Effects of linkers on the development of liposomal docetaxel-glutathione prepared by active click loading.

Loading drug-maleimide (MAL) conjugates into liposomes preloaded with glutathione (GSH) can prepare the liposome encapsulating GSH-conjugated prodrugs, which serve as a feasible way to construct liposomal formulation. However, the effects ofthelinker on the development of this liposomal system remained unclear. Herein, docetaxel (DTX)-MAL conjugates linked by various linkers were used for such studies.

Nonlinear feature selection for support vector quantile regression.

This paper discusses the nuanced domain of nonlinear feature selection in heterogeneous systems. To address this challenge, we present a sparsity-driven methodology, namely nonlinear feature selection for support vector quantile regression (NFS-SVQR). This method includes a binary-diagonal matrix, featuring 0 and 1 elements, to address the complexities of feature selection within intricate nonlinear systems.

Organic solar cells with 20.82% efficiency and high tolerance of active layer thickness through crystallization sequence manipulation.

Printing of large-area solar panels necessitates advanced organic solar cells with thick active layers. However, increasing the active layer thickness typically leads to a marked drop in the power conversion efficiency. Here we developed an organic semiconductor regulator, called AT-β2O, to tune the crystallization sequence of the components in active layers.

Oral and fecal microbiota as accurate non-invasive tools for detection of pancreatic cancer in the Chinese population.

Pancreatic cancer (PCA), a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, has limited non-invasive diagnostic methods. We aimed to identify oral and fecal microbiome biomarkers and construct diagnostic classifiers. Oral and fecal samples from 97 PCA patients and 90 healthy controls underwent 16S rRNA sequencing.

Developing and experimental validating a T cell senescence-related gene signature to predict prognosis and immunotherapeutic sensitivity in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: T cell senescence affects non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by compromising the anti-tumor immune response. However, the prognostic significance of T cell senescence-related genes in NSCLC remains unclear.

Methods: The scRNA-seq data from normal lung and NSCLC tissues, along with co-incubation experiments involving NSCLC cells and T cells, were utilized to identify T cell senescence characteristics.

Haplotype-Resolved Genotyping and Association Analysis of 1,020 β-Thalassemia Patients by Targeted Long-Read Sequencing.

Despite the well-documented mutation spectra of β-thalassemia, the genetic variants and haplotypes of globin gene clusters modulating its clinical heterogeneity remain incompletely illustrated. Here, a targeted long-read sequencing (T-LRS) is demonstrated to capture 20 genes/loci in 1,020 β-thalassemia patients. This panel permits not only identification of thalassemia mutations at 100% of sensitivity and specificity, but also detection of rare structural variants (SVs) and single nucleotide variants (SNVs) in modifier genes/loci.

BAE-ViT: An Efficient Multimodal Vision Transformer for Bone Age Estimation.

This research introduces BAE-ViT, a specialized vision transformer model developed for bone age estimation (BAE). This model is designed to efficiently merge image and sex data, a capability not present in traditional convolutional neural networks (CNNs). BAE-ViT employs a novel data fusion method to facilitate detailed interactions between visual and non-visual data by tokenizing non-visual information and concatenating all tokens (visual or non-visual) as the input to the model.

Gene flow and its sporadic spillover: H10 and N5 avian influenza viruses from wild birds and the H10N5 human cases in China.

On 30 January 2024, China announced the first human case of H10N5 influenza infection. Prior to this, human cases of H10N7 and H10N8 had been reported. It is now appropriate to re-examine the evolution and future epidemiological trends of the H10 and N5 subtypes of avian influenza viruses (AIVs).

Difference in fecal and oral microbiota between pancreatic cancer and benign/low-grade malignant tumor patients.

Background: Significant gaps exist in understanding the gastrointestinal microbiota in patients with pancreatic cancer (PCA) versus benign or low-grade malignant pancreatic tumors (NPCA). This study aimed to analyze these microbiota characteristics and explore their potential use in distinguishing malignant pancreatic lesions.

Methods: Between September 2020 and May 2024, fecal and oral samples were collected from 121 patients undergoing surgical resection or diagnostic biopsy of pancreatic lesions, including 75 patients with PCA and 46 patients with NPCA, and 16s rRNA sequencing was performed.

A new treatment strategy for mid-low rectal cancer patients exhibiting a clinical complete or near-complete response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: Transanal endoscopic microsurgery --A multicenter prospective case-control clinical trial by MONT-R.

Background: Total mesorectal excision is the standard surgery for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT), but it may lead to high complication rates and poor quality of life. This study evaluates whether transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM), as a partial resection procedure, can enhance quality of life for clinical complete response (cCR) or near-cCR patients without compromising survival.

Methods: Between May 2017 to September 2021, 80 patients with T3-4N0M0 or TanyN+M0 mid-low rectal cancer achieving cCR or near-cCR post-nCRT were prospectively included at 6 Chinese centers.

Program-Modulated Kinetics of Perovskite-Film Growth by Molecular "Thruster" for High-Efficiency and Stable Perovskite Solar Cells.

