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Xiao-Man Huang,&ast; Yan-Xiang Guo,&ast; Qiu-Ling Pang, Xiao-Yi Yan, Hui Yan, Jing-Yi Li, Gan-Ling Tang, Hui-Xian Jiang, Hong-Liang Zhang The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530021, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hong-Liang Zhang, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi, 530021, People’s Republic of China, Email 277749097@qq.comPurpose: 2-Dodecyl-6-methoxy-2,5-diene-1,4-cyclohexanedione (DMDD), isolated from Averrhoa carambola L. root, has demonstrated the potential to reduce blood sugar levels. However, DMDD has poor solubility and bioavailability. This study aimed to formulate DMDD-loaded nanoparticles (DMDD-NPs) using chitosan crosslinked with sodium tripolyphosphate through the ionic crosslinking method and to investigate their effect on diabetic kidney disease (DKD) treatment by inhibiting the development of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT).Methods: DMDD-NPs were prepared by ionic crosslinking with sodium tripolyphosphate, optimizing six factors that affect nanoparticle characteristics, including particle size and zeta potential. Encapsulation efficiency (EE) and drug loading rate (DL) were optimized using a Box-Behnken design. The structure and characteristics of DMDD-NPs, including size, EE, DL, and release rates, were analyzed. Cytotoxicity was assessed using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, while the migration capacity of HK-2 cells was evaluated through scratch-wound assays. The expression of EMT-related markers (E-cadherin, Vimentin, and TGF-β 1) was assessed by qRT-PCR.Results: The optimized formulation for DMDD-NPs was CS:TPP:DMDD = 10:3:3 (w), at pH 3.5, with 1.0 mg/mL of CS and stirring at 500 rpm for 30 min. In these conditions, the nanoparticles had a particle size of 320.37 ± 2.93 nm, an EE of 85.09 ± 1.43%, and a DL of 15.88 ± 0.51%. The DMDD-NPs exhibited a spherical shape, no leakage and minimal adhesion. The optimal freeze-drying protectant was a combination of 0.025% mannitol and 0.025% lactose. The drug release followed the Higuchi model. DMDD-NPs improved HK-2 cell proliferation at lower concentrations (< 24 μg/mL) and showed greater cell migration inhibition than DMDD. DMDD-NPs promoted E-cadherin expression and inhibited vimentin and TGF-β 1 expression, suggesting their potential role in preventing EMT for DKD treatment.Keywords: DMDD, drug delivery system, nanoparticles, epithelial-mesenchymal transformation, diabetic kidney disease

Seed development is one of the most important agricultural traits, determining both the crop yield and quality of fleshy fruits. A typically abortive litchi cultivar, Guiwei, exhibits heterogeneity in seed size across production areas, years, and individual trees. Previous studies have shown that 'Guiwei' seed development failure is associated with endosperm arrest and chilling conditions. Herein, we identified a cysteine proteinase inhibitor (LcCPI5) and defensin-like protein (LcDEFL) as key genes in determining 'Guiwei' seed development through combined analysis of 'Guiwei' and 'Huaizhi' endosperm single-nucleus RNA-sequence and transcriptome data of 'Guiwei' seed subjected to different temperature treatments. LcCPI5 was exclusively expressed in the endosperm sample of 'Guiwei' at 25 days post-anthesis, and its expression decreased in response to chilling. The silencing of LcCPI5 led to significantly larger seeds, whereas employing the cysteine proteinase inhibitor E-64 resulted in smaller seeds in the cultivar 'Guiwei'. Unlike LcCPI5, LcDEFL promotes litchi seed development. The large seed cultivar 'Huaizhi' had substantially higher expression of LcDEFL than the partly abortive cultivar 'Guiwei'. LcDEFL silencing led to a notable reduction in the size of litchi seeds. These findings point to the post-translational modulation of cysteine proteinase and the critical role of cysteine-rich proteins in litchi seed development., 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 © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Sepsis can trigger systemic inflammation and lead to detrimental effects on several organs, with particular emphasis on the lungs. In sepsis-associated lung injury, macrophages assume a pivotal role, as their overactivation could facilitate the secretion of inflammatory factors and the imbalance of polarization. Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4A) has been reported its potential involvement in the regulation of inflammatory response and macrophage polarization. This study discusses the role and mechanism of HNF4A in sepsis-induced lung damage. HNF4A exhibits a decrease in expression by analyzing the differentially expressed genes in the lungs of septic mice from the Gene Expression Omnibus dataset GSE15379. Then, we established a mouse sepsis model through a cecal ligation and puncture method and observed that the expression of HNF4A was reduced in both lung tissues and alveolar macrophages. To evaluate the function of HNF4A, we overexpressed HNF4A mediated by adenovirus vectors, which were injected into mice. We found that HNF4A overexpression resulted in a higher survival rate in septic mice and an amelioration of pulmonary damage. Meanwhile, HNF4A overexpression mitigated the infiltration of inflammatory cells and impeded the M1 polarization but facilitated the M2 polarization of macrophages in the lung tissues or the alveolar lavage fluid. In vitro, we treated bone marrow-derived macrophages with interleukin-4. Consistent results were obtained that HNF4A overexpression promoted the M2 polarization of macrophages. Mechanistically, we found that HNF4A transcriptionally regulate the expression of nuclear receptor coactivator 2 (NCOA2) through binding to its promoter region. NCOA2 interacted with glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Stabilin 1 (STAB1) was selected as a possible target by transcriptome sequencing analysis. Functional experiments confirmed STAB1 as a downstream target of the HNF4A/NCOA2/GR axis. Overall, this research investigated the potential impact of HNF4A on pulmonary injury in sepsis. It is suggested that one of the regulatory mechanisms involved in this association may be the NCOR2/GR/STAB1 axis., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interest. Ethics approval: The animal experiments were approved by the ethical committees of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University (2023PS795K), and conducted in accordance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. This work did not involve human subjects., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

The excessive accumulation of heavy metal ions can pose significant hazards to human health and the environment, hence the detection and removal of heavy metal ions from water bodies are essential. Generally, carbon dots (CDs) are used as a good fluorescence sensor to sense heavy metal ions. In this study, using one-step microwave method, CDs were synthesized with the traditional Chinese medicine Radix Vladimiriae as a carbon source for the first time. These CDs display excellent fluorescence properties with an average particle size of approximately 5.9 nm and a fluorescence quantum yield (QY) about 0.15. The fluorescence emission spectra were recorded at different excitation peaks with the highest intensity emission peak observed at 465 nm with an excitation wavelength of 360 nm. Interestingly, fluorescence intensities of CDs greatly decreased in the existence of Fe 3+ . Under optimum conditions, a good linear relationship was observed between (I 0 -I)/I and the Fe 3+ concentration in the range of 0.2-200 μM with the correlation coefficient (R 2 ) of 0.9992 and the limit of detection (LOD) of 62 nM. Finally, after adding Fe 3+ at concentrations of 5 μM, 20 μM, and 50 μM to real water samples, the relative standard deviation and spiked recovery rates were 1.2 %-2.7 % and 99.2 %-101.6 %, respectively. Thus, a novel method for rapid detection of Fe 3+ were successfully discovered., 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 © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The synthesis of perfluoroalkylated fullerenes (PFAFs) holds significant importance due to their enhanced molecular stability, increased lipophilicity, and high electron affinity. Herein, we report a copper-catalyzed multicomponent reaction conducted under aerobic conditions, which enables the production of highly soluble PFAFs with half-wave reduction potentials similar to those of C 60 . Furthermore, the challenges posed by C-F coupling in carbon signal assignment were addressed through fluorine-decoupled carbon spectroscopy, facilitating precise structural characterization of the perfluoroalkyl moieties.

