Electrochemical detection of circulating-free DNA methylation: A new indicator for early cancer screening.

This study introduces a novel electrochemical approach for detecting circulating-free DNA (cfDNA) by leveraging distinct methylation patterns characteristic of cfDNA from healthy controls and cancer patients. Our findings reveal that cfDNA from cancer patients exhibits a unique affinity for gold surfaces due to abnormal methylation, which enables its electrochemical differentiation. By using square wave voltammetry (SWV) with optimized parameters, we achieved high sensitivity (0.

Optimized detection of calcium ion in serum using constant potential coulometry with metastable liquid-liquid contact doping enhanced PEDOT: PSS ink.

Highly stable calcium ion selective electrodes (Ca-ISEs) were developed by drop-casting a layer of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT: PSS) as an ion-to-electron transfer layer onto Au electrode. The conductive PEDOT: PSS ink was prepared using a metastable liquid-liquid contact (MLLC) doping method, which induced phase separation, removed excess PSS, and significantly enhanced charge transfer kinetics and conductivity. The resulting Ca-ISEs exhibited excellent electrochemical performance.

Aucubin suppresses TLR4/NF-κB signalling to shift macrophages toward M2 phenotype in glucocorticoid-associated osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

In this study, we investigated whether the ability of aucubin to mitigate the pathology of GONFH involves suppression of TLR4/NF-κB signalling and promotion of macrophage polarization to an M2 phenotype. In necrotic bone tissues from GONFH patients, we compared levels of pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages and anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages as well as levels of TLR4/NF-κB signalling. In a rat model of GONFH, we examined the effects of aucubin on these parameters.

Engineering Interconnected Nanofluidic Channel in a Hydrogel Supernetwork toward K Ion Accelerating Transport and Efficient Sensing.

Ion transportation via the mixed mechanisms of hydrogels underpins ultrafast biological signal transmission in nature, and its application to the rapid and sensitive sensing detection of human specific ions is of great interest for the field of medical science. However, current research efforts are still unable to achieve transmission results that are comparable to those of bioelectric signals. Herein, 3D interconnected nanochannels based on poly(pyrrole--dopamine)/poly(vinyl alcohol) (P(Py--DA)/PVA) supernetwork conductive hydrogels are designed and fabricated as stimuli-responsive structures for K ions.

Risk factors for bacteremic pneumonia and mortality (28-day mortality) in patients with Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia.

Background: Patients infected with Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) bacteremia in hospital have high morbidity and mortality. We analyzed the clinical characteristics of pneumonia and nonpneumonia-related AB bloodstream infections (AB BSIs) and explored the possible independent risk factors for the incidence and prognosis of pneumonia-related AB BSIs.

Methods: A retrospective monocentric observational study was performed.

Omilancor mitigates the senescence of nucleus pulposus cells induced by DDP through targeting MAP2K6.

Purpose: This study explores the potential of Omilancor in treating Intervertebral Disc Degeneration (IDD) through MAP2K6 targeting.

Methods: We analyzed mRNA microarray datasets to pinpoint MAP2K6 as a key regulator implicated in IDD progression. Follow-up studies demonstrated that cisplatin (DDP) could prompt cellular senescence by upregulating MAP2K6 expression.

IL-13 facilitates ferroptotic death in asthmatic epithelial cells via SOCS1-mediated ubiquitinated degradation of SLC7A11.

Th2-high asthma is characterized by elevated levels of type 2 cytokines, such as interleukin 13 (IL-13), and its prevalence has been increasing worldwide. Ferroptosis, a recently discovered type of programmed cell death, is involved in the pathological process of Th2-high asthma; however, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. In this study, we demonstrated that the serum level of malondialdehyde (MDA), an index of lipid peroxidation, positively correlated with IL-13 level and negatively correlated with the predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1%) in asthmatics.

Rapid runtime learning by curating small datasets of high-quality items obtained from memory.

We propose the "runtime learning" hypothesis which states that people quickly learn to perform unfamiliar tasks as the tasks arise by using task-relevant instances of concepts stored in memory during mental training. To make learning rapid, the hypothesis claims that only a few class instances are used, but these instances are especially valuable for training. The paper motivates the hypothesis by describing related ideas from the cognitive science and machine learning literatures.

