Human blood metabolites and gastric cancer: a Mendelian randomization analysis.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) remains one of the predominant malignant tumors within the digestive tract, yet its underlying biological mechanisms remain elusive. The primary objective of this study is to delineate the causal relationship between circulating metabolites and GC.

Method: The primary Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was based on three large GWAS datasets.

Developmental dysfunction in a preclinical model of Kcnq2 developmental and epileptic encephalopathy.

Background: Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE) are rare but severe neurodevelopmental disorders characterised by early-onset seizures often combined with developmental delay, behavioural and cognitive deficits. Treatment for DEEs is currently limited to seizure control and provides no benefits to the patients' developmental and cognitive outcomes. Genetic variants are the most common cause of DEE with KCNQ2 being one of the most frequently identified disease-causing genes.

Comparison of DWI techniques in patients with epidermoid cyst: TGSE-BLADE DWI vs. SS-EPI DWI.

Purpose: To compare quantitative values and image quality between single-shot echo-planar imaging (SS-EPI) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and two-dimensional turbo gradient- and spin-echo DWI with non-Cartesian BLADE trajectory (TGSE-BLADE DWI) in patients with epidermoid cyst.

Methods: Patients with epidermoid cyst who underwent both SS-EPI DWI and TGSE-BLADE DWI were included in this study. Two raters placed ROIs encircling the entire epidermoid cyst on SS-EPI DWI, and then on TGSE-BLADE DWI.

Ultraflexible Sensor Development via 4D Printing: Enhanced Sensitivity to Strain, Temperature, and Magnetic Fields.

This paper addresses the trade-off between sensitivity and sensing range in strain sensors, while introducing additional functionalities through an innovative 4D printing approach. The resulting ultraflexible sensor integrates carbon nanotubes/liquid metal hybrids and iron powders within an Ecoflex matrix. The optimization of this composition enables the creation of an uncured resin ideal for Direct Ink Writing (DIW) and a cured sensor with exceptional electromechanical, thermal, and magnetic performance.

First metagenomic sequencing for the analysis of microbial community populations of adults and pupae of in Xinjiang, China.

Introduction: , a parasite on the body surface of sheep, directly attacks the host through biting and sucking blood and may also transmit pathogens in the process. There are currently only a few studies on the microbial composition of , while there are no such studies on pupae.

Methods: In this study, samples AT-1 to AT-4 each contained four individuals, while sample AT-5 comprised four pupae, all used for metagenomic sequencing and analysis.

Boosting Photovoltaic Efficiency: The Role of Functional Group Distribution in Perovskite Film Passivation.

The utilization of small organic molecules with appropriate functional groups and geometric configurations for surface passivation is essential for achieving efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, two isomers, 4-sulfonamidobenzoic acid (4-SA) and 3-sulfamobenzoic acid (3-SA), both featuring sulfanilamide and carboxyl functional groups arranged in different positions, are evaluated for their effectiveness in passivating defects of the perovskite layer. The calculation and characterization results reveal that 3-SA, with its meta-substitution, offered superior passivation compared to the para-substituted 4-SA, leading to enhanced charge carrier dynamics and extraction efficiency.

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) assisted by a rectal Foley catheter for the treatment of recurrent mucinous ovarian cancer: a case report and literature review.

​Mucinous ovarian cancer (MOC) is characterized by high malignancy, poor prognosis and a high recurrence rate. Surgical adjuvant chemotherapy is the main treatment for MOC. The recurrence rate of advanced mucinous ovarian cancer following surgery is significantly high, with limited efficacious treatment options available.

First-principles study of the hydrogen storage properties of Irida-graphene.

The hydrogen storage properties of the 2D carbon allotrope Irida-graphene (IG) were investigated using first-principles calculation. The intrinsic IG adsorption energy for H is only -0.06 eV, significantly lower than the effective adsorption threshold.

Prevalence and drug resistance analysis of hepatitis C virus genotypes in Heilongjiang, China.

Hepatitis C still poses a threat to public safety, and there are few reports of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Heilongjiang Province. Therefore, we aimed to study the epidemiology and resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) of HCV in Heilongjiang and explore the efficacy of treatment. 7019 specimens from Heilongjiang Province were subjected to the genotype identification.

Photocatalytic therapy via photoinduced redox imbalance in biological system.

Redox balance is essential for sustaining normal physiological metabolic activities of life. In this study, we present a photocatalytic system to perturb the balance of NADH/NAD in oxygen-free conditions, achieving photocatalytic therapy to cure anaerobic bacterial infected periodontitis. Under light irradiation, the catalyst TBSMSPy can bind bacterial DNA and initiate the generation of radical species through a multi-step electron transfer process.

Paleolithic divergence and multiple Neolithic expansions of ancestral nomadic emperor-related paternal lineages.

The reconstruction of demographic history using ancient and modern genomic resources reveals extensive interactions and admixture between ancient nomadic pastoralists and the social organizations of the Chinese Central Plain. However, the extent to which Y-chromosome genetic legacies from nomadic emperor-related ancestral lineages influence the Chinese paternal gene pool remains unclear. Here, we genotype 2717 ethnolinguistically diverse samples belonging to C2a lineages, perform whole-genome sequencing on 997 representative samples and integrate these data with ancient genomic sequences.

Single cell landscape of potential mechanisms in primary and metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis occurs mainly in the portal vein and lymph node metastasis, and is the main cause of patient death. However, the cellular origins and driving mechanisms of hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis have not been elucidated. In this study, we found that different tumor metastasis samples originated from different branches of the primary tumor subclone.

A Parkinson's disease-related nuclei segmentation network based on CNN-Transformer interleaved encoder with feature fusion.

