Curcumin and Metformin Infinite Coordination Polymer Nanoparticles for Combined Therapy of Diabetic Mice via Intraperitoneal Injections.

Metformin (Met) is one of the most commonly prescribed first-line drugs for diabetes treatment. However, it has several issues, including low bioavailability, therapeutic platform, and side effects at high doses. In order to improve the therapeutic efficiency of Met, this study proposes a strategy of using Met and curcumin (Cur) to prepare Cur-Zn(II)-Met infinite coordination polymer nanoparticles (CM ICP NPs), and combining this with intraperitoneal injections, for the treatment of diabetic mice.

Pectiniferosides A-J: Diversified Glycosides of Polyhydroxy Steroids Isolated from the Sea Star .

To optimize the utilization of the sea star , which has demonstrated potential pharmaceutical properties in Chinese folk medicine, ten glycosides of polyhydroxy steroids, pectiniferosides A-J (-), were isolated and characterized. These compounds possess 3β, 6α, 8, 15α (or β), 16β-pentahydroxycholestane aglycones with sulfated and (or) methylated monosaccharides. The chemical structures of - were determined using NMR spectroscopy and HR-ESI-MS.

Dynamic Structure-Aware Modulation Network for Underwater Image Super-Resolution.

Image super-resolution (SR) is a formidable challenge due to the intricacies of the underwater environment such as light absorption, scattering, and color distortion. Plenty of deep learning methods have provided a substantial performance boost for SR. Nevertheless, these methods are not only computationally expensive but also often lack flexibility in adapting to severely degraded image statistics.

causing Dieback disease in (Lour.) Per. in China.

Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Per., named as May Cang, is a rare deciduous evergreen tree and cultivated for its ethnopharmacological properties and medicinal uses.

Gender-Related Characterization of Acne in Chinese: A Multiple-Center Cross-Sectional Survey on 13085 Cases.

Background: Acne is a common inflammatory dermatosis. Although gender-related differences in prevalence and age of onset have been documented. Other gender-related characteristics of acne have not been well elucidated yet.

Minimally invasive reduction of irreducible, sagittally unstable peritrochanteric fractures: Novel technique and early results.

Purpose: The management of irreducible, sagittally unstable peritrochanteric fractures presents a significant challenge due to the inability to achieve closed reduction using conventional techniques. This study introduces a novel minimally invasive technique leveraging the mechanical advantage principle with long, angled hemostatic clamps.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed on 16 patients who sustained sagittally unstable peritrochanteric fractures and underwent a percutaneous hemostatic clamp leverage reduction procedure.

Molecular insights into the therapeutic mechanisms of Bushen-Qiangdu-Zhilv decoction for ankylosing spondylitis.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic rheumatic immune disease characterized by high disability rates, significantly affecting patients' quality of life. BuShen-QiangDu-ZhiLv Decoction (BQZD), developed by the renowned traditional Chinese medicine practitioner Jiao Shude, has been traditionally used for AS treatment. However, the bioactive components and the precise mechanisms underlying BQZD's therapeutic effects remain largely unexplored.

Exploring Resources and Reasoning Practices in Socioscientific System Modeling for Justice-Centered Science Education.

Integrating science education with social justice is vital for preparing students to critically address significant societal issues like climate change and pandemics. This study examines the effectiveness of socioscientific system modeling as a tool within Justice-Centered Science Pedagogy (JCSP) to enhance middle school students' understanding of social justice science issues. It focuses on how system modeling can scaffold students' reasoning about complex social systems, informed by their lived experiences, cultural backgrounds, and social identities.

Overcoming Gas Mass Transfer Limitations Using Gas-Conducting Electrodes for Efficient Nitrogen Reduction.

Electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is a very attractive strategy for ammonia synthesis due to its energy savings and sustainability. However, the ammonia yield and Faraday efficiency of electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction have been challenges due to low nitrogen solubility and competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in electrolyte solution. Herein, inspired by the asymmetric wetting behavior, i.

An interpretable RNA foundation model for exploring functional RNA motifs in plants.