Non‑alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the more progressive form of non‑alcoholic fatty liver disease, has become a major cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti‑NASH effect of the nonabsorbable antibiotic rifaximin and its specific molecular mechanisms. A methionine‑choline deficient (MCD) diet was used to induce NASH formation in mice. The mice with NASH were treated with rifaximin to observe its effects on liver fat deposition, hepatocyte inflammation and liver fibrosis. Furthermore, the intestinal microbiota of mice with NASH was analysed by 16S rRNA sequencing and terminal ileal bile acid levels were assessed using liquid chromatography‑electrospray ionization‑tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Furthermore, the correlation between the intestinal microflora and bile acid levels in the terminal ileum was investigated, and the effects of rifaximin on the intestinal Helicobacter ‑deoxycholic acid (DCA)‑farnesoid X receptor (Fxr)‑hepatocyte nuclear factor 1α (Hnf1α) signalling pathway were examined. Moreover, analyses of mice after intestinal decontamination with broad‑spectrum antibiotics and of hepatocyte‑specific Hnf1α knockout (Hnf1α H‑KO ) mice were used to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which rifaximin improves NASH. Notably, treatment with rifaximin markedly ameliorated liver steatosis, hepatocyte inflammation and liver fibrosis in mice with MCD diet‑induced NASH. Rifaximin modulated the gut microbiota, especially Helicobacter hepaticus , in mice with NASH. In addition, rifaximin inhibited the intestinal Helicobacter‑DCA‑Fxr‑Hnf1α signalling pathway in mice with NASH. By contrast, rifaximin did not exert an anti‑NASH effect on decontamination‑treated mice or Hnf1α H‑KO mice. Taken together, these results indicated that rifaximin can ameliorate NASH in mice by modulating the Helicobacter ‑DCA‑Fxr‑Hnf1α signalling pathway, providing a theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of patients with NASH with rifaximin.

Background: Identifying factors that influence non-curative resection (NCR) is critical to optimize treatment strategies and improve patient outcomes in patients with early gastric cancer (EGC)., Aim: To investigate the factors influencing the NCR of EGC and to evaluate the predictive value of these factors., Methods: The clinical data of 173 patients with EGC admitted between July 2020 and July 2023 were retrospectively collected. According to radical resection criteria, the patients were further divided into curative resection group ( n = 143) and NCR group ( n = 30). Clinical information was collected, including surgical method, tumor diameter, tumor site, ulcer formation, depth of invasion, pathological type, and lymph node metastasis. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the factors affecting non-curable resection., Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ulcer formation [odds ratio (OR) = 3.53; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.55-8.01, P = 0.003], pathological type (OR = 3.73; 95%CI: 1.60-8.74, P = 0.002), tumor diameter (OR = 3.15; 95%CI: 1.40-7.05, P = 0.005), tumor location (OR = 3.50; 95%CI: 1.16-10.58, P = 0.027), lymph node metastasis (OR = 4.40; 95%CI: 1.83-10.57, P = 0.001), and depth of penetration (OR = 3.75; 95%CI: 1.60-8.74, P = 0.002) were all risk factors for NCR in EGC patients. Predictive analysis showed varying area under the curve values for factors such as tumor diameter (0.636), tumor location (0.608), ulcer formation (0.652), infiltration depth (0.658), pathological type (0.656), and lymph node metastasis (0.674)., Conclusion: The results suggest that factors such as tumor diameter, tumor location, ulcer formation, depth of invasion, pathological type, and lymph node metastasis increase the risk of NCR in EGC patients., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article., (©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Based on the growth factor theory, external inhibition theory, and neuronal intrinsic theory, we, in this paper, summed up the potential mechanisms of acupuncture in the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) by promoting the axonal regeneration in recent years. Acupuncture can promote the repairment of SCI by (1) regulating the expressions of spinal cord growth factors (such as nerve growth factor, brain derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin-3, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, ciliary neurotrophic factor, insulin-like growth factor, etc.) to support neuronal survival and axon growth; (2) inhibiting the expression of spinal cord myelin growth inhibitor Nogo protein and oligodendrocyte myelin glycoprotein (OMgp), requlating axon guide molecules Sema3A and Wnt family, etc., and inhibiting the formation of astryocyte scar to create a favorable local microenvironment for axon regeneration; and (3) regulating spinal phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, down-regulating Ras homolog gene family member A (RhoA) / Rho-associated protein kinase II (ROCK II) signaling, up-regulating mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPK)/ extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling, cAMP/ protein kinase A (PKA) signaling, etc.. In addition, we also found that by modulating axon regeneration, acupuncture therapy can not only effectively restore motor function in SCI patients, but also improve neurogenic bladder symptoms.

Orbital disorders include conditions originating from the orbital bones, surrounding tissues, and post-orbital septum. They also include systemic ailments affecting the orbit. Different clinical symptoms make up the complex range of orbital disorders. Because these disorders mostly impact the orbital area instead of the intraocular compartment, there is little diagnostic usefulness for typical ophthalmic visual tests. As such, the vital instruments for diagnosing and evaluating orbital illnesses have become ophthalmic imaging modalities, including ocular ultrasonography (B-scan), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). One way to improve the precision and promptness of diagnosing orbital diseases is to standardize the functioning of widely used imaging equipment and define the radiological features of orbital abnormalities. Such programs are crucial for the care of patients with orbital disorders since they considerably reduce the number of misdiagnoses and missed diagnoses in these individuals. The underlying concepts, operational techniques, and normal and pathological imaging findings associated with common diagnostic tools for orbital illnesses are all thoroughly reviewed in this guideline. The objective is to improve primary healthcare settings' diagnostic competence in the field of orbital pathology and to standardize procedures for diagnosing orbital disorders., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: Shao Y, None; Ma JM, None; Huang XM, None; Expert Workgroup of Guidelines for the use of imaging equipment in orbital diseases (2024), None; Ophthalmic Imaging and Intelligent Medicine Branch Chinese Medicine Education Association, None; Ocular Oncology Committee of the Ophthalmology Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, None; Ophthalmology Committee of International Association of Translational Medicine, None; Chinese Ophthalmic Imaging Study Groups, None., (International Journal of Ophthalmology Press.)

Totally implantable venous access port (TIVAP), a novel intravenous infusion system that is used for long-term intravenous treatment, has become increasingly popular among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and other patients requiring long-term intravenous infusions. This technology has been introduced into clinical practice in China, with successful results. Nevertheless, there are still certain problems; for instance, China has not set up a specialized regulatory agency to oversee research and set guidelines for the comprehensive life-cycle management of TIVAP. Additionally, there exists a disparity in standardized operations and complication management related to TIVAP, which has resulted in variable outcomes, complications, and patient satisfaction with TIVAP implantation across different medical units in China. Therefore, this article aims to provide a systematic overview of the clinical applications and maintenance of TIVAP, both domestically and internationally. Furthermore, this review investigated the latest strategies and associated research on TIVAP implantation and complication management, aiming to provide a basis for standardized surgical and maintenance procedures, protocols to minimize complications, and approaches for enhancing the overall quality of life for patients., 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 Huang, Li, Deng, Chen and Qian.)

Isoindigo (IID)-based non-fullerene acceptors, known for their broad absorption spectra and high charge carrier mobilities, play a crucial role in organic photovoltaics. In this study, two A-DA'D-A type unfused ring acceptors (URAs), IDC8CP-IC and IDC6CP-IC, were designed and synthesized using cyclopentadithiophene (CPDT) and IID core units, each functionalized with different alkyl chains (2-hexyldecyl and 2-octyldodecyl), through an atom- and step-efficient direct C-H arylation (DACH) method. Both URAs, despite the absence of non-covalent conformation locking between CPDT and IID, demonstrated favorable molecular planarity, broad absorption ranges, low band gaps, and high molar absorption coefficients. Notably, IDC6CP-IC exhibited stronger intermolecular charge transfer and J-aggregation. An organic solar cell (OSC) device based on IDC6CP-IC achieved a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 3.10%, with a broad photoresponse range extending from 400 to 900 nm. This study highlights the significant impact of alkyl chain engineering on material synthesis, photoelectric properties, and corresponding device performance. Furthermore, DACH is shown to be a promising approach for synthesizing IID-based URAs with near-infrared (NIR) absorption, making it an excellent candidate for bulk heterojunction (BHJ) OSC applications.

With Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Gypsum Fibrosum drug pair as the research object, supramolecular chemistry of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) was used to study differences between the compatibility of herbal medicine Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma with mineral medicine Gypsum Fibrosum and its main component CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O, so as to preliminarily discuss the scientific connotation of compatibility of Gypsum Fibrosum in clinical application. A Malvern particle sizer, a scanning electron microscope(SEM), and a conductivity meter were used to observe and determine the physical properties such as microscopic morphology, particle size, and conductivity of Gypsum Fibrosum, CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O, and water decoctions of them with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer(ICP-OES) was employed to detect the inorganic metal elements in Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Gypsum Fibrosum and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O. Isothermal titration calorimetry(ITC) was conducted to quantify the interactions of Gypsum Fibrosum and CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. A Fourier transform infrared spectrometer(FTIR) was used to analyze the characteristic absorption peak change of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Gypsum Fibrosum and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O. X-ray diffraction(XRD) was performed to determine the crystal structure and phase composition of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Gypsum Fibrosum and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O. Further, glycyrrhizic acid(GA) was substituted for Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma to co-decoct with Gypsum Fibrosum, CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O, and freeze-dried powder of their respective water decoctions. The results of XRD were used for verification analysis. The results showed that although CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O is the main component of Gypsum Fibrosum, there were significant differences between their decoctions and between the decoctions of them with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma. Specifically,(1) Both CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O and Gypsum Fibrosum were amorphous fibrous. However, the particle size and conductivity were significantly different between the decoctions of CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O and Gypsum Fibrosum alone.(2) Under SEM, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O was a hybrid system with various morphologies, while Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Gypsum Fibrosum presented uniform nanoparticles.(3) The particle sizes and conductivities of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Gypsum Fibrosum were significantly different and did not follow the same tendency as those of the decoctions of CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O and Gypsum Fibrosum alone.(4) Compared with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Gypsum Fibrosum had stronger molecular binding ability and functional group structure change.(5) The crystal form was largely different between the freeze-dried powder of CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O decoction and Gypsum Fibrosum decoction, and their crystal forms were also significantly different from those of the freeze-dried powder of Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O and Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma-Gypsum Fibrosum decoctions. The reason for the series of differences is that Gypsum Fibrosum is richer in trace elements than CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O. The XRD results of GA-Gypsum Fibrosum and GA-CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O decoctions further prove the importance of trace elements in Gypsum Fibrosum for supramolecule formation. This research preliminarily reveals the influence of compatibility of Gypsum Fibrosum or CaSO&#95;4·2H&#95;2O on decoction phase state, material form, and crystal form, providing a basis for the rational clinical application of Gypsum Fibrosum.

Objective: As the first model in predicting the failure of early medical abortion (EMA) was inefficient, this study aims to develop and validate a risk assessment model for predicting the failure of EMAs more accurately in a clinical setting., Methods: The derivation cohort was obtained from a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. The clinically significant risk factors were identified and combined with their corresponding odds ratios to establish a risk assessment model. The risk factors were assigned scores based on their respective weightings. The model's performance was evaluated by an external validation cohort obtained from a tertiary hospital. The outcome was defined as the incidence of EMA failure., Results: A total of 126,420 patients who had undergone medical abortions were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis, and the pooled failure rate was 6.7%. The final risk factors consisted of gestational age, maternal age, parity, previous termination of pregnancy, marital status, type of residence, and differences between gestational age calculated using the last menstrual period and that measured via ultrasound. The risk factors were assigned scores based on their respective weightings, with a maximum score of 19. The clinical prediction model exhibited a good discrimination, as validated by external verification (402 patients) with an area under the curve of 0.857 (95% confidence interval 0.804-0.910). The optimal cutoff value was determined to be 13.5 points, yielding a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 75.4%., Conclusion: This study effectively establishes a simple risk assessment model including seven routinely available clinical parameters for predicting EMA failure. In preliminary validation, this model demonstrates good performance in terms of predictive efficiency, accuracy, calibration, and clinical benefit. However, more research and validation are warranted for future application., Trial Registration Number: CRD42023485388., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Liu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Herein, we report the rhodium-catalyzed Z -alkenyl transfer from tertiary allylic alcohols to aryl trifluoromethyl ketones, which provided an efficient way of preparation of trifluoromethyl-containing Z -allylic alcohols via β- Z -alkenyl elimination. The key Z -alkenyl-rhodium species were generated with a high degree of stereochemical retention. This reaction featured a broad substrate scope and good functional tolerance and would offer a fascinating approach for the synthesis of Z -alkenes.

This study aimed to investigate ultrasound features of arteriovenous fistula stenosis and their relationship with primary patency after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (post-intervention primary patency) and compare this classification with that using lesion location. Hemodialysis patients who underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for arteriovenous fistula stenosis from July 2020 to December 2021 were retrospectively evaluated. Lesions (excluding inflow arteries) were categorized into five groups based on ultrasound features, and the clinical characteristics and risk factors affecting the post-intervention primary patency of the arteriovenous fistula were analyzed. Among 185 patients, 100 (54.05%), 36 (19.46%), 22 (11.89%), 11 (5.95%), and 16 (8.65%) were classified into the intima-dominant, non-intima-dominant, valve obstruction, vascular calcification, and mixed groups, respectively. The dialysis duration and arteriovenous fistula use time were the highest in the vascular calcification group at 86 (interquartile range: 49-140) and 77 (interquartile range: 49-110) months, respectively. Diabetes mellitus was most common in the intima-dominant group (42.0%). In Kaplan-Meier and univariate Cox analysis, type III lesion location (stenosis in the venous confluence site) was associated with the lower post-intervention primary patency. In the multivariate Cox analysis, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty times (the number of times patients were treated with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty for arteriovenous fistula stenosis dysfunction), vascular calcification, calcification at the lesion site requiring percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, and serum parathyroid hormone levels were independent risk factors for post-intervention primary patency. Ultrasound features showed that calcification of the arteriovenous fistula was detrimental to the post-intervention primary patency of arteriovenous fistula.

Background: This study investigates the effects of administering intravenous esketamine at a dose of 0.25 mg/kg to pregnant patients receiving epidural anesthesia for emergency cesarean section on both maternal and neonatal outcomes., Methods: Medical records of pregnant patients transitioning from labor analgesia to epidural anesthesia for emergency cesarean sections between January 2020 and December 2022 were analyzed. The patients were categorized based on whether they received esketamine infusions during the incision-to-delivery interval. The variables compared between the groups included hemodynamic parameters, perioperative and postoperative adverse reactions, and neonatal outcomes (gender, weight, Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min, need for neonatal intensive care, and umbilical artery/vein blood gas analysis)., Results: For maternal outcomes, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) in the esketamine group showed a significant increase at 5 and 10 min' post-administration, and the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) significantly increased at 5 min, compared to the control group ( p  < 0.01). No significant differences were observed in heart rate (HR) and oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) at any time point ( p  > 0.05). The esketamine group experienced a significant rise in the incidence of arrhythmias, dizziness, and nystagmus during the perioperative period, a notable decrease in hypotension incidence, and an increase in postoperative nausea and dizziness. Regarding neonatal outcomes, there were no significant differences in gender, weight, Apgar scores ≤7 at 1 and 5 min, and the need for neonatal intensive care. However, the pH level in the umbilical artery blood of the esketamine group was significantly higher. The levels of PCO 2 and PO 2 in umbilical artery and venous blood did not show significant differences between the groups., Conclusions: In pregnant women undergoing emergency cesarean section, intravenous administration of 0.25 mg/kg esketamine is correlated with favorable maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Proteins with intrinsic cell permeability that can access intracellular targets represent a promising strategy for novel drug development; however, a general design principle is still lacking. Here, we established a library of 46,678 de novo-designed mini-proteins and performed cell permeability screening via phage display. Analyses revealed a characteristic neighboring distribution of positive charges across helices among enriched mini-proteins of CPP7, CPP11, CPP55, CPP109 and CPP112. Compared with the state-of-the-art cell-penetrating mini-protein ZF5.3, the optimized mini-protein CPP11D36R exhibited a sevenfold increase in cell permeability. Endocytosis uptake and early endosome release are the key penetrating mechanisms. A machine learning model with high-throughput data achieved an F1 score of 0.41, significantly outperforming the previously reported CPP prediction models, including MLACP, CPPpred and CellPPD, by 41 %. Overall, our findings validate the effectiveness of a helical structure with a cationic distribution as a design principle on a large scale and present a robust approach for the development of cell-permeable mini-protein drugs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Mu-Sheng Zeng, Xin-Chun Chen, Xiang-Wei Kong and Guo-Kai Feng have filed a patent application (Patent application No. 2024113133880) related to the work described in this manuscript. The authors have no other conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

