Application and mechanism of Chinese herb medicine in the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver condition closely associated with metabolic syndrome, with its incidence rate continuously rising globally. Recent studies have shown that the development of NAFLD is associated with insulin resistance, lipid metabolism disorder, oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Therapeutic strategies for NAFLD include lifestyle modifications, pharmacological treatments, and emerging biological therapies; however, there is currently no specific drug to treat NAFLD.

Kaempferol attenuates particle-induced osteogenic impairment by regulating ER stress via the IRE1α-XBP1s pathway.

Periprosthetic osteolysis and subsequent aseptic loosening are the primary causes of failure following total joint arthroplasty. Wear particle-induced osteogenic impairment is recognized as an important contributing factor in the development of osteolysis, with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress emerging as a pivotal underlying mechanism. Hence, searching for potential therapeutic targets and agents capable of modulating ER stress in osteoblasts is crucial for preventing aseptic loosening.

Correlation of DNA load, genotyping, and clinical phenotype of infection in children.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between (MP)DNA load in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of children with MP pneumonia (MPP) and its subtypes, relevant laboratory data, imaging, extrapulmonary complications in infected children, and its clinical significance in evaluating the disease.

Methods: Children hospitalized with MPP at Tianjin Children's Hospital between December 2017 and December 2020 were selected for the study, excluding those with mixed viral, bacterial, and fungal infections. Children were divided into low- and high-load groups according to the MP DNA load in BALF using real-time quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Defective state regulation of Ru-doped NbO boosts fast lithium storage.

Breaking through the limitations of lithium-ion transmission is imperative for high-power rechargeable batteries. As a promising anode material for fast-charging lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), niobium pentoxide (NbO) has garnered considerable research attention due to its exceptional rate performance, stable lithium storage performance and high safety attributes. Nevertheless, the limited intrinsic conductivity of NbO, coupled with its structural degradation during the cycling process, imposes constraints on its viability as a commercially viable electrode material.

Significantly Enhancing Mechanical and Thermal Properties of Cellulose-Based Composites by Adding Small Amounts of Lysozyme-Modified Graphene Nanoplatelets via Forming Strong Double-Cross-Linked Interface Interactions.

Thermally conductive cellulose-based composites have great application potential in the thermal management of portable and wearable electronic devices. In this work, cellulose-based composites with excellent mechanical and thermal properties were developed by using lysozyme-modified graphene nanoplatelets (LmGNP), epichlorohydrin (ECH), and hydrolyzed cellulose via forming strong double-cross-linked interface interactions, including the hydrogen bond network generated between LmGNP and cellulose and the chemical cross-link of ECH. As for the composites containing 8 wt % LmGNP, the in-plane thermal conductivity was 3.

Revolutionizing Precision Medicine: Exploring Wearable Sensors for Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Personalized Therapy.

Precision medicine, particularly therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), is essential for optimizing drug dosage and minimizing toxicity. However, current TDM methods have limitations, including the need for skilled operators, patient discomfort, and the inability to monitor dynamic drug level changes. In recent years, wearable sensors have emerged as a promising solution for drug monitoring.

Tumor cell membrane-coated continuous electrochemical sensor for GLUT1 inhibitor screening.

Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) overexpression in tumor cells is a potential target for drug therapy, but few studies have reported screening GLUT1 inhibitors from natural or synthetic compounds. With current analysis techniques, it is difficult to accurately monitor the GLUT1 inhibitory effect of drug molecules in real-time. We developed a cell membrane-based glucose sensor (CMGS) that integrated a hydrogel electrode with tumor cell membranes to monitor GLUT1 transmembrane transport and screen for GLUT1 inhibitors in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs).

Architecture Augmentation for Performance Predictor via Graph Isomorphism.

Neural architecture search (NAS) can automatically design architectures for deep neural networks (DNNs) and has become one of the hottest research topics in the current machine learning community. However, NAS is often computationally expensive because a large number of DNNs require to be trained for obtaining performance during the search process. Performance predictors can greatly alleviate the prohibitive cost of NAS by directly predicting the performance of DNNs.

Multi-Channel MEMS-FAIMS Gas Sensor for VOCs Detection.

Aimed at the problems of a large equipment size, long time and high price of environmental VOC gas detection, the FAIMS-VOC gas sensor was designed and prepared according to the principle that the ionization energy of the common VOC gas is less than 10.6 eV. The sensor is small in size, fast in detection, low in power consumption, and can work continuously.

Facile fabrication of laser induced versatile graphene-metal nanoparticles electrodes for the detection of hazardous molecules.

In this work, we developed a facile method to fabricate laser induced versatile graphene-metal nanoparticles (LIG-MNPs) electrodes with redox molecules sensing capabilities. Unlike conventional post-electrodes deposition, versatile graphene-based composites were engraved by a facile synthesis process. As a general protocol, we successfully prepared modular electrodes including LIG-PtNPs and LIG-AuNPs and applied them to electrochemical sensing.

Bi-enzyme competition based on ZIF-67 co-immobilization for real-time monitoring of exocellular ATP.

Monitoring exocellular adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) is a demanding task but the biosensor development is limited by the low concentration and rapid degradation of ATP. Herein, we developed a simple yet effective biosensor based on ZIF-67 loaded with bi-enzymes of glucose (GOx) and hexokinase (HEX) for effective detection of ATP. In the confined space of the porous matrix, the bi-enzymes competed for the glucose substrate in the presence of ATP, facilitating the biosensor to detect low ATP concentrations down to the micromole level (3.

