Insights from Traditional Chinese Medicine for Restoring Skin Barrier Functions.

The skin barrier is essential for maintaining the body's internal homeostasis, protecting against harmful external substances, and regulating water and electrolyte balance. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers notable advantages in restoring skin barrier function due to its diverse components, targets, and pathways. Recent studies have demonstrated that active ingredients in TCM can safely and effectively repair damaged skin barriers, reinstating their proper functions.

Identification of immunotherapy-related subtypes, characterization of tumor microenvironment infiltration, and development of a prognostic signature in gastric carcinoma.

Background: Recent advances in immunotherapy have elicited a considerable amount of attention as viable therapeutic options for several cancer types, the present study aimed to explore the immunotherapy-related genes (IRGs) and develop a prognostic risk signature in gastric carcinoma (GC) based on these genes.

Methods: IRGs were identified by comparing immunotherapy responders and non-responders in GC. Then, GC patients were divided into distinct subtypes by unsupervised clustering method based on IRGs, and the differences in immune characteristics and prognostic stratification between these subtypes were analyzed.

Case Report: Snake Venom Ophthalmia Caused by Cobra Exposure: A Report of 26 Cases.

We report 26 cases of eye injuries resulting from cobra venom sprayed by Naja atra. This accounts for 14.5% of patients (26/173) treated for cobra injuries who presented to the emergency department of a snakebite treatment center in Guangzhou, South China.

Design and Embedded Implementation of Secure Image Encryption Scheme Using DWT and 2D-LASM.

In order to further improve the information effectiveness of digital image transmission, an image-encryption algorithm based on 2D-Logistic-adjusted-Sine map (2D-LASM) and Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) is proposed. First, a dynamic key with plaintext correlation is generated using Message-Digest Algorithm 5 (MD5), and 2D-LASM chaos is generated based on the key to obtain a chaotic pseudo-random sequence. Secondly, we perform DWT on the plaintext image to map the image from the time domain to the frequency domain and decompose the low-frequency (LF) coefficient and high-frequency (HF) coefficient.

Lesbian couples' childbearing experiences using assisted reproductive technology: A netnography study.

Objective: This study aimed to explore how Chinese lesbian couples perceived having children through assisted reproductive technology (ART) and its impact on their experiences of family formation.

Design: This study adopted netnography to investigate online forum data created by self-identified lesbian couples in relation to assisted reproduction. Summative content analysis was used to analyse data.

Construction dual vacancies to regulate the energy band structure of ZnInS for enhanced visible light-driven photodegradation of 4-NP.

Most of the intrinsic photocatalysts with visible light response can only generate one active radical due to the limitation of their band structures, which is immediate cause limiting their photocatalytic degradation performance. In this work, ZnInS with Zn vacancy and S vacancy (V-ZnInS) was prepared for the first time. As expected, the V-ZnInS exhibits remarkable photocatalytic performance for 4-Nitrophenol (4-NP) degradation under visible light and the apparent rate constant is about 11 times that of pristine ZnInS.

Superresolution Imaging of Cytoskeletal Networks in Fixed Brain Tissue.

Emerging evidence suggests that neurodegeneration is directly linked to dysfunction of cytoskeleton; however, visualizing the organization of cytoskeletal structures in brain tissues remains challenging due to the limitation of resolution of light microscopy. Superresolution imaging overcomes this limitation and resolves subcellular structures below the diffraction barrier of light (20-200 nm), while retaining the advantages of fluorescent microscopy such as simultaneous visualization of multiple proteins and increased signal sensitivity and contrast. However, superresolution imaging approaches have been largely limited to very thin samples such as cultured cells growing as a single monolayer.

Anatomical Organization of the Rat Subfornical Organ.

The subfornical organ (SFO) is a sensory circumventricular organ located along the anterodorsal wall of the third ventricle. SFO lacks a complete blood-brain barrier (BBB), and thus peripherally-circulating factors can penetrate the SFO parenchyma. These signals are detected by local neurons providing the brain with information from the periphery to mediate central responses to humoral signals and physiological stressors.

MicroRNA-101-3p, MicroRNA-195-5p, and MicroRNA-223-3p in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells May Serve as Novel Biomarkers for Syphilis Diagnosis.

