Distinct airway mycobiome signature in patients with pulmonary hypertension and subgroups.

Background: The association between lung microbiome and pulmonary hypertension (PH) remain unknown. This study aims to define the airway mycobiome signature and its potential correlation with clinical parameters of PH.

Methods: Overall, 244 patients with PH and 120 healthy controls (CON) were recruited from three independent centers.

Intended Mismatch DNA Nanocomplexes for Ultrasensitive, Enzymatic Colorimetric Detection of MPOX Virus in Minutes Using a Paper-Based Fast-Flow Micromixing Device.

In 2024, mpox (formerly "monkeypox") re-emerged as a global health threat due to the more severe Clade I strain, underscoring the need for rapid, accessible diagnostics. Traditional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods, while effective, demand complex laboratory infrastructure and extended processing times. To address these limitations, this study presents a fast-flow micromixer paper-based analytical device (fmPAD) designed for ultrasensitive, rapid mpox virus (MPXV) detection.

Droplet pairing-merging enabled digital RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a (DIMERIC) assay for rapid and precise quantification of Hepatitis B Virus DNA.

Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA)-CRISPR/Cas12a assays have demonstrated remarkable potential for point-of-care detection of pathogens in resource-limited settings. Nevertheless, these assays fall short in delivering direct quantitative results due to the incompatibility between the RPA and CRISPR/Cas12a systems. To overcome this limitation, we developed a droplet pairing-merging enabled digital RPA-CRISPR/Cas12a (DIMERIC) assay in this study.

A High-Throughput and Logarithm-Serial-Dilution Microfluidic Chip for Combinational Drug Screening on Tumor Organoids.

Tumor organoids are biological models for studying precision medicine. Microfluidic technology offers significant benefits for high throughput drug screening using tumor organoids. However, the range of concentrations achievable with traditional linear gradient generators in microfluidics is restricted, generating logarithmic drug concentration gradients by adjusting the channel ratio in the chip is confined to single-drug dilution chips, significantly restricting the application of microfluidics in drug screening.

An integrated microfluidic device for sorting of tumor organoids using image recognition.

Tumor organoids present a challenge in drug screening due to their considerable heterogeneity in morphology and size. To address this issue, we proposed a portable microfluidic device that employs image processing algorithms for specific target organoid recognition and microvalve-controlled deflection for sorting and collection. This morphology-activated organoid sorting system offers numerous advantages, such as automated classification, portability, low cost, label-free sample preparation, and gentle handling of organoids.

Magnetic soft microrobots for erectile dysfunction therapy.

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a major threat to male fertility and quality of life, and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are a promising therapeutic option. However, therapeutic outcomes are compromised by low MSC retention and survival rates in corpus cavernosum tissue. Here, we developed an innovative magnetic soft microrobot comprising an ultrasoft hydrogel microsphere embedded with a magnetic nanoparticle chain for MSC delivery.

Clinical and pathogen features of COVID-19-associated infections during an Omicron strain outbreak in Guangzhou, China.

Unlabelled: Although the Omicron variant has been associated with greater transmissibility and tropism of the upper respiratory tract, the clinical and pathogenic features of patients infected with the Omicron variant during an outbreak in China have been unclear. Adults with COVID-19 were retrospectively enrolled from seven medical centers in Guangzhou, China, and clinical information and specimens ( BALF, sputum, and throat swabs) from participants were collected. Conventional detection methods, metagenomics next-generation sequencing (mNGS), and other methods were used to detect pathogens in lower respiratory tract samples.

Impact of diabetes on COVID-19 and glucocorticoids on patients with COVID-19 and diabetes during the Omicron variant epidemic: a multicenter retrospective cohort study in South China.

Background: To explore the impact of diabetes on the clinical features and prognosis of COVID-19 and assess the influence of glucocorticoid use on the prognosis of patients with COVID-19 and diabetes.

Methods: This retrospective multicenter cohort study included patients admitted between December 2022 and January 2023. The patients were grouped according to diabetes and glucocorticoid use.

Exosomes from Hypoxia Preconditioned Muscle-Derived Stem Cells Enhance Cell-Free Corpus Cavernosa Angiogenesis and Reproductive Function Recovery.

Tissue engineering for penile corpora cavernosa defects requires microvascular system reconstruction.GelMA hydrogels show promise for tissue regeneration. However, using stem cells faces challenges such as immune rejection, limited proliferation and differentiation, and biosafety concerns.

The Waxy Gene Has Pleiotropic Effects on Hot Water-Soluble and -Insoluble Amylose Contents in Rice () Grains.

Rice () is a cereal crop with a starchy endosperm. Starch is composed of amylose and amylopectin. Amylose content (AC) is the principal determinant of rice quality, but varieties with similar ACs can still vary substantially in their quality.

Development of biomedical hydrogels for rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder that hinders the normal functioning of bones and joints and reduces the quality of human life. Every year, millions of people are diagnosed with RA worldwide, particularly among elderly individuals and women. Therefore, there is a global need to develop new biomaterials, medicines and therapeutic methods for treating RA.

Causal role of lipid metabolism in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis: an observational and mendelian randomisation study.

