The decrease in zinc-finger E-box-binding homeobox-1 could accelerate steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head by repressing type-H vessel formation via Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Background: Zinc-finger E-box-binding homeobox-1 (ZEB1) is predominantly found in type-H vessels. However, the roles of ZEB1 and type-H vessels in steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (SONFH) are unclear.

Methods: Human femoral heads were collected to detect the expression of ZEB1 and the levels of type-H vessels.

Adherence to higher Life's Essential 8 scores is linearly associated with reduced all-cause and cardiovascular mortality among US adults with metabolic syndrome: Results from NHANES 2005-2018.

Background: Life's Essential 8 (LE8) is the American Heart Association (AHA)'s recently updated assessment of cardiovascular health (CVH). Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is one of the most common chronic noncommunicable diseases associated with CVH impairment and an increased risk of mortality. However, the association of LE8 with all-cause and disease-specific mortality in the MetS population remains unknown.

Emerging Diabetes Therapies: Regenerating Pancreatic β Cells.

The incidence of diabetes mellitus (DM) is steadily increasing annually, with 537 million diabetic patients as of 2021. Restoring diminished β cell mass or impaired islet function is crucial in treating DM, particularly type 1 DM. However, the regenerative capacity of islet β cells, which primarily produce insulin, is severely limited, and natural regeneration is only observed in young rodents or children.

Generation of oxygen vacancies in CuO/TiO heterojunction induced by diatomite for highly efficient UV-Vis-IR driven photothermal catalytic oxidation of HCHO.

Photothermal catalytic oxidation is a promising and sustainable method for the degradation of indoor formaldehyde (HCHO). However, the excessively high surface temperature of existing photothermal catalysts during catalysis hinders the effective adsorption and degradation of formaldehyde under static conditions. Catalyst loading and oxygen vacancies (OVs) modulation are commonly employed strategies to reduce the photothermal catalytic temperature and enhance the efficiency of photothermal catalytic oxidation.

Integrating Mendelian randomization and single-cell RNA sequencing to identify therapeutic targets of baicalin for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: Alternative and complementary therapies play an imperative role in the clinical management of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), and exploring and utilizing natural products from a genetic perspective may yield novel insights into the mechanisms and interventions of the disorder.

Methods: To identify the therapeutic target of baicalin for T2DM, we conducted a Mendelian randomization study. Druggable targets of baicalin were obtained by integrating multiple databases, and target-associated cis-expression quantitative trait loci (cis-eQTL) originated from the eQTLGen consortium.

pH-dependent mechanisms of sulfadiazine degradation by natural pyrite-driven heterogeneous Fenton-like reactions.

The development of a natural pyrite/peroxymonosulfate (PMS) system for the removal of antibiotic contamination from water represented an economic and green sustainable strategy. Yet, a noteworthy knowledge gap remained considering the underlying reaction mechanism of the system, particularly in relation to its pH sensitivity. Herein, this paper investigated the impacts of critical reaction parameters and initial pH levels on the degradation of sulfadiazine (SDZ, 3 mg/L) in the pyrite/PMS system, and elucidated the pH dependence of the reaction mechanism.

Association Between Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study.

We aim to investigate the possible causal association between Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using Mendelian randomization (MR) methods. A bidirectional MR analysis was conducted to evaluate the causal association between HT and RA. We obtained summary statistics data from two extensive genome-wide association studies (GWAS) comprising 15,654 cases of HT and 14,361 cases of RA.

In-situ generation of iron activated percarbonate for sustainable sludge dewatering.

Effective dewatering of sewage sludge could potentially address the issues of high energy consumption and large carbon footprint inherent in the sludge treatment process, advancing toward carbon neutrality in environmental remediation. Yet, the surface hydrophilic characteristics and water-holding interfacial affinity in sludge led to dwindled sludge-water separation performance. Here, the integration of in-situ generation of iron from zero-valent scrap iron (ZVSI) and sodium percarbonate (SPC) was attempted to attenuate the water-retaining interfacial affinity within sludge, thus achieving superior sludge dewatering performance.

The GDNF-gel/HA-Mg conduit promotes the repair of peripheral nerve defects by regulating PPAR-γ/RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway.

Magnesium (Mg)-based conduits have gained more attention in repairing peripheral nerve defects. However, they are limited due to poor corrosion resistance and rapid degradation rate. To tackle this issue, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)- Gelatin methacryloyl (Gel)/hydroxylapatite (HA)-Mg nerve conduit was developed and implanted in sciatic nerve defect model in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.

Defluorination of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid by heterogeneous catalytic system of Fe-AlO/O: Synergistic oxidation effects and defluorination mechanism.

In this study, catalytic ozonation by Fe-AlO was used to investigate the defluorination of PFOA and PFOS, assessing the effects of different experimental conditions on the defluorination efficiency of the system. The oxidation mechanism of the Fe-AlO/O system and the specific degradation and defluorination mechanisms for PFOA and PFOS were determined. Results showed that compared to the single O system, the defluorination rates of PFOA and PFOS increased by 2.

Triclocarban transformation and removal in sludge conditioning using chalcopyrite-triggered percarbonate treatment.

Herein, a facile combination approach of chalcopyrite and sodium percarbonate (CuFeS+ SPC) was established to augment both TCC removal efficiency and sludge dewatering. Results showed that utilizing the CuFeS dosage of 600 mg/g total solids (TS) under the optimal condition, along with the SPC dosage of 12.5 mg/g TS, an initial pH of 4.

Synergistic Promotion System of Montmorillonite with Cu and Benzalkonium Chloride for Efficient and Broad-Spectrum Antibacterial Activity.

