Demographics and Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Neurocysticercosis: A Retrospective Study from Dali, China.

Background: Neurocysticercosis (NCC), a predominant parasitic disease that affects the central nervous system and presents with diverse clinical manifestations, is a major contributor to acquired epilepsy worldwide, particularly in low-, middle-, and upper middle-income nations, such as China. In China, the Yunnan Province bears a significant burden of this disease.

Objective: To describe the demographic, clinical, and radiological features as well as serum and cerebrospinal fluid antibodies to cysticercus in patients with NCC from Dali, Yunnan Province, China.

Hybrid Functional Polymer-Enabled Multiplexed Chemosensor Patch for Wearable Adrenocortex Stress Profiling.

Measuring bioactive stress hormones, including cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), allows for evaluating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning, offering valuable insights into an individual's stress response through adrenocortex stress profiles (ASPs). Conventional methods for detecting steroid hormones involve sample collections and competitive immunoassays, which suffer from drawbacks such as time-consuming labeling and binding procedures, reliance on unstable biological receptors, and the need for sophisticated instruments. Here, we report a label-free and external redox reagent-free amperometric assay directly detecting sweat cortisol and DHEA levels on the skin.

Utilization of natural alleles for heat adaptability QTLs at the flowering stage in rice.

Background: Heat stress threatens rice yield and quality at flowering stage. In this study, average relative seed setting rate under heat stress (RHSR) and genotypes of 284 varieties were used for a genome-wide association study.

Results: We identified eight and six QTLs distributed on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 12 in the full population and indica, respectively.

Enzyme-Mimics for Sensitive and Selective Steroid Metabolite Detection.

We present an enzyme-like functional polymer that recognizes nonelectroactive targets and catalyzes their redox reactions for simple, selective steroid metabolite detection. Measuring steroid metabolites, such as cortisol, has been widely adopted to diagnose stress and chronic diseases. Conventional detection method based on competitive immunoassay requires time-consuming labeling processes for signal transduction and unstable biological receptors for biorecognition yet with limited selectivity.

Reconfigurable photoinduced terahertz wave modulation using hybrid metal-silicon metasurface.

We present a photoinduced reconfigurable metasurface to enable high spatial resolution terahertz (THz) wave modulation. Conventional photoinduced THz wave modulation uses optically induced conductive patterns on a semiconductor substrate to create programmable passive THz devices. The technique, albeit versatile and straightforward, suffers from limited performance resulting from the severe lateral diffusion of the photogenerated carriers that undermines the spatial resolution and conductivity contrast of the photoinduced conductive patterns.

Nano gold-doped molecularly imprinted electrochemical sensor for rapid and ultrasensitive cortisol detection.

Rapid and sensitive detection of steroid hormone cortisol can benefit the diagnosis of diseases related to adrenal gland disorders and chronic stress. We report a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP)-based electrochemical sensor that utilized nano gold-doped poly o-phenylenediamine (poly-o-PD) film to selectively determine trace level cortisol with enhanced sensitivity. The sensor detected cortisol levels by measuring the current change of the redox-active probes in response to the binding of target cortisol to the imprinted sites in the polymer.

Ferrocene-Grafted Carbon Nanotubes for Sensitive Non-Enzymatic Electrochemical Detection of Hydrogen Peroxide.

Sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide (HO) residue in aseptic packaging at point of use is critical to food safety. We present a sensitive non-enzymatic, amperometric HO sensor based on ferrocene-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT-FeC) and facile screen-printed carbon electrodes (SPCEs). The sensor utilizes the covalently grafted ferrocene as an effective redox mediator and the MWCNT networks to provide a large active surface area for efficient electrocatalytic reactions.

Anti-IgLON5 disease with distinctive brain MRI findings responding to immunotherapy: A case report.

Rationale: Anti-IgLON5 disease was first described as a progressive antibody-associated encephalopathy, with multiple non-specific clinical symptoms including sleep dysfunction, bulbar symptoms, progressive supranuclear palsy-like syndrome, cognitive impairment, and a variety of movement disorders. This newly discovered disease presents with unremarkable or unspecific brain magnetic resonance imagings (MRI), and have poor responsiveness to immunotherapy.