Objectives: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease of global prevalence. Current diagnostic methods lack sensitivity and specificity, which limits the early diagnosis and prognosis of the disease. MiRNAs hold great promise as potential biomarkers for infectious diseases diagnosis.

Unique Organization of Actin Cytoskeleton in Magnocellular Vasopressin Neurons in Normal Conditions and in Response to Salt-Loading.

Magnocellular neurosecretory cells (MNCs) are intrinsically osmosensitive and can be activated by increases in blood osmolality, triggering the release of antidiuretic hormone vasopressin (VP) to promote water retention. Hence, the activity of magnocellular VP neurons is one of the key elements contributing to the regulation of body fluid homeostasis in healthy organisms. Chronic exposure to high dietary salt leads to excessive activation of VP neurons, thereby elevating levels of circulating VP, which can cause increases in blood pressure contributing to salt-dependent hypertension.

MicroRNA expression profiling of peripheral blood mononuclear cells associated with syphilis.

Background: Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum) infection evokes significant immune responses, resulting in tissue damage. The immune mechanism underlying T.

MicroRNA-101-3p Downregulates TLR2 Expression, Leading to Reduction in Cytokine Production by Treponema pallidum-Stimulated Macrophages.

Treponema pallidum (Tp) infection-induced immune responses can cause tissue damage. However, the underlying mechanism by which Tp infection induces immune response is unclear. Recent studies suggest a regulatory role of microRNAs in host immunity.

Effects of salt loading on the organisation of microtubules in rat magnocellular vasopressin neurones.

Magnocellular vasopressin (VP) neurones are activated by increases in blood osmolality, leading to the secretion of VP into the circulation to promote water retention in the kidney, thus constituting a key mechanism for the regulation of body fluid homeostasis. However, chronic high salt intake can lead to excessive activation of VP neurones and increased circulating levels of VP, contributing to an elevation in blood pressure. Multiple extrinsic factors, such as synaptic inputs and glial cells, modulate the activity of VP neurones.

V-ATPase-associated prorenin receptor is upregulated in prostate cancer after PTEN loss.

Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) tumor suppressor protein loss is common in prostate cancer (PCa). PTEN loss increases PI3K/Akt signaling, which promotes cell growth and survival. To find secreted biomarkers of PTEN loss, a proteomic screen was used to compare secretomes of cells with and without PTEN expression.

Changing antimicrobial susceptibility and molecular characterisation of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates in Guangdong, China: in a background of rapidly rising epidemic.

The prevalence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections has increased rapidly since 2015 in China. Antimicrobial resistance and molecular mobilisation in N. gonorrhoeae are two important factors driving this increasing prevalence.

Translational profiling of dorsal root ganglia and spinal cord in a mouse model of neuropathic pain.

Acute pain serves as a protective mechanism, guiding the organism away from actual or potential tissue injury. In contrast, chronic pain is a debilitating condition without any obvious physiological function. The transition to, and the maintenance of chronic pain require new gene expression to support biochemical and structural changes within the pain pathway.

Identification and expression analysis of ceftriaxone resistance-related genes in Neisseria gonorrhoeae integrating RNA-Seq data and qRT-PCR validation.

Objectives: The aim of the study is to identify ceftriaxone resistance-related genes in Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Methods: Differences in gene expression were compared between ceftriaxone-susceptible N. gonorrhoeae isolates [minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)=0.

Determining the in vitro susceptibility of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from 8 cities in Guangdong Province through an improved microdilution method.

A microdilution method for the antibiotic susceptibility testing of Neisseria gonorrhoeae was established and improved, and the antibiotic resistance of N. gonorrhoeae samples isolated from 8 cities of Guangdong in 2016 was determined. The improved microdilution method was compared with the agar dilution method recommend by the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region by testing the susceptibility of 100 clinical N.

Deletion of the gene encoding G0/G 1 switch protein 2 (G0s2) alleviates high-fat-diet-induced weight gain and insulin resistance, and promotes browning of white adipose tissue in mice.

Aims/hypothesis: Obesity is a global epidemic resulting from increased energy intake, which alters energy homeostasis and results in an imbalance in fat storage and breakdown. G0/G1 switch gene 2 (G0s2) has been recently characterised in vitro as an inhibitor of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), the rate-limiting step in fat catabolism. In the current study we aim to functionally characterise G0s2 within the physiological context of a mouse model.