Exploring the relationship between gut microbiota and breast diseases using Mendelian randomization analysis.

Background: Growing evidence suggests a relationship between gut microbiota composition and breast diseases, although the precise nature of this association remains uncertain. To investigate the causal relationship between gut microbiota and breast diseases, we utilized two-way Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Methods: Four common diseases were included as outcomes: breast cancer, breast cysts, inflammatory disorders of the breast, and infections of the breast associated with childbirth, along with their subtypes.

T-2 Toxin Induces Immunosenescence in RAW264.7 Macrophages by Activating the HIF-1α/cGAS-STING Pathway.

T-2 toxin induces cell immunotoxicity by triggering an intracellular hypoxic microenvironment and activates hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), which exerts cellular protective effects. Mycotoxins can also induce senescence. The aging of immune function, termed "immunosenescence," is an important factor in the decline of biological immunity and accelerates senescence.

Age-associated changes in innate and adaptive immunity: role of the gut microbiota.

Aging is generally regarded as an irreversible process, and its intricate relationship with the immune system has garnered significant attention due to its profound implications for the health and well-being of the aging population. As people age, a multitude of alterations occur within the immune system, affecting both innate and adaptive immunity. In the realm of innate immunity, aging brings about changes in the number and function of various immune cells, including neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages.

Aortic diameter remodeling after frozen elephant trunk as a predictor of early outcomes in thoracoabdominal aortic repair.

Objective: Patients who underwent previous frozen elephant trunk implantation for Stanford type A aortic dissection remain at risk for secondary intervention due to unsuccessful distal aortic remodeling. We aimed to investigate the impact of distal aortic remodeling on early outcomes in patients who underwent 2-stage thoracoabdominal aortic repair.

Methods: A total of 106 patients who previously underwent frozen elephant trunk implantation and thoracoabdominal aortic repair between October 2014 and December 2022 were enrolled in this study.

Stimuli-responsive AIEgens with an ultra acidochromic scope for self-reporting soft actuators.

This study develops a series of NBI-based acidochromic AIEgens engineered for ultra-wide acidochromic scope in self-reporting soft actuators, establishing the relationship between the photophysical properties and structural configurations of the AIEgens, further investigating their acidochromic behavior and fabricating acidity monitoring chips. The acidochromic behaviors were thoroughly investigated, and high-precision acidity monitoring chips were fabricated. We confirmed the protonation order of nitrogen atoms within the molecules and elucidated the acidochromic mechanisms through DFT and H NMR analyses.

Long-term outcomes of extensive thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair utilizing normothermic iliac perfusion: A retrospective cohort study with 10-year single-center experience.

Background: Normothermic iliac perfusion has been increasingly utilized for TAAA repair; however, the long-term outcomes in large samples are lacking. This study was designed to assesses the perioperative and long-term results of thoracoabdominal aortic repair using normothermic iliac perfusion.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 156 patients having Crawford extent II or III thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm replacement with normothermic iliac perfusion from 2012 to 2022.

Deciphering the circulating immunological landscape of thoracic aortic aneurysm: Insights from a two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (TAA) poses significant health risks due to aortic dilation. Recent evidence suggests a pivotal role for the immune-inflammatory response in the mechanism of aortic aneurysm formation. In this study, we aim to investigate the causal relationship between circulating immune cells and TAA.

A Mendelian analysis of the relationships between immune cells and breast cancer.

Background: Emerging evidence showed immune cells were associated with the development of breast cancer. Nonetheless, the causal link between them remains uncertain. Consequently, the objective of this study was to investigate the causal connection between immune traits and the likelihood of developing breast cancer.

Role of hypoxia in cellular senescence.

Senescent cells persist and continuously secrete proinflammatory and tissue-remodeling molecules that poison surrounding cells, leading to various age-related diseases, including diabetes, atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease. The underlying mechanism of cellular senescence has not yet been fully explored. Emerging evidence indicates that hypoxia is involved in the regulation of cellular senescence.

Recombinant ferritins for multimodal nanomedicine.

In all living organisms, ferritins are a group of proteins important for maintaining iron homeostasis. Increasing amount of studies has shown that recombinant ferritins can be widely used in multimodal nanomedicine, especially for anticancer treatment and vaccination. Recombinant particles prepared by fusing viral proteins and ferritin subunits produce a better immune response and higher antibody titres.

The impact of antiplatelet therapy on the descending thoracic aorta fate and long-term prognosis of extensive repaired type A aortic dissection.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of antiplatelet therapy on the long-term descending thoracic aorta (DTA) fate and prognosis of extensive repaired type A aortic dissection (TAAD).

Methods: 1147 eligible TAAD patients from January 2010 to December 2019 were stratified into non-antiplatelet (n = 754) and antiplatelet groups (n = 393). The primary end points were overall survival, and DTA remodelling, including false lumen (FL) thrombosis and aortic redilation.

Impact of frozen elephant trunk on the outcomes of thoracoabdominal aortic repair with normothermic iliac perfusion.

Background: Frozen elephant trunk technique (FET) has been proven to provide an excellent landing zone for second-stage thoracoabdominal (TA) aortic repair. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of FET in TA aortic repair with normothermic iliac perfusion.

Methods: From January 2008 to December 2019, 144 patients undergoing TA repair with normothermic iliac perfusion were enrolled in this study.

