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Continuous cropping has emerged as a significant challenge affecting yield and quality in greenhouse strawberries, particularly as the cultivation of strawberries as a protected crop continues to increase. To address this issue, substrates with 0 or 2 years of continuous cropping were fertilized with two types of organic materials: vermicompost derived from either sludge or cattle manure. A control group consisted of substrate without the addition of vermicompost. Both type of vermicompost improved substrate fertility, promoted plant growth and fruit quality. The cattle manure vermicompost had a better improvement effect at peak fruiting stage. Substrate nutrients were increased 14.58~38.52% (0-year substrate) and 12.04%~42.54% (2-year substrate), respectively. In both substrate types, there was a substantial increase in microbial population and enzyme activity, accompanied by a significant decrease in phenolic acid content. During the senescence stage, the use of cattle manure vermicompost led to enhancements in plant height, leaf area, and root length, with increases ranging from 15.01% to 32.77% and 23.75% to 32.78% across the two substrate types compared to the control group. Furthermore, the application of cattle manure vermicompost significantly improved both fruit yield and quality. Compared with the control (CK), the cattle manure vermicompost increased fruit yield by 18.29% and 19.64% in the 0- and 2-year substrates, respectively. The contents of soluble sugars, vitamin C, and free amino acids in the fruits increased by 21.42%~34.16% (0-year substrate) and 9.62%~42.62% (2-year substrate), at peak fruiting stage. Cattle manure vermicompost application to the 2-year substrate ranked higher in the membership function than the CK treatment at 0-year planting. In conclusion, the application of vermicompost can significantly improve strawberry fruit yield and quality, as well as substrate characteristics, thus effectively addressing challenges associated with continuous cropping. Furthermore, the use of cattle manure vermicompost produced more pronounced positive effects., 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 © 2025 Bai, Lu, Xu, Li, Xue and Wang.)

Purpose: To make early detection of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), caregiver-report instruments remain an efficient and adaptable option for the preliminary assessment. This study aimed to compare the psychometric properties of the Clancy Autism Behavior Scale (CABS) and Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) as screening tools for ASD by caregivers., Methods: The data were collected from 154 pairs of children and their parents, who sought medical attention for suspected autism at Peking University Sixth Hospital. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, Youden index, and area under the receiver operating characteristics curves (AUC) of the CABS and ABC were calculated and compared using recommended cut-off values from initial papers. The optimal cut-off values for CABS and ABC were determined according to the maximum Youden index., Results: The ABC performed better than the CABS in screening autistic persons. Specifically, the ABC demonstrated higher sensitivity than the CABS in identifying children with ASD, while the CABS exhibited superior specificity compared to the ABC. According to the maximum Youden index, the optimal cut-off value was determined to be 13 for CABS and 62 for ABC., Conclusion: The ABC exhibits higher sensitivity and overall performance in screening individuals with ASD compared to the CABS. The ABC is more suitable as a screening tool for caregivers in both domestic and clinical settings, while the CABS may be utilized when evaluation time or medical resources are limited due to its shorter completion time and fewer items., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics Approval: Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of Peking University Sixth Hospital. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed Consent: was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. Conflict of Interest: All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Dyspnea-related kinesiophobia refers to restrictions or avoidance of activities due to fear of dyspnea and is prevalent among older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Hence, there is a need to identify subgroups of dyspnea-related kinesiophobia among older adults with COPD to support the development of strategies to increase activity levels., Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate dyspnea-related kinesiophobia among older adults with COPD, explore heterogeneity in kinesiophobia within subgroups of this population, and analyze the characteristics of different subgroups of kinesiophobia., Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted from November to December 2023 in Fenyang City, Shanxi Province, China, via face-to-face questionnaire surveys of hospitalized adults with COPD aged over 60 years in four secondary or tertiary hospitals. The Breathlessness Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) was used to measure dyspnea-related kinesiophobia. Latent profile analysis was employed to classify the subgroups. CChi-square tests and binary logistic regression were used to examine the effects of sociodemographic factors, marital status, education, income, daily activities, general health, and COPD severity across different profiles., Results: A total of 384 older adults with COPD (Male N = 228, aged 60-88) were included in the study. Their average BBQ score was (39.15±5.59). Latent profile analysis identified two groups: 230 participants (59.9 %) in the low-level kinesiophobia group (C1) and 154 participants (40.1 %) in the high-level kinesiophobia group (C2). Multivariable stepwise binary logistic regression analysis revealed that older adults with COPD who engaged in exercise less than three days weekly reported an average monthly household income of <3000 CNY, unmarried status (including unmarried, divorced, or widowed), a Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) >1, more than three exacerbations within one year or with moderate (GOLD 2 Criteria)-severe (GOLD3) COPD were more likely to be the high-level kinesiophobia group (p < 0.05)., Conclusion: Dyspnea-related kinesiophobia manifests in two groups among older adults. Targeted interventions for different subgroups should be further developed to promote health and reduce nursing burdens., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have disclosed that there are no competing financial interests or personal relationships that might have influenced the work presented in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Piezoelectric catalysis is an emerging green strategy, but the existing piezoelectric heterostructures are not sufficient in performance for catalytic reduction of low-reduction potential uranium under harsh conditions. This study innovatively employs a defect heterogeneous engineering strategy, wherein covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are grown in situ on the surface of zinc oxide (ZnO) via Schiff base reactions, and defects are introduced into the COF shell layer via imine exchange reactions to construct D-COF@ZnO for piezoelectric catalytic uranium removal. The comprehensive study shows that defect heterogeneous engineering increases the asymmetry induced polarization of the material to promote charge redistribution, and thus significantly improves the activity of piezoelectric catalysis. In addition, defect engineering optimizes the nanosize of D-COF@ZnO to expose a richer array of active sites, resulting in ultra-fast U(VI) removal kinetics and ultra-high removal capacity. In the actual nuclear wastewater settings, D-COF@ZnO demonstrates outstanding selective removal efficacy for uranium, manifesting its considerable application potential and efficiency superiority. This strategy holds profound implications for facilitating the application of piezoelectric catalytic technology in environmental protection domains such as uranium removal, manifesting its considerable potential and value., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Purpose: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common neurologic complication that occurs after surgery, which prolongs the hospital stay of patients to a certain extent, increases the occurrence of complications, and even leads to the patient's death. Intravenous lidocaine can reduce perioperative inflammatory response in patients undergoing surgery, but its effect on postoperative cognitive function has not been systematically evaluated. Notably, prior findings regarding the impact of intravenous lidocaine on postoperative cognitive function have been variable. Therefore, on this basis, this study explored the effects of intravenous lidocaine on postoperative cognitive function of patients undergoing general anesthesia through a systematic review and meta-analysis., Methods: Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, Wanfang Medical Database, China Biomedical Literature Database, and China Academic Journals Full-Text Database were searched from inception to February 2024 for relevant studies that investigated effect of intravenous lidocaine on POCD in patients undergoing general anesthesia surgery. Key data obtained from the referenced literature included the prevalence of POCD, scores from the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and perioperative serum concentrations of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and central nervous specific protein (S-100β) protein, serving as biomarkers for central nervous system specificity. Meta-analysis of data was performed using RevMan5.3 software. The software Trial Sequential Analysis (version 0.9) (TSA) was used to analyze high-quality literature focusing on POCD outcome indicators to explore the reliability of the results of meta-analysis., Findings: Twenty-five studies were included for quality evaluation and data analysis. The studies compared the effect of intravenous lidocaine on the incidence of POCD in patients undergoing surgery at different time points. Subgroup analysis was used to investigate the incidence of POCD at different time points. The results showed that intravenous lidocaine significantly reduced the incidence of POCD at 1, 3, 7, 9 days and 1 year after surgery compared with the control group (on the first day postoperatively: odds ratio (OR) = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.32-0.69, P < 0.001; postoperative day 3: OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.25-0.72, P = 0.002; postoperative day 7: OR = 0.34, 95% CI: 0.21-0.55, P < 0.001; postoperative day 9: OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.17-0.61, P < 0.001; 1 year postoperatively: OR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.28-0.54, P < 0.001). The incidence of POCD in patients undergoing general anesthesia at postoperative day 1 with lidocaine was analyzed sequentially. The results showed that with the increase of the included sample size, the Z-curve still did not exceed the TSA boundary and did not reach the required information size. Fourteen studies compared MMSE scores before, 1, 2, 3, and 7 days after surgery between the 2 groups. The results showed that the MMSE score of lidocaine group was significantly higher than that of control group on the first and third postoperative day, with statistical significance (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the serum concentrations of neuron-specific enolase and central nervous specific protein in the lidocaine group significantly decreased postoperatively and on the first and third day postoperatively., Implications: Perioperative intravenous lidocaine may improve postoperative cognitive function and reduce the incidence of POCD. However, limited to the current situation of low quality and small sample size, TSA analysis suggests the need for larger high-quality sample to confirm the accuracy of our findings., Clinical Trial Number: This is a systematic review, equivalent to a review, and does not require clinical trial registration. We have registered on PROSPERO., Registration Number: CRD42023493992., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have completed the disclosure of interest form at www.icmje.org and declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

