Enhancing glass-ionomer cements with flake-shaped glass: A new frontier in dental restoration.

This study aims to investigate whether the combined use of thin sheet glass (FSG) and polyurethane acrylate (PUA) can enhance the mechanical properties and biocompatibility of glass ionomer cements (GICs) to improve the overall performance of commercial GICs. In this study, an innovative approach was employed by incorporating diluents and photoinitiators into PUA to develop a novel light-curable PUA material. The PUA was then used to modify the GIC to obtain PUA-modified GIC.

General Design of Aligned-Channel Porous Carbon Electrodes for Efficient High-Current-Density Gas-Evolving Electrocatalysis.

Gas-evolving reactions (GERs) are important in many electrochemical energy conversion technologies and chemical industries. The operation of GERs at high current densities is critical for their industrial implementation but remains challenging as it poses stringent requirements on the electrodes in terms of reaction kinetics, mass transfer, and electron transport. Here the general and rational design of self-standing carbon electrodes with vertically aligned porous channels, appropriate pore size distribution, and high surface area as supports for loading a variety of catalytic species by facile electrodeposition are reported.

Erbin alleviates sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy by inhibiting RIPK1-dependent necroptosis through activating PKA/CREB pathway.

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory disease that can cause multiple organ damage. Septic patients with cardiac dysfunction have a significantly higher mortality. Based on the results of bioinformatics analysis, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), we found that Erbin is vital in cardiomyocyte.

Dried tangerine peel polysaccharide accelerates wound healing by recruiting anti-inflammatory macrophages.

Macrophage polarization is a key process involved in wound healing. The continuous release of proinflammatory cytokines by macrophages inhibits the healing process of chronic wounds, such as diabetic wounds. To promote wound healing, it is important to change the phenotype of resident macrophages to prevent inflammation.

Game-theoretic analysis of governance and corruption in China's pharmaceutical industry.

Introduction: With the rapid development of China's pharmaceutical industry, issues of corruption and regulatory effectiveness have become increasingly prominent, posing critical challenges to public health safety and the industry's sustainable development.

Methods: This paper adopts a bounded rationality perspective and employs a game-theoretic evolutionary approach to establish a tripartite evolutionary game model involving pharmaceutical companies, third-party auditing organizations, and health insurance regulatory agencies. It analyzes the stable strategies of the parties involved and the sensitivity of key parameters within this tripartite game system.

Enhancing maize phosphorus uptake with optimal blends of high and low-concentration phosphorus fertilizers.

High-concentration phosphorus (P) fertilizers are crucial for crop growth. However, fertilizers with lower P concentrations, such as calcium magnesium phosphate (CMP) and single super phosphate (SSP), can also serve as efficient P sources, especially when blended with high-concentration P fertilizers like diammonium phosphate (DAP) or monoammonium phosphate (MAP). In this study, we conducted a 48-day pot experiment to explore how blending low-P fertilizers could optimize maize P utilization, using CMP to replace DAP in acidic soil, and SSP to replace MAP in alkaline soil, with five SSP+MAP and CMP+DAP mixtures tested.

A Symmetrical Quasi-Synchronous Step-Transition Folded Waveguide Slow Wave Structure for 650 GHz Traveling Wave Tubes.

For the purpose of improving performance and reducing the fabrication difficulty of terahertz traveling wave tubes (TWTs), this paper proposes a novel single-section high-gain slow wave structure (SWS), which is named the symmetrical quasi-synchronous step-transition (SQSST) folded waveguide (FW). The SQSST-FW SWS has an artificially designed quasi-synchronous region (QSR) to suppress self-oscillations for sustaining a high gain in an untruncated circuit. Simultaneously, a symmetrical design can improve the efficiency performance to some extent.

, a Novel Scuticociliate Pathogen Isolated and Identified from Cultured Large Yellow Croaker ().

Scuticociliates are recognized as the causative agents of mass mortalities in certain cultured marine fishes, resulting in enormous economic losses. This study aimed to investigate a fatal infection caused by scuticociliates in farmed large yellow croaker () in Fujian province, China. Microscopic examinations of focal organs, including the brain, eyes, gills, and skin, revealed the presence of parasites.

Coupling Electro-Fenton and Electrocoagulation of Aluminum-Air Batteries for Enhanced Tetracycline Degradation: Improving Hydrogen Peroxide and Power Generation.

Electro-Fenton (EF) technology has shown great potential in environmental remediation. However, developing efficient heterogeneous EF catalysts and understanding the relevant reaction mechanisms for pollutant degradation remain challenging. We propose a new system that combines aluminum-air battery electrocoagulation (EC) with EF.

Optogenetic Brain-Computer Interfaces.

The brain-computer interface (BCI) is one of the most powerful tools in neuroscience and generally includes a recording system, a processor system, and a stimulation system. Optogenetics has the advantages of bidirectional regulation, high spatiotemporal resolution, and cell-specific regulation, which expands the application scenarios of BCIs. In recent years, optogenetic BCIs have become widely used in the lab with the development of materials and software.

