Microbes in porous environments: from active interactions to emergent feedback.

Microbes thrive in diverse porous environments-from soil and riverbeds to human lungs and cancer tissues-spanning multiple scales and conditions. Short- to long-term fluctuations in local factors induce spatio-temporal heterogeneities, often leading to physiologically stressful settings. How microbes respond and adapt to such biophysical constraints is an active field of research where considerable insight has been gained over the last decades.

Glutamatergic neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus participate in the regulation of visceral pain induced by pancreatic cancer in mice.

Background: Visceral pain induced by pancreatic cancer seriously affects patients' quality of life, and there is no effective treatment, because the mechanism of its neural circuit is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore the main neural circuit mechanism regulating visceral pain induced by pancreatic cancer in mice.

Methods: The mouse model of pancreatic cancer visceral pain was established on C57BL/6N mice by pancreatic injection of mPAKPC-luc cells.

Neuroinflammation in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus precipitates visceral pain induced by pancreatic cancer in mice.

Background: Given the pivotal role of neuroinflammation in chronic pain and that the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) is a crucial brain region involved in visceral pain regulation, we sought to investigate whether the targeted modulation of microglia and astrocytes in the PVN could ameliorate pancreatic cancer-induced visceral pain (PCVP) in mice.

Methods: Using a mouse model of PCVP, achieved by tumor cell injection at the head of the pancreas, we measure the number of glial cells, and at the same time we employed minocycline to inhibit microglia and chemogenetic methods to suppress astrocytes in order to investigate the respective roles of microglia and astrocytes within the PVN in PCVP.

Results: Mice exhibited visceral pain at 12, 15 and 18 days post-tumor cell injection.

The development of prediction model for cuffed tracheal tube size from the middle finger in pediatrics: a concise and feasible approach.

Background: Selecting the optimal tracheal tube size is critically important for pediatric patients. Age-based formulas are often used, but still have limitations. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate whether middle finger measurements correlate with cuffed tracheal tube size and to further develop a prediction model based on these measurements.

ngsJulia: population genetic analysis of next-generation DNA sequencing data with Julia language.

A sound analysis of DNA sequencing data is important to extract meaningful information and infer quantities of interest. Sequencing and mapping errors coupled with low and variable coverage hamper the identification of genotypes and variants and the estimation of population genetic parameters. Methods and implementations to estimate population genetic parameters from sequencing data available nowadays either are suitable for the analysis of genomes from model organisms only, require moderate sequencing coverage, or are not easily adaptable to specific applications.

Development and validation of a regression model with nomogram for difficult video laryngoscopy in Chinese population: a prospective, single-center, and nested case-control study.

Background: Airway management failure is associated with increased perioperative morbidity and mortality. Airway-related complications can be significantly reduced if difficult laryngoscopy is predicted with high accuracy. Currently, there are no large-sample studies on difficult airway assessments in Chinese populations.

Geometric morphometrics and machine learning from three-dimensional facial scans for difficult mask ventilation prediction.

Background: Unanticipated difficult mask ventilation (DMV) is a potentially life-threatening event in anesthesia. Nevertheless, predicting DMV currently remains a challenge. This study aimed to verify whether three dimensional (3D) facial scans could predict DMV in patients scheduled for general anesthesia.

Smartphone-Enabled Fluorescence and Colorimetric Platform for the On-Site Detection of Hg and Cl Based on the Au/Cu/TiC Nanosheets.

Smartphone-assisted fluorescence and colorimetric methods for the on-site detection of Hg and Cl were established based on the oxidase-like activity of the Au-Hg alloy on the surface of Au/Cu/TiC NSs. The Au nanoparticles (NPs) were constructed via in-situ growth on the surface of Cu/TiC NSs and characterized by different characterization techniques. After the addition of Hg, the formation of Hg-Au alloys could promote the oxidization of o-phenylenediamine (OPD) to generate a new fluorescence emission peak of 2,3-diaminopenazine (ADP) at 570 nm.

Development and validation of a nomogram for difficult laryngoscopy at visual laryngoscopy: a prospective nested case-control study.

Background: Unsuccessful airway management is associated with increased perioperative morbidity and mortality. Difficult laryngoscopy is a leading cause of unanticipated difficult airways and presents a challenge for anesthesiologists. Airway ultrasound assessment can be used as a priority diagnostic strategy for difficult laryngoscopy because of its diagnostic performance in difficult airways.

Hole-initiated melting process of thin films.

We perform numerical and experimental studies on the melting process of thin films initiated by a small hole in the continuum regime. The presence of a nontrivial capillary surface, namely the liquid/air interface, leads to a few counterintuitive results: (1) The melting point is elevated if the film surface is partially wettable, even with a small contact angle. (2) For a film that is finite in size, melting may prefer to start from the outer boundary rather than a hole inside.

Tough and Thermostable Polybutylene Terephthalate (PBT)/Vitrimer Blend with Enhanced Interfacial Compatibility.

