Survival prediction in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and novel mechanistic insights of S100A8/A9.

Background: S100A8/A9, an innate immune protein, significantly regulates inflammatory processes and immune responses. While S100A8/A9 has been linked to various diseases, its association with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear.

Methods: Samples from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were categorized into groups with low and high expression of S100A8/A9.

Astragaloside IV Protects Against Podocyte Injury by Upregulating Mitophagy via the Mfn2/Pink1/Parkin Axis.

Background: Podocyte injury is the most important pathological hallmark of kidney diseases. Autophagy is a critical factor that involves podocyte injury. Here, we sought to determine whether Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) was able to improve renal function and reverse podocyte injury through the regulation of autophagy.

Haemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet score as an independent predictor for renal prognosis in IgA nephropathy.

Objective: The haemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) score, a convenient and composite laboratory biomarker, can reflect inflammation and systemic nutritional status. This study was performed to investigate the effect of the HALP score on the prognosis of patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN).

Methods: This is a retrospective single centre study that enrolled 895 biopsy-confirmed IgAN patients from June 2019 to June 2022 who were followed for more than 1 year.

S100 proteins in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (Review).

The most common tumor affecting the head and neck is head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The characteristics of HNSCC include a rapid onset, a lack of early diagnosis, drug resistance, relapse and systemic adverse effects, leading to inadequate prevention, diagnosis and treatment. Notably, previous research suggests that there is an association between S100 proteins and HNSCC.

Fangchinoline inhibits non-small cell lung cancer metastasis by reversing epithelial-mesenchymal transition and suppressing the cytosolic ROS-related Akt-mTOR signaling pathway.

Few drugs alleviate non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) metastasis effectively. Small molecular screening demonstrated that fangchinoline (Fan) reversed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in NSCLC cells, inhibiting cell invasion and migration. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of Fan-treated NSCLC cells revealed that Fan potently quenched the NADP metabolic process.

Causal Relationships Between Social Isolation and Osteoarthritis: A Mendelian Randomization Study in European Population.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the causal relationships between social isolation and osteoarthritis.

Methods: Publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics of social isolation and osteoarthritis in European population were obtained from the Neale lab Consortium and the Medical Research Council-Integrative Epidemiology Unit (MRC-IEU) consortium, respectively. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the traits were identified by P < 5×10 and linkage disequilibrium r < 0.

The Causal Relationship Between Body Mass Index and the Risk of Osteoarthritis.

Objective: The study aimed to explore the causal effect of body mass index (BMI) on osteoarthritis.

Methods: The genome-wide association data of BMI and osteoarthritis were obtained via the Mendelian randomization (MR)-base platform. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with BMI were identified and used as instrumental variables, and the causal relationship between BMI and osteoarthritis was examined using the two-sample MR research method.

Interlaminar Fracture Behavior of Carbon Fiber/Polyimide Composites Toughened by Interleaving Thermoplastic Polyimide Fiber Veils.

Carbon fiber reinforced thermosetting polyimide (CF/TSPI) composites were interleaved with thermally stable thermoplastic polyimide (TPPI) fiber veils in order to improve the interlaminar fracture toughness without sacrificing the heat resistance. Both of the mode I and mode II interlaminar fracture toughness (G and G) for the untoughened laminate and TPPI fiber veils interleaved laminates were characterized by the double cantilever beam (DCB) test and end notch flexure (ENF) test, respectively. It is found that the TPPI fiber veils interleaved laminates exhibit extremely increased fracture toughness than the untoughened one.

Comparing the Cell Dynamics of Tree-Ring Formation Observed in Microcores and as Predicted by the Vaganov-Shashkin Model.

New insights into the intra-annual dynamics of tree-ring formation can improve our understanding of tree-growth response to environmental conditions at high-resolution time scales. Obtaining this information requires, however, a weekly monitoring of wood formation, sampling that is extremely time-intensive and scarcely feasible over vast areas. Estimating the timing of cambial and xylem differentiation by modeling thus represents an interesting alternative for obtaining this important information by other means.

