Identification of CCR7 and CBX6 as key biomarkers in abdominal aortic aneurysm: Insights from multi-omics data and machine learning analysis.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a severe vascular condition, marked by the progressive dilation of the abdominal aorta, leading to rupture if untreated. The objective of this study was to identify key biomarkers and decipher the immune mechanisms underlying AAA utilising multi-omics data analysis and machine learning techniques. Single-cell RNA sequencing disclosed a heightened presence of macrophages and CD8-positive alpha-beta T cells in AAA, highlighting their critical role in disease pathogenesis.

Exploiting β-Lactams-Induced Lysis and DNA Fragmentation for Rapid Molecular Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Neisseria Gonorrhoeae via Dual-Digital PCR.

The evolution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) presents substantial challenges to global medical health systems. Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae), in particular, has developed resistance to all currently available antimicrobials.

Identification of novel biomarkers for atherosclerosis using single-cell RNA sequencing and machine learning.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a predominant etiological factor in numerous cardiovascular diseases, with its associated complications such as myocardial infarction and stroke serving as major contributors to worldwide mortality rates. Here, we devised dependable AS-related biomarkers through the utilization of single-cell RNA sequencing, weighted co-expression network (WGCNA), and differential expression analysis. Furthermore, we employed various machine learning techniques (LASSO and SVM-RFE) to enhance the identification of AS biomarkers, subsequently validating them using the GEO dataset.

T2T genome assemblies of Fallopia multiflora (Heshouwu) and F. multiflora var. angulata.

The traditional Chinese medicinal plant Fallopia multiflora (hereafter AYY) is well known for its anti-hyperlipidaemia, immunomodulating, and hepatoprotective effects, attributed to its abundance of anthraquinones and stilbene glycosides, which are distinct to its variety F. multiflora var. angulata (hereafter CYY) in proportion and composition.

The association between weight loss behaviors and body weight perception in Chinese adolescents: 2007-2022.

Background: Weight misperceptions are common in children and adolescents, which is related to the engagement of weight loss behaviors. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between body weight perception and weight loss behaviors of lower-calorie diets and increased levels of physical activity (PA).

Methods: The Ningbo Youth Risk Behavior Survey was conducted from 2007 to 2022.

Plutonium in the coastal seawater around Chinese nuclear power plants: Sources, distribution, and environmental implications.

Coastal surface seawater samples within 30 km around ten Chinese nuclear power plants (NPPs) were systematically investigated. The Pu activity concentration in the samples varied from 0.226 mBq/m to 3.

Supramolecular assembly of polycation/mRNA nanoparticles and in vivo monocyte programming.

Size-dependent phagocytosis is a well-characterized phenomenon in monocytes and macrophages. However, this size effect for preferential gene delivery to these important cell targets has not been fully exploited because commonly adopted stabilization methods for electrostatically complexed nucleic acid nanoparticles, such as PEGylation and charge repulsion, typically arrest the vehicle size below 200 nm. Here, we bridge the technical gap in scalable synthesis of larger submicron gene delivery vehicles by electrostatic self-assembly of charged nanoparticles, facilitated by a polymer structurally designed to modulate internanoparticle Coulombic and van der Waals forces.

Single-Particle Spectroscopic Chromatography Reveals Heterogeneous RNA Loading and Size Correlations in Lipid Nanoparticles.

Lipid nanoparticles (LNP) have emerged as pivotal delivery vehicles for RNA therapeutics. Previous research and development usually assumed that LNPs are homogeneous in population, loading density, and composition. Such perspectives are difficult to examine due to the lack of suitable tools to characterize these physicochemical properties at the single-nanoparticle level.

Ring-Opening Polymerization of Cyclohexene Oxide and Cycloaddition with CO Catalyzed by Amine Triphenolate Iron(III) Complexes.

A series of novel amine triphenolate iron complexes were synthesized and characterized using UV, IR, elemental analysis, and high-resolution mass spectrometry. These complexes were applied to the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of cyclohexene oxide (CHO), demonstrating excellent activity (TOF > 11050 h) in the absence of a co-catalyst. In addition, complex C1 maintained the dimer in the presence of the reaction substrate CHO, catalyzing the ring-opening polymerization of CHO to PCHO through bimetallic synergy.

Associations between insufficient sleep, skipping breakfast and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents: A school-based cross-sectional study in China.

Objective: Insufficient sleep and skipping breakfast are increasingly prevalent among children and adolescents. Both behaviors are associated with the onset of depression. This study aims to examine the independent and joint associations of these two behaviors with depressive symptoms, and investigate whether these associations varied by age or sex.

Impact of Long COVID on Health-Related Quality of Life Among Patients After Acute COVID-19 Infection: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Concerns have been raised globally regarding the long-term effects of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This study aimed to investigate the impact of long COVID on the health of patients recovering from acute COVID-19 in China. We conducted a cross-sectional questionnaire survey from 1 February to 9 March 2023.

Automated and miniaturized screening of antibiotic combinations robotic-printed combinatorial droplet platform.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a global health crisis in need of novel solutions. To this end, antibiotic combination therapies, which combine multiple antibiotics for treatment, have attracted significant attention as a potential approach for combating AMR. To facilitate advances in antibiotic combination therapies, most notably in investigating antibiotic interactions and identifying synergistic antibiotic combinations however, there remains a need for automated high-throughput platforms that can create and examine antibiotic combinations on-demand, at scale, and with minimal reagent consumption.

