Association between preserved ratio impaired spirometry and 1-year clinical outcomes in patients with bronchiectasis patients: A cohort study.

Background: Preserved Ratio Impaired Spirometry (PRISm) (defined as the ratio of forced expired volume in the first second to forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) greater than 0·70 with a FEV1 of less than 80% predicted) is associated with a higher risk of hospitalizations and mortality in the general population. However, less is known about whether PRISm is associated with adverse clinical outcomes in patients with bronchiectasis. We aimed to investigate whether PRISm is associated with adverse clinical outcomes in bronchiectasis patients.

A sparse latent class model incorporating response times.

Diagnostic models (DM) have been widely used to classify respondents' latent attributes in cognitive and non-cognitive assessments. The integration of response times (RTs) with DM presents additional evidence to understand respondents' problem-solving behaviours. While recent research has explored using sparse latent class models (SLCM) to infer the latent structure of items based on item responses, the incorporation of RT data within these models remains underexplored.

Quaternized Molecular Brush-Grafted Injectable Microgel with Anti-Inflammatory and Drainage Properties for Efficient Therapy of Anal Fistula.

Anal fistula is a common disease with recurrent inflammation and accumulated exudate. Traditional treatments often fail to effectively eliminate inflammation and ensure adequate drainage, leading to prolonged healing time and a high recurrence rate. Herein, a new class of quaternized molecular brush-grafted injectable microgel (denoted as GAA@CNT-g-PVBTMA) is developed through thermal polymerization and mechanical fragmentation to promote the healing process of anal fistula.

Interfacial engineering of heterostructured CoP/FeP nanoflakes as bifunctional electrocatalyts toward alkaline water splitting.

Exploring highly-effective and nonprecious electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is urgent and challenging for developing the hydrogen economy. Interface engineering is a feasible approach for regulating the surface electronic distribution, thereby promoting the catalytic performance. Herein, the CoP/FeP heterostructure is fabricated via the oxidation and phosphating treatments of Fe-decorated Ni(OH) nanoflakes.

Uptake of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes in Mouse Brain through Intranasal Delivery.

Introduction: Exosomes are nanoscale extracellular vesicles that widely participate in intercellular communication. An increasing number of studies have reported on the neuroprotective effects of stem cell-derived exosomes in brain diseases through various delivery methods. However, only a few reports are available on the delivery and uptake of stem cell-derived exosomes in the brains of mice of different ages.

Discovery and Heterologous Expression of Functional 4--Dimethylallyl-l-tyrosine Synthases from Lichen-Forming Fungi.

Fungal aromatic prenyltransferases are a family of biosynthetic enzymes that catalyze the prenylation of a range of aromatic substrates during the biosynthesis of bioactive indole alkaloids, diketopiperazines, and meroterpenoids. Their broad substrate scope and soluble nature make these enzymes particularly adept for applications in biocatalysis; for example, the enzymatic derivatization of aromatic drugs improves their bioactivity. Here, we investigated four putative aromatic prenyltransferases from lichen-forming fungi, an underexplored group of organisms that produce more than 1,000 unique metabolites.

The Association Between Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index at Admission and Readmission in Patients with Bronchiectasis.

Purpose: Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII), calculated by (neutrophils count × platelet count)/lymphocytes count, is a novel index of the local immune response and systemic inflammation response. The SII has been shown to play an important role in the prognosis of many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer and COPD. However, its role in the prognosis of bronchiectasis remains unclear and requires further investigation.

Novel Tubeimoside I liposomal drug delivery system in combination with gemcitabine for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

To evaluate the anti-pancreatic cancer effect of novel Tubeimoside I multifunctional liposomes combined with gemcitabine. Liposomes were prepared through the thin film hydration method, with evaluations conducted on parameters including encapsulation efficiency (EE%), particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential (ZP), storage stability, and release over a 7-day period. The cellular uptake rate, therapeutic efficacy and and the role of immune microenvironment modulation were evaluated.

Synergistic Leaching of Titanium, Aluminum, and Magnesium Components during Dilute Acid Pressure Treatment of High-Titanium Blast Furnace Slag.

This study focuses on an improved leaching process through the combination of pressurized conditions and direct filtration of acid leaching slurry, which is conductive to improving the filterability of acid leaching systems and the extraction rates of Ti, Al, and Mg components. The effects of sulfuric acid concentration, reaction temperature, particle size of materials, acid-slag ratio, and reaction time on the leaching efficiency were systematically investigated. The results showed that pressurization significantly enhances the filtration efficiency of the reaction slurry.

Investigating Directional Invariance in an Item Response Tree Model for Extreme Response Style and Trait-Based Unfolding Responses.