O-POSSUM and P-POSSUM as predictors of morbidity and mortality in older patients after hip fracture surgery: a meta-analysis.

Background: The POSSUM model has been widely used to predict morbidity and mortality after general surgery. Modified versions known as O-POSSUM and P-POSSUM have been used extensively in orthopedic surgery, but their accuracy is unclear. This systematic review evaluated the predictive value of these models in older patients with hip fractures.

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles, osteoimmunology and orthopedic diseases.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play an important role in tissue healing and regenerative medicine due to their self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation properties. MSCs exert their therapeutic effects mainly via the paracrine pathway, which involves the secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs). EVs have a high drug loading capacity and can transport various molecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, that can modify the course of diverse diseases.

Associations between smoking and clinical outcomes after total hip and knee arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Smoking increases risk of several complications after total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA), so we systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed the literature to take into account all relevant evidence, particularly studies published since 2010.

Methods: The PubMed, Ovid Embase, Web of Science, and EBSCOHost databases were searched and studies were selected and analyzed according to MOOSE recommendations. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

Chaotropic Polymer Additive with Ion Transport Tunnel Enable Dendrite-Free Zinc Battery.

Zn batteries are considered the new-generation candidate for large-scale energy storage systems, taking both safety and environmental problems into account. They are still restricted by unexpected dendrite/byproducts occurring on the Zn anodes. We hereby screen a powerful polymer type additive, hyaluronic acid (HA), to regulate the typical ZnSO electrolyte for obtaining dendrite-free Zn ion batteries.

Circ_0088036 mediated progression and inflammation in fibroblast-like synoviocytes of rheumatoid arthritis by miR-1263/REL-activated NF-κB pathway.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common joint disease with abnormal development of human fibroblast-like synoviocytes (HFLS). Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have essential regulation in the disease progression, and this study was to explore the regulatory mechanism of circ_0088036 in RA.

Methods: RNA expression analysis was performed through reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay.

Hybrid 3D printed integrated microdevice for the determination of copper ions in human body fluids.

On-site screening of copper ions in body fluid plays a critical role in monitoring human health, especially in heavy pollution areas. In this study, we have developed a hybrid 3D printed integrated microdevice for the determination of copper ions in human body fluids. A fixed and low volume of sample was detected by using the integrated microdevice without any preprocessing.

A graphene-based electrochemical flow analysis device for simultaneous determination of dopamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, and melatonin.

Developing an accurate, sensitive, and efficient portable device for simultaneous detection of disease-related biomolecules is an attractive challenge for point-of-care testing (POCT). In this work, we introduced a novel graphene-based electrochemical flow analysis device (GEFAD), which combined a 3D-printed flow cell with a three-electrode system based on a gold nanoparticle-modified graphene (AuNPs@Gr) working electrode to simultaneously detect depression-related biomolecules: dopamine (DA), 5-hydroxytrypserotonin (5-HT), and melatonin (MEL). Electrochemical studies showed that the GEFAD had high selectivity and sensitivity in the determination of DA, 5-HT, and MEL with their significant separation peaks.

Manipulating Interfacial Stability Via Absorption-Competition Mechanism for Long-Lifespan Zn Anode.

The stability of Zn anode in various Zn-based energy storage devices is the key problem to be solved. Herein, aromatic aldehyde additives are selected to modulate the interface reactions between the Zn anode and electrolyte. Through comprehensively considering electrochemical measurements, DFT calculations and FEA simulations, novel mechanisms of one kind of aromatic aldehyde, veratraldehyde in inhibiting Zn dendrite/by-products can be obtained.

Liquid-like Polymer Coating as a Promising Candidate for Reducing Electrode Contamination and Noise in Complex Biofluids.

Biosensors that can automatically and continuously track fluctuations in biomarker levels over time are essential for real-time sensing in biomedical and environmental applications. Although many electrochemical sensors have been developed to quickly and sensitively monitor biomarkers, their sensing stability in complex biofluids is disturbed by unavoidable nonspecific adhesion of proteins or bacteria. Recently, various substrate surface modification techniques have been developed to resist biofouling, yet functionalization of electrodes in sensors to be anti-biofouling is rarely achieved.