Micro-Volume Blood Separation Membrane for In-Situ Biosensing.

In this paper, we report a point-of-care (POCT) testing strip based on a porous membrane structure for whole blood separation and colorimetric analysis without external supporting equipment. Conventional blood tests rely on large instruments for blood pretreatment and separation to improve measurement accuracy. Cellulose acetate (CA) membranes with different pore diameters and structures were prepared via a non-solvent method for the separation of whole blood.

Cell membrane coated electrochemical sensor for kinetic measurements of GLUT transport.

The upregulation of glucose transporter (GLUT) is a typical pathological marker in numerous cancer types and a potential target for anti-cancer drug therapy. We developed a cell membrane-based glucose sensor for real-time monitoring of GLUT transport kinetics. By combining hydrogel layers and liposomes, a planar cell membrane was constructed over the electrode, preventing pore leakage and allowing for highly sensitive and selective measurements.

Measurement of sucrose in beverages using a blood glucose meter with cascade-catalysis enzyme particle.

In this paper, we developed a sensor for on-site measuring beverage sucrose level based on cascade enzyme particles and a blood glucose meter. The cascade enzyme particles with sucrose hydrolyzing capability were prepared by co-precipitation of manganese carbonate, in which the stability of the enzymes was substantially enhanced by the particle encapsulation effect. The quantitative measurement of glucose produced by the hydrolysis of sucrose was performed using a commercial glucose meter, a commonly owned electrochemical device in homes, greatly improving detection accuracy and expanding applications.

An enzyme-particle hybrid ink for one step screen-printing and long-term metabolism monitoring.

Targeting the long-term monitoring of biological carbohydrate metabolism, we developed a one-step screen-printing method to fabricate electrochemical sensors using an enzyme microparticle hybrid ink. Most enzymes have low stability in high temperatures and organic solvents, making conventional enzyme modification a bottom-up procedure to be performed after electrode fabrication, resulting in inactivation and detachment in long-term work. Enzyme-loaded microparticles prepared by manganese carbonate co-precipitation had higher stability than free enzymes, which could to be mixed directly with carbon paste for direct screen-printing.

The Clinical Risk Factors of Adenovirus Pneumonia in Children Based on the Logistic Regression Model: Correlation with Lactate Dehydrogenase.

Methods: Children with bacterial pneumonia (41 cases) and adenovirus pneumonia (179 cases) hospitalized in Tianjin Children's Hospital from January to October 2020 were selected. The differences in baseline and clinical characteristics between children with two pneumonias, respectively, were compared via the chi-square test and Wilcox test. The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) model was applied to screen the pneumonia type-related characteristics.

A Survey on Evolutionary Neural Architecture Search.

Deep neural networks (DNNs) have achieved great success in many applications. The architectures of DNNs play a crucial role in their performance, which is usually manually designed with rich expertise. However, such a design process is labor-intensive because of the trial-and-error process and also not easy to realize due to the rare expertise in practice.

Establishment of a predictive nomogram and its validation for severe adenovirus pneumonia in children.

Background: Severe adenovirus pneumonia (SAP) of children is prone to multi-system complications, has the high mortality rate and high incidence of sequelae. Severity prediction can facilitate an adequate individualized treatment plan. Our study try to develop and evaluate a predictive nomogram for children with SAP.

Solution-Processed Ti C T MXene Antennas for Radio-Frequency Communication.

Highly integrated, flexible, and ultrathin wireless communication components are in significant demand due to the explosive growth of portable and wearable electronic devices in the fifth-generation (5G) network era, but only conventional metals meet the requirements for emerging radio-frequency (RF) devices so far. Here, it is reported on Ti C T MXene microstrip transmission lines with low-energy attenuation and patch antennas with high-power radiation at frequencies from 5.6 to 16.

Pattern of COVID-19 in Sichuan province, China: A descriptive epidemiological analysis.

This study described the epidemiology of 487 confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Sichuan province of China, and aimed to provide epidemiological evidence to support public health decision making. Epidemiological information of 487 COVID-19 cases were collected from the official websites of 21 districts (including 18 cities, 3 autonomous prefecture) health commissions within Sichuan between 21st of January 2020 to 17th of April 2020. We focus on the single-day diagnosis, demographics (gender and age), regional distribution, incubation period and symptoms.

User Perceptions of Virtual Hospital Apps in China: Systematic Search.

Background: Virtual hospital apps are mobile apps that offer functionalities of online consultation, medical guidance, health community forums, referrals, outpatient appointments or virtual hospital-to-home care services. With an increasing number of online medical and health care consulting services, virtual hospital apps have made health care more accessible and fairer for all, especially in China. However, they have occurred without control or regulation.

Ionic liquid@β-cyclodextrin-gelatin composite membrane for effective separation of tea polyphenols from green tea.

A new kind of multi-component membrane was prepared by combining gelatin solution, porogen and an inclusion complex of ionic liquid (IL) and beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) in a simple physical manner for selective separation of tea polyphenols (TPs) from green tea crude extracts. After screening, it was found that the resulting membrane containing the IL of dicationic N-vinylimidazole proline salt ([VIm]C[l-pro]) had the excellent performance for the enrichment of the target molecules. Then the newly-developed film was comprehensively characterized by scanning electron microscopy, conductivity, thermogravimetry and spectral analysis.