Targeting hypoxia and angiogenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma: New insights and therapeutic strategies.

In this manuscript we comment on the article by Yang published recently, focusing on how hepatic angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) transcription promote the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC is one of the most common and lethal malignancies worldwide, especially in regions with high hepatitis B virus infection rates. Ang-2 is a key mediator of angiogenesis and plays a significant role in the progression of chronic liver diseases towards HCC, particularly in the hypoxic microenvironment.

Truncated VZV gE Induces High-Titer Neutralizing Antibodies in Mice.

A contemporary public health challenge is the increase in the prevalence rates of herpes zoster (HZ) worldwide. In this work, the gE gene structure was analyzed using bioinformatics techniques, and three plasmids of varying lengths, tgE537, tgE200, and tgE350, were expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. These proteins were used to immunize BALB/c mice with Al/CpG adjuvant; ELISPOT and FCM were used to evaluate cellular immunity; and ELISA, VZV microneutralization, and FAMA assays were performed to detect antibody titers.

A Nomogram for Predicting Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolism in Hospitalized Patients Receiving Chemoradiotherapy for Cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a novel nomogram to predict cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (CAT) in hospitalized patients with cancer who receive chemoradiotherapy.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of hospitalized patients with cancer who received chemoradiotherapy between January 2010 and December 2022. Predictive factors for CAT were determined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, and a risk prediction model based on the nomogram was constructed and validated internally.

Prevalence of cancer-related cognitive impairment among patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To examine the prevalence of cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) and its contributing factors in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and explore the relationship between various assessment methods.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 367 patients with NPC between March 2022 and April 2024 at Chongqing University Cancer Hospital. The data gathered from the demographic questionnaire, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Function (FACT-Cog), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) were analyzed using logistic regression.

Stable Lithium Oxygen Batteries Enabled by Solvent-diluent Interaction in N,N-dimethylacetamide-based Electrolytes.

In the pursuit of next-generation ultrahigh-energy-density Li-O batteries, it is imperative to develop an electrolyte with stability against the strong oxidation environments. N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA) is a recognized solvent known for its robust resistance to the highly reactive reduced oxygen species, yet its application in Li-O batteries has been constrained due to its poor compatibility with the Li metal anode. In this study, a rationally selected hydrofluoroether diluent, methyl nonafluorobutyl ether (M3), has been introduced into the DMA-based electrolyte to construct a localized high concentration electrolyte.

Construction of ecological security pattern of arid area based on landscape ecological risk assessment: a case study of the Wu-Chang-Shi urban agglomeration.

The construction of ecological security pattern (ESP) holds paramount importance in ensuring regional environment sustainability. This study introduces an innovative approach to ESP construction grounded in landscape ecological risk (LER) assessment, with Wu-Chang-Shi urban agglomeration in Xinjiang, China, serving as a case study. Initially, LER within the area was evaluated using the LER Index (LERI) method.

Cross-sectional study on the impact of cardiac and hepatic iron overload, as measured by MRI T2*, on the quality of life in children with severe beta-thalassemia major.

A cross-sectional study to explore the correlation between cardiac and hepatic iron overload and its impact on the quality of life in children diagnosed with severe beta-thalassemia major (β-TM). A cohort of 55 pediatric patients with β-TM, diagnosed via genetic testing at the Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University from January 2015 to January 2022, was included in this study. The assessment of cardiac and hepatic iron overload was conducted using the magnetic resonance imaging T2* technique.

The Perceived Role of Occupational Therapists in Climate Change.

In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) predicted that climate change would cause thousands of additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress alone between the years of 2030 and 2050. With such health consequences and environmental changes, climate change is impacting human occupations globally. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the occupational therapists' role in climate change, particularly in the Canadian context.

Radial basis point interpolation for strain field calculation in digital image correlation.

In order to extract smooth and accurate strain fields from the noisy displacement fields obtained by digital image correlation (DIC), a point interpolation meshless (PIM) method with a radial basis function (RBF) is introduced for full-field strain calculation, which overcomes the problems of slow calculation speed and unstable matrix inverse calculation of the element-free Galerkin method (EFG). The radial basis point interpolation method (RPIM) with three different radial basis functions and the moving least squares (MLS) and pointwise least squares (PLS) methods are compared by analyzing and validating the strain fields with high-strain gradients in simulation experiments. The results indicate that the RPIM is nearly 80% more computationally efficient than the MLS method when a larger support domain is used, and the efficiency of the RPIM is nearly 26% higher than that of the MLS method when a smaller support domain is used; the strain calculation accuracy is slightly lower than that of the MLS method by 0.