Item response tree (IRTree) approaches have received increasing attention in the response style literature due to their capability to partial out response style latent traits from content-related latent traits by considering separate decisions for agreement and level of agreement. Additionally, it has shown that the functioning of the intensity of agreement decision may depend upon the agreement decision with an item, so that the item parameters and person parameters may differ by direction of agreement; when the parameters across direction are the same, this is called directional invariance. Furthermore, for non-cognitive psychological constructs, it has been argued that the response process may be best described as following an unfolding process.

Charge adaptive phytochemical-based nanoparticles for eradication of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus biofilms.

The intrinsic resistance of MRSA coupled with biofilm antibiotic tolerance challenges the antibiotic treatment of MRSA biofilm infections. Phytochemical-based nanoplatform is a promising emerging approach for treatment of biofilm infection. However, their therapeutic efficacy was restricted by the low drug loading capacity and lack of selectivity.

Naringin dihydrochalcone alleviates sepsis-induced acute lung injury via improving gut microbial homeostasis and activating GPR18 receptor.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life-threatening disease characterized by severe lung inflammation and intestinal microbiota disorder. The GPR18 receptor has been demonstrated to be a potential therapeutic target against ALI. Extracting Naringin dihydrochalcone (NDC) from the life-sustaining orange peel is known for its diverse anti-inflammatory properties, yet the specific action target remains uncertain.

Analysis of extreme ultraviolet radiation and hydrodynamics simulation at the core of laser-produced nickel plasmas.

The non-uniformity and transient nature of laser-produced plasma are critical factors that affect the analysis of the extreme ultraviolet spectra of highly charged ions and the diagnosis of plasma states. This paper systematically investigates the characteristics of extreme ultraviolet radiation and the hydrodynamic evolution of laser-produced nickel plasmas from two perspectives: high-spatio-temporal-resolution extreme-ultraviolet spectroscopic measurement and radiation hydrodynamics simulation. The consistency between the four-band experimental spectra and their theoretically simulated spectra confirms the accuracy of the atomic structure parameters and plasma state parameters.

Emulsion template fabricated heterogeneous bilayer gelatin-based scaffolds with sustained-delivery of lycium barbarum glycopeptide for periodontitis treatment.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease raising the risks of tooth-supporting structures destruction and even tooth loss. The way to reconstruct periodontal bone tissues in inflammatory microenvironment has been long in demand for periodontitis treatment. In this study, the lycium barbarum glycopeptide (LbGP) loaded gelatin-based scaffolds were fabricated for periodontitis treatment.

COPD Assessment Test and risk of readmission in patients with bronchiectasis: a prospective cohort study.

Introduction: Readmission following bronchiectasis exacerbation is a common and challenging clinical problem and few simple predictive tools exist. The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) is an easy-to-use questionnaire. This study aims to evaluate the predictive value of CAT scores in determining the risk of readmission in patients with bronchiectasis exacerbation.

Long-term Changes in Low Anterior Resection Syndrome in Survivors of Rectal Cancer: Longitudinal Follow-up of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Postoperative bowel dysfunction, also known as low anterior resection syndrome, is common in rectal cancer survivors and significantly impacts quality of life. Although long-term longitudinal follow-up is lacking, improvement of the syndrome is commonly believed to happen only within the first 2 years.

Objective: This study aimed to depict the longitudinal evolvement of low anterior resection syndrome beyond 3 years and explore factors associated with changes.

Kinetics of extracting valuable components from Ti-bearing blast furnace slag by acidolysis with sulphuric acid.

Ti-bearing blast furnace slag is a kind of solid waste produced by Pangang Group Company through the blast furnace smelting method. A variety of valuable components can be extracted from the Ti-bearing blast furnace slag after acidolysis with concentrated sulphuric acid. In order to study the kinetics of acidolysis, this paper investigated the effects of the acidolysis temperature, acid-slag ratio and raw material particle size on the overall extraction rate of Ti, Mg and Al components at different reaction times, and simulated the acidolysis process by using the unreacted shrinking core model.

Hyaluronic acid-functionalized DDAB/PLGA nanoparticles for improved oral delivery of magnolol in the treatment of ulcerative colitis.

Dysfunction of the mucosal barrier as well as local inflammation are major challenges in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). Mag, a natural compound derived from traditional Chinese medicine, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and mucosal protection properties. However, its poor gastrointestinal stability as well as its insufficient accumulation in inflamed colonic lesions limit its potential use as an alternative therapeutic drug in UC.

Reconstruction and analysis of transient evolution images of laser-produced plasma plumes.

We introduce a method for the analysis and simulation of transient images of laser-produced plasma (LPP) plumes. This method comprises three steps: (i) calculating the two-dimensional distribution of plasma parameters using a radiation hydrodynamics model, (ii) constructing radiation paths through ray tracing, and (iii) solving the radiation transport equation along these paths. In our simulations, we have meticulously considered factors that could influence the imaging results, including the quantum efficiency to different radiation wavelengths, the imaging lens' transmittance, the target surface's reflectivity, and the absorption, emission, and scattering quantum effect of the detector processes occurring in the plasma.