BACKGROUNDEBV is associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), but the existence of a NPC protective antibody against EBV-associated antigens remains unclear.METHODSPatients with NPC and matched controls were identified from prospective cohorts comprising 75,481 participants in southern China. ELISA and conditional logistic regression were applied to assess the effects of gp42-IgG on NPC. The expression of HLA-II, the gp42 receptor, in nasopharyngeal atypical dysplasia and its effect on EBV infection of epithelial cells were evaluated.FINDINGSgp42-IgG titers were significantly lower in patients with NPC compared with controls across various follow-up years before NPC diagnosis (P < 0.05). Individuals in the highest quartile for gp42-IgG titers had a 71% NPC risk reduction compared with those in the lowest quartile (ORsQ4vsQ1= 0.29, 95% CIs = 0·15 to 0.55, P < 0.001). Each unit antibody titer increase was associated with a 34% lower risk of NPC (OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.54-0.81, Ptrend< 0.001). The protective effect of of gp42-IgG was observed in patients diagnosed 5 years or more, 1-5 years, and less than 1 year after blood collection (P < 0.05). HLA-II expression was detected in 13 of 27 specimens of nasopharyngeal atypical dysplasia, and its overexpression substantially promoted epithelial cell-origin EBV infection.CONCLUSIONElevated EBV gp42-IgG titers can reduce NPC risk, indicating that gp42 is a potential EBV prophylactic vaccine target.TRIAL REGISTRATIONNCT00941538, NCT02501980, ChiCTR2000028776, ChiCTR2100041628.FUNDINGNoncommunicable Chronic Diseases-National Science and Technology Major Project (2023ZD0501003), National Natural Science Foundation of China (82030046, 82073625, 81860601, 82373655), Local Innovative and Research Teams Project of Guangdong Pearl River Talents Program (2019BT02Y198), and Central Financial Transfer Payment Projects of the Chinese Government, Cancer Research Grant of Zhongshan City.

Objective: To investigate the preliminary efficacy of 3D printed individualized genioglossus advancement (GA) for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults with micrognathia. Methods: The OSA patients with retropalatal and retroglossal collapses due to micrognathia underwent 3D printed individualized GA combined with Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty(UPPP) in Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University. Clinical data including pre-and post-operative polysomnography (PSG), cephalometric measurements of genioglossus advancement, patient-reported symptom and surgical complications were collected. A comparison of pre-and post-operative data was conducted using paired t -tests. Results: Nineteen OSA patients with micrognathia successfully underwent 3D printed individualized GA combined with UPPP, and achieved an actual mean genioglossus advancement distance of (9.0±1.4) mm compared to the planned distance of (9.4±1.0) mm preoperatively ( t =0.81, P =0.427). Among the 14 patients followed up for more than 6 months, the mean AHI reduced by 60.4% at 6 months postoperatively, with 5 cases (5/14) cured and 5 cases (5/14) showing significant improvement, resulting in an overall surgical response rate of 10/14. All patients expressed satisfaction with their postoperative facial appearance, with 13 cases perceiving an improvement in attractiveness. Two patients reported temporary genial numbness, and one patient experienced temporary mandibular occlusal asthenia. Conclusion: The 3D printed individualized GA combined with UPPP effectively reduces AHI in adult OSA patients with micrognathia, accompanied by a low incidence of surgical complications and high patient satisfaction regarding postoperative facial appearance.

Objective: To investigate the correlation between impulse oscillometry system examination indicators and conventional pulmonary ventilation function. Methods: The pulmonary ventilation function data of 10 883 patients from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022 at Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology were included. The one-second rate [ratio of forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1 ) to forced vital capacity (FVC)] measured as a percentage of the predicted value was ≥92% for the control group ( n= 3 478) and <92% for the pulmonary obstruction group ( n= 7 405). The obstruction group was subdivided into five groups according to the degree of pulmonary dysfunction: mild group ( n= 3 938),moderate group ( n= 1 142),oderate-severe group ( n= 917),severe group ( n= 737),and extremely severe group ( n= 671). Conventional pulmonary ventilatory function FVC, FEV 1 , one-second rate, and forced expired flow at 50% of FVC (MEF50%), forced expired flow at 75% FVC (MEF25%), maximal mid-expiratory flow (MMEF), peak expiratory flow (PEF), and pulsed oscillation pulmonary function test were detected in both groups of patients. Impedance at 5 Hz (Z5) means total respiratory resistance, resistance at 5 Hz (R5) means total airway resistance, reactance at 5 Hz (X5) indicates the elastic recoil of the peripheral airways, and resistance at 20 Hz (R20) represents resistance of the central airways. R5-R20 reflects resistance in the small airways. Additionally, peripheral resistance (Rp), respiratory resonance frequency (Frex), and area under the reactance curve (Ax) were also measured. Correlation between the indicators of the two groups and the sensitivity and specificity of the impulse oscillometry system parameters for the diagnosis of obstructive pulmonary ventilation dysfunction were analyzed. Results: Pulmonary function force expiratory volume in the first second as a percentage of predicted value (FEV 1 %Pre) [80.10 (54.95,97.10)%],one-second rate [62.43(48.67, 67.02)%],MEF50% [1.33 (0.62,1.97)L/s],MEF25% [0.28 (0.17,0.41)L/s], MMEF [0.85 (0.43,1.29)L/s],and PEF [5.64 (3.73,7.50)]L/s in the obstruction group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P< 0.05). The differences within the subgroups of the obstruction group were also significant ( P< 0.05). Pulsed oscillation Z5 [0.42 (0.33,0.55)kPa·L -1 ·s -1 ],Rp [0.25 (0.20,0.45)kPa·L -1 ·s -1 ], R5 [0.39 (0.31,0.49)kPa·L -1 ·s -1 ], R20 [0.28 (0.24,0.34)kPa·L -1 ·s -1 ], R5-R20 [0.09 (0.05,0.17)kPa·L -1 ·s -1 ],Frex [16.32 (13.07,20.84)Hz], and Ax [0.67 (0.28,1.64)] indices in the obstruction group were significantly higher than those in the control group. X5 [-0.14 (-0.23, -0.10)kPa·L -1 ·s -1 ] was significantly lower than that in the control group ( P< 0.05). Z5, Rp, X5, R5, R5-R20, Frex, and Ax were statistically significant between different degrees of obstruction in the obstruction group ( P< 0.05). The impulse oscillometry system parameters Z5, Rp, R5, R20, R5-20, Frex, and Ax were negatively correlated with the indices of conventional pulmonary ventilation ( r =-0.21-0.68, P< 0.05), and the parameter X5 was positively correlated with the indices of conventional pulmonary ventilation ( r= 0.41-0.68, P< 0.05). The pulsed oscillation pulmonary function test parameters X5 (58.60%-95.68%) and Ax (57.08%-98.06%) presented the best sensitivity; X5 (86.29%-98.82%), Frex (86.69%-94.71%), and Ax (88.10%-98.53%) displayed the best specificity; and R20 presented the worst sensitivity and specificity. The sensitivity and specificity were slightly better in female patients than in male patients. Conclusion: The technical parameters of the impulse oscillometry system showed significant correlation with relevant indices of conventional pulmonary ventilation function detection. These well reflect the changes of different degrees of pulmonary ventilation function and have greater significance for reference in evaluating the degree of pulmonary function impairment.

