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Lwin Moe Aung,1 Ting-Yi Renn,1 Jerry Chin-Yi Lin,1,2 Eisner Salamanca,1 Yi-Fan Wu,1,3 Yu-Hwa Pan,1,4,5 Nai-Chia Teng,1,6 Haw-Ming Huang,1 Ying-Sui Sun,7 Wei-Jen Chang1,8 1School of Dentistry, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; 2Department of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA; 3Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ming-Chuan University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; 4Department of Dentistry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; 5School of Dentistry, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; 6Department of Dentistry, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; 7School of Dental Technology, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; 8Dental Department, Shuang-Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, TaiwanCorrespondence: Wei-Jen Chang; Ying-Sui Sun, Email cweijen1@tmu.edu.tw; yingsuisun@tmu.edu.twPurpose: Nano-engineering techniques have significantly enhanced the various aspects of dentistry, with notable advancements, especially in dental implant surface modification. Dental implants are among the most significant and highly successful developments in contemporary dentistry. The use of nanotechnology for surface modification of zirconia ceramic implant increases interaction with surrounding bone cells, and ultimately leading to increase osseointegration.Materials and Methods: Glow discharge plasma was utilized to graft allylamine and fibronectin nanoproteins onto the surface of zirconia implants. A total of 18 implants were placed in right and left femurs of nine New Zealand rabbits. Implant stability test (IST), 3D bone reconstruction and micro-CT (μCT) analysis, bone-implant contact (BIC) from histomorphometry analysis, and osteogenic gene expression were analyzed after scarification at 4, 8, and 12 weeks.Results: IST results demonstrated a significant secondary stability gain at the end of 12 weeks. The surface-treated group obtained a gradual increase in marginal bone level. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis revealed increased expression of osteogenic genes of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and transcription factor SP7 (SP7) biomarkers at 4 weeks. Osteoprotegerin (OPG) expression increased at 8 weeks, while runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), collagen 1A1 (COL1), bone sialoprotein (BSP), and receptor activator of nuclear factor κ B (RANK) exhibited the highest expression at 12 weeks. Importantly, histomorphometric analysis of BIC indicated that new bone formation was significantly higher in the A50F10 group compared to the control group at 12 weeks (P < 0.001).Conclusion: Based on the above findings, we conclude that the nanorough zirconia implant surface grafted with fibronectin nanoproteins prominently stimulated cellular activity and improved osseointegration properties. These results evidence its potential for future applications in dental implant surface modifications. Keywords: nano-roughness, surface modification, glow discharge plasma, zirconia implants, osseointegration, fibronectin

Tyron Tai-Chun Chou,1,&ast; Hsin-Chien Hsu,1– 3,&ast; Chih-Wen Twu,4,5 Wen-Kuan Huang,6 Hung-Meng Huang,1,7 Shih-Han Weng,8 Ming-Chih Chen2 1Department of Otolaryngology, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan; 2Graduate Institute of Business Administration, College of Management, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan; 3General Education Center, University of Taipei, Taipei City, Taiwan; 4Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua County, Taiwan; 5Department of Post-Baccalaureate Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung City, Taiwan; 6Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Chang Gung University College of Medicine, Taoyuan City, Taiwan; 7Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei City, Taiwan; 8Department of Education and Research, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei City, Taiwan&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Ming-Chih Chen, Institute of Business Administration, College of Management, Fu Jen Catholic University, No. 510, Zhongzheng Road, Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City, 242062, Taiwan, Email 081438@mail.fju.edu.twBackground: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a common disorder associated with serious sequelae. The current gold standard diagnostic method, polysomnography, is costly and time consuming and requires patients to stay overnight at a facility.Aim: This study aimed to reveal the prevalence of OSAS in general adult population using a home sleep test (HST) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted by the Department of Otolaryngology, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, between January 2020 and December 2021. A total of 1372 patients aged 30– 70 years completed an HST using a Type 3 portable sleep monitor (PM). The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was analyzed to assess the association of OSAS with age, body mass index (BMI), sex, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and the Sleep Apnea Risk Assessment questionnaire (STOP-Bang questionnaire) rating.Results: The mean age of the patients (782 men, 57%; 590 women, 43%) was 49.24 ± 11.04 years. OSAS was detected in 954 (69.5%) patients with 399 (29.1%) mild OSAS; 246 (17.9%) moderate OSAS; and 309 (22.5%) severe OSAS. Among these, the prevalence of moderate-to-severe OSAS was 143 (10.4%) in women and 412 (30.0%) in men. The mean age was the highest (51.29 ± 11.29) in the mild OSAS group and lowest (47.08 ± 10.87) in the healthy group. OSAS severity was greater with increasing BMI, 23.39 ± 3.44 in the healthy group and 29.29 ± 5.01 in the severe OSAS group. A positive correlation was also noted between the ESS/STOP-Bang questionnaire rating and OSAS severity.Conclusion: The prevalence of OSAS in Taiwan was 69.5% in our study. It showed strong evidence that OSAS has important public health consequences and PMs are simple, fast, feasible, and cost-effective tools for OSAS screening in the home environment, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.Keywords: COVID-19, obstructive sleep apnea, portable sleep monitor, home sleep test, apnea-hypopnea index

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status differs according to ethnicity, gender, smoking history, and histology types. The present study aimed to evaluate EGFR mutation status in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and further explore its association with clinical characteristics and prognosis in advanced NSCLC patients (Stage IIIB-IV). 238 NSCLC patients were enrolled in this study from October 2016 through December 2019. Patient characteristics and clinical data including age, gender, smoking history, histology types, tumor stage, survival status, and time were collected via electronic medical record system or telephone. 21 somatic mutations which spanned exons 18-21 of EGFR were detected using the amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR) method, followed by analysis of links to clinical characteristics, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). 103 patients were detected harboring EGFR mutations among the 238 cases tested (43.3%), and exons 19 and 21 were the highest mutation frequencies, with 20.6% and 19.3% respectively. The EGFR mutation rate was much higher in female versus male (57.4% vs 31.5%, p

