Crosstalk patterns of necroptosis signaling and NLRP3 inflammasome in the colonic epithelium and its initial role in colitis.

Inflammation-mediated epithelial damage, including necroptosis of the intestinal epithelia, can lead to subsequent immune responses, but the molecular mechanisms of inflammation in the initial stages are not well understood. Based on cellular experiments and mouse models, we investigated the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome under necroptotic conditions, and its contribution to the inflammatory response in colitis. Our results showed that, under inflammatory conditions, intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) undergo phosphor-MLKL-dependent necroptosis with subsequent activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome for caspase-1 activation and IL-1β maturation.

Task-Oriented Tool Manipulation With Robotic Dexterous Hands: A Knowledge Graph Approach From Fingers to Functionality.

A primary challenge in robotic tool use is achieving precise manipulation with dexterous robotic hands to mimic human actions. It requires understanding human tool use and allocating specific functions to each robotic finger for fine control. Existing work has primarily focused on the overall grasping capabilities of robotic hands, often neglecting the functional allocation among individual fingers during object interaction.

New insights into rice starch-gallic acid-whey protein isolate interactions: Effects of multiscale structural evolution and enzyme activity on starch digestibility.

In starch-based food where proteins and polyphenols coexist, the impact of protein on the inhibition of starch digestion by polyphenols is unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of whey protein isolate (WPI) on the inhibition of rice starch digestion by gallic acid (GA) from the aspects of multiscale structure and enzyme activity. Rice starch-gallic acid-whey protein isolate complex (RS-GA-WPI) was formed predominantly by hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions.

Joint regression analysis of clustered current status data with latent variables.

Clustered current status data frequently occur in many fields of survival studies. Some potential factors related to the hazards of interest cannot be directly observed but are characterized through multiple correlated observable surrogates. In this article, we propose a joint modeling method for regression analysis of clustered current status data with latent variables and potentially informative cluster sizes.

Dietary patterns suggest that dark chocolate intake may have an inhibitory effect on oral cancer: a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Previous studies reported that variations in dietary intake patterns substantially impact human health, specifically tumorigenesis. However, confounding factors in previous cohort studies have obscured the relationship between dietary differences and the risk of oral cancer (OC).

Materials And Methods: We developed an outcome dataset from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data on three OCs within the GAME-ON project, using GWAS-META merging.

Comprehensive Analysis for Predicting Prognoses and Immune Responses of m6A-Related lncRNAs in Women with Lung Adenocarcinoma.

During the past decade, the average 5-year survival rate of patients with Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has remained < 20%, although the targeted therapies and novel immunotherapy approaches have held promise. Epigenetic modifications could provide prognostic value as molecular biomarkers, and we aimed to identify the independent risk of m6A-related lncRNAs to establish a risk model for the clinical prediction of prognoses in women with LUAD. In this study, we first assessed 31 N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-related lncRNAs associated with overall survival.

Transdermal Sustained Release Properties and Anti-Photoaging Efficacy of Liposome-Thermosensitive Hydrogel System.

Drug delivery systems have become a research priority in the biomedical field. The incorporation of liposomes to hydrogels further forms more robust multifunctional systems for more effective and sustained topical drug delivery. In this study, carboxymethyl-modified chitosan/hyaluronic acid (CMC/HA, CMH) thermosensitive hydrogel is developed for sustained transdermal delivery of liposomes.

Combined genome-wide association study of 136 quantitative ear morphology traits in multiple populations reveal 8 novel loci.

Human ear morphology, a complex anatomical structure represented by a multidimensional set of correlated and heritable phenotypes, has a poorly understood genetic architecture. In this study, we quantitatively assessed 136 ear morphology traits using deep learning analysis of digital face images in 14,921 individuals from five different cohorts in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Through GWAS meta-analysis and C-GWASs, a recently introduced method to effectively combine GWASs of many traits, we identified 16 genetic loci involved in various ear phenotypes, eight of which have not been previously associated with human ear features.

Association of underweight and obesity with adverse postoperative renal outcomes in infants and young children undergoing congenital heart surgery.

Postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) is a prevalent condition and associated with increased morbidity and mortality following cardiac surgery. This study aimed to investigate the association of underweight and obesity with adverse postoperative renal outcomes in infants and young children undergoing congenital heart surgery. This retrospective cohort study included patients aged from 1 month to 5 years who underwent congenital heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2016 to March 2022.

Automatic landmarking identifies new loci associated with face morphology and implicates Neanderthal introgression in human nasal shape.

We report a genome-wide association study of facial features in >6000 Latin Americans based on automatic landmarking of 2D portraits and testing for association with inter-landmark distances. We detected significant associations (P-value <5 × 10) at 42 genome regions, nine of which have been previously reported. In follow-up analyses, 26 of the 33 novel regions replicate in East Asians, Europeans, or Africans, and one mouse homologous region influences craniofacial morphology in mice.