The Relationship between the Incidence of Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction and Intraoperative Regional Cerebral Oxygen Saturation after Cardiovascular Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: To assess whether intraoperative monitoring and intervention of regional cerebral oxygen saturation levels can reduce the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery and contribute to patient prognosis.

Methods: The Cochrane Library, PubMed, and the Web of Science were systematically searched for relevant randomized controlled trials involving the effects of cerebral oxygen saturation on the cognitive function of patients after cardiovascular surgery from January 1, 2000 to May 1, 2022. The primary outcome was the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction.

The effects of short-term exposure to air pollution on mortality in Baotou, China, during 2015-2019.

Air pollution was considered one of the main causes linked to increased morbidity and mortality around the world. This study aimed to estimate the effect of air pollutants on daily death in Baotou city of Inner Mongolia. Daily deaths data were provided by Baotou Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the years 2015-2019 (Baotou CDC).

Nano-silica anti-icing coatings for protecting wind-power turbine fan blades.

Wind power is a promising electricity source. Nevertheless, wind turbine blade icing can cause severe problems in turbine operation. In this study, SiO spherical nanoparticles (∼90 nm), produced by RF (radio frequency) plasma spheroidization, were mixed with E51, PDMS, and ethyl acetate, and sprayed on the surface of aluminum plates and regular power windmill fan blades which were already coated with polyurethane primer.

lncRNA DARS-AS1 Modulates TSPAN1-Mediated ITGA2 Hypomethylation by Interaction with miR-194-5p Thus Promoting Ovarian Cancer Progression.

Objective: Ovarian cancer (OC) is usually called the "silent killer" due to its asymptomatic characteristics until advanced stages, thus being a significant threat to female health worldwide. In this work, we characterized an oncogenic DARS-AS1 role in OC.

Methods: The aggressiveness behaviors of the OC cell model were examined by CCK-8 assay, transwell invasion assay, flow cytometry, and immunoblotting analysis of apoptosis-related proteins.

Pandemic effect on corporate financial asset holdings: Precautionary or return-chasing?

This study empirically investigates whether and how the COVID-19 pandemic affects corporate financial asset holdings. We find that firms with higher pandemic exposure are less likely to hold financial assets. Mechanism analyses suggest that the return-chasing rationale dominates the precautionary motive concerning the pandemic effect on corporate financial asset holdings.

ISC-MTI: An IPFS and smart contract-based framework for machine learning model training and invocation.

Due to centralized storage, centralization problems are common in machine learning model training and invocation, which makes train data and trained models extremely vulnerable to tampering and stealing. A safe framework for training and invoking models called ISC-MTI (IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) and Smart Contract-Based Method for Storage and Invocation of Machine Learning Mobel) is proposed in this paper. The framework uses IPFS as the storage solution, EOS (Enterprise Operation System) blockchain as the smart contract platform, RSA and AES as the implementation of encrypted communication.

Interleukin 2 receptor subunit beta as a novel hub gene plays a potential role in the immune microenvironment of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is potentially life threatening and characterized by immune-inflammatory cell infiltration and extracellular matrix degradation. Currently, pharmacotherapy mainly aims to control risk factors without reversion of the dilated aorta. This study analyzed the immune-inflammatory response and identified the immune-related hub genes of AAA.

Hybrid Technique on the Total Arch Replacement for Type A Aortic Dissection: 12-year Clinical and Radiographical Outcomes From a Single Center.

Objective: Hybrid total arch replacement (HTAR) was an alternative for type A aortic dissection (TAAD). This study aimed to evaluate the clinical and radiographical outcomes of HTAR for TAAD and to evaluate the clinical outcomes of performing this procedure under mild hypothermia.

Methods: A total of 209 patients who underwent HTAR for TAAD were retrospectively analyzed and stratified into mild ( = 48) and moderate ( = 161) hypothermia groups to evaluate the effects of mild hypothermia on the clinical outcomes.

Short-term effects of gaseous air pollutants on outpatient visits for respiratory diseases: a case-crossover study in Baotou, China.

Air pollution is a major public health problem throughout the world. Although there have been several studies in this field, most of them have focused on particulate matter and only covered a few key cities. This study aimed to assess a potential association between exposure to gaseous air pollutants and outpatient visits for respiratory diseases in Baotou, China.

Association of household solid fuel use and long-term exposure to PM with arthritis in middle-aged and older population in China: A cohort study.

Air pollutants are common modifiable risk factors for arthritis. To explore the longitudinal effects of air pollution on arthritis based on a cohort study in middle-aged and elder people of China. Data was obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2018.

Frequency and Temperature-Dependent Space Charge Characteristics of a Solid Polymer under Unipolar Electrical Stresses of Different Waveforms.

In this paper, we studied the space charge phenomena of a solid polymer under thermal and electrical stresses with different frequencies and waveforms. By analyzing the parameter selection method of a protection capacitor and resistor, the newly built pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) system can be used for special electrical stresses under 500 Hz, based on which the charge phenomena are studied in detail under positive and negative DC and half-wave sine and rectangular wave voltages. Experimental results show that the charge accumulated in the polyimide polymer under DC conditions mainly comes from the grounded electrode side, and the amount of charge accumulated with electric field distortion becomes larger in a high-temperature environment.