Nano-Drug Design Based on the Physiological Properties of Glutathione.

Glutathione (GSH) is involved in and regulates important physiological functions of the body as an essential antioxidant. GSH plays an important role in anti-oxidation, detoxification, anti-aging, enhancing immunity and anti-tumor activity. Herein, based on the physiological properties of GSH in different diseases, mainly including the strong reducibility of GSH, high GSH content in tumor cells, and the NADPH depletion when GSSH is reduced to GSH, we extensively report the design principles, effect, and potential problems of various nano-drugs in diabetes, cancer, nervous system diseases, fluorescent probes, imaging, and food.

Abnormal m6A modification in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease has seriously affected people's health. Recent studies have found that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation is involved in the lipid metabolism process of the body, but the study on the level of m6A modification in NAFLD is still not available. This study aims to explore the changes in the level of RNA m6A methylation modification in NAFLD liver tissues, and to provide experimental and theoretical basis for in-depth study on the role of RNA m6A methylation in the occurrence and development of NAFLD.

Substance and Internet use during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has adversely influenced human physical and mental health, including emotional disorders and addictions. This study examined substance and Internet use behavior and their associations with anxiety and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online self-report questionnaire was administered to 2196 Chinese adults between February 17 and 29, 2020.

Evaluation of safety and efficacy of apatinib combination with chemotherapy for ovarian cancer treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Apatinib in combination with chemotherapy (CT) has been used in the treatment of ovarian cancer (OC), however, the safety and efficacy are unclear. The study aims at systematic evaluation of the safety and efficacy of the apatinib targeted therapy in combination with CT for the treatment of patients with advanced OC.

Methods: Literature about randomized controlled clinical trials was searched using search engines such as PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CNKI, the Cochrane Library, CBM, VIP and the Wanfang.

The role of cystatin C in multiple myeloma.

Introduction: Renal insufficiency is one of the common complications in multiple myeloma (MM) and an independent factor indicating a poor prognosis. Cystatin C (Cys C) is considered to be expected to replace creatinine to calculate glomerular filtration rate due to its own characteristics. Gene expression analysis suggested that cystatin C is up-regulated nearly 50-fold in patients with multiple myeloma.

Response surface design for removal of Cr(VI) by hydrogel-supported sulfidated nano zero-valent iron (S-nZVI@H).

In this study, a new sulfidated nanoscale zero-valent iron (S-nZVI) supported on hydrogel (S-nZVI@H) was successfully synthesized for the removal of chromium (Cr) (VI) from groundwater. The surface morphology, dispersion phenomenon and functional groups of novel S-nZVI@H were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Box-Behnken design (BBD) optimization technology based on response surface methodology (RSM) is applied to demonstrate the influence of the interaction of S-nZVI@H dose, initial Cr(VI) concentration, contact time, and initial pH with the Cr(VI) removal efficiency.

Association between periodontal disease and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Periodontal disease and osteoporosis are common chronic diseases, especially for the postmenopausal women. Several original studies explore the association, but there still controversial. Therefore, we will conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the association between periodontal disease and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Local progression after computed tomography-guided microwave ablation in non-small cell lung cancer patients: prediction using a nomogram model.

Objectives: To develop an effective nomogram model for predicting the local progression after computed tomography-guided microwave ablation (MWA) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.

Methods: NSCLC patients treated with MWA were randomly allocated to either the training cohort or the validation cohort (4:1). The predictors of local progression identified by univariable and multivariable analyses in the training cohort were used to develop a nomogram model.

Modifiable personal and environmental factors associated with anxiety in family caregivers of children with disabilities: A comparison between parents and grandparents.

Background: Caregivers of children with disabilities might face high risk of anxiety, but the specific influencing factors may be different between parents and grandparents. This study is to explore the influencing modifiable factors from personal and environmental dimensions, so as to provide practical reference for effectively preventing and alleviating anxiety of this population.

Methods: A total of 504 primary caregivers were investigated in Shanghai, China, of which 496 parents and grandparents were included in the analysis.

Hierarchical Assembly of CNTs-VSe-VO/S for Flexible Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Constructing highly conductive compact sulfur cathode composites with shorter ion diffusivity lengths is vital for achieving comprehensively superior electrochemical performance under a high mass loading condition. Guided by computerization modeling, we, herein, report self-supporting CNTs-VSe-VO/S assembly with balanced tortuosity and porosity for flexible Li-S batteries. The resultant hybrid sulfur cathode with a tortuosity of 2.

Synergistic effect of tumor chemo-immunotherapy induced by leukocyte-hitchhiking thermal-sensitive micelles.

Some specific chemotherapeutic drugs are able to enhance tumor immunogenicity and facilitate antitumor immunity by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD). However, tumor immunosuppression induced by the adenosine pathway hampers this effect. In this study, E-selectin-modified thermal-sensitive micelles are designed to co-deliver a chemotherapeutic drug (doxorubicin, DOX) and an A2A adenosine receptor antagonist (SCH 58261), which simultaneously exhibit chemo-immunotherapeutic effects when applied with microwave irradiation.