Nurses' self-regulation after engaging in end-of-life conversations with advanced cancer patients: a qualitative study.

Background: Self-regulation is crucial for nurses who engage in in-depth end-of-life conversations with advanced cancer patients, especially in cultural contexts featuring death taboos. An improved understanding of the self-regulation process of nurses can help them address negative emotions and promote self-growth more effectively. Therefore, this study aimed to explore nurses' self-regulation process after end-of-life conversations with advanced cancer patients.

Reconfiguring the Hydrogen Networks of Aqueous Electrolyte to Stabilize Iron Hexacyanoferrate for High-Voltage pH-Decoupled Cell.

Prussian blue analogs (PBAs) are promising insertion-type cathode materials for different types of aqueous batteries, capable of accommodating metal or non-metal ions. However, their practical application is hindered by their susceptibility to dissolution, which leads to a shortened lifespan. Herein, we have revealed that the dissolution of PBAs primarily originates from the locally elevated pH of electrolytes, which is caused by the proton co-insertion during discharge.

Revealing Hydrogen Bond Effect in Rechargeable Aqueous Zinc-Organic Batteries.

The surrounding hydrogen bond (H-bond) interaction around the active sites plays indispensable functions in enabling the organic electrode materials (OEMs) to fulfill their roles as ion reservoirs in aqueous zinc-organic batteries (ZOBs). Despite important, there are still no works could fully shed its real effects light on. Herein, quinone-based small molecules with a H-bond evolution model has been rationally selected to disclose the regulation and equilibration of H-bond interaction between OEMs, and OEM and the electrolyte.

Groundwater pollution risk, health effects and sustainable management of halocarbons in typical industrial parks.

As important chemical raw materials and organic solvents, halogenated hydrocarbons not only play an important role in economic development, but are also the main source of environmental pollution. This study proposed an improved groundwater risk assessment model system, aimed at identifying and treating contaminants at leak sites. Groundwater ubiquity score (GUS) was used to evaluate the leachability of organic pollutants.

Spatial Structure Design of Thioether-Linked Naphthoquinone Cathodes for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Organic Batteries.

Organic electrode materials (OEMs) have gathered extensive attention for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their structural diversity and molecular designability. However, the reported research mainly focuses on the design of the planar configuration of OEMs and does not take into account the important influence of the spatial structure on the electrochemical properties, which seriously hamper the further performance liberation of OEMs. Herein, this work has designed a series of thioether-linked naphthoquinone-derived isomers with tunable spatial structures and applied them as the cathodes in AZIBs.

Prediction of fruit characteristics of grafted plants of Camellia oleifera by deep neural networks.

Background: Camellia oleifera, an essential woody oil tree in China, propagates through grafting. However, in production, it has been found that the interaction between rootstocks and scions may affect fruit characteristics. Therefore, it is necessary to predict fruit characteristics after grafting to identify suitable rootstock types.

Identification of C1q/TNF-related protein 4 as a novel appetite-regulating peptide that reduces food intake in Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii).

Emerging findings point to a role for C1q/TNF-related protein 4 (CTRP4) in feeding in mammals. However, it remains unknown whether CTRP4 regulates feeding in fish. This study aimed to determine the feeding regulation function of CTRP4 in Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii).

Gell: A GPU-powered 3D hybrid simulator for large-scale multicellular system.

As a powerful but computationally intensive method, hybrid computational models study the dynamics of multicellular systems by evolving discrete cells in reacting and diffusing extracellular microenvironments. As the scale and complexity of studied biological systems continuously increase, the exploding computational cost starts to limit large-scale cell-based simulations. To facilitate the large-scale hybrid computational simulation and make it feasible on easily accessible computational devices, we develop Gell (GPU Cell), a fast and memory-efficient open-source GPU-based hybrid computational modeling platform for large-scale system modeling.

In Situ Electrochemical Activation of Hydroxyl Polymer Cathode for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Organic Batteries.

The slow reaction kinetics and structural instability of organic electrode materials limit the further performance improvement of aqueous zinc-organic batteries. Herein, we have synthesized a Z-folded hydroxyl polymer polytetrafluorohydroquinone (PTFHQ) with inert hydroxyl groups that could be partially oxidized to the active carbonyl groups through the in situ activation process and then undertake the storage/release of Zn . In the activated PTFHQ, the hydroxyl groups and S atoms enlarge the electronegativity region near the electrochemically active carbonyl groups, enhancing their electrochemical activity.