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Lung cancer is a malignant tumor with a high incidence, it is vital to identify modifiable and avoidable risk factors for primary prevention, which can significantly lower the risk of cancer by preventing exposure to hazards and altering risky behavior. Some observational studies suggest that an increase in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) consumption can reduce lung cancer risk. However, interpretation of these observational findings is difficult due to residual confounding or reverse causality. To evaluate the link between DHA and lung cancer, we have undertaken this analysis to examine the causal association between DHA and the risk of lung cancer using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) framework.We performed a two-sample MR analysis to evaluate the causal effect of plasma DHA levels on lung cancer risk. For the exposure data, we extracted genetic variants as instrumental variables (IVs) that are strongly associated with DHA from a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS). We obtained the corresponding effect estimates for IVs on the risk of lung cancer with 11,348 cases and 15,861 controls. Finally, we applied Mendelian randomization analysis to obtain preliminary MR results and performed sensitivity analyses to verify the robustness of our results.According to the primary MR estimates and further sensitivity analyses, a higher serum DHA level was associated with a higher risk of lung cancer [OR = 1.159, 95% CI (1.04-1.30), P = 0.01]. For lung adenocarcinoma, the results also showed a close correlation between the DHA level and lung adenocarcinoma [OR = 1.277, 95% CI (1.09-1.50), P = 0.003], but it was not statistically significant for squamous cell carcinoma [OR = 1.071, 95% CI (0.89-1.29), P = 0.467].Our study revealed that plasma DHA is positively associated with the risk of lung cancer overall, especially for lung adenocarcinoma. This study provides new information to develop dietary guidelines for primary lung cancer prevention.

The electrochemical formation of Sc-Cu alloy was investigated in LiF-CaF2 eutectic molten salt employing various electrochemical methods. Cyclic voltammetry and square wave voltammetry indicate that the reduction of scandium(III) on the tungsten electrode is a one-step reduction process with three electrons transfer. As well as underpotential deposition of scandium on the copper electrode occurs owing to the depolarization effect, i.e., forming Sc-Cu intermetallic compounds. The thermodynamic properties of the Sc-Cu intermetallic compounds ScCu4, ScCu2, and ScCu in the temperature range of 1153–1223 K were estimated by open-circuit chronopotentiometry. Moreover, the Sc-Cu alloy were prepared by potentiostatic electrolysis and characterized by optical microscope, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The results reveal that only Sc-Cu alloy composed of Cu-ScCu4 can be synthesized at low cathodic current density and above eutectic temperature.

Germline stem cells (GSCs) are critical for the reproduction of an organism. The self-renewal and differentiation of GSCs must be tightly controlled to avoid uncontrolled stem cell proliferation or premature stem cell differentiation. However, how the self-renewal and differentiation of GSCs are properly controlled is not fully understood. Here, we find that the novel intrinsic factor Yun is required for female GSC maintenance in Drosophila. GSCs undergo precocious differentiation due to de-repression of differentiation factor Bam by defective BMP/Dpp signaling in the absence of yun. Mechanistically, Yun associates with and stabilizes Thickveins (Tkv), the type I receptor of Dpp/BMP signaling. Finally, ectopic expression of a constitutively active Tkv (Tkv

Background Computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiography as the first-line diagnosis tool of acute pulmonary embolism (PE), might improve this discriminatory power. We aimed to developed a simply tool combining multi-CT parameters to complete individualized risk assessment of deterioration in non-high-risk patients with acute PE at admission. Method Consecutive non-high-risk patients with acute PE who were treated in a Chinese center during 2010–2021, were collected.Prognosis-related CT parameters were reviewed. Deterioration was defined as any adverse event within 30 day after admission. Eligible patients were randomized into derivation and validation cohorts. In the derivation cohort, CT parameters were screened for importance using classification tree methodology and enrolled variables was partitioned via curve-fitting and dose-response analysis. A nomogram was developed and the predictive power in both cohorts was evaluated based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). Result A total of 1001 patients were included. The preliminary analyses revealed that deterioration risk was related to the right-to-left ventricular diameter ratio at 4-chamber view, pulmonary vein filling abnormality. After a curve-fitting to deterioration risk, these parameters were partitioned and used to develop a nomogram, which had AUROC values of 0.91 (95% CI: 0.87–0.96) in the derivation cohort and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.81–0.97) in the validation cohort. A web-based version of the radiomics scoring tool was published online for use in clinical practice ( https://acutepeprediction.shinyapps.io/Radiomics_Predictive_Tool/ ). Conclusion This simply tool can complete rapid estimation of deterioration risk among non-high-risk acute PE patients at admission.

