Whole-genome sequencing identifies novel loci for keratoconus and facilitates risk stratification in a Han Chinese population.

Background: Keratoconus (KC) is a prevalent corneal condition with a modest genetic basis. Recent studies have reported significant genetic associations in multi-ethnic cohorts. However, the situation in the Chinese population remains unknown.

Ocular neuromyotonia after peribulbar block.

A man in his 60s developed an intermittent, variable left hypotropia with symptomatic diplopia following nasal pterygium surgery in the left eye. No tropia was present for most of the day, but a variable left hypotropia of 25 could be provoked with downgaze. There was no history of radiation or other trauma.

Multiple mechanisms mediate aztreonam-avibactam resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae: driven by KPC-2 and OmpK36 mutations.

Aztreonam-avibactam (ATM-AVI) is a promising β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination with an antimicrobial spectrum covering serine carbapenemase- or metallo-β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales. Although ATM-AVI has not been widely used in clinical practice, resistance to it in Escherichia coli has been widely reported. In this study, we investigated an ATM-AVI-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strain, designated as 1705R, derived from K.

Preparation and characterization of cellulose nanocrystal coated with silver nanoparticles with antimicrobial activity by enzyme method.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) exhibit broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and serve as effective antimicrobial agents against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In this study, agricultural waste corn straw was used as the raw material to obtain cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) through enzymatic hydrolysis. The hydrolysate was employed as reducing agents to synthesize CNC-AgNPs.

Identification and Characterization of Endophytic Fungus DJE2023 Isolated from Banana ( sp. cv. Dajiao) with Potential for Biocontrol of Banana Fusarium Wilt.

This study characterized an endophytic fungus, DJE2023, isolated from healthy banana sucker of the cultivar (cv.) Dajiao. Its potential as a biocontrol agent against banana Fusarium wilt was assessed, aiming to provide a novel candidate strain for the biological control of the devastating disease.

Green Carbon Dots/CaCO/Abamectin Colloidal Pesticide Formulation for Safer and More Effective Pest Management.

An ideal green leaf-deposited pesticide formulation should offer advantages such as good water dispersibility, strong foliar affinity, sustained or controlled release of active ingredients, photostability and rain-fastness, minimal nontarget toxicity, use of nontoxic organic solvents, and degradable adjuvants. In line with this objective, we present green preparation of a colloidal pesticide formulation using optimized lysine-derived carbon dots (LysCDs)-modified CaCO (LysCDs/CaCO) particles as the carrier and abamectin (Abm) as the active ingredient. The loading capacity of abamectin in this colloidal pesticide (LysCDs/CaCO/Abm) is 1.

Research progress on the anti-tumor effects of euphorbia humifusa.

EH (Euphorbia Humifusa) is commonly known as ground spurge, contains various compounds such as flavonoids, triterpenes, coumarins, sterols, tannins, and phenolic acids. It exerts a wide spectrum of properties including anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, anti-viral, hypoglycemic, and anti-tumor. In this article, we focus on the antitumor effects of EH and its active constituents, providing evidence for further research on this medicinal herb.

Sliding-tunable terahertz beam meta-deflector based on a 3D-printed bilayer.

To cope with the rapid preparation and tunable function of terahertz (THz) devices, a kind of THz beam meta-deflector (BMD) based on a bilayer metasurface doublet is proposed to implement tunable beam deflection with additional functions. By superimposing functional phases on one of the layers and sliding the other layer, the BMDs can achieve continuously beam deflection with beam splitting or beam focusing. It is possible to quickly switch between different functions by replacing the functional phase.

Clodronate liposome-mediated macrophage depletion ameliorates iron overload-induced dry eye disease.

Dry eye disease (DED) is a prevalent ophthalmic disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Iron overload and macrophage inflammation have been implicated in the development of murine DED, though the specific role of macrophages under iron overload conditions remains unclear. This study aimed to establish a novel iron overload-induced mouse model of DED and investigate macrophage involvement.

A Young Woman with Hemoptysis as the main Manifestation of Isolated UAPA with Multiple Vascular Malformations.

Background: The unilateral absence of a pulmonary artery (UAPA) is a very rare congenital pulmonary vascular malformation. Since the first case was reported in 1868, the overall incidence of UAPA has been at a level of 1/300,000 - 1,200,000. Isolated UAPA without other cardiac anomalies is rare.

Acceleration without Disruption: DFT Software as a Service.