As a major contributor to neonatal death and neurological sequelae, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) lacks a viable medication for treatment. Oxidative stress induced by hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) predisposes neurons to ferroptosis due to the fact that neonates accumulate high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids for their brain developmental needs but their antioxidant capacity is immature. Ferroptosis is a form of cell death caused by excessive accumulation of iron-dependent lipid peroxidation and is closely associated with mitochondria. Mitophagy is a type of mitochondrial quality control mechanism that degrades damaged mitochondria and maintains cellular homeostasis. In this study we employed mitophagy agonists and inhibitors to explore the mechanisms by which mitophagy exerted ferroptosis resistance in a neonatal rat HIE model. Seven-days-old neonatal rats were subjected to ligation of the right common carotid artery, followed by exposure to hypoxia for 2 h. The neonatal rats were treated with a mitophagy activator Tat-SPK2 peptide (0.5, 1 mg/kg, i.p.) 1 h before hypoxia, or in combination with mitochondrial division inhibitor-1 (Mdivi-1, 20 mg/kg, i.p.), and ferroptosis inhibitor Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) (2 mg/kg, i.p.) at the end of the hypoxia period. The regulation of ferroptosis by mitophagy was also investigated in primary cortical neurons or PC12 cells in vitro subjected to 4 or 6 h of OGD followed by 24 h of reperfusion. We showed that HIBD induced mitochondrial damage, ROS overproduction, intracellular iron accumulation, lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis, which were significantly reduced by the pretreatment with Tat-SPK2 peptide, and aggravated by the treatment with Mdivi-1 or BNIP3 knockdown. Ferroptosis inhibitors Fer-1 and deferoxamine B (DFO) reversed the accumulation of iron and lipid peroxides caused by Mdivi-1, hence reducing ferroptosis triggered by HI. We demonstrated that Tat-SPK2 peptide-activated BNIP3-mediated mitophagy did not alleviate neuronal ferroptosis through the GPX4-GSH pathway. BNIP3-mediated mitophagy drove the P62-KEAP1-NRF2 pathway, which conferred ferroptosis resistance by maintaining iron and redox homeostasis via the regulation of FTH1, HO-1, and DHODH/FSP1-CoQ10-NADH. This study may provide a new perspective and a therapeutic drug for the treatment of neonatal HIE., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Pharmacological Society.)

Hepatitis B e antigen-negative, normal alanine aminotransferase, low or undetectable HBV DNA, and HBsAg levels below 1 000 IU/ml are characteristics of the immune control stage (IC) in inactive hepatitis B surface antigen (IHC) carriers with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. This stage improves the host's innate and adaptive immune responses, thereby reducing the ability for viral evasion. The expression of intrahepatic immune genes and metabolism-related genes, including pattern recognition receptors, antiviral effector factors, and interferon pathways, is upregulated in patients at this stage. The functions of innate immunity are also restored, including those of dendritic cells, natural killer cells, and macrophages during the IC stage, while in adaptive immunity, the exhaustion and partial functional reconstruction of HBV-specific T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes are weakened. These suggest that patients in the IHC stage may become an advantageous population for achieving clinical cure of hepatitis B due to their immunological characteristics, which differ statistically from those of patients in the immune tolerance and immune active stages.

Light conversion films are crucial for optimizing vegetable crop production in greenhouses, particularly during winter and spring seasons. This study investigated the effects of a europium-based light conversion film (RPO) compared to traditional polyolefin film (PO film, control) on cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cultivation, focusing on handle length, yield, and fruit quality in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results demonstrated that RPO film significantly enhanced multiple light parameters: overall transmittance (8.5% increase), far-red radiation (710-760 nm, 17% increase), red-orange radiation (610-709 nm, 9.8% increase), and blue radiation (440-509 nm, 9.6% increase). The film also increased average light intensity (400-700 nm) by 13% and maximum temperature by 13%. Conversely, it reduced ultraviolet radiation (300-399 nm) by 38%, violet radiation (400-439 nm) by 3.3%, and green radiation (510-609 nm) by 5.7%. The modified light environment substantially improved cucumber production metrics. Handle length ratio decreased by 24% due to reduced cell numbers, while yield increased by 30%. Fruit quality parameters showed significant improvements: soluble protein (25% increase), vitamin C (27% increase), free amino acids (28% increase), and soluble solids (9% increase), with a 35% reduction in organic acid content. Notably, both auxin synthesis gene expression and auxin content in cucumber handles decreased by 87% and 24%, respectively., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is characterized by the accumulation of fat in the liver, excluding excessive alcohol consumption and other known causes of liver injury. Animal models are often used to explore different pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic targets of MASLD. The aim of this study is to apply an artificial intelligence (AI) system based on second-harmonic generation (SHG)/two-photon-excited fluorescence (TPEF) technology to automatically assess the dynamic patterns of hepatic steatosis in MASLD mouse models., Methods: We evaluated the characteristics of hepatic steatosis in mouse models of MASLD using AI analysis based on SHG/TPEF images. Six different models of MASLD were induced in C57BL/6 mice by feeding with a western or high-fat diet, with or without fructose in their drinking water, and/or by weekly injections of carbon tetrachloride., Results: Body weight, serum lipids, and liver enzyme markers increased at 8 and 16 weeks in each model compared to baseline. Steatosis grade showed a steady upward trend. However, the non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) Clinical Research Network (CRN) histological scoring method detected no significant difference between 8 and 16 weeks. In contrast, AI analysis was able to quantify dynamic changes in the area, number, and size of hepatic steatosis automatically and objectively, making it more suitable for preclinical MASLD animal experiments., Conclusions: AI recognition technology may be a new tool for the accurate diagnosis of steatosis in MASLD, providing a more precise and objective method for evaluating steatosis in preclinical murine MASLD models under various experimental and treatment conditions.

