Optimized breath analysis: customized analytical methods and enhanced workflow for broader detection of VOCs.

Introduction: Breath Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are promising biomarkers for clinical purposes due to their unique properties. Translation of VOC biomarkers into the clinic depends on identification and validation: a challenge requiring collaboration, well-established protocols, and cross-comparison of data. Previously, we developed a breath collection and analysis method, resulting in 148 breath-borne VOCs identified.

A Comprehensive Analysis of Moist Versus Non-Moist Dressings for Split-Thickness Skin Graft Donor Sites: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background And Aims: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluate the efficacy of moist versus non-moist dressings for split-thickness skin graft (STSG) donor sites, focusing on time to healing, pain management, and adverse events to guide clinical practice.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across databases including Ovid/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane CENTRAL, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus up to November 28, 2023. The study adhered to PRISMA guidelines.

Nano- and Micro-SiO With Integrated Green Chemistry-Based Superhydrophobic Coating for Robust Antifouling and Anticorrosion Properties.

With increasing energy demands, the need for coating materials with exceptional superhydrophobic properties has grown substantially. However, the widespread use of fluorinated compounds, solvents, and polymer-based synthetic materials has led to heightened levels of microplastics and pollutants. Here, we used a self-curing, solvent-free, and recyclable polyester polyol polymer material combined with (5 and 6.

Acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR) complex associated with torpedo retinopathy following COVID-19 recombinant mRNA vaccination: a case report of a rare clinical presentation.

Background: While vaccination remains crucial in mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, several ocular adverse events has been reported, including Acute Zonal Occult Outer Retinopathy (AZOOR) complex.

Case Presentation: A 31-year-old female presented declined best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and flashes in both eyes three days following second recombinant mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Moderna). Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) illustrated speckled hyper-AF lesions surrounding right eye torpedo maculopathy site and hyper-AF lesions in the left macula.

Reshaping vitreoretinal surgery: Intraoperative optical coherence tomography as a tool for enhancing surgical decision-making in complex cases.

Intraoperative optical coherence tomography (iOCT) has been applied and studied in a variety of vitreoretinal surgeries for its feasibility, safety, and outcomes for years. Common scenarios include membrane peeling procedures, retinal detachments, choroidal-retinal biopsies, Argus implants, and subretinal injections. iOCT offers the surgeon a better understanding of the retinal microarchitectural changes and timely intraoperative feedback, directing a future view of precision surgery.

FIGO 2023 staging system predicts not only survival outcome but also recurrence pattern in corpus-confined endometrial cancer patients.

Objective: Approximately 10-15 % of endometrial cancer patients with tumors confined to the uterus (FIGO 2009 stage I) demonstrate recurrence and the oncologic outcomes are highly related to recurrence patterns. This study aimed to verify whether the FIGO 2023 staging system could discriminate outcomes.

Materials And Methods: Between January 2010 and March 2019, 536 FIGO 2009 stage I patients were eligible for this retrospective cohort study.

Downregulation of PAX1 in OSCC Enhances Stemness and Immunosuppression via IFIT1 and PD-L1 Pathways.

Objective: Our study investigated how arecoline-induced extracellular vesicle (EV) secretion suppresses PAX1 protein production through DNA hypermethylation and examined whether PAX1 downregulation enhances cancer stemness and immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment.

Materials And Methods: EVs were isolated from SAS/TW2.6 cancer cell lines using ultracentrifugation and identified using transmission electron microscopy.

Circulating resistin levels and mutation burden of the RETN gene variants predict long-term mortality in a Taiwanese population.

Human resistin is a proinflammatory cytokine involving the development and progression of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. However, prediction of long-term outcome using circulating resistin level and its genetic determinants in a population-based study remain to be explored. After genome-wide association study (GWAS), DNA methylation (DNAm) analysis and functional assays of a RETN rs370006313 variant, we tested whether resistin level and its genetic determinants can be used to determine the long-term outcomes of 5678 Taiwan Biobank (TWB) participants.

