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Dong-Xia Wu,1,&ast; Jing-Xian Hu,2,&ast; Jian-Hong Ma,1,&ast; Ke-Yi Chang,1,&ast; Yun Zhang,1 Xiao-Li Quan,1 Jia-Ning Han,1 Hai-Jing Long,1 Chen Chen,1 Wei Zhai,1 Huan-Huan Guo,1 Li-Li Zhang,2 Xiao-Lan Wang2 1Department of Infection and Immunology, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Nursing, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100069, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Li-Li Zhang; Xiao-Lan Wang, Department of Nursing, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 8 of Xitoutiao, Fengtai District, Beijing, 100069, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 010 8399 7143, Email lillizhang3200z@163.comPurpose: To investigate and analyse the status quo of the self-management of patients living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and its influencing factors and to provide the basis for formulating intervention strategies.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 300 PLWHA who visited the Infection Center of Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University between September 2021 and December 2021 were enrolled using the convenience sampling method. Demographic characteristics and disease-related data were collected for each participant. The HIV/AIDS Self-Management Scale was used to evaluate the self-management ability of PLWHA.Results: A total of 251 male and 49 female PLWHA were included in this study, with an average age of 39.08 ± 12.09 years and an average disease duration of 9.61 ± 37.04 months. Univariate analysis showed that the PLWHA’s place of residence, educational level, physical condition, family relations, duration of HIV disease, receipt or not of antiviral therapy and knowledge of disease had an influence on the scores of the HIV Self-Management Scale (all p < 0.05). The results of the self-management scores indicated that the total score for self-management was 41.5 ± 6.4 points, with a scoring rate of 69.6%, which was at a medium level. Long-term self-management had the highest scoring rate (12.2 ± 2.5 points), followed by daily health management (22.3 ± 4.3 points), and social support for self-management had the lowest scoring (5.1 ± 0.9 points). Multivariable analysis showed that the self-management ability of PLWHA was related to educational level, duration of disease and family relations (R2 = 0.67, F = 121.7, p < 0.05).Conclusion: The self-management level of patients with AIDS, especially the social support of daily health management and self-management, needs to be further improved. Educational level, duration of disease and family relations are important factors influencing the self-management of PLWHA.Keywords: HIV/AIDS, AIDS, self-management

Xu Zhang,1,&ast; Xue Zhou,2,&ast; Wenhao Zhai,1,&ast; Jing Cui,1 Ziyi Pan,1 Liuyi Du,1 Linlin Wen,1 Rongrong Ye,1 Boya Zhang,1 Lei Huang,1 Daowei Li,1 Chungang Wang,2 Hongchen Sun1 1Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Tooth Development and Bone Remodeling, Hospital of Stomatology, Jilin University, Changchun, 130021, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Chemistry, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, 130024, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Daowei Li; Lei Huang, Email jluldw@jlu.edu.cn; huanglei17@mails.jlu.edu.cnBackground: Vital pulp therapy (VPT) is considered a conservative treatment for preserving pulp viability in caries and trauma-induced pulpitis. However, Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) as the most frequently used repair material, exhibits limited efficacy under inflammatory conditions. This study introduces an innovative nanocomposite hydrogel, tailored to simultaneously target anti-inflammation and dentin mineralization, aiming to efficiently preserve vital pulp tissue.Methods: The L-(CaP-ZnP)/SA nanocomposite hydrogel was designed by combining L-Arginine modified calcium phosphate/zinc phosphate nanoparticles (L-(CaP-ZnP) NPs) with sodium alginate (SA), and was characterized with TEM, SEM, FTIR, EDX, ICP–AES, and Zeta potential. In vitro, we evaluated the cytotoxicity and anti-inflammatory properties. Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) were cultured with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce an inflammatory response, and the cell odontogenic differentiation was measured and possible signaling pathways were explored by alkaline phosphatase (ALP)/alizarin red S (ARS) staining, qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence staining, and Western blotting, respectively. In vivo, a pulpitis model was utilized to explore the potential of the L-(CaP-ZnP)/SA nanocomposite hydrogel in controlling pulp inflammation and enhancing dentin mineralization by Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry staining.Results: In vitro experiments revealed that the nanocomposite hydrogel was synthesized successfully and presented desirable biocompatibility. Under inflammatory conditions, compared to MTA, the L-(CaP-ZnP)/SA nanocomposite hydrogel demonstrated superior anti-inflammatory and pro-odontogenesis effects. Furthermore, the nanocomposite hydrogel significantly augmented p38 phosphorylation, implicating the involvement of the p38 signaling pathway in pulp repair. Significantly, in a rat pulpitis model, the L-(CaP-ZnP)/SA nanocomposite hydrogel downregulated inflammatory markers while upregulating mineralization-related markers, thereby stimulating the formation of robust reparative dentin.Conclusion: The L-(CaP-ZnP)/SA nanocomposite hydrogel with good biocompatibility efficiently promoted inflammation resolution and enhanced dentin mineralization by activating p38 signal pathway, as a pulp-capping material, offering a promising and advanced solution for treatment of pulpitis. Keywords: nanocomposite hydrogel, vital pulp therapy, pulpitis, p38 signaling pathway

Ji Guo,1– 3 Shengqi Yang,1– 4 Weifeng Zhai,1– 3,5 Yue Xie,1– 4 Zhan Shen,1– 4 Jianpo Zhang,1– 3 Yongwei Jia1– 3,5 1Guanghua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200052, People’s Republic of China; 2Shanghai Guanghua Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai, 200052, People’s Republic of China; 3Institute of Arthritis Research in Integrative Medicine, Shanghai Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 200052, People’s Republic of China; 4Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, 201203, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Orthopedics, Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences Affiliated Zhoupu Hospital, Shanghai, 201318, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Ji Guo; Yongwei Jia, Email 153498661@qq.com; spinejia@163.comBackground: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a pathophysiological process that leads to severe back pain or neurological deficits. The Bushen Huoxue Formula (BSHXF) is a traditional herbal remedy widely used to treat diseases related to IVDD. However, its pharmacological mechanism needs further exploration.Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms through which BSHXF treats IVDD-related diseases by integrating metabolomics with network pharmacology.Methods: Network pharmacology was utilized to identify potential targets of BSHXF against IVDD. Additionally, an animal model of needle puncture-induced disc degeneration was established to assess the effect of BSHXF. Mice were randomly assigned to the sham group, model group, and BSHXF group. Various techniques, including PCR, CCK-8 assay, MRI, histological examinations, and immunohistochemical analyses, were employed to evaluate degenerative and oxidative stress conditions in mouse disc tissue and cultured nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. UHPLC-HRMS/MS was used to differential distinct metabolites in the disc tissue from different groups, and MetaboAnalyst 5.0 was employed to enrich the metabolic pathways.Results: Through network pharmacology, 15 core proteins were identified through protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction. Functional enrichment analysis highlighted the critical role of BSHXF in addressing IVDD by influencing the response to oxidative stress. Furthermore, experimental evidence demonstrated that BSHXF significantly improved the pathological progression of IVDD and increased oxidative stress markers SOD-1 and GPX1, both in the disc degeneration model and cultured NP cells. Metabolomics identified differential metabolites among the three groups, revealing 15 metabolic pathways between the sham and model groups, and 13 metabolic pathways enriched between the model and BSHXF groups.Conclusion: This study, integrating network pharmacology and metabolomics, suggests that BSHXF can alleviate IVDD progression by modulating oxidative stress. Key metabolic pathways associated with BSHXF-mediated reduction of oxidative stress include the citrate cycle, cysteine and methionine metabolism, alanine, aspartate and glutamate metabolism, glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, D-glutamine and D-glutamate metabolism, glutathione metabolism, and tryptophan metabolism. While this research demonstrates the therapeutic potential of BSHXF in reducing oxidative stress levels in IVDD, further research is needed to thoroughly understand its underlying mechanisms.Keywords: metabolomics, network pharmacology, intervertebral disc degeneration, oxidative stress, Bushen Huoxue formula