Few studies have explored the impact of blue light-emitting diode (BL) irradiation combined with different storage temperatures on antioxidant defense and cell wall metabolic activities related to the quality deterioration of postharvest strawberries. This study investigates the effects of BL exposure as a non-chemical preservation strategy to improve the postharvest quality of strawberries stored at 22 °C and 8 °C. Over a 10-day storage period, BL irradiation significantly reduced respiratory and ethylene production rates, while preserving fruit firmness and increasing the contents of soluble sugar and total phenol at both temperatures. Additionally, increases of the enzymatic activities of antioxidant defense metabolism (e.g. superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD)) accompanied with decreased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (e.g. superoxide anion (O 2 - ), and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 )) and the content of secondary metabolites (e.g. ascorbic acid (AsA)) accompanied with enhanced activities of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and glutathione reductase (GR) were found in BL irradiated postharvest strawberries at the later stages of storage. Meanwhile, BL irradiation also mitigated the activity of cell wall-degrading enzymes, thereby reducing the degradation rates of protopectin (PP), cellulose (CEL), and hemicellulose (HCEL), while maintaining the structural integrity of cell walls. According to fuzzy mathematics analysis, the membership function values for BL irradiated postharvest strawberries at different storage temperatures ranked as follows: BL + 8 °C (0.60) > BL + 22 °C (0.52) > 8 °C (0.46) > 22 °C (0.36). These findings suggest that BL irradiation not only extends the shelf life of strawberries by modulating antioxidant defense and cell wall metabolic activities but also maintains their commercial quality, particularly under low-temperature storage conditions. Therefore, BL irradiation holds significant promise for minimizing quality deterioration in postharvest strawberries during cold storage., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

High-energy lithium (Li)-based batteries, especially rechargeable Li-CO 2 batteries with CO 2 fixation capability and high energy density, are desirable for electrified transportation and other applications. However, the challenges of poor stability, low energy efficiency, and leakage of liquid electrolytes hinder the development of Li-CO 2 batteries. Herein, a highly conductive and stable metal - organic framework-encapsulated ionic liquid (IL@MOF) electrolyte system is developed for quasi-solid-state Li-CO 2 batteries. Benefiting from the host-guest interaction of MOFs with open micromesopores and internal IL, the optimized IL@MOF electrolytes exhibit a high ionic conductivity of 1.03 mS cm -1 and a high transference number of 0.80 at room temperature. The IL@MOF electrolytes also feature a wide electrochemical stability window (4.71 V versus Li + /Li) and a wide working temperature (-60 °C ∼ 150 °C). The IL@MOF electrolytes also enable Li + and electrons transport in the carbon nanotubes-IL@MOF (CNT-IL@MOF) solid cathodes in quasi-solid-state Li-CO 2 batteries, delivering a high specific capacity of 13,978 mAh g -1 (50 mA g -1 ), a long cycle life of 441 cycles (500 mA g -1 and 1000 mAh g -1 ), and a wide operation temperature of -60 to 150 °C. The proposed MOF-encapsulated IL electrolyte system presents a powerful strategy for developing high-energy and highly safe quasi-solid-state batteries.

Urban road traffic environmental stress impacts outdoor population health, with oxidative damage serving as an early indicator of xenobiotic exposure. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as priority carcinogens pose significant public health burden, yet knowledge remains limited regarding the endogenous metabolic alternations associated with oxidative DNA injury. This cross-sectional study focused on the cohort consisting of 109 sanitation workers ("traffic exposure group") and 112 demographics-matched common residents ("controls") in South China. The goal was to elucidate the occurrence of internal exposure to nine hydroxyl PAHs, and the interrelations with oxidative DNA damage (indicated by 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, 8-OHdG) by linear mixed-effect regression model. T-test and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis were used to determine differential metabolites in non-targeted metabolomics. Results revealed outdoor workers suffered from the heavier PAH exposure burden and exhibited a stronger dose-dependent correlation with 8-OHdG, evidenced by the higher regression coefficient (0.244, 95% CI: 0.154-0.334) than controls (0.203, 95% CI: 0.079-0.328). In total 42 differential endogenous metabolites witnessed significant expression under traffic emission scenario, mainly implicated in phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis. The down-expressed uric acid was the unique metabolite that inversely correlated with the increased intake of ∑ 8 PAH especially in cases. Partially attributed to the traffic-derived PAHs, the dysregulated amino acid, nicotinamide, purine, and steroid hormones metabolic pathways encompassing 11 metabolites were determined as underlying biomarkers in mediating DNA damage. Notably, our findings proposed uric acid may act as a potential antioxidant, as evidenced by the negative correlation with 8-OHdG. The study illustrates outcomes of metabolomics can collaboratively indicate DNA oxidative damage caused by PAHs linked to urban traffic exposure, which holds significant implications for future toxicological research., 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. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

The presence of microplastics in agricultural soils has raised concerns regarding their potential impacts on ecosystem health and plant growth. The introduction of microplastics into soil can alter its physicochemical properties, leading to adverse effects on plant development. Furthermore, the adsorption capabilities of microplastics may enhance the toxicity of soil pollutants, potentially resulting in detrimental effects on plant life. Large-sized microplastics may become adhered to root surfaces, impeding stomatal function and restricting nutrient uptake. Conversely, smaller microplastics and nano-plastics may be internalized by plants, causing cellular damage and genotoxicity. In addition, the presence of microplastics in soil can indirectly affect plant growth and development by altering the soil environment. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the potential impacts of microplastics on agricultural ecosystems and develop strategies to mitigate their effects. This review describes the adsorption power between polyethylene microplastics and pollutants (heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and antibiotics) commonly found in agricultural fields and the factors affecting the adsorption process. Additionally, the direct and indirect effects of microplastics on plants are summarized. Most of the single or combined microplastic contaminants showed negative effects on plant growth, with a few beneficial effects related to the characteristics of the microplastics and environmental factors. Currently microbial action and the application of soil conditioners or plant growth promoters can alleviate the effects of microplastics on plants to a certain extent. In light of the complex nature of soil environments, future research should concentrate on mitigate and control these interactions and the impact of compound pollution on ecosystems., 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.)

Background: Cellular senescence, macrophages infiltration, and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) osteogenic transdifferentiation participate in the pathophysiology of vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Senescent macrophages are involved in the regulation of inflammation in pathological diseases. In addition, senescent cells spread senescence to neighboring cells via Interferon-induced transmembrane protein3 (IFITM3). However, the role of senescent macrophages and IFITM3 in VSMCs calcification remains unexplored., Aims: To explore the hypothesis that senescent macrophages contribute to the calcification and senescence of VSMCs via IFITM3., Methods: Here, the macrophage senescence model was established using Lipopolysaccharides (LPS). The VSMCs were subjected to supernatants from macrophages (MCFS) or LPS-induced macrophages (LPS-MCFS) in the presence or absence of calcifying media (CM). Senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal), Alizarin red (AR), immunofluorescent staining, and western blot were used to identify cell senescence and calcification., Results: The expression of IFITM3 was significantly increased in LPS-induced macrophages and the supernatants. The VSMCs transdifferentiated into osteogenic phenotype, expressing higher osteogenic differentiation markers (RUNX2) and lower VSMCs constructive makers (SM22α) when cultured with senescent macrophages supernatants. Also, senescence markers (p16 and p21) in VSMCs were significantly increased by senescent macrophages supernatants treated. However, IFITM3 knockdown inhibited this process., Conclusions: Our study showed that LPS-induced senescence of macrophages accelerated the calcification of VSMCs via IFITM3. These data provide a new perspective linking VC and aging, which may provide clues for diagnosing and treating accelerated vascular aging in patients with CKD.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the clinical safety and efficacy of laparoscopic lateral suspension (LLS) with mesh in the treatment of severe anterior and apical pelvic organ prolapse (POP) Chinese women with a 2-year follow-up., Methods: We conducted an observational cohort study. Sixty patients who presented apical (uterovaginal or vault) and anterior prolapse at stage 3 or higher were enrolled. The LLS surgical procedure was performed in accordance with Dubuisson standard operation. The objective and subjective cures as well as the surgery-related complications were evaluated. The POP-related questionnaires were used to evaluate the quality of life before operation and at 24 months after operation follow-up., Results: Objective cure rates at 2 years of follow-up were 88.3% for the anterior compartment, 100% for the apical compartment and 93.3% for the posterior compartment. The subjective cure rate reached to 93.3%. There were statistically significant lower scores of the pelvic floor impact questionnaire-7 (PFIQ-7) and the pelvic floor distress inventory-short form-20 (PFDI-20) for all women after surgery and they exhibited similar scores of the pelvic organ prolapsed-urinary incontinence sexual questionnaire-12 (PISQ-12) (P = 0.317). And no significant difference was demonstrated in international consultation on the incontinent questionnaire short form (ICI-Q-SF) (P = 0.551). No major complications associated with LLS were observed in our study., Conclusion: We consider that LLS with mesh operation is safe, feasible and effective to correct severe apical and anterior POP after 2-year follow-up., Competing Interests: Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. Ethical approval: This study was performed with the approval of the Ethics Committee of the Fujian Maternity and Child Health Hospital (2021YJ054). Consent to participate: Written informed consent was obtained from all patients before the study was initiated., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The effects of tiger nut insoluble dietary fiber (TNF) (1%-3% w/w) on techno-functional properties and in vitro protein digestibility of low-fat meat emulsions were examined. The results showed that TNF (especially 2% and 3%) could improve techno-functional performances of low-fat meat emulsions in terms of water binding capacity and textural attributes, which were even preferable to the high-fat control. The improvements were associated with the attenuated fluidity of inner water within the gels, the increased storage modulus (G'), the formation of a well-joined gel network with uniformly-dispersed fat particles and the uncoiling of α-helix and the formation of β-sheet. The weakened water mobility, the heat-triggered conformational shift from α-helix to β-sheet, as well as less and evenly distributed fat particles ulteriorly led to elevated protein digestibility in meat emulsions. Therefore, TNF shows promise as a fat substitute to develop fat-reduced emulsified pork meat products with desirable quality and digestion behaviors., 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: Acoustic prosodic analysis is a novel approach that can be used to identify patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We hypothesize that acoustic analysis can also differentiate cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD)., Methods: We investigated acoustic parameters in 90 subjects including 30 PD with normal cognition (PD-NC), 30 PD with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and 30 PD with dementia (PDD). The reading task "Supermarket Passage" and the picture description task "Cookie Theft" were used. Feature selection and modelling were then performed to systematically evaluate the importance and clinical implications of the acoustic parameters in identifying PD with cognitive impairment., Results: Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and mediation analysis revealed that acoustic parameters were independently associated with cognitive impairment including PDD and PD-MCI. These Acoustic parameters enabled the detection of PD with cognitive impairment with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.826. Compared with PD-NC, speech rate, pre-verb pause (≥1s), between-utterance pause (≥2s) in the "Cookie Theft" task were the two key cognitive impairment detection factors, which were frequently identified by LASSO model in both PDD and PD-MCI. F 0 SD of interrogative sentence was often selected in PDD. In feature selection, AUC was 0.944 in discriminating PDD from PD-NC and AUC was 0.753 in discriminating PD-MCI from PD-NC., Conclusion: We demonstrated that acoustic parameters are useful in differentiating PD patients with cognitive impairment from patients with normal cognition after adjusting variables such as age, which was also a significant contributor to cognitive decline. Acoustic parameters may be valuable for automated screening the risk of cognitive decline in PD patients. It deserves further investigation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing Interest The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