Audiological performance and subjective satisfaction of the ADHEAR system in experienced pediatric users with unilateral microtia and aural atresia.

Introduction: Despite the reported auditory deficits and developmental challenges in children with unilateral microtia and aural atresia (UMAA), there remains a lack of consensus on early intervention with bone conduction hearing aids (BCHAs) to restore binaural hearing due to the uncertain clinical benefits and intolerability of the conventional devices. Previous studies investigating the auditory benefits under binaural hearing condition were limited and demonstrated controversial opinions in heterogenous patient groups with various devices. Our study aimed to evaluate the audiological performance, including monoaural and binaural hearing, and subjective satisfaction of the ADHEAR system, a novel adhesive BCHA, in experienced pediatric users with UMAA.

Maternal Lactobacillus johnsonii supplementation attenuates hyperoxia-induced lung injury in neonatal mice through microbiota regulation.

Background: Supplemental oxygen impairs lung development in premature infants with respiratory distress. This study investigated the effects of maternal Lactobacillus johnsonii supplementation on hyperoxia-induced lung injury in neonatal mice.

Methods: Pregnant C57BL/6 mice received L.

Long-Term Follow-Up of Surgical Outcomes and Oncological Results of Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy with Immediate Reconstruction Through a Single Axillary Incision with Different Approach Methods.

Background: We investigated the perioperative outcome and oncologic safety of performing nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) through a single axillary incision (NSM-SAI) compared with performing NSM through a conventional incision (NSM-C).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 725 patients who underwent NSM for breast cancer between January 2010 and December 2023; 333 patients who underwent NSM with immediate reconstruction (IR) were enrolled. Surgical outcomes and oncologic outcomes of NSM-C (n = 184), NSM performed through SAI with a freehand approach (NSM-SAI-F; n = 92), and with an endoscopic approach (NSM-SAI-E; n = 57) were demonstrated.

Optimally Miscible Polymer Bulk-Heterojunction-Particles for Nonsurfactant Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Mini-emulsion and nanoprecipitation techniques relied on large amounts of surfactants, and unresolved miscibility issues of heterojunction materials limited their efficiency and applicability in the past. Through our molecular design and developed surfactant-free precipitation method, we successfully fabricated the best miscible bulk-heterojunction-particles (BHJP) ever achieved, using donor () and acceptor () polymers. The structural similarity ensures optimal miscibility, as supported by the interaction parameter of the / blend is positioned very close to the binodal curve.

A Library of Seed@High-Entropy-Alloy Core-shell Nanocrystals With Controlled Facets for Catalysis.

High-entropy-alloy (HEA) nanocrystals hold immense potential for catalysis, offering virtually unlimited alloy combinations through the inclusion of at least five constituent elements in varying ratios. However, general and effective strategies for synthesizing libraries of HEA nanocrystals with controlled surface atomic structures remain scarce. In this study, a transferable strategy for developing a library of facet-controlled seed@HEA nanocrystals through seed-mediated growth is presented.

Two-stage continuous cultivation of microalgae overexpressing cytochrome P450 improves nitrogen and antibiotics removal from livestock and poultry wastewater.

Improper treatment of livestock and poultry wastewater (LPWW) rich in ammonium nitrogen (NH-N) and antibiotics leads to eutrophication, and contributes to the risk of creating drug-resistant pathogens. The design-build-test-learn strategy was used to engineer a continuous process using Chlorella vulgaris to remove NH-N and antibiotics. The optimized system removed NH-N at a rate of 306 mg/L/d, degraded 99 % of lincomycin, and reduced the hydraulic retention time to 4 days.

Maternal aspartame exposure alters lung Th1/Th2 cytokine balance in offspring through nuclear factor-κB activation.

Background: Epidemiological evidence suggests that maternal intake of nonnutritive sweeteners is positively associated with early childhood asthma incidence. We investigated the effects of maternal aspartame exposure during pregnancy and lactation on lung Th1/Th2 cytokine balance and intestinal microbiota in offspring and explored the mechanisms that mediate these effects.