Rui Zhou,&ast; Yanhua Peng,&ast; Xuemeng Chen,&ast; Chao Xiong, Wenhu Zhai, Xianjie Zhang, Leqiang Xia, Yukai Zhou Department of Anesthesiology, Deyang People’s Hospital, Deyang City, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yukai Zhou, Department of Anesthesiology, Deyang People’s Hospital, NO. 173, Section 1 of Taishan North Road, Deyang City, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China, Tel +8618781054070, Email christianziege@163.comPurpose: Parturients suffer severe pain during the stages of labor, especially the first and second. Epidural anesthesia is an effective method to alleviate labor pain. L2-3, L3-4 and L4-5 spaces have been reported to be the recommendable puncture points owing to the adequate analgesia effect and high safety. However, the speed of pain alleviation via the three points has hardly been determined, which is of great importance to parturients. Thus, the aim of this study is to compare the onset time of parturients’ painless uterine contraction after epidural labor analgesia through different puncture points.Study Design and Methods: It is a prospective, randomized, controlled, and subject- and assessor-blinded study. Totally, 150 subjects scheduled for vaginal delivery are going to be randomly assigned into the L2-3 and L3-4 group. Puncture point in L2-3 group is lumbar 2– 3 space, while in L3-4 group it is lumbar 3– 4 space. Analgesia initiation and maintenance are the same between the two groups. Primary outcome will be percentage of painless uterine contraction 15 min after epidural labor analgesia initiation. Secondary outcomes will be the sensory blocking level, motor blocking score, adverse effects of parturients, drug liquid consumption in unit interval, apgar score and degree of satisfaction of the parturients.Discussion: This study estimates the onset time of parturients’ painless uterine contraction after epidural labor analgesia through L2-3 or L3-4 space. The results may provide a better choice to relieve labor pain as soon as possible.Keywords: labor analgesia, epidural anesthesia, puncture points, rapid analgesia

Wenwen Zhai,&ast; Huili Liu,&ast; Zhuoying Yu, Ye Jiang, Jing Yang, Min Li Department of Anesthesiology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Min Li, Department of Anesthesiology, Peking University Third Hospital, No. 49 North Garden Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13522757239, Email liminanesth@bjmu.edu.cnPurpose: Cesarean section (C-section) is associated with moderate-to-severe postoperative pain. Many studies on pain management after C-section have been published in recent decades, many of which focused on new regional techniques. The purpose of this study is to outline the connections within the dynamic evolution of postcesarean delivery analgesia research publications using retrospective bibliometric analysis.Patients and Methods: Published studies on postoperative pain management of C-section were retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) of Web of Science (WOS) Core collection database. All papers published from 1978 to October 22, 2022 were searched. The research progress and growing trend were quantitatively analyzed by total publications, research institutions, journal impact factors, and author’s contribution. Total citations frequency, average citations per item and h-index were used for evaluating literature quantity. Top 20 journals with the highest number of publications were charted. The keywords co-occurrence overlay map was visualized by the VOSviewer software.Results: From 1978 to 2022, a total of 1032 articles in postcesarean delivery analgesia research field were published, with 23,813 times cited, average citations of 23.07 per item, and an h-index of 68. The most high-yield publication year, countries, journals, authors, institutions were 2020 (n=79), the United States (n=288), Anesthesia and Analgesia (n=108), Carvalho B (n=25), and Stanford University (n=33), respectively. The United States had the most cited papers. The future research interest might be “prescription”, “quadratus lumborum block”, “postnatal depression”, “persistent pain”, “dexmedetomidine”, “enhanced recovery”, and “multimodal analgesia”.Conclusion: By employing the online bibliometric tool and VOSviewer software, we found that studies on postcesarean analgesia had grown markedly. The focus had evolved to nerve block, postnatal depression, persistent pain, and enhanced recovery.Keywords: postcesarean section, analgesia, bibliometric analysis, keywords analysis