Liter-scale manufacturing of shelf-stable plasmid DNA/PEI transfection particles for viral vector production.

The transfection efficiency and stability of the delivery vehicles of plasmid DNA (pDNA) are critical metrics to ensure high-quality and high-yield production of viral vectors. We previously identified that the optimal size of pDNA/poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) transfection particles is 400-500 nm and developed a bottom-up assembly method to construct stable 400-nm pDNA/PEI particles and benchmarked their transfection efficiency in producing lentiviral vectors (LVVs). Here, we report scale-up production protocols for such transfection particles.

Identification of multiomics map and key biomarkers in uveal melanoma with chromosome 3 loss.

Purpose: Chromosome 3 loss is an independent risk factor for uveal melanoma (UM), but its exact molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between chromosome 3 loss and molecular alterations at multiple levels to construct a prognostic model.

Methods: Forty-four UM cases with chromosome 3 loss (chr3 del group) and 36 UM cases without copy number variation on chromosome 3 (chr3 wt group) were collected from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA).

Association between e-cigarette use and susceptibility to tobacco product use: findings from the 2019 China National Youth Tobacco Survey.

Background: There is an ongoing debate about whether e-cigarettes act as a gateway to tobacco smoking or contribute to smoking cessation, and relevant studies are limited among Chinese adolescents. This cross-sectional study therefore aimed to explore the relationship between e-cigarette use and susceptibility to tobacco product use among Chinese high school students.

Methods: The study population comprised 107,633 never smokers and 19,377 former smokers, generated from the 2019 China National Youth Tobacco Survey.

Effects of oat β-glucan on the retrogradation behavior of rice starch and its potential mechanism.

In this study, to minimize the quality deterioration caused by the retrogradation of starch-based food, the effect and mechanism of oat β-glucan (OG) on the retrogradation of rice starch was investigated. OG effectively decreased storage modulus (G'), syneresis, and retrogradation enthalpy, indicating the inhibition of short-term and long-term retrogradation of rice starch. The competition for water molecules between the OG and rice starch resulted in partial swelling of the starch granules, consequently reducing particle size, lowering amylose leaching, and decreasing the proportion of short-amylose chains.

Effects of traditional Chinese exercises in fibromyalgia syndrome: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objectives: To explore the efficacy and safety of five traditional Chinese exercises (TCEs) in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS).

Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science, Cochrane, CNKI, WanFang, and VIP databases were comprehensively searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to TCEs published from inception until February 2023. Standardized mean differences (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to determine the combined effects of the intervention, and the Cochrane risk-of-bias assessment tool and Review 5.

All-dielectric six-foci metalens for infrared polarization detection based on Stokes space.

The detection technology of infrared polarization has gained significant attention due to its ability to provide better identification and obtain more information about the target. In this paper, based on the expression of the full polarization state in Stokes space, we designed micro-nano metasurface functional arrays to calculate the polarization state of the incident light by reading the Stokes parameters (a set of parameters that describe the polarization state). Metalens with linear and circular polarization-dependent functions are designed based on the propagation and geometric phases of the dielectric Si meta-atoms in the infrared band, respectively.

Preparation of gelatin-chitosan bilayer film loaded citral nanoemulsion as pH and enzyme stimuli-responsive antibacterial material for food packaging.

The responsive release of enzymes, pH, temperature, light and other stimuli is an effective means to reduce the loss of volatile active substances and control the release of active ingredients. The purpose of this study is to design a simple and rapid method to synthesize a multifunctional bilayer membrane, which has good mechanical properties, long-lasting pH and enzyme dual sensitive sustained release properties, and excellent antibacterial activity. The citral nanoemulsion was prepared by ultrasonic method, then the chitosan solution loaded with nanoemulsion was assembled on the gelatin film, and the uniform and smooth gelatin-chitosan bilayer film was successfully prepared.

Detector of UV light chirality based on a diamond metasurface.

Circularly polarized light (CPL) finds diverse applications in fields such as quantum communications, quantum computing, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, polarization imaging, and sensing. However, conventional techniques for detecting CPL face challenges related to equipment miniaturization, system integration, and high-speed operation. In this study, we propose a novel design that addresses these limitations by employing a quarter waveplate constructed from a diamond metasurface, in combination with a linear polarizer crafted from metallic aluminum.

The mental health of paediatric cochlear implant recipients.

Objectives: To evaluate the mental health of paediatric cochlear implant users and analyse the relationship between six dimensions (movements, cognitive ability, emotion and will, sociality, living habits and language) and hearing and speech rehabilitation.

Methods: Eighty-two cochlear implant users were assessed using the Mental Health Survey Questionnaire. Age at implantation, time of implant use and listening modes were investigated.

Chronotype is associated with eating behaviors, physical activity and overweight in school-aged children.

Background: A later chronotype has been found to be associated with unhealthy habits and diseases, such as an unhealthy diet and metabolic syndrome in adults. Little is known about the association between chronotype, eating habits, physical activity and obesity. Thus, this study aimed to explore the relationships between chronotype, eating behaviors, physical activity, and overweight in Chinese school-aged children.