Thermoelectric Modulation of Neat TiCT MXenes by Finely Regulating the Stacking of Nanosheets.

Emerging two-dimensional MXenes have been extensively studied in a wide range of fields thanks to their superior electrical and hydrophilic attributes as well as excellent chemical stability and mechanical flexibility. Among them, the ultrahigh electrical conductivity (σ) and tunable band structures of benchmark TiCT MXene demonstrate its good potential as thermoelectric (TE) materials. However, both the large variation of σ reported in the literature and the intrinsically low Seebeck coefficient (S) hinder the practical applications.

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells improve the ovarian function through oxidative stress-mediated PERK/eIF-2α/ATF4/CHOP signaling in premature ovarian insufficiency mice.

Background: Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) is a refractory disease that severely affects female fertility. The PERK/eIF-2α/ATF4/CHOP pathway is one of the classical pathways involved in the unfolded protein response to endoplasmic reticulum stress by regulating protein synthesis and promoting apoptosis. This study aimed to investigate the functional role and mechanism of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) in the POI animal model through the PERK/eIF-2α/ATF4/CHOP pathway.

Ultrasound-guided Genicular Nerve Block in Patients Undergoing Knee Arthroscopy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study was to investigate the efficacy of ultrasound-guided genicular nerve block for patients who underwent knee arthroscopy. Patients were randomized into two groups: 1. nerve block group: ultrasound-guided genicular nerve block (superomedial, superolateral and inferomedial genicular nerve, 2-ml 0.

GC-DFT-Based Dynamic Product Distribution Reveals Enhanced CO-to-Methanol Electrocatalysis Durability by Heterogeneous CoPc.

Heterogeneous cobalt phthalocyanine has emerged as a promising molecular catalyst for electrochemical reduction of CO to methanol. Boosting both electrocatalytic durability and selectivity remains a great challenge, which is more difficult with unknown regulation factors for the HER side reaction. Herein, to discover the key to balancing the durability and selectivity, as well as HER regulation, we carried out GC-DFT calculations, based on which dynamic product distribution modeling was conducted to visually present the variation of the product distribution within the applied voltage range.

Unraveling Microplastic Effects on Gut Microbiota across Various Animals Using Machine Learning.

Microplastics, rapidly expanding and durable pollutant, have been shown to significantly impact gut microbiota across a spectrum of animal species. However, comprehensive analyses comparing microplastic effects on gut microbiota among these species are still limited, and the critical factors driving these effects remain to be clarified. To address these issues, we compiled 1352 gut microbiota samples from six animal categories, employing machine learning to conduct an in-depth meta-analysis.

Acyl-Homoserine Lactone Enhances the Resistance of Anammox Consortia under Heavy Metal Stress: Quorum Sensing Regulatory Mechanism.

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) represents an energy-efficient process for the removal of biological nitrogen from ammonium-rich wastewater. However, the susceptibility of anammox bacteria to coexisting heavy metals considerably restricts their use in engineering practices. Here, we report that acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL), a signaling molecule that mediates quorum sensing (QS), significantly enhances the nitrogen removal rate by 24% under Cu stress.

Rapid and Visual Detection of Urinary Pathogens by Employing Bifunctional Deoxyribonucleic Acid Sensors and Aggregation of Gold Nanoparticles.

A simple, rapid, and visual approach is developed to perform diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) by employing smart bifunctional DNA (bfDNA) sensors, exonuclease III, concatermers of CuO nanoparticles (CuONPs), and gold NPs (AuNPs) aggregation [AuNPs agglutination (AA)], namely, the bfDEC-AA method. The bfDNA sensors serve as probes for identifying 16S rRNA genes of bacterium or 18S rRNA of fungus and as mediators connecting the concatermers of CuONPs. The AA as a signal source is triggered by Cu(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition click chemistry.

phage ΦPNJ-9 adheres to mucus via a variant Hoc protein.

Phages, as antagonists of bacteria, hold significant promise for combating drug-resistant bacterial infections. Their host specificity allows phages to target pathogenic bacteria without disrupting the gut microbiota, offering distinct advantages in the prevention and control of intestinal pathogens. The interaction between the phage and the gut plays a crucial role in the efficacy of phage-mediated bacterial killing.

