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Biocatalytic transformation has attracted increasing attention in the green synthesis of chemicals due to the diversity of enzymes, their high catalytic activities and specificities, and environmentally benign conditions. Most redox enzymes in nature are dependent on nicotinamide cofactors like β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD

Three new compounds, arneatas A-C (1–3), together with three known compounds (4–6) were isolated from the roots of Arnebia guttata Bunge. The structures were established on the basis of extensive spectroscopic data including NMR and HRESIMS. All the new compounds (1–3) were tested for their cytotoxic activity against two glioma cell lines (U118-MG and U373-MG) in vitro after treatment for 48 h. Compound 1 exhibited moderate cytotoxic activity against U118-MG and U373-MG glioma cell lines, with IC50 values of 10.4 and 17.5 µM, respectively.

Fluorescent smectic polymersomes with aggregation-induced emission are prepared from an amphiphilic block copolymer containing a liquid crystal hydrophobic block and a tetraphenylethene-bearing unit between hydrophilic and hydrophobic blocks.

Objective To systematically evaluate the clinical effect of Xiaoke Decoction in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Methods Chinese databases such as CNKI, Wanfang, Weipu Chinese Biomedical Journal Database, and Chinese Medical Biological Literature Database, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for English language literature from their inception until November 2019. A Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 and Stata 12.0. Results Thirty-eight studies were included in this study, with a total of 3757 patients. It was found that adding Xiaoke Decoction could improve total efficiency. The Xiaoke Decoction groups surpassed the western medicine groups regarding improvement in total efficiency (OR = 3.49; 95% CI: 2.78–4.39, P Conclusion Compared with western medicine alone, Xiaoke Decoction has more advantages for the treatment of type 2 diabetes with respect to total efficiency, FPG, 2hPG, HbAlc, and TCM syndrome score.

Imported medicinal materials are an important part of Chinese medicinal resources. To be specific, about 10% of the around 600 commonly used Chinese medicinal materials are from abroad, and the introduction of foreign medicinal materials has promoted the development of Chinese medicine. Amid the advancement of reform and opening up and the "Belt and Road" Initiative, major headway has been made in the cross-border trade in China, bringing opportunities for the import of medicinal materials from border ports. However, for a long time, there is a lack of systematic investigation on the types of exotic medicinal materials at border ports. In the fourth national census of traditional Chinese medicine resources, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, together with several organizations, investigated the nearly 40 border ports, Chinese medicinal material markets, and border trade markets in 6 provinces/autonomous regions in China for the first time and recorded the types, sources, circulation, and the transaction characteristics of imported medicinal materials. Moreover, they invited experts to identify the origins of the collected 237 medicinal materials. In addition, the status quo and the problems of the medicinal materials were summarized. This study is expected to lay a basis for clarifying the market and origins of imported medicinal materials as well as the scientific research on and supervision of them.

Polyaniline (PANi) hydrogels often exhibit highly mechanical and electrochemical properties, which have received extensive attention in the fields of batteries, supercapacitors, and sensors. However, the shortcomings such as hydrophobicity and easy aggregation of PANi frequently result in deterioration of mechanical and electrochemical performance of PANi hydrogels. Here, a bifunctional natural product, glycyrrhizic acid (GL), is utilized to prepare the homogeneous conductive PANi hydrogel, because GL not only can assemble into supramolecular hydrogel as the biocompatible matrix but also can salinize aniline monomers to facilitate the polymerization

Embargado hasta 09/04/2023 Polymersomes and related self-assembled nanostructures displaying Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) are highly relevant for plenty of applications in imaging, biology and functional devices. Experimentally simple, scalable and universal strategies for on-demand self-assembly of polymers rendering well-defined nanostructures are highly desirable. A purposefully designed combination of amphiphilic block copolymers including tunable lengths of hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEGm) and hydrophobic AIE polymer poly(tetraphenylethylene-trimethylenecarbonate) (P(TPE-TMC)n) has been studied at the air/liquid interface. The unique 2D assembly properties have been analyzed by thermodynamic measurements, UV-vis reflection spectroscopy and photoluminescence in combination with molecular dynamics simulations. The (PEG)m-b-P(TPE-TMC)n monolayers formed tunable 2D nanostructures self-assembled on demand by adjusting the available surface area. Tuning of the PEG length allows to modification of the area per polymer molecule at the air/liquid interface. Molecular detail on the arrangement of the polymer molecules and relevant molecular interactions has been convincingly described. AIE fluorescence at the air/liquid interface has been successfully achieved by the (PEG)m-b-P(TPE-TMC)n nanostructures. An experimentally simple 2D to 3D transition allowed to obtain 3D polymersomes in solution. This work suggests that engineered amphiphilic polymers for AIE may be suitable for selective 2D and 3D self-assembly for imaging and technological applications.

