Biomechanical effects of altered multifidus muscle morphology on cervical spine tissues.

Background: Muscle fat infiltration and atrophy were common pathomorphologic changes in the paravertebral muscles. Some studies indicated that degeneration of paravertebral muscles may be one of the important causes of chronic neck pain. Therefore, we investigated the mechanical effects of multifidus muscle morphologic changes on cervical spine tissues by constructing cervical spine models of multfiidus muscle with different degrees of atrophy.

Kinetically Controlled Synthesis of Concave Five-Fold Twinned Gold Nanocrystals and Their Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Properties.

The controllable synthesis of plasmonic metal nanocrystals with well-defined shapes is of great significance for their potential applications, and it requires a good understanding of the mechanism under thermodynamically and kinetically controlled reactions. Herein we present a seed-mediated growth approach to a series of five-fold twinned (FT) gold nanocrystals. Specifically, concave FT Au nanocrystals with embedded grooves at the twin boundaries are preferentially prepared under kinetically dominated conditions.

Systematic review on marine carbon source-mannitol: Applications in synthetic biology.

Mannitol, one of the most widespread sugar alcohols, has been integral to daily human life for two centuries. Global population growth and competition for freshwater, food, and land have prompted a shift in the fermentation industry from terrestrial to marine raw materials. Mannitol is a readily available carbohydrate in brown seaweed from the ocean and possess a higher reducing power than glucose, making it a promising substrate for biological manufacturing.

Neural correlates of individual differences in moral identity and its positive moral function.

Moral identity is an important moral variable which has positive moral functions, such as contributing to prosocial behaviours, reducing antisocial behaviours, and resisting the risk factors of antisocial behaviours. However, little is known about the neural correlates of moral identity and the neural basis of the effect of moral identity on the risk factors of antisocial behaviours, including moral disengagement. In this study, we explored these issues in 142 college students by estimating the regional homogeneity (ReHo) through resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Cardiac Fibroblast Activation Induced by Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation Depends on the HIF-1α/miR-212-5p/KLF4 Pathway.

It is widely accepted that miRNAs play an important role in the pathogenesis of myocardial fibrosis. This study aimed to identify a new pathway of miR-212-5p in the activation of human cardiac fibroblasts (HCFs) induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). First, we found that KLF4 protein was markedly decreased in OGD-induced HCFs.

'It turned my life upside down': Parents' emotional experience of the transition with their preterm infant from birth to discharge Home-A qualitative study.

Background: A smooth transition from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to home is critical for establishing parents' competence as primary caregivers and ensuring infant health. In the clinical context with a restrictive visiting policy, family-centred care is challenging to implement, prohibiting a smooth transition of care for the families. According to Meleis' Transition Theory, parents might experience emotional change initiated by critical events during this transition.

The longitudinal relation between violence exposure in daily life, hostile automatic thoughts, and cyber-aggression.

Cyber-aggression is a serious social problem worldwide. Its risks have been frequently explored, and violence exposure in daily life has been regarded as an important risk factor of cyber-aggression. However, the longitudinal association between violence exposure in daily life and cyber-aggression has not yet been examined, and the mechanisms underlying the link between violence exposure and cyber-aggression remain largely unclear.

Electrocatalytic water oxidation enabling the highly selective oxidation of styrene to benzaldehyde.

An electrooxidation strategy mediated by reactive oxygen species is proposed to realize the transformation of styrene to benzaldehyde on a Pt anode, with a high selectivity of 89% and faradaic efficiency of 28.8%. Isotopic labelling, electron paramagnetic resonance and radical scavenging experiments revealed that OH˙ and O˙ species, formed anodic water oxidation, play a crucial role in the selective formation of benzaldehyde.

Seasonal adjustments in body mass and basal thermogenesis in Chinese hwameis (Garrulax canorus): the roles of temperature and photoperiod.

For small birds to survive during seasonal acclimatization in temperate zones, regulation of body mass and thermogenesis is crucial. To determine the role of temperature and photoperiod in seasonal changes in body mass and thermogenesis in Chinese hwameis (Garrulax canorus), we compared body mass, basal metabolic rate (BMR), energy intake and cellular metabolic capacity of the tissue (muscle) and/or organs (liver, kidney, heart and small intestine) in seasonally acclimatized and laboratory-acclimated hwameis. A significant seasonal influence on body mass and BMR (which peaked in winter) was found, and these variations were mirrored by exposing the housed birds to cold temperatures or a short photoperiod.

Anti-biofouling TiCT MXene-holey graphene modified electrode for dopamine sensing in complex biological fluids.

With the development of new methods for the medical diagnosis, electrochemical sensors have attracted increasing attention. However, biofouling on the surface of the sensor significantly decreases sensor performance, thereby limiting the application of electrochemical sensors in complex biological fluids. Given the urgent need for anti-biofouling electrodes, a sensor based on a glass carbon electrode (GCE) modified with TiCT MXene and electrochemically reduced holey graphene (ERHG) was fabricated and demonstrated to have excellent electrochemical performance and anti-biofouling properties.