Scalable Top-Down Approach for Recycling Highly Degraded Spent LiFePO via Lattice Fragmentation-Regeneration.

Designing efficient, scalable, and eco-friendly recycling technologies is crucial for addressing the widespread decommissioning of spent lithium-ion batteries. Here, an innovative top-down regeneration method is introduced to rejuvenate highly degraded LiFePO. Initially, the crystal structure of spent LiFePO is destroyed via the oxidation process, followed by the reconstruction of the LiFePO lattice through the reduction process.

Photoelectron Therapy Preventing the Formation of Bacterial Biofilm on Titanium Implants.

The exogenous bacterial infection and formation of biofilm on the surface of titanium implants can affect the adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of cells associated with osteogenesis, ultimately leading to surgical failure. This study focuses on two critical stages for biofilm formation: i) bacterial adhesion and aggregation, ii) growth and proliferation. The titanium with well-organized titania nanotube arrays is first modified by nitrogen dopants, then loaded with CuFeSe nanoparticles to form a p-n heterojunction.

Prodrug Self-Assemblies Based on Plant Volatile Aldehydes with Improved Stability and Antimicrobial Activity Against Plant Pathogens.

Plant volatile aldehydes (PVAs) such as cinnamaldehyde (Cin), citral (Cit), citronellal (Citr), and perillaldehyde (Per) have broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity and show great potential in agricultural sustainable production. However, most PVAs not only have very high volatility but also are easily degradable in environment, which seriously restricts their wide application. To address the inherent problems with PVAs, four prodrugs based on PVAs are fabricated by conjugating individually Cin, Cit, Citr, and Per to sodium bisulfite (Sod) through a simple addition reaction and subsequently self-assembled into nanoparticles (prodrug self-assemblies) in aqueous solutions.

Determinants of pregnancy outcomes in early-onset intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

Objectives: To analyze pregnancy outcomes and factors influencing early-onset intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), offering insights to improve the management, diagnosis, and treatment of ICP during pregnancy.

Methods: We categorized 127 pregnant women with ICP into two groups based on a gestational age cutoff of 28 weeks. The analysis centered on biochemical markers, pregnancy complications, and outcomes to identify factors influencing early-onset ICP.

Safety and adherence to self-administered intravaginal 5-fluorouracil cream following cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2/3 treatment among HIV-positive women in Kenya: A phase 1 clinical trial.

Objective: To determine the safety, tolerance, and adherence to self-administered intravaginal 5% fluorouracil (5FU) cream as adjuvant therapy following cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or 3 (CIN2/3) treatment among women living with HIV (WLWH) in Kenya.

Methods: A phase I pilot trial was performed among 12 WLWH in Kenya, aged 18-49 years between March 2023 and February 2024 (ClinicalTrial.gov NCT05362955).

Allergen Specific IgE is a Stronger Predictor of Remission Following Peanut Oral Immunotherapy Than Age in Children Aged 1-10 Years.

Background: Remission is the desired outcome following OIT as it allows individuals to discontinue treatment and eat the allergen freely. Early initiation of OIT in infants and toddlers has been embraced as an approach to increase the likelihood of remission. However, there is no high-quality evidence supporting younger age as an independent factor driving remission; available studies are limited by small samples of younger subjects and lack of adjustment for confounding covariates, particularly peanut-specific IgE (sIgE) levels which is closely correlated with age.

The Effect of Early Scapular Training on Shoulder Joint Function after Surgery for Rotator Cuff Injuries: A Retrospective Study.

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the impact of early scapular rehabilitation training in patients after rotator cuff injury. Furthermore, it sought to analyze the application of this approach in promoting surgical site healing and enhancing shoulder joint function recovery.

Methods: This retrospective study obtained the clinical data from 74 patients who underwent rotator cuff repair between July 2022 and June 2024.

Assessing the benefit-risk profile of newer glucose-lowering drugs: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized outcome trials.

Aim: To comprehensively evaluate the benefits and risks of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RA), dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP4i), and sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i).

Materials And Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) from inception to November 2023 to identify randomized cardiovascular and kidney outcome trials that enrolled adults with type 2 diabetes, heart failure, or chronic kidney disease and compared DPP4i, GLP-1RAs, or SGLT2i to placebo. Twenty-one outcomes (e.

