Prevalence of frailty and prefrailty in systemic lupus erythematosus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Frailty is associated with mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but the prevalence is unclear. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the prevalence of frailty and prefrailty in SLE patients.

Methods: Four databases, namely PubMed, Cochrane, EMBASE, and Web of Science, were systematically searched from their inception to November 2024 to identify studies that fulfilled the predefined a priori inclusion criteria for systematic review and meta-analysis, and that specifically investigated frailty and prefrailty in patients with SLE.

Identification and Validation of Four Serum Biomarkers With Optimal Diagnostic and Prognostic Potential for Gastric Cancer Based on Machine Learning Algorithms.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is considered a highly heterogeneous disease, and currently, a comprehensive approach encompassing molecular data from various biological levels is lacking.

Methods: This study conducted different analyses, including the identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), weighted correlation networks (WGCNA), single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), mRNA expression-based stemness index (mRNAsi), and multiCox analysis, utilizing data from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. Subsequently, the machine learning algorithms including least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression and random forest (RF), combined with multiCox analysis were exploited to identify hub genes.

Neutralization of acyl CoA binding protein (ACBP) for the experimental treatment of osteoarthritis.

The plasma concentrations of acyl CoA binding protein (ACBP) encoded by the gene diazepam binding inhibitor (DBI) are increased in patients with severe osteoarthritis (OA). Here, we show that knee OA induces a surge in plasma ACBP/DBI in mice subjected to surgical destabilization of one hind limb. Knockout of the Dbi gene or intraperitoneal (i.

Characterization of quercetin-ovalbumin complexes stabilizing emulsions: A perspective on the complex binding mechanism.

Ovalbumin (OVA) is widely used in the food industry for its extremely rich nutritional value and special functional properties. Quercetin (Q) is a polyphenol with antioxidant and antibacterial properties. However, due to poor water solubility, the bioavailability of Q is greatly reduced.

pH Switchable Microemulsions: Minimize Salt Formation to Enhance the Reversibility of Switching.

The accumulation of water and salt constitutes one of the main factors impeding the attainment of superior reversibility for the pH-induced microemulsions (MEs) switching, with salt exerting a more significant effect. To address this problem, pH-switched MEs capable of reversible demulsification and microemulsification for over 10 times have been successfully fabricated based on a strategy that minimizes salt formation. The pH-switchable triethylamine laurate (CTEA) serves as a surfactant for the construction of MEs (CTEA-MEs), providing a reversible and rapid response to pH.

Highly efficient and durable anode catalyst layer constructed with deformable hollow IrOx nanospheres in low-iridium PEM water electrolyzer.

Reducing iridium packing density (gIr cm-3 electrode) represents a critical pathway to lower geometric Ir loading in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs), yet conventional approaches often cause performance issues of anode catalyst layer due to decreased structural stability and limited electron/mass transport efficiency. Here we present deformable hollow IrOx nanospheres (dh-IrOx) as a structural-engineered catalyst architecture that achieves an ultralow Ir packing density (20% of conventional IrO2 electrodes) while maintaining high catalytic activity and durability at reduced Ir loadings. Scalable synthesis of dh-IrOx via a hard-template method-featuring precise SiO2 nanosphere templating and conformal Ir(OH)3 coating-enables batch production of tens of grams.

MOF-Derived N-Doped Carbon Nanotube-Confined Ni Nanoparticles for the Simultaneous Electrochemical Detection of Cu²⁺ and Hg²⁺ with High Sensitivity and Stability.

Heavy metal pollution has posed a serious threat to the ecological environment and human health. Thus, the development of accurate and effective methods for their detection is crucial. In this study, a novel electrochemical sensor was fabricated to detect Cu and Hg, based on N-doped carbon nanotube-wrapped Ni nanoparticle (Ni@N-CNT) sensing material, which was derived from the pyrolysis of Ni doped ZIF-8.

An Investigation of the Mechanical Properties of Ti Films Reinforced with Wood Composites by Growing Ti Particles on a Wood Substrate.

Table tennis racquet blades (TTRBs) are specialized wood materials known for their excellent mechanical properties. As one of the widely used physical vapor deposition technologies, magnetron sputtering has become the most effective method for preparing various thin film materials. In this study, the surface of the TTRB is coated with a Ti film with different thicknesses by magnetron sputtering to improve the performance of the TTRB.