During tumorigenesis, tumor cells interact intimately with their surrounding cells (microenvironment) for their growth and progression. However, the roles of tumor microenvironment in tumor development and progression are not fully understood. Here, using an established benign tumor model in adult Drosophila intestines, we find that non-cell autonomous autophagy (NAA) is induced in tumor surrounding neighbor cells. Tumor growth can be significantly suppressed by genetic ablation of autophagy induction in tumor neighboring cells, indicating that tumor neighboring cells act as tumor microenvironment to promote tumor growth. Autophagy in tumor neighboring cells is induced downstream of elevated ROS and activated JNK signaling in tumor cells. Interestingly, we find that active transport of nutrients, such as amino acids, from tumor neighboring cells sustains tumor growth, and increasing nutrient availability could significantly restore tumor growth. Together, these data demonstrate that tumor cells take advantage of their surrounding normal neighbor cells as nutrient sources through NAA to meet their high metabolic demand for growth and progression. Thus we provide insights into our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the interaction between tumor cells and their microenvironment in tumor development.

Investigating the use of exhaled breath analysis to diagnose and monitor different diseases has attracted much interest in recent years. This review introduces conventionally used methods and some emerging technologies aimed at breath analysis and their relevance to lung disease, airway inflammation, gastrointestinal disorders, metabolic disorders and kidney diseases. One section correlates breath components and specific diseases, whereas the other discusses some unique ideas, strategies, and devices to analyze exhaled breath for the diagnosis of some common diseases. This review aims to briefly introduce the potential application of exhaled breath analysis for the diagnosis and screening of various diseases, thereby providing a new avenue for the detection of non-invasive diseases.

Recurrent oral erythema multiforme (ROEM) is now accepted as a less-recognized subtype of erythema multiforme (EM). The diagnosis is based on the exclusion of other similar diseases; typical clinical features, such as mutiple recurrent irregular painful erosions of oral mucosa without skin lesions, and, frequently, evidence of past herpes simplex virus infection. Here, we report 3 cases diagnosed as ROEM according to the 3 characteristics mentioned before. In addition, the article reviews the epidemiology, etiology, clinical manifestations, basis for diagnosis, and treatment of ROEM and highlights the need for prophylaxis.

Masks are key to personal protection and their bacteriostatic properties, which are generally overlooked, should be maximized. Towards this goal, a YPS-Pr-Li/BC upconversion antibacterial composite film was prepared by mixing upconversion powder with bacterial cellulose (BC) using a vacuum assisted method. When combined with the low surface energy of stearic acid (STA), the resulting YPS-Pr-Li/BC/STA film had an improved hydrophobic surface. The developed film was characterized by FT-IR, SEM, XRD, and fluorescence spectrophotometry. The results showed that the composite film was successfully prepared and had ultraviolet, visible upconversion luminescence. The bacteriostatic experiments showed that the material had excellent bacteriostatic performance against E. coli and S. aureus under visible light, with a bacteriostatic rate reaching 99 %. The in-vitro cytotoxicity tests showed that YPS-Pr-Li/BC/STA had excellent biocompatibility and could be used in personal protective clothing with close contact with human skin.