In this study, risk factors for coronary slow flow (CSF) patients were examined, and a clinical prediction model was created. This study involved 573 patients who underwent coronary angiography at our hospital because of chest pain from January 2020 to April 2022. They were divided into CSF group (249 cases) and noncoronary slow flow (NCF) group (324 cases) according to the coronary blood flow results. According to a 7:3 ratio, the patients were categorized into a training group consisting of 402 cases and a validation group consisting of 171 cases. The outcome was assessed by employing multiple logistic regression analysis to examine the factors that influenced it. The model's recognizability was assessed by calculating the consistency index and plotting the receiver operating characteristic curve. Its consistency was assessed by calibration curve, decision curve, and Hosmer-Lemeshow testing goodness-of-fit. The multivariate model included factors such as male, BMI, smoking, diabetes, ursolic acid, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The model validation showed that the consistency index was 0.714, and the external validation set had a consistency index of 0.741. The areas under the curve for the training and external validation sets were respectively 0.730 (95% CI: 0.681-0.779) and 0.770 (95%CI: 0.699-0.841). Nomogram calibration curves indicated intense calibration, and the results of the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test indicated that χ² = 1.118, P = .572. The nomogram combining various risk factors can be used for individualized predictions of CSF patients and then facilitate prompt and specific treatment., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

The processing of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is a core theory within TCM, embodying deep philosophical, cultural, and natural scientific wisdom. Among the various techniques, the &quot;synergistic processing of medicinal materials and excipients&quot; has garnered significant attention due to its uniqueness. This study explored the impact of the adjuvant Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma on the dynamic process of component transformation during the processing of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata using techniques such as acidic dye colorimetry, UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS, density functional theory(DFT), and molecular dynamics simulations(MDS). The research revealed that during processing, various alkaloid components in Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata exhibited different weak interactions with glycyrrhizic acid in Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, affecting the transformation and content changes of alkaloid components such as aconitine, hypaconitine, and other diester-type alkaloids. This study, based on the dynamic process of &quot;interactions between excipients and herbal medicine and component transformation&quot;, elucidated the intrinsic mechanism of processing of Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata with Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and provided a reference for understanding the scientific principles underlying the excipient processing of TCM.

A widespread concern had been there regarding soil ecological and environmental problems caused by microplastic pollution in agricultural soils. A controlled laboratory incubation experiment was performed to examine the effects of different types of microplastics on soil properties, N 2 O emissions, and nitrogen （N） transformations in tropical arable soils from a pepper-corn cropping system in Hainan Province. Three treatments were done： soil without microplastics （CK） and soil amended with 5% of polyethylene （PE） or with 5% of polybutylene adipate co-terephthalate （PBAT）. The results showed that both types of microplastic addition increased soil pH, soil organic carbon （SOC）, and dissolved organic carbon （DOC） contents, with stronger treatment effects observed for PBAT than those for the PE treatment. In addition, the PE and PBAT treatments increased soil ammonium nitrogen （NH 4 + -N） contents by 66.07% and 119.65% and decreased nitrate nitrogen （NO 3 - -N） contents by 8.56% and 29.68%, respectively. Compared to those in the CK treatment, the addition of PBAT significantly increased soil N 2 O emissions by 254.92% （ P < 0.05）, whereas that of PE produced no significant effects. Furthermore, both the PE and PBAT treatments increased soil net nitrogen mineralization rate （NMR） and decreased soil net nitrification rate （NNR）, with more obvious treatment effects observed in PBAT than in the PE treatment. PBAT addition increased the abundance of ureC , while PE had no significant effects. Microplastic addition reduced the abundance of nitrifying gene abundances （AOA- amoA , AOB- amoA , and nxrA ）, with more obvious treatment effects found in the PBAT treatment. Further, PBAT addition significantly increased the gene abundances of nirK , nirS , nosZ , and fungal nirK （ P < 0.05）, whereas the addition of PE had no significant effect on those gene abundances. Soil N 2 O emissions had positive relationships with NH 4 + -N intensity, pH, DOC, SOC, and nirS abundance. In conclusion, biodegradable microplastics addition produced stronger influences on soil properties and N transformations than the non-biodegradable one in tropical arable soils and aggravated soil N 2 O emissions mainly by promoting denitrification.

Strain DM2021935 T representing a novel Acinetobacter species was isolated from a spoiled bath lotion in Guangdong, China. Based on 16S rRNA gene phylogenetic analysis, strain DM2021935 T was closely related to 'Acinetobacter thutiue' VNH17 T , Acinetobacter junii CIP 64.5  T , and Acinetobacter tibetensis Y-23  T . Cells of strain DM2021935 T were Gram-stain-negative, non-spore-forming, strictly aerobic, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, α-hemolytic, and non-motile. Strain DM2021935 T exhibited growth in 1-3% (w/v) NaCl at temperatures ranging from 4 to 37 °C and tolerated pH levels from 6.0 to 8.0. The predominant fatty acids in strain DM2021935 T are C 12:0 , C 16:0 , C 18:1 ω9c, and summed feature 3. Polar lipid profiles included glycolipids, phospholipids, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidyl-N-methylethanolamine. The identified respiratory quinones were ubiquinone Q-8 and Q-9. The genomic size of DM2021935 T comprised 4.15 Mb, consisting of one chromosome (3,827,633 bp) and two plasmids (241,357 and 83,010 bp). The G + C content was 41.8%. The average nucleotide identity, average amino acid identity, and digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain DM2021935 T and phylogenetically related type strains were below the species delineation thresholds (72.2-95.4, 53.1-87.0, and 20.4-66.4%, respectively). AntiSMASH analysis identified four gene clusters: non-ribosomal peptide synthetase, non-alpha poly-amino group acids, YcaO cyclodehydratase, and aryl polyene biosynthesis. Based on genotypic data, strain DM2021935 T represents a novel species within the genus Acinetobacter. The proposed name for the novel species is Acinetobacter corruptisaponis sp. nov. (type strain DM2021935 T  = KCTC 92772  T  = GDMCC 1.3703  T )., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

This study employed supramolecular chemistry of traditional Chinese medicine to compare the material basis between different decocting methods(co-decocting and single decocting) and explained the chemical basis of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma-Coptidis Rhizoma in alleviating the disadvantage of bitter and cold medicines damaging the stomach. The spectroscopic differences between the co-decoction and single decoctions were characterized by ultraviolet-visible absorption spectrum, infrared spectrum, and circular dichroism spectrum. Five characteristic alkaloids, such as berberine, were selected as the indicators to compare the sample solubility and dissolution of medicinal components between the co-decoction and single decoctions by high performance liquid chromatography. The chemical components and their total content were similar between the co-decoction and single decoctions of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Coptidis Rhizoma. The medicinal components in the co-decoction interacted with each other to form supramolecular parts. The dissolution and release of supramolecular parts in the aqueous solution was slow, which explained the lower component content in the co-decoction than that in single decoctions. In addition, the adsorption of medicinal components by the residue of decoction pieces during decocting was also a factor causing the difference of material basis between different decocting methods. This study compared the material basis between the co-decoction and single decoctions of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma and Coptidis Rhizoma from the dynamic changes of components, which provided a basis further explaining the scientific connotation of the compatibility of the two medicines in reducing the bitter and cold medicinal natures.

