Water Microdroplets Promote Spontaneous Oxidation of Amino Acid- and Peptide-related Thiols to Disulfide Bonds.

Disulfide bonds (S-S) play a critical role in modern biochemistry, organic synthesis and prebiotic chemistry. Traditional methods for synthesizing disulfide bonds often rely on oxygen, alkali, and metal catalysts. Herein, thiol groups involved in amino acids and peptides were spontaneously converted into symmetrical and unsymmetrical disulfide bonds within water microdroplets, without the need for catalysts or oxygen, and under room temperature.

The Correlation Analysis Between the Pedicle Screw Placement Palpation and Torque.

Background: This study endeavored to investigate the influencing factors of pedicle screw torque measured during surgery and the correlation between manual palpation scores and screw torque.

Methods: This investigation was a prospective study designed to gather data from patients who underwent spinal internal fixation performed by the same surgical team at the Department of Orthopedics, affiliated with the First Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, spanning from January 2020 to September 2023. The sample comprised 51 individuals (18 males and 33 females; mean age: 60.

Identification of Risk Factors for Primary Osteoporosis: The Role of Cervical Ligament Ossification.

BACKGROUND Long-term clinical practice has suggested a possible association between ossification of cervical ligament (OCL) and primary osteoporosis (POP). However, there is a lack of relevant research data. This study aimed to clarify the potential relationship between OCL and POP, and propose new strategies for preventing the onset of POP.

Comparison of MBM and ESD in the Treatment of Single Early Esophageal Cancer and Precancerous Lesions.

Aim: Esophageal cancer is a disease with high morbidity and mortality, exploring effective treatment methods is the key to the treatment of this disease. This study aims to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of multi-band mucosectomy (MBM) and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in the treatment of single early esophageal cancer (EEC) and precancerous lesions, and whether MBM can achieve better clinical effect as an effective treatment method.

Methods: The clinical data of 70 patients with EEC and precancerous lesions who were treated with MBM and ESD in the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University from May 2021 to May 2023 and could be followed up were retrospectively analyzed.

Corylifol A suppresses osteoclastogenesis and alleviates ovariectomy-induced bone loss via attenuating ROS production and impairing mitochondrial function.

Osteoporosis is a systemic disease characterized by an imbalance in bone homeostasis, where osteoblasts fail to fully compensate for the bone resorption induced by osteoclasts. Corylifol A, a flavonoid extracted from Fructus psoraleae, has been identified as a potential treatment for this condition. Predictions from network pharmacology and molecular docking studies suggest that Corylifol A exhibits strong binding affinity with NFATc1, Nrf2, PI3K, and AKT1.

Light irradiation changes the regulation pattern of BtCrgA on carotenogenesis in Blakeslea trispora.

CrgA has been shown to be a negative regulator of carotenogenesis in some filamentous fungi, while light irradiation is an inducible environmental factor for carotenoid biosynthesis. To clarify the relationship between CrgA and light-inducible carotenogenesis in Blakeslea trispora, the cis-acting elements of the btcrgA promoter region were investigated, followed by the analyses of correlation between the expression of btcrgA and carotenoid structural genes under different irradiation conditions. A variety of cis-acting elements associated with light response was observed in the promoter region of btcrgA, and transcription of btcrgA and carotenoid structural genes under different irradiation conditions was induced by white light with a clear correlation.

Predicting GPR40 Agonists with A Deep Learning-Based Ensemble Model.

Recent studies have identified G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) as a promising target for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus, and GPR40 agonists have several superior effects over other hypoglycemic drugs, including cardiovascular protection and suppression of glucagon levels. In this study, we constructed an up-to-date GPR40 ligand dataset for training models and performed a systematic optimization of the ensemble model, resulting in a powerful ensemble model (ROC AUC: 0.9496) for distinguishing GPR40 agonists and non-agonists.

Droplet Generation, Vitrification, and Warming for Cell Cryopreservation: A Review.

