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Rapid and effective control of non‐compressible massive hemorrhage poses a great challenge in first‐aid and clinical settings. Herein, a biopolymer‐based powder is developed for the control of non‐compressible hemorrhage. The powder is designed to facilitate rapid hemostasis by its excellent hydrophilicity, great specific surface area, and adaptability to the shape of wound, enabling it to rapidly absorb fluid from the wound. Specifically, the powder can undergo sequential cross‐linking based on "click" chemistry and Schiff base reaction upon contact with the blood, leading to rapid self‐gelling. It also exhibits robust tissue adhesion through covalent/non‐covalent interactions with the tissues (adhesive strength: 89.57 ± 6.62 KPa, which is 3.75 times that of fibrin glue). Collectively, this material leverages the fortes of powder and hydrogel. Experiments with animal models for severe bleeding have shown that it can reduce the blood loss by 48.9%. Studies on the hemostatic mechanism also revealed that, apart from its physical sealing effect, the powder can enhance blood cell adhesion, capture fibrinogen, and synergistically induce the formation of fibrin networks. Taken together, this hemostatic powder has the advantages for convenient preparation, sprayable use, and reliable hemostatic effect, conferring it with a great potential for the control of non‐compressible hemorrhage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Living cell‐based drug delivery systems (LC‐DDSs) are limited by adverse interactions between drugs and carrier cells, typically drug‐induced toxicity to carrier cells and restriction of carrier cells on drug release. Here, a method is established to adsorb nanocarriers externally to living cells, thereby reducing cytotoxicity caused by drug uptake and realizing improved drug release at the disease site. It is found that a divalent metal ion‐phenolic network (MPN) affords adhesion of poly (lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) nanoparticles onto macrophage (Mφ) surfaces with minimized intracellular uptake and no negative effect on cell proliferation. On this basis, an Mφ‐DDS with doxorubicin‐loaded nanoparticles on cell surface (DOX‐NP@Mφ) is constructed. Compared to intracellular loading via endocytosis, this method well‐maintains bioactivity (viability and migration chemotaxis) of the carrier cell. By virtue of the photothermal effect of MPN at the tumor site, DOX‐NP‐associated vesicles are liberated for improved chemotherapy. This facile, benign, and efficient method (ice bath, 2 min) for extracellular nanoparticle attachment and minimizing intracellular uptake provides a platform technology for LC‐DDS development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) was uniformly dispersed in high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) using a large amount of surfactant, and composites were prepared after removing the surfactant at different contents. The structural, morphological, thermal, and tensile properties of these composites were systematically investigated. The results demonstrated an asymptotic relationship between the amount of surfactant removed and the number of removal cycles. A negative linear correlation was observed between the surfactant content and the tensile strength, tensile modulus, and storage modulus at −20 °C of the composites, while a positive linear correlation was found with the loss modulus at −20 °C. Excessive surfactant adversely affected the dispersion of MFC, as well as the mechanical properties and thermal stability of the composites. However, when the surfactant content was below 2.8%, its impact on the composite properties was minimal, and the tensile strength, modulus, and thermal stability of the composites were significantly improved compared to neat HDPE. These findings indicate that surfactant pretreatment is an effective strategy for dispersing MFC in non‐polar polymers, and controlling the surfactant content in the final product can effectively tailor the properties of the resulting composites. Confirms the relationship between surfactant content and MFC/HDPE composite properties. Surfactant content showed an asymptotic relationship with removal cycles. Surfactant content and mechanical properties exhibited a negative linear correlation. Surfactant content and thermal stability exhibited a negative relationship. Surfactant content had minor impact when below 2.8%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Uncontrolled bleeding following trauma is associated with a high risk of death. Here, an emerging kaolinite nanoclay composite (iron oxide‐kaolinite, α‐Fe2O3‐kaolinKAc) is developed, based on the natural hemostat hematitum used in traditional Chinese medicine to effectively control hemorrhage. α‐Fe2O3‐kaolinKAc stops bleeding in ≈183 ± 16 s and exhibits higher hemostatic activity than the related compounds FeOOH‐kaolinKAc (298 ± 14 s), γ‐Fe2O3‐kaolinKAc (212 ± 11 s), and Fe3O4‐kaolinKAc (218 ± 15 s). This rapid effect is attributed to efficient absorption of the fluid in blood, activation of blood platelets, and induction of the coagulation cascade by kaolinite and the aggregation of red blood cells induced by α‐Fe2O3. α‐Fe2O3‐kaolinKAc shows slight hemolysis (<0.11%) as compared to kaolinite (30%), which accelerates wound healing. The biocompatibility, hemostatic activity, and low cost of α‐Fe2O3‐kaolinKAc make it a safe and effective agent for preventing massive blood loss after traumatic injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To explore the association between the Arg972 insulin receptor substrate ( IRS)-1 polymorphism (rs1801278) and the risk and disease activity/severity of rheumatoid arthritis ( RA). Method We genotyped the Arg972 IRS-1 polymorphism in 871 pairs of age-, sex-, body mass index-, residence area- and current smoking status-matched RA patients and controls. We assessed RA severity using the disease activity score of 28 joints ( DAS28). Results The AA (homozygous Arg972 IRS-1) and GA (heterozygous Arg972 IRS-1) genotypes were significantly associated with high risk of RA with or without adjustment for comorbidities ( P < 0.001). The A allele was significantly associated with high risk of RA ( P < 0.001). The AA genotype was significantly associated with high/severe RA activity ( P < 0.001), while the GG genotype (wild type IRS-1) had protective effects. Conclusion The Arg972 IRS-1 polymorphism is