Background: Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) is a rare interstitial lung disease characterised by the accumulation of lipoprotein material in the alveoli. Although dyslipidaemia is a prominet feature, the causal effect of lipid traits on PAP remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the role of lipid traits in PAP and evaluate the potential of lipid-lowering drug targets in PAP.

Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for COVID-19 and influenza H1N1 associated acute respiratory distress syndrome: A comparative cohort study in China.

Background: Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) has been demonstrated to be effective in treating patients with virus-induced acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, whether the management of ECMO is different in treating H1N1 influenza and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated ARDS patients remains unknown.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study.

Development of mRNA nano-vaccines for COVID-19 prevention and its biochemical interactions with various disease conditions and age groups.

This review has focused on the development of mRNA nano-vaccine and the biochemical interactions of anti-COVID-19 mRNA vaccines with various disease conditions and age groups. It studied five major groups of individuals with different disease conditions and ages, including allergic background, infarction background, adolescent, and adult (youngsters), pregnant women, and elderly. All five groups had been reported to have background-related adverse effects.

Identification of a Seed Vigor-Related QTL Cluster Associated with Weed Competitive Ability in Direct-Seeded Rice (Oryza Sativa L.).

Direct seeding of rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a low-labor and sustainable cultivation method that is used worldwide. Seed vigor and early vigor are important traits associated with seedling stand density (SSD) and weed competitive ability (WCA), which are key factors in direct-seeded rice (DSR) cultivation systems.

Mechanical stretch promotes apoptosis and impedes ciliogenesis of primary human airway basal stem cells.

Background: Airway basal stem cells (ABSCs) have self-renewal and differentiation abilities. Although an abnormal mechanical environment related to chronic airway disease (CAD) can cause ABSC dysfunction, it remains unclear how mechanical stretch regulates the behavior and structure of ABSCs. Here, we explored the effect of mechanical stretch on primary human ABSCs.

Long-term efficacy and safety of the Dumon stent for treatment of benign airway stenosis.

Background: The long-term efficacy of the Dumon stent in the treatment of benign airway stenosis is unclear.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of the Dumon stent in patients with benign airway stenosis.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with benign airway stenosis who were treated with a Dumon stent at the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University between March 2014 and October 2021.

T cell receptor and B cell receptor exhibit unique signatures in tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: The tumor microenvironment in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is complicated. Tumor-infiltrating T and B cells play a pivotal role in anti-tumor immunity. T cell receptor (TCR) and B cell receptor (BCR) features may reflect the disease-associated antigen response.

A Directly Moldable, Highly Compact, and Easy-for-Integration 3D Micromixer with Extraordinary Mixing Performance.

Micromixers are a critical component in microfluidics. However, most 2D passive micromixers produce optimal mixing at a high flow rate range and 3D micromixers require mm-scale channels or a complex assembly that is unsuitable for microfluidic applications. Here, we reported a 3D PDMS micromixer based on the splitting-stretching-recombination (SSR) of streams to facilitate molecular diffusion, which can effectively and rapidly mix solutions with low Reynolds numbers (0.

Assessing the chronic hepatitis B adaptive immune response by profiling specific T-cell receptor repertoire.

Challenges in assessing hepatitis B virus (HBV)-specific T cell immunity as an immunological biomarker still remain in chronic hepatitis B (CHB), such as the requirement of large quantities of cells. This study aims to conveniently assess HBV-specific T cells immunity in chronic HBV infected patients. We obtained T cell receptor β chains (TCRβs) from public databases and six acute hepatitis B patients to establish an HBV-specific TCRβs dataset.

Exploring the robustness of DNA nanotubes framework for anticancer theranostics toward the 2D/3D clusters of hypopharyngeal respiratory tumor cells.

This study aimed to develop a robust approach for the early diagnosis and treatment of tumors. Short circular DNA nanotechnology synthesized a stiff and compact DNA nanotubes (DNA-NTs) framework. TW-37, a small molecular drug, was loaded into DNA-NTs for BH3-mimetic therapy to elevate the intracellular cytochrome-c levels in 2D/3D hypopharyngeal tumor (FaDu) cell clusters.

All-perfluoropolymer, nonlinear stability-assisted monolithic surface combines topology-specific superwettability with ultradurability.

Developing versatile and robust surfaces that mimic the skins of living beings to regulate air/liquid/solid matter is critical for many bioinspired applications. Despite notable achievements, such as in the case of developing robust superhydrophobic surfaces, it remains elusive to realize simultaneously topology-specific superwettability and multipronged durability owing to their inherent tradeoff and the lack of a scalable fabrication method. Here, we present a largely unexplored strategy of preparing an all-perfluoropolymer (Teflon), nonlinear stability-assisted monolithic surface for efficient regulating matters.

Deep Learning-Based Segmentation of Airway Morphology from Endobronchial Optical Coherence Tomography.

Background: Manual measurement of endobronchial optical coherence tomography (EB-OCT) images means a heavy workload in the clinical practice, which can also introduce bias if the subjective opinions of doctors are involved.

Objective: We aim to develop a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based EB-OCT image analysis algorithm to automatically identify and measure EB-OCT parameters of airway morphology.

Methods: The ResUNet, MultiResUNet, and Siamese network were used for analyzing airway inner area (Ai), airway wall area (Aw), airway wall area percentage (Aw%), and airway bifurcate segmentation obtained from EB-OCT imaging, respectively.