Cryopreservation is currently a key step in translational medicine that could provide new ideas for clinical applications in reproductive medicine, regenerative medicine, and cell therapy. With the advantages of a low concentration of cryoprotectant, fast cooling rate, and easy operation, droplet-based printing for vitrification has received wide attention in the field of cryopreservation. This review summarizes the droplet generation, vitrification, and warming method.

Predicting the high heating value and nitrogen content of torrefied biomass using a support vector machine optimized by a sparrow search algorithm.

A support vector machine (SVM) model with RBF kernel function combined with sparrow search algorithm (SSA) optimization was developed to predict the HHV and nitrogen content (No) values of torrefied biomass based on the feedstock properties and torrefaction conditions. Results showed that SSA optimization significantly improved the prediction performance of the SVM model for both HHV and No. A coefficient of determination ( ) larger than 0.

Kinetic Mechanisms and Emissions Investigation of Torrefied Pine Sawdust Utilized as Solid Fuel by Isothermal and Non-Isothermal Experiments.

This study comprehensively investigated the utilization of torrefied pine sawdust (PS) as solid fuels, involving the characterization of torrefied PS properties, the investigation of combustion behaviors and kinetic mechanisms by non-isothermal experiments, and the evaluation of emissions during isothermal experiments. Results show that torrefaction significantly improved the quality of the solids. The upgradation of torrefied PS properties then further enhanced its combustion performance.

Enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species by pyrite for As(III) oxidation and immobilization: The vital role of Fe(II).

The migration and conversion of arsenic in the environment usually accompany by the redox of iron-bearing minerals. For instance, the oxidation of pyrite can generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) affecting the species of arsenic, but the types and roles of ROS have been unclear. This paper demonstrated the vital role of Fe(II) in the pyrite for the formation of ROS.

Risk-adapted stereotactic body radiotherapy for patients with cervical spinal metastases.

Owing to the complex anatomical structure and biomechanics, the current standard palliative treatments for cervical spinal metastases are associated with a high risk of recurrence and complications. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) can provide radical dose to tumors while protecting normal organs to the maximum extent. However, the efficacy and safety of SBRT for cervical spinal metastases is not well characterized.

[Preparation of tissue and organ decellularized scaffolds: a review].

Decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) is designed to remove cells that cause immune rejection and retain the original tissue structure and composition. Since its structure and composition are similar to the original tissues and organs, it has attracted extensive attention in tissue engineering and biomedicine applications, and has become a promising tissue engineering material. dECM can be easily obtained from tissues and organs by appropriate decellularization methods.

First Indirect Drive Experiment Using a Six-Cylinder-Port Hohlraum.

The new hohlraum experimental platform and the quasi-3D simulation model are developed to enable the study of the indirect drive experiment using the six-cylinder-port hohlraum for the first time. It is also the first implosion experiment for the six laser-entrance-hole hohlraum to effectively use all the laser beams of the laser facility that is primarily designed for the cylindrical hohlraum. The experiments performed at the 100 kJ Laser Facility produce a peak hohlraum radiation temperature of ∼222  eV for ∼80  kJ and 2 ns square laser pulse.

Measurement of Time-Dependent Drive Flux on the Capsule for Indirectly Driven Inertial Confinement Fusion Experiments.

A new method for measuring the time-dependent drive flux at the hohlraum center is proposed as a better alternative to conventional wall-based techniques. The drive flux here is obtained by simultaneous measurement of the reemitted flux and shock velocity from a three-layered "cakelike" sample. With these two independent observables, the influence induced by the uncertainty of the material parameters of the sample can be effectively decreased.

First Inertial Confinement Fusion Implosion Experiment in Octahedral Spherical Hohlraum.

In inertial confinement approaches to fusion, the asymmetry of target implosion is a major obstacle to achieving high gain in the laboratory. A recently proposed octahedral spherical hohlraum makes it possible to naturally create spherical target irradiation without supplementary symmetry control. Before any decision is made to pursue an ignition-scale laser system based on the octahedral hohlraum, one needs to test the concept with the existing facilities.