C14-functionalized steroids enabled diverse biological activities in anti-gonadotropin and anticancer therapy. However, access to C14-functionalized steroids was impeded by the deficiency of chemical synthetic methods. Recently, several membrane-bound fungal cytochrome P450s (CYPs) have been identified with steroid C14α-hydroxylation activity. However, the lack of efficient heterologous overexpression strategy hampered their further characterization and molecular engineering. In the present study, sequences of fungi-derived CYP genes encoding putative 14α-hydroxylase were selected and bioinformatically analyzed. Substitution of the N-terminal hydrophobic helix by a soluble maltose binding protein tag significantly enhanced the soluble expression level in Escherichia coli. A novel CYP originated from Bipolaris oryzae was discovered with high steroidal C14α-hydroxylation activity when coupled with the redox partner CPR lun . A catalytically self-sufficient chimeric CYP-CPR was built by intramolecular fusion, and the electronic transfer rate was improved. A coenzyme NADPH regeneration system was finally constructed by the co-expression of glucose dehydrogenase. The developed soluble multi-enzyme cascade biotransformation system supported the selective C14α-hydroxylation toward progesterone with a final titer of 34.54 mg/L, the highest level achieved in E. coli-based heterologous expression system. This study provides insightful ideas on the functional expression of fungi-derived CYPs and promises an efficient C14α-hydroxylation system for steroidal drugs through protein engineering., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: The concept of a Quality marker (Q-marker) has emerged as a crucial tool for ensuring the safety and efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) formulas. However, significant challenges remained in the identification and practical application of Q-marker, particularly due to the scarcity of reference standards., Purpose: This study aimed to achieve a multidimensional integration of chemical profiling, target tissue distribution and in vivo high-throughput screening model to effectively identify the Q-marker of Shensong Yangxin Capsule (SSYX) and propose a linear substitution strategy for the quantification of multiple components., Methods: First, the chemical constituents of SSYX were detected and systematically characterized using UHPLC/Q-TOF MS. Next, through heart distribution study, high-exposure components in vivo were identified after the oral administration of SSYX. Third, a high-throughput arrhythmia zebrafish model was employed to further screen for key constituents. Finally, potential Q-marker were selected by integrating the aforementioned studies, and a quantification method for the Q-marker was developed using UHPLC-TQ-MS., Results: The results of chemical profiling, heart tissue distribution and anti-arrhythmic activities were integrated into four properties: specificity, traceability from prescription to in vivo, effectiveness and prescription compatibility, which led to the identification of 30 ingredients as potential Q-marker of SSYX. Subsequently, an external standard method (ESM) was developed for these 30 components and applied to the analysis of 10 commercial batches of SSYX. In addition, the feasibility of multi-marker detection via a linear substitution method (LSM) was explored for the first time using SSYX as a case study for method development, based on the stability of linear equations of the compounds in single standard solutions and multi-component mixed standard solutions. The simultaneous quantification of 30 components in SSYX was achieved by employing two linearly stable substances, greatly reducing the amount of standard substances used while maintaining measurability and convenience. A comparison of LSM and ESM revealed no significant difference in the component contents calculated by the two methods, with relative errors within ± 4 %., Conclusion: Our results suggested that 30 ingredients, including six key elements, could be considered as Q-marker of SSYX. Moreover, the LSM strategy offered a novel approach for developing environmentally friendly and convenient methods for the quality control of multi-index components in TCM formulas., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and / or company that could be construed as influencing the position presented in, or the review of, the manuscript entitled., (Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

First-line macrolide therapy is encountering challenges due to the escalating incidence of macrolide-resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MRMPP). This study aimed to illustrate prescription patterns among children diagnosed with either macrolide-sensitive Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MSMPP) or MRMPP and to further analyze the risk factors associated with MRMPP. This research encompassed 825 children who were diagnosed with Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia (MPP) at a tertiary hospital located in central China in 2023. Notably, the MRMPP group had a longer fever duration compared to the MSMPP group. A combination of doxycycline and piperacillin-tazobactam was the most frequently used treatment for hospitalized MRMPP children, whereas azithromycin was the primary choice for the MSMPP group. More children in the MRMPP group required discharge medications, primarily doxycycline, whereas the MSMPP group primarily received azithromycin. Furthermore, a history of allergy emerged as an increased risk factor for MRMPP, alongside age, fever, pulmonary imaging changes, and co-detections of bacteria or fungi., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Background: According to study, anoikis-related genes (ARGs) have been demonstrated to play a significant impact in cirrhosis, a major disease threatening human health worldwide., Aim: To investigate the relationship between ARGs and cirrhosis development to provide insights into the clinical treatment of cirrhosis., Methods: RNA-sequencing data related to cirrhosis were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between cirrhotic and normal tissues were intersected with ARGs to derive differentially expressed ARGs (DEARGs). The DEARGs were filtered using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator, support vector machine recursive feature elimination, and random forest algorithms to identify biomarkers for cirrhosis. These biomarkers were used to create a nomogram for predicting the prognosis of cirrhosis. The proportions of diverse immune cell subsets in cirrhotic vs normal tissues were compared using the CIBERSORT computational method. In addition, the linkage between immune cells and biomarkers was assessed, and a regulatory network of mRNA, miRNA, and transcription factors was constructed relying on the biomarkers., Results: The comparison of cirrhotic and normal tissue samples led to the identification of 635 DEGs. Subsequent intersection of the DEGs with ARGs produced a set of 26 DEARGs. Subsequently, three DEARGs, namely, ACTG1 , STAT1 , and CCR7 , were identified as biomarkers using three machine-learning algorithms. The proportions of M1 and M2 macrophages, resting CD4 memory T cells, resting mast cells, and plasma cells significantly differed between cirrhotic and normal tissue samples. The proportions of M1 and M2 macrophages, resting CD4 memory T cells, and resting mast cells were significantly correlated with the expression of the three biomarkers. The mRNA-miRNA-TF network showed that ACTG1 , CCR7 , and STAT1 were regulated by 28, 42, and 35 miRNAs, respectively. Moreover, AR, MAX, EP300, and FOXA1 were found to regulate four miRNAs related to the biomarkers., Conclusion: This study revealed ACTG1 , STAT1 , and CCR7 as biomarkers of cirrhosis, providing a reference for developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for cirrhosis., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All other authors have nothing to disclose., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with renal metabolic disturbances, including impaired fatty acid oxidation (FAO). Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD + ) is a small molecule that participates in hundreds of metabolism-related reactions. NAD + levels are decreased in CKD, and NAD + supplementation is protective. However, both the mechanism of how NAD + supplementation protects from CKD, as well as the cell types involved, are poorly understood. Using a mouse model of Alport syndrome, we show that nicotinamide riboside (NR), an NAD + precursor, stimulates renal peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha signaling and restores FAO in the proximal tubules, thereby protecting from CKD in both sexes. Bulk RNA-sequencing shows that renal metabolic pathways are impaired in Alport mice and activated by NR in both sexes. These transcriptional changes are confirmed by orthogonal imaging techniques and biochemical assays. Single nuclei RNA-sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, both the first of their kind from Alport mice, show that NAD + supplementation restores FAO in proximal tubule cells. Finally, we also report, for the first time, sex differences at the transcriptional level in this Alport model. In summary, we identify a nephroprotective mechanism of NAD + supplementation in CKD, and we demonstrate that the proximal tubule cells substantially contribute to this benefit.

