Gender differences in the relationship between the triglyceride-glucose index and serum Klotho concentrations among the middle-aged and elderly: a cross-sectional analysis.

Background: The triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index is recognized as a robust indicator for evaluating insulin resistance (IR). Despite the well-documented anti-aging biological functions of Klotho protein, its correlation with the TyG index remains unexplored.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted involving participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2007-2016.

Prognostic significance of LRPPRC and its association with immune infiltration in liver hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Leucine rich pentatricopeptide repeat containing (LRPPRC) protein is a multifunctional protein involved in cell cycle progression and tumor development. However, its prognostic significance and association with immune infiltration in Liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) remain unclear.

Methods: We utilized transcriptomic and clinical data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype Tissue Expression (GTEx) databases of LIHC patients to investigate the potential pro-cancer role of LRPPRC, including differential expression of LRPPRC in LIHC, prognostic value, clinicopathological features, immune cell infiltration relevance and function enrichment analysis.

Clinical analysis and methodological evaluation of syphilis infection in patients in a first-class tertiary hospital in Suzhou, China.

Objective: To explore the distribution and epidemiological characteristics of patients with syphilis in a first-class tertiary hospital and to evaluate the coincidence rate between chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) and particle agglutination assay (TPPA).

Methods: The medical records of 247,501 outpatients and inpatients were retrospectively analyzed. TPPA was used to verify positive and suspected cases, and the coincidence rate between CLIA and TPPA was evaluated.

Comparison of acute respiratory distress syndrome in patients with COVID-19 and influenza A (H7N9) virus infection.

Objectives: We aimed to compared the clinical features of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) induced by COVID-19 and H7N9 virus infections.

Methods: Clinical data of 100 patients with COVID-19 and 46 patients with H7N9 were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: Elevated inflammatory indices and coagulation disorders were more common in COVID-19-ARDS group than in the H7N9-ARDS group.

The Effect of Elevated Alanine Transaminase on Non-invasive Prenatal Screening Failures.

Objective: To determine the effects of alanine transaminase (ALT) levels on the screening failure rates or "no calls" due to low fetal fraction (FF) to obtain a result in non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS).

Methods: NIPS by sequencing and liver enzyme measurements were performed in 7,910 pregnancies at 12-26 weeks of gestation. Univariate and multivariable regression models were used to evaluate the significant predictors of screening failure rates among maternal characteristics and relevant laboratory parameters.

Analysis of Serum IgG1 to Predict Progression and Therapeutic Effect in Patients with Multiple Myeloma.

Objective: The correlation between laboratory indicators and clinical treatment effects and the prognosis of multiple myeloma remains poorly understood. Therefore, our study investigated whether serum IgG subclasses could be employed as potential indicators contributed to evaluate the therapeutic effect and prognosis of patients with multiple myeloma. .

Research Advances of Prevention and Control of Hydrogen Sulfide in Coal Mines.

Sudden emission and casualty accidents caused by abnormal enrichment of hydrogen sulfide (HS) in coal mines are becoming frequent increasingly, causing major casualties and environmental pollution. Scholars in various countries have developed various measuring devices for hydrogen sulfide content in coal and rock formations and their calculation methods. The existing prevention and control technologies of HS in coal mines were summarized in various countries.

Dye-Incorporated Polynaphthalenediimide Acceptor for Additive-Free High-Performance All-Polymer Solar Cells.

All-polymer solar cells (all-PSCs) can offer unique advantages for applications in flexible devices, and naphthalene diimide (NDI)-based polymer acceptors are the widely used polymer acceptors. However, their power conversion efficiency (PCE) still lags behind that of state-of-the-art polymer solar cells, due to low light absorption, suboptimal energy levels and the strong aggregation of the NDI-based polymer acceptor. Herein, a rhodanine-based dye molecule was introduced into the NDI-based polymer acceptor by simple random copolymerization and showed an improved light absorption coefficient, an up-shifted lowest unoccupied molecular orbital level and reduced crystallization.

Roll-To-Roll Printing of Meter-Scale Composite Transparent Electrodes with Optimized Mechanical and Optical Properties for Photoelectronics.

