Cross-sectional study on the seroprevalence, reinfection, and associated factors of Chlamydia trachomatis among female sex workers in Guangdong Province, China.

Background: Female sex workers (FSWs) are at high risk of chlamydia infection, yet the seroprevalence among FSWs in China remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and associated factors among FSWs in Guangdong Province, China.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among FSWs in two cities in Guangdong Province.

Exploring the natural-socioeconomic driving and response mechanisms of ecosystem services interactions to optimize ecosystem management: A case study in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin.

Revealing the complex interactions between ecosystem services (ESs) and their underlying mechanisms is a prerequisite for formulating sustainable ecological management strategies. However, few studies have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the driving and response mechanisms of ESs interactions. Therefore, this study established an integrated framework to first quantify the interactions between ESs, then identify their dominant natural-socioeconomic drivers, explore their spatial non-stationary responses, and ultimately propose corresponding strategies to optimize ecosystem management.

Notopterygium Incisum Extract Promotes Apoptosis by Preventing the Degradation of BIM in Colorectal Cancer.

Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC), a prevalent malignancy worldwide, has prompted extensive research into anticancer drugs. Traditional Chinese medicinal materials offer promising avenues for cancer management due to their diverse pharmacological activities. This study investigated the effects of Notopterygium incisum, a traditional Chinese medicine named Qianghuo (QH), on CRC cells and the underlying mechanism.

Quantification of gut microbiome metabolites using chemical isotope derivatization strategy combined with LC-MS/MS: Application in neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy rat model.

The gut microbiome plays pivotal roles in various physiological and pathological processes, with key metabolites including short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bile acids (BAs), and tryptophan (TRP) derivatives gaining significant attention for their diverse physiological roles. However, quantifying these metabolites presents challenges due to structural similarity, low abundance, and inherent technical limitations in traditional detection methods. In this study, we developed a precise and sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method utilizing a chemical isotope derivatization technique employing 4-(aminomethyl)-N,N-dimethylaniline-d/d (4-AND-d/d) reagents to quantify 37 typical gut microbiome-derived metabolites.

Distribution and Transport of CO in Hyperbranched Poly(ethylenimine)-Loaded MCM-41: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Approach.

Fossil fuel use is accelerating climate change, driving the need for efficient CO capture technologies. Solid adsorption-based direct air capture (DAC) of CO has emerged as a promising mode for CO removal from the atmosphere due to its potential for scalability. Sorbents based on porous supports incorporating oligomeric amines in their pore spaces are widely studied.

Anticancer effect of involucrasin A on colorectal cancer cells by modulating the Akt/MDM2/p53 pathway.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide; however, there is still a lack of effective clinical anti-CRC agents. Naturally-occurring compounds have been considered a potentially valuable source of new antitumorigenic agents. Involucrasin A, a novel natural molecule, was isolated from (Wall.

The selective heating effect of microwave irradiation on a binary mixture of water and polyethylene oxide: a molecular dynamics simulation approach.

In this study, we investigate the molecular mechanisms of a microwave-driven selective heating process by performing molecular dynamics simulations for three different systems including pure water, pure polyethylene oxide (PEO), and water-PEO mixed systems in the presence of a microwave with two different intensities of electric field such as 0.001 V Å and 0.01 V Å at a frequency of 100 GHz.

Optimal high-throughput virtual screening pipeline for efficient selection of redox-active organic materials.

As global interest in renewable energy continues to increase, there has been a pressing need for developing novel energy storage devices based on organic electrode materials that can overcome the shortcomings of the current lithium-ion batteries. One critical challenge for this quest is to find materials whose redox potential (RP) meets specific design targets. In this study, we propose a computational framework for addressing this challenge through the effective design and optimal operation of a high-throughput virtual screening (HTVS) pipeline that enables rapid screening of organic materials that satisfy the desired criteria.

Mitochondrial toxicity evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine injections with a dual approach.

There are technical obstacles in the safety evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) injections due to their complex chemical nature and the lack of rapid and accurate methods. Here, we established a dual mitochondrial toxicity approach combing the conventional "glucose/galactose" assay in HepG2 cells with the cytotoxic assay in mitochondrial respiration deficient cells. Using this dual approach, for the first time, we systematically assessed the mitochondrial toxicity of TCM injections.

Identification and characterization of a novel mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 inhibitor for glioma treatment.

Isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) mutant R132H, promoting the oncometabolite D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D2HG), is a driver mutation and an emerging therapeutic target in glioma. This study identified a novel mutant IDH1 inhibitor, WM17, by virtual screening and enzymatic confirmation. It could bind to and increase mutant IDH1 protein's thermostability in both endogenous heterozygous cells and exogenous overexpressed cells.

Autophagy inhibitors increase the susceptibility of KRAS-mutant human colorectal cancer cells to a combined treatment of 2-deoxy-D-glucose and lovastatin.

RAS-driven colorectal cancer relies on glucose metabolism to support uncontrolled growth. However, monotherapy with glycolysis inhibitors like 2-deoxy-D-glucose causes limited effectiveness. Recent studies suggest that anti-tumor effects of glycolysis inhibition could be improved by combination treatment with inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation.

Spatial and Temporal Heterogeneity Analysis of Water Conservation in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration Based on the Geodetector and Spatial Elastic Coefficient Trajectory Models.

To regulate regional water resources, it is essential to identify the relationships among the elements that influence water conservation. Taking the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration as the study area, the authors applied a new method in combination with a geodetector model and spatial elastic coefficient trajectory model to reveal factors controlling water conservation and to identify relationships among the elements driving water conservation, in which the water conservation capacity and its spatial distribution were achieved using an Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs model. The authors selected precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, temperature, land use, maximum burial depth of soil, plant-available water content, soil-saturated hydraulic conductivity, percentage slope, gross domestic product, and population as the spatial driving factors, which measured the influence on the distribution of water conservation capacity on the whole region, plateaus, mountains, and plains, respectively.

Analyzing the interpretative ability of landscape pattern to explain thermal environmental effects in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration.

The development of the urban agglomeration has caused drastic changes in landscape pattern and increased anthropogenic heat emission and lead to the urban heat island (UHI) effect more serious. Therefore, understanding the interpretation ability of landscape pattern on the thermal environment has gradually become an important focus. In the study, the spatial heterogeneity of the surface temperature was analyzed using the hot-spot analysis method which was improved by changing the calculation of space weight.

Establishing an ecological security pattern for urban agglomeration, taking ecosystem services and human interference factors into consideration.

The assessment of ecological security patterns is a topic of conversation in landscape ecology in recent years. However, ecosystem services and human activities are seldom considered comprehensively in the assessment of ecological security patterns. The present study employs the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration as a study area, and uses ecological services to determine the ecological sources.

PAC1R agonist maxadilan enhances hADSC viability and neural differentiation potential.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a structurally endogenous peptide with many biological roles. However, little is known about its presence or effects in human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs). In this study, the expression of PACAP type I receptor (PAC1R) was first confirmed in hADSCs.