Mood instability and risk of gastrointestinal diseases - a univariable and multivariable mendelian randomization study.

Background: Mood instability, characterized by sudden and unpredictable mood shifts, is prevalent in psychiatric disorders and as a personality trait. Its association with gastrointestinal diseases has been recognized but remains poorly understood in terms of causality.

Methods: This study aims to investigate the causal relationship between mood instability and a spectrum of gastrointestinal diseases by univariable and multivariable mendelian randomization analysis.

Quality of Life and Safety Outcomes after First-Line Treatment of Symptomatic AF with Cryoablation or Drug Therapy: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Cryoablation has emerged as a recognized interventional strategy for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). Numerous trials have investigated cryoablation as a first-line therapy for AF. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the impact of cryoablation on quality of life (QoL) and safety outcomes compared to antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) in patients with symptomatic AF.

Prophylactic-dose direct oral anticoagulants for non-hospitalised people with COVID-19: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Background: Several reviews have been conducted on thromboprophylaxis in non-hospitalised patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we sought to investigate the impact of prophylactic-dose direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in this population.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE and Cochrane Library for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing prophylactic-dose DOACs with placebo or no treatment in non-hospitalised patients with COVID-19 until September 2023.

Early elevations of RAS protein level and activity are critical for the development of PDAC in the context of inflammation.

The KRAS mutation was believed to be locked in a GTP-bound form, rendering it fully active. However, recent studies have indicated that the presence of mutant KRAS alone is insufficient; it requires additional activation through inflammatory stimuli to effectively drive the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). It remains unclear to what extent RAS activation occurs during the development of PDAC in the context of inflammation.

Synthetic Membraneless Droplets for Synaptic-Like Clustering of Lipid Vesicles.

In eukaryotic cells, the membraneless organelles (MLOs) formed via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) are found to interact intimately with membranous organelles (MOs). One major mode is the clustering of MOs by MLOs, such as the formation of clusters of synaptic vesicles at nerve terminals mediated by the synapsin-rich MLOs. Aqueous droplets, including complex coacervates and aqueous two-phase systems, have been plausible MLO-mimics to emulate or elucidate biological processes.

Enantioselective Synthesis of Diarylmethylamines through the Aza-Friedel-Crafts Reaction of 1,3,5-Trialkoxy Benzenes and -Sulfonyl Aldimines Catalyzed by BINOL-Derived Disulfonimides.

A 1,1'-bi-2-naphthol (BINOL)-derived disulfonimide (DSI)-catalyzed enantioselective aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction between 1,3,5-trialkoxy benzenes and -sulfonyl aldimines gives direct access to a series of chiral diarylmethylamines in good yields and good to excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee). This reaction provides a useful protocol for the direct synthesis of diarylmethylamine derivatives.

Targeting unfolded protein response using albumin-encapsulated nanoparticles attenuates temozolomide resistance in glioblastoma.

Background: Chemoresistant cancer cells frequently exhibit a state of chronically activated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Engaged with ER stress, the unfolded protein response (UPR) is an adaptive reaction initiated by the accumulation of misfolded proteins. Protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is a molecular chaperone known to be highly expressed in glioblastomas with acquired resistance to temozolomide (TMZ).

Celastrol-loaded lactosylated albumin nanoparticles attenuate hepatic steatosis in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multifactorial disease with several liver-associated pathologic characteristics such as aberrant lipid accumulation, persistent chronic inflammation and hyperactive endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Plant-derived celastrol (CEL) appeared to be a promising anti-inflammatory and anti-obesity drug but the clinical application was delayed by low oral bioavailability. The present study was designed for developing biodegradable albumin-based nanoparticles to deliver CEL to the liver for treating NAFLD.

Biodegradable celastrol-loaded albumin nanoparticles ameliorate inflammation and lipid accumulation in diet-induced obese mice.

Obesity is hallmarked by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunctions. The control of obesity is the key to preventing the onset of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes, cerebro-cardiovascular diseases and cancers. As a promising anti-obesity drug, plant-derived celastrol is challenged by poor water solubility and low oral bioavailability in clinical applications.

Effects of particle size on the electrocoalescence dynamics and arrested morphology of liquid marbles.

Hypothesis: The coalescence of bare droplets when surface tension dominates always results in one larger spherical droplet. In contrast, droplets coated with particles may be stabilized into non-spherical structures after arrested coalescence, which can be achieved by different approaches, such as changing the particle surface coverage. The size of particles coating the initial liquid marbles can be used to control the coalescence dynamics and the resulting morphology of arrested droplets.

Controlled Formation of All-Aqueous Janus Droplets by Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation of an Aqueous Three-Phase System.

Janus droplets have been demonstrated in a wide range of applications, ranging from drug delivery, to biomedical imaging, to bacterial detection. However, existing fabrication strategies often involve nonaqueous solvents, such as organic solvent or oil, which largely limits their use in fields that require a high degree of biocompatibility. Here, we present a method to achieve all-aqueous Janus droplets by liquid-liquid phase separation of an aqueous three-phase system (A3PS).

Early forest-fire detection using scanning polarization lidar.

As forest terrain is complex, containing leaves and other obstacles, it is difficult to distinguish the signal of forest-fire smoke when using single-channel lidar. To address this difficulty, a scanning micropulse polarization lidar system is developed, and a new method to detect forest fires is proposed in this study. Based on the characteristics of the depolarization ratio of in-scene obstacles, a matrix is constructed to remove obstacle signals, which in turn reduces the misidentification rate.

Comparative assessment of in vitro/in vivo performances of orodispersible electrospun and casting films containing rizatriptan benzoate.

The electrospinning process is a promising approach to produce various drug-loaded orodispersible films (ODFs) with a rapid onset of their actions. However, there is only limited number of studies comparing the pharmacological performances of electrospun ODFs (eODFs) with traditional casting films (CFs). In this study, rizatriptan benzoate (RB), a pain relieving agent was formulated with PVP and PVA into ODFs using electrospinning and casting methods.

Anti-solvent Precipitation Method Coupled Electrospinning Process to Produce Poorly Water-Soluble Drug-Loaded Orodispersible Films.

Orodispersible films (ODFs) are more convenient for paediatric and geriatric patients to take as compared to conventional tablets and capsules. Electrospinning has recently been attempted to produce ODFs. This study investigated the feasibility of formulating poorly water-soluble drug into ODFs using electrospinning technology coupled with the anti-solvent precipitation method.

Novel Lidar algorithm for horizontal visibility measurement and sea fog monitoring.

Traditionally, Klett and Fernald inversion estimates an initial value using the slope method for horizontal visibility, which causes inversion uncertainty. We proposed an algorithm to retrieve the extinction coefficient and visibility distribution information from scanning Lidar to overcome instability due to initial atmospheric extinction coefficient choice and assuming the Lidar ratio. Numerical simulations showed that extinction coefficient maximum relative was much larger for inhomogeneous atmosphere using the Klett method, reaching 0.