Density functional theory (DFT) has been a cornerstone in computational chemistry, physics, and materials science for decades, benefiting from advancements in computational power and theoretical methods. This paper introduces a novel, cloud-native application, Accelerated DFT, which offers an order of magnitude acceleration in DFT simulations. By integrating state-of-the-art cloud infrastructure and redesigning algorithms for graphic processing units (GPUs), Accelerated DFT achieves high-speed calculations without sacrificing accuracy.

1D Flat Bands in Phosphorene Nanoribbons with Pentagonal Nature.

Materials with flat bands can serve as a promising platform to investigate strongly interacting phenomena. However, experimental realization of ideal flat bands is mostly limited to artificial lattices or moiré systems. Here, a general way is reported to construct 1D flat bands in phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) with a pentagonal nature: penta-hexa-PNRs and penta-dodeca-PNRs, wherein the corresponding 1D flat bands are directly verified by using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy.

N-heterocyclic nitrenium-catalyzed photosynthesis of 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles from α-chloroanilides.

The radical cascade reaction of α-halogenated anilides represents an efficient approach for synthesizing 3,3-oxindoles. However, most methods have focused on α-bromoanilides, with limited utilization of the more stable and readily available α-chloroanilides. In addition, the transition-metal-free preparation of 3,3-oxindoles has been far less explored.

Comparative effectiveness of physical exercise interventions on sociability and communication in children and adolescents with autism: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of physical activity as a crucial intervention for Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in clinical settings, we conducted a network meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of various exercise interventions on sociability and communication in individuals with ASD. Our aim was to identify the exercise modalities most conducive to enhancing these essential skills.

Methods: We searched Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Embase, and searched Chinese databases from inception to April 2024.

Slow Metabolism-Driven Amplification of Hepatic PPARγ Agonism Mediates Benzbromarone-Induced Obesity-Specific Liver Injury.

Obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are established risk factors for drug-induced liver injury (DILI). The previous study demonstrates that benzbromarone (BBR), a commonly prescribed pharmaceutical agent for managing gout and hyperuricemia, exacerbates hepatic steatosis and liver injury specifically in obese individuals. However, the precise mechanism underpinning this adverse effect remains incompletely elucidated.

[Research progress in stimuli-responsive microneedles for biomedical applications].

Conventional administration methods have problems including low bioavailability, complex operation process, and discomfort of patients with fear of needles. Transdermal delivery can avoid these problems, whereas most drugs are difficult to directly penetrate the skin cuticle and reach the diseased site. Microneedling is an emerging method of local drug delivery, enabling the drug penetration through the stratum corneum of the skin in a minimally invasive manner and delivering the drug directly to the diseased site, thereby improving the treatment effect.

Enhancing indoor air quality and cardiopulmonary health in patients with asthma by photocatalytic oxidation and filters air cleaner.

Background: Air purifiers can enhance indoor air quality and health outcomes, and studies have primarily focused on filters and particulate matter (PM) in households. Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) is a promising technique for eliminating gaseous pollutants and bioaerosols. However, no field study was conducted in household.

A review of enhanced adsorption removal of odor contaminants with low ppm concentration levels: the key to technological breakthrough as well as challenges.

The industrial production processes often produce different concentrations and types of odorous pollutants. Most odors have a low odor threshold, and the human sense of smell can still have a strong, unpleasant odor even at low ppb concentrations. The main challenges in low ppm concentration odor purification are short contact time, high air volume, low equilibrium adsorption capacity, and easy physical desorption.

Effects of Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets on Morbidity and Mortality of COPD.

Purpose: Although low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets improve weight loss, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, the relationship between these dietary patterns, highlighting macronutrient sources, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the association between low-carbohydrate diets (LCDs) and low-fat diets (LFDs) and the odds of COPD and mortality among people with COPD in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Patients And Methods: Clinical data were extracted from the 2007-2008, 2009-2010, and 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cycles that met the inclusion criteria.

Stretchable terahertz metasurface based on laser induced graphene for contactless deformation sensing.

In this paper, a 1D stretchable terahertz (THz) metasurface based on laser-induced graphene (LIG) for deformation sensing is developed with low cost, good sensitivity and robustness. After the LIG metasurface is fabricated by laser-direct writing on a polyimide film, it is divided into columns and bonded to a medical polyurethane (PU) tape, thus endowed with high elasticity due to the excellent flexibility of PU. Because LIG supports surface plasmon polaritons in the THz band, a plasmonic resonance is introduced in the reflection spectrum and red shifts with lateral stretching.