Polymer blending is an efficient way to obtain extraordinary polymeric materials. However, once permanently cross-linked thermosets are involved in blending, there are challenges in designing and optimizing the structures and interfacial compatibility of blends. Vitrimer with dynamic covalent polymer networks provides an innovative opportunity for blending thermoplastics and thermosets.

Flaw-insensitive fatigue resistance of chemically fixed collagenous soft tissues.

Bovine pericardium (BP) has been used as leaflets of prosthetic heart valves. The leaflets are sutured on metallic stents and can survive 400 million flaps (~10-year life span), unaffected by the suture holes. This flaw-insensitive fatigue resistance is unmatched by synthetic leaflets.

Association of urinary bisphenol A with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-related diseases: evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database (2005-2016).

In vivo and in vitro studies have found that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) can lead to pulmonary diseases, but there exists little evidence regarding the association between urinary BPA level and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-related diseases in the population. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, from 2005 to 2016, were utilized in this study. Participants who self-reported having emphysema, chronic bronchitis, or COPD were defined as having COPD-related diseases.

Comparative study on alleviating effect of kiwi berry (Actinidia arguta) polysaccharide and polyphenol extracts on constipated mice.

Kiwi berry (Actinidia arguta) is beneficial for relieving constipation, but the mechanism of easing constipation is still unknown. The alleviating effects of kiwi berry polysaccharide and polyphenol extracts on loperamide induced constipation were studied. Administration with polysaccharide extract of kiwi berry in loperamide-induced constipation mice distinctly decreased the body weight gain by 124.

Nickel-Catalyzed Cross-Redistribution between Hydrosilanes and Silacyclobutanes.

Silanes are important in chemistry and material science. The self-redistribution of HSiCl is an industrial process to prepare SiH , which is widely used in electronics and automobile industries. However, selective silane cross-redistribution to prepare advanced silanes is challenging.

Sustainable removal of soil arsenic by naturally-formed iron oxides on plastic tubes.

Arsenic (As) pollution in paddy fields is a major threat to rice safety. Existing As remediation techniques are costly, require external chemical addition and degrade soil properties. Here, we report the use of plastic tubes as a recyclable tool to precisely extract As from contaminated soils.

A learning curve of a novel multimodal endotracheal intubation assistant device for novices in a simulated airway: a prospective manikin trial with cumulative sum method.

Background: Awake fiberoptic intubation is conventionally performed in anticipated difficult airways. However, obstruction by secretions and sputum makes it challenging for novices. A prototype of a novel multimodal endotracheal intubation assistant device (MEIAD) was developed for an indication of airway according to end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO) and image.

Development and validation of a machine-learning model for prediction of hypoxemia after extubation in intensive care units.

Background: Extubation is the process of removing tracheal tubes so that patients maintain oxygenation while they start to breathe spontaneously. However, hypoxemia after extubation is an important issue for critical care doctors and is associated with patients' oxygenation, circulation, recovery, and incidence of postoperative complications. Accuracy and specificity of most related conventional models remain unsatisfactory.

Oscillatory rheotaxis of artificial swimmers in microchannels.

Biological microswimmers navigate upstream of an external flow with trajectories ranging from linear to spiralling and oscillatory. Such a rheotactic response primarily stems from the hydrodynamic interactions triggered by the complex shapes of the microswimmers, such as flagellar chirality. We show here that a self-propelling droplet exhibits oscillatory rheotaxis in a microchannel, despite its simple spherical geometry.

Voice parameters for difficult mask ventilation evaluation: an observational study.

Background: Mask ventilation (MV) is an essential component of airway management. Difficult mask ventilation (DMV) is a major cause for perioperative hypoxic brain injury; however, predicting DMV remains a challenge. This study aimed to determine the potential value of voice parameters as novel predictors of DMV in patients scheduled for general anesthesia.

Collective Entrainment and Confinement Amplify Transport by Schooling Microswimmers.

Microswimmers can serve as cargo carriers that move deep inside complex flow networks. When a school collectively entrains the surrounding fluid, their transport capacity can be enhanced. This effect is quantified with good agreement between experiments with self-propelled droplets and a confined Brinkman squirmer model.

Effect of continuous infusion of dexmedetomidine on blood loss in orthognathic surgery: a retrospective study.

Background: Patients with maxillofacial deformities require orthognathic surgeries to correct occlusion. The surgical procedure may lead to massive bleeding, which is associated with haematoma, respiratory obstruction, and asphyxia. Dexmedetomidine has been used in controlled hypotension and may reduce blood loss in orthognathic surgery.

Crystal twinning of bicontinuous cubic structures.

Bicontinuous cubic structures in soft matter consist of two intertwining labyrinths separated by a partitioning layer. Combining experiments, numerical modelling and techniques in differential geometry, we investigate twinning defects in bicontinuous cubic structures. We first demonstrate that a twin boundary is most likely to occur at a plane that cuts the partitioning layer almost perpendicularly, so that the perturbation caused by twinning remains minimal.