Nucleus pulposus cell-mimicking nanoparticles for cell-specific HIF1A editing to modulate SASP-mediated disc inflammation via autophagy activation.

Traditional methods of plasmid delivery, including viral vectors, lipofection, and electroporation, are widely used for gene editing but have limitations, such as cellular toxicity, limited transfection efficiency in primary cells, and nonspecific side effects. Here, we report the development of nucleus pulposus cell (NPC)-mimicking nanoparticles (HIF1A@NNP) with an NPC membrane as the shell and pcDNA3.1-rHIF1A encapsulated in the core via extrusion.

Modified radical hysterectomy for stage IB1 (≤2 cm) cervical cancer: assessment of temporal trends and oncologic outcomes in the United States.

Objective: The oncologic safety of less-radical surgery for early-stage cervical cancer is currently being actively investigated. Given the paucity of data, this study assessed the temporal trends and oncologic outcomes associated with modified radical hysterectomy for stage IB1 (≤2 cm) cervical cancer in the United States.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Commission-on-Cancer's National Commission on Cancer Database.

Effect of three traditional conservative treatment techniques on patients with mild-to-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common peripheral nerve entrapment syndrome that can be treated in a variety of ways, including manual therapy, massage, and acupuncture.

Purpose: Traditional conservative treatment techniques have been widespread used for treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), such as manual therapy, massage, and acupuncture. However, there appears to be no consensus about the benefits of traditional conservative treatment techniques for patients with CTS.

Measurements of tenofovir-diphosphate and emtricitabine-triphosphate concentrations in dried blood spots of people receiving pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV with co-formulated tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine.

Background/purpose(s): Data regarding the concentrations of tenofovir-diphosphate (TFV-DP) and emtricitabine-triphosphate (FTC-TP) in the Asian population receiving pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and emtricitabine (FTC) (TDF/FTC) are limited, and the associations between the frequency of TDF/FTC administration and drug concentration among people receiving on-demand PrEP remain unclear.

Methods: Fifty-seven participants receiving daily TDF/FTC and 113 participants receiving on-demand TDF/FTC were enrolled in this study. The concentrations of TFV-DP and FTC-TP were measured in dried blood spots using liquid chromatography‒mass spectrometry.

A 300-km fully-connected quantum secure direct communication network.

Transmission distance and number of users limit the realization of large-scale scalable quantum communication networks, as existing quantum network construction techniques struggle to address these two important factors simultaneously. In this paper, we propose a long-distance large-scale and scalable fully-connected quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) network, which employs a double-pumped structure and the introduction of extra noise to successfully realize QSDC over 300 km between four users in the network in pairs. The results demonstrate that the fidelity of the entangled state shared between users following communication remains above 85%.

Hypothermic Myocardial Preservation: The Freezing Debate.

Background: Storage of hearts in ice for transportation is thought to cause post-transplantation graft dysfunction secondary to freeze injury. We studied the myocardial damage and resulting function in hearts stored at 0 °C, 4 °C and 8 °C for 4 hours.

Methods: Rat hearts were procured under general anesthesia and immediately stored in University of Wisconsin solution at 0 °C, 4 °C and 8 °C for 4 hours (n = 6-8/group).

Vitamin E ameliorates blood cholesterol level and alters gut microbiota composition: A randomized controlled trial.

Background And Aims: Antioxidants, including vitamin E (VE) and grape seed extract (GSE), as anti-aging supplementation have been widely used to improve human health. The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in health and affects the treatment effect of various interventions. However, the role of gut microbiota in VE remains unclear.

Mediating role of blood metabolites in the relationship between arrhythmia and hyperthyroidism in East Asian populations.

Background And Aim: Arrhythmia is a common manifestation of hyperthyroidism, and blood metabolites may play a regulatory role in cardiovascular health and thyroid function. However, the mediating role of blood metabolites between arrhythmia and hyperthyroidism, particularly in East Asian populations, remains unclear.

Methods And Results: We used large-scale GWAS data from East Asian populations for a two-step Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Distributed collaborative control to pose tracking for six-DOF parallel mechanism under multi-cylinder communication.

