Prenatal and Postnatal Ambient Air Pollution and Kawasaki Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Accumulating evidence indicates associations between ambient air pollution and Kawasaki disease (KD), but the results remain inconsistent.

Objectives: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively summarize the current evidence on the effects of ambient air pollutants on KD.

Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus databases were searched up to January 18, 2025 for studies investigating the effects of ambient air pollution on KD.

Detection method of subgrade settlement for the road of ART in coastal tidal flat area based on Vehicle-mounted binocular stereo vision technology.

To address the problem present in current subgrade settlement detection methods, this paper proposes a nondestructive intelligent and dynamic detection method for subgrade settlement based on vehicle-mounted binocular stereo vision technology. This method aims to achieve all season, the whole road, long-term detection of subgrade settlement for Road of ART (Autonomous rail Rapid Transit) in coastal tidal flat areas. Firstly, improved Schneider encoding is adopted as the marker for subgrade settlement monitoring points.

Preparation of various aminooligosaccharides using a novel chitinase and its CBM fusion mutants.

Aminooligosaccharides, including N-acetyl chitooligosaccharides (N-acetyl COSs), chitooligosaccharides (COSs), and partially acetylated chitooligosaccharides (paCOSs) have gained significant attention owing to their diverse bioactivities. Thus, the preparation of aminooligosaccharides particularly paCOSs, is a prospective way to reuse the huge amount of crustacean waste for high value-added products. In this study, a novel GH family 18 chitinase (MyChi54) suitable for aminooligosaccharides preparation was identified and characterized.

EVD Surgical Guidance with Retro-Reflective Tool Tracking and Spatial Reconstruction using Head-Mounted Augmented Reality Device.

Augmented Reality (AR) has been proven beneficial to External Ventricular Drain (EVD) surgery by providing in-situ visual guidance during operations. During this procedure, the key challenge is estimating the spatial relationship between pre-operative images and actual patient anatomy accurately and efficiently. Previous works have revealed conflicts between tracking accuracy, workflow efficiency, and non-invasiveness in tracking pipelines.

On Finite Difference Jacobian Computation in Deformable Image Registration.

Producing spatial transformations that are diffeomorphic is a key goal in deformable image registration. As a diffeomorphic transformation should have positive Jacobian determinant everywhere, the number of voxels with has been used to test for diffeomorphism and also to measure the irregularity of the transformation. For digital transformations, is commonly approximated using a central difference, but this strategy can yield positive 's for transformations that are clearly not diffeomorphic-even at the voxel resolution level.

Enzymatic production of chitooligosaccharides with high degree of polymerisations and their potential application to soy sauce preservation.

Chitooligosaccharides (COSs) with a high degree of polymerisation (DP 5-10) have been reported to possess diverse bioactivities. Thus, the development of novel methods for the acquisition of high-DP COSs has become increasingly significant. In the study, a novel GH family 46 chitosanase gene (ThCsn46) was expressed and characterized.

Efficacy of atypical antipsychotics in schizophrenia patients: effects of 5-HTR SNPs.

The 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor (5-HTR) is a key protein responsible for the effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and an important target for many antipsychotics. 5-HTR has a high degree of genetic polymorphism, and atypical antipsychotics are 5-HTR antagonists widely used in treating schizophrenia. With the increasing development of medical technology, antipsychotics are being updated rapidly, and their efficacy and safety are being optimised.

Multifunctional Carbon Quantum Dots for Monitoring and Therapy of Bacterial Infected Wounds.

Bacterial infections in wounds and bacteremia present significant global health challenges, driving the urgent need for innovative alternatives to traditional antibiotics. Here, the development of PEI-EDTA-2Na carbon quantum dots (PECDs) synthesized via a hydrothermal method is reported. Synthesis conditions affect PECDs' antibacterial efficacy; those at 180 °C have optimal -NH functionalization for better adhesion and activity.

Lysine Methyltransferase 5C (KMT5C) Suppresses Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Progression by Epigenetic Regulation of Uridine Phosphorylase 1 Expression.

Histone modifications regulate several biological processes that are critical to cancer development, from cell cycle, DNA damage repair, and chromatin compression to transcriptional regulation. Lysine methyltransferase 5C (KMT5C) is a trimethyltransferase of histone H4 and lysine 20 (H4K20me3) and has been reported to vary in function in different types of cancer. However, the role of KMT5C in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is unknown.

Highly stable lithium metal anodes enabled by bimetallic metal-organic frameworks derivatives-modified carbon cloth.

Lithium (Li) metal anodes hold great promise for next-generation secondary batteries with high energy density. Unfortunately, several problems such as Li dendrite growth, low Coulombic efficiency and poor cycle life hinder the commercialization of Li metal anodes. Herein, we design a highly lithiophilic carbon cloth host modified with Sn-doped zinc oxide (ZnO) (ZnSn-CC) directly derived from a bimetallic ZnSn metal-organic framework (ZnSn-MOF), which boosts uniform Li plating/stripping during charge-discharge and effectively protects the Li metal anode.

Directional Freeze-Casting Cryogel Loaded with Quaternized Chitosan Modified Gallium Metal-Organic Frameworks to Capture and Eradicate the Resistant Bacteria for Guided Regeneration in Infected Bone Defects.

