Earthworm inspired lubricant self-pumping hydrogel with sustained lubricity at high loading.

The development of mechanically robust super-lubrication hydrogel materials with sustained lubricity at high contact pressures is challenging. In this work, inspired by the durable lubricity feature of the earthworm epidermis, a multilevel structural super-lubrication hydrogel (MS-SLH) system, the so-called lubricant self-pumping hydrogel, is developed. The MS-SLH system is manufactured by chemically dissociating a double network hydrogel to generate robust and wrinkled lubrication layer, and then laser etching was used to generate cylindrical texture pores as gland-like pockets for storing lubricants.

Effectiveness of nurse-led care in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: This study sought to assess the effectiveness of nurse-led care (NLC) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search of the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.gov databases and the references from relevant literature published prior to May 2023.

Corneal astigmatism after temporary discontinuation from long-term spherical and toric orthokeratology.

Objective: To investigate changes in corneal astigmatism (curvatures and corneal sagittal height difference (C-sagDiff) at 8-mm chord) after temporary discontinuation from long-term spherical and toric orthokeratology (ortho-k) lens wear in a Chinese population.

Methods: Relevant data were retrieved from 110 patients (55 wearing spherical ortho-k lenses, 55 wearing toric ortho-k lenses) who have been undergoing ortho-k treatment for at least one year and stopped lens wear temporarily for scheduled lens replacement. The topographic and refraction data at baseline and post-discontinuation was collected for all the patients.

Longitudinal circulating tumor DNA monitoring in predicting response to short-course radiotherapy followed by neoadjuvant chemotherapy and camrelizumab in locally advanced rectal cancer: data from a Phase Ⅲ clinical trial (UNION).

This study, conducted as part of a multicenter phase III clinical trial, aimed to assess the utility of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based minimal residual disease (MRD) in comparing the efficacy of short-course and long-course chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). A total of 244 plasma samples from 79 LARC patients undergoing neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) before surgery were collected at various time points. Targeted deep sequencing using a novel MRD panel was performed.

Tetrahydroberberrubine improves hyperlipidemia by activating the AMPK/SREBP2/PCSK9/LDL receptor signaling pathway.

Hyperlipidemia is a major risk factor for hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes and stroke, triggering an intensified research efforts into its prevention and treatment. Tetrahydroberberrubine (THBru) is a derivative of berberine (BBR) that has been shown to have higher bioavailability and lower toxicity compared to its parent compound. However, its impact on hyperlipidemia has not been fully explored.