Impact of the Paralympic Games on the Beliefs of Children with Physical Disabilities Engaging in Sports and Physical Activities: A Chinese Perspective.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the beliefs of Chinese children with physical disabilities engaging in sports and physical activity (PA), and the impact of the Paralympic Games on these beliefs. Five Chinese children with physical disabilities (female = 2, male = 3) were recruited for participating in the workshops of the Paralympic Games and PA, and received individual semi-structured interviews before and after the workshop implementations. Interview transcripts were analysed and presented as descriptive summaries.

Disrupted Small-world Networks are Associated with Decreased Vigilant Attention after Total Sleep Deprivation.

Sleep deprivation critically affects vigilant attention. Previous neuroimaging studies have revealed altered inter-regional functional connectivity after sleep deprivation, which may disrupt topological properties of brain functional networks. However, little is known about alterations in the topology of intrinsic connectivity and its involvement in attention performance after sleep deprivation.

Presurgical Evaluation of Epilepsy Using Resting-State MEG Functional Connectivity.

Epilepsy is caused by abnormal electrical discharges (clinically identified by electrophysiological recording) in a specific part of the brain [originating in only one part of the brain, namely, the epileptogenic zone (EZ)]. Epilepsy is now defined as an archetypical hyperexcited neural network disorder. It can be investigated through the network analysis of interictal discharges, ictal discharges, and resting-state functional connectivity.

Cancer-cell-biomimetic Upconversion nanoparticles combining chemo-photodynamic therapy and CD73 blockade for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and chemotherapy show clinical promise in destroying orthotopic tumors but are insufficient against abscopal metastases. The research reports the combined application of an anti-CD73 antibody and chemo-PDT to synergistically amplify the anti-metastatic effects of T cell-mediated antitumor immunity. The cancer cell membrane (CM)-cloaked upconversion nanoparticles, integrating rose bengal (RB) and the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-sensitive polymer polyethylene glycol-thioketal-doxorubicin (PEG-TK-DOX, i.

Electronic Structure and -Band Center Control Engineering over Ni-Doped CoP Nanowall Arrays for Boosting Hydrogen Production.

To address the challenge of highly efficient water splitting into H, successful fabrication of novel porous three-dimensional Ni-doped CoP nanowall arrays on carbon cloth was realized, resulting in an effective self-supported electrode for the electrocatalytic hydrogen-evolution reaction. The synthesized samples exhibit rough, curly, and porous structures, which are beneficial for gaseous transfer and diffusion during the electrocatalytic process. As expected, the obtained Ni-doped CoP nanowall arrays with a doping concentration of 7% exhibit the promoted electrocatalytic activity.

An Investigation into Accumulative Difference Mechanism in Time and Space for Material Removal in Micro-EDM Milling.

In micro-electrical discharge machining (micro-EDM) milling, the cross-section of the microgroove machine is frequently not an ideal rectangle. For instance, there are arc shapes on the bottom and corners, and the sidewall is not steep. The theoretical explanation for this phenomenon is still lacking.

Propofol Mediated Protection of the Brain From Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury Through the Regulation of Microglial Connexin 43.

Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a serious condition that leads to increased apoptosis of microglial and neurons in the brain. In this study, we identified that Cx43 expression level is significantly increased in the microglial cells during I/R injury. Using an model (hypoxia/reoxygenation-H/R injury), we observed that H/R injury leads to an increase in activation of microglial cells and increase in levels of pro-inflammatory markers such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α.

Altered insula-prefrontal functional connectivity correlates to decreased vigilant attention after total sleep deprivation.

Background: Sleep deprivation can robustly affect vigilant attention. The insula is a key hub of the salience network that mediates shifting attention between endogenous and exogenous states. However, little is known regarding the involvement of insular functional connectivity in impaired vigilant attention after total sleep deprivation (TSD).

SDImpute: A statistical block imputation method based on cell-level and gene-level information for dropouts in single-cell RNA-seq data.

The single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies obtain gene expression at single-cell resolution and provide a tool for exploring cell heterogeneity and cell types. As the low amount of extracted mRNA copies per cell, scRNA-seq data exhibit a large number of dropouts, which hinders the downstream analysis of the scRNA-seq data. We propose a statistical method, SDImpute (Single-cell RNA-seq Dropout Imputation), to implement block imputation for dropout events in scRNA-seq data.

TGFβ1 in Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Is Associated With Progression and Radiosensitivity in Small-Cell Lung Cancer.

Objective: Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is aggressive, with early metastasis. Cytokines secreted by cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) within various tumors influences these features, but the function in particular of TGFβ1 (transforming growth factor beta 1) is controversial and unknown in SCLC. This study explored the influence of TGFβ1 in CAFs on the development, immune microenvironment, and radiotherapy sensitivity of SCLC.

Mechanism of Stability and Transport of Chitosan-Stabilized Nano Zero-Valent Iron in Saturated Porous Media.

Chitosan-stabilized nano zero-valent iron (CTS-nZVI) prepared by the liquid-phase reduction method has been shown to achieve a good dispersion effect. However, there has been little analysis on the mechanism affecting its stability and transport in saturated porous media. In this paper, settling experiments were conducted to study the stabilization of CTS-nZVI.

Yixin-Fumai granules improve sick sinus syndrome in aging mice through Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway: A new target for sick sinus syndrome.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Yixin-Fumai granules (YXFMs)-composed of Ginseng quinquefolium (L.) Alph. Wood, Ophiopogon japonicus (Thunb.