The association between living environment and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest risk in adults: the perspective of daily-life contexts.

Background: Studying the spatial pattern of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and its environmental impactors is crucial for both providing timely medical assistance and implementing preventative measures. Existing researches have mainly focused on natural and sociodemographic environments, usually at a macro- or meso-scale, while giving less attention to understanding the association between environment and OHCA risk from the perspective of daily-life contexts.

Methods: In this study, we utilized 1843 eligible OHCA cases from core districts of Beijing in 2020 and employed modified Besag-York-Mollié (BYM2) Bayesian models to investigate the association between living environment (consisting of food environment, physical activity environment, healthcare environment and leisure environment) and adult OHCA risk, as well as its age disparities, at a 1 × 1 km cell resolution.

Active microgel particle swarms for intrabronchial targeted delivery.

Intrabronchial delivery of therapeutic agents is critical to the treatment of respiratory diseases. Targeted delivery is demanded because of the off-target accumulation of drugs in normal lung tissues caused by inhalation and the limited motion dexterity of clinical bronchoscopes in tortuous bronchial trees. Herein, we developed microrobotic swarms consisting of magnetic hydrogel microparticles to achieve intrabronchial targeted delivery.

A new pyrrolopyrazine alkaloid from the fruit of .

A new pyrrolopyrazine alkaloid, named lycipyrazine A (), alone with seven known alkaloids (-), were isolated from the fruit of The structure of new compound was determined using extensive 1D and 2D spectroscopic analyses, while its absolute configuration was determined by comparison of its experimental and calculated ECD spectra. Their -glucosidase inhibitory activity was screened using acarbose as a positive control. Compound showed strong inhibitory activity against -glucosidase (IC = 3.

Surgical Stress and Non-Surgery Related Stress Synergistically Trigger Meningeal CD8 T Cells Accumulation and Subsequent Brain Dysfunction in Mice.

Patients are usually highly stressed during the immediate perioperative period. It remains unclear whether increased stress contributes to postoperative brain dysfunction. Here, the clinical perioperative setting was mimicked via exploratory laparotomy and perioperative restraint stress.

Blunted niacin skin flushing response in violent offenders with schizophrenia: A potential auxiliary diagnostic biomarker.

Schizophrenia (SZ) is associated with an increased risk of violence, with clinical diagnosis primarily relies on symptomatology. The niacin skin flushing response (NSFR) is proposed as a potential biomarker for SZ, but its effectiveness in violent offenders with schizophrenia (VOSZ) remains unevaluated. This study investigates whether the diagnostic model differentiating general SZ patients (GSZ) from healthy controls (HCs) using NSFR can also distinguish VOSZ from HCs.

Developmental air pollution exposure augments airway hyperreactivity, alters transcriptome, and DNA methylation in female adult progeny.

Maternal exposure to particulate air pollution increases the incidence and severity of asthma in offspring, yet the mechanisms for this are unclear. Known susceptibility loci are a minor component of this effect. We interrogate a mouse allergic airway disease model to assess epigenetic associations between maternal air pollution exposure and asthma responses in offspring.

Healthy dietary patterns in relation to cognitive performance and Alzheimer's disease mortality.

Background: Dietary factors play a major role in cognitive aging, but few studies have assessed and compared the associations between specific dietary patterns and Alzheimer's disease (AD) mortality.

Methods: We included 27,773 U.S.

Good to see you R2-D2: Inducing spontaneous perspective-taking towards non-human agents through human-like gaze and reach.

Observing the world from another's perspective is a fundamental social cognitive ability essential for human cooperation. With the increasing prevalence of intelligent systems in our society, highly intelligent social robots such as R2-D2 in Star Wars is becoming a reality, thus it is compelling to explore how this capability can extend from humans to non-human agents. Although previous research indicates that a human-like appearance might facilitate this extension, our study contends that human-like actions are more critical.

Fructose as a key biomarker for prognostication in idiopathic obstructive azoospermia associated with CFTR and ADGRG2 gene variants.

Background: Isolated obstructive azoospermia (iOA) is classified as a type of obstructive azoospermia (OA) where cases remain "unexplained" even after excluding congenital absence of the vas deferens and external factors. This study aimed to determine if certain semen characteristics in iOA patients could indicate underlying genetic variants.

Objectives: To investigate CFTR and ADGRG2 gene variants in patients with idiopathic obstructive azoospermia (iOA) and identify semen parameters associated with these variants to guide genetic testing.

