The association between domestic water hardness and kidney stone disease: a prospective cohort study from the UK Biobank.

Background: Kidney stone disease is a common surgical disease and significant public health issue, may be influenced by environmental factors such as domestic water hardness and its related minerals. Previous studies have shown inconsistent and controversial results regarding the impact of domestic water hardness on kidney stone formation.

Methods: This prospective cohort study analyzed data from 288,041 participants in the UK Biobank with no prior history of kidney stones from 2006-2024.

Research on the application effect of arthroscopic access modification in meniscal injury repair.

Objective: To investigate the application value of arthroscopic channel modification in meniscal injury repair.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 100 patients with meniscus injuries treated with knee arthroscopy from December 2022 to December 2023 and divided them into a control group and a modified group according to the application of "arthroscopic access modification technology". We compared the operation time, postoperative hospitalization time, VAS score, Lysholm knee function score, postoperative complications, and postoperative images of the patients in these two groups.

Counterintuitive DNA destabilization by monovalent salt at high concentrations due to overcharging.

Monovalent salts are generally believed to stabilize DNA duplex by weakening inter-strand electrostatic repulsion. Unexpectedly, our force-induced hairpin unzipping experiments and thermal melting experiments show that LiCl, NaCl, KCl, RbCl, and CsCl at concentrations beyond ~1 M destabilize DNA, RNA, and RNA-DNA duplexes. The two types of experiments yield different changes in free energy during melting, while the results that high concentration monovalent salts destabilize duplexes are common.

Correction: Can big data reduce urban environmental pollution? Evidence from China's digital technology experimental zone.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Tantalum-stabilized ruthenium oxide electrocatalysts for industrial water electrolysis.

The iridium oxide (IrO) catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction used industrially (in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers) is scarce and costly. Although ruthenium oxide (RuO) is a promising alternative, its poor stability has hindered practical application. We used well-defined extended surface models to identify that RuO undergoes structure-dependent corrosion that causes Ru dissolution.

HPV-Associated Gene Signatures in Bladder Cancer: A Comprehensive Prognostic Model and its Implications in Immunotherapy.

Evidence increasingly indicates that HPV infection plays a pivotal role in the initiation and progression of bladder cancer (BC). Yet, determining the predictive value of HPV-associated genes in BC remains challenging. We identified differentially expressed HPV-associated genes of BC patients from the TCGA and GEO databases.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of anlotinib plus chemotherapy with or without benmelstobart versus chemotherapy alone for extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer in China.

Objectives: The ETER701 trial demonstrated that benmelstobart combined with anlotinib and etoposide-carboplatin (EC) significantly extends survival in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), setting a new record for median overall survival. In contrast, anlotinib plus EC only significantly prolongs progression-free survival. However, there is currently no evidence evaluating the cost-effectiveness of these regimens as first-line treatments.

Evaluation of CBCT reconstructed tooth models at different thresholds and voxels and their accuracy in fusion with IOS data: an in vitro validation study.

Background: This study aims to evaluate the impact of different thresholds and voxel sizes on the accuracy of Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) tooth reconstruction and to assess the accuracy of fused CBCT and intraoral scanning (IOS) tooth models using curvature continuity algorithms under varying thresholds and voxel conditions.

Methods: Thirty-two isolated teeth were digitized using IOS and CBCT at two voxel sizes and five threshold settings. Crown-root fusion was performed using a curvature continuity algorithm.

Integration of transcriptomics and metabolomics reveals the mechanism of enrofloxacin resistance in Aeromonas schubertii.

Aeromonas schubertii infections has caused severe economic losses in aquaculture in China. In this study, we first induced enrofloxacin (ENR) resistance in A. schubertii strains and then analyzed the mechanisms of drug resistance using transcriptomics and metabolomics.

A Collection of Novel Antitumor Agents That Regulate Lipid Metabolism in the Tumor Microenvironment.

Lipid metabolism disorder is the cause of one of the most significant metabolic changes in tumors. In the process of tumor occurrence and development, tumor cells choose a continuous metabolic adaptation to accommodate the changing environment to the maximum extent possible. In a variety of tumors, the uptake, production, and storage of lipids are generally upregulated.

Injectable Self-Healing and Anti-Dissolving Low-Molecular-Weight Hydrogels Enabled by Ionic Cross-Linking for Cell Encapsulation.

Injectable behavior is often observed in polymer-based hydrogels yet is rarely achieved in low-molecular-weight hydrogels (LMWHs), the realization of which may boost the development of new soft materials for biomedical applications. Here, we report on injectable self-healing and antidissolving LMWHs that are formed through a simple ionic cross-linking strategy, showing a fundamental application for the encapsulation of living cells. The LMWHs are formed by simply mixing Ca with negatively charged supramolecular polymers.

