Pre-diabetes virtual health management community (VHMC) intervention and group interaction management model in China: a randomised clinical trial protocol.

Introduction: Individuals with pre-diabetes are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), which makes them prone to serious complications such as stroke, kidney failure, blindness and lower-limb amputation. Pre-diabetes can be reversed, and lifestyle modification is considered the best intervention method for diabetes prevention. However, it is difficult for individuals with pre-diabetes to maintain a long-term modified healthy lifestyle owing to psychological burnout in daily management over time due to poor adherence.

Solution-plasma interaction for synthesizing highly active Pt-Ni alloy oxygen reduction nanocatalysts for PEMFCs.

A highly active PtNi-alloy catalyst (-PtNi/KB) is synthesized using solution-plasma interaction. The plasma effect results in a substantial increase of active sites on the support surface. This facilitates the alloying and functionalization of supports, enabling achievement of enhanced catalytic activity and effective resolution of cost-related challenges in fuel cells.

Lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase is a potential tumor suppressor and predictive marker for hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer mortality worldwide, and metastasis is the main cause of early recurrence and poor prognosis. However, the mechanism of metastasis remains poorly understood.

Aim: To determine the possible mechanism affecting HCC metastasis and provide a possible theoretical basis for HCC treatment.

Evaluation of ultrasound-assisted tomato sour soup marination on beef: Insights into physicochemical, sensory, microstructural, and flavour characteristics.

This study evaluated the quality attributes of tomato sour soup marinade and investigated the effects of ultrasound-assisted marination on the physicochemical properties, microstructure, texture, sensory quality, and flavour profile of beef. The results showed that tomato sour soup significantly increased the marinade absorption rate and improved beef tenderloin's physicochemical properties, texture, and flavour attributes compared to static brine (P < 0.05), with organic acids playing an essential role in the marinade tenderisation process.

An optimization algorithm for maximum quasi-clique problem based on information feedback model.

The maximum clique problem in graph theory is a well-known challenge that involves identifying the complete subgraph with the highest number of nodes in a given graph, which is a problem that is hard for nondeterministic polynomial time (NP-hard problem). While finding the exact application of the maximum clique problem in the real world is difficult, the relaxed clique model quasi-clique has emerged and is widely applied in fields such as bioinformatics and social network analysis. This study focuses on the maximum quasi-clique problem and introduces two algorithms, NF1 and NR1.

Mild-moderate alcohol consumption and diabetes are associated with liver fibrosis in patients with biopsy-proven MASLD.

Background: It is unclear whether patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) are allowed variable low levels of alcohol. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of mild-moderate alcohol consumption on the biochemical and histological characteristics of patients with MASLD.

Methods: Alcohol consumption was assessed in 713 patients with steatotic liver disease (SLD) who underwent liver biopsy.

Comprehensive pan-cancer investigation of carnosine dipeptidase 1 and its prospective prognostic significance in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Carnosine dipeptidase 1 (CNDP1), an enzyme integral to the hydrolysis of dipeptides containing histidine, plays an indispensable role in myriad physiological processes, including hydrolysis of proteins, maturation of specific biochemical functionalities within proteins, tissue regeneration, and regulation of cell cycle. However, the implications of CNDP1 in oncogenesis and its prognostic value are not yet fully elucidated. Initially, we procured the GSE40367 dataset from the Gene Expression Omnibus and established a protein-protein interaction network.

Nomogram for preoperative estimation of microvascular invasion risk in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Microvascular invasion (MVI) is an adverse prognostic indicator of tumor recurrence after surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Therefore, developing a nomogram for estimating the presence of MVI before liver resection is necessary. We retrospectively included 260 patients with pathologically confirmed HCC at the Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital between January 2021 and April 2024.

Nitrogen-doped carbon-coated Cu activates molecular oxygen for norfloxacin degradation over a wide pH range.

The Fenton-like activated molecular oxygen technology demonstrates significant potential in the treatment of refractory organic pollutants in wastewater, offering promising development prospects. We prepared a N-doped C-coated copper-based catalyst Cu/NC3-600 through the pyrolysis of Mel-modified Cu-based metal-organic framework (MOF). The results indicate that the degradation of 20 mg/L norfloxacin (NOR) was achieved using 1.

An optimized short-term steroid therapy for chronic drug-induced liver injury: A prospective randomized clinical trial.

Background And Aims: The use of corticosteroids in chronic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is an important issue. Our previous randomized controlled trial showed that patients with chronic DILI benefited from a 48-week steroid stepwise reduction (SSR) regimen. However, it remains unclear whether a shorter course of therapy can achieve similar efficacy.

Dynamics of cavitation bubbles in viscous liquids in a tube during a transient process.