Flexible transparent electrodes are an indispensable component for flexible optoelectronic devices. In this work, the meter-scale composite transparent electrodes (CTEs) composed of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) and Ag grid/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with optimized mechanical and optical properties are demonstrated by slot-die roll-to-roll technique with solution printing method under a low cost ($15-20 per square meter), via control of the viscosity and surface energy of PEDOT:PSS ink as well as the printing parameters. The CTEs show excellent flexibility remaining 98% of the pristine value after bending 2000 times under various bending situations, and the square resistance ( R) of CTEs can be reduced to 4.

Improved Glass Transition Temperature towards Thermal Stability via Thiols Solvent Additive versus DIO in Polymer Solar Cells.

The halogen-free solvent additive, 1,4-butanedithiol (BT) has been incorporated into PTB7-Th:PC BM, leading to higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) value as well as substantially enhanced thermal stability, as compared with the traditional 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO) additive. More importantly, the improved thermal stability after processing with BT contributes to a higher glass transition temperature (T ) of PTB7-Th, as determined by dynamic mechanical analysis. After thermal annealing at 130 °C in nitrogen atmosphere for 30 min, the PCE of the specimen processed with BT reduces from 9.

Butanedithiol Solvent Additive Extracting Fullerenes from Donor Phase To Improve Performance and Photostability in Polymer Solar Cells.

In this work, we demonstrated that the excited poly[4,8-bis(5-(2-ethylhexyl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo[1,2-b;4,5-b']dithiophene-2,6-diyl-alt-(4-(2-ethylhexyl)-3-fluorothieno[3,4-b]thiophene-)-2-carboxylate-2,6-diyl)] (PTB7-Th) will be degraded by [6,6]-phenyl-C-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) or photolysis fragment of 1,8-diiodooctane (DIO) in the presence of oxygen and under irradiation of red light. From the previous reports, the fragment of DIO may be involved in the reaction directly. Our work indicates the PCBM is not directly involved in the reaction, but is acting as a catalyst to promote the reaction of excited donors with oxygen.

Up-regulated HMGB1 in EAM directly led to collagen deposition by a PKCβ/Erk1/2-dependent pathway: cardiac fibroblast/myofibroblast might be another source of HMGB1.

High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), an important inflammatory mediator, is actively secreted by immune cells and some non-immune cells or passively released by necrotic cells. HMGB1 has been implicated in many inflammatory diseases. Our previous published data demonstrated that HMGB1 was up-regulated in heart tissue or serum in experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM); HMGB1 blockade could ameliorate cardiac fibrosis at the last stage of EAM.

[Release of HMGB1 by LPS-treated cardiac fibroblasts and its contribution to the production of collagen type I and III].

Aim: To investigate whether cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) treated by LPS can actively secrete high-mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) and to analyze the correlation between HMGB1 releasing and the accumulation of collagen type I , III .

Methods: CFs were isolated from the heart of 7-14-day-old BALB/c mice and cultured in DMEM with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). We collected the CFs and cell supernatants after treated by LPS for 0, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48 h, respectively.

IL-17 contributes to cardiac fibrosis following experimental autoimmune myocarditis by a PKCβ/Erk1/2/NF-κB-dependent signaling pathway.

Myocarditis is a common clinical cardiovascular disease, and some patients progress to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with chronic heart failure. Common viral infections are the most frequent cause of myocarditis, but other pathogens and autoimmune diseases have also been implicated. T(h)17 cells are novel IL-17-producing effector T helper cells that play an important role in the development of autoimmune myocarditis.

Complex class 1 integron containing bla ( CTX-M-1 ) genes isolated from Escherichia coli: a potentially novel resistant gene-capturing tool kit.

For this study, ten complex class 1 integron was characterized in Escherichia coli (E. coli) isolates from Zhenjiang. Among the ten isolates, five included the bla ( CTX-M-1 ) gene between orf513 and the IS 3000.

Role of positive selection in functional divergence of mammalian neuronal apoptosis inhibitor proteins during evolution.

Neuronal apoptosis inhibitor proteins (NAIPs) are members of Nod-like receptor (NLR) protein family. Recent research demostrated that some NAIP genes were strongly associated with both innate immunity and many inflammatory diseases in humans. However, no similar phenomena have been reported in other mammals.