Haw-Ming Huang,1,2 Ping-Han Wu,3 Po-Chien Chou,4 Wen-Tien Hsiao,5 Hsin-Ta Wang,4 Hsin-Pei Chiang,3 Chi-Ming Lee,6 Shwu-Huey Wang,6 Yu-Cheng Hsiao2,7 1School of Dentistry, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; 2Graduate Institute of Biomedical Optomechatronics, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; 3Graduate Institute of Biomedical Materials and Tissue Engineering, College of Biomedical Engineering, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; 4School of Organic and Polymeric, National Taipei University of Technology, Taipei, Taiwan; 5Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Technology, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu, Taiwan; 6Core Facility Center, Office of Research and Development, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; 7Cell Physiology and Molecular Image Research Center, Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, TaiwanCorrespondence: Yu-Cheng Hsiao; Ping-Han WuTaipei Medical University, No. 250, Wu-Hsing Street, Taipei, 11031, TaiwanTel +886-291-937-9783Fax +886 2 27362295Email ychsiao@tmu.edu.tw; gahwclbjwph@gmail.comIntroduction: It has been reported that low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid (LMWHA) exhibits a potentially beneficial effect on cancer therapy through targeting of CD44 receptors on tumor cell surfaces. However, its applicability towards tumor detection is still unclear. In this regard, LMWHA-conjugated iron (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (LMWHA-IONPs) were prepared in order to evaluate its application for enhancing the T2* weighted MRI imaging sensitivity for tumor detection.Methods: LMWHA and Fe3O4 NPs were produced using γ-ray irradiation and chemical co-precipitation methods, respectively. First, LMWHA-conjugated FITC was prepared to confirm the ability of LMWHA to target U87MG cells using fluorescence microscopy. The hydrodynamic size distribution and dispersion of the IONPs and prepared LMWHA-IONPs were analyzed using dynamic light scattering (DLS). In addition, cell viability assays were performed to examine the biocompatibility of LMWHA and LMWHA-IONPs toward U87MG human glioblastoma and NIH3T3 fibroblast cell lines. The ability of LMWHA-IONPs to target tumor cells was confirmed by detecting iron (Fe) ion content using the thiocyanate method. Finally, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) imaging and in vitro magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed to confirm the contrast enhancement effect of LMWHA-IONPs.Results: Florescence analysis results showed that LMWHA-FITC successfully targeted the surfaces of both tested cell types. The ability of LMWHA to target U87MG cells was higher than for NIH3T3 cells. Cell viability experiments showed that the fabricated LMWHA-IONPs possessed good biocompatibility for both cell lines. After co-culturing test cells with the LMWHA-IONPs, detected Fe ion content in the U87MG cells was much higher than that of the NIH3T3 cells in both thiocyanate assays and TOF-SIMs images. Finally, the addition of LMWHA-IONPs to the U87MG cells resulted in an obvious improvement in T2* weighted MR image contrast compared to control NIH3T3 cells.Discussion: Overall, the present results suggest that LMWHA-IONPs fabricated in this study provide an effective MRI contrast agent for improving the diagnosis of early stage glioblastoma in MRI examinations.Keywords: hyaluronic acid, Fe3O4 nanoparticles, TOF-SIMS, MRI

Hai-ming Huang,1,2 Jun Cao,3 Lin-mei Zhu,4 Yu-qing Chen,2 Fu-ding Lu,2 Hong-wei Cai1 1Department of Anesthesiology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 2Department of Anesthesiology, 3Department of Hepatic and Biliary Pancreatic Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 4Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Clifford Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China Abstract: A number of animal models have been developed to examine the pathophysiological consequences of surgical procedures, but anesthetic methods, monitoring, and management measures in these models are very different from those used in humans. This study was designed to create a rat model of abdominal surgery using anesthetic methods and perioperative treatment similar to those used in the clinic and to investigate the effects of different injury severities and depths of anesthesia and analgesia on surgical stress and postoperative recovery. Abdominal skin/muscle incision was compared with exploratory laparotomy in rats under propofol intravenous anesthesia, accompanied by perioperative measures such as oxygen inhalation, fluid infusion, warmth, blood gas analysis, and infection prevention. Stress indices (mean arterial pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, and plasma corticosterone) were monitored during anesthesia and surgery, and recovery indicators (body weight, food consumption, and pain) were measured after surgery. In addition, animals undergoing laparotomy were subjected to low and high dosages of propofol and sufentanil, in order to examine the relationship between anesthetic and analgesic depth and stress on recovery. Exploratory laparotomy induced a greater stress response and caused slower postoperative recovery as measured than somatic injury. High-dose sufentanil downregulated plasma corticosterone and improved postoperative recovery more effectively than high-dose propofol (P