Recent advancement of decellularization extracellular matrix for tissue engineering and biomedical application.

Background: Decellularized extracellular matrixs (dECMs) derived from organs and tissues have emerged as a promising tool, as they encompass the characteristics of an ideal tissue scaffold: complex composition, vascular networks and unique tissue-specific architecture. Consequently, their use has propagated throughout tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. dECM can be easily obtained from various tissues/organs by appropriate decellularization protocolsand is entitled to provide necessary cues to cells homing.

Effect of cryoprotectants on rat kidney decellularization by freeze-thaw process.

To overcome the shortage of organ donors and morbidity and mortality caused by lifetime immunosuppression, development of a transplantable graft to permanently replace the organ function is required. This study is focused on the effects of a freeze-thaw process and cryoprotectants on the ultrastructure and composition of decellularization scaffolds. Results showed that cryoprotectants and freezing temperatures had significant effects on the decellularization scaffold.

Quantification of Starch Order in Physically Modified Rice Flours Using Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) Spectroscopy.

The purpose of this study was to understand the ordered structure of starch in rice flour based on a physical modification with non-heating, milling, and water sorption through the structural evaluation of rice flour using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and infrared spectroscopy within the 4000-100 cm region. The SAXS pattern of the samples with low moisture contents subjected to milling yield a band within the 0.4-0.

Quantitative observation of monochromatic X-rays emitted from implosion hotspot in high spatial resolution in inertial confinement fusion.

In inertial confinement fusion, quantitative and high-spatial resolution ([Formula: see text]m) measurements of the X-rays self-emitted by the hotspot are critical for studying the physical processes of the implosion stagnation stage. Herein, the 8 ± 0.39-keV monochromatic X-ray distribution from the entire hotspot is quantitatively observed in 5-[Formula: see text]m spatial resolution using a Kirkpatrick-Baez microscope, with impacts from the responses of the diagnosis system removed, for the first time, in implosion experiments at the 100 kJ laser facility in China.

Evaluation of solid state of rice flours produced by different milling processes using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy.

This study evaluated the influence of the milling process on solid state of rice flours according to water activity using ATR-FTIR. A band at 1740 cm-1 attributed to the C=O stretching of lipids was detected for crystalline samples, and it disappeared at a high aw range. The CH band at 2930 cm-1 of crystalline samples gradually shifted to a higher wavenumber with aw.

[Screening of tomato cultivars in cadmium-polluted areas and study on their antioxidant capacity].

To screen the available tomato pollution-safe cultivar varieties and reduce the potential food safety risks in Cd-polluted areas, the differences of Cd accumulation in different tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) varieties in southern China were studied by soil culture and hydroponic experiments. Firstly, the high and low accumulation varieties were selected from 25 tomato varieties under 2.94 mg/kg Cd stress by soil culture test, and then the responses of high and low accumulation tomato varieties to Cd stress were determined by hydroponic experiments.

Prediction of fruit quality based on the RGB values of time-temperature indicator.

Time-temperature indicators (TTIs) are cost-efficient tools that may be used to predict food quality. In this paper, a diffusion TTI was used to predict fruit quality during storage. Both the color changing characters of TTI and the quality parameters, including weight loss, soluble solids content, vitamin C content, titratable acidity, and antioxidant capacity of three kinds of fruits (kiwifruit, strawberry, and mango), were investigated for storage temperatures (5, 10, 15, and 20 °C).

Chunk mixing implosion experiments using deuterated foam capsules with gold dopant.

To study the effects of chunk mixing, the implosion experiments using capsules filled with deuterated foam (CDF capsule) were carried out on the Shenguang laser facility. Three types of the CDF capsules, namely the capsules without Au dopant, with micrometer Au dopant, and with atomic Au dopant, were used in the experiments. The neutron yields, the size, and the emission intensity of the hotspots were measured.