A droplet robotic system enabled by electret-induced polarization on droplet.

Robotics for scientific research are evolving from grasping macro-scale solid materials to directly actuating micro-scale liquid samples. However, current liquid actuation mechanisms often restrict operable liquid types or compromise the activity of biochemical samples by introducing interfering mediums. Here, we propose a robotic liquid handling system enabled by a novel droplet actuation mechanism, termed electret-induced polarization on droplet (EPD).

Solid-State Surface-Anchoring Strategy to Prepare Anti-Sintering Supported Metal Cluster Catalysts.

Due to the unique geometric and electronic structures, supported metal clusters with sizes below 3 nm have appealed to great interest in heterogeneous catalysis. However, these supported ultrasmall metal clusters would endure severe particle coalescences under high reaction temperatures. Herein, based on the technology of ball-milling processing, we propose a solid-state "surface-anchoring" strategy to synthesize thermally stabilized AlO-supported Ni nanoclusters.

Identification of an SCF Ubiquitin Ligase Complex that Contributes to Resistance Against Valsa Canker in Apple.

E3 ubiquitin ligases play a critical role in plant disease resistance. Among them, the Skp1-Cullin-F-box protein (SCF) ubiquitin ligase complex is the largest family and regulates the ubiquitination of a wide range of proteins. Apple Valsa canker (AVC) is a fungal disease of apple trees caused by the fungus , which can lead to significant economic losses.

Vascular network-inspired fluidic system (VasFluidics) with spatially functionalizable membranous walls.

In vascular networks, the transport across different vessel walls regulates chemical compositions in blood over space and time. Replicating such trans-wall transport with spatial heterogeneity can empower synthetic fluidic systems to program fluid compositions spatiotemporally. However, it remains challenging as existing synthetic channel walls are typically impermeable or composed of homogeneous materials without functional heterogeneity.

MdVQ12 confers resistance to Valsa mali by regulating MdHDA19 expression in apple.

Valine-glutamine (VQ) motif-containing proteins play a crucial role in plant biotic stress responses. Apple Valsa canker, caused by the ascomycete Valsa mali, stands as one of the most severe diseases affecting apple trees. Nonetheless, the underlying resistance mechanism of VQ proteins against this disease has remained largely unexplored.

Mindful parenting and child behaviour problems: A chain mediating role of parental and child communicating performance.

Objective: This study investigates the impact of mindful parenting on child behaviour problems and examines the chain mediating role of parental and child communicating performance in this relationship.

Methods: A 10-month follow-up survey was conducted, utilizing the Interpersonal Mindfulness in Parenting Scale (IM-P), the Parent-Child Communication Inventory, and the abbreviated version of the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL).

Results: At baseline (T1), higher levels of mindful parenting in parents were significantly and positively associated with both T1 parental communicating performance and child communicating performance.

T-2 toxin-induced chondrocyte apoptosis contributes to growth plate damage through Smad2 and Smad3 signaling.

The growth plate cartilage is one of the most common areas that Kashin-Beck Disease attacks. However, the exact mechanism of growth plate damage remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that Smad2 and Smad3 were closely associated with the differentiation of chondrocytes.

FOXO3 regulates Smad3 and Smad7 through SPON1 circular RNA to inhibit idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Forkhead box protein O3 (FOXO3) has good inhibition ability toward fibroblast activation and extracellular matrix, especially for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. How FOXO3 regulates pulmonary fibrosis remains unclear. In this study, we reported that FOXO3 had binding sequences with F-spondin 1 (SPON1) promoter, which can activate its transcription and selectively promote the expression of SPON1 circRNA (circSPON1) but not mRNA expression.

PPARγ Acetylation in Adipocytes Exacerbates BAT Whitening and Worsens Age-Associated Metabolic Dysfunction.

Aging and obesity are the two prominent driving forces of metabolic dysfunction, yet the common underlying mechanisms remain elusive. PPARγ, a central metabolic regulator and primary drug target combatting insulin resistance, is hyperacetylated in both aging and obesity. By employing a unique adipocyte-specific PPARγ acetylation-mimetic mutant knock-in mouse model, namely aKQ, we demonstrate that these mice develop worsened obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and glucose intolerance as they age, and these metabolic deregulations are resistant to intervention by intermittent fasting.

Axitinib attenuates the progression of liver fibrosis by restoring mitochondrial function.

Liver fibrosis can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which may eventually lead to liver failure and even death. No direct anti-fibrosis drugs are available at present. Axitinib is a new generation of potent multitarget tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitors, but its role in liver fibrosis remains unclear.

Enhancing doctor-patient relationships in community health care institutions: the Patient Oriented Four Habits Model (POFHM) trial-a stepped wedge cluster randomized trial protocol.

Background: The poor relationship between doctors and patients is a long-standing, global problem. However, current interventions tend to focus on the training of physicians, while patient-targeted interventions still need to be improved. Considering that patients play a significant role in outpatient consultations, we developed a protocol to assess the effectiveness of the Patient Oriented Four Habits Model (POFHM) in improving doctor-patient relationships.

Improving eye care quality through brief verbal intervention on optometry service provider by using unannounced standardized patient with refractive error: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Improper refractive correction can be harmful to eye health, aggravating the burden of vision impairment. During most optometry clinical consultations, practitioner-patient interactions play a key role. Maybe it is feasible for patients themselves to do something to get high-quality optometry.

Heterogeneous Self-Assembly of a Single Type of Nanoparticle Modulated by Skin Formation.