This study investigated the effects of static magnetic fields on the differentiation of MG63 cells cultured on the surface of poly-L-lactide (PLLA) substrates. The cells were continuously exposed to a 4,000 Gauss-static magnetic field (SMF) for 5 days. The proliferation effects of the SMF were measured by MTT assay. Morphologic changes and extracellular matrix release were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The effects of the SMF on alkaline phosphatase activity levels were compared between exposed and unexposed cells. The SMF-exposed cells exhibited decreased MTT values after 1 and 3 days of culture. In addition, SMF exposure promoted the expression of extracellular matrix in MG63 cells on the PLLA substrate. After 1 day, the alkaline phosphatase-specific activity of SMF-exposed MG63 cells was significantly increased (P < 0.05) with a ratio of 1.5-fold. These results show that MG63 cells, seeded on a PLLA disc and treated with SMF, had a more differentiated phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments are extensively used in endodontic treatment because of their outstanding mechanical properties. However, unexpected fracture of NiTi rotary instruments occurs during endodontic procedures. Therefore, a reliable method to detect the structural status of a used NiTi instrument is needed. The aim of this study is to use natural frequency for monitoring structural changes of a NiTi instrument during and after the instrumentation process. In this study, laboratory modal testing experiments were performed on cyclic fatigue-loaded NiTi rotary instruments with a natural frequency detecting device. In addition, three-dimensional finite element (FE) models were established for assessing the structural changes that take place in repeatedly loaded NiTi instruments. Repeated rotational loading resulted in a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in natural frequency (with a decreasing ratio of 5.6%) when the tested instruments reached 77-85% of their total life limit. In FE analysis, a strong correlation between natural frequency and change in elastic modulus of the NiTi instrument was found. These findings indicated that natural frequency may represent an effective parameter for evaluating the micro-structural status of NiTi rotary instruments subjected to fatigue loadings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to measure the structural damping constants of premolars after treatment with a cast Co-Cr post-core system or permanent root filling, and to evaluate the stress damping effects of these restored premolars. Both the damping ratio and the natural frequency (NF) of the cast Co-Cr post-core restored premolars and the permanent root-filled premolars were detected by in-vitro NF testing experiments. Unprepared premolars served as the control. The damping constants beta of the samples were calculated from the measured damping ratios and natural frequencies. The measured damping constants beta of the test premolars were then used for dynamic finite element (FE) analyses. Stress contours and damping effects of stresses in each treated type of premolar were computed and compared using ANSYS. The measured damping constants beta were 0.75 x 10(-5) for the unprepared premolars, 0.69 x 10(-5) for the root-filled premolars with coronal restoration, and 0.72 x 10(-5) for the cast Co-Cr post-core restored premolars. The unprepared intact premolars demonstrated the highest stress dissipation effects with a ratio of 29.3 per cent at the middle root opposite to the loading side. However, no stress dissipation effects were found in the premolars that had been restored with the cast Co-Cr post-core system. The FE analysis showed that metallic post treatment attenuated the damping properties of the premolar. The effects of damping on stress concentration were significantly lower in restored premolars than in untreated vital premolars. These findings suggest that future research on post material should take the damping property into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential for using the natural frequency (NF) as a parameter to detect vertical bone loss at the furcation of human molars as well as to assess the role that the surrounding bone plays in maintaining molar stability. A three-dimensional finite element model of the human maxillary molar was built. The NF values of the molar modal were calculated with one-sided, two-sided, and three-sided vertical bone loss. It was found that the change in the NF was less than 25 per cent in molars with a one-sided defect when the bone level varied by 10 mm from the cementoenamel junction. However, when a three-sided bony defect was simulated, the change in the NF ranged from 40 to 60 per cent. In addition, it was found that bone loss that had reached the furcation entrance (4 mm) resulted in a sharp change in the NF value. Furthermore, it was found that bone loss involving the mesial and distal surfaces resulted in a larger decrease in the NF value compared with bone loss involving the buccal and palatal surfaces. These results demonstrated that the bone surrounding the mesial and distal sides plays a more important role in maintaining molar stability than does the bone surrounding the buccal and palatal sides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to test natural teeth stability under various simulated types and degrees of alveolar vertical bone loss, as well as to assess the role that the surrounding bone played for maintaining tooth stability. A three-dimensional finite element model of the human maxillary central incisor with surrounding tissue, including periodontal ligament, enamel, dentin, pulp, and alveolar bone, was established. One side and multiple vertical bone loss were simulated by means of decreasing the surrounding bone level apically from the cemento-enamel junction in 1 mm steps incrementally downward for 10 mm. Natural frequency values of the incisor model with various types and degrees of bone loss were then calculated. The results showed that, with one-sided bone resorption, the model with labial bone loss had the lowest natural frequency decreasing rates (8.2 per cent). On the other hand, in cases of multiple bone loss, vertical bone resorption at the mesial and distal sides had more negative effects on tooth stability compared to vertical bone losses on facial and lingual sides. These findings suggest that the natural frequency method may be a useful, auxiliary clinical tool for diagnosis of vertical periodontal diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of the Crane reduction technique in midline lumbar fusion (MIDLF) with cortical bone trajectory screws for treating degenerative spondylolisthesis, and to identify factors affecting the reduction rate., Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 87 patients (64 females and 23 males) with L4-5 degenerative spondylolisthesis who underwent MIDLF and the Crane technique. Patients were categorizing using the spondylolisthesis Meyerding classification system into Grade I (59 patients) and Grade II (28 patients) groups and compared for demographics, radiographic parameters, and the spondylolisthesis reduction rate. Data were analyzed to identify factors influencing the reduction rate., Results: Grade II patients showed higher preoperative spondylolisthesis slip ratio (29.8 ± 3.7% vs. 19.9 ± 3.2%, P < 0.01) and a lower segmental lordosis than Grade I patients. Postoperatively, Grade II patients achieved higher reduction rates (92.6% [90.8-93.8] vs. 89.9% [86.8-91.4] in Grade I, P < 0.01) and a greater segmental lordosis increase (+2.4° [0.2-5.5] vs. -1.2° [-3.5 to 1.6], P < 0.01). Multivariable analysis revealed vacuum disc phenomenon had a negative impact (β = -0.070, P < 0.01) and spondylolisthesis slip ratio had a positive impact (β = 0.612, P < 0.01) on the slip reduction rate. Complications occurred in 4.6% of cases, including 3 intraoperative durotomy and 1 nut loosening requiring revision surgery., Conclusions: The Crane technique combined with MIDLF is an effective and safe surgical approach for treating L4-5 degenerative spondylolisthesis, demonstrating high reduction rates with consistent minimal residual slip, particularly in Grade II cases., (Copyright © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Asymmetric multicomponent reactions that aim to control multiple chiral centers with high selectivity in a single step remain an on-gonging challenge. The realm of enantioselective radical-polar crossover transformation achieved through C-H Functionalization has yet to be fully explored. Herein, we present a successful description of a photoredox/Cr-catalyzed enantioselective three-component (hetero)arylalkylation of 1,3-dienes through C-H functionalization. A diverse array of chiral homoallylic alcohols could be obtained in good to excellent yields, accompanied by outstanding enantioselectivity. The asymmetric radical-polar crossover transformation could build two chiral centers simultaneously and demonstrates broad substrate tolerance, accommodating various drug-derived aldehydes, (hetero)aromatics, and 1,3-diene derivatives. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicate the involvement of a radical intermediate, with the chiral allylic chromium species reacting with various aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes through Zimmerman-Traxler transition states enabled by dual photoredox and chiral chromium catalysis., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Objective: To explore clinical and genetic features of persistent asymptomatic microscopic hematuria in children. Methods: A retrospective case analysis of 135 individuals admitted to Xi 'an Children's Hospital with persistent asymptomatic microscopic haematuria between January 2016 to December 2023 was conducted. The demographic characteristics, kidney pathology and gene results of 135 individuals were analyzed. One hundred and thirty-five individuals were divided into 2 groups (positive group and negative group) according to family history of glomerulogenic hematuria in first-degree relatives. The differences of hematuria remission, proteinuria and gene variation were compared between the 2 groups. Two independent sample t test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, Pearson Chi-square, Yates' corrected Chi-squared test or Fisher exact test were used for comparison between groups. Results: All 135 children, with 48 males and 87 females, were 8.5 (6.5, 9.5) years old at first presentation. Kidney biopsy was performed in 73 cases (54.1%). Kidney pathology showed mild lesions in 41 cases (56.2%), thin basement membrane disease (TBMD) in 24 cases (32.9%), typical pathological features of Alport syndrome in 5 cases (6.8%), and other manifestations in 3 cases (4.1%). The positive group comprised 52 individuals, whereas the negative group consisted of 83 individuals. The positive group demonstrated a higher susceptibility in proteinuria and gene variation, while the negative group exhibited a greater rate of hematuria remission ( χ 2 =5.00, 5.27, 8.52, all P <0.05). Whole exome sequencing was performed in 80 individuals and 18 individuals (22.5%) had a pathogenic or likely pathogenic variant in COL4A3-5. COL4A5 was the most common gene afected, accounting for 11 cases. The 135 individuals were followed up for 4.2 (2.9, 5.1) years, of which 31 cases (22.9%) had complete hematuria remission at 2.1 (1.4, 2.7) years. Up to March 2024, there were also 7 individuals (5.2%) with varying degrees of proteinuria, and 3 individuals (2.2%) with proteinuria progressed to chronic kidney insufficiency. Conclusions: The most common kidney pathological types in children with persistent asymptomatic microscopic hematuria are minor lesions and TBMD. Children with microscopic hematuria whose first-degree relatives have a family history of hematuria are more likely to have proteinuria and gene variants. COL4A3-5 genetic screening could be considered a priority in these children.

