Assessing inflammatory protein factors in inflammatory bowel Disease using multivariable mendelian randomization.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), decreases quality of life and causes disability. The underlying processes are not fully understood. This study uses Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to identify cytokines that may be associated with UC and CD, aiding in early diagnosis and treatment decisions.

Vitexin alleviates MNNG-induced chronic atrophic gastritis via inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The dried fruit of Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge (Hawthorn in Chinese) is a traditional medicine used in China, Japan and Korea for thousands of years. Hawthorn is documented in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, as a folk medicine that is used to eliminate food, strengthen the stomach, move qi and dissipate blood stasis, treat stagnation of meat and food, gastric distention and fullness, and has anti-inflammatory effects. Vitexin, a flavonoid glycoside, is an important biologically active compound derived from Hawthorn, with significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Taxonomic Revision of Ningshan Odd-Scaled Snake, (Serpentes, Xenodermidae), with Description of a New Subspecies from Western China.

(Yang, Huang, Jiang, Burbrink, and Huang, 2022) was first described in Ningshan County, Shaanxi Province, China in 2022, based on seven female specimens. In this study, based on phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA (), 16S ribosomal RNA (), cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (), cytochrome b (cyt ) gene fragments, and morphological examinations of specimens, we revise the taxonomic status of , and provide additional data on this species. The molecular phylogeny indicated that is nested in a highly supported monophyletic group, forming a sister taxon to , and is divided into two well-supported lineages, A and B, with an uncorrected -distance between lineages from 3.

Pilot Study of Acute and Subchronic Oral Toxicological Biosafety Evaluation of Resorcinol-Formaldehyde Aerogel Nanomaterial in Kunming Mice.

Resorcinol-formaldehyde aerogel (RFa) is a unique nanomaterial composed of polymer nanoparticles with a three-dimensional network structure. Our previous studies have demonstrated its application in the separation and purification of alkaloids, and we are exploring its application potential as the drug delivery carrier. Therefore, it is necessary to comprehensively understand the in vivo toxicity profile of RFa and evaluate its oral biosafety.

Development of Broad-Spectrum β-Cyclodextrins-Based Nanomaterials Against Influenza Viruses.

In recent decades, epidemics and pandemics have multiplied throughout the world, with viruses generally being the primary responsible agents. Among these, influenza viruses play a key role, as they potentially cause severe respiratory distress, representing a major threat to public health. Our study aims to develop new broad-spectrum antivirals against influenza to improve the response to viral disease outbreaks.

High-quality genome assembly and annotation of the crested gecko (Correlophus ciliatus).

Correlophus ciliatus, or the crested gecko, is widely kept as a pet in many countries around the world due to its ease to care and bred and its high survival rate. However, there is limited number of genomic studies on the crested gecko. In this study, we generated a high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly of the crested gecko by combining Nanopore, Illumina, and Hi-C data.

Mechanical effect of taper position in abutment hole and screw taper angles on implant system and peri-implant tissue: a finite element analysis.

Purpose: The study aimed to investigate the mechanical effects of the taper position in the abutment hole and the screw taper angles on the implant system and peri-implant tissue using finite element analysis.

Methods: Four taper positions (L1, L2, L3, L4) in the abutment hole were established using 3D software and five screw taper angles (30°, 60°, 90°, 120°, 180°) were set.

Result: Taper position significantly affects the stresses in the implant system.

The pore-forming apolipoprotein APOL7C drives phagosomal rupture and antigen cross-presentation by dendritic cells.

Conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) generate protective cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses against extracellular pathogens and tumors. This is achieved through a process known as cross-presentation (XP), and, despite its biological importance, the mechanism(s) driving XP remains unclear. Here, we show that a cDC-specific pore-forming protein called apolipoprotein L 7C (APOL7C) is up-regulated in response to innate immune stimuli and is recruited to phagosomes.

Comparative Analysis of the Safety and Feasibility of Laparoscopic Versus Open Segment 7 Hepatectomy.

Background: Laparoscopic hepatectomy has been widely accepted owing to its advantages as a minimally invasive surgery; however, laparoscopic segment 7 (S7) hepatectomy (LSH) has been rarely reported. We aimed to explore the safety and feasibility of LSH by comparing it with open surgical approaches.

Methods: Twenty-nine patients who underwent S7 hepatectomy between January 2016 and January 2023 were enrolled in this study.

"Two zones and three centers" distribution and suitable areas shift of an evergreen oak in subtropical China under climate scenarios.

Understanding the impact of climate change on the geographical distribution of species is a fundamental requirement for biodiversity conservation and resource management. , an evergreen oak endemic to China, plays a crucial role in maintaining the ecological stability in subtropical regions and high economic value attributed to its dark and high-density heartwood, but the existing resources are close to endangered. Currently, limited knowledge exists regarding its distribution and potential influences of climate change on suitable areas.

Carbon footprint analysis of wastewater treatment processes coupled with sludge in situ reduction.

The goal of this study was to assess the impacts or benefits of sludge in situ reduction (SIR) within wastewater treatment processes with relation to global warming potential in wastewater treatment plants, with a comprehensive consideration of wastewater and sludge treatment. The anaerobic side-stream reactor (ASSR) and the sludge process reduction activated sludge (SPRAS), two typical SIR technologies, were used to compare the carbon footprint analysis results with the conventional anaerobic - anoxic - oxic (AAO) process. Compared to the AAO, the ASSR with a typical sludge reduction efficiency (SRE) of 30 % increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 1.