associated with increased risk and disease activity/severity of RA, and therefore may be a potential prognostic factor for RA. This study adds novel insights into the pathogenesis of RA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this review was to provide an updated summary estimation of the accuracy of visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and with Lugol's iodine (VILI) in detecting cervical cancer and precancer. Studies on VIA/VILI accuracy were eligible in which VIA/VILI was performed on asymptomatic women who all underwent confirmatory testing of histology, combination of colposcopy and histology, or combination of multiple screening tests, colposcopy and histology, to detect cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+ or CIN3+). A bivariate model was fitted to estimate the accuracy of VIA/VILI and provide estimates of heterogeneity. Subgroup analysis was used to investigate the source of heterogeneity. A total of 29 studies on VIA and 19 studies on VILI were included finally in the meta-analysis. The summary sensitivity and specificity of VIA for CIN2+ were 73.2% (95%CI: 66.5-80.0%) and 86.7% (95%CI: 82.9-90.4%), respectively, and those for VILI were 88.1% (95%CI: 81.5-94.7%) and 85.9% (95%CI: 81.7-90.0%), respectively. VIA and VILI were both more sensitive in detecting more severe outcome, although there was a slight loss in specificity. Apparent heterogeneity existed in sensitivity and specificity for both VIA and VILI. High sensitivity of both VIA and VILI for CIN2+ was found when a combination of colposcopy and histology was used as disease confirmation. VIA, VILI, even a combination of them in parallel, could be good options for cervical screening in low-resource settings. Significant differences in sensitivity between different gold standards might provide a proxy for optimization of ongoing cervical cancer screening programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: It has been reported that metron factor-1 (MF-1), an engineered chimerical factor containing selected functional domains of hepatocyte growth factor and macrophage-stimulating protein (HGF-MSP), could prevent apoptosis and have an anti-inflammatory effect. In this study, we investigate the protective effect of MF-1 on liver ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. METHODS: Overall 30 Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: the I/R model group (n = 12), the MF-1 treatment group (n = 12), and the sham-operated group (n = 6). Liver I/R injury was induced by clamping the blood supply to the left and median lobes of liver by an atraumatic clamp for 90 min, then removing the clamp and allowing reperfusion. Blood samples were obtained on days 1, 2, 3 and 7 to assess liver biochemistry and the histology of liver tissue. Levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), nitric oxide (NO), endothelial nitric oxide synthase and inducible nitric oxide synthase were measured. In addition, the antioxidative effect of MF-1 on hepatocytes was assessed in vitro. RESULTS: MF-1 treatment improved the rat survival rate significantly (P < 0.05). Liver biochemistry and histological changes were significantly ameliorated. MDA increased and SOD and NO decreased in the liver tissue. In vitro, MF-1 protected the human hepatic cell line HL-7702 from damage of oxidative stress. CONCLUSION: MF-1 could protect the liver from I/R injury, which might involve the reduction of oxygen free radicals and the increase of NO synthesis in an injured liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We identified a novel mutation Ala178fs/105 missing S3–S6 and C-terminus portions of KCNQ1 channel. Ala178fs/105-KCNQ1 expressed in COS-7 cells demonstrated no current expression. Co-expression with wild-type (WT) revealed a dominant-negative effect, which suggests the formation of hetero-multimer by mutant and WT. Confocal laser microscopy displayed intracellular retention of Ala178fs/105-KCNQ1 protein. Co-expression of the mutant and WT also increased intracellular retention of channel protein compared to WT alone. Our findings suggest a novel mechanism for LQT1 that the truncated S1–S2 KCNQ1 mutant forms hetero-multimer and cause a dominant-negative effect due to trafficking defect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background. The extensive deployment of molecular genotyping methods is the top reliable keyword to characterize the population genetic structure of C. neoformans in the past decade. However, studies involving genotypic analysis of C. neoformans var. grubii from China and Japan are limited. Objectives. We address this challenge to determine the genotype distribution of C. neoformans var. grubii strains from China and Japan. Methods. Genotypic analysis of 52 C. neoformans var. grubii isolates was performed using multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) based on the sequence analysis of 3 functional genes. In order to place the herein-studied strains into the global picture, 22 strains randomly selected from the 52 strains studied by MLMT were also analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the orotidine monophosphate pyrophosphorylase gene (URA5-RFLP), M13 PCR-fingerprinting, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Results. MLMT classified 46 (88.5%) of the 52 strains as genotype MLMT-17. The high prevalence of the MLMT-17 type was observed for environmental and clinical isolates from China and Japan. URA5-RFLP analysis, M13 PCR-fingerprinting, and MLST showed that most of these belong to the VNI/ST5 (M5) genotype. Conclusions. Our study suggests the predominance of a specific genotype of C. neoformans var. grubii in China and Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title compound, C20H32O5.H2O, crystallizes in the non-centrosymmetric space group C2. The molecular skeleton consists of an irregular 14-membered ring and a nearly twist–boat seven-membered γ-lactone ring with a trans connection. In the solid-state structure, cembradienolide and water mol­ecules form an R22(7) motif through O—H⋯O W and O W—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, while adjacent mol­ecules form an infinite chain, described by graph-set motif C22(12), along the c axis via O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the title compound, C15H20O3, molecules are linked in an infinite chain along the a axis, with graph-set motifs (12) or (14), through O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]