Association of rs2862851 in Gene with Peripheral TGFA Levels and the Severity of Knee Osteoarthritis in the Han Chinese Population.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex joint disorder characterized by sclerosis of subchondral bone. The knee is one of the most commonly affected joints. Given that the genetic mechanisms underlying knee OA remain elusive, our study aims were to first confirm the association of the gene alleles with the risk of knee OA and, second, to evaluate the relationship between peripheral TGFA concentrations and knee OA in an independent Han Chinese population.

A three-electrode integrated electrochemical platform based on nanoporous gold for the simultaneous determination of hydroquinone and catechol with high selectivity.

In this study, a novel three-electrode integrated electrochemical platform (TEIEP) has been designed and fabricated for the simultaneous detection of hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol (CC), in which nanoporous gold (NPG) served as the working electrode, and Pt particles and nanoporous Ag/AgCl served as the courter electrode and the reference electrode, respectively. Due to the remarkable catalytic activity of NPG, the TEIEP exhibits high selectivity and sensitivity towards HQ and CC determination with a distinct separation between the peaks for their coexistence. The oxidation peak current densities of HQ and CC were linear over the range of 0.

Patients with metabolic syndrome have a greater rate of complications after arthroplasty: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims: Patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) are known to be at increased risk of postoperative complications, but it is unclear whether MetS is also associated with complications after total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Here, we perform a systematic review and meta-analysis linking MetS to postoperative complications in THA and TKA.

Methods: The PubMed, OVID, and ScienceDirect databases were comprehensively searched and studies were selected and analyzed according to the guidelines of the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE).

A Flexible Portable Glucose Sensor Based on Hierarchical Arrays of Au@Cu(OH) Nanograss.

Flexible physiological medical devices have gradually spread to the lives of people, especially the elderly. Here, a flexible integrated sensor based on Au nanoparticle modified copper hydroxide nanograss arrays on flexible carbon fiber cloth (Au@Cu(OH)/CFC) is fabricated by a facile electrochemical method. The sensor possesses ultrahigh sensitivity of 7.

A Flexible Microsupercapacitor with Integral Photocatalytic Fuel Cell for Self-Charging.

With the rapid advancement in different kinds of portable electronics, self-powered systems with small volume and high-performance characteristics have attracted great attention in recent years. It would be rather exciting if one integrated system can not only convert recyclable energy or waste to electricity but also store energy at the same time. Here, flexible all-in-one energy chips composed of urea-based photocatalytic fuel cells (PFCs) and asymmetric microsupercapacitors (AMSCs) are designed on the same plane for powering small portable electronics.

Thermal Characterization of Low-Dimensional Materials by Resistance Thermometers.

The design, fabrication, and use of a hotspot-producing and temperature-sensing resistance thermometer for evaluating the thermal properties of low-dimensional materials are described in this paper. The materials that are characterized include one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanotubes, and two-dimensional (2D) graphene and boron nitride films. The excellent thermal performance of these materials shows great potential for cooling electronic devices and systems such as in three-dimensional (3D) integrated chip-stacks, power amplifiers, and light-emitting diodes.

Alleviating concentration polarization: a micro three-electrode interdigitated glucose sensor based on nanoporous gold from a mild process.

Precisely detecting the concentration of glucose in the human body is an attractive way to prevent or diagnose diabetes. Compared with the traditional enzyme-based electrochemical glucose sensors, the non-enzymatic ones have gradually come to people's attention recently. By integrating three electrodes into one device, glucose sensors can achieve superior performance and are convenient to carry.

Hierarchical bi-continuous Pt decorated nanoporous Au-Sn alloy on carbon fiber paper for ascorbic acid, dopamine and uric acid simultaneous sensing.

In this work, Pt nanoparticles modified nanoporous AuSn(Pt@NP-AuSn) alloy on Ni buffered flexible carbon fiber paper (CFP) is fabricated by a simple replacement reaction in which NP-AuSn is fabricated by controllable dealloy of electrodeposited Au-Sn alloy films. The as prepared Pt@NP-AuSn/Ni/CFP possesses hierarchical pore structure, high specific surface area and excellent catalytic activity. Due to the bi-functions of both the large surface area of nanoporous metal and macroporous of carbon fiber paper facilitating mass transfer, the Pt@NP-AuSn/Ni/CFP shows high sensitivity of detecting ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA) and uric acid (UA), with sensitivities of 0.