Method: Pregnant BALB/c mice were randomly divided on gestational day 7 into two dietary intervention groups: control (drinking water only) and aspartame (drinking water +0.

Development of a new breath collection method for analyzing volatile organic compounds from intubated mouse models.

A new pre-clinical method for capturing breath samples from intubated mice is presented. This method significantly reduces background levels, allowing more accurate measurements of VOCs originating from the breath ("on-breath") as opposed to background contamination. The method was developed by integrating industry-standard volatile-capturing sorbent tubes with respiratory mechanics measurement equipment (flexiVent), resulting in a mouse breath sample that can be transported and analyzed by TD-GC-MS and other central lab technologies.

Cervicovaginal microbial features predict Chlamydia trachomatis spread to the upper genital tract of infected women.

Introduction: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility and other reproductive sequelae when it ascends to the upper genital tract. Factors including chlamydial burden, co-infection with other sexually-transmitted bacterial pathogens and oral contraceptive use influence risk for upper genital tract spread. Cervicovaginal microbiome composition influences CT susceptibility and we investigated if it contributes to spread by analyzing amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) derived from the V4 region of 16S rRNA genes in vaginal samples collected from women at high risk for CT infection and for whom endometrial infection had been determined.

Efficacy of acupuncture in reducing accidental injury risk in stroke patients: A national-scale cohort study.

Background: Falls among stroke patients pose a significant health concern, leading to injuries, reduced mobility, and functional limitations. Recent research has suggested the potential benefits of acupuncture in enhancing balance and motor function in stroke patients. However, large-scale, long-term studies on acupuncture's role in reducing the risk of accidental injuries are scarce.

Effects of theory-guided unsupervised exercise on depression, sleep quality, and sense of control in pregnant women: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Unsupervised exercise is beneficial for pregnant women, and ongoing exercise may affect the course of pregnancy. Therefore, promoting continued exercise among women is critical.

Aims: To implement a home-based exercise program, guided by the COM-B model theory, and assess its effects on depression, sleep quality, and sense of control among pregnant women.

Diagnostic-avoiding Chlamydia trachomatis variants detected in cervical and endometrial specimens from women during 16S microbiome profiling.

Background: Performance of a 16S rRNA analysis of the cervicovaginal microbiome of 220 participants recruited into the T Cell Response against Chlamydia (TRAC) cohort between February 2011 and August 2014 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania USA detected DNA encoding chlamydial 16S rRNA in samples from seven participants whose tests were negative for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and DNA encoding gonococcal 16S rRNA from five participants whose tests were negative for Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) infection with the Aptima Combo2 assay (Hologic).

Methods: We used targeted PCR amplification followed by sequencing to characterize the chlamydial 23S rRNA locus and qPCR to detect gonococcal DNA in residual diagnostic swab eluates or DNA used to generate 16S rRNA libraries.

Results: Discrepant specimens that contained chlamydial DNA carried a diagnostic-avoidant, G1526A variant in the 23S rRNA locus identical to variants previously detected in Finland, Denmark, and the UK.

Joint variation and ZhuYin dataset for Traditional Chinese document enhancement.

Digital documents play a crucial role in contemporary information management. However, their quality can be significantly impacted by various factors such as hand-drawn annotations, image distortion, watermarks, stains, and degradation. Deep learning-based methods have emerged as powerful tools for document enhancement.

Circulating YKL-40 levels but not CHI3L1 or TRIB1 gene variants predict long-term outcomes in patients with angiographically confirmed multivessel coronary artery disease.

YKL-40 is significantly associated with the prevalence and severity of coronary artery disease (CAD). YKL-40 levels are significantly associated with variations in the CHI3L1 and TRIB1 genes. We investigated candidate genes for YKL-40 levels and evaluated the prognostic value of this biomarker and corresponding variants for long-term outcomes in patients with CAD.