Investigation into the Reinforcement Modification of Natural Plant Fibers and the Sustainable Development of Thermoplastic Natural Plant Fiber Composites.

Natural plant fibers (NPFs) have emerged as a sustainable alternative in the manufacture of composites due to their renewability and low environmental impact. This has led to a significant increase in the use of natural plant fiber-reinforced polymers (NPFRPs) in a variety of industries. The diversity of NPF types brings a wide range of properties and functionalities to NPFRPs, which in turn highlights the urgent need to improve the properties of fiber materials in order to enhance their performance and suitability.

Discovery of a novel CDK4/6 and HDAC dual-targeting agent for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

The down-regulation of p21 after long-term CDK4/6 inhibition represents a key mechanism causing resistance to CDK4/6 inhibitors in some tumor cells, while the HDAC inhibitor could upregulate the level of p21. Herein, a series of novel CDK4/6 and HDAC dual-targeting inhibitors based on the moiety of palbociclib were designed and synthesized. Among them, compound N14 potently inhibited CDK4/6 and HDAC1/6 at nanomolar levels and induced cell apoptosis and G/G phase arrest through HDAC-p21-CDK signaling pathway in HuH-7 cell line.

Pentraxin-3 modulates hepatocyte ferroptosis and the innate immune response in LPS-induced liver injury.

The liver plays a crucial role in the immune response during endotoxemia and is one of the critical targets for sepsis-related injuries. As a secretory factor involved in inflammation, pentraxin-3 (PTX3) has been demonstrated to regulate hepatic homeostasis; however, the relationship between PTX3 and cell crosstalk between immune cells and hepatocytes in the liver remains incompletely understood. In this study, we revealed that, compared with WT mice, Ptx3 mice with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemia exhibited alleviated liver damage, with reduced serum alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase levels and an improved survival rate.

Knockdown of Leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein 1 alleviates renal ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting NOX4-mediated apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress.

Renal ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury leads mainly to acute kidney injury. Leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein 1 (LRG) is upregulated in kidney tissues of mice after renal I/R injury. However, its role in renal I/R injury has not been fully elucidated.

TNFα-reliant FSP1 up-regulation promotes intervertebral disc degeneration via caspase 3-dependent apoptosis.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a common chronic inflammatory degenerative disease that causes lower back pain. However, the underlying mechanisms of IDD remain unclear. Ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1) is a newly identified suppressor for ferroptosis.

Damascenone inhibits osteoclastogenesis by epigenetically modulating Nrf2-mediated ROS scavenge and counteracts OVX-induced osteoporosis.

Background: Bone formation and resorption regulate bone homeostasis. Excessive osteoclastogenesis enhances bone resorption and causes osteoporosis. Although medicines targeting osteoclast have been developed, these drugs have several side effects.

Comparative analysis and application of soft sensor models in domestic wastewater treatment for advancing sustainability.

This study focuses on the development and evaluation of soft sensor models for predicting NH-N values in a wastewater treatment process. The study compares the performance of linear regression (LR), neural networks (NN) and random forest regression (RFR) models. The proposed methodology involves optimizing the sequencing batch reactor process using artificial intelligence and an automatic control system.

Brusatol improves the efficacy of sorafenib in Huh7 cells via ferroptosis resistance dependent Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy with a poor prognosis. The recommended treatment of unresectable HCC involves targeted therapy, for example sorafenib, combined with immunotherapy. A recent article reported that sorafenib could induce ferroptosis escape in HCC.

MCM4 potentiates evasion of hepatocellular carcinoma from sorafenib-induced ferroptosis through Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. It poses an enormous socioeconomic burden and is a serious public health threat globally due to its poor prognosis. Ferroptosis is a newly identified non-apoptotic form of cell death characterized by lipid peroxidation, iron accumulation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.

ST8SIA6-AS1, a novel lncRNA star in liver cancer.

Liver cancer is one of the most lethal gastrointestinal malignancies. Emerging evidence has underscored the pivotal role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tumorigenesis, with ST8SIA6-AS1 identified as a novel oncogenic lncRNA contributing to liver cancer progression. ST8SIA6-AS1 is consistently upregulated in hepatic cancer tissues and is strongly associated with unfavorable prognosis.

Exosome-based nanoparticles and cancer immunotherapy.

Over the past decades, cancer immunotherapy has encountered challenges such as immunogenicity, inefficiency, and cytotoxicity. Consequently, exosome-based cancer immunotherapy has gained rapid traction as a promising alternative. Exosomes, a type of extracellular vesicles (EVs) ranging from 50 to 150 nm, are self-originating and exhibit fewer side effects compared to traditional therapies.

Identification and verification of four candidate biomarkers for early diagnosis of osteoarthritis by machine learning.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic joint disease. This study aimed to investigate possible OA diagnostic biomarkers and to verify their significance in clinical samples.

Methods: We exploited three datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, serving as the training set.

A review of amendments for simultaneously reducing Cd and As availability in paddy soils and rice grain based on meta-analysis.

Arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) accumulation in rice grains is a global food safety issue, and various methods and materials have been used to remove or reduce As and Cd in agricultural soils and rice grains. Despite the availability of synthesized materials capable of simultaneous As and Cd reduction from soil and rice grains, the contributions, efficiency, and main ingredients of the materials for As and Cd immobilization remain unclear. The present study first summarized the biogeochemistry of As and Cd in paddy soils and their transfer in the soil-food-human continuum.

Classification of the Congenital Defect of the Lumbar Facet Joint: Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: Congenital lumbar facet joint defect is a rare congenital developmental disorder with only a few reported cases in the literature, primarily affecting the L5-S1 segments. This study reports the first case of a defect in the left L3 inferior articular process; and presents a review of the existing literature on the subject, proposes a classification system, and validates the inter-observer and intra-observer reliability of this classification system.

Case Presentation: A 14-year-old boy presented to our orthopedic clinic with persistent lower back pain for 1 month.

Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers with Wide Gain Bandwidth and Enhanced Polarization Insensitivity Based on Tensile-Strained Quantum Wells.

The paper presents a wide-bandwidth, low-polarization semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) based on strained quantum wells. By enhancing the material gain of quantum wells for TM modes, we have extended the gain bandwidth of the SOA while reducing its polarization sensitivity. Through a combination of tilted waveguide design and cavity surface optical thin film design, we have effectively reduced the cavity surface reflectance of the SOA, thus decreasing device transmission losses and noise figure.

Low-Polarization, Broad-Spectrum Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers.

Polarization-insensitive semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) in all-optical networks can improve the signal-light quality and transmission rate. Herein, to reduce the gain sensitivity to polarization, a multi-quantum-well SOA in the 1550 nm band is designed, simulated, and developed. The active region mainly comprises the quaternary compound InGaAlAs, as differences in the potential barriers and wells of the components cause lattice mismatch.

Anatomical factors influencing temporomandibular joint clicking in young adults: temporomandibular joint structure disorder or lateral pterygoid muscle dysfunction?

This study aimed to investigate the selected anatomical factors that can potentially influence temporomandibular joint (TMJ) clicking in young adults by assessing TMJ structures and lateral pterygoid muscle (LPM) function using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patients were divided into four groups: the healthy control group; the clicking on mouth opening group; the clicking on mouth closing group; and the clicking on mouth opening and closing group. Additionally, we used clinical palpation to evaluate the masticatory muscles' functional state and employed MRI using the OCOR-T1WI-FSE-CLOSED, OSAG-PDW-FSE-CLOSED, and OSAG-PDW-FSE-OPEN sequences to analyze the texture of the lateral pterygoid muscle (LPM).

Delayed postoperative spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma: Case based review.

Introduction And Importance: Postoperative spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma (SSEDH) is a rare complication in clinical practice. Despite its rarity, SSEDH is a critical emergency situation associated with neurological deficits, and improper or delayed management may lead to severe consequences. Therefore, surgical operators should familiarize themselves with SSEDH and give it more attention.

Effect of Individualized PEEP Guided by Driving Pressure on Diaphragm Function in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Radical Resection of Colorectal Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND The concept of driving pressure (ΔP) has been established to optimize mechanical ventilation-induced lung injury. However, little is known about the specific effects of setting individualized positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) with driving pressure guidance on patient diaphragm function. MATERIAL AND METHODS Ninety patients were randomized into 3 groups, with PEEP set to 0 in group C; 5 cmH₂O in group F; and individualized PEEP in group I, based on esophageal manometry.

The Comparison between Spinal Facet Joint Toothed Plate and Traditional Pedicle Screw-rod on Reduction of Thoracolumbar Fracture.

Objective: Thoracolumbar fractures are one of the most common fractures in clinical practice. Surgical intervention is recommended to restore spinal alignment or decompress the nerves when there are unstable fractures or neurological injuries. However, after excessive forward thrust force restoration, facet joint dislocation often occurs between the upper vertebra and the fractured vertebra, which usually leads to unsatisfactory reduction outcomes.

Anti-Stress and Anti-ROS Effects of MnOx-Functionalized Thermosensitive Nanohydrogel Protect BMSCs for Intervertebral Disc Degeneration Repair.

Stem cell transplantation is proven to be a promising strategy for intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) repair. However, replicative senescence of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), shear damage during direct injection, mechanical stress, and the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-rich microenvironment in degenerative intervertebral discs (IVDs) cause significant cellular damage and limit the therapeutic efficacy. Here, an injectable manganese oxide (MnOx)-functionalized thermosensitive nanohydrogel is proposed for BMSC transplantation for IDD therapy.

Adjoint Algorithm Design of Selective Mode Reflecting Metastructure for BAL Applications.

Broad-area lasers (BALs) have found applications in a variety of crucial fields on account of their high output power and high energy transfer efficiency. However, they suffer from poor spatial beam quality due to multi-mode behavior along the waveguide transverse direction. In this paper, we propose a novel metasurface waveguide structure acting as a transverse mode selective back-reflector for BALs.