The complex 'language' of plant RNA encodes a vast array of biological regulatory elements that orchestrate crucial aspects of plant growth, development and adaptation to environmental stresses. Recent advancements in foundation models (FMs) have demonstrated their unprecedented potential to decipher complex 'language' in biology. In this study, we introduced PlantRNA-FM, a high-performance and interpretable RNA FM specifically designed for plants.

Cutting-edge insights: near-infrared imaging for surgical margin assessment in head and neck tumor resection: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: In head and neck cancer (HNC), real-time evaluation of tumor margin status following surgical excision of the tumor is of critical importance. This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging for the real-time delineation of tumor margins in HNC resections.

Methods: Two investigators independently conducted a comprehensive search following the Preferred Reporting Items for a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Studies (PRISMA-DTA) guidelines across the PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases until August 1, 2023.

Improving soil carbon sequestration stability in farmland through co-application of rice straw and its biochar.

Introduction: Susbtantial agricultural wastes are produced globally which need urgent management policies. To explore the effective utilization of agricultural waste in enhancing soil quality and carbon sequestration capacity, straw and its biochar can be applied as soil ameliorants.

Methods: This study was designed to investigate the impact of different return-to-field methods of rice straw on the transformation between different carbon components in the soil of i fields.

Utilizing Engineered Bacteria as "Cell Factories" for Intracellular RNA-Loaded Outer Membrane Vesicles' Self-Assembly in Tumor Treatment.

Delivery systems play a crucial role in RNA therapy. However, the current RNA delivery system involves complex preparation and transport processes, requiring RNA preassembly , transportation at low temperatures throughout, and possibly multiple injections for improved therapeutic efficacy. To address these challenges, we developed a simple and efficient RNA delivery system.

Safety and effectiveness of Salvia miltiorrhiza and ligustrazine injection for acute cerebral infarction in Chinese population: a PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis.

Background: Salvia miltiorrhiza and ligustrazine injection (SML) is a type of traditional Chinese medicine injection, which has been considered a promising adjunctive therapy treatment for acute cerebral infarction (ACI). Although there have been positive reports on the treatment of SML, there is still controversy over its exact efficacy and safety in ACI patients. In this study, a systematic review was conducted on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of SML for the treatment of ACI to evaluate its clinical efficacy and safety.

A High-Precision Real-Time Temperature Acquisition Method Based on Magnetic Nanoparticles.

The unique magnetothermal properties of magnetic nanoparticles enable the development of a high-precision, real-time, noninvasive temperature measurement method with significant potential in the biomedical field. Based on a low-frequency alternating magnetic field excitation model, we construct two additional magnetic field excitation models-alternating current-direct current superposition and dual-frequency superposition-to extract harmonic amplitude components from the magnetization response. To increase the accuracy of harmonic information acquisition, the effects of the truncation error, excitation magnetic field frequency, and amplitude are thoroughly analyzed, and optimal parameter values are selected to minimize the error.

Finite Element and Theoretical Analysis of High-Strength Steel-Strand Mesh Reinforced ECCs Under Flexural Load.

This research investigates the flexural performance of slabs reinforced with high-strength steel-strand mesh (HSSM) and engineered cementitious composites (ECCs). By employing finite element analysis (FEA) and theoretical modeling, this study aims to deepen the understanding of how these materials behave under bending stresses. A finite element model was developed to simulate the nonlinear behavior of ECCs during bending, considering critical elements such as tensile and compressive damage, as well as bond-slip interactions between the steel strands and the ECCs.

Numerical Analysis and Theoretical Study on the Interfacial Bonding Behavior of High-Strength Steel Stainless Wire Mesh-Reinforced ECC and Concrete.

In order to investigate the interfacial bonding properties of high-strength steel stainless wire mesh-reinforced ECC (HSSWM-ECC) and concrete, a finite element model was established for two types of interfaces based on experimental research. The results show that the failure modes observed in the 21 groups of simulations can be classified into three categories: debonding failure, ECC extrusion failure and concrete splitting failure. The failure mode was mainly affected by the type of interface.