A Dataset of Distribution and Characterization of Underground Wastewater Treatment Plants in China.

Underground wastewater treatment plants (U-WWTPs) have emerged as a novel paradigm for urban wastewater pollutants management, offering benefits such as alleviating the Not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) effect and utilizing land resources efficiently. China stands at the forefront, witnessing swift advancements in U-WWTP technology and deployment. However, the absence of a thorough understanding of their geographical distribution and operational characteristics could lead to misaligned planning and construction, resulting in inefficient resource allocation and treatment capacities for urban wastewater treatment.

Efficacy of spray flushing in the reprocessing of flexible endoscopes: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Commonly used cleaning brushes in the reprocessing of flexible endoscopes often cause damage within the working channels.

Aim: To develop a spray flushing system to achieving effective cleaning of the working channels while minimizing damage.

Methods: This prospective study included 60 used endoscopes and 60 Teflon tubes randomly divided into a control group ( = 30) and an experimental group ( = 30).

Efficacy comparison of multipoint and single point scanning panretinal laser photocoagulation in non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy treatment.

Background: Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) poses a significant challenge in diabetes management due to its microvascular changes in the retina. Laser photocoagulation, a conventional therapy, aims to mitigate the risk of progressing to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).

Aim: To compare the efficacy and safety of multi-spot single-spot scanning panretinal laser photocoagulation in NPDR patients.

Mapping sagittal-plane reference brain atlas of the cynomolgus macaque (Macaca fascicularis) based on consecutive cytoarchitectonic images.

The brain atlas is essential for exploring the anatomical structure and function of the brain. Non-human primates, such as cynomolgus macaque, have received increasing attention due to their genetic similarity to humans. However, current macaque brain atlases only offer coarse sections with intervals along the coronal direction, failing to meet the needs of single-cell resolution studies in functional and multi-omics research of the macaque brain.

An end-to-end framework for the prediction of protein structure and fitness from single sequence.

Significant research progress has been made in the field of protein structure and fitness prediction. Particularly, single-sequence-based structure prediction methods like ESMFold and OmegaFold achieve a balance between inference speed and prediction accuracy, showing promise for many downstream prediction tasks. Here, we propose SPIRED, a single-sequence-based structure prediction model that exhibits comparable performance to the state-of-the-art methods but with approximately 5-fold acceleration in inference and at least one order of magnitude reduction in training consumption.

Cell-free DNA from germline TP53 mutation carriers reflect cancer-like fragmentation patterns.

Germline pathogenic TP53 variants predispose individuals to a high lifetime risk of developing multiple cancers and are the hallmark feature of Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS). Our group has previously shown that LFS patients harbor shorter plasma cell-free DNA fragmentation; independent of cancer status. To understand the functional underpinning of cfDNA fragmentation in LFS, we conducted a fragmentomic analysis of 199 cfDNA samples from 82 TP53 mutation carriers and 30 healthy TP53-wildtype controls.

USP7 Promotes TGF-β1 Signaling by De-Ubiquitinating Smad2/Smad3 in Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a long-term, progressive, and irreversible pulmonary interstitial disease. The activation of Smad family member 2 (Smad2) and Smad3 transcription factors by transforming growth factor β-1 (TGF-β1) is a critical event in the pathogenesis of IPF. However, there is still a lack of understanding regarding the molecular mechanisms governing Smad2 and Smad3 proteins.

Relationship of Hypothyroidism with Alopecia Areata and Androgenetic Alopecia: Insights from a Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: Hair loss is common in hypothyroidism patients. However, the link with alopecia areata (AA) and androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is unclear. Previous observational studies have presented completely opposite results.

Focal Dome Osteotomy Combined with Ilizarov Technique for Treating Femoral Multiplanar Deformity.

Objective: The management of femoral multiplanar deformity remains a great challenge for orthopaedic surgeons. The focal dome osteotomy (FDO) combined with Ilizarov technique is a theoretically ideal method for treating femoral multiplanar deformity, but the clinical evidence is limited. The aim of this study is to assess the clinical and radiological outcomes of this combined strategy for correcting femoral multiplanar deformities.

Associations of the planetary health diet index (PHDI) with asthma: the mediating role of body mass index.

Background: Given the global shifts in environmental conditions and dietary habits, understanding the potential impact of dietary factors and body mass index (BMI) on respiratory diseases, including asthma, is paramount. Investigating these relationships can contribute to the formulation of more effective prevention strategies. The Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI), a dietary scoring system that balances human health with environmental sustainability, underscores the importance of increasing the consumption of plant-based foods while reducing the intake of red meat, sugar, and highly processed foods.

Conserved moonlighting protein pyruvate dehydrogenase induces robust protection against infection.

Developing an effective () vaccine has been a challenging endeavor, as demonstrated by numerous failed clinical trials over the years. In this study, we formulated a vaccine containing a highly conserved moonlighting protein, the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex E2 subunit (PDHC), and showed that it induced strong protective immunity against epidemiologically relevant staphylococcal strains in various murine disease models. While antibody responses contributed to bacterial control, they were not essential for protective immunity in the bloodstream infection model.