Review of clinical characteristics and mortality outcomes in patients on maintenance hemodialysis during the Omicron surge: a single center experience.

Background: This hemodialysis center experienced the pandemic from December 2022 to January 2023. Therefore, we sought to describe the clinical characteristics and mortality outcomes in hemodialysis patients during this Omicron surge.

Methods: According to whether they are infected, they are divided into two groups: SARS-CoV-2-positive and SARS-CoV-2-negative.

Therapeutic options for different metastatic sites arising from renal cell carcinoma: A review.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) stands among the top 10 malignant neoplasms with the highest fatality rates. It exhibits pronounced heterogeneity and robust metastatic behavior. Patients with RCC may present with solitary or multiple metastatic lesions at various anatomical sites, and their prognoses are contingent upon the site of metastasis.

Polyethylene glycol with dual three-dimensional porous carbon nanotube/diamond: a high thermal conductivity of composite PCM.

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is widely used as a phase change material (PCM) in thermal energy storage systems due to its high latent heat and chemical stability. However, practical application has been hindered by its low thermal conductivity and leakage issues. Therefore, developing shape-stable high thermal conductivity PCM is of great importance.

Mitochonic acid 5 rescues cardiomyocytes from doxorubicin-induced toxicity via repressing the TNF-α/NF-κB/NLRP3-mediated pyroptosis.

Aims: Doxorubicin (DOX) is an effective anti-tumor drug, but the cardiotoxicity severely limits its clinical use. Interestingly, a hypothesis has emerged suggesting an association between DOX-induced cardiotoxicity and mitochondrial disorders and oxidative stress. The mitochonic acid 5 (MA5) shows promise in alleviating mitochondrial dysfunction by promoting mitochondrial ATP synthesis and reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, though its potential in ameliorating DOX-induced cardiotoxicity remains elusive.

Arabidopsis RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain phosphatase-like 1 targets mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades to suppress plant immunity.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades play pivotal roles in plant defense against phytopathogens downstream of immune receptor complexes. The amplitude and duration of MAPK activation must be strictly controlled, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, we identified Arabidopsis CPL1 (C-terminal domain phosphatase-like 1) as a negative regulator of microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP)-triggered immunity via a forward-genetic screen.

Nitrate reductase is required for sclerotial development and virulence of .

, the causal agent of Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) on more than 450 plant species, is a notorious fungal pathogen. Nitrate reductase (NR) is required for nitrate assimilation that mediates the reduction of nitrate to nitrite and is the major enzymatic source for NO production in fungi. To explore the possible effects of nitrate reductase SsNR on the development, stress response, and virulence of , RNA interference (RNAi) of was performed.

Four undescribed iridoid glycosides with antidiabetic activity from fruits of Cornus officinalis Sieb. Et Zucc.

Four novel iridoid glycosides neocornuside E-H (1-4), together with nine known ones (5-13), were isolated from fruits of Cornus officinalis. Their chemical structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analyses and comparing of the literature data. All of the isolated compounds were evaluated for their antidiabetic activity in insulin resistant HepG2 cells.

Neocornuside A-D, Four Novel Iridoid Glycosides from Fruits of and Their Antidiabetic Activity.

Four previously undescribed iridoid glycosides neocornuside A-D (), along with six known ones (), were isolated from fruit. Their structures were elucidated by extensive spectroscopic (NMR, UV, IR, and MS) analysis and comparison with data reported in the literature. All isolates were assessed for their antidiabetic activity on the relative glucose consumption in insulin-induced insulin-resistant HepG2 cells.

Epimesatines A-I, nine undescribed prenylated flavonoids with SPHK1 inhibitory activities from Epimedium sagittatum maxim.

Epimesatines A-I, nine undescribed prenylated flavonoids, along with ten known analogues, were isolated from the aerial parts of Epimedium sagittatum Maxim. The structures and absolute configurations of epimesatines A-I were determined using a combination of spectroscopic data, Rh(OCOCF)-induced electronic circular dichroism (ECD) experiments, ECD comparisons, and X-ray crystallography analysis. Epimesatines A and I displayed notable activities on the viabilities of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549 cells with IC values of 1.

Ustilaginoidea virens secretes a family of phosphatases that stabilize the negative immune regulator OsMPK6 and suppress plant immunity.

Rice false smut caused by Ustilaginoidea virens is emerging as a devastating disease of rice (Oryza sativa) worldwide; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying U. virens virulence and pathogenicity remain largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that the small cysteine-rich secreted protein SCRE6 in U.

Alkaloids from the stem of .

Two new cyclotrypyamine alkaloids equisetinines A and B, as well as three known alkaloids () were isolated from the stems of Bunge. Their structures were characterized by spectroscopic methods, and the absolute configurations of the new compounds were determined by interpretation of their electronic circular dichroism. Anti-asthmatic activities of compounds were evaluated by releasing -Hex in C48/80-induced RBL-2H3 cells, and compound exhibited significant anti-asthmatic activities.

Lignans and terpenoids from the stem of Ephedra equisetina Bunge.

Seven undescribed lignans, equiselignan A-F, and six undescribed terpenoids, equiseterpenoid A-E (including two pairs of enantiomers, (+/-)-equiselignan A and (+/-)-equiseterpenoid E), were isolated from the stems of Ephedra equisetina Bunge. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, and the absolute configurations of the undescribed compounds were determined by interpretation of their electronic circular dichroic (ECD) and optical rotation data. In β-hexosaminidase (β-Hex) release assay, anti-asthmatic activities of all of the compounds were evaluated by releasing β-Hex in C48/80-induced RBL-2H3 cells.

Elevated temperature mitigates the prolonged effect of high nitrogen on Microcystis aeruginosa removal through mixotrophic Ochromonas gloeopara grazing.

