Comparison of hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma in knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common joint disorder, and intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid (HA) or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are frequently employed therapeutic interventions. However, there remains controversy regarding their efficacy. This systematic review aims to compare the effectiveness and safety of HA and PRP through a meta-analysis, with the objective of identifying the optimal treatment protocol for KOA and enhancing its management.

Electrified -Freezing of Electrocatalytic CO Reduction Cells for Cryogenic Electron Microscopy.

The ability to freeze and stabilize reaction intermediates in their metastable states and obtain their structural and chemical information with high spatial resolution is critical to advance materials technologies such as catalysis and batteries. Here, we develop an electrified -freezing methodology to preserve these metastable states under electrochemical reaction conditions for cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) imaging and spectroscopy. Using Cu catalysts for CO reduction as a model system, we observe restructuring of the Cu catalyst in a CO atmosphere while the same catalyst remains intact in air at the nanometer scale.

miR-221-3p is upregulated in acute pulmonary embolism complicated with pulmonary hypertension and promotes pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells proliferation and migration by inhibiting PTEN.

Pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) functions are associated with the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH) which is a life-threatening complication of acute pulmonary embolism (APE). This study sought to explore the expression pattern of microRNA (miR)-221-3p in APE-PH patients and its role in PASMCs proliferation and migration. The clinical data and venous blood of APE-PH patients were collected.

Decay and Termite Resistance of Wood Modified by High-Temperature Vapour-Phase Acetylation (HTVPA), a Simultaneous Acetylation and Heat Treatment Modification Process.

High-temperature vapour-phase acetylation (HTVPA) is a simultaneous acetylation and heat treatment process for wood modification. This study was the first investigation into the impact of HTVPA treatment on the resistance of wood to biological degradation. In the termite resistance test, untreated wood exhibited a mass loss (ML) of 20.

Analysis of the expression and significance of lymphocyte ratio in different stages and clinical types of COVID-19.

This study aimed to analyze the expression of lymphocyte ratio (LY%) in different stages and clinical staging of COVID-19 and explore the relationship between peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) ratio and COVID-19 severity to provide reference for early intervention. For this purpose, a total of 125 patients with COVID-19 admitted to Hebei Provincial People's Hospital from February 1, 2020, to March 1, 2022, were reviewed and divided into moderate, severe, and critical groups by the severity to analyze and compare peripheral lymphocyte ratios of patients with different clinical typing. Results showed that lymphocyte count, lymphocyte percentage, CD3+ T-lymphocyte count, CD4+ T-lymphocyte count, and CD8+ T-lymphocyte count all decreased gradually with increasing severity (F = 27.

Assessing the Long-Term Creep Behaviour of Hydrothermally Treated Japanese Cedar Wood Using the Short-Term Accelerated Stepped Isostress Method.

In this study, short-term accelerated creep tests were conducted using the stepped isostress method (SSM) to investigate the impact of hydrothermal treatment on the long-term creep behaviour of Japanese cedar wood and to determine optimal hydrothermal treatment conditions. The results showed that SSM can effectively predict the creep behaviour of hydrothermally treated wood. Among the treatment conditions tested, Japanese cedar wood treated hydrothermally at 180 °C for 4 h exhibited higher flexural strength retention (91%) and moisture excluding efficiency (MEE) (44%) and demonstrated superior creep resistance compared to untreated wood.

Ultrahigh-Loading Manganese-Based Electrodes for Aqueous Batteries via Polymorph Tuning.

Manganese-based aqueous batteries utilizing Mn /MnO redox reactions are promising choices for grid-scale energy storage due to their high theoretical specific capacity, high power capability, low-cost, and intrinsic safety with water-based electrolytes. However, the application of such systems is hindered by the insulating nature of deposited MnO , resulting in low normalized areal loading (0.005-0.

Association between dietary intake of α-tocopherol and cadmium related osteoporosis in population ≥ 50 years.

Introduction: To analyze the association between α-tocopherol intake and cadmium (Cd) exposure and osteoporosis in population ≥ 50 years.

Materials And Methods: Sociodemographic data, physical examination, and laboratory indicators including serum Cd level and dietary α-tocopherol intake of 8459 participants were extracted from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database in this cross-sectional study. The associations between α-tocopherol intake, serum Cd levels and osteoporosis were evaluated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, with the estimated value (β), odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Activation of basolateral amygdala to anterior cingulate cortex circuit alleviates MK-801 induced social and cognitive deficits of schizophrenia.

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder with a high prevalence worldwide, however, its pathogenesis remains poorly understood.

Methods And Results: In this study, we used the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 to induce schizophrenia-like behaviors and confirmed that mice exhibited stereotypic rotational behavior and hyperlocomotion, social interaction defects and cognitive dysfunction, similar to the clinical symptoms in patients. Here, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and basolateral amygdala (BLA) were involved in the schizophrenia-like behaviors induced by MK-801.

