increasing CXCL2 and MPO levels, enhancing innate immunity, and promoting bacterial clearance. The Mendelian randomization study provided further evidence supporting the causal role of the insulin receptor in UTI prevention., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Tumor microenvironment (TME) is a complex dynamic system with many tumor-interacting components including tumor-infiltrating leukocytes (TILs), cancer associated fibroblasts, blood vessels, and other stromal constituents. It intrinsically affects tumor development and pharmacology of oncology therapeutics, particularly immune-oncology (IO) treatments. Accurate measurement of TME is therefore of great importance for understanding the tumor immunity, identifying IO treatment mechanisms, developing predictive biomarkers, and ultimately, improving the treatment of cancer. Here, we introduce a mouse-IO NGS-based (NGSmIO) assay for accurately detecting and quantifying the mRNA expression of 1080 TME related genes in mouse tumor models. The NGSmIO panel was shown to be superior to the commonly used microarray approach by hosting 300 more relevant genes to better characterize various lineage of immune cells, exhibits improved mRNA and protein expression correlation to flow cytometry, shows stronger correlation with mRNA expression than RNAseq with 10x higher sequencing depth, and demonstrates higher sensitivity in measuring low-expressed genes. We describe two studies; firstly, detecting the pharmacodynamic change of interferon-γ expression levels upon anti-PD-1: anti-CD4 combination treatment in MC38 and Hepa 1-6 tumors; and secondly, benchmarking baseline TILs in 14 syngeneic tumors using transcript level expression of lineage specific genes, which demonstrate effective and robust applications of the NGSmIO panel., Competing Interests: All authors are/were paid employees of Crown Bioscience. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials., (Copyright: © 2024 Xue et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The purpose of this study is to develop a smart training and assessment system called SmartCPR , for teaching and training cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), based on human posture estimation techniques. In this system, trainees can automatically recognize and evaluate whether chest compressions during CPR meet the standard of high-quality CPR by simply using a device such as a smart phone. Through the system, trainees are able to obtain real-time feedback on the quality of compressions so that they can adjust the cycle, depth, frequency, and posture of compressions to meet the standard of high-quality CPR. In addition, the SmartCPR system is convenient for CPR trainers. Trainers can instantly and accurately assess whether the trainee's compressions meet the standard of high-quality CPR, which reduces the risk of manual assessment errors and also reduces the trainer's teaching pressures. Therefore, the SmartCPR system developed in this study can be an important tool for CPR teaching and training for physicians, which can provide training and guidance for high-quality CPR maneuvers and enable trainees to become more proficient in CPR and self-training.

Ischemic stroke can be a serious complication of selective carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in patients with carotid artery stenosis (CAS). The underlying risk factors and mechanisms of these postoperative strokes are not completely understood. Our previous study showed that TMEM166-induced neuronal autophagy is involved in the development of secondary brain injury following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats. This current study aimed to investigate the role of TMEM166 in ischemic stroke following CEA. In the clinical part of this study, the quantitative analysis demonstrated circulating TMEM166, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were significantly elevated in patients who suffered an ischemic stroke after CEA compared to those who did not. Furthermore, non-survivors exhibited higher levels of these proteins than survivors. In the preclinical part of this study, a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was implemented following CAS simulation in TMEM166 -/- mice. We found TMEM166 expression was positively correlated with the degree of ischemic brain injury. Ad5-TMEM166 transfection aggravated ischemic brain injury by inducing microglial autophagy activation and release of inflammatory cytokines. Accordingly, TMEM166 deficiency reduced brain inflammation and inhibited excessive microglial autophagy through the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. These findings suggest that TMEM166 may play a key role in the development of ischemic injury after CEA and may serve as a biomarker for risk assessment of postoperative ischemic stroke.