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Background: To elucidate clinical applications of detecting serum levels of H19 and CRP in predicting the severity of ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods: Two hundred UC patients were recruited, and classified to mild/moderate group and severe group according to the Truelove-Witts grading system. Serum levels of H19 and CRP in UC patients were detected by turbidimetric inhibition immuno assay and qRT-PCR. Differences in serum levels of H19 and CRP between mild/moderate group and severe group were analyzed. By plotting ROC curves, the diagnostic potentials of H19 and CRP in UC were evaluated. Kappa conformance test was conducted to validate the conformance of detecting serum levels of H19 and CRP to clinical diagnosis of UC. Results: Serum levels of H19 and CRP were higher in UC patients of severe group than those of mild/moderate group. Their levels were both positively correlated to the severity of UC. High sensitivity (83.3%) and specificity (80.0%), as well as the maximum Youden index (0.633) were obtained at the cut-off value for H19 level of 2.755, and AUC was 0.8835. Meanwhile, Kappa coefficient (k) was 0.760 at the cut-off value for H19 level of 2.755, showing a high conformance to clinical diagnosis of UC. In addition, acceptable sensitivity (68.49%) and high specificity (85.83%), as well as the maximum Youden index (0.543) were obtained at the cut-off value for CRP level of 6.390 mg/L, and AUC was 0.8018. k was 0.435, showing an acceptable conformance to clinical diagnosis of UC based on serum level of CRP. Conclusions: Serum levels of H19 and CRP increase with the deterioration of UC. Detecting their serum levels has a consistent result to clinical diagnosis of UC, with a superior performance of H19 than that of CRP.

Fullerene-based amphiphiles are new types of monomers that form self-assemblies with profound applications. The conical fullerene amphiphiles (CFAs) have attracted attention for their uniquely self-assembled structures and have opened up a new field for amphiphile research. The CFAs and CFAs with different substances embedded in cavities are designed and their self-assembly behaviors are investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The surface and internal structures of the micelles are analyzed from various perspectives, including micelle size, shape, and solvent-accessible surface area (SASA). The systems studied are all oblate micelles. In comparison, embedding Cl− or embedding Na+ in the cavities results in larger micelles and a larger deviation from the spherical shape. Two typical configurations of fullerene surfactant micelles, quadrilateral plane and tetrahedral structure, are presented. The dipole moments of the fullerene molecules are also calculated, and the results show that the embedded negatively charged Cl− leads to a decrease in the polarity of the pure fullerene molecules, while the embedded positively charged Na+ leads to an increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite impressive advances achieved in poly(3‐alkylthiophene)s (P3ATs) and P3AT‐based block copolymers (BCPs), the investigation into their ortho‐connected systems, poly(5‐alkylthiophene)s (P5ATs) and P5AT‐based BCPs is rather limited. Moreover, the aggregation behavior of P5ATs and their BCPs remains largely less understood. Herein, we report, for the first time, the judicious design and synthesis of a family of poly(5‐butylthiophene)‐block‐poly(5‐hexylthiophene) (P5BT‐b‐P5HT) BCPs with adjustable block ratios and reveal the effects of block ratios and thermal annealing process on their aggregated structures. Moreover, the optical properties of P5BT‐b‐P5HT BCPs have been investigated, which differs greatly from P3ATs. Overall, this work offers valuable insight into the aggregation and optical properties of P5AT‐based BCPs, strengthening our fundamental understanding of ortho‐connected P5AT systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threat of microplastics to marine animals and habitats is increasing, which may affect sea turtle nesting grounds. The Qilianyu Islands are the largest remaining green turtle (Chelonia mydas) nesting grounds in China. Despite being far from the mainland, microplastic pollution cannot be ignored. In this study, the level of microplastic pollution in surface sediments from three different zones, namely, the bottom, intertidal, and supratidal zone, was investigated on North Island, Qilianyu Islands. The results showed that the abundance of microplastics in the supratidal zone was significantly higher than that in the bottom zone and intertidal zone (r = 3.65, p = 0.011), with the highest average abundance of microplastics located on the southwest coast of North Island. In the bottom zone, only plastic blocks (88%) and fibers (12%) were found. The main types of microplastics in the intertidal and supratidal zones were plastic blocks (48%) and foam (42%), with polyethylene (PE) (40%) and polystyrene (PS) (34%) being the predominant components. These types and components of microplastics differed from those in the surrounding seawater, but corresponding types and components were found in the plastic debris on the beach. Meanwhile, it was also observed that there were multiple instances of fragmented plastic on the beach. Thus, we suggest that the microplastics on the beach in North Island were mainly derived from the fragmentation of microplastic debris, indicating secondary microplastics. It is recommended to further strengthen the regular cleaning of plastic debris on the beach, especially the removal of small plastic debris, in order to reduce the pollution from secondary microplastics generated by the fragmentation of beach plastic debris and to better protect China's most important sea turtle nesting site in the South China Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of surgery combined with triamcinolone acetonide injection in managing the difficult problem of keloid formation after syndactyly release. Twenty-two patients with keloid formation after syndactyly release were retrospectively reviewed. They were divided into a simple surgery group and a surgery plus injection group. Complications, web quality, scar score and satisfaction were assessed and compared. In the surgery plus injection group, three patients (3/13) experienced recurrence and ten webs were good, whereas in the simple surgery group, seven patients (7/9) experienced recurrence and five webs were poor. The mean Vancouver Scar Scale score was significantly lower (4.3 versus 7.8) and the mean Faces Questionnaire satisfaction score was higher (4.2 versus 2.6) in the surgery plus injection group. Combining surgical excision with early and repeated intralesional injection can achieve better results with low recurrence rate and side effects. Level of evidence: IV [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]