The deep-time development of the Southern Ocean's deep-sea ecosystem remains poorly understood, despite being a key region in global ecological, climatological, and oceanographic systems, where deep water forms and biodiversity is unexpectedly high. 1 , 2 Here, we present an ∼500,000-year fossil record of the deep-sea Southern Ocean ecosystem in the subantarctic zone. The results indicate that changes in surface productivity and the resulting food supply to the deep sea, driven by eolian dust input and iron fertilization, along with changes in bottom-water temperature influenced by deep-water circulation, have controlled the deep-sea ecosystem in the Southern Ocean on orbital (10 4 -10 5 years) timescales following the Mid-Brunhes event (MBE), a major climatic transition ∼430,000 years ago. 3 However, before the MBE, the deep-sea Southern Ocean ecosystem was distinct from the present-day, post-MBE one. The present-day form of the deep-sea Southern Ocean ecosystem was established following the MBE, likely because of a stronger incursion of the warm North Atlantic deep water into the Southern Ocean after the MBE. Before that, the deep-sea Southern Ocean ecosystem lacked typical deep-sea faunal components and resembled deep, marginal sea fauna, likely because of the stronger thermal isolation of the Southern Ocean from the Atlantic Ocean. This result suggests that if future human-induced climatic warming weakens global deep-water circulation from the Atlantic through the Southern Ocean to the Pacific, 4 a deep-sea biodiversity hotspot in the Southern Ocean may diminish or even vanish., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study descried the experiences of fathers who had lost a child to cancer. The participants were eight fathers whose children died following cancer treatment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and content analysis identified six major themes: (1) accompanying their child on the final journey home, (2) stabilizing family life, (3) coping with unbearable grief, 4) maintaining the memory and continuing the bond, (5) reflecting on the regrets and contradictions of the treatment process, (6) finding new meaning, and cherishing the present. The findings illustrated that these fathers, despite facing the death of their children, still prioritized family stability and used restoration-oriented strategies for their own emotions. However, these fathers also need outlets to express their feelings, making continuous psychological support from healthcare professionals essential throughout the grieving process.