Bond-Slip Behavior of High-Strength Stainless Steel Wire Mesh in Engineered Cementitious Composites: Numerical and Theoretical Analysis.

This study introduces high-strength non-prestressed steel strands as reinforcement materials into Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECCs) and developed a novel high-strength stainless-steel-strand-mesh (HSSWM)-reinforced ECC with enhanced toughness and corrosion resistance. The bonding performance between HSSWM and an ECC is essential for facilitating effective cooperative behavior. The bond behavior between the HSSWM and ECC was investigated through theoretical analysis.

A survey on multimodal large language models.

Recently, the multimodal large language model (MLLM) represented by GPT-4V has been a new rising research hotspot, which uses powerful large language models (LLMs) as a brain to perform multimodal tasks. The surprising emergent capabilities of the MLLM, such as writing stories based on images and optical character recognition-free math reasoning, are rare in traditional multimodal methods, suggesting a potential path to artificial general intelligence. To this end, both academia and industry have endeavored to develop MLLMs that can compete with or even outperform GPT-4V, pushing the limit of research at a surprising speed.

Effect of tea polyphenols on the quality of Mackerel puree () during refrigerated storage: Color, oxidative stability and microstructure.

This study investigated the impact of adding tea polyphenols (TP) on the quality of mackerel puree during refrigerated storage. The study used whole mackerel fish and analyzed the sensory characteristics, physicochemical properties, and microstructure of the puree. As storage time increased, significant changes occurred in the puree, including increased levels of thiobarbituric acid value, protein carbonyl, and free radicals.

5-Hydroxytryptophan artificial synaptic vesicles across the blood-brain barrier for the rapid-acting treatment of depressive disorder.

Conventional antidepressants are slow to work and have serious side effects and poor response rates. As a precursor to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) can be safely increased in concentration and rapidly metabolized into 5-HT in the brain, but the effectiveness of 5-HTP is severely limited due to its short half-life and lack of targeting. To traverse the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and achieve effective targeting, we designed a near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive artificial synaptic vesicles functionalized with an aptamer and loaded with 5-HTP and IR780.

Appendage Sizes in Three Rodent Species are Affected Indirectly by Climate Factors via Their Effects on Body Size.

In mammals, temporal and spatial variation in appendage sizes within and among species may be driven by variations in ambient temperature and allometric scaling. Here, we use two decades of morphological data on three rodent species distributed across vast latitudinal gradients in China to estimate temporal and spatial trends of tail, hind-foot, and ear lengths. Further, we test 14 climate variables to identify the critical drivers of these trends and use structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze whether the effects of climate variables on the appendage lengths are direct or indirect, via effects on body length.

Establishment of a genome-editing system to create fragrant germplasm in sweet sorghum.

Unlabelled: Sorghum, the fifth largest global cereal crop, comprises various types, such as grain, sweet, forage, and biomass sorghum, delineated by their designated end uses. Among these, sweet sorghum ( (L.) Moench) stands out for its unique versatility, exceptional abiotic stress tolerance and large biomass serving the multi-purpose of high-sugar forage, syrup, and biofuel production.

Enhancing COVID-19 Vaccine Efficacy: Dual Adjuvant Strategies with TLR7/8 Agonists and Glycolipids.

The controlled release of immunostimulatory agents represents a promising strategy to enhance vaccine efficacy while minimizing side effects. This study aimed to improve the efficacy of the RBD-Fc-based COVID-19 vaccine through combining of an iNKT cell agonist and a TLR7/8 agonist using covalent conjugation and temporal delivery. We hypothesized that these combinations would yield a more balanced Th1/Th2 immune response.

Realization of Hydrogel Electrolytes with High Thermoelectric Properties: Utilization of the Hofmeister Effect.

Ionic thermoelectric materials, renowned for their high Seebeck coefficients, are gaining prominence for their potential in harvesting low-grade waste heat. However, the theoretical underpinnings for enhancing the performance of these materials remain underexplored. In this study, the Hoffmeister effect was leveraged to augment the thermoelectric properties of hydrogel-based ionic thermoelectric materials.