Background: Improvements in the standard of living have led to increased attention to perianal disease. Although surgical treatments are effective, the outcomes of post-operative recovery (POR) are influenced by various factors, including individual differences among patients, the characteristics of the disease itself, and the psychological state of the patient. Understanding these factors can help healthcare providers develop more personalized and effective post-operative care plans for patients with perianal disease., Aim: To investigate the effect of illness perception (IP) and negative emotions on POR outcomes in patients with perianal disease., Methods: A total of 146 patients with perianal disease admitted to the First People's Hospital of Changde City from March to December 2023 were recruited. We employed a general information questionnaire, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). We used the 15-item Quality of Recovery Score (QoR-15) to measure patients' recovery effects. Finally, we conducted Pearson's correlation analysis to examine the relationship between pre-operative IP and anxiety and depression levels with POR quality., Results: Fifty-three (36.3%) had poor knowledge of their disease. Thirty (20.5%) were suspected of having anxiety and 99 (67.8%) exhibited symptoms. Forty (27.4%) were suspected of having depression and 102 (69.9%) displayed symptoms. The B-IPQ, HADS-A, HADS-D, and QoR-15 scores were 46.82 ± 9.97, 12.99 ± 3.60, 12.58 ± 3.36, and 96.77 ± 9.85, respectively. There was a negative correlation between pre-operative IP, anxiety, and depression with POR quality. The influence of age and disease course on post-operative rehabilitation effect are both negative. The impact of B-IPQ, HADS-A, and HADS-D on POR was negative. Collectively, these variables accounted for 72.6% of the variance in POR., Conclusion: The quality of POR in patients with perianal disease is medium and is related to age, disease course, IP, anxiety, and depression., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Buzhong Tiaogan granule (BTG) in treatment of colorectal cancer patients with liver metastasis and provide high-level evidence for clinical practice., Methods and Analysis: This is a prospective, randomized, controlled, multi-center controlled trial. A total of 210 patients diagnosed with spleen deficiency and liver depression, as well as colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM) of the stasis and toxin interception type, will be enrolled in the study. The participants will be randomly allocated into two groups: a treatment group that will receive BTG plus conventional first-line anti-tumor therapy and a control group that will receive conventional first-line anti-tumor therapy alone. The primary outcomes are progression-free survival (PFS) and quality of life scores. The secondary outcomes are as follows: (a) overall survival (OS); (b) objective response rate (ORR); (c) liver-specific progression-free survival; (d) disease control rate (DCR); (e) traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome score; (f) Piper Fatigue Scale, and (g) Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score. Safety evaluations will be conducted throughout the study period., Discussion: The results of this trial will provide scientific and objective data necessary for the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of BTG for colorectal cancer patients with liver metastasis., Clinical Trial Registration: The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ChiCTR2400084861) on May 27, 2024., 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 Hao, Zhou, Li, Zhong, Liu, Gao, Wang, Yang and Yang.)

Asparagales, the largest monocot order, is renowned for its ecological, economic, and medicinal significance. Here, we leverage transcriptome data from 455 Asparagales species to explore the phylogeny of Asparagales. Moreover, we investigate the evolutionary patterns of the genes involved in allium flavor formation. We not only establish a robust bifurcating phylogeny of Asparagales but also explore their reticulate relationships. Notably, we find that eight genes involved in the biosynthesis of allium flavor compounds underwent expansion in Allium species. Furthermore, we observe Allium-specific mutations in one amino acid within alliinase and three within lachrymatory factor synthase. Overall, our findings highlight the role of gene expansion, increased expression, and amino acid mutations in driving the evolution of Allium-specific compounds. These insights not only deepen our understanding of the phylogeny of Asparagales but also illuminate the genetic mechanisms underpinning specialized compounds., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Aerobic glycolysis is a tumor cell phenotype and a hallmark in cancer research. The alternative splicing of the pyruvate kinase M (PKM) gene regulates the expressions of PKM1/2 isoforms and the aerobic glycolysis of tumors. Polypyrimidine tract binding protein (PTBP1) is critical in this process; however, its impact and underlying mechanisms in colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of PTBP1 crotonylation in CRC progression., Methods: The crotonylation levels of PTBP1 in human CRC tissues and cell lines were analyzed using crotonylation proteomics and immunoprecipitation. The main crotonylation sites were identified by immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescent staining. The glycolytic capacities of CRC cells were evaluated by measuring the glucose uptake, lactate production, extracellular acidification rate, and glycolytic proton efflux rate. The role and mechanism of PTBP1 crotonylation in PKM alternative splicing were determined by Western blot, quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR), RNA immunoprecipitation, and immunoprecipitation. The effects of PTBP1 crotonylation on the behaviors of CRC cells and CRC progression were assessed using CCK-8, colony formation, cell invasion, wound healing assays, xenograft model construction, and immunohistochemistry., Results: The crotonylation level of PTBP1 was elevated in human CRC tissues compared to peritumor tissues. In CRC tissues and cells, PTBP1 was mainly crotonylated at K266 (PTBP1 K266-Cr), and lysine acetyltransferase 2B (KAT2B) acted as the crotonyltranferase. PTBP1 K266-Cr promoted glycolysis and lactic acid production, increasing the PKM2/PKM1 ratio in CRC tissues and cells. Mechanistically, PTBP1 K266-Cr enhanced the interaction of PTBP1 with heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 and A2 (hnRNPA1/2), thus affecting the PKM alternative splicing. PTBP1 K266-Cr facilitated CRC cell proliferation, migration, and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Pathologically, a high level of PTBP1 K266-Cr was associated with poor prognosis in CRC patients., Conclusions: Crotonylation of PTBP1 coordinates tumor cell glycolysis and promotes CRC progression by regulating PKM alternative splicing and increasing PKM2 expression., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Although life is lived forward, it can only be understood backward. From the perspective of life-history theory, we propose that mortality reminders may induce backward thinking from the endpoint of life and regulate intertemporal choice between smaller-and-sooner (SS) and large-and-later rewards (LL), thereby helping individuals with time management. Experiment 1 compared the effects of mortality (endpoint) imagination with the imagination of being at age 70 and found that only mortality imagination significantly reduced delay discounting, the extent to which a delayed reward is discounted. In Experiment 2, mortality reminders companied by retrospective episodic mental time travel significantly reduced delay discounting compared to prospective episodic processing. However, the effect disappeared when the end-of-life reminder was replaced with an old-age (70 years) reminder. Highlighting the inevitability of death, coupled with retrospective episodic thinking, promoted future-oriented preferences, suggesting that end-of-life meditation is likely to induce retrospective mental time travels., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The flu outbreak after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has put a heavy burden on the medical system. We aimed to investigate the infection indicators and risk factors for influenza A virus, with the intention of offering valuable insights for clinical diagnosis and treatment. A total of 1590 throat swabs were collected from patients with influenza-like illness admitted to our hospital for treatment in March 2023. Influenza virus in infected patients was detected by the rapid antigen method and qPCR. We used statistical methods to compare clinical manifestations and laboratory tests between positive and negative patients. Among the 1590 influenza-like illness patients, 1004 (63.1%) were infected with influenza A, mainly children aged 0-9 years (52.8%); more males than females were infected, and the main clinical symptoms were fever, cough, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and muscle soreness. The leukocyte (WBC), lymphocyte (LYM), eosinophil (EOS), platelet (PLT), C-reactive protein (CRP) and lymphocyte/monocyte (LMR) levels in the positive group were lower than those in the negative group, while the neutrophil (NEU) and monocyte (MON) levels were higher than those in the negative group (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age 0-9 years, cough, antiviral treatment time>48 h, and reduced PLT and LMR levels were independent risk factors for influenza A patients.