Simulation of Reactive Fluoropolymer-Based Material Penetrator.

It is very important to solve the numerical simulation of fluoropolymer-based reactive materials in the process of engineering design. Although custom development techniques are rapidly being applied to numerical simulation problems of reactive materials, they are inconvenient for engineering designers to implement. This paper presents several simulation methods for fluoropolymer-based reactive materials that can be implemented on commercial software platforms.

Silk Fibroin Seed Coatings: Towards Sustainable Seed Protection and Enhanced Growth.

Seed coating technology is vital in agriculture, enhancing seed protection and growth. However, conventional coatings often include chemical fungicides that pose environmental risks, highlighting the need for sustainable alternatives. This study explores silk fibroin (SF), a natural biopolymer with excellent film-forming properties, as a potential seed coating agent, addressing its antimicrobial limitations by combining it with the commercial agent CRUISER and the antimicrobial peptide Nisin.

Genetic Risk, BMI Status, BMI Change Patterns, and the Risk of Steatotic Liver Disease and Liver Enzyme Elevation in Chinese Adults.

Whether an increased genetic risk of steatotic liver disease (SLD) can be offset by maintaining a healthy weight remains unknown. We aimed to clarify the associations among the body mass index (BMI) and its change patterns with SLD and assess whether genetic susceptibility can modify these associations in Chinese people. A total of 10,091 and 6124 participants from the Health Omics Preventive Examination (HOPE) Program were enrolled in cross-sectional and follow-up analyses, respectively.

Rational design of azo-aminopyrimidine derivatives as the potent lepidoptera-exclusive chitinase inhibitors.

Ostrinia furnacalis (O. furnacalis) is a commonly occurring agricultural pest that can severely impact corn yield and quality. Therefore, establishing and implementing effective control methods against O.

Early Diabetic Retinopathy Evaluation With OCTA: A Study on Vascular Branching and Fragmentation.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the branching patterns and vascular fragmentation features in preclinical and early diabetic retinopathy (DR) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Methods: OCTA metrics, including branch node number (BNN), branch node density (BND), end point number (EPN), end point density (EPD), fragmented vessel segment count (FVSC), and fragmented vascular length ratio (FVLR), were measured in foveal and parafoveal regions within superficial and deep vascular plexus (SVP and DVP) in the retina.

Results: Compared to healthy control (HCs), both BNN and BND exhibited a significant decrease in individuals with mild DR across both retinal layers, and also in diabetes mellitus without DR (no DR) within DVP.

Adherence to a healthy sleep pattern and the risk of kidney stone disease: A prospective study of UK biobank.

Purpose: This research seeks to assess the connection between healthy sleep patterns and the occurrence of kidney stone disease (KSD) by analyzing data obtained from a large-scale cohort study.

Methods: We examined 313,870 initial participants without KSD from the UK Biobank. Five healthy sleep factors were assessed: no frequent excessive daytime sleepiness, early chronotype, no snoring, sleeping 7-8 h daily, and never or rarely experiencing insomnia at baseline.

Unlocking regioselectivity: steric effects and conformational constraints of Lewis bases in alkyllithium-initiated butadiene polymerization.

In nonpolar solvents, alkyllithium-initiated 1,3-butadiene polymerization exhibits high 1,4-selectivity, which shifts towards 1,2-selectivity upon the addition of Lewis bases. For the past 50 years, the prevailing hypothesis has suggested that Lewis bases primarily influence regioselectivity through electronic effects. However, our study reveals that steric hindrance also plays a crucial role.

The association between Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index and KSD disease: results from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2018.

Background: Kidney stone disease (KSD) is a widespread problem in urology. But the associations between the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI), an important indicator for assessing the nutritional status of elderly hospitalized patients, and KSD are understudied.

Objective: Utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2007-2018, our study analyzed the correlation between the GNRI and KSD prevalence at cross-sectional level.

Modification of Azo-Aminopyrimidines as Potent Multitarget Inhibitors of Insect Chitinolytic Enzymes OChi-h and OHex1.

Multitarget inhibitors exhibit significant advantages in reducing the risk of drug resistance, enhancing therapeutic efficacy, and minimizing dosage, outperforming multicomponent combination drugs. On the basis of glycoside hydrolase family 18 (GH18) chitinases and GH20 β--acetylhexosaminidase using the same substrate-assisted catalytic mechanism and similar substrate binding modes, a series of novel azo-aminopyrimidine compounds have been designed and synthesized as multitarget inhibitors targeting chitinolytic enzymes OChi-h and OHex1. Compounds (OChi-h, = 29.