Patient-caregiver concordance on death preparedness over Taiwanese cancer patients' last 6 months.

Background: Worldwide patient-caregiver concordance on cognitive prognostic awareness (PA) has been extensively examined, but concordance on sufficient (ie, cognitive and emotional) death preparedness is unexplored. We comprehensively examine the evolution of patient-caregiver concordance on death preparedness over the patient's last 6 months.

Materials/methods: This study re-examined data from 2 cohort studies on 694 dyads of cancer patients and their caregivers recruited from a single medical center in Taiwan.

Structural and Functional Projections of the Nucleus Basalis of Meynert and Their Changes After Cognitive Training in Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Aims: The nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) is a major source of cholinergic innervation in the central nervous system. We aimed to investigate the characteristics of structural and functional alterations in the NBM and its projections in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the effects of computerized cognitive training (CCT).

Methods: Forty-five patients with MCI and 45 cognitively unimpaired controls (CUCs) were recruited.

Artificial intelligence-assisted echocardiographic monitoring in pediatric patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Background: Percutaneous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is administered to pediatric patients with cardiogenic shock or cardiac arrest. The traditional method uses focal echocardiography to complete the left ventricular measurement. However, echocardiographic determination of the ejection fraction (EF) by manual tracing of the endocardial borders is time consuming and operator dependent.

Mindfulness acting with awareness and emotional eating among polycystic ovary syndrome women with infertility: the mediating role of depression.

Emotional eating, characterized by the tendency to increase food intake in response to negative emotional states, is often linked to poor emotion regulation. While mindfulness-based interventions have been studied for their benefits in reducing emotional eating, less is known about how inherent mindfulness traits, relate to emotional regulation particularly among individuals with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a population known for high rates of psychological distress and disordered eating behaviors. This study investigates the associations between different facets of mindfulness, depressive symptoms, and emotional eating among individuals with PCOS and infertility who had not received any formal mindfulness intervention.

Association between positive youth development and family functioning in the Chinese context: a four-wave longitudinal survey in mainland China.

Introduction: There is a notable scarcity of research examining the developmental trajectories of positive youth development (PYD) attributes among Chinese preadolescents and adolescents and the predictive effect of family functioning on these trajectories over time.

Methods: Using four waves of data, this longitudinal study investigated preadolescents and adolescents in China in January 2020 (T1), June 2020 (T2), June 2021 (T3), and June 2022 (T4). The study utilized the 90-item "Chinese Positive Youth Development Scale" and the 33-item "Chinese Family Assessment Instrument" to assess PYD and family functioning, respectively.

Comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to uterine teratoma in postmenopausal women: a case study and review.

Background And Objective: Uterine teratomas are extremely rare in postmenopausal women and pose significant challenges in diagnosis and treatment. This study reports a case of a 54-year-old postmenopausal woman diagnosed with a uterine teratoma during a routine gynecological ultrasound. The study aims to explore the diagnosis and treatment of uterine teratomas in postmenopausal women through detailed imaging assessment and hysteroscopy surgery, aiming to enhance the understanding of this rare uterine tumor and improve patient treatment outcomes and quality of life.

Disease Modules Associated with Unfavorable Sleep Patterns and Their Genetic Determinants: A Prospective Cohort Study of the UK Biobank.

Unlabelled: Despite the established associations between sleep-related traits and major diseases, comprehensive assessment on affected disease modules and their genetic determinants is lacking. Using multiple correspondence analysis and the k-means clustering algorithm, 235,826 eligible participants were clustered into distinct unfavorable sleep patterns [short sleep duration ( = 10,073), snoring (22,419), insomnia (102,771), insomnia and snoring (62,909)] and favorable sleep pattern groups (37,654). The associations of unfavorable sleep patterns with 134 diseases were estimated using Cox regression models; and comorbidity network analyses were applied for disease module identification.

Diagnosis value of targeted and metagenomic sequencing in respiratory tract infection.

Background: Targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) has become a trending tool in the field of infection diagnosis, but concerns are also raising about its performance compared with metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS). This study aims to explore the clinical feasibility of a tNGS panel for respiratory tract infection diagnosis and compare it with mNGS in the same cohort of inpatients.

Methods: 180 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples were collected and sent to two centers for mNGS and tNGS blinded tests, respectively.