Machine learning-based model for predicting major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in patients aged 65 years and older undergoing noncardiac surgery.

Background: Few evidence-based prediction models have been developed for predicting major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) in patients aged 65 years or older undergoing noncardiac surgery. In this study, we aimed to analyze the risk factors for perioperative MACCE in patients aged 65 years or older undergoing noncardiac surgery and construct a prediction model.

Methods: In this nested case-control study, a total of 342 Chinese patients who were aged ≥ 65 years and underwent medium- or high-risk noncardiac surgery in our hospital were included.

Exogenous melatonin mitigates saline-alkali stress by decreasing DNA oxidative damage and enhancing photosynthetic carbon metabolism in soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) leaves.

Saline-alkali stress (SS) is a common abiotic stress affecting crop cultivation worldwide, seriously inhibiting plant growth and biomass accumulation. Melatonin has been proven to relieve the inhibition of multiple abiotic stresses on plant growth. Therefore, soybean cultivars Heihe 49 (HH49, SS-tolerant) and Henong 95 (HN95, SS-sensitive) were pot-cultured in SS soil and then treated with 300 μM melatonin at the V1 stage, when the first trifoliate leaves were fully unfolded, to investigate if melatonin has an effect on SS.

Efficient nitrogen removal from mature landfill leachate by single-stage partial-nitritation anammox using expanded granular sludge bed.

The effective retention of anaerobic ammonia oxidizing (anammox) bacteria and its high sensitivity to toxic substances and oxygen posed a major challenge to the application of partial nitrification combined with anammox (PN/A) in mature landfill leachate treatment, although it is a promising and efficient nitrogen removal process. In this study, a single-stage PN/A process based on expanded granular sludge bed was proposed to treat the mature landfill leachate. During the last phase, when the NH+ 4-N concentration of mature landfill leachate in influent was 1150.

Optofluidic lasers and their applications in biochemical sensing.

Optofluidic laser (OFL) technology, as an emerging technology combining microfluidics and laser technology, offers many unique advantages in sensing applications and has become a research hotspot for highly-sensitive intracavity biochemical analysis. Biochemical sensors based on OFLs can detect changes in biochemical parameters by using significant changes in laser output characteristics, so as to achieve high detection sensitivity. Here, we provide an overview of OFLs with a focus on their constructions, the design of OFL-based biochemical sensors, and their applications in biochemical analysis.

Nitrogen removal from mature landfill leachate through enhanced Partial Nitrification-Anammox process in an innovative multi-stage fixed biofilm reactor.

In the current integrated PN/A method/process for mature landfill leachate treatment, microbial inhibition and low nitrogen removal capacity are the big barriers due to high ammonia concentration and low C/N. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of a high-rate nitrogen removal lab-scale reactor, which combines pre-denitrification and Partial Nitrification-Anammox (PN/A) in a multi-stage fixed biofilm reactor (MFBR), for mature landfill leachate treatment. A nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) of 90.

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes: A novel and potential remedy for cutaneous wound healing and regeneration.

Poor healing of cutaneous wounds is a common medical problem in the field of traumatology. Due to the intricate pathophysiological processes of wound healing, the use of conventional treatment methods, such as chemical molecule drugs and traditional dressings, have been unable to achieve satisfactory outcomes. Within recent years, explicit evidence suggests that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have great therapeutic potentials on skin wound healing and regeneration.

Erratum: PDLSCs Regulate Angiogenesis of Periodontal Ligaments via VEGF Transferred by Exosomes in Periodontitis: Erratum.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7150/ijms.40918.

Apoptotic vesicles restore liver macrophage homeostasis to counteract type 2 diabetes.

Apoptosis is a naturally occurring process generating plenty of apoptotic vesicles (apoVs), but the feature, fate and function of apoVs remain largely unknown. Notably, as an appealing source for cell therapy, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) undergo necessary apoptosis and release apoVs during therapeutic application. In this study, we characterized and used MSC-derived apoVs to treat type 2 diabetes (T2D) mice, and we found that apoVs were efferocytosed by macrophages and functionally modulated liver macrophage homeostasis to counteract T2D.

Expression of tricellular tight junction proteins and the paracellular macromolecule barrier are recovered in remission of ulcerative colitis.

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) has a relapsing and remitting pattern, wherein the underlying mechanisms of the relapse might involve an enhanced uptake of luminal antigens which stimulate the immune response. The tricellular tight junction protein, tricellulin, takes charge of preventing paracellular passage of macromolecules. It is characterized by downregulated expression in active UC and its correct localization is regulated by angulins.