A new species of the newt genus (Amphibia, Urodela, Salamandridae) from Jiangxi Province, southeastern China.

A new newt species, , is described based on nine specimens collected from Huanggangshan Mountains, Yanshan County, Jiangxi, China. Morphologically, the new species is characterized by the combination of nine external characters: (1) obvious black patches with clear boundaries on the whole body; (2) ground color of the dorsal body tan; (3) ground color of venter bright orange; (4) skin rough; (5) vertebral ridge weak; (6) fingers and toes overlapping when forelimb and hindlimb adpressed towards each other along body; (7) postocular orange spot absent; (8) small white warty glands around the eye; (9) two discontinuous longitudinal lines formed by white warty glands from neck to lateral parts of tail. Molecularly, the new species forms an independent clade with strong support in the phylogenetic trees of the genus based on the mitochondrial locus of NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (ND2) gene fragments.

Stable zinc anode solid electrolyte interphase via inner Helmholtz plane engineering.

The inner Helmholtz plane and thus derived solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) are crucial interfacial structure to determine the electrochemical stability of Zn-ion battery (ZIB). In this work, we demonstrate that introducing β-cyclodextrins (CD) as anion-receptors into Zn(OTf) aqueous electrolyte could significantly optimize the Zn anode SEI structure for achieving stable ZIB. Specifically, β-CD with macrocyclic structure holds appropriate cavity size and charge distribution to encase OTf anions at the Zn metal surface to form β-CD@OTf dominated inner Helmholtz structure.

Molecular Bridging Induced Anti-Salting-Out Effect Enabling High Ionic Conductive ZnSO-Based Hydrogel for Quasi-Solid-State Zinc Ion Batteries.

Hydrogel electrolytes (HEs) hold great promise in tackling severe issues emerging in aqueous zinc-ion batteries, but the prevalent salting-out effect of kosmotropic salt causes low ionic conductivity and electrochemical instability. Herein, a subtle molecular bridging strategy is proposed to enhance the compatibility between PVA and ZnSO from the perspective of hydrogen-bonding microenvironment re-construction. By introducing urea containing both an H-bond acceptor and donor, the broken H-bonds between PVA and HO, initiated by the SO -driven HO polarization, could be re-united via intense intermolecular hydrogen bonds, thus leading to greatly increased carrying capacity of ZnSO.

Comparative genomics sheds new light on the convergent evolution of infrared vision in snakes.

Infrared vision is a highly specialized sensory system that evolved independently in three clades of snakes. Apparently, convergent evolution occurred in the transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 () proteins of infrared-sensing snakes. However, this gene can only explain how infrared signals are received, and not the transduction and processing of those signals.

A new species of the genus (Squamata, Natricidae) from Yunnan, China.

A new species of the genus Thompson, 1913 is described from Yingjiang County, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, based on molecular and morphological evidence. It can be distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: (1) dorsal scale rows 19-17-17, feebly keeled; (2) ventrals 146-151; (3) nasal complete, nostril in the middle of the nasal; (4) supralabials 9, the fourth to sixth in contact with the eye; (5) infralabials 10-11, the first 5 touching the first pair of chin shields; (6) preoculars 2; (7) postoculars 3; (8) temporals 3, arranged in two rows (1+2); (9) maxillary teeth 31, the last 4 slightly enlarged, without diastema; (10) tail comparatively long, TAL/TL ratio 0.334 in the male; (11) dorsolateral series of irregular orange or ochre yellow blotches, extending from the neck to the posterior part of the tail; and (12) venter pale orange, tips of ventrals with subrectangular black blotches.

A new record and a novel morph description of (Squamata, Colubridae) from China.

Background: The Asian Cat Snake genus Fitzinger, 1826 includes 37 species, with high species diversity. Five species of have been recorded in China including (Boie, 1827), (Stejneger, 1902), (Duméril, Bibron & Duméril, 1854), (Wen, 1998) and (Nutaphand, 1971). Previously, the validity of the species (Wall, 1909) was controversial.

Take-out food enhances the risk of MPs ingestion and obesity, altering the gut microbiome in young adults.

Young people are consuming large amounts of microplastics (MPs) due to the booming development of the take-out industry. To investigate the association between MPs exposure and obesity, 121 volunteers were divided into high MPs exposure (HME) and low MPs exposure (LME) according to the frequency of take-out food consumption. Fecal samples were collected for MPs detection using Raman spectra analysis, and identification of the gut microbiota was based on 16 S rDNA/ITS, while metabolite analysis was performed by LC-MS/MS.

Establishment of a human nasal epithelium model of histamine-induced inflammation to assess the activity of fexofenadine as an inverse agonist and its link to clinical benefit.

Background: Fexofenadine (FEX) is an antihistamine that acts as an inverse agonist against histamine (HIS) receptor 1 (H1R), which mediates the allergic reaction. Inverse agonists may be more potent than neutral antagonists, as they bind the same receptor as the agonist (HIS) but stabilize the inactive form and induce an opposite pharmacological response, suppressing the basal activity of H1R and preventing HIS from binding. This study aims to establish and validate a model of HIS-induced inflammation based on fully reconstituted human nasal epithelial tissue to assess the activity of FEX as an inverse agonist in this model and explore its link to clinical benefit.