β-cryptoxanthin suppresses oxidative stress via activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway in diabetic kidney disease.

Objectives: This study aims to explore the role and investigate mechanisms of β-Cryptoxanthin (BCX) in high glucose (HG)-induced podocyte injury and renal dysfunction.

Methods: In this study, db/db mice were orally treated with BCX. Blood glucose, body weight, urinary albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) were recorded to evaluate the mice renal function.

Phosphonoformic acid reduces hyperphosphatemia-induced vascular calcification via Pit-1.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the mechanism of hyperphosphatemia-induced vascular calcification (HPVC).

Methods: Primary human aortic smooth muscle cells and rat aortic rings were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 0.9 mM or 2.

Polyurethane Acrylate Oligomer (PUA) Microspheres Prepared Using the Pickering Method for Reinforcing the Mechanical and Thermal Properties of 3D Printing Resin.

Some photosensitive resins have poor mechanical properties after 3D printing. To overcome these limitations, a polyurethane acrylate oligomer (PUA) microsphere was prepared using the Pickering emulsion template method and ultraviolet (UV) curing technology in this paper. The prepared PUA microspheres were added to PUA-1,6-hexanediol diacrylate (HDDA) photosensitive resin system for digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technology.

[Anti-glioma mechanism of pterostilbene by regulating apoptosis and GSDME-mediated pyroptosis pathways: a study based on network pharmacology and experimental research].

This study aimed to explore the anti-glioma effect of natural compound pterostilbene(PTE) through regulating pyroptosis and apoptosis pathways, and to analyze the possible anti-glioma pathways and targets of PTE by network pharmacology and molecular docking. In this study, the action targets of PTE and the glioma targets were obtained by network pharmacology to construct a target network and a protein-protein interaction(PPI) network to predict the possible action targets of PTE against glioma. Molecular docking was performed on the core targets by AutoDock and the action pathways of PTE against glioma were predicted by enrichment analysis.

Accurate integration of multiple heterogeneous single-cell RNA-seq data sets by learning contrastive biological variation.

For most biological and medical applications of single-cell transcriptomics, an integrative study of multiple heterogeneous single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data sets is crucial. However, present approaches are unable to integrate diverse data sets from various biological conditions effectively because of the confounding effects of biological and technical differences. We introduce single-cell integration (scInt), an integration method based on accurate, robust cell-cell similarity construction and unified contrastive biological variation learning from multiple scRNA-seq data sets.

Nanostructure Mediated Piezoelectric Effect of Tetragonal BaTiO Coatings on Bone Mesenchymal Stem Cell Shape and Osteogenic Differentiation.

In recent years, porous titanium (Ti) scaffolds with BaTiO coatings have been designed to promote bone regeneration. However, the phase transitions of BaTiO have been understudied, and their coatings have yielded low effective piezoelectric coefficients (EPCs < 1 pm/V). In addition, piezoelectric nanomaterials bring many advantages in eliciting cell-specific responses.

Hollow silica-coated porous carbon with embedded iron oxide particles for effective methylene blue degradation.

A novel catalyst, consisting of hollow silica-coated porous carbon with embedded iron oxide particles (FeO @C/SiO), was synthesized by the extended Stöber method. Iron ions were incorporated in a resorcinol-formaldehyde resin in the presence of citric acid to form a template, which was then coated with a silica layer. The iron oxide-embedded porous carbon and hollow silica were simultaneously formed during calcination under N atmosphere.

scMTD: a statistical multidimensional imputation method for single-cell RNA-seq data leveraging transcriptome dynamic information.

Background: Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) provides a powerful tool to capture transcriptomes at single-cell resolution. However, dropout events distort the gene expression levels and underlying biological signals, misleading the downstream analysis of scRNA-seq data.

Results: We develop a statistical model-based multidimensional imputation algorithm, scMTD, that identifies local cell neighbors and specific gene co-expression networks based on the pseudo-time of cells, leveraging information on cell-level, gene-level, and transcriptome dynamic to recover scRNA-seq data.

Hydroxyapatite formation in biomimetic synthesis with the interface of a pDA@SIS membrane.

Porcine decellularized small intestine submucosa (SIS) is a collagen membrane, which offers great potential as an organic substrate template in mineralization processes due to its good biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, a long period of mineralization and low efficiency are apparent, and the mechanism of collagen fiber mineralization has often been neglected in the previous literature. Thus, in this paper, we present a novel model of biomimetic collagen mineralization which uses dopamine (DA) molecules with the activating and retouching function of SIS collagen membranes and regulating collagen mineralization to construct the structure of mineralized collagen hard tissues.

Anti-Diabetic Intestinal Mechanisms: Foods, Herbs, and Western Medicines.

The role of intestinal factors in the pathogenesis of diabetes, such as a decrease in the incretin effect, has recently attracted considerable attention. An imbalance in the gut microbiota inhibits the secretion of incretins, which are metabolic hormones can reduce blood glucose levels, and promotes the occurrence and development of diabetes. Numerous studies have demonstrated that foods are environmental factors that are important in the modulation of gut microbial-mediated glucose metabolism.

Orbiting and Lidars for Earth and Planetary Applications.

At NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, we have been developing spaceborne lidar instruments for space sciences. We have successfully flown several missions in the past based on mature diode pumped solid-state laser transmitters. In recent years, we have been developing advanced laser technologies for applications such as laser spectroscopy, laser communications, and interferometry.

The scRNA-seq Expression Profiling of the Receptor ACE2 and the Cellular Protease TMPRSS2 Reveals Human Organs Susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

COVID-19 patients always develop multiple organ dysfunction syndromes other than lungs, suggesting the novel virus SARS-CoV-2 also invades other organs. Therefore, studying the viral susceptibility of other organs is important for a deeper understanding of viral pathogenesis. Angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) is the receptor protein of SARS-CoV-2, and TMPRSS2 promotes virus proliferation and transmission.

Correlation between common postoperative complications of prolonged bed rest and quality of life in hospitalized elderly hip fracture patients.

Background: Reduced postoperative mobility predisposes older patients with hip fractures to a variety of complications, including acute cerebral infarction, pressure injury, deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs, and lung and urinary tract infections caused by prolonged bed rest. This study was designed to explore the relationship between common postoperative complications of prolonged bed rest and quality of life in hospitalized elderly hip fracture patients, in an attempt to inform the development of relevant interventions.

Methods: A total of 502 patients aged 65 years or above who underwent hip fracture surgery in our center were enrolled in this study.

Synthesis and properties of porous piezoelectric BT/PHBV composite scaffold.

The biodegradable material poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) scaffold has good biodegradability, but poor biocompatibility limits its application in the biological field. And it can effectively improve its biological activity by compounding with the bone conduction activity material of Barium titanate (BT). The PHBV and piezoelectric material BT were prepared into porous composite scaffolds with porosity of 45-50%.

The prevalence, characteristics, and related factors of pressure injury in medical staff wearing personal protective equipment against COVID-19 in China: A multicentre cross-sectional survey.

Since December 2019, the medical staff fighting against COVID-19 frequently reported the device-related pressure injury (DRPI) caused by personal protective equipment (PPE). We conducted a cross-sectional survey online to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of DRPI among medical staff. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to explore the risk factors associated with DRPI.

The Prevalence, Characteristics, and Prevention Status of Skin Injury Caused by Personal Protective Equipment Among Medical Staff in Fighting COVID-19: A Multicenter, Cross-Sectional Study.

To investigate the prevalence, characteristics, and preventive status of skin injuries caused by personal protective equipment (PPE) in medical staff. A cross-sectional survey was conducted online for understanding skin injuries among medical staff fighting COVID-19 in February 8-22, 2020. Participants voluntarily answered and submitted the questionnaire with cell phone.

Circulating Vitamin D Levels and Alzheimer's Disease: A Mendelian Randomization Study in the IGAP and UK Biobank.

Observational studies strongly supported the association of low levels of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and cognitive impairment or dementia in aging populations. However, randomized controlled trials have not shown clear evidence that vitamin D supplementation could improve cognitive outcomes. In fact, some studies reported the association between vitamin D and cognitive impairment based on individuals aged 60 years and over.

Integrating the Ribonucleic Acid Sequencing Data From Various Studies for Exploring the Multiple Sclerosis-Related Long Noncoding Ribonucleic Acids and Their Functions.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic fatal central nervous system (CNS) disease involving in complex immunity dysfunction. Recently, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) were discovered as the important regulatory factors for the pathogenesis of MS. However, these findings often cannot be repeated and confirmed by the subsequent studies.

[Effect of health education of schistosomiasis control with Yi-Han bilingualism].

Objective: To evaluate the intervention effect of Yi-Han bilingual health education of schistosomiasis control.

Methods: Baimiao Village in Daqing Town, Xichang City, where Yi Nationality inhabited, was chosen as a pilot to carry out Yi-Han bilingual health education of schistosomiasis control from 2012 to 2015. The villagers and students in the pilot area were investigated by questionnaires before and after the intervention to understand their awareness and correct behavior status on schistosomiasis control.

[Impact of ecological protection construction on schistosomiasis transmission of Qionghai Lake wetland in Xichang City].

Objective: To understand the impact of Qionghai Lake wetland ecological protection construction on the prevalence of schistosomiasis, so as to provide the evidence for formulating the strategies for schistosomiasis control and prevention.

Methods: A retrospective survey of the construction of Qionghai Lake wetland was performed, and eleven villages around the wetland were surveyed for schistosomiasis endemic situation. The influence of the wetland project on the schistosomiasis prevalence and Oncomelania hupensis snail status were investigated.

An experimental demonstration of a soft-failure approach to PMD mitigation in an installed optical link.

We present a field-trial implementation of the soft-failure approach to polarization-mode dispersion (PMD) impairment mitigation, in which information about the PMD of the installed link is utilized by our modified control plane software to make decisions on data routing over available links. This allows us to maintain loss-free end-to-end data service, even at high PMD levels.

[Evaluation on intestinal and whole-body conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A in Chinese adults using a stable isotope reference method].

Objective: beta-carotene (beta-C) is a major and safe vitamin A source for a vast population in China. But there is little understanding on beta-C-vitamin A equivalence in Chinese population. This study was designed to evaluate intestinal and whole-body conversion of beta-C to vitamin A in some Chinese adults by using a stable isotope dilution technique.