Cyanobacterial blooms are increasingly threatening the aquatic ecosystem functioning as a result of the global warming and eutrophication. The "top-down" control of cyanobacteria from consumers like the protozoans shows great potential because of the effectiveness and environment-friendliness. To reveal how the nutrition availability and elevated temperature affect the cyanobacteria removal through protozoans grazing, we grew the toxic Microcystis aeruginosa and the mixotrophic Ochromonas gloeopara in monocultures and cocultures at environmentally relevant nitrogen levels (0.

Freeway ramp metering based on PSO-PID control.

Ramp metering on freeway is one of the effective methods to alleviate traffic congestion. This paper advances the field of freeway ramp metering by introducing an application to the on-ramp, capitalizing on the macro traffic follow theory and improved the freeway traffic flow. The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) based on Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) controller is further developed to single ramp metering as well as to optimize the PID parameters.

Upregulation of RIP3 promotes necroptosis via a ROS‑dependent NF‑κB pathway to induce chronic inflammation in HK‑2 cells.

Tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (TA/IF) is a major cause of late allograft loss, and inflammation within areas of TA/IF is associated with adverse outcomes in kidney transplantation. However, there is currently no satisfactory method to suppress this inflammation to improve TA/IF. The present study aimed to determine the proinflammatory role of receptor‑interacting protein 3 (RIP3) in TA/IF to discover a novel therapeutic target.

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Attenuates TGF-β1-Induced EMT by Increasing HGF Expression in HK-2 Cells.

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have recently shown promise for the treatment of various types of chronic kidney disease models. However, the mechanism of this effect is still not well understood. Our study is aimed to investigate the effect of MSCs on transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1)-induced epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in renal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2 cells) and the underlying mechanism related to the reciprocal balance between hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and TGF-β1.

Toxic Microcystis aeruginosa alters the resource allocation in Daphnia mitsukuri responding to fish predation cues.

Many prey organisms adaptively respond to predation risk by inducible defenses with underlying tradeoffs in resource allocation. Cyanobacterial blooms expose zooplankton to poor food conditions, affecting the herbivores' fitness. Given the interferences on resources allocation and life history traits, poor-quality cyanobacteria are predicted to affect the adaptive predator-induced responses in zooplankton.

Growth and photosynthetic responses of Ochromonas gloeopara to cadmium stress and its capacity to remove cadmium.

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the predominant anthropogenic pollutants in aquatic systems. As Cd has negative effects on species at all trophic levels, the community composition in aquatic habitats can be changed as a result of Cd stress. The response of mixotrophic protists to environmental stressors is particularly important as they act as both producers and consumers in complex planktonic communities.

Ultraviolet-B radiation stress alters the competitive outcome of algae: Based on analyzing population dynamics and photosynthesis.

The solar ultraviolet-B radiation (UVB) is increasingly affecting the aquatic ecosystems due to the long-term antropic damage to the stratospheric ozone. The distrupted interspecies competition is one of the primary causes driving the plankton community composition shifts under UVB stress. To reveal the competitive responses to enhanced UVB radiation, we grew two green algae Scenedesmus obliquus and Chlorella pyrenoidosa, and the unicellular cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa in monocultures and in cocultures under differerent UVB intensities (0, 0.

The Interface and Mechanical Properties of a CVD Single Crystal Diamond Produced by Multilayered Nitrogen Doping Epitaxial Growth.

In the present investigation, a nitrogen-doped multilayer homoepitaxial single crystal diamond is synthesized on a high-pressure high temperature (HPHT) Ib-type diamond substrate using the microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD) method. When 0.15 sccm of nitrogen was added in the gas phase, the growth rate of the doped layer was about 1.

Suppressing PKC-dependent membrane P2X3 receptor upregulation in dorsal root ganglia mediated electroacupuncture analgesia in rat painful diabetic neuropathy.

Painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN) is a common and troublesome diabetes complication. Protein kinase C (PKC)-mediated dorsal root ganglia (DRG) P2X3 receptor upregulation is one important mechanism underlying PDN. Accumulating evidence demonstrated that electroacupuncture (EA) at low frequency could effectively attenuate neuropathic pain.

Association of VDR gene TaqI polymorphism with the susceptibility to prostate cancer in Asian population evaluated by an updated systematic meta-analysis.

Background: The vitamin D receptor (VDR) plays a key role in vitamin-mediated signaling pathway. Emerging evidence has suggested that the VDR polymorphism may contribute to the risk of prostate cancer (PCa). However, the existing results are not conclusive in Asian population.

Repair of Critical-Sized Mandible Defects in Aged Rat Using Hypoxia Preconditioned BMSCs with Up-regulation of Hif-1α.

The repair of bone defects in the geriatric population remains a challenge for modern medicine. Transplantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) combined with or without biomaterials has been a promising approach to bone restoration and regeneration. Typically, the transplanted BMSCs are cultured under normoxic conditions (21% O and 10% serum medium) .

SsSm1, a Cerato-platanin family protein, is involved in the hyphal development and pathogenic process of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum.

The filamentous fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is an important plant pathogen with a worldwide distribution. It can infect a wide variety of plants, causing serious disease in many types of crops, such as rapeseed, sunflower and soybean. Sclerotinia stem rot caused by this fungus affects main crops and has led to great economic loss.

Long noncoding RNA SNHG7 accelerates prostate cancer proliferation and cycle progression through cyclin D1 by sponging miR-503.

Increasing evidence has indicated the important roles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumorigenesis and cellular progression, including prostate cancer. In this study, we aim to investigate the expression level of SNHG7 and its biological functions on prostate cancer cells. Results indicated that SNHG7 expression was significantly up-regulated in prostate cancer tissue and cell lines.