BACE1 and Other Alzheimer's-Related Biomarkers in Cerebrospinal Fluid and Plasma Distinguish Alzheimer's Disease Patients from Cognitively-Impaired Neurosyphilis Patients.

Background: Patients with spirochetal infection, which causes neurosyphilis (NS) and at a later stage general paresis of the insane (GPI), present with brain pathology features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the relationships among these illnesses regarding biomarker levels are still unclear.

Objective: To explore biomarker levels in NS and GPI compared with those in AD and the relationship between biomarker levels and cognitive function in NS and GPI.

The rational discovery of multipurpose inhibitors of the ornithine decarboxylase.

Metabolic reprograming is a hallmark of cancer, and the polyamine metabolic network is dysregulated in many cancers. Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is a rate-limiting enzyme for polyamine synthesis in the polyamine metabolic network. In many cancer cells, ODC is over-expressed, so this enzyme has been an attracting anti-cancer drug target.

A highly efficient strategy for enhancing the adsorptive and magnetic capabilities of biochar using Fenton oxidation.

Fenton modification, involving iron-promoted pyrolysis followed by HO oxidation, was first employed to improve the adsorptive and magnetic capabilities of biochar. Modified biochars were prepared from rubber tree bark and coconut shell through iron-promoted pyrolysis and subsequent HO oxidation, and their adsorption behaviors toward Cr (VI) and MB were evaluated in aqueous solution. The modified biochars pyrolyzed at 300 and 400 ˚C displayed much higher adsorption capabilities than corresponding pristine biochars for Cr (VI) and MB, respectively, ascribing to introduction of COOH, CO and C-O groups by Fenton oxidation.

Vein Distribution on the Deformation Behavior and Fracture Mechanisms of Typical Plant Leaves by Quasi In Situ Tensile Test under a Digital Microscope.

Angiosperm leaf venation is based on two major patterns, typically dicotyledonous branching and monocotyledonous parallel veins. The influence of these patterns on deformation and fracture properties is poorly understood. In this paper, three species of dicotyledons with netted venation and three species of monocots with parallel venation were selected, and the effect of vein distribution of leaves on their mechanical properties and deformation behavior was investigated.

Macular vessel density in diabetes and diabetic retinopathy with swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography.

Purpose: Previous studies on the association between macular vessel density (VD) and diabetic retinopathy had conflicting conclusions. This study assessed the alterations of macular VD, as well as other factors, in diabetic patients using swept-source optical coherence tomography angiography (SS-OCTA) in a large-scale sample from Chinese communities.

Methods: Patients with type 2 diabetes without history of ocular treatment were recruited from 2017 to 2018.

Layer-by-layer deposition of bioactive layers on magnesium alloy stent materials to improve corrosion resistance and biocompatibility.

Magnesium alloy is considered as one of the ideal cardiovascular stent materials owing to its good mechanical properties and biodegradability. However, the rapid degradation rate and the insufficient biocompatibility restrict its clinical applications. In this study, the magnesium alloy (AZ31B) was modified by combining the surface chemical treatment and in-situ self-assembly of 16-phosphonyl-hexadecanoic acid, followed by the immobilization of chitosan-functionalized graphene oxide (GOCS).

CD4 T helper 17 cell response of aged mice promotes prostate cancer cell migration and invasion.

Background: Aging is the most important risk factor for prostate cancer (PCa), but how age contributes to PCa is poorly understood. Aging is characterized by low-grade systemic inflammation (i.e.

Choroidal Thickness in Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy: A Swept Source OCT Study.

Purpose: Previous studies on the association between choroidal thickness (CT) and severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) gave conflicting results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the CT changes in diabetic patients and associated factors in a large sample of Chinese patients with diabetes.

Methods: Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients without history of ocular treatment were recruited from the community health system in Guangzhou, China.

Mutational landscape and genetic signatures of cell-free DNA in tumour-induced osteomalacia.

Tumour-induced osteomalacia (TIO) is a very rare paraneoplastic syndrome with bone pain, fractures and muscle weakness, which is mostly caused by phosphaturic mesenchymal tumours (PMTs). Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has been regarded as a non-invasive liquid biopsy for many malignant tumours. However, it has not been studied in benign tumours, which prompted us to adopt the targeted next-generation sequencing approach to compare cfDNAs of 4 TIO patients, four patients with bone metastasis (BM) and 10 healthy controls.

Correlation between Renal Function and Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness in Treatment-Naïve Diabetic Eyes Using Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography.

: To investigate the associations of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) with peripapillary choroidal thickness (pCT) and retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) thickness in diabetic patients by using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). : Ocular treatment-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus registered in the community health system in Guangzhou, China, were recruited to participate in this prospective cross-sectional study. The eGFR was determined using the Xiangya formula, and the renal function was categorized into non-chronic kidney disease (non-CKD), mild CKD, and moderate to severe CKD (MS-CKD) according to the guidelines.

Cinnamaldehyde Ameliorates Vascular Dysfunction in Diabetic Mice by Activating Nrf2.

Background: Oxidative stress is known to be associated with the development of diabetes. Cinnamaldehyde (CA) is a spice compound in cinnamon that enhances the antioxidant defense against reactive oxygen species (ROS) by activating nuclear factor erythroid-related factor 2 (Nrf2), which has been shown to have a cardioprotection effect. However, the relationship between CA and Nrf2 in diabetic vascular complications remains unclear.

Potential covalent drugs targeting the main protease of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Motivation: Since December 2019, the newly identified coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has caused a massive health crisis worldwide and resulted in over 70 000 COVID-19 infections so far. Clinical drugs targeting SARS-CoV-2 are urgently needed to decrease the high fatality rate of confirmed COVID-19 patients. Traditional de novo drug discovery needs more than 10 years, so drug repurposing seems the best option currently to find potential drugs for treating COVID-19.