Advances in the Understanding of ocular and nasal lymphatics.

Recent research advancements have enhanced our understanding of the lymphatic system in the eye and nasal region and its involvement in health and disease. The eye is an anatomical extension of the central nervous system and was previously believed to be devoid of lymphatic structures, except for the conjunctiva. However, Lymphatic vessels have been recently identified in the cornea (under pathological conditions), limbus, ciliary body, extraocular muscles, conjunctiva, lacrimal gland, optic nerve sheath, and lymphoid structures in the choroid and Schlemm's duct.

Autophagy Related 5 Promotes Mitochondrial Fission and Inflammation via HSP90-HIF-1α-Mediated Glycolysis in Kidney Fibrosis.

Although significant progress in identifying molecular mediators of fibrosis is made, there is still controversy regarding the role and mechanism of autophagy in kidney fibrosis. Here, this study finds that autophagy related 5 (ATG5) is obviously increased in uric acid (UA), aristolochic acid (AA) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-induced HK-2 cells, as well as in kidneys from patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and mice with hyperuricemic nephropathy (HN), aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN) and unilateral renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (uIRI). Conditional deletion of ATG5 in HN, AAN and uIRI murine models significantly alleviated aberrant glycolysis, attenuated pathological lesions, and improved kidney function.

Advancements in extracellular vesicles biomanufacturing: a comprehensive overview of large-scale production and clinical research.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized, membranous structures secreted by cells into the extracellular space, have attracted considerable attention in the field of biosciences for their role in intercellular communication in various physiological and pathological processes. Their ubiquitous presence in bodily fluids and cell-specific characteristics make them promising candidates as biomarkers. Additionally, their ability to transport biological therapeutics across different biological barriers to specific target cells underscores their significant translational potential for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Long-24-h ahemeral light cycle improved eggshell quality of hens in late laying period.

Previous study indicated that long-24-h ahemeral light cycle could ameliorate the deterioration of eggshell quality, a significant issue in the later stages of egg production; nevertheless, the underlying process remains unclear. This study explored the mechanism of the long-24-h ahemeral light cycle improving eggshell quality of hens in late laying stage. Two sets of 260 Hy-Line brown laying hens, aged 74 weeks, were randomized, with 65 chickens in each group.

Lipidomic Analysis of Serum Lipid Profiles in Idiopathic Central Precocious Puberty and the Potential Regulatory Role of GnRHa in Lipid Metabolism.

Idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) is an endocrine disorder increasingly observed in children, commonly treated with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa). However, the serum lipid profiles in girls with ICPP and the potential regulatory effects of GnRHa in lipid metabolism remain unclear. This research analyzed lipidomic profiles of serum samples from girls younger than 10 years of age, including 37 patients with ICPP, 32 ICPP patients treated with GnRHa, and 30 age-matched healthy controls.

Dual activation of GCGR/GLP1R signaling ameliorates intestinal fibrosis metabolic regulation of histone H3K9 lactylation in epithelial cells.

Intestinal fibrosis is a significant clinical challenge in inflammatory bowel diseases, but no effective anti-fibrotic therapy is currently available. Glucagon receptor (GCGR) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP1R) are both peptide hormone receptors involved in energy metabolism of epithelial cells. However, their role in intestinal fibrosis and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unexplored.

Immunosuppressed patient with suspected systemic infection: A case report.

Fungal infections are a significant cause of systemic infections in immunosuppressed patients. Studies indicate that the most prevalent fungal pathogens include (25 %), (25 %), and (25 %) [1]. , a lipophilic, opportunistic pathogenic yeast, primarily causes skin infections, but there are increasing reports of invasive infections.

2-Aminoethanethiol Hydroiodate Additives Induced Phase Stability Improvement of CsPbI Films for Use in Inorganic Perovskite Solar Cells.

This study investigates the role of 2-aminoethanethiol hydroiodate (2-AET·HI) additives in enhancing the phase stability and photovoltaic performance of CsPbI films for inorganic perovskite solar cells. The incorporation of 2-AET·HI into the precursor solution results in a more uniform and compact film morphology. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis reveals that the 2-AET·HI-treated CsPbI films retain their black α-phase, even after 300 h at 25% RH and ∼25 °C, whereas the control samples show a rapid transition to the nonphotoactive δ-phase.