Determining how to enhance performance of pose tracking in internal uncertainties, external disturbances, and the mutual interference among actuators is a promising research topic for six-degree-of-freedom (DOF) parallel mechanism. To address these challenges, this study introduces a collaborative pose tracking control strategy that integrates third-order active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) for a single actuator and multi-agent consensus control for multiple actuators. Solved the problem of reduced pose tracking accuracy caused by internal modeling uncertainty of actuators, external interference, and mutual interference between actuators.

A Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Platform for Rapid, Sensitive, and Cost-Effective Quantitative Analysis of Exosomes Based on Titanium Dioxide Functionalized Nanomaterials.

Exosomes have emerged as vital biomarkers for cancer diagnosis because they carry diverse biomolecules, reflecting the physiological state of their original cells. However, despite this potential, there are still challenges in developing highly sensitive, rapid, and efficient detection methods in clinical diagnosis. Here, we present a straightforward approach for the efficient enrichment and SERS quantification of exosomes via the interaction between titanium dioxide (TiO) and the phospholipid bilayer on the exosome membrane.

Tether-Directed Electrosynthesis of Bicyclic [60]Fullerene Derivatives Fused with 5-Membered Azacycle and 13-Membered Carbocycle.

Tether-directed electrosynthesis of [60]fullerene derivatives fused with 5-membered azacycle and 13-membered carbocycle, that is, bicyclic 1,4,9,12- and 1,2,4,15-adducts, has been achieved unexpectedly for the first time. The novel bicyclic [60]fullerene derivatives are obtained by the electrochemical reduction of [60]fullerene-fused indolines or lactams and subsequent regioselective cyclization with 2,2″-bis(bromomethyl)-1,1':3',1″-terphenyl. The product structures have been characterized by spectroscopic data and single-crystal X-ray analysis.

Ultrafast Exciton Formation in Perovskite Quantum Rods.

Investigating exciton formation in semiconductor materials is essential for efficient light-to-energy conversion applications. Exciton formation has been extensively studied in two-dimensional materials but is rarely observed in single quantum systems. Here, we construct one-dimensional CsPbBr quantum rods (QRs) with two confined dimensions and one unconfined dimension.

Adolescent gender beliefs in India: Does mothers' empowerment matter?

Abundant studies have documented the positive impact of mothers' empowerment on children's health and education in the Global South, but little is known about how maternal empowerment shapes children's gender beliefs. Using data from the India Human Development Survey, this study examines the relationship between mothers' empowerment and adolescent children's gender beliefs in India. Recognizing the multidimensionality of women's empowerment, we conduct latent class analysis to identify a six-class empowerment typology based on mothers' education, employment, decision-making power at home, mobility outside the home, and memberships in women's organizations.

Probiotic-fermented ginger-processed Gastrodia elata BI. Ameliorates AlCl-induced cognitive dysfunction in an Alzheimer's disease rat model by regulating the gut microbiota and CREB/BDNF pathway.

Gastrodia elata BI., which is an edible plant, has been reported in previous studies to possess a strong capacity for alleviating the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study focuses on ginger-processed and fermented Gastrodia elata BI.

Combined traditional Chinese medicine and probiotics (TCMP) alleviates lipid accumulation and improves metabolism in high-fat diet mice via the microbiota-gut-liver axis.

Lipid accumulation and metabolic disorders caused by a high-fat diet (HFD) pose significant threats to human health, and place a substantial burden on individuals and society. In this study, a novel combination comprising three traditional Chinese herbs (lotus leaf, hawthorn, and leaf of Chinese holly) and a probiotic (Bifidobacterium lactis BPL-1) (TCMP) was prepared. Then, its effects on growth performance, fat accumulation, hepatic function and gut microbiota in mice fed a high-fat diet were investigated.

Formation and control of heterocyclic amines and advanced glycation end products in traditional Chinese braised pork belly: The role of food additives.

For braised pork belly, a popular traditional Chinese dish, we lack a scientific knowledge to reduce the formation of harmful heterocyclic amines (HAs) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) while maintaining sensory quality. This study aimed to clarify the factors affecting the formation of free and protein-bound HAs and AGEs during the braised pork belly cooking process using UPLC-MS/MS analysis. The results indicated that soy sauce significantly promoted the formation of HAs, with organic soy sauce exhibiting the strongest promoting effect, increasing HAs by 270.