High Thermally Stable and Melt Processable Polyimide Resins Based on Phenylethynyl-Terminated Oligoimides Containing Siloxane Structure.

A series of 4-phenylethnylphthalic anhydride (PEPA)-terminated oligoimides were prepared by co-oligomerizing isomeric dianhydrides, i.e., 2,3,3',4'-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (a-BPDA), 2,3,3',4'-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (a-BTDA) or 2,3,3',4'-diphenylethertetracarboxylic dianhydride (a-ODPA), with diamines mixture of bis(4-aminophenoxy)dimethyl silane (APDS) and 2,2'-bis(trifluoromethyl) benzidine (TFDB).

The Initiation of Swallowing Can Indicate the Prognosis of Disorders of Consciousness: A Self-Controlled Study.

To detect the initiation of swallowing in patients with disorders of consciousness (DOC) as well as the relationship between the initiation of swallowing and the prognosis of DOC patients. Nineteen DOC patients were included in this study, and a self-controlled trial compared five different stimuli. The five different stimuli were as follows: (1) one command, as recommended by the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R), which was "open your mouth"; (2) placing a spoon in front of the patient's mouth without a command; (3) placing a spoon filled with water in front of the patient's mouth without a command; (4) one command-"there is a spoon; open your mouth"-with a spoon in front of the patient's mouth; (5) one command, "there is a spoon with water; open your mouth," with a spoon filled with water in front of the patient's mouth.

Validation of the Chinese version of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R).

Primary Objective: This study aims to validate the Chinese version of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R).

Methods: One hundred sixty-nine patients were assessed with both the CRS-R and the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), diagnosed as being in unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS, formerly known as vegetative state), minimally conscious state (MCS), or emergence from MCS (EMCS). A subgroup of 50 patients has been assessed twice by the same rater, within 24 h.

Highly sensitive fluorometric determination of thrombin by on-chip signal amplification initiated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase.

The article describes an on-chip amplification scheme initiated by a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) for highly sensitive fluorometric determination of protein. Two thrombin-binding aptamers were designed to capture thrombin as they can form a sandwich structure for improved specificity. An amino-modified aptamer (TBA29) was first immobilized on a silicon chip.

Metal-to-Ligand Charge-Transfer-based Visual Detection of Alkaline Phosphatase Activity.

The ability to directly detect alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in undiluted serum samples is of great importance for clinical diagnosis. In this work, we report the use of the distinctive metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) absorption properties of the Cu(BCA) (BCA = bicinchoninic acid) reporter for the visual detection of ALP activity. In the presence of ALP, the substrate ascorbic acid 2-phosphate (AAP) can be enzymatically hydrolyzed to release ascorbic acid (AA), which in turn reduces Cu to Cu.

Development of monoclonal antibody for differentiating porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus and identification of a novel non-structural protein 2 epitope peptide.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) nucleocapsid protein (NP) is the immunodominant region of PRRSV viral proteins. Non-structural protein 2 (Nsp2) and its hypervariable region play an essential role in the differential diagnosis of PRRSV. Western blot and immunofluorescence assay (IFA) analyses found that 2 out of 18 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) recognized the NP and that 5 of 11 MAbs recognized Nsp2-120aa.

Projections for the changes in growing season length of tree-ring formation on the Tibetan Plateau based on CMIP5 model simulations.

The response of the growing season to the ongoing global warming has gained considerable attention. In particular, how and to which extent the growing season will change during this century is essential information for the Tibetan Plateau, where the observed warming trend has exceeded the global mean. In this study, the 1960-2014 mean length of the tree-ring growing season (LOS) on the Tibetan Plateau was derived from results of the Vaganov-Shashkin oscilloscope tree growth model, based on 20 composite study sites and more than 3000 trees.