Background Patients with chronic stroke have reduced capacity for performing activities of daily living (ADLs) and are at increased risk for falls during walking due to long-term changes to muscle tone and force, as well as movement control. Research question To investigate the efficacy of lateral stair walking training on muscle strength of affected lower extremities, balance, ADLs, and gait ability in patients with chronic stroke. Methods The experimental group received 15 min of lateral stair walking exercise along with 15 min of traditional physiotherapy, whereas the control group received only traditional physiotherapy for 30 min. Both groups received the intervention once a week for 12 weeks. Outcome measurements included muscle strength, postural assessment scale for stroke patients (PASS), Fugal–Meyer assessment for lower extremity (FMA-LE), Barthel index (BI), timed up and go test (TUG), and the gait parameters which were determined by the Reha-Watch system. Results A total of 24 participants completed the study. The experimental group showed significant improvements in hip extensor, flexor, and abductor strength of the affected limb, FMA-LE, BI, TUG, and gait parameters of stride length, velocity, and cadence. Significant differences in affected limb ankle plantar strength (p = 0.024), PASS (p = 0.017), BI (p = 0.039), TUG (p = 0.049), and gait velocity (p Significance Lateral stair walking training alongside physical therapy resulted in significant improvements in hip muscle strength and gait parameters in patients with chronic stroke. Our results support the incorporation of lateral stair walking training into clinical rehabilitation programs. Lateral stair walking training in patients with chronic stroke can be used as an effective treatment to improve gait, balance performance, and ADLs.

This study established the fingerprint and combined it with chemical pattern recognition to evaluate the quality of Atractylodes chinensis samples from different producing areas and then employed the quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker(QAMS) method to verify the feasibility and applicability of the established method in the quality evaluation of A. chinensis. The fingerprints of A. chinensis samples were constructed via high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) to evaluate the inter-batch consistency. With the quality control component atractylodin as the internal reference, the relative correction factors(RCFs) were established for atractylenolide Ⅰ, atractylenolide Ⅲ, and β-eudesmol and the content of the four components was calculated. The external standard method was used to verify the accuracy of QAMS method. The quality of A. chinensis was further evaluated by similarity analysis, clustering analysis, and principal component analysis. The fingerprints of 13 batches of samples were calibrated with 21 common peaks, and 4 common peaks were identified with the similarities all above 0.9. The RCFs established with atractylodin as the internal reference represented good reproducibility under different experimental conditions. Specifically, the RCFs of atractylenolide Ⅰ, atractylenolide Ⅲ, and β-eudesmol in A. chinensis were 2.091, 4.253, and 6.010, respectively. QAMS and ESM showed no significant difference in the results, indicating that the QAMS method established in this study was stable and reliable. Thus, HPLC fingerprint combined with QAMS can be used for the quality evaluation of A. chinensis, providing a basis for comprehensive and rapid quality evaluation of A. chinensis.

Pests have caused substantial damage to the human environments; therefore, studying insecticidal mechanisms is crucial for improving pest control. However, irreversible secondary damage caused by chemical pesticides must be considered. In this study, we used network pharmacology to determine that Sophora flavescens Alt. mainly acts on glucose-6-phosphate 1-dehydrogenase, thymidylate synthase, and translocation protein in aphids, thereby resulting in effective pest control. The stability and reliability of target proteins were analyzed by molecular docking and dynamics simulations. Enzyme activity assays validated the feasibility of network pharmacology to obtain actionable targets. We used interdisciplinary integration to study pest control and used network pharmacology to identify how Sophora flavescens Alt. resists aphids. The results show that network pharmacology increases the accuracy and specificity of predicted molecules targeted by insecticides. Our approach will facilitate improved, environmentally friendly pest control.