Automatic segmentation of Parkinson's disease (PD) related deep gray matter (DGM) nuclei based on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is significant in assisting the diagnosis of PD. However, due to the degenerative-induced changes in appearance, low tissue contrast, and tiny DGM nuclei size in elders' brain MRI images, many existing segmentation models are limited in the application. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a PD-related DGM nuclei segmentation network to provide precise prior knowledge for aiding diagnosis PD.

Active surveillance of avian influenza in the southwestern Poyang Lake area, China: Analyzing changes in wholesale and frozen fresh retail markets post-policy implementation.

This study aims to conduct active surveillance of avian influenza in the southwestern Poyang Lake area of China and to analyze the changes in avian influenza prevalence in wholesale poultry markets and frozen fresh retail markets following the implementation of policies regulating frozen fresh poultry products. The type A avian influenza virus nucleic acids were detected using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR), and a triplex real-time RT-PCR assay kit specific for H5/H7/H9 RNA was utilized on the influenza A-positive samples to differentiate among the avian influenza virus subtypes. From October 2020 to June 2024, the positivity rate of the live poultry wholesale market was 59.

Effect of task interruption on the situation awareness of air traffic controllers.

Multiple intersecting situational tasks in the field of aviation often cause air traffic controllers to face issues pertaining to interruption and task switching. To investigate the impact of task interruption on the situation awareness of air traffic controllers, two experiments were conducted. Experiment 1, which focused on 44 new graduates preparing to work in the field of air traffic control, revealed that task interruption reduced the participants' levels of situation awareness.

V- and V-Scores Uncover Viral Signatures and Origins of Protein Families.

Viruses are key drivers of microbial diversity, nutrient cycling, and co-evolution in ecosystems, yet their study is hindered due to challenges in culturing. Traditional gene-centric methods, which focus on a few hallmark genes like for capsids, miss much of the viral genome, leaving key viral proteins and functions undiscovered. Here, we introduce two powerful annotation-free metrics, V-score and V-score, designed to quantify the "virus-likeness" of protein families and genomes and create an open-access searchable database, 'V-Score-Search'.

DNA nanodevice for analysis of force-activated protein extension and interactions.

Force-induced changes in protein structure and function mediate cellular responses to mechanical stresses. Existing methods to study protein conformation under mechanical force are incompatible with biochemical and structural analysis. Taking advantage of DNA nanotechnology, including the well-defined geometry of DNA origami and programmable mechanics of DNA hairpins, we built a nanodevice to apply controlled forces to proteins.

Machine learning-guided synthesis of nanomaterials for breast cancer therapy.

Breast cancer is a common malignant tumor, which mostly occurs in female population and is caused by excessive proliferation of breast epithelial cells. Breast cancer can cause nipple discharge, breast lumps and other symptoms, but these symptoms lack certain specificity and are easily confused with other diseases, thus affecting the early treatment of the disease. Once the tumor progresses to the advanced stage, distant metastasis can occur, leading to dysfunction of the affected organs, and even threatening the patients' lives.

Considerations of growth factor and material use in bone tissue engineering using biodegradable scaffolds in vitro and in vivo.

Bone tissue engineering aims to harness materials to develop functional bone tissue to heal 'critical-sized' bone defects. This study examined a robust, coated poly(caprolactone) trimethacrylate (PCL-TMA) 3D-printable scaffold designed to augment bone formation. Following optimisation of the coatings, three bioactive coatings were examined, i) elastin-like polypeptide (ELP), ii) poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA), fibronectin (FN) and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) applied sequentially (PEA/FN/BMP-2) and iii) both ELP and PEA/FN/BMP-2 coatings applied concurrently.

In Situ Self-Assembly of Antibody-Rhamnose Complex as a Pre-Targeting Strategy for Enhanced Cancer Immunotherapy.

Enhancing the Fc effector functions of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is a proven strategy for improving cancer immunotherapy. In this study, we present a novel pre-targeting approach that integrates host-guest chemistry with an antibody-recruiting concept to create mAbs with superior effector functions. Using rituximab (RTX), a clinically approved anti-CD20 mAb, as our model, we modified RTX by conjugating it with adamantane (Ada) derivatives and various polyethylene glycol (PEG) linkers to produce RTX-Ada conjugates.

TLR4 as a Potential Target of Me-PFOSA-AcOH Leading to Cardiovascular Diseases: Evidence from NHANES 2013-2018 and Molecular Docking.

Background: Concerns have been raised regarding the effects of perfluoroalkyl substance (PFAS) exposure on cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but clear evidence linking PFAS exposure to CVD is lacking, and the mechanism remains unclear.

Objectives: To study the association between PFASs and CVD in U.S.

Aggregation-Induced Emission Luminogen Based Wearable Visible-Light Penetrator for Deep Photodynamic Therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a preferred nonsurgical treatment in clinical applications due to its capacity to selectively eradicate diseased tissues while minimizing damage to normal tissue. Nevertheless, its clinical efficacy is constrained by the limited penetration of visible light. Although near-infrared (NIR) lasers offer enhanced tissue penetration, the dearth of suitable photosensitizers and a pronounced imaging-treatment disparity pose challenges.

Recent Progress on 3D Printing of Lightweight Metal Thin-Walled Structures.

Metal thin-walled structures are ubiquitous in various industrial applications and fabricating them through additive manufacturing (AM) enables intricate thin-wall geometries with no assembly required. However, additively manufactured metal thin walls suffer from increased heat accumulation and reduced structural stability, making it difficult to print geometrically accurate thin walls with minimal distortion and defects. Thin-walled structures also experience different thermal histories and solidification conditions compared to bulk structures, leading to drastic differences in the microstructure and mechanical properties.