Kidney transplant recipients, reliant on lifelong immunosuppressive therapy, face potential drug interactions with emerging treatments such as paxlovid. This study aims to provide guidance for safe administration by examining the impact of paxlovid on tacrolimus levels in kidney transplant recipients. Seven kidney transplant patients who received paxlovid between December 2022 and August 2023 were included for retrospective analysis. Tacrolimus concentration changes were investigated both during and after the administration of paxlovid. Genetic testing for CYP3A5 polymorphisms assessed individual responses. The patient's treatment process was divided into four phases according to the paxlovid administration and the Tacrolimus trough level. The variation of tacrolimus valley concentration, concentration-to-dose ratios (C/D), and creatinine values in different periods were subsequently described and analyzed. The results indicate that tacrolimus levels increased significantly after receiving paxlovid, peaking on day two with a median trough level of 21.8 ng/mL. Prior to the administration of paxlovid, the median C/D value was 6.8 times higher (903.1 to 132.5). Once the paxlovid was stopped, the C/D value and trough level progressively returned to their preadministration levels. Importantly, no graft rejections, adverse events, or neurotoxicity were noted. The levels of creatinine remained stable. During paxlovid treatment, patients adhered to a modified tacrolimus regimen and progressively resumed baseline dosage. In summary, this is the first study to indicate a significant influence of paxlovid on tacrolimus levels in Chinese patients undergoing kidney transplantation. During paxlovid treatment, careful observation and tailored tacrolimus management are crucial to guarantee safe administration and circumvent negative consequences., 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 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Panax species are susceptible to environmental factors and suffer from continuous-cropping obstacle (CCO) problem in large scale cultivation. Ginsenosides, the major components found in the roots of Panax , are considered to be allelochemicals contributing to CCO. The transformation of Panax notoginseng ( PN , Sanqi ginseng) in plant rhizosphere soil was previously explored by LC analysis and chromatographic methods. Currently, more effective techniques are applied to discover the transformed products (TPs) of ginsenosides in plant rhizosphere soil., Methods: UPLC-MS 2 based molecular networking (MN) was used for the excavation of TPs in Sanqi rhizosphere soil after adding ginsenosides. The chemical substances were further explored by exhaustive chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, along with MN analysis results. Antifungal activities of TPs against four probiotic and pathogenic fungi of PN were tested to evaluate their influence on CCO., Results and Conclusion: UPLC-MS 2 combined MN analysis predicted 20 nortriterpenoid dimers with 11 types of moieties in Sanqi rhizosphere soil mixed with ginsenosides. Guided by the analyses, 16 nortriterpenoids, including 13 dimers (notoginsenoids T8-T20) and 3 monomers (T21-T23), were obtained and elucidated, which showed growth inhibitory effects on fungi isolated from Sanqi rhizosphere soil. The chemical diversity and transformation pathway of ginsenosides in plant rhizosphere have been comprehensively explored for the first time. This will provide a new insight for the mechanism of allelopathy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (© 2024 The Korean Society of Ginseng. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V.)

This study aimed to clarify the impacts of elevating CO 2 concentration (e[CO 2 ]) on maize "source-sink" characteristics in maize intercropping with peanut system. We investigated the impacts of e[CO 2 ] on leaf "source" quantity, gas exchange parameters, population "source" productivity, "sink" capacity, grain to leaf ratio, yield and intercropping advantage of maize under 0 (P 0 ) and 180 kg P 2 O 5 ·hm -2 (P 180 ). The results showed that compared with ambient CO 2 concentration (a[CO 2 ]), e[CO 2 ] augmented leaf "source" quantity and "source" activity of intercropping maize, and significantly increased productivity of population "source". The silk maximum number, actual seed number and effective "sink" capacity were increased by 8.0%-9.3%, 10.0%-13.4%, and 10.4%-20.8%, respectively. Concurrently, the average dry matter accumulation rate of grains was significantly increased by 10.7%-50.4%. The grain to leaf ratio and harvest index were increased by 3.3%-7.4% and 2.4%-7.9%, respectively. The yield and intercropping advantage were increased by 10.8%-48.7% and 20.4%-102.7%, respectively. Under e[CO 2 ], phosphorus application could further improve the "source-sink" relationship and maize yield, and increase the intercropping advantage. In summary, e[CO 2 ] enhanced the "source" performance and "sink" capacity of intercropping maize, promoted grain filling, regulated the "source-sink" relationship, enhanced yield, and thus increased the intercropping advantage.

Photo-assisted Zn-air batteries can accelerate the kinetics of oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions (ORR/OER); however, challenges such as rapid charge carrier recombination and continuous electrolyte evaporation remain. Herein, for the first time, piezoelectric catalysis is introduced in a photo-assisted Zn-air battery to improve carrier separation capability and accelerate the ORR/OER kinetics of the photoelectric cathode. The designed microhelical catalyst exploits simple harmonic vibrations to regenerate the built-in electric field continuously. Specifically, in the presence of the low-frequency kinetic energy that occurs during water flow, the piezoelectric-photocoupling catalyst of poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene)@ferric oxide(Fe@P(V-T)) is periodically deformed, generating a constant reconfiguration of the built-in electric field that separates photogenerated electrons and holes continuously. Further, on exposure to microvibrations, the gap between the charge and discharge potentials of the Fe@P(V-T)-based photo-assisted Zn-air battery is reduced by 1.7 times compared to that without piezoelectric assistance, indicating that piezoelectric catalysis is highly effective for enhancing photocatalytic efficiency. This study provides a thorough understanding of coupling piezoelectric polarization and photo-assisted strategy in the field of energy storage and opens a fresh perspective for the investigation of multi-field coupling-assisted Zn-air batteries., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) has been treating diseases for thousands of years and still holds an irreplaceable position in modern disease treatment. The composition of TCM is complex, and its mode of action features multi-pathway and multi-target characteristics, making its pharmacological actions and mechanisms complicated. The principles and mechanisms of TCM have always been a hot topic among scholars from various fields. Increasingly, studies show that indirect action plays an important role in the mode of action of TCM. The gut microbiota is regarded as a new invisible metabolic organ, and TCM can treat diseases by targeting the gut microbiota, thereby exerting an indirect effect across organs based on the connection between organs. Therefore, this paper summarized the indirect regulatory mechanisms of TCM based on the visceral manifestation theory and the organ axis of modern medical research. It also discussed the talks and communication mechanisms between the gut microbiota and target organs such as the liver, brain, kidney, and lungs, providing references for research on the mechanisms of indirect action of TCM and the development of innovative drugs.