Characterization and Prediction of Mechanical and Chemical Properties of Luanta Fir Wood with Vacuum Hydrothermal Treatment.

Since the chemical composition of wood is closely related to its mechanical properties, chemical analysis techniques such as near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy provide a reasonable non-destructive method for predicting wood strength. In this study, we used NIR spectra with principal component analysis (PCA) to reveal that vacuum hydrothermal (VH) treatment causes degradation of hemicellulose as well as the amorphous region of cellulose, resulting in lower hydroxyl and acetyl group content. These processes increase the crystallinity of the luanta fir wood (Cunninghamia konishii Hayata), which, in turn, effectively increases its compressive strength (σc,max), hardness, and modulus of elasticity (MOE).

Onboard early detection and mitigation of lithium plating in fast-charging batteries.

Fast-charging is considered as one of the most desired features needed for lithium-ion batteries to accelerate the mainstream adoption of electric vehicles. However, current battery charging protocols mainly consist of conservative rate steps to avoid potential hazardous lithium plating and its associated parasitic reactions. A highly sensitive onboard detection method could enable battery fast-charging without reaching the lithium plating regime.

Characterization and Prediction of Physical Properties of Luanta Fir Wood with Vacuum Hydrothermal Treatment.

This study used the luanta fir ( Hayata) wood, one of the most used wood construction and building materials in Taiwan, as specimens to examine the impact of different conditions of vacuum hydrothermal (VH) treatment on the physical properties of this wood. A prediction model for these properties was created using a nondestructive spectroscopy technique. The test results revealed that the mass loss, moisture exclusion efficiency, anti-swelling efficiency, color difference, and surface contact angle of the VH-treated wood all increased under increasing heat treatment temperature and time.

The effects and mechanism of environmental enrichment on MK-801 induced cognitive impairment in rodents with schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder characterized by positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. Cognitive symptoms are a kind of symptoms with high incidence and great impact on patients. There is no effective treatment in clinical practice.

Methylene blue applied to N95 respirators and medical masks for SARS-CoV-2 decontamination: What is the likelihood of inhaling methylene blue?

Background: Global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), as consequence of the COVID-19 global pandemic, has unmasked significant resource inequities prompting efforts to develop methods for safe PPE decontamination for reuse. The World Health Organization (WHO) in their Rational Use of PPE bulletin cited the use of a photodynamic dye, methylene blue, and light exposure as a viable option for N95 respirator decontamination. Because WHO noted that methylene blue (MB) would be applied to surfaces through which health care workers breathe, we hypothesized that little to no MB will be detectable by spectroscopy when the PPE is subjected to MB at supraphysiologic airflow rates.

Cold-Starting All-Solid-State Batteries from Room Temperature by Thermally Modulated Current Collector in Sub-Minute.

All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) show great potential as high-energy and high-power energy-storage devices but their attainable energy/power density at room temperature is severely reduced because of the sluggish kinetics of lithium-ion transport. Here a thermally modulated current collector (TMCC) is reported, which can rapidly cold-start ASSBs from room temperature to operating temperatures (70-90 °C) in less than 1 min, and simultaneously enhance the transient peak power density by 15-fold compared to one without heating. This TMCC is prepared by integrating a uniform, ultrathin (≈200 nm) nickel layer as a thermal modulator within an ultralight polymer-based current collector.

Isolate sets partition benefits community detection of parallel Louvain method.

Community detection is a vital task in many fields, such as social networks, and financial analysis, to name a few. The Louvain method, the main workhorse of community detection, is a popular heuristic method based on modularity. But it is difficult for the sequential Louvain method to deal with large-scale graphs.

Plasma Proteomic Changes of Atherosclerosis after Exercise in ApoE Knockout Mice.

Atherosclerosis is the preliminary cause of coronary artery disease, one of the diseases that account for the largest number of fatal mortalities. Physical activity is an effective strategy to restrain atherosclerosis from deterioration. Evidence indicated that changes in the proteomic profile are highly associated with atherosclerosis development, but the mechanism behind exercise for atherosclerosis amelioration has not yet been investigated from a proteomics perspective.

IL-34 was high in serum of women with polycystic ovary syndrome and may function as potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target.

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most prevalent endocrine disorders in females of reproductive age, with a prevalence of 20%-33% in the general population. Interleukin (IL)-34 is a recently explored proinflammatory cytokine and is an important modulator in different disease types. However, the function of IL-34 in PCOS has yet to be investigated.

Effects of exercise on high-fat diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and lipid metabolism in ApoE knockout mice.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is growing more common in the Western world, has become the main cause of chronic liver disease and is strongly associated with metabolism syndromes. NAFLD can indicate a wide spectrum of hepatic pathologies, ranging from simple hepatic steatosis and inflammatory non-alcoholic steatohepatitis to more severe stages of fibrosis and cirrhosis. Moreover, evidence has demonstrated that physical inactivity and westernized dietary habits may facilitate the development of NAFLD.