We experimentally, numerically, and theoretically investigate the dynamics of cavitation bubbles in viscous liquids in a tube during a transient process. In experiments, cavitation bubbles are generated by a modified tube-arrest setup, and the bubble evolution is captured with high-speed imaging. Numerical simulations using OpenFOAM are employed to validate our quasi-one-dimensional theoretical model, which effectively characterizes the bubble dynamics.

Increased antibody titers but induced T cell AICD and apoptosis response in COVID-19 convalescents by inactivated vaccine booster.

It is urgently needed to evaluate the necessity and benefits of booster vaccination against the coronavirus 2 of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron to facilitate clinical decision-making for 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) convalescents. We conducted a multicenter, prospective clinical trial (registration number: ChiCTR2100045810) in the first patients with COVID-19 from 28 January 2020 to 20 February 2020 to assess the long-term durability of neutralizing antibodies against live Omicron BA.5 and further assess the efficiency and safety of CoronaVac in the convalescent group.

Selective α-oxidation of amides visible-light-driven iron catalysis.

Hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) as one of the highly reactive species can react unselectively with a wide range of chemicals. The ˙OH radicals are typically generated under harsh conditions. Herein, we report hydroxyl radical-induced selective -α C(sp)-H bond oxidation of amides under greener and mild conditions an Fe(NO)·9HO catalyst inner sphere pathway upon irradiation with a 30 W blue LED light strip ( = 455 nm) using NaBrO as the oxidant.

Clinicopathological characteristics of 3 probable pediatric cases with acute severe hepatitis of unknown aetiology.

Background: Acute severe hepatitis with unknown aetiology in children (ASHep-UA) has become a global health alert. This article reported clinicopathological characteristics of 3 probable ASHep-UA cases.

Methods: We respectively collected serological data and liver biopsies of 3 suspected cases of ASHep-UA.

Vasomotion heterogeneity and spectral characteristics in diabetic and hypertensive patients.

Vasomotion refers to the spontaneous oscillation of blood vessels within a frequency range of 0.01 to 1.6 Hz.

Multi-objective optimization of cortical bone grinding parameters based on particle swarm optimization.

Grinding is a fundamental operation in craniotomy. Suitable grinding parameters will not only reduce force damage, but also ensure grinding efficiency. In this study, the regression equations of material removal rate and grinding force were obtained based on the theory of cortical bone grinding and full factorial test results, a multi-objective optimization based on the particle swarm algorithm was proposed for optimizing the grinding parameters: spindle speed, feed speed, and grinding depth in the grinding process.

Nanodiscoidal Nucleic Acids for Gene Regulation.

Therapeutic nucleic acids represent a powerful class of drug molecules to control gene expression and protein synthesis. A major challenge in this field is that soluble oligonucleotides have limited serum stability, and the majority of nucleic acids that enter the cells are trapped within endosomes. Delivery efficiency can be improved using lipid scaffolds.

Transcription factor ETV4 promotes the development of hepatocellular carcinoma by driving hepatic TNF-α signaling.

Background: Hepatic inflammation is the major risk factor of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the underlying mechanism by which hepatic inflammation progresses to HCC is poorly understood. This study was designed to investigate the role of ETS translocation variant 4 (ETV4) in linking hepatic inflammation to HCC.

Habitual physical activity improves outcomes among patients with myocardial infarction.

Purpose: This study evaluates the association between habitual physical activity (HPA) and the outcomes of patients with myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods: Patients newly diagnosed with MI were divided into two groups based on whether they engaged in HPA, defined as an aerobic activity with a duration of no less than 150 min/week, before the index admission. The primary outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), cardiovascular (CV) mortality, and cardiac readmission rate 1 year following the index date of admission.

The Relationship of Arsenic Exposure with Hypertension and Wide Pulse Pressure: Preliminary Evidence from Coal-Burning Arsenicosis Population in Southwest China.

Evidence from epidemiological studies suggests that chronic arsenic exposure may be associated with a higher incidence of hypertension in the population. However, the effect of arsenic exposure on blood pressure remains unexplored in different populations, regions, and regarding arsenic biomarkers. This study investigated 233 arsenicosis patients and 84 participants from a non-arsenic-exposed area to explore the relationship between arsenic exposure and blood pressure and the occurrence of hypertension and wide pulse pressure (WPP) in patients with coal-burning arsenicosis.

An attempt to confirm the contribution to ORR activity of different N-species in M-NC (M = Fe, Co, Ni) catalysts with XPS analysis.

M-NC catalysts were prepared by a combination of the electrospinning method and thermal treatment. For the first time, the contribution of N-species to the ORR (oxygen reduction reaction) of the M-NC was analysed using XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). The obtained relations were verified by VASP (Vienna Ab-initio Simulation Package).