Patient Concerns: In this case, a 37-year-old man presented with 4-day history of gait instability, dysarthria, and oculomotor abnormalities.

Reduced Amygdala Microglial Expression of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Tyrosine Kinase Receptor B (TrkB) in a Rat Model of Poststroke Depression.

BACKGROUND Previous studies have implicated reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and BDNF-TrkB receptor signaling as well as microglial activation and neuroinflammation in poststroke depression (PSD). However, the contributions of microglial BDNF-TrkB signaling to PSD pathogenesis are unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS We compared depression-like behaviors as well as neuronal and microglial BDNF and TrkB expression levels in the amygdala, a critical mood-relating limbic structure, in rat models of stroke, depression, and PSD.

Label-Free Sensitive Detection of Steroid Hormone Cortisol Based on Target-Induced Fluorescence Quenching of Quantum Dots.

We discovered that several types of steroid hormones quench the fluorescence of quantum dots (QDs) at close proximity. Inspired by the finding, we developed a new type of biosensor for the sensitive detection of cortisol via direct fluorescence quenching of functionalized QD probes directly induced by the capture of target cortisol without additional reporter reagents. The detection selectivity was provided by cortisol-selective aptamers or anticortisol antibodies conjugated on the QD surfaces.

Advanced photo-induced substrate-integrated waveguides using pillar-array structures for tunable and reconfigurable THz circuits.

Substrate-integrated waveguides (SIWs) have recently attracted increasing attention for the development of terahertz (THz) circuits and systems. However, conventional SIWs employ fixed metallic vias to form the waveguide sidewalls, resulting in limited tunability and reconfigurability. In this paper, we report a novel approach for the realization of high-performance tunable and/or reconfigurable THz SIW structures.

Quantum Dot Fullerene-Based Molecular Beacon Nanosensors for Rapid, Highly Sensitive Nucleic Acid Detection.

Spherical fullerene (C) can quench the fluorescence of a quantum dot (QD) through energy-transfer and charge-transfer processes, with the quenching efficiency regulated by the number of proximate C on each QD. With the quenching property and its small size compared with other nanoparticle-based quenchers, it is advantageous to group a QD reporter and multiple C-labeled oligonucleotide probes to construct a molecular beacon (MB) probe for sensitive, robust nucleic acid detection. We demonstrated a rapid, high-sensitivity DNA detection method using the nanosensors composed of QD-C-based MBs carried by magnetic nanoparticles.

Electrokinetic ion transport in nanofluidics and membranes with applications in bioanalysis and beyond.

Electrokinetic transport of ions between electrolyte solutions and ion permselective solid media governs a variety of applications, such as molecular separation, biological detection, and bioelectronics. These applications rely on a unique class of materials and devices to interface the ionic and electronic systems. The devices built on ion permselective materials or micro-/nanofluidic channels are arranged to work with aqueous environments capable of either manipulating charged species through applied electric fields or transducing biological responses into electronic signals.

Concomitant Asymptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis Increase the 30-Day Risk of Stroke in Patients Undergoing Symptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis Stenting.

Background: In the Stenting and Aggressive Medical Management for Preventing Recurrent Stroke in Intracranial Stenosis (SAMMPRIS) trial, 19.1% of ischemic strokes occurred out of the territory of previously symptomatic stenosis during the mean follow-up period of 23.4 months.

Plasmonic nanoparticles-decorated diatomite biosilica: extending the horizon of on-chip chromatography and label-free biosensing.

Diatomite consists of fossilized remains of ancient diatoms and is a type of naturally abundant photonic crystal biosilica with multiple unique physical and chemical functionalities. In this paper, we explored the fluidic properties of diatomite as the matrix for on-chip chromatography and, simultaneously, the photonic crystal effects to enhance the plasmonic resonances of metallic nanoparticles for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) biosensing. The plasmonic nanoparticle-decorated diatomite biosilica provides a lab-on-a-chip capability to separate and detect small molecules from mixture samples with ultra-high detection sensitivity down to 1 ppm.

TRPV1 attenuates intracranial arteriole remodeling through inhibiting VSMC phenotypic modulation in hypertension.

The phenotypic modulation of contractile vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) is widely accepted as the pivotal process in the arterial remodeling induced by hypertension. This study aimed to investigate the potential role of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) on regulating VSMC plasticity and intracranial arteriole remodeling in hypertension. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and TRPV1 mice on a C57BL/6J background were used.