Functional group translocation is undoubtedly a pivotal synthetic transformation in organic chemistry. Numerous types of reactions involving radical 1,2-aryl or 1,4-aryl migration via electron transfer mechanism have been extensively investigated. Nevertheless, energy-transfer enabled 1,4-arylation remains unknown. Herein we disclose that an unprecedented di-π-ethane rearrangement featuring 1,4-aryl migration facilitated by energy transfer catalysis under visible light conditions. The newly developed mild protocol exhibits tolerance towards diverse functional groups and enables the migration of a multitude of aromatic rings, encompassing both electron-withdrawing and electron-rich functional groups. The open-shell strategy has also found successful application in the modification of several drugs. Large-scale experiments, continuous-flow experiment, and versatile manipulation of products have demonstrated the robustness and potential utility of this synthetic method. Preliminary mechanistic studies have supported the involvement of radical species in this di-π-ethane rearrangement and have also provided evidence for the energy transfer mechanism., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Background/purpose: Osseointegration potential is greatly depended on the interaction between bone cells and dental implant surface. Since zirconia ceramic has a bioinert surface, functionalization of the surface with an organic compound allylamine was conducted to overcome its drawback of minimal interaction with the surrounding bone., Materials and Methods: The zirconia surface was initially treated with argon glow discharge plasma (GDP), then combined with amine plasma at three different conditions of 50-W, 75-W and 85-W, to prepare the final samples. The surface characteristics and cell biocompatibility were then evaluated., Results: Surface morphology analysis revealed a bulbous pattern on allylamine-treated sample groups. The aromatic C-H, C-O, N-H, C ˆ C, and C-H stretching and functional groups have been identified. Surface roughness increased, and hydrophilicity improved after surface modification. Cell viability analysis showed the highest result for the allylamine 50-W (A50) group. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay indicated the A50 group had the highest activity, subsequently promoting late-stage mineralization at day 21. The reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) data demonstrated a significant upregulation of osteogenic gene expressions from day 1 to day 21., Conclusion: The allylamine-treated surface demonstrates immense enhancement in the surface hydrophilicity as well as in the viability, differentiation, and osteogenic properties of osteoblast-like cells. This makes it a promising candidate for future dental implant applications., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that there are no competing interests., (© 2024 Association for Dental Sciences of the Republic of China. Publishing services by Elsevier B.Vé.)

After completing treatment, hematologic malignancy survivors face a critical phase of reintegrating into society. This study explored how survivors and their parents gradually returned to daily life, using grounded theory and in-depth interviews with 13 survivors and 16 parents. Data were analyzed revealed that hematologic malignancy survivors and their parents needed time to gradually return to daily life after a life-altering disruption after completing treatment. This process includes three categories: (1) adjusting to achievable learning goals, (2) incrementally expanding social relationships, and (3) strengthening daily life skills. As they return to daily life, both hematologic malignancy survivors and their parents need to adjust their mindset and pace to gradually adapt to the challenges they encounter. In the future, school nurses and oncology nurses can collaborate to design appropriate return-to-school plans to assist these children in their adaptation.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) is one of the main active components of the natural medicine propolis, which has antioxidant, anti-tumor, and immunomodulatory activities. This study aimed to analyze the effects and underlying mechanisms of CAPE added to the medium of in vitro cultures on the developmental competence, mitochondria, and endoplasmic reticulum of porcine embryos. The results demonstrated that 1 nM of CAPE significantly improved the quality of porcine embryos, increased the rate of blastocyst formation, and enhanced the proliferation ability. It also enhanced mitochondrial function by increasing the level of mitochondrial membrane potential and expression of the mitochondrial biogenesis-related protein PPARgamma coactivator 1 alpha and beta (PGC1 alpha and beta), regulating mitochondrial biogenesis, and increasing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content. In addition, CAPE alleviated oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in embryos by decreasing ROS accumulation and increasing glutathione content, as well as elevating Nrf2 and reducing GRP78 (ER stress marker) expression levels. Moreover, CAPE reduced the levels of apoptosis and autophagy in the cultivated embryos. These results indicate that CAPE improves the quality and enhances the mitochondrial function of in vitro-produced porcine embryos by alleviating oxidative and ER stress.

Dynamic computed tomography (CT)-based brain perfusion imaging is a non-invasive technique that can provide quantitative measurements of cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), and mean transit time (MTT). However, due to high radiation dose, dynamic CT scan with a low tube voltage and current protocol is commonly used. Because of this reason, the increased noise degrades the quality and reliability of perfusion maps. In this study, we aim to propose and investigate the feasibility of utilizing a convolutional neural network and a bi-directional long short-term memory model with an attention mechanism to self-supervisedly yield the impulse residue function (IRF) from dynamic CT images. Then, the predicted IRF can be used to compute the perfusion parameters. We evaluated the performance of the proposed method using both simulated and real brain perfusion data and compared the results with those obtained from two existing methods: singular value decomposition and tensor total-variation. The simulation results showed that the overall performance of parameter estimation obtained from the proposed method was superior to that obtained from the other two methods. The experimental results showed that the perfusion maps calculated from the three studied methods were visually similar, but small and significant differences in perfusion parameters between the proposed method and the other two methods were found. We also observed that there were several low-CBF and low-CBV lesions (i.e., suspected infarct core) found by all comparing methods, but only the proposed method revealed longer MTT. The proposed method has the potential to self-supervisedly yield reliable perfusion maps from dynamic CT images., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics Approval: No institutional review board is required. Consent to Participate: Written informed consent was not required for this study because this is a retrospective study. Consent for Publication: Not applicable. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine.)