Repurposing Clinical Drugs as AdoMetDC Inhibitors Using the SCAR Strategy.

With the escalating costs in drug development, discovering new uses of approved drugs, i.e., drug repurposing, has attracted increasing interest.

Molecular Antenna-Sensitized Upconversion Nanoparticle for Temperature Monitored Precision Photothermal Therapy.

Background: Photothermal therapy with accurate and real-time temperature detection is desired in clinic. Upconversion nanocrystals (UCNs) are candidate materials for simultaneous temperature detection and photothermal agents carrying. However, the weak luminescence and multiple laser excitations of UCNs limit their application in thermal therapy.

A path recorder algorithm for Multiple Longest Common Subsequences (MLCS) problems.

Motivation: Searching the Longest Common Subsequences of many sequences is called a Multiple Longest Common Subsequence (MLCS) problem which is a very fundamental and challenging problem in many fields of data mining. The existing algorithms cannot be applicable to problems with long and large-scale sequences due to their huge time and space consumption. To efficiently handle large-scale MLCS problems, a Path Recorder Directed Acyclic Graph (PRDAG) model and a novel Path Recorder Algorithm (PRA) are proposed.

An organometallic chemistry-assisted strategy for modification of zinc oxide nanoparticles by tin oxide nanoparticles: Formation of n-n heterojunction and boosting NO sensing properties.

Here, we report an organometallic chemistry-assisted method for modification of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles by tin oxide (SnO) nanoparticles, providing a novel and efficient approach for preparation of metal oxides-based heterojunction. The SnO/ZnO heterojunctions were prepared by modification of ZnO nanoparticles with (CH)SnCl through organometallic chemistry reaction firstly, and subsequently thermal treatment in air atmosphere. The combined characterizations indicate the successful formation of ZnO/SnO heterojunctions with controllable surface oxygen vacancy concentrations by optimizing organometallic chemistry reactions.

Locating induced earthquakes with a network of seismic stations in Oklahoma via a deep learning method.

The accurate and automated determination of small earthquake (M < 3.0) locations is still a challenging endeavor due to low signal-to-noise ratio in data. However, such information is critical for monitoring seismic activity and assessing potential hazards.

Capacitive humidity sensors based on mesoporous silica and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) composites.

Owing to the outstanding dielectric properties derived from the conjugated π-electron systems, conjugated polymers have been explored and developed in capacitive humidity sensors for a few decades. In this work, a series of composites - mesoporous silica and semiconducting polymers - MCM-41 (MCM, Mesoporous Crystalline Material)/PEDOT (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)) were chemically obtained by in-situ polymerization at 0 °C, while the amounts of PEDOT were adjusted by different evaporation times of EDOT (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) in the porous MCM-41 film. Additionally, it was able to modulate both the dielectricity and porosity of the composites via this convenient approach.

The recovery of KaiA's activity depends on its N-terminal domain and KaiB in the cyanobacterial circadian clock.

Circadian rhythms are the endogenous oscillation of biological reactions and behaviors in most organisms on Earth. Circadian clocks are the pacemakers regulating circadian rhythms, and the transcription-translation dependent feedback loop (TTFL) model was supposed to be the sole model of circadian clocks. However, recent years have witnessed rapid progresses in the study of non-TTFL circadian clocks.

Hydroxysafflor Yellow A Inhibits TNF--Induced Inflammation of Human Fetal Lung Fibroblasts via NF-B Signaling Pathway.

Objective: Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), an effective ingredient of the Chinese herb L, attenuated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. This study is to investigate the effect of HSYA on the proliferation and inflammatory level of human fetal lung fibroblasts (MRC-5 cells) induced by tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: MRC-5 cells were treated with different concentrations of TNF-, HSYA, or/and etanercept (ENCP, TNF- receptor (TNFR1) antagonist, 500 ng/mL) before cell proliferation was detected.

Highly Sensitive and Selective Dopamine Detection Utilizing Nitrogen-Doped Mesoporous Carbon Prepared by a Molten Glucose-Assisted Hard-Template Approach.

Nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbons (N-MCs) are promising materials for electrochemical sensors or biosensors. However, facile and effective methods for the preparation of N-MCs for electrochemical detection of dopamine (DA) are required. A molten-glucose-assisted hard-template approach has been developed to synthesize N-MC materials by in situ introduction of nitrogen precursors, including ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA), dicyandiamide, and melamine.

Whole-Genome Methylation Analysis of Phenotype Discordant Monozygotic Twins Reveals Novel Epigenetic Perturbation Contributing to the Pathogenesis of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a complex disease affecting a large number of teenagers, especially in female. This study reveals novel epigenetic perturbation to the pathogenesis of AIS. A female monozygotic (MZ) twin pair discordant for AIS were examined for whole-exome sequencing and epigenome difference.

A novel magnetic biochar prepared by KFeO-promoted oxidative pyrolysis of pomelo peel for adsorption of hexavalent chromium.

Magnetic biochar was usually prepared using ferrous and ferric compounds as precursor of magnetic medium. Ferrate, which could be an internal oxidative modifier, was less explored for preparing magnetic biochar. Here, a magnetic biochar was prepared through KFeO-promoted pyrolysis of pomelo peel for adsorption of hexavalent chromium.

Roles of arterial pressure volume index and arterial velocity pulse index trajectories in risk prediction in hypertensive patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

: Arterial pressure volume index (API) and arterial velocity pulse index (AVI) contribute to the development of vascular damage and cardiovascular disease. However, the relationship between common API/AVI trajectories and cardiovascular outcomes in hypertensive patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is unknown.: A total of 488 consecutive hypertensive patients with HFpEF who repeatedly underwent API/AVI measurements were prospectively examined.