Fabrication of high strength cold-set sodium alginate/whey protein nanofiber double network hydrogels and their interaction with curcumin.

Enhancing the bio-based hydrogels strength is fundamental to extend their engineering applications. In this study, high strength cold-set sodium alginate/whey protein nanofiber (SA/WPN) double network hydrogels were prepared and their interaction with curcumin (Cur) was studied. Our results indicated that the rheological and textural properties of SA/WPN double network hydrogels were enhanced with increasing WPN by forming SA-COO-Ca-OOC-WPN bridge through electrostatic interactions.

Scalp hair loss is not random across follicular units: A new insight into human hair ageing.

Objectives: Scalp hair has the greatest number of hairs (typically 1-5) per follicular unit but is also the most susceptible body site to hair loss with age. Hence, we set-out to determine the degree to which scalp hair parameters change with age in women and men, any sex differences thereof and whether hair loss is random across follicular units.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of 200 Chinese men and 200 Chinese women (30-69 years).

Successful biventricular repair in a 14-year-old patient of asplenia with congenital heart disease syndrome.

Heterotaxy syndrome is a rare disease, and asplenia with congenital heart disease syndrome, also known as Ivemark syndrome, is a special form of heterotaxy syndrome. These patients usually have severe cardiovascular malformations and a poor prognosis. Their surgical outcomes are rarely satisfactory.

Decellularized bovine jugular vein and hand-sewn ePTFE valved conduit for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction in children undergoing Ross procedure.

Background: The Ross procedure is recommended as an optimal aortic valve replacement (AVR) in children and young adults due to several advantages. Nevertheless, multiple reconstructions of the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) with new valve conduits have caused some concern regarding the durability of the Ross AVR. Decellularized bovine jugular vein conduit (BJVC) (DP-BJVC) and hand-sewn expanded polytetrafluoroethylene valved conduits (ePTFE VC) are widely employed to reconstruct the RVOT with satisfactory long-term outcomes.

Single-cell transcriptomics reveals lineage trajectory of human scalp hair follicle and informs mechanisms of hair graying.

Hair conditions, such as hair loss and graying, are prevalent human conditions. But they are often poorly controlled due to our insufficient understanding of human scalp hair follicle (hsHF) in health and disease. Here we describe a comprehensive single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) analysis on highly purified black and early-stage graying hsHFs.

Genetic variants underlying differences in facial morphology in East Asian and European populations.

Facial morphology-a conspicuous feature of human appearance-is highly heritable. Previous studies on the genetic basis of facial morphology were performed mainly in European-ancestry cohorts (EUR). Applying a data-driven phenotyping and multivariate genome-wide scanning protocol to a large collection of three-dimensional facial images of individuals with East Asian ancestry (EAS), we identified 244 variants in 166 loci (62 new) associated with typical-range facial variation.

Limb development genes underlie variation in human fingerprint patterns.

Fingerprints are of long-standing practical and cultural interest, but little is known about the mechanisms that underlie their variation. Using genome-wide scans in Han Chinese cohorts, we identified 18 loci associated with fingerprint type across the digits, including a genetic basis for the long-recognized "pattern-block" correlations among the middle three digits. In particular, we identified a variant near EVI1 that alters regulatory activity and established a role for EVI1 in dermatoglyph patterning in mice.

A genome-wide association study of facial morphology identifies novel genetic loci in Han Chinese.

The human face is a heritable surface with many complex sensory organs. In recent years, many genetic loci associated with facial features have been reported in different populations, yet there is a lack of studies on the Han Chinese population. Here, we report a genome-wide association study of 3D normal human faces of 2,659 Han Chinese with autosegment phenotypes of facial morphology.

Gender Difference is Associated with Short-Term Outcomes in Non-Surgically Managed Acute Aortic Dissection Patients with Hypertension: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: The management of acute aortic dissection (AAD) has improved; however, the outcomes related to different gender with short-term outcomes in non-surgically managed AAD with hypertension are still limited. Our objective was to explore gender-differences in association with short-term outcomes of patients comorbid with hypertension in non-surgically managed AAD.

Methods: This is an observational retrospective single-center cohort.

Olive oil effectively mitigates ovariectomy-induced marrow adiposity assessed by MR spectroscopy in estrogen-deficient rabbits.

Background: Polyphenols in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) have been found to reduce the expression of PPARγ2, inhibit adipocyte differentiation, and enhance the formation of osteoblasts from bone marrow stem cells. However, the underlying mechanisms of their action remain unknown.

Purpose: To determine the sequential effects of EVOO on marrow fat expansion induced by estrogen deprivation using 3.