Optofluidic sensing from inkjet-printed droplets: the enormous enhancement by evaporation-induced spontaneous flow on photonic crystal biosilica.

Novel transducers for detecting an ultra-small volume of an analyte solution play pivotal roles in many applications such as chemical analysis, environmental protection and biomedical diagnosis. Recent advances in optofluidics offer tremendous opportunities for analyzing miniature amounts of samples with high detection sensitivity. In this work, we demonstrate enormous enhancement factors (10-10) of the detection limit for optofluidic analysis from inkjet-printed droplets by evaporation-induced spontaneous flow on photonic crystal biosilica when compared with conventional surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensing using the pipette dispensing technology.

Metal assisted focused-ion beam nanopatterning.

Focused-ion beam milling is a versatile technique for maskless nanofabrication. However, the nonuniform ion beam profile and material redeposition tend to disfigure the surface morphology near the milling areas and degrade the fidelity of nanoscale pattern transfer, limiting the applicability of the technique. The ion-beam induced damage can deteriorate the performance of photonic devices and hinders the precision of template fabrication for nanoimprint lithography.

Subwavelength focusing of terahertz waves in silicon hyperbolic metamaterials.

We theoretically demonstrate the subwavelength focusing of terahertz (THz) waves in a hyperbolic metamaterial (HMM) based on a two-dimensional subwavelength silicon pillar array microstructure. The silicon microstructure with a doping concentration of at least 10  cm offers a hyperbolic dispersion at terahertz frequency range and promises the focusing of terahertz Gaussian beams. The results agree with the simulation based on effective medium theory.

Interleukin-18 gene promoter 607A polymorphism, but not 137C polymorphism, is a protective factor for ischemic stroke in the Chinese population: A meta-analysis.

Some epidemiological studies have evaluated the association between interleukin (IL)-18 promoter polymorphisms and the risk of ischemic stroke (IS), but the results were inconsistent. The present meta-analysis was therefore performed to investigate the relationship between IL-18 promoter 137G/C and 607C/A polymorphisms and the risk of IS in the Chinese population. Related studies from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CBMdisc and CNKI databases up to November 1, 2014 were systematically searched, also the reference lists of identified articles were manually searched.

PPARγ Inhibits VSMC Proliferation and Migration via Attenuating Oxidative Stress through Upregulating UCP2.

Increasing evidence showed that abnormal proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are common event in the pathophysiology of many vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis and restenosis after angioplasty. Among the underlying mechanisms, oxidative stress is one of the principal contributors to the proliferation and migration of VSMCs. Oxidative stress occurs as a result of persistent production of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Quasi-Optical Terahertz Microfluidic Devices for Chemical Sensing and Imaging.

We first review the development of a frequency domain quasi-optical terahertz (THz) chemical sensing and imaging platform consisting of a quartz-based microfluidic subsystem in our previous work. We then report the application of this platform to sensing and characterizing of several selected liquid chemical samples from 570⁻630 GHz. THz sensing of chemical mixtures including isopropylalcohol-water (IPA-H₂O) mixtures and acetonitrile-water (ACN-H₂O) mixtures have been successfully demonstrated and the results have shown completely different hydrogen bond dynamics detected in different mixture systems.

SIRT1 improves VSMC functions in atherosclerosis.

Despite advancements in diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the morbidity and mortality of CVDs are still rising. Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease contributing to multiple CVDs. Considering the complexity and severity of atherosclerosis, it is apparent that exploring the mechanisms of atherosclerotic formation and seeking new therapies for patients with atherosclerosis are required to overcome the heavy burden of CVDs on the quality and length of life of the global population.

Impaired SIRT1 promotes the migration of vascular smooth muscle cell-derived foam cells.

The formation of fat-laden foam cells, contributing to the fatty streaks of the plaques of atheroma, is the critical early process in atherosclerosis. The previous study demonstrated that vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contain a much larger burden of the excess cholesterol in comparison with monocyte-derived macrophages in human coronary atherosclerosis, as the main origin of foam cells. It is noteworthy that VSMC-derived foam cells are deposited in subintima but not media, where VSMCs normally deposit in.