Background: Nanoparticle polymeric micellar paclitaxel (NPMP) is a novel Cremophor EL (CrEL)-free nanoparticle micellar formulation of paclitaxel. This study evaluated the efficacy and toxicity of NPMP in the treatment of patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC)., Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed AGC in Jiangsu Cancer Hospital were retrospectively collected and divided into two groups. Patients in group A received NPMP at a total dose of 360 mg/m 2 each cycle, and patients in group B were given paclitaxel at a dose of 210 mg/m 2 each cycle. In addition, all patients received 5-fluorouracil at a dose of 0.75 g/m 2 on days 1-4 and leucovorin at a dose of 200 mg/m 2 on days 1-4 for at least 2 cycles., Results: From January 2021 to May 2023, 63 patients (32 in group A and 31 in group B) could be evaluated for treatment response. A marked disparity in the overall response was observed between groups A and B, indicating statistical significance. The overall response rate was 31% in group A (10/32) and 10% in group B (3/31) (P = 0.034). Disease control rate was 91% in group A (29/32) and 81% in group B (25/31) (P = 0.440). No statistically significant difference in adverse reactions was observed between the two groups. However, the incidence of anemia, leucopenia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, liver dysfunction, and allergy in group A was notably lower than that in group B., Conclusions: NPMP combined chemotherapy offers a new, active, and safe treatment for patients with AGC., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To compare the efficacy of gasless robotic surgery through transaxillary approach and open surgery for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Methods: The data of patient undergoing robotic surgery through transaxillary approach and traditional open surgery for PTC at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, from November 2016 to June 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. A 1∶1 propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance age, sex, extent of surgery, tumor size, capsule invasion, and multifocality. Surgical data, postoperative pathological data, complications, postoperative 2-month visual analog scale (VAS) scores for aesthetics, and follow-up data were compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 728 PTC patients were included. There were 339 patients in the robotic group, among which 262 were female (77.3%) and 77 were male (22.7%), with the age of [ M ( Q 1 , Q 3 )] 39 (32, 46) years and a body mass index (BMI) of 22.8 (20.7, 25.0) kg/m². Meanwhile, 389 patients were in the open group, among which 290 were female (74.6%) and 99 were male (25.4%), with the age of 47 (38, 55) years and a BMI of 23.2 (21.3, 25.5) kg/m 2 . Further analysis after PSM (there were 264 cases in both groups) showed that in the subtotal thyroidectomy and central neck dissection (LT+CCND) subgroup, the robotic group had longer operative time, higher blood loss, and greater drainage volume compared with the open group [100 (80, 130) min vs 60 (50, 80) min; 10 (10, 20) ml vs 10 (10, 20) ml; 103 (69, 145) ml vs 75 (57, 98) ml; all P <0.001], and the central lymph node metastasis rate was higher in the robotic group [45.6% (57/125) vs 31.8% (47/148), P =0.019]. In the total thyroidectomy and central neck dissection (TT+CCND) subgroup, the robotic group also had longer operative time, higher blood loss, and greater drainage volume compared with the open group [150 (110, 180) min vs 85 (75, 100) min; 20 (10, 20) ml vs 10 (10, 20) ml; 155 (107, 206) ml vs 90 (70, 120) ml; all P <0.001]. The incidence of chest skin numbness at 3 months postoperatively was higher in the robotic group compared with the open group (12.9% vs 0, P <0.001), while there were no statistically significant differences in other postoperative complications (all P >0.05). The VAS score at 2 months postoperatively was higher in the robotic group compared with the open group [9 (9, 9) vs 8 (7, 9), P <0.001]. Three cases of contralateral lobe recurrence occurred in the open group, while there were no case of recurrence in the robotic group. The 5-year overall survival rate was 100.0% in both the robotic and open groups, and there was no statistically significant difference in the 5-year disease-free survival rate between the robotic and open groups (100.0% vs 98.6%, P =0.068). Conclusion: Gasless robotic surgery through transaxillary approach for total thyroidectomy or lobectomy in the treatment of PTC is safe, feasible, and effective, with good cosmetic outcomes and comparable efficacy to traditional surgery.

The advent of single cell transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing (scATAC-seq) technology enables us to explore the genomic characteristics and chromatin accessibility of blood cells at the single-cell level. To fully make sense of the roles and regulatory complexities of blood cells, it is critical to collect and analyze these rapidly accumulating scATAC-seq datasets at a system level. Here, we present scBlood (https://bio.liclab.net/scBlood/), a comprehensive single-cell accessible chromatin database of blood cells. The current version of scBlood catalogs 770,907 blood cells and 452,247 non-blood cells from ∼400 high-quality scATAC-seq samples covering 30 tissues and 21 disease types. All data hosted on scBlood have undergone preprocessing from raw fastq files and multiple standards of quality control. Furthermore, we conducted comprehensive downstream analyses, including multi-sample integration analysis, cell clustering and annotation, differential chromatin accessibility analysis, functional enrichment analysis, co-accessibility analysis, gene activity score calculation, and transcription factor (TF) enrichment analysis. In summary, scBlood provides a user-friendly interface for searching, browsing, analyzing, visualizing, and downloading scATAC-seq data of interest. This platform facilitates insights into the functions and regulatory mechanisms of blood cells, as well as their involvement in blood-related diseases., Competing Interests: The manuscript is not submitted to print and electronic manuscripts elsewhere, and there is no economic benefit (except for the author's basic academic career) that may lead to the appearance of a conflict of interest. We are glad to take this opportunity to submit our work to show our platform. We are very grateful for your editorial attention and suggestions for this manuscript., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association between unilateral high-riding vertebral artery (HRVA) and morphological changes in the atlantoaxial joint (AAJ) and to determine whether unilateral HRVA is a risk factor for atlantoaxial osteoarthritis (AAOA)., Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 2496 patients admitted to our medical center between January 2020 and December 2022 who underwent CT imaging of the cervical spine. Two hundred and seventy-two patients with unilateral HRVA (HRVA group) were identified and a respective 2:1 age- and sex-matched control group without HRVA was built. Morphological parameters, including C2 lateral mass settlement (C2 LMS), C1/2 coronal inclination (C1/2 CI), lateral atlanto-dental interval (LADI), and C1/2 relative rotation angle (C1/2 RRA) were measured. The degree of AAOA was recorded. Risk factors associated with AAOA were identified using univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses., Results: The study included 61.4% women, and the overall average age of the study population was 48.7 years. The morphological parameters (C2 LMS, C1/2 CI, and LADI) in AAJ were asymmetric between the HRVA and the non-HRVA sides in the HRVA group (p < 0.001). These differences in parameters (d-C2 LMS, d-C1/2 CI, and d-LADI) between the HRVA and the non-HRVA sides, and C1/2 RRA were significantly larger than those in the control group. Eighty-three of 816 patients (10.2%) with AAOA had larger values of d-C2 LMS, d-C1/2 CI, d-LADI, and C1/2 RRA compared with the patients without AAOA (p < 0.05). The multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that unilateral HRVA [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 2.6, 95% CI: 1.1-6.3, p = 0.029], age in the sixth decade or older (adjusted OR = 30.2, 95% CI: 16.1-56.9, p < 0.001), women (adjusted OR = 2.1, 95% CI: 1.0-5.6, P = 0.034) were independent risk factors for AAOA., Conclusion: Unilateral HRVA was associated with asymmetric morphological changes of nonuniform settlement of C2 lateral mass, lateral slip of atlas, and atlantoaxial rotation displacement. Besides age ≥ 60 years and females, unilateral HRVA is an independent risk factor for AAOA., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Ganoderic acids (GAs) are major functional components of Ganoderma lucidum . The study aimed to breed a new G. lucidum strain with increased contents of individual GAs. Two mating-compatible monokaryotic strains, G. 260125 and G. 260124, were successfully isolated from the dikaryotic G. lucidum CGMCC 5.0026 via protoplast formation and regeneration. The Vitreoscilla hemoglobin gene ( vgb ) and squalene synthase gene ( sqs ) were overexpressed in the monokaryotic G. 260124 and G. 260125 strain, respectively. Mating between the G. 260124 strain overexpressing vgb and the G. 260125 strain overexpressing sqs resulted in the formation of the new hybrid dikaryotic G. lucidum strain sqs-vgb. The maximum contents of ganoderic acid (GA)-T, GA-Me, and GA-P in the fruiting body of the mated sqs-vgb strain were 23.1, 15.3, and 39.8 μg/g dry weight (DW), respectively, 2.23-, 1.75-, and 2.69-fold greater than those in G. lucidum 5.0026. The squalene and lanosterol contents increased 2.35- and 1.75-fold, respectively, in the fruiting body of the mated sqs-vgb strain compared with those in the G. lucidum 5.0026. In addition, the maximum expression levels of the sqs and lanosterol synthase gene ( ls ) were increased 3.23- and 2.13-fold, respectively, in the mated sqs-vgb strain. In summary, we developed a new G. lucidum strain with higher contents of individual GAs in the fruiting body by integrating genetic engineering and mono-mono crossing., 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 Zhou, Kong, Huang, Li, Feng and Xu.)