The rapid reaction between lead iodide (PbI) and formamidinium iodide (FAI) complicates the fabrication of high-quality formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI) films. Conventional methods, such as using nonvolatile small molecular additives to slow the reaction, often result in buried interfacial voids and molecule diffusion, compromising the devices' operational stability. In this study, we introduced a molecular "thruster"-a hypervalent iodine (III) compound with three carbonyl groups and a C-I bond-that possesses coordination and dissociation abilities, enabling programed modulation of perovskite-film growth kinetics.

Preparation and Evaluation of a Novel Branched Polymer as Thickener for Calcium Chloride-Based Drilling and Completion Fluids.

Calcium halide-based fluids are often used in drilling and completion operations due to their high density, clay inhibition and low solid content. However, there is a lack of thickeners to promote gel strength, which improves the fluid's capacity to carry and suspend cuttings. To solve this problem, the branched polymer (hereafter abbreviated as PAD-B) was prepared by the copolymerization of N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAM) and 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS), using polyethylenimine as a branching agent and cerium ammonium nitrate as the initiator.

Microglia balances hypermyelination and demyelination in the brain.

Myelin is crucial for neuron health and central nervous system (CNS) function. Recent research by McNamara highlighted microglia's essential role in compacting the myelin sheath during development and their absence leads to aberrant oligodendrocyte clusters and subsequent cognitive impairment. The study revealed that the critical involvement of the TGFβ1-TGFβR1 axis in microglia-oligodendrocyte communication could influence the oligodendrocyte lipid metabolism and thereby regulate myelin integrity.

Conformal proctectomy with sphincter preservation retains acceptable defecation functions in very low rectal cancer male patients.

Background: Conformal proctectomy with sphincter preservation (CPSP) is designed to preserve the rectal wall as much as possible in very low rectal cancer patients. Evaluations of anal function and quality of life outcomes are lacking.

Methods: This study included male patients with very low (≤ 5 cm from the anal verge) rectal adenocarcinoma between January 1, 2020, and January 1, 2022.

Boosting Carrier Transport in Quasi-2D/3D Perovskite Heterojunction for High-Performance Perovskite/Organic Tandems.

Wide-bandgap (WBG) perovskites are continuously in the limelight owing to their applicability in tandem solar cells. The main bottlenecks of WBG perovskites are interfacial non-radiative recombination and carrier transport loss caused by interfacial defects and large energy-level offsets, which induce additional energy losses when WBG perovskites are stacked with organic solar cells in series because of unbalanced carrier recombination in interconnecting layer (ICL). To solve these issues, 1,3-propanediammonium iodide (PDADI) is incorporated to form Dion-Jacobson -phase quasi-2D perovskites with mixed high-n-values in WBG perovskites.

Quercetin activates autophagy in the distal ischemic area of random skin flaps through Beclin1 to enhance the adaptability to energy deficiency.

Random flaps are frequently employed in treating substantial skin abnormalities and in surgical tissue-rebuilding interventions. The random flap technique provides flaps of specific dimensions and contours to fit the surgical incision. However, blood supply deficiency and subsequent ischemia-reperfusion injury can cause severe oxidative stress and apoptosis, eventually leading to distal necrosis, which limits the clinical application of the flap.

Applying queueing theory to evaluate wait-time-savings of triage algorithms.

In the past decade, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms have made promising impacts in many areas of healthcare. One application is AI-enabled prioritization software known as computer-aided triage and notification (CADt). This type of software as a medical device is intended to prioritize reviews of radiological images with time-sensitive findings, thus shortening the waiting time for patients with these findings.

Isoliquiritigenin alleviates SLC7A11-mediated efferocytosis inhibition to promote wounds healing in diabetes.

The healing process of chronic wounds often progresses slowly and is fraught with challenges, imposing increasing economic burdens and physical suffering on patients. Managing persistent wound inflammation and stimulating angiogenesis are crucial elements in promoting wound healing. Plants have been playing a key role in traditional medicine, and their abundant bioactive components continually inspire the development and innovation of new drugs.

Study on sentinel hosts for surveillance of future COVID-19-like outbreaks.

The spread of SARS-CoV-2 to animals has the potential to evolve independently. In this study, we distinguished several sentinel animal species and genera for monitoring the re-emergence of COVID-19 or the new outbreak of COVID-19-like disease. We analyzed SARS-CoV-2 genomic data from human and nonhuman mammals in the taxonomic hierarchies of species, genus, family and order of their host.

Preparation and Photocatalytic Properties of AlO-SiO-TiO Porous Composite Semiconductor Ceramics.

Titanium dioxide (TiO) is widely employed in the catalytic degradation of wastewater, owing to its robust stability, superior photocatalytic efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Nonetheless, isolating the fine particulate photocatalysts from the solution post-reaction poses a significant challenge in practical photocatalytic processes. Furthermore, these particles have a tendency to agglomerate into larger clusters, which diminishes their stability.