Xin Hua,1,&ast; Fangfang Duan,1,&ast; Wenyu Zhai,2,&ast; Chenge Song,1 Chang Jiang,1 Li Wang,1 Jiajia Huang,1 Huanxin Lin,3 Zhongyu Yuan1 1Department of Medical Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Thoracic Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Radiotherapy, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhongyu YuanDepartment of Medical Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfeng Road East, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People’s Republic of China, Email yuanzhy@sysucc.org.cnHuanxin LinDepartment of Radiotherapy, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfeng Road East, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People’s Republic of China, Email linhx@sysucc.org.cnPurpose: We attempted to explore the prognostic value of baseline inflammatory and nutritional biomarkers at diagnosis in patients with early-stage breast cancer and develop a novel scoring system, the inflammatory-nutritional prognostic score (INPS).Patients and Methods: We collected clinicopathological and baseline laboratory data of 1259 patients with early-stage breast cancer between December 2010 and November 2012 from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center. Eligible patients were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts (n = 883 and 376, respectively) in a 7:3 ratio. We selected the most valuable biomarkers to develop INPS by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression model. A prognostic nomogram incorporating INPS and other independent clinicopathological factors was developed based on the stepwise multivariate Cox regression method. Then, we used the concordance index (C-index), calibration plot, and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to evaluate the prognostic performance and predictive accuracy of the predictive nomogram.Results: Four inflammatory-nutritional biomarkers, including neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and albumin-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR), were selected using the LASSO Cox analysis to construct INPS, which remained an independent prognostic indicator per the multivariate Cox regression analysis. Patients were stratified into low- and high-INPS groups based on the cutoff INPS determined by the maximally selected rank statistics. The prognostic model for overall survival consisting of INPS and other independent clinicopathological indicators showed excellent discrimination with C-indexes of 0.825 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.786– 0.864) and 0.740 (95% CI: 0.657– 0.822) in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. The time-dependent ROC curves showed a higher predictive accuracy of our prognostic nomogram than that of traditional tumor-node-metastasis staging.Conclusion: Baseline INPS is an independent indicator of OS in patients with early-stage breast cancer. The INPS-based prognostic nomogram could be used as a practical tool for individualized prognostic predictions.Keywords: early-stage breast cancer, LASSO Cox analysis, inflammatory-nutritional biomarker, prognostic nomograms, overall survival

Jing Yuan,1,&ast; Fangfang Duan,2,&ast; Wenyu Zhai,3,&ast; Chenge Song,2 Li Wang,2 Wen Xia,2 Xin Hua,2 Zhongyu Yuan,2 Xiwen Bi,2 Jiajia Huang2 1Departments of Experimental Research, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Departments of Medical Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 3Departments of Thoracic Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jiajia Huang; Xiwen BiDepartment of Medical Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 651 Dongfeng Road East, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail huangjiaj@sysucc.org.cn; bixw@sysucc.org.cnBackground: Aging, an inevitable process characterized by functional decline over time, is a significant risk factor for various tumors. However, little is known about aging-related genes (ARGs) in breast cancer (BC). We aimed to explore the potential prognostic role of ARGs and to develop an ARG-based prognosis signature for BC.Methods: RNA-sequencing expression profiles and corresponding clinicopathological data of female patients with BC were obtained from public databases in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). An ARG-based risk signature was constructed in the TCGA cohort based on results of least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate Cox regression analysis, and its prognostic value was further validated in the GSE20685 cohort.Results: A six ARG-based signature, including CLU, DGAT1, MXI1, NFKBI, PIK3CA and PLAU, was developed in the TCGA cohort and significantly stratified patients into low- and high-risk groups. Patients in the former group showed significantly better prognosis than those in the latter. Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the ARG risk score was an independent prognostic factor for BC. A predictive nomogram integrating the ARG risk score and three identified factors (age, N- and M-classification) was established in the TCGA cohort and validated in the GSE20685 cohort. Calibration plots showed good consistency between predicted survival probabilities and actual observations.Conclusion: A novel ARG-based risk signature was developed for patients with BC, which can be used for individual prognosis prediction and promoting personalized treatment.Keywords: breast cancer, aging, prognostic signature, risk stratification

Electrolyte gating technology has been widely used as an effective tool to study novel physics at complex oxide surfaces and interfaces. Certain emergent phenomena reported in electro-gated SrTiO3 (STO) surfaces are particularly interesting. Here, we report on the disparate electron transport behaviors of electrolyte-gated STO (001) and (110) oriented surfaces. In contrast to the anomalous transport from an insulating state to a Kondo-like state and then metallic states on the (001) surface, with increasing carrier density, the (110) surface always behaves as an insulating state. A comparison study suggests that the oxygen vacancies and localized Ti3+ ions on the (001) surface are scatter carriers, but no such defects are found on the (110) surface. This suggests that these surfaces are intrinsically insulating, and the observed anomalous effects are likely induced by the Ti3+ ions and oxygen vacancies introduced during electrolyte gating. This work sheds light on complicated phenomena in electrolyte-gated STO-based systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Xiaoming Wang,1,2 Weishuai Zhai,3 Shaolin Wang,2 Zhangqi Shen,2 Yang Wang,2 Qidi Zhang3 1MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 2Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agriculture University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 3College of Veterinary Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Qidi Zhang No. 700 Changcheng Road, Chengyang District, Qingdao City, Shandong Province 266109, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail zqdcau@163.comPurpose: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and transmission mechanism of mcr-3 in Aeromonas spp. isolated from chicken cloaca.Materials and Methods: A. veronii w55 was isolated from chicken in 2008. PCR assay was used to detect mcr genes and putative circular intermediate. Susceptibility testing was identified by the microdilution method. WGS was performed to obtain the whole sequence. S1-PFGE and DNA southern hybridization were used to study the location of mcr-3.6.Results: PCR-based analysis indicated that 1 out of 55 Aeromonas spp. isolates was mcr-3-positive. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the strain A. veronii w55 belonged to novel sequence type ST514 and had two adjacent chromosomally located mcr variants, mcr-3.6 and mcr-3-like. The mcr-3.6 and mcr-3-like genes showed 93.67% and 82.84% nucleotide sequence identity, respectively, to original mcr-3 from E. coli. A. veronii w55 also exhibited resistance to extended-spectrum β-lactams and was positive for blaPER-3, and this is the first time to report blaPER-3 in A. veronii. Genetic environment analysis revealed that the segment of mcr-3.6-mcr-3-like-dgkA was flanked by five insertion sequence elements originated from Aeromonas species, and the structure of ISAs2-ISAhy2-ISAs20-mcr-3.6-mcr-3-like-dgkA-ISAs2 was designated as a novel transposon Tn 6518, in which an 8405-bp circular intermediate carrying two mcr-3 variants can be looped out.Conclusion: This result suggested the mcr-3 variant genes could be disseminated between various Aeromonas species via transposon-mediated transmission.Keywords: mcr-3.6, Tn 6158, Aeromonas veronii

