Lutein protects senescent ciliary muscle against oxidative stress through the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE pathway.

Background: Aging-induced decline in ciliary muscle function is an important factor in visual accommodative deficits in elderly adults. With this study, we provide an innovative investigation of the interaction between ciliary muscle aging and oxidative stress.

Methods: Tricolor guinea pigs were used for the experiments in vivo and primary guinea pig ciliary smooth muscle cells were used for the experiments in vitro.

Serum tsncRNAs reveals novel potential therapeutic targets of Salvianolic Acid B on atherosclerosis.

Background: Salvianolic Acid B (SalB) has been proven to delay the progression of atherosclerosis. The therapeutic mechanisms of this compound are unclear. A novel class of short non-coding RNAs, pre-transfer RNA and mature transfer RNA (tsncRNAs) may regulate gene expression.

Mechanistic insights into C-C coupling in electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction.

The utilization of CO has become an emerging area of research in response to climate change and global warming. The electrochemical CO reduction reaction (CORR) holds significant promise as a technology to address this issue by converting CO molecules into various commercially valuable chemicals. While CORR to C hydrocarbons has achieved high activity and selectivity, the C-C coupling to produce higher hydrocarbons remains challenging due to low energy efficiency and the prevalent hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on the same catalyst, leading to high hydrogenation rates.

Balancing Edge Defects and Graphitization in a Pt-Fe/Carbon Electrocatalyst for High-Power-Density and Durable Flow Seawater-Al/Acid Hybrid Fuel Cells and Zn-Air Batteries.

Overcoming the trade-off between the graphitization of the carbon substrate and enhanced electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI) and intrinsic activity of Pt-C catalysts remains a major challenge for ensuring the durable operation of energy conversion devices. This article presents a hybrid catalyst consisting of PtFe nanoparticles and single Pt and Fe atoms supported on N-doped carbon (PtFe@PtFe-N-C), which exhibits improved activities in hydrogen evolution and oxygen reduction reactions (HER and ORR, respectively) and has excellent durability owing to the high graphitization, rich edge defects, and porosity of the carbon in PtFe@PtFe-N-C, as well as strong EMSI between the PtFe nanoparticles and edge-defective carbon embedded with Pt and Fe atoms. According to theoretical calculations, the strong EMSI optimizes the H* adsorption-desorption and facilitates the adsorption OOH*, accelerating the HER and ORR processes.

Clinical aPDT's effect on Candida albicans: Antifungal susceptibility, virulence gene expression, and correlation with leukocyte and neutrophil counts.

Background: Our previous clinical trial demonstrated that antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) with methylene blue (MB) and potassium iodide (KI) effectively killed Candida albicans (C. albicans) in adult AIDS patients with oral candidiasis, regardless of biofilm formation or 25S rDNA genotype. This study evaluated changes in antifungal susceptibility and virulence gene expression in C.

Reduction of circulating IgE and allergens by a pH-sensitive antibody with enhanced FcγRIIb binding.

Allergen-crosslinked IgE triggers allergy by interacting with its receptor on basophils and mast cells. The anti-IgE monoclonal antibody omalizumab can alleviate allergy by competing with the receptor for IgE binding. However, along with neutralization, omalizumab also inhibits IgE degradation, which is clinically associated with high-dose and total IgE accumulation problems.

Spin Manipulation of Co sites in CoS/NbCT Mott-Schottky Heterojunction for Boosting the Electrocatalytic Nitrogen Reduction Reaction.

Regulating the adsorption of an intermediate on an electrocatalyst by manipulating the electron spin state of the transition metal is of great significance for promoting the activation of inert nitrogen molecules (N) during the electrocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (eNRR). However, achieving this remains challenging. Herein, a novel 2D/2D Mott-Schottky heterojunction, CoS/NbCT-P, is developed as an eNRR catalyst.

Chronological evaluation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in sediments of tangxun lake in central China and impacts of human activities.

This study sheds light on the contamination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Tangxun Lake sediments, an urban lake reflecting environmental changes in Central China. By analyzing sediment cores from both the inner and outer areas of the lake, we determined the historical trends and sources of PAHs over the past century. The results reveal a significant increase in PAHs concentrations, particularly since the 1980s, coinciding with China's rapid urbanization and industrialization.

Interaction Effects on the Dynamical Anderson Metal-Insulator Transition Using Kicked Quantum Gases.

Understanding the interplay of interaction and disorder in quantum transport poses long-standing scientific challenges for theory and experiment. While highly controlled ultracold atomic platforms combining atomic interactions with spatially disordered lattices have led to remarkable advances, the extension of such controlled studies to phenomena in high-dimensional disordered systems, such as the three-dimensional Anderson metal-insulator transition has been limited. Kicked quantum gases provide an alternate experimental platform that captures the Anderson model in momentum space and features dynamical localization as the analog of Anderson localization.

The dynamic changes of flavor characteristics of sea cucumber () during puffing revealed by GC-MS combined with HS-GC-IMS.