Promoting osteogenesis is crucial to improve successful bone regeneration in bone tissue engineering. Several studies on osteogenesis have reported positive effects of ω-9 monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) on bone regeneration. This study examined the potential of ω-9 monounsaturated fatty acid abundant seed oil mechanically extracted from Sapindus mukorossi (S. mukorossi) fruit to improve osteogeneses. After showing the presence of ω-9 MUFA in S. mukorossi seed oil (SM oil) through GC-MS spectrum analysis, the proliferation and differentiation of human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSCs) under SM treatment was evaluated. Our results indicate that WJMSC differentiation was induced by adding an osteogenesis-induced medium combined with SM oil. A high level of calcium deposition expression in WJMSCs induced by SM oil appears to be due to the effect of oleic acid and eicosenoic acid, both of which are ω-9 monounsaturated fatty acids. In addition, we found major contributors of SM oil-promoted WJMSC osteogenesis to be extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERKs), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNKs), and the p38 MAPK pathway. The enhancement of WJMSC osteogenesis via ERK/MAPK pathways as demonstrated by qPCR analysis indicates the promise of SM oil for stem cell-based bone tissue engineering applications., 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: Although optical coherence tomography (OCT) is useful in determining outer retinal architecture, it may be suboptimal when monitoring subtle changes in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) patients. The aim of this study is to investigate precise microperimetric parameters for disease severity identification in RP patients. Methods: A cross-sectional and retrospective study. Thirty-nine eyes of 39 RP patients were included. Associations between logMAR visual acuity (VA), spectral-domain OCT, fundus autofluorescence imaging (FAF), and various microperimetric measures were evaluated. Microperimetric test locations were grouped into "foveal", parafoveal "inner ring", and perifoveal "outer ring". Independent variables were analyzed based on logistic regression, then assessed using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Results: Among all microperimetric measures, linear regression analysis indicated that mean retinal sensitivity and deep scotoma count at the parafoveal inner ring were the principal parameters associated with decreased VA. The AUROC was highest for deep scotoma count at the inner ring at a value of 0.829, with the cut-off point at 3.5. A visual function index was then established according to the number of parafoveal deep scotoma points, in order of mild (0 points), moderate (1-3 points), and severe (4 or more points). Our microperimetric visual function index also correlated significantly to logMAR VA and previously established FAF patterns. Conclusions: Our study discovered deep scotoma count at the parafoveal inner ring to be a key microperimetric parameter in evaluating vision loss in RP patients. Those with four or more deep scotoma points at the parafoveal inner ring are more likely to have functional low vision.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy of nanodiamond irrigation solution with sonic agitation for removing of hard-tissue debris (HTD) within the isthmus-containing mesial roots of human mandibular molars using micro-CT analysis., Methodology: Forty mesial roots of extracted human mandibular molars were selected based on micro-computed tomography scans (9-μm resolution). The mesial canals were mechanically prepared using ProTaper® Gold nickel-titanium rotary instruments and divided into four groups (n = 10 each) according to the final irrigation protocol: sonic agitation with nanodiamond irrigation solution for three 20-s cycles, sonic agitation with 17% EDTA for three 20-s cycles, sonic agitation with 3% NaOCl for three 20-s cycles and manual syringe irrigation with NaOCl using a 30-G needle syringe for 60 s. The samples were scanned again after canal preparation and the use of the final irrigation protocols. Data were collected to evaluate the percentage of HTD removed. Statistical comparisons were made using the anova post hoc Tukey test (p < .05)., Results: None of the irrigation protocols was able to completely eliminate HTD from the isthmus-containing mesial canals of mandibular molars. However, sonic agitation with the nanodiamond irrigant and sonic agitation with 17% EDTA irrigation solutions showed higher mean reductions of HTD (68.0% and 68.9%, respectively) compared to sonic agitation with 3% NaOCl and manual syringe irrigation with 3% NaOCl (43.4% and 13.7%, respectively) (p < .05)., Conclusions: The effectiveness of sonic agitation in removing HTD from the entire root canal was superior to that of manual syringe irrigation. When employing sonic agitation, the addition of nanodiamonds to NaOCl demonstrated enhanced HTD removal capabilities compared to using NaOCl alone and was comparable to that of EDTA. These results suggest that sonic agitation with a nanodiamond irrigation solution may serve as an effective alternative approach for HTD removal in root canal treatment., (© 2024 British Endodontic Society. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

A general and flexible platform for catalytic aldehyde-alkyne couplings triggered by ketyl radicals is described. This open-shell strategy necessitates only a catalytic quantity of a photoredox catalyst, along with Hünig's base (DIPEA) as a halogen atom transfer reagent. The reaction proceeds through sequential steps involving activation, halogen atom transfer, and radical addition. This carbonyl-alkyne coupling exhibits a wide substrate scope and functional group compatibility and has been successfully applied to the late-stage modification of complex architectures.

Fibromyalgia is a chronic illness usually accompanied by long-lasting, general pain throughout the body, often accompanied by anxiety, depression, fatigue, and sleep disruption. Meanwhile, doctors and scientists have not entirely discovered detailed mechanisms; patients always have an exaggerated sensation to pervasive pain without satisfied medical service. Given the lack of knowledge on its underlying mechanism, current treatments aim to provide pain and/or symptom relief. The present study aimed to clarify the role of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) signaling in a mouse fibromyalgia pain model. To develop the mouse fibromyalgia model, mice were subjected to intermittent cold stress (ICS). Our results indicated that mechanical (2.09 ± 0.09 g) and thermal hyperalgesia (4.77 ± 0.29 s), which were evaluated by von Frey and Hargraves' tests, were induced by ICS, suggesting successful modeling. The hurting replies were then provoked by electroacupuncture (EA) but not for sham EA mice. Further, in a Western blot analysis, we found significantly decreased CB1 protein levels in the thalamus, somatosensory cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex. In addition, the levels of pain-related protein kinases and transcription factor were increased. Treatment with EA reliably increased CB1 expression in various brain regions sequentially alleviated by nociceptive mediators. Furthermore, the administration of a CB1 agonist significantly attenuated fibromyalgia pain, reversed EA analgesia by the CB1 antagonist, and further reversed the chemogenetic inhibition of SSC. Our innovative findings evidence the role of CB1 signaling in the interaction of EA and fibromyalgia, suggesting its potential for clinical trials and as a treatment target.

Objectives: To investigate the nutritional status of children with Crohn's Disease (CD) at diagnosis and its association with clinical characteristics., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data and nutritional status of 118 children with CD who were admitted to Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, from January 2016 to January 2024. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the risk factors for malnutrition., Results: A total of 118 children with CD were included, among whom there were 68 boys (57.6%) and 50 girls (42.4%), with a mean age of (11±4) years. Clinical symptoms mainly included recurrent abdominal pain (73.7%, 87/118), diarrhea (37.3%, 44/118), and hematochezia (32.2%, 38/118), and 63.6% (75/118) of the children had weight loss at diagnosis. The incidence rate of malnutrition was 63.6% (75/118), and the children with moderate or severe malnutrition accounted for 67% (50/75). There were 50 children (42.4%) with emaciation, 8 (6.8%) with growth retardation, and 9 (7.6%) with overweight or obesity. Measurement of nutritional indices showed a reduction in serum albumin in 83 children (70.3%), anemia in 74 children (62.7%), and a reduction in 25 hydroxyvitamin D in 15 children (60%, 15/25). The children with malnutrition had significantly higher disease activity, proportion of children with intestinal stenosis, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate and a significant reduction in serum albumin ( P <0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that intestinal stenosis was an independent risk factor for malnutrition in children with CD ( OR =4.416, P <0.05)., Conclusions: There is a high incidence rate of malnutrition in children with CD at diagnosis, which is associated with disease activity and disease behavior. The nutritional status of children with CD should be closely monitored.