Yeast, which plays a pivotal role in the brewing, food, and medical industries, exhibits a close relationship with human beings. In this study, we isolated and purified 60 yeast strains from the natural fermentation broth of Sidamo coffee beans to screen for indigenous beneficial yeasts. Among them, 25 strains were obtained through morphological characterization on nutritional agar medium from Wallerstein Laboratory (WL), with molecular biology identifying Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain YBB-47 and the remaining 24 yeast strains identified as Pichia kudriavzevii. We investigated the fermentation performance, alcohol tolerance, SO 2 tolerance, pH tolerance, sugar tolerance, temperature tolerance, ester production capacity, ethanol production capacity, H 2 S production capacity, and other brewing characteristics of YBB-33 and YBB-47. The results demonstrated that both strains could tolerate up to 3% alcohol by volume at a high sucrose mass concentration (400 g/L) under elevated temperature conditions (40 ℃), while also exhibiting a remarkable ability to withstand an SO 2 mass concentration of 300 g/L at pH 3.2. Moreover, S. cerevisiae YBB-47 displayed a rapid gas production rate and strong ethanol productivity. whereas P. kudriavzevii YBB-33 exhibited excellent alcohol tolerance. Furthermore, this systematic classification and characterization of coffee bean yeast strains from the Sidamo region can potentially uncover additional yeasts that offer high-quality resources for industrial-scale coffee bean production., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

SHORT VEGETATIVE PHASE (SVP), a member of the MADS-box transcription factor family, has been reported to regulate bud dormancy in deciduous perennial plants. Previously, three LcSVPs ( LcSVP1 , LcSVP2 and LcSVP3 ) were identified from litchi genome, and LcSVP2 was highly expressed in the terminal buds of litchi during growth cessation or dormancy stages and down-regulated during growth stages. In this study, the role of LcSVP2 in governing litchi bud dormancy was examined. LcSVP2 was highly expressed in the shoots, especially in the terminal buds at growth cessation stage, whereas low expression was showed in roots, female flowers and seeds. LcSVP2 was found to be located in the nucleus and have transcription inhibitory activity. Overexpression of LcSVP2 in Arabidopsis thaliana resulted in a later flowering phenotype compared to the wild-type control. Silencing LcSVP2 in growing litchi terminal buds delayed re-entry of dormancy, resulting in significantly lower dormancy rate. The treatment also significantly up-regulated litchi FLOWERING LOCUS T2 ( LcFT2 ). Further study indicates that LcSVP2 interacts with an AP2-type transcription factor, SMALL ORGAN SIZE1 (LcSMOS1). Silencing LcSMOS1 promoted budbreak and delayed bud dormancy. Abscisic acid (200 mg/L), which enforced bud dormancy, induced a short-term increase in the expression of LcSVP2 and LcSMOS1 . Our study reveals that LcSVP2 may play a crucial role, likely together with LcSMOS1, in dormancy onset of the terminal bud and may also serve as a flowering repressor in evergreen perennial litchi., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nanjing Agricultural University.)

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (NACI) combined with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in the treatment of locally advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Methods: This was a retrospective study of 15 patients with locally advanced OPSCC who underwent TORS after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) at the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from April 2019 to February 2023. There were 12 males and 3 females, aged 31 to 74 years. Twelve cases were tonsil cancer, and 3 cases were tongue base cancer. There were 11 cases in stage Ⅲ and 4 cases in stage Ⅳ. Two patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 13 patients received NACI, with 2 to 3 cycles, and all patients underwent TORS after multidisciplinary team consultation. The clinicopathological characteristics, surgical outcomes, and oncological results were summarized. Results: All surgeries were successfully completed with negative surgical margins, and no case was required conversion surgery. All patients were fed via nasogastric tubes postoperatively, with a median gastric tube stay of 7 days (range: 2-60 days). No tracheotomy was applied. There were no major complications such as postoperative bleeding. Pathological complete response (pCR) was found in 10 cases (76.9%) among the 13 patients with NACI. The follow-up time was 21 months (range: 10-47 months), and there was no death or distant metastasis. One patient with rT0N3M0 tonsil cancer had local recurrence 5 months after surgery. The 2-year overall survival and 2-year disease-free survival were respectively 100.0% and 93.3% in the 15 patients. Conclusion: NACI combined with TORS provides a safe, effective and minimally invasive treatment for patients with locally advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Refined indigenous Saccharomyces cerevisiae can enhance refinement, sophistication, and subtlety of fruit wines by showcasing exceptional regional characteristics. In order to identify exceptional indigenous S. cerevisiae strains from Yunnan olive, this study isolated 60 yeast strains from wild Yunnan olive fermentation mash. The five S. cerevisiae strains were subjected to morphological and molecular biological identification, followed by evaluation of their fermentation performance, ethanol production capacity, ester production capacity, H 2 S production capacity, killing capacity, and tolerance. Strains LJM-4, LJM-10, and LJM-26 exhibited robust tolerance to 6% ethanol volume fraction, pH 2.8, sucrose concentration of 400 g/L, SO 2 concentration of 0.3 g/L, glucose concentration of 400 g/L at both 40 °C and 15 °C. Additionally, strain LJM-10 demonstrated a faster fermentation rate compared to the other strains. Among the tested S. cerevisiae strains evaluated in this study for olive wine fermentation process in Yunnan region; strain LJM-10 displayed superior abilities in terms of ester and ethanol production while exhibiting the lowest H 2 S production levels. These findings suggest that strain LJM-10 holds great potential as an excellent candidate for optimizing fruit wine S. cerevisiae fermentation processes in Yunnan olive fruit wine., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

