A Novel Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Specifically Improving the Solubility and Antioxidant Activities of Edible Bird's Nest.

Edible bird's nest (EBN), a most highly priced and valuable foodstuff, contains high percentage of proteins and carbohydrates. However, proteins adhering to these carbohydrates make the EBN hard and tough, which need to be boiled as the bird's nest soup to make the Chinese cuisine. To overcome the hard and tough texture of EBN and improve the digestion degrees, the present study screened and identified a probiotic strain Bacillus amyloliquefaciens YZW02 from 5-year stored EBN sample completely solubilizing EBN for the first time.

Manipulating Hetero-Nanowire Films for Flexible and Multifunctional Thermoelectric Devices.

Flexible thermoelectric devices hold significant promise in wearable electronics owing to their capacity for green energy generation, temperature sensing, and comfortable wear. However, the simultaneous achievement of excellent multifunctional sensing and power generation poses a challenge in these devices. Here, ordered tellurium-based hetero-nanowire films are designed for flexible and multifunctional thermoelectric devices by optimizing the Seebeck coefficient and power factor.

Biomimetic Multimodal Receptors for Comprehensive Artificial Human Somatosensory System.

Electronic skin (e-skin) capable of acquiring environmental and physiological information has attracted interest for healthcare, robotics, and human-machine interaction. However, traditional 2D e-skin only allows for in-plane force sensing, which limits access to comprehensive stimulus feedback due to the lack of out-of-plane signal detection caused by its 3D structure. Here, a dimension-switchable bioinspired receptor is reported to achieve multimodal perception by exploiting film kirigami.

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, asthma as the first symptom, and subsequent Loeffler endocarditis: A case report.

Background: Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), formerly known as Churg-Strauss syndrome, is a rare form of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis characterized by asthma, vasculitis, and eosinophilia.

Case Summary: We report an atypical case of EGPA in a 20-year-old female patient. Unlike previously reported cases of EGPA, this patient's initial symptom was asthma associated with a respiratory infection.

A bacterial-like Pictet-Spenglerase drives the evolution of fungi to produce β-carboline glycosides together with separate genes.

Diverse β-carboline (βC) alkaloids are produced by microbes, plants, and animals with myriad bioactivities and drug potentials. However, the biosynthetic mechanism of βCs remains largely elusive, especially regarding the hydroxyl and glucosyl modifications of βCs. Here, we report the presence of the bacterial-like Pictet-Spenglerase gene in the entomopathogenic fungi that can catalyze the biosynthesis of the βC skeleton.

Relationship between night-sleep duration and risk for depression among middle-aged and older people: A dose-response meta-analysis.

The study aimed to examine the dose-response associations between night-sleep duration and depression risk in middle-aged and older adults. We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, VIP, and the Wanfang data knowledge service platforms from inception to 31 July 2022. Cohort and case-control studies assessing the relationship between night-sleep duration and depression were selected.

Janus Helical Ribbon Structure of Ordered Nanowire Films for Flexible Solar Thermoelectric Devices.

Solar thermoelectric devices play a significant role in addressing the problem of global warming, owing to their unique features of converting both waste heat and solar energy directly into electricity. Herein, a flexible 3D Janus helical ribbon architecture is designed, starting from well-aligned tellurium (Te) nanowire film, using an in situ redox process reacting with Ag and Cu resulting in n-type, p-type, and photothermal sides in one film. Remarkably, the device shows all-day electricity generation and large temperature gradient by coupling the cold side with a passive radiative cooling technique and the hot side with a selective solar absorption technique, showing a temperature gradient of 29.

Structural Design of Nanowire Wearable Stretchable Thermoelectric Generator.

Wearable thermoelectric generators as renewable energy conversion technologies have witnessed rapid development in the past decade. Herein, we design a nanowire (NW) film wavy structure which possesses an excellent temperature gradient ratio for stretchable thermoelectric generators. Taking advantage of the photothermal effect of Te NWs as the hot side and p-n NWs heterofilms (n-type AgTe and p-type CuTe NWs) as thermoelectric materials, a considerable output voltage can be achieved under light irradiation.

Infection of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium rileyi suppresses cellular immunity and activates humoral antibacterial immunity of the host Spodoptera frugiperda.

Background: Metarhizium rileyi is an entomopathogenic fungus with promising potential for controlling agricultural pests, including Spodoptera frugiperda. Following penetration of the host through the cuticle, M. rileyi cells transform into in vivo blastospores or hyphal bodies, propagating within the hemocoel.

Extraction method development for nanoplastics from oyster and fish tissues.

Nanoplastics are now found in some environmental media and consumer products. However, very limited data on nanoplastics are available for one of the main human consumption sources of microplastics: seafood. Unlike microplastics, a method for extracting nanoplastics from seafood is still lacking.

The Clinicopathological Characteristics of Alpha-Fetoprotein-Producing Adenocarcinoma of the Gastrointestinal Tract-A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)-producing adenocarcinoma from the gastrointestinal tract (APA-GI) is a rare type of highly malignant tumor with a poor prognosis. It may originate from any site along the GI tract with similar clinicopathological characteristics. As limited research had ever described the characteristics of APA-GI, the present article intends to systemically investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of APA-GI from a single center's retrospective study to deepen the understanding of the disease.

Partially randomized patient preference trial: Comparative evaluation of fibromyalgia between acupuncture and cupping therapy (PRPP-FACT).

Background: and purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of applying a partially randomized patients' preference (PRPP) trial in the clinical evaluation of acupuncture versus cupping therapy for fibromyalgia.