By intercalating montmorillonite (MMT) with Cu and benzalkonium chloride (BAC), the present work constructed a synergistic promotion system (Cu/BAC/MMT). MMT not only enhances the thermal stability of Cu and BAC but also facilitates the controlled release of Cu and BAC. Concurrently, the introduction of BAC improves the material's organic compatibility.

Genetic liability to frailty in relation to functional outcome after ischemic stroke.

Background: Frailty appears to be associated with unfavorable prognosis after stroke in observational studies, but the causality remains largely unknown.

Aims: The aim of this study is to investigate the potential causal effect of frailty on functional outcome at 3 months after ischemic stroke using the Mendelian randomization (MR) framework.

Methods: Genetic instruments for frailty index were identified in a genome-wide association study meta-analysis including 175,226 individuals of European descent.

Reforming the Uniformity of Solid Electrolyte Interphase by Nanoscale Structure Regulation for Stable Lithium Metal Batteries.

The stability of high-energy-density lithium metal batteries depends on the uniformity of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on lithium metal anodes. Rationally improving SEI uniformity is hindered by poorly understanding the effect of structure and components of SEI on its uniformity. Herein, a bilayer structure of SEI formed by isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) additives in localized high-concentration electrolytes was demonstrated to improve SEI uniformity.

High-performance nanofiltration concentrate treatment by a five-chamber bioelectrochemical system.

A combination of bioelectrochemical systems and electrodialysis has been considered an effective strategy for removing salts from the nanofiltration (NF) concentrate of electroplating wastewater; however, the recovery efficiency of multivalent metals is low. Herein, a new process based on microbial electrolysis desalination and chemical-production cell with five chambers (MEDCC-FC) has been proposed for the simultaneous desalination and recovery of the multivalent metals from NF concentrate. The MEDCC-FC was found to be significantly superior to the MEDCC with the monovalent selective cation exchange membrane (MEDCC-MSCEM) and MEDCC with the cation exchange membrane (MEDCC-CEM), in terms of the elevated desalination efficiency, multivalent metal recovery efficiency, current density, and coulombic efficiency, and decreased energy consumption and membrane fouling.

Metformin Treatment Reduces the Incidence of Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomized Study.

Several studies have shown that rheumatologic patients can benefit from metformin, but it remains unclear whether metformin treatment is causally associated with the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was conducted to investigate the causal relationship between metformin treatment and the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis. The genome-wide significant ( < 5 × 10) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with metformin use were selected as instrumental variables (IVs).

Coordination-Driven Tetragonal Prismatic Cage and the Investigation on Host-Guest Complexation.

A coordination-driven host has been reported to encapsulate guests by noncovalent interactions. Herein, we present the design and synthesis of a new type of prism combining porphyrin and terpyridine moieties with a long cavity. The prism host can contain bisite or monosite guests through axial coordination binding of porphyrin and aromatic π interactions of terpyridine.

The Burden of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Findings from the 2019 Global Burden of Diseases Study and Forecasts for 2030 by Bayesian Age-Period-Cohort Analysis.

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a key health issue worldwide. Due to early identification and effective treatment strategies, the disease pattern of RA has also changed. However, the most comprehensive and up-to-date information about the burden of RA and its trends in subsequent years is lacking.

Synovial fluid neutrophil extracellular traps could improve the diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection.

Aims: This study aimed to explore the diagnostic value of synovial fluid neutrophil extracellular traps (SF-NETs) in periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) diagnosis, and compare it with that of microbial culture, serum ESR and CRP, synovial white blood cell (WBC) count, and polymorphonuclear neutrophil percentage (PMN%).

Methods: In a single health centre, patients with suspected PJI were enrolled from January 2013 to December 2021. The inclusion criteria were: 1) patients who were suspected to have PJI; 2) patients with complete medical records; and 3) patients from whom sufficient synovial fluid was obtained for microbial culture and NET test.

Comprehensive insights into the gallic acid assisted bioleaching process for spent LIBs: Relationships among bacterial functional genes, Co(III) reduction and metal dissolution behavior.

Despite the growing demand for resource recovery from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by bioleaching, low Co leaching efficiency has hindered the development and application of this technology. Therefore, a novel process was designed, combining gallic acid (GA) and mixed culture bioleaching (MCB), to enhance the removal of metals from spent LIBs. Results indicated that the GA + MCB process achieved 98.

Causal Relationships of General and Abdominal Adiposity on Osteoarthritis: A Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: Adiposity is closely related to osteoarthritis, but the causal effects of different types of adiposity on osteoarthritis are indistinct. This study conducted a Mendelian Randomization (MR) analysis for the causal effects of general adiposity and abdominal adiposity on knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and hip osteoarthritis (HOA). Methods: The general adiposity was assessed by body mass index (BMI), while the abdominal adiposity was evaluated with waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR).

Enhanced stability of food waste anaerobic digestion under low inoculum to substrate ratio by using biochar.

The influence of biochar on anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic waste have been widely studied. However, the effect of biochar on the mitigation of acidification and subsequently the stimulation of methanogenesis recovery during mono food waste (FW) digestion process under a low inoculum to substrate (I/S) ratio (i.e.

Regulation of acidogenic fermentation through exogenous additives for promoting carbon conversion of food waste in two-phase anaerobic system.

In this study, exogenous Megasphaera elsdenii inoculum and acetate supplementation were introduced at the acidogenic phase to regulate the acidogenic fermentation pathway and assess their effects on food waste (FW) carbon conversion in two-phase anaerobic digestion (AD) system. These two additives significantly accelerated organic removal efficiency and subsequently increased FW hydrolysis and acidogenesis by 16% and 35%, respectively. As expected, two exogenous additives promoted butyrate fermentation during FW acidogenesis.