A novel Gram-stain-positive, oval-shaped, and non-flagellated bacterial strain YIM S02556 T was isolated from forest soil in Xiongbi Town, Shizong County, Qujing City, Yunnan Province, southwestern China. The strain exhibited high pairwise 16 S rRNA gene sequence similarity with Psychromicrobium lacuslunae (97.3%) and Psychromicrobium silvestre (96.3%). Strain YIM S02556 T exhibited an average nucleotide identity (ANI) of 72.5% with P. lacuslunae IHBB 11,108 T and 72.8% ANI with P. silvestre AK 20-18 T . The digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) value between strain YIM S02556 T and P. lacuslunae IHBB 11,108 T was 20.2%, while with P. silvestre AK 20-18 T , the dDDH value was 20.8%. Strain YIM S02556 T exhibited optimal growth at 28 °C, pH 7.0, without NaCl. Growth occurred within 10-37 ℃, pH 5.0-8.0, and in the presence of up to 5% w/v NaCl concentration. The genome size was 3.1 Mbp with 64.2% G + C content. The predominant menaquinone was MK-8(H 4 ). The major cellular fatty acid was anteiso-C 15:0 . Based on the polyphasic analysis, strain YIM S02556 T (= KCTC 49,805 T  = CCTCC AB2020166 T ) represents a novel Psychromicrobium species in which the name Psychromicrobium xiongbiense sp.nov. was proposed., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The efficacy of growth factor gene-modified stem cells in treating spinal cord injury (SCI) remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of growth factor gene-modified stem cells in restoring motor function after SCI. Two reviewers searched four databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus, to identify relevant records. Studies on rodents assessing the efficacy of transplanting growth factor gene-modified stem cells in restoring motor function after SCI were included. The results were reported using the standardized mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Analyses showed that growth factor gene-modified stem cell transplantation improved motor function recovery in rodents with SCI compared to the untreated (SMD = 3.98, 95% CI 3.26-4.70, I 2  = 86.8%, P < 0.0001) and stem cell (SMD = 2.53, 95% CI 1.93-3.13, I 2  = 86.9%, P < 0.0001) groups. Using growth factor gene-modified neural stem/histone cells enhanced treatment efficacy. In addition, the effectiveness increased when viral vectors were employed for gene modification and high transplantation doses were administered during the subacute phase. Stem cells derived from the human umbilical cord exhibited an advantage in motor function recovery. However, the transplantation of growth factor gene-modified stem cells did not significantly improve motor function in male rodents (P = 0.136). Transplantation of growth factor gene-modified stem cells improved motor function in rodents after SCI, but claims of enhanced efficacy should be approached with caution. The safety of gene modification remains a significant concern, requiring additional efforts to enhance its clinical translatability., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: Premature rupture of membranes (PROM) is a common pregnancy disorder that is closely associated with structural weakening of fetal membranes. Studies have found that formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1) activates inflammatory pathways and amniotic epithelialmesenchymal transition (EMT), stimulates collagen degradation, and leads to membrane weakening and membrane rupture. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and EMT inhibitory effects of FPR1 antagonist (BOC-MLF) to provide a basis for clinical prevention of PROM., Methods: The relationship between PROM, FPR1, and EMT was analyzed in human fetal membrane tissue and plasma samples using Western blotting, PCR, Masson staining, and ELISA assays. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was used to establish a fetal membrane inflammation model in pregnant rats, and BOC-MLF was used to treat the LPS rat model. We detected interleukin (IL)-6 in blood from the rat hearts to determine whether the inflammatory model was successful and whether the anti-inflammatory treatment was effective. We used electron microscopy to analyze the structure and collagen expression of rat fetal membrane., Results: Western blotting, PCR and Masson staining indicated that the expression of FPR1 was significantly increased, the expression of collagen was decreased, and EMT appeared in PROM. The rat model indicated that LPS caused the collapse of fetal membrane epithelial cells, increased intercellular gaps, and decreased collagen. BOC-MLF promoted an increase in fetal membrane collagen, inhibited EMT, and reduced the weakening of fetal membranes., Conclusion: The expression of FPR1 in the fetal membrane of PROM was significantly increased, and EMT of the amniotic membrane was obvious. BOC-MLF can treat inflammation and inhibit amniotic EMT., (© 2024. Huazhong University of Science and Technology.)

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of sacubitril valsartan (SV) on heart failure (HF) hospitalization and cardiovascular mortality in patients on hemodialysis with HF with preserved ejection fraction (EF; HFpEF)., Methods: This single-center, prospective study enrolled 155 stable hemodialysis patients with EF > 40% who were followed up for 12 months. Fifty-nine patients were treated with SV; the others were matched for EF (57.89 ± 9.35 vs. 58.00 ± 11.82, P = 0.9) at a ratio of 1:1 and included as controls. The target dosage of SV was 200 mg/day., Results: Twenty-three (23/155; 14.84%) had HF with mid-range EF (HFmrEF), while 132 (85.16%) had HFpEF. After SV treatment, the peak early diastolic transmitral flow velocity/peak early diastolic mitral annular tissue velocity(E/e') improved from 17.19 ± 8.74 to 12.80 ± 5.52 (P = 0.006), the left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic diameter decreased from 53.14 ± 7.67 mm to 51.56 ± 7.44 mm (P = 0.03), and the LV mass index decreased from 165.7 ± 44.6 g/m 2 to 154.8 ± 24.0 g/m 2 (P = 0.02). LVEF (P = 0.08) and LV global longitudinal strain (P = 0.7) did not change significantly. The composite outcome of first and recurrent HF hospitalization or cardiovascular death showed no difference between group. However, the Acute Dialysis Quality Initiative Workgroup (ADQI) HF class improved in 39 and 15 patients and worsened in 1 and 11 patients in the SV and control groups, respectively (P < 0.001). Age, diabetes mellitus, and pulmonary arterial pressure were independent risk factors for HF hospitalization and cardiovascular mortality in patients with HFpEF., Conclusions: SV improved LV hypertrophy, diastolic function, and the ADQI class for HF; however, it failed to reduce the composite endpoints of HF hospitalization and cardiovascular disease-related mortality over 12 months of follow-up in patients on maintenance hemodialysis with EF of > 40%., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious disease caused by ASF virus (ASFV), which is characterized by high infectivity, rapid onset of disease, and a high mortality rate. Outbreaks of ASFV have caused great economic losses to the global pig industry, and there is a need to develop safe and effective vaccines. In this study, two recombinant pseudorabies virus (PRV) strains, rGXGG-2016-ΔgI/ΔgE-EP364R and rGXGG-2016-ΔgI/ΔgE-B119L, expressing the EP364R and B119L protein, respectively, of ASFV, were constructed by homologous recombination technology. Western blotting and immunofluorescence analysis showed that these foreign proteins were expressed in cells infected with the recombinant strains. The strains showed good genetic stability and proliferative characteristics for 20 passages in BHK-21 cells. Both of these strains were immunogenic in mice, inducing the production of specific antibodies against the expressed ASFV proteins while providing protection against lethal challenge with PRV. Thus, the recombinant strains rGXGG-2016-ΔgI/ΔgE-EP364R and rGXGG-2016-ΔgI/ΔgE-B119L could be used as candidate vaccines for both ASFV and PRV. In addition, our study identifies two potential target genes for the development of safe and efficient ASFV vaccines, provides a reference for the construction of bivalent ASFV and PRV vaccines, and demonstrates the feasibility of developing a live ASFV vector vaccine., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

A Gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic, oval beaded-shape, oxidase-negative, and non-motile bacterium designated DM20194951 T was isolated from a spoiled eye mask obtained from Guangdong, China. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence, phylogenetic analysis indicated that strain DM20194951 T showed the highest sequence similarity (95.8%) to Fundicoccus ignavus WS4937 T . Meanwhile, strain DM20194951 T could be distinguished from the type strains in the genus Fundicoccus by distinct phenotypic and genotypic traits. Strain DM20194951 T grew variably with 1-2% (w/v) NaCl and tolerated pH 6.0-10.0. Growth was observed from 28 to 37 °C. The diagnostic diamino acids in the cell-wall peptidoglycan consisted of aspartic and glutamic acids as well as alanine. The predominant fatty acids were C 18:1 ω9c, C 16:0 , and C 16:1 ω9c. In the polar lipid profile, two glycolipids, three phospholipids, one phosphatidylglycerol, and one diphosphatidylglycerol were found. No respiratory quinones were detected. The DM20194951 T genome is 3.2 Mb in size and contains a G + C content of 38.1%. A gene cluster for lactococcin 972 family bacteriocin production was found in the DM20194951 T genome. Based on morphological, genotypic, and phylogenetic data, strain DM20194951 T should be considered to represent a novel species in the genus Fundicoccus, for which the name Fundicoccus culcitae sp. nov. is proposed with the type strain DM20194951 T (= KCTC 43472 T  = GDMCC 1.3614 T )., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)