In May 2020, a new taxon of Euphorbia, Euphorbiaceae was collected from a dry hillside of Dongsheng District, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia. The morphological characteristics of the specimens analyzed differ from those of the known Euphorbia species from this region; therefore, we suspected this may be a new species, and we set to analyze the ITS2 sequences of some Euphorbia species. The results show that the new taxon belongs to the sect. Esula of Euphorbia subg. Esula. It is similar to Euphorbia esula (description from Flora of China) but does not belong to the same species. Concomitantly, plant morphological data and pollen morphology results show significant differences between the new taxon, E. esula and E. caesia, a finding that supports the delimitation of this new taxon, which is named Euphorbia mongoliensis in accordance with its geographical distribution.

Fluorescent polymer cubosomes and hexosomes with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) were prepared from amphiphilic block copolymers PEG-b-PTPEMA where the hydrophobic block PTPEMA was a polymethacrylate with tetraphenylethene (TPE) as the AIE side group. Four highly asymmetric block copolymers with hydrophilic block weight ratio fPEG ≤ 20% were synthesized. Cubosomes and hexosomes with strong fluorescence emission were obtained by nanoprecipitation of polymers with fPEG < 9% in dioxane/water and THF/water systems. Their ordered internal structures were studied by electron microscopy (cryo-EM, SEM and TEM) and the X-ray scattering technique (SAXS). To elucidate the formation mechanisms of these inverted colloids, other parameters influencing the morphologies, like the water content during self-assembly and the organic solvent composition, were also investigated. This study not only inspires people to design novel building blocks for the preparation of functional cubosomes and hexosomes, but also presents the first AIE fluorescent polymer cubosome and hexosome with potential applications in bio-related fields., Fluorescent Im3̄m cubosome and P6mm hexosome with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) were reported, which were formed by amphiphilic block copolymers PEG-b-PTPEMA. The length of hydrophobic block PTPEMA was adjusted to control morphology formation.

Epoxy vitrimers based on transesterification reactions (TERs) are a type of recyclable thermosets which have been developed sucessfully in recent years. However, the good thermal performance and the fast network rearrangements are somehow contradictory and difficult to achieve simultaneously in TER-based epoxy vitrimers. This contradiction has been resolved in this work by use of a green and simple, yet effective strategy, where natural glycyrrhizic acid (GL) with sebacic acid (SA) were used as curing agents to prepare epoxy vitrimers based on TERs with different monomer compositions (V1 to V5). Thanks to the unique structure of GL, the glass transition temperatures (Tg) of the vitrimers rose from 31 to 89 °C, and their stress relaxation time shortened from 390 to 130 s at 180 °C with the increase of GL content. In particular, the vitrimer V4 exhibited good thermal stability (a decomposition temperature Td5 of 263 °C), fast stress relaxation (a relaxation time of 130 s at 180 °C), low malleability temperature (a Tmall of 116 °C) and usable Tg (61 °C). Moreover, this vitrimer could be welded, reprocessed, repaired, recycled and chemically degraded at a relatively mild temperature (130 °C). This work provides a green strategy for vitrimer design, which might benefit the preparation of recyclable thermosets with a highly comprehensive performance in the future.

International audience; Water-soluble thermoresponsive polymers present either upper critical solution temperature (UCST) or lower critical solution temperature (LCST) depending on the location of their miscibility range with water at high temperatures or at low temperatures. Compared with LCST polymers, the water-soluble UCST polymers are still less explored until now. In this work three copolymers of P(AAm-co-GAA) were synthesized by copolymerizing two acrylamide monomers, acrylamide (AAm) and acrylamide functionalized with natural glycyrrhetinic acid (GAA), using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. These copolymers exhibited the typical UCST thermoresponsive behavior, and their phase transition temperatures could be easily tuned to around 37 C for potential biological applications. Moreover, the UCST of P(AAm-co-GAA) can be adjusted not only by the content of glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) and polymer concentrations, but also by the host-guest interactions between GA and cyclodextrins (β-and g-CD). The suitable value of UCST and the biocompatible nature of GA and CDs may endow these copolymers with practical applications in biomedical chemistry

International audience; Polydiacetylenes (PDA) can undergo a blue-to-red color transition in response to external stimuli because of the extensive delocalized p-electron networks and intrinsic conformational restrictions, which make PDA particularly attractive building blocks for stimuli-responsive materials. In this work, a blue chiral C4-MOP/PDA gel was fabricated successfully by UV irradiating a white supramolecular gel that was assembled from a triterpenoid-derived gelator (C4-MOP) and a diacetylene monomer (PCDA). This photopolymerization was completed within 5 min with the generation of the new negative Cotton effect at 657 nm in the visible blue light region, which strongly revealed the transmission, amplification and visualization of molecular chirality during this gelation and the photopolymerization process. Notably, the nanotubular microstructures of the white gel C4-MOP/PCDA that curled from twisted ribbons barely changed after polymerization into C4-MOP/PDA. In addition, because C4-MOP/PDA contained an alternating ene-acetylene conjugated structure, it exhibited multiple color transitions to external stimuli including temperature, organic solvent, and mechanical force. This work provides chiral polydiacetylene assemblies by using natural triterpenoid gelators, and may open new developments in the design of smart responsive chiral PDA materials.