Materials And Methods: The final study included 126 participants. Participants without a treatment modality preference were randomly assigned to either the cupping therapy group or the acupuncture group.

Fast-track multidisciplinary treatment versus conventional treatment for colorectal cancer: a multicenter, open-label randomized controlled study.

Background: Laparoscopic surgery, fast-track perioperative treatment and XELOX chemotherapy are effective strategies for shortening the duration of hospital stay for cancer patients. This trial aimed to clarify the safety and efficacy of the fast-track multidisciplinary treatment (FTMDT) model compared to conventional surgery combined with chemotherapy in Chinese colorectal cancer patients.

Methods: This trial was a prospective randomized controlled study with a 2 × 2 balanced factorial design and was conducted at six hospitals.

Functional characterization of three flavonoid glycosyltransferases from .

is an important traditional medicinal herb in South and Southeast Asian countries with diverse pharmacological activities that contains various flavonoids and flavonoid glycosides. Glycosylation can transform aglycones into more stable, biologically active and structurally diverse glycosides. Here, we report three glycosyltransferases from the leaves of (ApUFGTs) that presented wide substrate spectra for flavonoid glycosylation and exhibited multi-site glycosylation on the substrate molecules.

Acupuncture for Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: To assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for erectile dysfunction (ED).

Materials And Methods: We searched six major English and Chinese databases included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing acupuncture alone or in combination for ED. Dichotomous data were presented as risk ratio (RR) and continuous data were presented as mean difference (MD) both with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Rapid discovery and functional characterization of diterpene synthases from basidiomycete fungi by genome mining.

Basidiomycete fungi are a rich source of bioactive diterpenoid secondary metabolites. However, compared with the large number of diterpene synthases (di-TPSs) identified in plants and ascomycete fungi, only three di-TPSs have been described from basidiomycete fungi. Large scale genome sequencing projects combined with the development of synthetic biology techniques now has enabled the rapidly discovery and characterization of di-TPSs from basidiomycete fungi.

Attitude and willingness of attendance for participating in or completing acupuncture trials: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To explore the influence of patients' participation in and completing the acupuncture clinical trials through a cross-sectional survey. In addition, we explored potential factors involved in improving patient's compliance to treatment, thus enhancing the quality of acupuncture clinical studies.

Methods: A survey was conducted at outpatient department of acupuncture and metabolic diseases in two hospitals in Beijing.

Glucosyltransferase Capable of Catalyzing the Last Step in Neoandrographolide Biosynthesis.

ApUGT, a diterpene glycosyltransferase from Andrographis paniculata, could transfer a glucose to the C-19 hydroxyl moiety of andrograpanin to form neoandrographolide. This glycosyltransferase has a broad substrate scope, and it can glycosylate 26 natural and unnatural compounds of different structural types. This study provides a basis for exploring the glycosylation mechanism of ent-labdane-type diterpenes and plays an important role in diversifying the structures used in drug discovery.

Cupping therapy versus acupuncture for pain-related conditions: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials and trial sequential analysis.

Background: Both cupping therapy and acupuncture have been used in China for a long time, and their target indications are pain-related conditions. There is no systematic review comparing the effectiveness of these two therapies.

Objectives: To compare the beneficial effectiveness and safety between cupping therapy and acupuncture for pain-related conditions to provide evidence for clinical practice.

[Study on Automatic Identification of Aerosols Boundary Layer Height with Local Optimum Model Based on Lidar Data].

The atmospheric aerosols have significant influence on human health, the environment and the climate system. The atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) reflects processes of the near-surface atmosphere and concentration of pollutants. Ground-based laser radar can monitor the vertical distribution of atmospheric aerosols stably and continuously.

Who are the users of a traditional Chinese sanfu acupoint herbal patching therapy in China?: A cross-sectional survey.

Sanfu acupoint herbal patching (SAHP) is a unique traditional Chinese medicine therapy, which has become popular for preventing acute attack of respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in many regions of mainland China. However, the knowledge about its users is lacking, especially the characteristics of the users and their experience and perspectives.To investigate the demographics of users, conditions for its use and the previous experience of SAHP, as well as users' perspectives to provide baseline information for its practice.

Aloe vera and Vitis vinifera improve wound healing in an in vivo rat burn wound model.

Aloe vera and Vitis vinifera have been traditionally used as wound healing agents. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of aloe emodin and resveratrol in the burn wound healing procedure. Burn wounds are common in developed and developing countries, however, in developing countries, the incidence of severe complications is higher and financial resources are limited.

Antinociceptive effects of fisetin against diabetic neuropathic pain in mice: Engagement of antioxidant mechanisms and spinal GABAA receptors.

Peripheral painful neuropathy is one of the most common complications in diabetes and necessitates improved treatment. Fisetin, a naturally occurring flavonoid, has been reported to exert antidepressant-like effect in previous studies. As antidepressant drugs are employed clinically to treat neuropathic pain, this work aimed to investigate whether fisetin possess beneficial effect on diabetic neuropathic pain and explore the mechanism(s).

A New Infracture Technique for Reduction Malarplasty with an L-Shaped Osteotomy Line.

Background: Reduction malarplasty is one of the most common surgical procedures performed in the Asian population for aesthetic purposes. Although multiple methods have been developed for reduction malarplasty, including a variety of infracture techniques, most of the current procedures have limitations. In the current study we created a new infracture method to circumvent these shortcomings.