Leptin Downregulates Angulin-1 in Active Crohn's Disease via STAT3.

Crohn's disease (CD) has an altered intestinal barrier function, yet the underlying mechanisms remain to be disclosed. The tricellular tight junction protein tricellulin is involved in the maintenance of the paracellular macromolecule barrier and features an unchanged expression level in CD but a shifted localization. As angulins are known to regulate the localization of tricellulin, we hypothesized the involvement of angulins in CD.

Impaired autophagy triggered by HDAC9 in mesenchymal stem cells accelerates bone mass loss.

Background: Bone mass loss in aging is linked with imbalanced lineage differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs). Recent studies have proved that histone deacetylases (HDACs) are regarded as key regulators of bone remodeling. However, HDACs involve in regulating BMMSC bio-behaviors remain elusive.

PDLSCs Regulate Angiogenesis of Periodontal Ligaments via VEGF Transferred by Exosomes in Periodontitis.

Abnormal angiogenesis is one of the significant features in periodontitis leading to progressive inflammation, but angiogenic changes of periodontal ligaments under inflammatory condition were rarely reported. Periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs) were a kind of dental stem cells associated with vascularization. Here we investigated the alteration of angiogenesis of periodontal ligament in periodontitis, and revealed an exosome-mediated pathway to support the effect of PDLSCs on angiogenic improvement.

Effect of Airy Gaussian vortex beam array on reducing intermode crosstalk induced by atmospheric turbulence.

Vortex beam carrying angular momentum (OAM) will be disturbed by the random fluctuation of the refraction index of turbulent atmosphere, resulting in intermodal crosstalk among the different OAM modes. Recent advances have demonstrated that the employment of the abruptly autofocusing vortex beams can potentially mitigate the crosstalk effect. In this paper, a new type of abruptly autofocusing vortex beams, called Airy Gaussian vortex beam array (AGVBA) is proposed.

Ficolin-A/2, acting as a new regulator of macrophage polarization, mediates the inflammatory response in experimental mouse colitis.

Human ficolin-2 (FCN-2) and mouse ficolin-A (FCN-A, a ficolin-2-like molecule in mouse) are activators of the lectin complement pathway, present in normal plasma and usually associated with infectious diseases, but little is known about the role of FCN-A/2 in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In our present study, we found that patients with IBD exhibited much higher serum FCN-2 levels than healthy controls. In the dextran sulphate sodium-induced acute colitis mouse model, FCN-A knockout mice showed much milder disease symptoms with less histological damage, lower expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines [interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)], chemokines (CXCL1/2/10 and CCL4) and higher levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 compared with wild-type mice.

Decreased Endomorphin-2 and μ-Opioid Receptor in the Spinal Cord Are Associated with Painful Diabetic Neuropathy.

Painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) is one of the most common complications in the early stage of diabetes mellitus (DM). Endomorphin-2 (EM2) selectively activates the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) and subsequently induces antinociceptive effects in the spinal dorsal horn. However, the effects of EM2-MOR in PDN have not yet been clarified in the spinal dorsal horn.

Alterations in the neural circuits from peripheral afferents to the spinal cord: possible implications for diabetic polyneuropathy in streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic rats.

Diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) presents as a wide variety of sensorimotor symptoms and affects approximately 50% of diabetic patients. Changes in the neural circuits may occur in the early stages in diabetes and are implicated in the development of DPN. Therefore, we aimed to detect changes in the expression of isolectin B4 (IB4, the marker for nonpeptidergic unmyelinated fibers and their cell bodies) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP, the marker for peptidergic fibers and their cell bodies) in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and spinal cord of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type 1 diabetic rats showing alterations in sensory and motor function.

Down-regulation of insulin signaling is involved in painful diabetic neuropathy in type 2 diabetes.

Background: Previous theories considered that the main cause of painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) was due to hyperglycemia. However, recent evidence indicated that hyperinsulinemia plays a greater role in type 2 diabetic metabolisms (T2DM).

Objectives: Our aim was to explore insulin signaling to determine the molecular mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of PDN in T2DM.

Initial identification of heavy metals contamination in Taihu Lake, a eutrophic lake in China.

A detailed investigation of seven heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Cr, As, Pb, Zn, Ni) in the water column, interstitial water and surface sediment was conducted to quantify the extent of their contamination in Taihu Lake. Results showed the average total concentrations ranged from 0.93 microg/L for Cd to 47.