A novel metallic bump assisted weld bonding (MBaWB) process was proposed to join Al and steel sheets, aiming to systematically resolve the over-thick intermetallic compound (IMC) layer, corrosion and deformation issues of Al-steel resistance spot-welded joints. The nugget morphology, microstructure and mechanical properties of the MBaWB welds were investigated in this paper. Compared with the traditional resistance spot weld bonding (RSWB) process, the MBaWB welds achieved larger Al nugget, fewer defects, and thinner IMC layer, benefited from the introduction of a Si-riched metallic bump to expel the residual adhesive, to change the heat distribution, and to inhibit the growth of IMC layer. As a result, the MBaWB process achieved approximately 47.0 % improvement in lap-shear strength of uncured joints. For cured joints, the coach-peel strength and energy absorption of MBaWB joints reached 51.2 % improvement and about 6.3 times higher than that of the RSWB joints, respectively.

Herein, novel plasmonic Bi metal in situ deposited in reduced TiO2 microspheres (Bi@R-TiO2) are fabricated via a bimetallic MOF-derived synthesized strategy by adjusting the synthesizing temperature. Different characterization techniques, including XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, DRS, PL, EIS, and photocurrent generation, are performed to investigate the structural and optical properties of the as-prepared samples. The results indicate that the Bi particles are generated inside and outside of reduced TiO2 microspheres via the reduction of Ti4+ and Bi3+ by ethylene glycol. When the annealing temperature is controlled at 300 °C, the corresponding Bi@R-TiO2-300 sample with an appropriate amount of Bi nanoparticles exhibits the highest full solar spectrum photocatalytic oxygen evolution activity (4728.709 μmol h−1 g−1), which is 5.9 and 9.5 times higher than that of pure TiO2 and Bi-Ti bimetal organic frameworks (Bi-Ti-MOFs). Several reasons are suggested for the above results: (1) Bi metal behaves as an “electron acceptor” to accelerate the charge carrier transfer from TiO2 to Bi; (2) The surface plasmon resonance effect of loaded metallic Bi particles can enhance the visible and NIR light absorption capacity; (3) The generation of Ti3+ further narrows the band gap of TiO2.

Intracellular pH and redox states are critical for multiple processes and partly determine cell behavior. Here, we developed a genetically encoded dual-function probe, named p H and redox-sensitive fluorescent protein (pHaROS), for simultaneous real-time detection of changes in redox potential and pH in living cells. pHaROS consists of the Arabidopsis flavin mononucleotide-binding fluorescent protein iLOV and an mKATE variant, mBeRFP. Using pHaROS in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells, we confirmed that H2O2 raises the overall redox potential of the cell and found that this increase is accompanied by a decrease in cytosolic pH. Furthermore, we observed spatiotemporal pH and redox homeostasis within the nucleus at various stages of the cell cycle in budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) during cellular development and responses to oxidative stress. Importantly, we could tailor pHaROS to specific applications, including measurements in different organelles and cell types and the GSH/GSSG ratio, highlighting pHaROS's high flexibility and versatility. In summary, we have developed pHaROS as a dual-function probe that can be used for simultaneously measuring cellular pH and redox potential, representing a very promising tool for determining the cross-talk between intracellular redox- and pH-signaling processes in yeast and mammalian U87 cell.

Cleaner aerobic fermentation with high efficiency is of great significance to microbial production. In an aerobic fermentation process, gas holdup and power consumption are main indexes for its performance evaluation. Based on CFD-Taguchi method, effects of control factors of impeller type, gas flow rate and agitation speed on gas holdup and power consumption were studied, by taking pullulan fermentation of Aureobasidium pullulans in a stirred tank bioreactor as a case study. Innovatively, three representative viscosity stages and their corresponding viscosities were defined according to viscosity change during fermentation, so as to quantitatively optimize the fermentation process. By range analysis and analysis of variance, effects of control factors and their significant levels on fermentation performance were obtained so as to optimize the fermentation system. All control factors were significant at low viscosity stage, and insignificant at stages of medium and high viscosity except for gas flow rate at high viscosity stage (p