Aim: To evaluate the visual outcomes of standard amblyopic treatment add-on training via perceptual learning in refractive amblyopic children and to identify the risk factors for treatment failure., Methods: Retrospective charts were reviewed in children with refractive amblyopia who received standard treatment and add-on Cambridge Visual Stimulator (CAM) training. The add-on CAM group that was enrolled had worn full-corrected glasses for at least 2mo before training. A control group received only the standard treatment. Treatment success was defined as best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ≥20/25. The age, sex, initial BCVA, refractive errors, sessions and duration of training, and final BCVA were recorded., Results: A total of 209 children (129 children in add-on CAM group and 80 children in control group) were enrolled. Seventy-six percent of unilateral and 87% of bilateral amblyopic children achieved treatment success. In children with unilateral or bilateral moderate amblyopia, the duration to reach BCVA ≥20/25 was significantly shorter in add-on CAM group than in control group. Poor initial BCVA ( P <0.001) and high astigmatism ( P =0.007) were risk factors for treatment failure after add-on CAM training. Age, sex, and types of refractive error were not associated with treatment success., Conclusion: Add-on CAM training is an effective strategy for visual improvement and can shorten the treatment course when the effect of standard treatment is limited in amblyopic children., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: Huang HC, None; Cho WH, None; Fang PC, None; Lin PW, None; Chen YH, None; Huang HM, None., (International Journal of Ophthalmology Press.)

Scope: Maternal high fructose diet (HFD) during pregnancy and lactation can initiate retinal dysfunction. However, the underlying mechanism remains largely unknown., Methods and Results: By using the rodent model of maternal HFD in this study, the results from electroretinography (ERG) indicate that b-wave amplitude, an index of inner retinal function, is significantly reduced as early as 3 months old and the deteriorated effect can be detected at 15 months old. Further, the protein expressions of CD11b (a marker of active microglia), p40 phox subunit of NADPH oxidase, GFAP (a marker of active astrocytes), and NLPR3 examined by western blot and immunofluorescence are significantly increased in the retina of the male HFD offspring at 3 months old. Treatment with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFAs) for 2 weeks (from 2.5 to 3 months old) effectively reverses the aforementioned changes., Conclusion: Together, these results indicate that the early onset and extensive retinal dysfunction may be a result of glial activation which is induced by maternal HFD to initiate an inflammatory microenvironment leading to a long-term progression of retinopathy. Short-term administration of ω-3 PUFA at a young age may be a feasible strategy to intervene in the maternal HFD-programmed retinal impairment in male offspring., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Quantitative analysis of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW-MRI) has been explored for many clinical applications since its development. In particular, the intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) model for DW-MRI has been commonly utilized in various organs. However, because of the presence of excessive noise, the IVIM parameter maps obtained from pixel-wise fitting are often unreliable. In this study, we propose a kernelized total difference-based curve-fitting method to estimate the IVIM parameters. Simulated DW-MRI data at five signal-to-noise ratios (i.e., 10, 20, 30, 50, and 100) and real abdominal DW-MRI data acquired on a 1.5-T MRI scanner with nine b-values (i.e., 0, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 s/mm 2 ) and six diffusion-encoding gradient directions were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The results were compared with those obtained by three existing methods: trust-region reflective (TRR) algorithm, Bayesian probability (BP), and deep neural network (DNN). Our simulation results showed that the proposed method outperformed the other three comparing methods in terms of root-mean-square error. Moreover, the proposed method could preserve small details in the estimated IVIM parameter maps. The experimental results showed that, compared with the TRR method, the proposed method as well as the BP (and DNN) method could reduce the overestimation of the pseudodiffusion coefficient and improve the quality of IVIM parameter maps. For all studied abdominal organs except the pancreas, both the proposed method and the BP method could provide IVIM parameter estimates close to the reference values; the former had higher precision. The kernelized total difference-based curve-fitting method has the potential to improve the reliability of IVIM parametric imaging., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Abstract: Guidelines on antiplatelet recommendation for CYP2C19 intermediate metabolizer (IM) have not come to an agreement. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical benefit of ticagrelor when compared with high-dose clopidogrel in CYP2C19 IM after percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndromes. Patients were enrolled according to CYP2C19 genotype and individual antiplatelet therapy. Patient characteristics and clinical outcomes were collected through electronic medical record system. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular event (MACCE), namely a composite of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, stroke, and stent thrombosis within 12 months. The secondary outcome was Bleeding Academic Research Consortium scale bleeding events within 12 months. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was performed, with inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) adjusting for potential confounders. A total of 532 CYP2C19 IM were enrolled in this retrospective single-center study. No statistically significant difference in incidence rate of MACCE was found between patients receiving ticagrelor versus clopidogrel (7.01 vs. 9.52 per 100 patient-years; IPTW-adjusted hazard ratio 0.71; 95% confidence interval: 0.32-1.58; adjusted log-rank P = 0.396), but the incidence rate of Bleeding Academic Research Consortium type 2, 3, or 5 bleeding events was statistically higher in the loss of function-ticagrelor group than in the loss of function-clopidogrel group (13.53 vs. 6.16 per 100 patient-years; IPTW-adjusted hazard ratio: 2.29; 95% confidence interval: 1.10-4.78; adjusted log-rank P = 0.027). Ticagrelor treatment in CYP2C19 IM resulted in a statistically higher risk of bleeding compared with high-dose clopidogrel, whereas a clear association between treatments and MACCE warrants further investigations., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To evaluate whether the application of Dynamic tape to the pitching shoulder could result in reduced shoulder fatigue, reduced delayed onset muscle soreness, or improved performance., Methods: This is a randomized crossover study, in which participants and investigators were blinded, included 20 amateur adult baseball players without shoulder pain. Sham taping and Dynamic taping were randomized, using an internal rotation support taping method in both groups. Bilateral shoulder strength and range of motion were measured with a handheld dynamometer and clinical goniometer before and after each test. The percentage of strength decrease, range of motion, pitch velocity, spin rate, and shoulder pain were recorded. The post-pitching decrease in strength and percentage of strength decrease were calculated by paired t-test and the pitching speed and spin rates in the innings for both the sham and Dynamic taping groups were analyzed using two-way ANOVA., Results: Compared with the sham group, the Dynamic tape group showed a significant loss in the percentage of strength decrease in internal rotation compared to the sham group (-1.4% vs. 7.0%, p = 0.03). However, no significant differences were observed in other strength declines, shoulder range of motion, pain, pitching velocity, or spin rate., Conclusions: Dynamic tape reduced direction-specific shoulder fatigue but did not significantly enhance pitching performance or prevent delayed onset muscle soreness., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials: N201912094., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Food allergy are triggered by an abnormal immune response to specific food components, with milk and eggs being the most common food allergens, especially in children. Food allergy can cause various symptoms such as rashes, difficulty breathing, and digestive issues. Allergen component diagnostics is a technique used to identify specific allergenic proteins, aiding doctors in providing more precise treatment and management recommendations for patients. This article analyzes the latest research developments and clinical significance of milk and egg allergen components based on the " Molecular Allergology User's Guide 2.0 (MAUG 2.0)" issued by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), including their applications in clinical diagnosis, treatment, and management. This article aims to enhance healthcare professionals' understanding of milk and egg allergies, offering new perspectives and practical guidelines for research and clinical practice to promote accurate diagnosis and personalized treatment strategies.

