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This study presents the fabrication of an all‐solid‐state lithium‐ion battery using lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4; LMO) as the cathode, graphite (C), and carbon‐coated magnesium (MgC) as the anode, along with a silicate‐based solid electrolyte. To assess the charge/discharge mechanism, three polymeric membranes with varying weight percentages (5%, 30%, and 50%) of magnesium silicate are produced through battery‐cloth deposition (BCD) for use as the solid electrolyte. The findings reveal that enhancing the magnesium silicate content in the solid electrolyte (particularly at 50%) results in an increased specific capacity of the battery. The MgC anode exhibits a peak capacity of approximately 780 mAh/g during the third cycle, maintaining capacity retention of 100% over 26 cycles, addressing the issues of low specific capacity and self‐discharge in the solid‐state Li‐ion battery. Nevertheless, prolonged charge/discharge testing leads to an escalation in the surface roughness and porosity of the carbon coating on the MgC anode, resulting in a decline in capacity. These results demonstrate that the LMO‐BCD‐MgC battery system proposed in this study is a secure, eco‐friendly, and cost‐effective option with potential applications in energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 7‐month‐old, female, entire Maltese × Shih Tzu × Bichon Frise puppy was presented for vomiting, diarrhoea, inappetence and lethargy. On physical examination, abdominal pain and purulent vulvar discharge was noted. Vital signs were within normal limits. Abdominal radiographs and abdominal ultrasound revealed an enlarged, fluid‐filled uterus. Ovariohysterectomy was performed, and pyometra was confirmed on histopathology of the uterus. The puppy made a full recovery with no complications. This case report aims to raise awareness among readers that pyometra can occur independently in puppies in the absence of underlying cystic endometrial hyperplasia and highlights the importance of visual inspection of the external genitalia during physical examination, especially in entire animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis causes multiple organ injuries, among which the heart is one most severely damaged organ. Melatonin (MEL) alleviates septic myocardial injury, although a systematic and comprehensive approach is still lacking to understand the precise protective machinery of MEL. This study aimed to examine the underlying mechanisms of MEL on improvement of septic myocardial injury at a systematic level. This study integrated three analytic modalities including database investigations, RNA-seq analysis, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WCGNA), in order to acquire a set of genes associated with the pathogenesis of sepsis. The Drugbank database was employed to predict genes that may serve as pharmacological targets for MEL-elicited benefits, if any. A pharmacological protein-protein interaction network was subsequently constructed, and 66 hub genes were captured which were enriched in a variety of immune response pathways. Notably, PIK3CG, one of the hub genes, displayed high topological characteristic values, strongly suggesting its promise as a novel target for MEL-evoked treatment of septic myocardial injury. Importantly, molecular docking simulation experiments as well as in vitro and in vivo studies supported an essential role for PIK3CG in MEL-elicited effect on septic myocardial injury. This study systematically clarified the mechanisms of MEL intervention in septic myocardial injury involved multiple targets and multiple pathways. Moreover, PIK3CG-governed signaling cascade plays an important role in the etiology of sepsis and septic myocardial injury. Findings from our study provide valuable information on novel intervention targets for the management of septic myocardial injury. More importantly, this study has indicated the utility of combining a series of techniques for disease target discovery and exploration of possible drug targets, which should shed some light on elucidation of experimental and clinical drug action mechanisms systematically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urological cancers are among the most common malignancies around the world. In particular, bladder cancer severely threatens human health due to its aggressive and heterogeneous nature. Various therapeutic modalities have been considered for the treatment of bladder cancer although its prognosis remains unfavorable. It is perceived that treatment of bladder cancer depends on an interdisciplinary approach combining biology and engineering. The nanotechnological approaches have been introduced in the treatment of various cancers, especially bladder cancer. The current review aims to emphasize and highlight possible applications of nanomedicine in eradication of bladder tumor. Nanoparticles can improve efficacy of drugs in bladder cancer therapy through elevating their bioavailability. The potential of genetic tools such as siRNA and miRNA in gene expression regulation can be boosted using nanostructures by facilitating their internalization and accumulation at tumor sites and cells. Nanoparticles can provide photodynamic and photothermal therapy for ROS overgeneration and hyperthermia, respectively, in the suppression of bladder cancer. Furthermore, remodeling of tumor microenvironment and infiltration of immune cells for the purpose of immunotherapy are achieved through cargo-loaded nanocarriers. Nanocarriers are mainly internalized in bladder tumor cells by endocytosis, and proper design of smart nanoparticles such as pH-, redox-, and light-responsive nanocarriers is of importance for targeted tumor therapy. Bladder cancer biomarkers can be detected using nanoparticles for timely diagnosis of patients. Based on their accumulation at the tumor site, they can be employed for tumor imaging. The clinical translation and challenges are also covered in current review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erianin is a small-molecule compound that is isolated from Dendrobium chrysotoxum Lindl. In recent years, it has been found to have evident antitumor activity in various cancers, such as bladder cancer, cervical cancer, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. In this study, we assessed the effect of erianin on lung cancer in terms of cell growth inhibition and the related mechanism. First, erianin at a concentration of less than 1 nmol/L exhibited cytotoxicity in H1975, A549, LLC lung cancer cells, did not cause marked growth inhibition in normal lung and kidney cells, induced obvious apoptosis and G2/M phase arrest of cells, and inhibited the migration and invasion of lung cancer cells in vitro. Second, in a mouse xenograft model of lewis lung cancer (LLC), oral administration of erianin (50, 35, and 10 mg kg-1  day-1 for 12 days) substantially inhibited nodule growth, reduced the fluorescence counts of lewis cells and the percentage vascularity of tumor tissues, increased the number of apoptotic tumor cells, the thymus indices, up-regulated the levels of interleukin (IL)-2 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), decreased IL-10 levels and the spleen index, and enhanced immune function. Lastly, the possible targets of erianin were determined by molecular docking and verified via western blot assay. The results indicated that erianin may achieve the above effects via inhibiting the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway in vitro and vivo. Taken together, the results showed that erianin had obvious antitumor effects via inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in vitro and vivo and may have potential clinical value for the treatment of lung cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA) gel is a widely used dermal filler for the correction of facial volume loss. The relationship between the characteristics of HA and clinical efficacy remains unclear. The aim of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to compare the efficacy and safety of monophasic and biphasic HA in the treatment of nasolabial folds (NLFs). Methods: Studies were identified by searching the electronic databases PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science from inception to May 2021. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were selected according to the inclusion criteria. Outcomes included the Wrinkle Severity Rating Scale (WSRS) score, Global Aesthetic Improvement Scale score, and incidence of adverse events. Results: A total of 1190 patients from 14 RCTs were included in the meta‐analysis. The mean WSRS score improvement in the biphasic HA group was much lower than that in the monophasic HA group (MD = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.16–0.20, p < 0.00001). The subject satisfaction percentage was significantly higher for monophasic than biphasic HA (RR = 1.95, 95% CI: 1.09–3.48, p = 0.02). There was no significant difference in the adverse event rate between the monophasic and biphasic HA groups (RR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.75–1.24, p = 0.77). Conclusions: Regardless of whether improvement in NLFs or patient satisfaction is considered, monophasic HA is better than biphasic HA. Regarding the adverse event rate, there is no difference between monophasic and biphasic HA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]