Coenzyme Q10 Prevents the Interleukin-1 Beta Induced Inflammatory Response via Inhibition of MAPK Signaling Pathways in Rat Articular Chondrocytes.

Preclinical Research Osteoarthritis (OA) is a widely prevalent degenerative joint disease that severely impairs the health of the elderly population resulting in a heavy economic burden worldwide. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has shown anti-inflammatory effects in some diseases. The present study aimed to investigate if CoQ10 would suppress catabolic responses of interleukin (IL)-1β-induced chondrocytes.

Fluorescence quenching based alkaline phosphatase activity detection.

Simple and fast detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity is of great importance for diagnostic and analytical applications. In this work, we report a turn-off approach for the real-time detection of ALP activity on the basis of the charge transfer induced fluorescence quenching of the Cu(BCDS) (BCDS = bathocuproine disulfonate) probe. Initially, ALP can enzymatically hydrolyze the substrate ascorbic acid 2-phosphate to release ascorbic acid (AA).

New perspective on spring vegetation phenology and global climate change based on Tibetan Plateau tree-ring data.

Phenological responses of vegetation to climate, in particular to the ongoing warming trend, have received much attention. However, divergent results from the analyses of remote sensing data have been obtained for the Tibetan Plateau (TP), the world's largest high-elevation region. This study provides a perspective on vegetation phenology shifts during 1960-2014, gained using an innovative approach based on a well-validated, process-based, tree-ring growth model that is independent of temporal changes in technical properties and image quality of remote sensing products.

Metal-to-ligand charge-transfer: Applications to visual detection of β-galactosidase activity and sandwich immunoassay.

In this work, we report a novel use of the distinctive metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) absorption properties of the chromogenic Fe(BPDS) (BPDS=bathophenanthroline disulfonic acid) reporter for the visual detection of β-galactosidase (β-Gal) activity and sandwich immunoassay. The enzymatic hydrolysis of the substrate p-aminophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside can switch on the reduction of Fe to Fe and the subsequent complexation of Fe with the BPDS ligand to generate the Fe(BPDS) reporter, leading to the appearance of the intense MLCT absorption band at 535nm and the colorless-to-red color change of the solution. Simply through a single step, the activity of β-Gal can be sensitively and selectively detected within the dynamic range of 0-220mUmL, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.

Chinese translation of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised.

Background: Misdiagnosis rate is high in patients with disorders of consciousness, potentially leading to an inappropriate clinical management of these patients. Sensitive standardised rating scales offer some protections from these diagnostic errors. In this context, the use of the Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) has strongly been recommended by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine.

Sensitive and selective colorimetric assay of alkaline phosphatase activity with Cu(II)-phenanthroline complex.

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) plays a vital role in dephosphorylation- and phosphorylation-related cellular regulation and signaling processes. Accordingly, the development of efficient methods for ALP activity assay is of significant importance in clinical diagnosis. In this work, a simple and practical method is reported for the first time for the sensitive and selective colorimetric assay of ALP activity by exploiting a water-soluble Cu(II)-phenanthroline complex as the probe, on the basis of the distinctive metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) properties.

Assessment of visual fixation in vegetative and minimally conscious states.

Background: Visual fixation plays a key role in the differentiation between vegetative state/unresponsive wakefulness (VS/UWS) syndrome and minimally conscious state (MCS). However, the use of different stimuli changes the frequency of visual fixation occured in patients, thereby possibly affecting the accuracy of the diagnosis. In order to establish a standardized assessment of visual fixation in patients in disorders of consciousness (DOC), we compared the frequency of visual fixation elicited by mirror,a ball and a light.

A 3,500-year tree-ring record of annual precipitation on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.

An annually resolved and absolutely dated ring-width chronology spanning 4,500 y has been constructed using subfossil, archaeological, and living-tree juniper samples from the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The chronology represents changing mean annual precipitation and is most reliable after 1500 B.C.