The region with the highest marine biodiversity on our planet is known as the Coral Triangle or Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA) 1,2 . Its enormous biodiversity has long attracted the interest of biologists; however, the detailed evolutionary history of the IAA biodiversity hotspot remains poorly understood 3 . Here we present a high-resolution reconstruction of the Cenozoic diversity history of the IAA by inferring speciation-extinction dynamics using a comprehensive fossil dataset. We found that the IAA has exhibited a unidirectional diversification trend since about 25 million years ago, following a roughly logistic increase until a diversity plateau beginning about 2.6 million years ago. The growth of diversity was primarily controlled by diversity dependency and habitat size, and also facilitated by the alleviation of thermal stress after 13.9 million years ago. Distinct net diversification peaks were recorded at about 25, 20, 16, 12 and 5 million years ago, which were probably related to major tectonic events in addition to climate transitions. Key biogeographic processes had far-reaching effects on the IAA diversity as shown by the long-term waning of the Tethyan descendants versus the waxing of cosmopolitan and IAA taxa. Finally, it seems that the absence of major extinctions and the Cenozoic cooling have been essential in making the IAA the richest marine biodiversity hotspot on Earth., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Two important factors affecting the progress of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are the S-protein binding function of ACE2 receptors and the membrane fluidity of host cells. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of static magnetic field (SMF) on S-protein/ACE2 binding and cellular membrane fluidity of lung cells, and was performed in vitro using a Calu-3 cell model and in vivo using an animal model. The ability of ACE2 receptors to bind to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein on host cell surfaces under SMF stimulation was evaluated using fluorescence images. Host lung cell membrane fluidity was tested using fluorescence polarization to determine the effects of SMF. Our results indicate that 0.4 T SMF can affect binding between S-protein and ACE2 receptors and increase Calu-3 cell membrane fluidity, and that SMF exposure attenuates LPS-induced alveolar wall thickening in mice. These results may be of value for developing future non-contact, non-invasive, and low side-effect treatments to reduce disease severity in COVID-19-invaded lungs., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Molecular rearrangement occupies a pivotal position among fundamental transformations in synthetic chemistry. Radical translocation has emerged as a prevalent synthetic tool, efficiently facilitating the migration of diverse functional groups. In contrast, the development of di-π-methane rearrangement remains limited, particularly in terms of the translocation of cyano functional groups. This is primarily attributed to the energetically unfavorable three-membered-ring transition state. Herein, we introduce an unprecedented di-π-ethane rearrangement enabled by energy-transfer catalysis under visible light conditions. This innovative open-shell rearrangement boasts broad tolerance toward a range of functional groups, encompassing even complex drug and natural product derivatives. Overall, the reported di-π-ethane rearrangement represents a complementary strategy to the development of radical translocation enabled by energy-transfer catalysis.

Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Progesterone (P 4 ) plays a pivotal role in regulating the cancer progression of various types, including breast cancer, primarily through its interaction with the P 4 receptor (PR). In PR-negative breast cancer cells, P 4 appears to function in mediating cancer progression, such as cell growth. However, the mechanisms underlying the roles of P 4 in PR-negative breast cancer cells remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of P 4 on cell proliferation, gene expression, and signal transduction in PR-negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. P 4 -activated genes, associated with proliferation in breast cancer cells, exhibit a stimulating effect on cell growth in PR-negative MDA-MB-231 cells, while demonstrating an inhibitory impact in PR-positive MCF-7 cells. The use of arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGD) peptide successfully blocked P 4 -induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) activation, aligning with computational models of P 4 binding to integrin αvβ3. Disrupting integrin αvβ3 binding with RGD peptide or anti-integrin αvβ3 antibody altered P 4 -induced expression of proliferative genes and modified P 4 -induced cell growth in breast cancer cells. In conclusion, integrin αvβ3 appears to mediate P 4 -induced ERK1/2 signal pathway to regulate proliferation via alteration of proliferation-related gene expression in PR-negative breast cancer cells., 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.)