Structures and compositions of the oil/wall interfaces and wall layers affected the properties of spray-dried fish oil powders.

Herein, 12 types of fish oil emulsions were used to prepare 12 types of spray-dried fish oil powders with three gelatins (positive fish gelatin, positive porcine skin gelatin, and negative bovine skin gelatin), two negative pectins (high and low methoxy pectin), and negative sodium starch octenyl succinate (SSOS). The powders consisted of microscale capsules with bi- or monolayer oil/wall interfaces, and monolayer wall layers. SSOS significantly decreased the bulk and tapped densities of the powders.

The dual effects of NADESs on inhibiting acyl transfer and improving the sn-1,3 positional selectivity of lipase contribute to the selective and efficient synthesis of 1,3-diacylglycerol.

1,3-diacylglycerol (DAG) is a natural lipid and known as functional oil. Here, we evaluated the potential of different natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) in synthesis of 1,3-DAG through Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB)-catalyzed esterification. Interestingly, we found that the 1,3-DAG content could be increased by 19.

Influence of hydroxyl substitution on the inhibition of flavonoids in advanced glycation end-products formation in glucose-lysine-arginine Maillard reaction models.

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) generated from the Maillard reaction (MR) during food processing in the human physiological environment, have been proven to be significantly associated with various chronic metabolic diseases. In this study, 18 flavonoids were investigated to study their effects on AGEs formation during MR within a glucose-lysine-arginine model system. Five AGEs- N-carboxymethyl-lysine (CML), N-carboxyethyl-lysine (CEL), pyrraline, pentosidine, and argpyrimidine-were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, with inhibitory rates ranging between 0 % and 71.

Effects of atmospheric cold plasma treatment mode on muscle quality and bacterial community of red shrimp during cold storage.

Atmospheric cold plasma (ACP), known for its safety, non-thermal processing, and energy efficiency, is especially effective for preserving perishable items such as seafood. However, excessive use of ACP may cause oxidation and sensory quality deterioration, which limits its application in the seafood industry. Thus, optimizing ACP treatment modes to balance sterilization efficiency with minimal oxidative effects is essential.

Influence of processing points on the flavor of meat balls braised with brown sauce.

In this study, electronic nose, electronic tongue and solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry (SPME-GC-O-MS) were used to investigate the volatile flavor characteristics and the changing pattern of meat balls braised with brown sauce in prepared dishes during processing. A total of 13 volatile compounds were detected by combining the results of the OAVs and GC-O analyses using both methods. The detected volatile compounds were benzaldehyde, nonanal, (E)-2-octenal, citral, 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, 1-octen-3-ol, eucalyptol, linalool, ethyl acetate, eugenol, d-limonene, anethole, and estragole.

Deep learning combined Monte Carlo simulation reveal the fundamental light propagation in apple puree: Monitoring the quality changes from different cultivar, storage period and heating duration.

This work explored the light propagation of purees from a large variability of apple cultivar, storage period and heating duration based on their optical absorption (μ) and reduced scattering (μ') properties at 900-1650 nm, in order to better monitor the chemical, structural and rheological parameters. The prolonged heating duration modified intensively on puree structure and rheology, and resulted significant increases of μ' at 900-1350 nm. Based on Monte Carlo simulation, the maximum light attenuation distance at 1050 nm of 'Golden Delicious' and 'Red Delicious' apple puree increased intensively from 16.

Nurses' competence and needs to assist advance directives for institutionalized people with dementia and their family.

There is growing recognition of advance directives (AD) in dementia, however a gap remains between their perceived importance and actual implementation. This emphasizes the need to enhance healthcare professionals' support for people with dementia (PWD) with regards to making AD. This study aimed to investigate the competence, difficulties, and support needs of nurses in assisting institutionalized PWD to make AD.

Hypoglycemia knowledge assessment tool - Development and validation of the Hypoglycemia Management Knowledge Scale in Taiwan.

Background: Knowledge can guide and support behaviors. With accurate knowledge, patients are better equipped to engage in appropriate self-care behaviors and effectively manage hypoglycemia. However, there is currently a lack of reliable and valid assessment scales specifically designed to measure hypoglycemia knowledge, which could serve as valuable clinical evaluation tools for healthcare professionals.