Yueyao Jiang, Chenqi Liu, Wanchen Zhai, Ning Zhuang, Tengfei Han, Zhiying Ding School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhiying DingSchool of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +8613843180286Email dzy@jlu.edu.cnBackground: Huperzine A (HupA) is a selective acetylcholinesterase inhibitor used to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The existing dosage of HupA lacks brain selectivity and can cause serious side effects in the gastrointestinal and peripheral cholinergic systems.Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop and characterize a HupA nanoemulsion (NE) and a targeted HupA-NE modified with lactoferrin (Lf) for intranasal administration.Methods: The NE was formulated using pseudo-ternary phase diagrams and optimized with response surface methodology. Particle size distribution and zeta potential were evaluated, and transmission electron microscopy was performed. We investigated the transport mechanisms of HupA-NEs into hCMEC/D3 cells, an in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier. HupA-NE, Lf-HupA-NE, and HupA solution were intranasally administered to rats to investigate the brain-targeting effects of these formulations. A drug targeting index (DTI) was calculated to determine brain-targeting efficiency.Results: Optimized HupA-NE had a particle size of 15.24±0.67 nm, polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.128±0.025, and zeta potential of −4.48±0.97 mV. The composition of the optimized HupA-NE was 3.00% isopropyl myristate (IPM), 3.81% Capryol 90, and 40% Cremophor EL + Labrasol. NEs, particularly Lf-HupA-NE, were taken up into hCMEC/D3 cells to a greater extent than pure drug alone. Western blot analysis showed that hCMEC/D3 cells contained P-glycoprotein (P-gp), breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), and multidrug resistance associated protein 1 (MRP1) transporters. The likely mechanisms resulting in higher NE transport to the brain were uptake by specific transporters and transcytosis. In vivo, intranasal Lf-HupA-NE significantly enhanced drug delivery to the brain compared to HupA-NE, which was confirmed by differences in pharmacokinetic parameters. The DTI of Lf-HupA-NE (3.2±0.75) demonstrated brain targeting, and the area under the curve for Lf-HupA-NE was significantly higher than that for HupA-NE.Conclusion: Lf-HupA-NE is a promising nasal drug delivery carrier for facilitating delivery of HupA to the central nervous system.Keywords: nanoemulsion, lactoferrin, brain targeting, intranasal delivery

Antiferromagnetic spintronics has been receiving attention recently, while spin-texture dependent magnetoresistance (MR) represents one of the main mechanisms for magnetic data storage. In particular, sufficiently large MR with high operating temperatures would be highly required for advanced spintronic applications. In this work, we experimentally investigate the MR effect of well-known antiferromagnet α-Fe2O3 (hematite) in a single crystal form, which has the Morin transition temperature as high as Tm ∼ 260 K. It is revealed that the MR effect associated with the spin-texture re-alignment, i.e., the spin-flop from the out-of-plane direction (c axis) to the in-plane direction, driven by sufficiently low magnetic fields inclined along the [012] direction, reaches up to ∼2.5% at temperature T ∼ 250 K. The first-principles calculations suggest that this MR effect originates from the reduced bandgap due to the spin-flop and the finite spin–orbital coupling. The present work sheds light on the possibility of α-Fe2O3 as a favored MR-based candidate for near-room temperature spintronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the discovery of two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism in van der Waals (vdW) materials, there has been significant interest in 2D multiferroics. Herein, we report the occurrence of weak ferromagnetism and magnetoelectricity in vdW antiferromagnet MnPSe3 single crystals. Our results demonstrate that MnPSe3 undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition at the Néel temperature TN = 70 K with weak ferromagnetism along the [1–10] direction. Detailed magnetoelectric (ME) data show that MnPSe3 exhibits a linear ME tensor αij with nine nonzero components. Additionally, a magnetically induced electric polarization as large as 98.5 μC/m2 is observed along the [110] direction, with a ME coefficient of 13.5 ps/m at 10 K for a magnetic field of 9 T applied along the [110] direction. Importantly, we discuss our experiments based on symmetry and microscopic analysis, thereby suggesting that the spin-dependent p-d hybridization mechanism plays an important role in the emergence of magnetic-field-induced ferroelectricity. Hence, our findings provide insights for exploring the ME coupling in vdW materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]