Self-assembly of colloidal nanoparticles has generated tremendous interest due to its widespread applications in structural colorations, sensors, and optoelectronics. Despite numerous strategies being developed to fabricate sophisticated structures, the heterogeneous self-assembly of a single type of nanoparticle in one step remains challenging. Here, facilitated by spatial confinement induced by a skin layer in a drying droplet, we achieve the heterogeneous self-assembly of a single type of nanoparticle by quickly evaporating a colloid-poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) droplet.

A composition-tunable cold atmospheric plasma chip for multiplex-treatment of cells.

Cold atmospheric plasma treatment promises a targeted cancer therapy due to its selectivity and specificity in killing tumor cells. However, the current plasma exposure devices produce diverse and coupled reactive species, impeding the investigation of the underlying plasma-anticancer mechanisms. Also, the limited mono-sample and mono-dosage treatment modality result in tedious and manual experimental tasks.

PPARγ Acetylation Orchestrates Adipose Plasticity and Metabolic Rhythms.

Systemic glucose metabolism and insulin activity oscillate in response to diurnal rhythms and nutrient availability with the necessary involvement of adipose tissue to maintain metabolic homeostasis. However, the adipose-intrinsic regulatory mechanism remains elusive. Here, the dynamics of PPARγ acetylation in adipose tissue are shown to orchestrate metabolic oscillation in daily rhythms.

Fusarium graminearum GGA protein is critical for fungal development, virulence and ascospore discharge through its involvement in vesicular trafficking.

Vesicular trafficking is a conserved material transport process in eukaryotic cells. The GGA family proteins are clathrin adaptors that are involved in eukaryotic vesicle transport, but their functions in phytopathogenic filamentous fungi remain unexplored. Here, we examined the only GGA family protein in Fusarium graminearum, FgGga1, which localizes to both the late Golgi and endosomes.

The brain network underlying attentional blink predicts symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic neuropsychiatric disease that can markedly impair educational, social, and occupational function throughout life. Behavioral deficits may provide clues to the underlying neurological impairments. Children with ADHD exhibit a larger attentional blink (AB) deficit in rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) tasks than typically developing children, so we examined whether brain connectivity in the neural network associated with AB can predict ADHD symptoms and thus serve as potential biomarkers of the underlying neuropathology.

Quantum spin Hall effect in tilted penta silicene and its isoelectronic substitutions.

Silicene, a competitive two-dimensional (2D) material for future electronic devices, has attracted intensive attention in condensed matter physics. Utilizing an adaptive genetic algorithm (AGA), we identify a topological allotrope of silicene, named tilted penta () silicene. Based on first-principles calculations, the geometric and electronic properties of silicene and its isoelectronic substitutions (Ge, Sn) are investigated.

Protective effect of Idelalisib on carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis via microRNA-124-3P/phosphatidylinositol-3-hydroxykinase signalling pathway.

Liver fibrosis is the repair process of abnormal connective tissue hyperplasia after liver damage caused by different causes. Inhibition of PI3K/Akt signalling pathway can reduce the deposition of extracellular matrix, inhibit the proliferation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), and promote its apoptosis to achieve the purpose of therapy. This study aimed to investigate the effect of Idelalisib (PI3K inhibitor) on carbon tetrachloride (CCl )-induced liver fibrosis in mice.

Inhibitory effect of Idelalisib on selenite-induced cataract in Sprague Dawley rat pups.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effect of Idelalisib, Apelisib and Copanlisib on 8-day-old cataract SD rat pups.

Materials And Methods: The rat model induced by sodium selenate (NaSeO) was used in this study. Experimental animals were randomly divided into five groups with eight animals in each group.

Diosmetin has therapeutic efficacy in colitis regulating gut microbiota, inflammation, and oxidative stress via the circ-Sirt1/Sirt1 axis.

Diosmetin (3',5,7 -trihydroxy-4'-methoxy flavone) is a natural flavonoid compound in the citrus species, it exhibits a variety of pharmacological activities, but little is known of its effects on colitis. In this study we evaluated the therapeutic effects of diosmetin on mouse models of chronic and acute colitis. Chronic colitis was induced in mice by drinking water containing 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) from D0 to D8, followed by administration of diosmetin (25, 50 mg · kg · d) for another 8 days.

A collection of toolkit strains reveals distinct localization and dynamics of membrane-associated transcripts in epithelia.

Visualizing mRNA in real time in vivo at high resolution is critical for a full understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics of gene regulation and function. Here, using a PP7/PCP-based mRNA-tagging approach, we construct a collection of tissue-specific and differentially expressed toolkit strains for visualizing mRNAs encoding apical, basolateral, and junctional proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans epithelia. We precisely delineate the spatiotemporal organization and dynamics of these transcripts across multiple subcellular compartments and tissues.

Protective Effect of Arbidol Against Pulmonary Fibrosis and Sepsis in Mice.

From the perspective of epidemiology, viral immunology and current clinical research, pulmonary fibrosis may become one of the complications of patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Cytokine storm is a major cause of new coronavirus death. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of antiviral drug arbidol on cytokine storm and pulmonary fibrosis.

[A comparative study of silicon rubber impression and intraoral scanning impression in oral clinical teaching].

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess and compare patient satisfaction and time required between silicon rubber impression and intraoral scanning impression.

Methods: Six undergraduates participated in this study. silicon rubber impression and intraoral scanning impression were taken, the time required to obtain the impressions and the scores of visual analog scale(VAS) were recorded.