Body shape index: an index for early target organ damage in hypertension.

Objective: To investigate the relationship between obesity-related indices and target organ damage in hypertension, with the goal of improving damage prevention and treatment strategies.

Methods: This retrospective study included 150 hypertension cases from January 2022 to December 2023 treated at Beijing Ditan Hospital, including 72 cases of isolated hypertension, 48 with hypertension complicated by kidney damage, 47 with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy, and 44 with hypertension and carotid atherosclerosis. Clinical indicators and obesity-related indices were collected to analyze their correlation with target organ damage in hypertension.

Interconnecting fragmented forests: Small and mobile birds are cornerstones in the plant-frugivore meta-network.

Habitat fragmentation is causing the collapse of seed dispersal interactions and ecosystem functioning. When management and conservation strategies aim to sustain ecosystem functioning of fragmented forests, species' traits and functional performance are critical in guiding decisions. However, to date, we lack a quantitative understanding of the role of frugivores' body size and dispersal ability in ecosystem sustainability among fragmented forests.

Synergistic neurotoxicity of clothianidin and photoaged microplastics in zebrafish: Implications for neuroendocrine disruption.

Microplastics (MPs), widely found in aquatic environments, pose a growing threat to environmental and biological health due to their complex interactions with pollutants and microorganisms. This study investigates the adsorption characteristics of clothianidin (CLO) on polystyrene (PS) and photoaged polystyrene (P-PS) and explores the neurotoxic effects of CLO combined with PS/P-PS in larval zebrafish (Danio rerio). Adsorption kinetics and isotherms showed that P-PS exhibited a higher adsorption capacity and faster equilibrium compared to PS, indicating the significant role of photoaging in enhancing CLO adsorption.

Scaling up to understand disease risk: distinct roles of host functional traits in shaping infection risk of avian malaria across different scales.

Understanding the impacts of diversity on pathogen transmission is essential for public health and biological conservation. However, how the outcome and mechanisms of the diversity-disease relationship vary across biological scales in natural systems remains elusive. In addition, although the role of host functional traits has long been established in disease ecology, its integration into the diversity-disease relationship largely falls behind.

HIV-1 DNA Genotypic Drug Resistance Testing Guides Antiretroviral Therapy in Patients with Low-Level Viremia.

In 2023, we published a case study involving a 10-year-old HIV-1-infected child with low-level viremia (LLV). We showed that this child patient achieved successful viral suppression by modifying the antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen according to the HIV-1 DNA genotypic drug resistance testing. In this study, we aimed to address whether HIV-1 DNA genotypic drug resistance testing could direct successfully virological suppression in HIV-1-infected patients experiencing persistent LLV based on evidence from a cohort study.

Comparison of HIV-1 RNA and HIV-1 DNA Genotypic Drug Resistance Testing in Women of Childbearing Age Infected with HIV-1 in Liangshan Prefecture.

This study focuses on HIV-1-infected women of childbearing age in Liangshan Prefecture and analyses their HIV-1 RNA and HIV-1 DNA genotypic drug resistance to provide a theoretical basis and technical support for monitoring the spread of resistant strains and formulating and optimizing antiretroviral therapy regimens. The study subjects were HIV-1-infected women of childbearing age who were followed up in the county of Liangshan Prefecture from January to September 2023. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected from each subject.

Amino modifications exacerbate the developmental abnormalities of polystyrene microplastics via mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway in zebrafish larvae.

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous in the environment and have been identified as a potential threat to ecosystems. However, the mechanisms of toxicity of modified MPs remain unknown. This study investigated the developmental toxicity of amino-modified polystyrene microplastics (PS-NH) with environmentally relevant concentrations ranging from 0.

Effect of Gold Nanoparticles on Luminescence Enhancement in Antibodies for TORCH Detection.

Purposes: To explore the optimization method and application of Au-NP-enhanced luminol--HO luminescence system in TORCH (TOX, RV, CMV, HSVI, and HSVII) detection.

Method: 4.5 × 10 mmol/L gold nano solution was prepared with chloroauric acid as the reducing agent and trisodium citrate as the stabilizer.

Multi-metal MOF-on-MOF metal-organic gel-based visual sensing platform for ultrasensitive detection of chlortetracycline and D-penicillamine.

The widespread presence of antibiotic residues in the environment and food represents a significant threat to human health. In this study, a novel MOF-on-MOF (FCZE) gel with excellent peroxidase activity and strong fluorescence properties successfully synthesized by using Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as a cross-linker and H₄BTEC as a ligand. Based on the energy transfer from the FCZE ligand to Eu luminescence, an ultrasensitive fluorescence method was developed for the detection of chlortetracycline (CTC), achieving a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 0.

Epithelial mitochondrial fission-mediated PANoptosis is crucial for ulcerative colitis and its inhibition by saquinavir through Drp1.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is characterized by increased cell death in intestinal epithelial cell (IEC), which compromises gut barrier function and activates inflammation. Aberrant mitochondrial dynamics have been implicated in various forms of cell death, but it is currently unclear if they play a role in IEC death and colitis pathogenesis. This study aims to investigate the contribution of aberrant mitochondrial dynamics to colitis progression using cellular models, animal models, and clinical samples.

Habitat fragmentation mediates the mechanisms underlying long-term climate-driven thermophilization in birds.