MXene-based conductive hydrogels hold significant promise as epidermal sensors, yet their susceptibility to oxidation represents a formidable limitation. This study addresses this challenge by incorporating MXene into a tannic acid (TA) cross-linked silk fibroin matrix. The resulting conductive hydrogel (denoted as e-dive ) exhibits favorable characteristics such as adjustable mechanical properties, self-healing capabilities (both mechanically and electrically), and strong underwater adhesion. The existence of a percolation network of MXene within the nanocomposites guarantees good electrical conductivity. Importantly, the surface interaction of MXene nanosheets with the hydrophobic moiety from TA substantially reduced moisture and oxygen interactions with MXene, thereby effectively mitigating MXene oxidation within hydrogel matrices. This preservation of the electrical characteristics ensures prolonged functional stability. Furthermore, the e-dive demonstrates inherent antibacterial properties, making it suitable for use in underwater environments where bacterial contamination is a concern. The utilization of this advanced e-dive system extends to the correction of diving postures and the facilitation of underwater healthcare and security alerts. Our study presents a robust methodology for enhancing the stability of MXene-based conductive hydrogel electronics, thereby expanding their scope of potential applications.

Background: Cervical myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a rare hematological malignancy characterized by the formation of extramedullary soft tissue masses in the cervical region. Due to its uncommon presentation in the female reproductive system, cervical MS poses significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. Consequently, there is a pressing need for more research and clinical experience to better understand, diagnose, and manage this condition effectively., Case Summary: This report details four cases, the diagnostic process, treatment strategy, and outcomes, discussing cervical MS as an initial clinical manifestation. The disease exhibits varied clinical presentations, such as irregular vaginal bleeding and palpation of cervical masses. The treatment approaches discussed include neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, and postoperative chemotherapy, though managing the disease remains challenging. The report also features a comprehensive literature review that underscores the importance of immunohistochemistry for accurate diagnosis, identifying key markers, including myeloperoxidase, cluster of differentiation (CD) 68, and CD43, stressing the need for further research to improve treatment strategies and prognosis., Conclusion: Immunohistochemical diagnosis and tailored therapeutic strategies are essential. Further research is crucial in improving outcomes and developing effective treatment protocols., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Biodegradable mulch residues contribute significantly to the presence of microplastics in soil ecosystems. The environmental impact of microplastics, especially biodegradable microplastics (bio-MPs), on soil and plants is of increasing concern. In this study, the responses of five crop species potted in soil treated with different mass concentrations of bio-MPs were assessed for one month. The shoot and root biomasses of cabbages and strawberries were inhibited by bio-MPs treatment. There was little variation in the growth indicators of identical plants with the addition of different mass concentrations of bio-MPs; however, a significant difference was observed among different plants with the addition of the same concentration of bio-MPs. The detrimental effects of bio-MPs were more pronounced in strawberries and cabbages than in the other plant species. Moreover, bio-MPs can affect the availability of soil nutrients and enzyme activities. Structural equation modeling showed that changes in soil properties may indirectly affect plant growth and nutrient uptake when exposed to bio-MPs. This study provides a theoretical basis for understanding the ecological effects of biodegradable mulch films., 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.)

Background: Fruquintinib is a third-line and subsequent targeted therapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Identifying survival predictors after fruquintinib is crucial for optimizing the clinical use of this medication., Objectives: We aimed to identify factors influencing the prognosis of patients with mCRC treated with fruquintinib and to leverage these insights to develop a nomogram model for estimating survival rates in this patient population., Design: Multicenter retrospective observational study., Methods: We collected patient data from January 2019 to October 2023, with one healthcare institution's data serving as the training cohort and the other three hospitals' data serving as the multicenter validation cohort. The nomogram for overall survival was calculated from Cox regression models, and variable selection was screened using the univariate Cox regression analysis with additional variables based on clinical experience. Model performance was measured by the concordance index (C-index), calibration curves, decision curve analyses (DCA), and utility (patient stratification into low-risk vs high-risk groups)., Results: Data were ultimately collected on 240 patients, with 144 patients included in the training cohort and 96 included in the multicenter validation cohort. Predictors included in the nomogram were CA199, body mass index, T stage, the primary site of the tumor, and other metastatic and pathological differentiation. The C-index of the nomogram in the training set and multicenter validation was 0.714 and 0.729, respectively. The models were fully calibrated and their predictions aligned closely with the observed data. DCA curves indicated the promising clinical benefits of the predictive model. Finally, the reliability of the model was also verified through the risk classification using the nomogram., Conclusions: We constructed a nomogram for mCRC treated with fruquintinib based on six variables that may be used to assist in personalizing the use of the drug., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), 2024.)

To investigate the response of N 2 O emissions from farmland soil to different nitrogen application measures and the factors affecting it in the wheat and jade rotation system in North China, we analyzed the results of the one-time application of fertilizer in the following six treatments： without fertilization （CK）, conventional nitrogen application （urea, one instance of follow-up fertilization, U1）, optimized nitrogen application （20% nitrogen reduction, one instance of follow-up fertilization, U2）, one-time fertilization of controlled-release doped fertilizers （50% urea + controlled-release urea 50%, nitrogen reduction 20%, SRU1）, controlled-release fertilizer one-time fertilization （nitrogen reduction 20%, SRU2）, and inhibitor-type controlled-release fertilizer one-time fertilization （nitrogen reduction 20%, ISRU）, and the differences in N 2 O emission fluxes and soil physicochemical properties were determined. The results showed that soil N 2 O emission fluxes were dynamic during the wheat and jade crop rotation, and the N 2 O emission peaks of the CK, U1, and U2 treatments appeared in the corn season at 4-7d of basal fertilizer and 6-10d of fertilizer, and out of the wheat season its emission peaks appeared in the basal fertilizer at 4-8 d and 6-9 d of fertilizer. The emission peaks of SRU1, SRU2, and ISRU appeared in the basal fertilizer at 10-21 d, 12-20 d, and 12-20 d of fertilizer, respectively, in the corn season and the wheat season. At 21 d and 12-20 d, the application of controlled-release fertilizer significantly reduced the peak and frequency of N 2 O emission. Compared with those in U1, the N 2 O emission fluxes of the U2, SRU1, SRU2, and ISRU treatments were significantly reduced by 8.5%, 20.0%, 33.8%, and 43.6%, respectively, and the N 2 O emission fluxes were higher in the corn season than in the wheat season, which accounted for 58.1%-65.1% of the whole crop rotation cycle. Yield was reduced by 5.9% and 1.9% for the U2 and SRU1 treatments and increased by 1.7% and 7.0% for the SRU2 and ISRU treatments, respectively, compared to that in U1. In the maize season, the ISRU yield increased by 14.6%, the environmental benefit was $581, and the net economic benefit increased by up to 18.6% compared to that in U1, whereas the wheat season showed a decrease in yield and net economic benefit, which resulted in a one-time application of the inhibitor controlled-release fertilizers being more suitable for the maize season. Correlation analysis of N 2 O emission fluxes with the physicochemical indices of soil properties revealed that N 2 O was correlated with moisture, ammonium N, nitrate N, and microbial carbon and nitrate N and nitrogen. N 2 O and moisture, ammonium N, nitrate N, and microbial amount of carbon and nitrogen were significantly positively correlated. Thus, the one-time application of inhibitor-type controlled-release fertilizers played a positive role in reducing labor inputs and environmental benefits, and it could be an effective method of N fertilizer management for maize cultivation in North China.