Antimicrobial resistance and impaired bone regeneration are the great challenges in treating infected bone defects. Its recurrent and resistant nature, high incidence rate, long-term hospitalization, and high medical costs have driven the efforts of the scientific community to develop new therapies to improve the situation. Considering the complex microenvironment and persistent mechanisms mediated by resistant bacteria, it is crucial to develop an implant with enhanced osseointegration and sustained and effective infection clearance effects.

A soft, ultra-tough and multifunctional artificial muscle for volumetric muscle loss treatment.

The escalating prevalence of skeletal muscle disorders highlights the critical need for innovative treatments for severe injuries such as volumetric muscle loss. Traditional treatments, such as autologous transplants, are constrained by limited availability and current scaffolds often fail to meet complex clinical needs. This study introduces a new approach to volumetric muscle loss treatment by using a shape-memory polymer (SMP) based on block copolymers of perfluoropolyether and polycaprolactone diol.

Reducing Measurement Deviation by Metastable DNA Probes for Aptamer Thermodynamic Characterization.

DNA reaction equilibrium-based calculations have great potential in thermodynamic characterization, but their widespread applications are hindered by significant measurement deviation of equilibrium concentration. Here, we report the advantages of metastable DNA hybridization in reducing quantification deviation of equilibrium concentration and propose a universal and standardized strategy for measuring aptamer binding energy, termed metastable DNA reference calorimetry (MDRC). We built different MDRC-based algorithms tailored to different aptamer binding models, enabling the calculation of thermodynamic parameters for aptamers with one or more binding sites.

SIGLEC11 promotes M2 macrophage polarization through AKT-mTOR signaling and facilitates the progression of gastric cancer.

Background: Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins (SIGLECs) are widely expressed on immune cell surfaces, play an important role in maintaining immune homeostasis and regulating inflammatory responses, and are increasingly emerging as potential targets for tumor immunotherapy. However, the expression profile and crucial role of SIGLEC11 in gastric cancer (GC) remain unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the prognostic relevance of SIGLEC11 expression and its role in the immune microenvironment in patients with GC.

A genus-specific R2R3 MYB transcription factor, CsMYB34, regulates galloylated catechin biosynthesis in Camellia sinensis.

Galloylated catechins are the dominant polyphenols in Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze.

H19 promotes polarization and alternative splicing in tumor-associated macrophages, facilitating pancreatic cancer progression.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a crucial physiological role in the pancreatic tumor microenvironment. However, the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in TAMs within pancreatic tumors remains unclear. By lncRNA sequencing between TAMs and resident macrophages from normal tissues in pancreatic cancer, it is found that H19 is highly expressed in TAMs and is correlated with the prognosis and stages of pancreatic cancer.

Serum C-Reactive Protein-to-Albumin Ratio as a Clinical Risk Factor for Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of admission serum C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) in traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) severity evaluation and prognosis.

Methods: We included 402 TSCI patients from 2 hospitals and collected relevant clinical and laboratory data. The effects of CAR on the prognosis of TSCI were explored using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.

A survey on deep learning in medical image registration: New technologies, uncertainty, evaluation metrics, and beyond.

Deep learning technologies have dramatically reshaped the field of medical image registration over the past decade. The initial developments, such as regression-based and U-Net-based networks, established the foundation for deep learning in image registration. Subsequent progress has been made in various aspects of deep learning-based registration, including similarity measures, deformation regularizations, network architectures, and uncertainty estimation.

Evaluating the reliability and validity of a Chinese version of the performance-oriented mobility assessment among patients with chronic stroke.

Background: The Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA) is a reliable instrument for evaluating the mobility (balance and gait) of patients with chronic stroke to manage their risk of falling; however, it has not been validated among Chinese patients with stroke. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese POMA in patients with stroke.

Methods: The POMA was applied to volunteer patients with stroke from the Shanghai MCC Hospital.

Minimally Invasive Unilateral Pedicle Combined with Contralateral Translaminar Facet Joint Screw Fixation for single-segment Lumbar Degenerative Disease: A 10-year follow-up Study.

Study Design: This retrospective study compared unilateral pedicle screw combined with contralateral translaminar facet joint screw (UPS+TFS) fixation with bilateral pedicle screw (BPS) fixation in patients undergoing minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF) for single-segment lumbar degenerative disease.

Objective: To assess the long-term clinical efficacy of UPS+TFS fixation and BPS fixation in MIS-TLIF.

Summary Of Background Data: Limited research exists on the long-term clinical outcomes of UPS+TFS fixation in MIS-TLIF.

Efficacy and safety of Toliparibumab for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: This research intends to investigate the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) using Toripalimab, focusing on its effectiveness and safety profile. Efficacy refers to the survival prognosis, while safety pertains to the occurrence of adverse events in our study. It also aims to provide reference information for neoadjuvant and postoperative therapies.

Fibin is a crucial mitochondrial regulatory gene in skeletal muscle development.

Fin bud initiation factor homolog (Fibin) is a secreted protein that is relatively conserved among species. It is closely related to fin bud development and can regulate a variety of cellular processes. In our previous high-throughput chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) study of pig embryonic muscle development, it was found that Fibin has high expression and activity during the development of pig primary muscle fibers.