Climatic warming can shift community composition driven by the colonization-extinction dynamics of species with different thermal preferences; but simultaneously, habitat fragmentation can mediate species' responses to warming. As this potential interactive effect has proven difficult to test empirically, we collected data on birds over 10 years of climate warming in a reservoir subtropical island system that was formed 65 years ago. We investigated how the mechanisms underlying climate-driven directional change in community composition were mediated by habitat fragmentation.

Optical pulling of Mie particles along a curved path by optical scattering forces.

Optical pulling along straight trajectories has been successfully demonstrated for both dipolar and Mie particles using optical gradient and/or scattering forces over the past decade. However, much less attention is devoted to the pulling along curved paths, particularly for Mie particles, since the mechanism of continuous attraction based on intensity gradients is effective only for dipolar particles, thus limiting its practical applications. Here, we demonstrate the optical pulling of Mie particles with gain along a parabolic trajectory immersed in a two-dimensional vector Airy beam.

Interception force assisted optical pulling of a dipole nanoparticle in a single plane wave.

The optical pulling force is generally believed to originate from the recoil force due to the simultaneous excitation of multipoles in the particle, which overcomes the interception force contributing to the optical pushing force. However, we show that the interception force can induce optical pulling force on a small isotropic spherical particle with gain in a uniform electromagnetic plane wave, in which multipole excitation is negligible within the dipole regime. Based on the multipole expansion theory, a rigorous analytical expression is derived for optical force acting on a spherical particle of arbitrary size and composition illuminated by a single plane wave, regardless of its polarization.

Ecological risks caused by neonicotinoid pesticides in sediments: A case study of freshwater basins in China.

Neonicotinoid insecticides (NNIs) are extensively used in agricultural production in China due to their selective neurotoxicity towards target insects. In recent years, the rapid development of agriculture has increased the use and residue of NNIs. Consequently, the sediment environment, serving as the ultimate sink, is significantly impacted by NNIs.

Technology acceptance of the video game-based swallowing function training system among healthcare providers and dysphagia patients: A qualitative study.

Objective: Dysphagia is highly prevalent worldwide, causing serious complications. Video-game based rehabilitation training can increase dysphagia patient motivation and adherence. However, the acceptance of video game systems by patients and healthcare providers is still not fully explored.

Macrophage manufacturing and engineering with 5'-Cap1 and N1-methylpseudouridine-modified mRNA.

Macrophage-based cell therapeutics is an emerging modality to treat cancer and repair tissue damage. A reproducible manufacturing and engineering process is central to fulfilling their therapeutic potential. Here, we establish a robust macrophage-manufacturing platform (Mo-Mac) and demonstrate that macrophage functionality can be enhanced by N1-methylpseudouridine (m1Ψ)-modified mRNA.

Levels, sources, and health risk assessment of phthalate acid esters in indoor dust of various microenvironments in university.

Phthalate acid esters (PAEs), as a common group of plasticizers, are widely present in indoor environments and pose a risk to human health. Indoor dust samples collected from dormitory, classroom, laboratory, and office in several universities in China, were analyzed for seven types of PAEs. The total concentrations of seven PAEs (ΣPAEs) ranged from 4.

Residues of veterinary drugs and heavy metal contamination in livestock and poultry meat from Hunan Province, China.

Livestock and poultry meat consumption play an important role in the dietary structure of Chinese residents. However, the extent of residues of veterinary drugs and heavy metal contamination in livestock and poultry meat and their by-products within Hunan province is not extensively studied. This survey aimed to fill this gap by assessing the presence of 76 veterinary drug residues in Hunan province.

Aged polystyrene microplastics exposure affects apoptosis via inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in early life of zebrafish.

In recent years, the toxic effects of microplastics (MPs) on aquatic organisms have been increasingly recognized. However, the developmental toxicity and underlying mechanisms of photoaged MPs at environmental concentrations remain unclear. Therefore, the photodegradation of pristine polystyrene (P-PS) under UV irradiation was used to investigate, as well as the developmental toxicity and underlying mechanisms of zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to P-PS and aged polystyrene (A-PS) at environmentally relevant concentrations (0.

Exploring genetic diversity and population structure in (L.) J.Presl germplasm in China through phenotypic, chemical component, and molecular marker analyses.

(L.) J.Presl, a tropical aromatic evergreen tree belonging to the Lauraceae family, is commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Effects of sugary drinks, coffee, tea and fruit juice on incidence rate, mortality and cardiovascular complications of type2 diabetes patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims: Despite more and more studies indicate that beverages play an important role in type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM), the efficacy of intaking different beverages for T2DM has not been clearly stated in one article. The meta-analysis was performed, which aims to assess the effects of beverages on mortality and cardiovascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes and the incidence of T2DM.

Method: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases were search up to March, 2023 to identify relevant studies, including studies researching beverage consumption, the incidence and mortality of T2DM and incidence of cardiovascular disease, a kind of complication of T2DM.

Brominated flame retardants in surface sediment from Western Guangdong, South China: Occurrence, distribution and toxicity in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Sediment is the ultimate sink of environmental pollutants. A total of 128 surface sediment samples were collected from 8 rivers and 3 reservoirs in Maoming City, Guangdong Province. This study assessed the content and distribution of brominated flame retardants in sediments.