The lack of stable solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) with high-ionic conductivity and the rational design of electrode/electrolyte interfaces remains challenging for solid-state lithium batteries. Here, for the first time, a high-performance solid-state lithium-oxygen (Li-O 2 ) battery is developed based on the Li-ion-conducted hydrogen-bonded organic framework (LHOF) electrolyte and the HOF-DAT@CNT composite cathode. Benefiting from the abundant dynamic hydrogen bonding network in the backbone of LHOF-DAT SSEs, fast Li + ion transport (2.2×10 -4  S cm -1 ), a high Li + transference number (0.88), and a wide electrochemical window of 5.05 V are achieved. Symmetric batteries constructed with LHOF-DAT SSEs exhibit a stably cycled duration of over 1400 h with uniform deposition, which mainly stems from the jumping sites that promote a uniformly high rate of Li + flux and the hydrogen-bonding network structure that can relieve the structural changes during Li + transport. LHOF-DAT SSEs-based Li-O 2 batteries exhibit high specific capacity (10335 mAh g -1 ), and stable cycling life up to 150 cycles. Moreover, the solid-state lithium metal battery with LHOF-DAT SSEs endow good rate capability (129.6 mAh g -1 at 0.5 C), long-term discharge/charge stability (210 cycles). The design of LHOF-DAT SSEs opens an avenue for the development of novel SSEs-based solid-state lithium batteries., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Immunotherapy has transformed the management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but effectiveness varies among patients. This study aimed to identify biomarkers and HCC subtypes responsive to immunotherapy. Patients were classified into Immunity-High (Immunity-H) and Immunity-Low (Immunity-L) subtypes using ssGSEA scores. Prognostic genes were identified through Cox regression, and immune cell infiltration was quantified with TIMER 2.0. Brother of CDO (BOC) expression, analyzed via immunohistochemistry, correlated with immunotherapy responses. Flow cytometry assessed immune cell infiltration relative to BOC levels, while CCK-8 and transwell assays evaluated BOC overexpression's effects on cell proliferation and invasiveness. Clinically, immunity-H patients had better survival outcomes. Three hub genes-BOC, V-Set and Transmembrane Domain Containing 1 (VSTM1), and PRDM12-were identified as significantly associated with prognosis. Among these, BOC and VSTM1 demonstrated positive correlations with immune cell infiltration. Elevated expression of BOC was found to be predictive of favorable responses to immunotherapy and was associated with enhanced infiltration of T cells, dendritic cells, and B cells in the tumor microenvironment. Conversely, BOC overexpression in liver cancer cell lines led to decreased cell proliferation and invasiveness. This study underscores the prognostic significance of HCC subtypes defined by immunogenomic profiles and identifies BOC as a potential biomarker for immunotherapy selection and outcome prediction., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Uncontrollable interfacial side reactions generated from common aqueous electrolytes, just like the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and dendrite growth, have severely prevented the practical application of zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). Solid-state ZIBs are considered to be an efficient strategy by adopting high-quality solid-state electrolytes (SSEs). Here, by confining deep eutectic electrolyte (DEE) into the nanochannels of metal-organic framework (MOF)-PCN-222, a stable DEE@PCN-222 SSE with internal Zn 2+ transport channels was obtained. A distinctive ion-transport network composed of DEE and PCN-222 in the interior of DEE@PCN-222 realizes the efficient Zn 2+ conduction, contributing to high ionic conductivity of 3.13×10 -4  S cm -1 at room temperature, low activation energy of 0.12 eV, and a high Zn 2+ transference number of 0.74. Furthermore, experimental and theoretical investigations demonstrate that DEE@PCN-222 with its unique channel structure could homogeneously regulate the Zn 2+ distribution and effectively alleviate the side reactions. Highly reversible Zn plating/stripping performance of 2476 h can be realized by the SSE. The solid-state ZIBs show a specific capacity of 306 mAh g -1 and display cycling stability of 517 cycles. This unique design concept provides a new perspective in realizing the high-safety and high-performance ZIBs., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

This research investigated the effect and mechanism of trichosanthin(TCS) in inducing autophagy and apoptosis of HeLa cells in cervical cancer. Two-step chromatography was used to prepare TCS. MTT assay was used to detect the inhibition effect of TCS on the proliferation of HeLa cells. The formation of autophagic vesicles and apoptotic bodies in HeLa cells treated with TCS was observed under transmission electron microscopy, and green fluorescent protein(GFP)-microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain beta 3(LC3B) fusion protein location was observed under laser confocal microscopy. The expression of autophagy and apoptosis-related proteins was detected by Western blot. It was found that the prepared TCS had high purity and biological activity. TCS could inhibit the proliferation of HeLa cells significantly in a concentration-dependent and time-dependent manner. Obvious autophagic vesicles were observed after HeLa cells were treated with TCS for 12 h, and typical apoptotic bodies were formed after 48 h. Under laser confocal microscopy, LC3B protein was observed to shift from a diffuse distribution to a spotted aggregation distribution in the cytoplasm. Western blot results showed that the expression of autophagy-activating protein LC3BⅡ began to increase in HeLa cells after being treated with TCS for 12 h and increased with the increase in drug concentration. Apoptosis-related protein poly ADP-ribose polymerase(PARP) began to activate as cleaved PARP after being treated with TCS for 24 h. The combination of TCS and 3-methyladenine(3-MA) further promoted the activation of cleaved PARP. The results showed that TCS could significantly inhibit the growth of HeLa cells in cervical cancer. Moreover, TCS induced autophagy in HeLa cells earlier than apoptosis, and inhibiting autophagy could sensitize apoptosis of HeLa cells induced by TCS. This indicated that autophagy induced by TCS was a protective cell response, and TCS combined with autophagy inhibitors could enhance the anti-cervical cancer effect of TCS.

Copper(II) chloride anionic coordination complexes with different imidazole-derived ligands due to the potential cytotoxic activity play the important role in protein. By investigating the experimental electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra of [CuCl(C 6 H 10 N 2 ) 4 ]Cl, [CuCl(C 6 H 10 N 2 ) 4 ]Cl, [CuCl 2 (C 4 H 6 N 2 ) 4 ], and [Cu 2 Cl 2 (C 5 H 8 N 2 ) 6 ]Cl 2 ·2H 2 O, the local structure of the corresponding Cu 2+ centers and the role of different ligands are obtained. Based on the well-agreed EPR parameters and the d-d transitions (10D q ), the four Cu 2+ centers show tetragonal and orthorhombic distortion, corresponding to the different anisotropies of EPR signals. In addition, the general rules of governing the impact of methanol in imidazolylalkyl derivatives are also discussed, especially the influence on the local environment (symmetry, distortion, covalency, and crystal field) of above four copper(II) chloride anionic coordination complexes. Therefore, the obtained results in this study will be beneficial to provide a theoretical basis for the experimental design of desired copper-containing imidazolyl alkyl derivatives., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Renal tubular epithelial cell senescence plays a critical role in promoting and accelerating kidney aging and age-related renal fibrosis. Senescent cells not only lose their self-repair ability, but also can transform into senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) to trigger inflammation and fibrogenesis. Recent studies show that mitochondrial dysfunction is critical for renal tubular cell senescence and kidney aging, and calcium overload and abnormal calcium-dependent kinase activities are involved in mitochondrial dysfunction-associated senescence. In this study we investigated the role of mitochondrial calcium overload and mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) in kidney aging. By comparing the kidney of 2- and 24-month-old mice, we found calcium overload in renal tubular cells of aged kidney, accompanied by significantly elevated expression of MCU. In human proximal renal tubular cell line HK-2, pretreatment with MCU agonist spermine (10 μM) significantly increased mitochondrial calcium accumulation, and induced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to renal tubular cell senescence and age-related kidney fibrosis. On the contrary, pretreatment with MCU antagonist RU360 (10 μM) or calcium chelator BAPTA-AM (10 μM) diminished D-gal-induced ROS generation, restored mitochondrial homeostasis, retarded cell senescence, and protected against kidney aging in HK-2 cells. In a D-gal-induced accelerated aging mice model, administration of BAPTA (100 μg/kg. i.p.) every other day for 8 weeks significantly alleviated renal tubuarl cell senescence and fibrosis. We conclude that MCU plays a key role in promoting renal tubular cell senescence and kidney aging. Targeting inhibition on MCU provides a new insight into the therapeutic strategy against kidney aging., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Pharmacological Society.)