To improve the ease of eating sea cucumbers, we investigated the impact of puffing temperature (190 °C - 250 °C) and time (1-5 min) on their quality and flavor. As temperature and time increased, sea cucumber puffing significantly enhanced. The microstructure of the puffed sea cucumber exhibited a uniform porous structure at 230 °C for 4 min.

Storage causes protein oxidation of soybean meal and affects antioxidant status, digestive performance and meat quality of broilers.

Objective: This study investigated the protein oxidation of soybean meal (SBM) stored in a warehouse and the effects of SBM on growth performance, antioxidant status, digestive performance, intestinal morphology, and breast muscle quality of broilers.

Methods: In total, 160 one-day-old Arbor Acres Plus broilers (half male and half female) were randomly divided into two groups with ten replicates of eight birds each: The control group was served with a basal diet including SBM stored at -20°C (FSBM), and the experimental group was served with a basal diet including SBM stored in a warehouse at room temperature for 45 days (RSBM).

Results: Compared with FSBM, the protein carbonyl level in RSBM was increased, the free and total thiol levels and in vitro digestibility of protein were decreased.

Associations of ambient air pollution and lifestyle with the risk of NAFLD: a population-based cohort study.

Background: Both ambient air pollution and lifestyle factors contribute to the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but previous studies usually focused on single-factor associations. We aimed to assess the joint associations of ambient air pollution and lifestyle with the NAFLD risk and investigate whether lifestyle modifies the association of air pollution with NAFLD risk.

Methods: A total of 417,025 participants from the UK Biobank were included in this study.

Construction of An Artificial Photosynthesis System with A Single CdS QDs-Ferritin Hybrid Molecule.

Establishing artificial photosynthesis systems in a simple but effective manner to mitigate the greenhouse effect and address the energy crisis remains challenging. The combination of photocatalysis technology with bioengineering is an emerging field with great potential to construct such artificial photosynthesis systems, but so far, it has barely been explored in this area. Herein, an artificial photocatalysis platform is constructed with high CO conversion and HO splitting capability by integration of CdS QDs into the intra-subunit interface of H-type ferritin (Marsupenaeus japonicus), a natural ferroxidase through protein interface redesign.

Regulates Flowering Time under Long-Day Conditions in .

Flowering in plants is pivotal for initiating and advancing reproductive processes, impacting regional adaptation and crop yield. Despite numerous cloned and identified flowering time genes, research in cotton remains sparse. This study identified as a key determinant of the flowering time in cotton, demonstrating that its heterologous expression in accelerated flowering under LD conditions compared to WT.

Chemical-Assisted CO Water-Alternating-Gas Injection for Enhanced Sweep Efficiency in CO-EOR.

CO-enhanced oil recovery (CO-EOR) is a crucial method for CO utilization and sequestration, representing an important zero-carbon or even negative-carbon emission reduction technology. However, the low viscosity of CO and reservoir heterogeneity often result in early gas breakthrough, significantly reducing CO utilization and sequestration efficiency. A water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection is a technique for mitigating gas breakthrough and viscous fingering in CO-EOR.

Hyperechoic Spots in the Renal Medulla as a Potential Indicator of Early Gouty Nephropathy.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to explore the causes and clinical significance of hyperechoic renal medulla observed by ultrasonography in patients with primary gout.

Methods: This study included 2,107 patients with primary gout treated in the Gout Clinic of our hospital from 2016 to 2022. The clinical data and biochemical data of these patients were collected and analyzed.

Chiral edge waves in a dance-based human topological insulator.

Topological insulators are insulators in the bulk but feature chiral energy propagation along the boundary. This property is topological in nature and therefore robust to disorder. Originally discovered in electronic materials, topologically protected boundary transport has since been observed in many other physical systems.

The number of drones to inseminate a queen with has little potential for optimization of honeybee breeding programs.

Background: Mating control is a crucial aspect of honeybee breeding. Instrumental insemination of queens gives the breeder maximum control over the genetic origin of the involved drones. However, in addition to the drones' descent, the breeder's control also extends over the number of drones to use for inseminations.

Engineering Supramolecular Hydrogels via Reversible Photoswitching of Cucurbit[8]uril-Spiropyran Complexation Stoichiometry.

The integration of photoswitchable supramolecular units into hydrogels allows for spatiotemporal control over their nanoscale topological network and macroscale properties using light. Nevertheless, the current availability of photoswitchable supramolecular interactions for the development of such materials remains limited. Here, the molecular design of a novel photoswitchable cucurbit[8]uril-spiropyran host-guest complex exhibiting fast and reversible switching of binding ratios between 1:2 and 1:1 is reported.

Lidocaine and risk of postoperative vomiting in children undergoing tonsillectomy: a randomised clinical trial.

The dose-response of intravenous lidocaine in preventing postoperative vomiting (POV) in children remains unclear. This study investigated whether intravenous lidocaine dose-dependently decreased POV risk within 24 h postoperatively in children undergoing tonsillectomy (with or without adenoidectomy) without severe complications. Patients aged 3-12 years (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade I-II) scheduled for elective tonsillectomy (with or without adenoidectomy) were enroled from December 2021 to March 2022.