Structuring pores into stable membrane and controlling their opening is extremely useful for applications that require nanopores as channels for material exchange and transportation. In this work, nanoporous vesicles with aggregation-induced emission (AIE) properties were developed from the amphiphilic polymer PEG550-TPE-Chol, in which the hydrophobic part is composed of a tetraphenylethene (TPE) group and a cholesterol moiety and the hydrophilic block is a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, Mn = 550 Da). Two stereoisomers, trans-PEG550-TPE-Chol and cis-PEG550-TPE-Chol, were successfully synthesized. These thermally stable stereoisomers showed distinct self-assembly behavior in water: trans-PEG550-TPE-Chol formed classical vesicles, while cis-PEG550-TPE-Chol self-assembled into cylindrical micelles. Interestingly, trans/cis mixtures of PEG550-TPE-Chol (trans/cis = 60/40), either naturally synthesized without isomers' separation during the synthesis or intentionally mixed using trans- and cis-isomers, constructed perforated vesicles with nanopores. Moreover, under the illumination of high intensity UV light (365 nm, 15 mW/cm2), the classical vesicles of trans-PEG550-TPE-Chol were perforated by its cis counterparts generated from the trans-cis photoisomerization, while the cylindrical micelles of cis-PEG550-TPE-Chol interweaved to form meshes and nanoporous membranes due to the trans-isomers produced by cis-trans photoisomerization. All of these assemblies in water emitted bright cyan fluorescence under UV light, while their constituent molecules were not fluorescent when solubilized in organic solvent. The AIE fluorescent normal vesicles and nanoporous vesicles may find potential applications in biotechnology as light-gated delivery vehicles and capsules with nanochannels for material exchange.

Background Hyperlipidemia, characterized by abnormal lipid metabolism, is a dominant feature of many chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Increasing evidence suggests that consumption of plant-based functional foods may serve as a promising approach for the prevention or management of chronic and metabolic diseases, including hyperlipidemia. Scope and approach This review focuses on specific bioactive components of plant-based functional foods and pharmacological mechanisms underpinning their hypolipidemic effect. For each bioactive component, we provide an overview of the source, model, dosage, effects, and mechanisms, as well as the chemical monomer structure. Key findings and conclusions The bioactive components of plant-based functional foods can be divided into six categories: flavonoids, steroidal saponins, polysaccharides, alkaloids, polyphenols, and others. The precise hypolipidemic effects of these components are mediated by various mechanisms, including inhibition of endogenous lipid biosynthesis; promotion of exogenous lipid metabolism; regulation of lipid metabolism; promotion of lipid redistribution, transport, and excretion; anti-lipid peroxidation and free radical scavenging; inhibition of platelet aggregation; alleviation of hemorheological abnormalities and reduction of blood viscosity; alleviation of insulin resistance; and regulation of the gut microbiota. Hence, the development of plant-based functional foods with potent hypolipidemic properties is a promising approach for the management of obesity, diabetic dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease.

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has a crucial role in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Tumour cells must develop anoikis resistance in order to survive before metastasis. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of IQGAP1 in HBV-mediated anoikis evasion and metastasis in HCC cells. Methods IQGAP1 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR and immunoblot analysis. Lentiviral-mediated stable upregulation or knockdown of IGAQP1, immunoprecipitation, etc. were used in function and mechanism study. Results IQGAP1 was markedly upregulated in HBV-positive compared with HBV-negative HCC cells and tissues. IQGAP1 was positively correlated to poor prognosis of HBV-associated HCC patients. IQGAP1 overexpression significantly enhanced the anchorage-independent growth and metastasis, whereas IQGAP1-deficient HCC cells are more sensitive to anoikis. Mechanistically, we found that HBV-induced ROS enhanced the association of IQGAP1 and Rac1 that activated Rac1, leading to phosphorylation of Src/FAK pathway. Antioxidants efficiently inhibited IQGAP1-mediated anoikis resistance and metastasis. Conclusions Our study indicated an important mechanism by which upregulated IQGAP1 by HBV promoted anoikis resistance, migration and invasion of HCC cells through Rac1-dependent ROS accumulation and activation of Src/FAK signalling, suggesting IQGAP1 as a prognostic indicator and a novel therapeutic target in HCC patients with HBV infection.

Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk., a perennial herb belonging to the family Umbelliferae, is widely distributed in Northeast Asia. Its dried root (Radix Saposhnikoviae) is used as a Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of immune system, nervous system, and respiratory diseases. Phytochemical and pharmacological studies have shown that the main constituents of S. divaricata are chromones, coumarins, acid esters, and polyacetylenes, and these compounds exhibited significant anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, antiproliferative, antitumor, and immunoregulatory activities. The purpose of this review is to provide comprehensive information on the botanical characterization and distribution, traditional use and ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of S. divaricata for further study concerning its mechanism of action and development of better therapeutic agents and health products from S. divaricata.

Cancer cell discrimination and cellular viability monitoring are closely related to human health. A universal and convenient fluorescence system with a dual function of wide-spectrum cancer cell discrimination and dynamic cellular viability monitoring is desperately needed, and is still extremely challenging. Herein we present a series of aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) (denoted as IVP) which can allow accurate discrimination between cancer and normal cells and dynamic monitoring of cellular viability through mitochondria–nucleolus migration. By regulating the lengths and positions of alkyl chains in IVP molecules, we systematically studied the discrimination behavior of these AIEgens between cancer cells and normal cells and further investigated how they can migrate between the mitochondria and nucleolus based on the change of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). Using IVP-02 as a model molecule, wash-free bioimaging, excellent two-photon properties, and low cytotoxicity were demonstrated. This present work proves that these designed IVP AIEgens show great potential for cancer identification and metastasis monitoring, as well as activity evaluation and screening of drugs., We present a series of AIEgens for cancer cell discrimination and dynamic viability monitoring.

Lamiophlomis rotata (Benth.) Kudo is a herbaceous plant of the family Lamiaceae, subfamily Lamioideae. Approximately, 127 chemical constituents have been isolated and identified from L. rotata, including iridoids, flavonoids, phenylethanoid glycosides, polysaccharides, and organic acids. These chemical constituents have extensive pharmacological properties, which include anti-nociceptive, haemostatic, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, immunomodulatory, antioxidant, and cardio-protective activities. Documentation of its historical use in traditional medicine and contemporary phytochemical and pharmacological research indicate that L. rotata has significant potential in therapeutic and health care applications. Both whole extracts and individual chemical components isolated from this plant exhibit a wide range of biological activities that warrant further investigation. These investigations can be assisted by careful review of existing traditional knowledge from diverse cultural backgrounds. A new search for chemical and biological markers and reinforced protection of the germplasm resources of L. rotata are also important to ensure targeted and sustainable use of this medicinal resource. The aim of this review was to provide comprehensive information on the botanical characteristics, traditional uses, ethnopharmacology, chemical and pharmacological properties, toxicity profile, and conservation status of L. rotata, to improve understanding of its mechanisms of action so that novel therapeutic agents may be developed from this plant.

Glucose ingestion attenuates the water ingestion-induced increase in the total peripheral vascular resistance and orthostatic tolerance. We investigated the gastrointestinal physiology of glucose by examining the effect of glucose ingestion on the functional expression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in red blood cell (RBC) membrane. This study was performed in 24 young, healthy subjects. Blood samples were collected at 5 min before and 25 min and 50 min after an ingestion of 10% glucose water 500 mL, water 500 mL, or normal saline 500 mL. We determined glucose and osmolality in plasma, and phosphorylation of aquaporin 1 (AQP1), glucose transporter 1 (Glut1), and FAK in RBC membrane. Our results showed that glucose ingestion reduced the rise of peripheral vascular resistance after water ingestion and upregulated the serine phosphorylation of Glut1. It also lowered both the serine phosphorylation of FAK and tyrosine phosphorylation of AQP1, compared with the ingestion of either water or saline. In an ex vivo experiment, glucose activated the Glut1 receptor and subsequently reduced the expression of FAK compared with 0.8% saline alone. We concluded that glucose activates Glut1 and subsequently lowers the functional expression of FAK, a cytoskeleton protein of RBCs. The functional change in the RBC membrane proteins in connection with the attenuation of osmopressor response may elucidate the pathophysiology of glucose in postprandial hypotension.