Circ_0008068 facilitates the oral squamous cell carcinoma development by microRNA-153-3p/acylgycerol kinase (AGK) axis.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common cancer with high recurrence, metastasis rates and poor prognosis. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) take part in regulating OSCC. Herein, we examined the role of circ_0008068 in OSCC.

Psychological factors and risk of atrial fibrillation: A meta-analysis and systematic review.

Background: Multiple studies have shown that mental disorders are common risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, the relationship between psychological factors and atrial fibrillation (AF) incidence remains unclear. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the risk of AF due to psychological factors.

MoS boosts the Fe/PMS process for carbamazepine degradation.

Activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) by Fe is a green oxidation process for degradation of organic contaminants. However, the formation of iron mud and low PMS utilization lead to the decreased oxidation efficiency. In this work, commercial MoS particles were used as the catalyst for boosting the Fe/PMS process for carbamazepine (CBZ) removal.

Inhibition of typical phenolic compounds entering into condensed freshwater by surfactants during solar-driven seawater distillation.

Recently, solar-driven seawater desalination based on air-water interfacial heating has triggered significant research interest due to its high water evaporation rate, high photothermal conversion efficiency, low energy consumption, simple operation and low cost. However, as the air-water interface temperature reaches as high as 40-70 °C, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) will volatilize into the condensed desalinated water and results in the polluted freshwater. In this work, anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactants were applied for the first time to inhibit the phenolic compounds such as phenol, p-methylphenol and p-chlorophenol entering into the condensed freshwater.

g-CN/MoS based floating solar still for clean water production by thermal/light activation of persulfate.

Currently, seawater desalination based on air-water interface solar heating has triggered significant research interests because it effectively makes use of the solar energy and avoids fossil fuel consumption. However, to prevent the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from volatilizing with water vapor which later will liquefy and enter the condensed freshwater is still a challenge. In this work, a g-CN/MoS based floating solar still (CM-FSS) combined with thermal/light activation of persulfate (PS) at air-water interface was applied for clean freshwater production for the first time.

Understanding preparation for preterm infant discharge from parents' and healthcare providers' perspectives: Challenges and opportunities.

Aim: To describe the facilitating/inhibiting factors of preparation for preterm infant discharge and recommendations for increasing discharge readiness from parents' and healthcare providers' perspectives based on Meleis's Transitions Theory.

Design: A qualitative cross-sectional descriptive design.

Methods: We selected a purposive sample of 17 parents (9 fathers and 8 mothers) and 13 healthcare providers (10 nurses and 3 clinicians) from the neonatal intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in Eastern China.

[Expression and characterization of a novel cytochrome P450 enzyme from Variovorax paradoxus S110].

Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases as powerful biocatalysts catalyze a wide range of chemical reactions to facilitate exogenous substances metabolism and biosynthesis of natural products. In order to explore new catalytic reactions and increase the number of P450 biocatalysts used in synthetic biology, a new self-sufficient cytochrome P450 monooxygenase (P450(VpMO)), belongs to CYP116B class, was mined from Variovorax paradoxus S110 genome and expressed in Escherichia coli. Based on characterization of the enzymatic properties, it shows that the optimal pH and temperature for P450(VpMO) reaction activity are 8.

Cercosporin-Photocatalyzed [4+1]- and [4+2]-Annulations of Azoalkenes Under Mild Conditions.

The interest on nitrogen-containing heterocycles has expanded rapidly in the synthetic community since they are important motifs for new drugs. Traditionally, they were synthesized through thermal cycloaddition reactions, whereas today, photocatalysis is preferred due to the mild and efficient conditions. With this focus, a new photocatalytic method for the synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles is highly desired.

MicroRNA‑299‑5p inhibits cell metastasis in breast cancer by directly targeting serine/threonine kinase 39.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a key role in human carcinogenesis and metastasis. For example, miR‑299‑5p has previously been revealed to be dysregulated in several human cancers. However, the biological function of miR‑299‑5p in breast cancer remains unclear.

Secure multiparty computation for privacy-preserving drug discovery.

Motivation: Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) and drug-target interaction (DTI) prediction are both commonly used in drug discovery. Collaboration among pharmaceutical institutions can lead to better performance in both QSAR and DTI prediction. However, the drug-related data privacy and intellectual property issues have become a noticeable hindrance for inter-institutional collaboration in drug discovery.

Lin28 promotes dental pulp cell proliferation via upregulation of cyclin-dependent proteins and interaction with let-7a/IGF2BP2 pathways.

Caries, pulpitis, and trauma are the main causes of dental pulp damage. The regeneration capacity of dental pulp declines with age. Lin28 is a conserved RNA-binding protein in higher eukaryotes that regulates several important cellular functions associated with development, glucose metabolism, differentiation, and pluripotency.

Inhibition of potassium currents is involved in antiarrhythmic effect of moderate ethanol on atrial fibrillation.

Excessive consumption of alcohol is a well-established risk factor of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the effects of moderate alcohol drinking remain to be elucidated. This study was designed to determine the effects of moderate ethanol ingestion on atrial fibrillation and the electrophysiological mechanisms.