Paeonia lactiflora is an important medicinal resource in China. It is of great significance for the protection and cultivation of P. lactiflora resources to find the suitable habitats. The study was based on the information of 98 distribution sites and the data of 20 current environmental factors of wild P. lactiflora in China. According to the correlation and importance of environmental factors, we selected the main environmental factors affecting the potential suitable habitats. Then, BCC-CSM2-MR model was employed to predict the distribution range and center change of potential suitable habitat of wild P. lactiflora in the climate scenarios of SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5 during 2021-2100. The ensemble model combined with GBM, GLM, MaxEnt, and RF showed improved prediction accuracy, with TSS=0.85 and AUC=0.95. Among the 20 environmental factors, annual mean temperature, monthly mean diurnal range of temperature, temperature seasonality, mean temperature of the warmest quarter, precipitation of the wettest month, precipitation seasonality, precipitation of the driest quarter, and elevation were the main factors that affected the suitable habitat distribution of P. lactiflora. At present, the potential suitable habitats of wild P. lactiflora is mainly distributed in Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Beijing, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, Gansu, Xinjiang, Tibet, and Ningxia, and concentrated in the northeastern Inner Mongolia, central Heilongjiang, and northern Jilin. Under future climate conditions, the highly sui-table area of wild P. lactiflora will shrink, and the potential suitable habitat will mainly be lost to different degrees. However, in the SSP5-8.5 scenario, the low suitable area of wild P. lactiflora will partially increase in the highlands and mountains in western China including Xinjiang, Tibet, and Qinghai during 2061-2100. The distribution center of wild P. lactiflora migrated first to the northeast and then to the southwest. The total suitable habitats were stable and kept in the high-latitude zones. The prediction of the potential geo-graphical distribution of P. lactiflora is of great significance to the habitat protection and standardized cultivation of this plant in the future.

BACKGROUND: Sudden onset of acute torticollis in children is rare and is usually diagnosed as atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation (AARS). The common treatment for acute AARS without neurological symptoms is halter traction in conjunction with muscle relaxant and sedative agents, followed by cervicothoracic orthotic immobilization. To the best of our knowledge, a case of acute AARS treatment with high-intensity laser therapy (HILT) has not yet been reported so far. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to report a case of acute AARS treatment with HILT successfully and to discuss about the clinical effect of HILT in AARS. METHODS: We reported a 9-year-old girl with acute onset of torticollis visiting the rehabilitation outpatient department. RESULS: The physical examination revealed a typical cock robin position without neurological symptoms. A series of evaluations, including open-mouth odontoid radiograph and soft tissue sonography, confirmed the diagnosis of acute AARS. The patient received HILT over the left suboccipital and upper back muscle groups, which started on the day of the first rehabilitation clinic visit, once a week, for four weeks. Torticollis and neck pain improved gradually with each session of HILT, and the symptoms resolved completely after the fourth session. Dynamic computed tomography (CT) of the cervical spine showed no evidence of obvious AARS after the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The patient had no complaints after HILT in a case of acute AARS resulting from a mechanical factor. Due to its pain-relief and muscle-release characteristics, HILT indicates the probable benefit of relaxation of spastic muscles for patients with AARS.

Stimuli-responsive liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), which exhibit sophisticated and versatile shape variations and functions upon stimulations, have constantly interested material science researchers. To date, many challenges still exist in scaling up orientated LCEs with sophisticated physical shapes and multi-functions. Herein, LCEs with various customizable conventional and exotic three-dimensional (3D) shapes and with sizes larger than those previously reported have been prepared by combining magnetic field alignment and soft lithography technology. These LCEs have film, cylinder, ellipsoid, hemispheroid, tube, pyramid, triangle and rectangle frame, grid pattern, cubic frame, and spring shapes. Meanwhile, diversified deformation behaviors such as contraction, expansion, bending, and twisting have been achieved by effectively controlling the alignment directions. Finally, the LCE actuator with hemispheroid shape has been explored for its possible applications in dynamic Braille displays or lenses with adjustable focal length. The simple strategy reported here provides a convenient way to customize multimorphological large-size 3D LCE actuators and their stimuli-responsive deformations. These systems will considerably enlarge the potential applications of LCEs and benefit the development of LCE soft robots and the future special bionic systems.