Clinical Prognostic Impact of the Serum C-reactive Protein-to-albumin Ratio (CAR) in Chronic Heart Failure Patients: A Retrospective Study.

Background: The serum C-reactive protein-to-albumin ratio (CAR) has been identified as an adverse prognostic indicator in a variety of diseases. Nevertheless, there have been not been any studies reporting a relationship between CAR and the prognosis of chronic heart failure (CHF). This study was designed to evaluate the association between CAR and all-cause mortality in CHF patients with different ejection fractions.

Photothermally-enhanced ferroptotic-chemo therapy enabled by ZIF-derived multizyme.

A multi-functional single-Fe-atom nanozyme (Fe-SAzyme) is designed, integrating the near-infrared photothermal property, the ability to carry chemoagent (doxorubicin - DOX), and nanocatalytic activities mimicking peroxidase, oxidase, and glutathione oxidase. The nanocatalytic activities act cooperatively to effectively produce cytotoxic radicals in the tumor microenvironment (TME), thereby leading to ferroptosis of cancer cells. The photothermal effect not only enhances the nanocatalytic therapy but also enables photothermal therapy.

Identifying periods impacted by sewer inflow and infiltration using time series anomaly detection.

Accurate diagnosis of sewer inflow and infiltration (I/I) is crucial for ensuring the safe transportation of sewage and the stability of wastewater treatment processes. Identifying periods impacted by I/I is essential for I/I diagnosis, but current methods lack a standard criterion and require adaptation to specific conditions, resulting in low accuracy, complexity, and limited generalizability. This paper proposes a novel approach to distinguish I/I periods from time series of sewer measurements based on anomaly detection theory through an iterative use of a time-series reconstruction model.

Combination of C-reactive protein and fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio as a novel predictor of all-cause mortality in heart failure patients.

Heart failure (HF) is a common cardiovascular disease that is related to systemic inflammation. This study aimed to assess the role of C-reactive protein (CRP) combined with fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (C-FAR) on the prognosis of all-cause mortality in different types of HF. A total of 1,221 hospitalized HF patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University between January 2017 and October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.

Sustainability assessment of blue hydrogen production through biomass gasification: A comparative analysis of thermal, solar, and wind energy sources.

This study evaluated three blue hydrogen production processes - solar-grid powered, wind-powered, and thermal power grid (TPG) - considering the context of Hong Kong, SAR, China. A process sustainability analysis was performed based on energy, economic, and environmental (3E) factors. The energy efficiency analysis indicates that the TPG system is the most energy-efficient with 64% efficiency, followed by the wind power system at 63% and the hybrid solar-grid powered system at 60%.

Double-Negative T-Cells during Acute Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infections and Following Early Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation.

HIV infection significantly affects the frequencies and functions of immunoregulatory CD3CD4CD8 double-negative (DN) T-cells, while the effect of early antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation on these cells remains understudied. DN T-cell subsets were analyzed prospectively in 10 HIV+ individuals during acute infection and following early ART initiation compared to 20 HIV-uninfected controls. In this study, 21 Rhesus macaques (RMs) were SIV-infected, of which 13 were assessed during acute infection and 8 following ART initiation four days post-infection.

Associations of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and screen time with physical fitness index: a multicentre cross-sectional study among Chinese adolescents.

Background: Past research has focused on the analysis of the association between sugar-sweetened beverages consumption and screen time, respectively, and an indicator of physical fitness in adolescents. However, no studies have analyzed the interaction between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and screen time on physical fitness index.

Methods: Demographic information, lifestyle, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and screen time were investigated and physical fitness indicators were tested in 8136 adolescents aged 13-18 years from six geographic regions of China using stage-stratified whole population sampling.

Ternary inulin hydrogel with long-term intestinal retention for simultaneously reversing IBD and its fibrotic complication.

Excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) and dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota are pivotal symptoms for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and its associated complications, such as intestinal fibrosis. This research introduces a probiotic inulin hydrogel loaded with polypyrrole (PPy) nanozymes and antifibrotic drug pirfenidone (PFD) (PPy/PFD@Inulin gel) designed for the concurrent amelioration of IBD and its fibrotic complication. Upon oral administration, the inulin gel matrix could extend the gastrointestinal residence time of PPy nanozymes and PFD, facilitating the efficient reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and enhancement of the intestinal epithelial barrier repair as well as the suppression of intestinal fibrosis through sustained RONS scavenging, modulation of gut microbiota and attenuation of the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway to inhibit fibroblast proliferation.

Validating the splicing effect of rare variants in the SLC26A4 gene using minigene assay.

Background: The SLC26A4 gene is the second most common cause of hereditary hearing loss in human. The aim of this study was to utilize the minigene assay in order to identify pathogenic variants of SLC26A4 associated with enlarged vestibular aqueduct (EVA) and hearing loss (HL) in two patients.

Methods: The patients were subjected to multiplex PCR amplification and next-generation sequencing of common deafness genes (including GJB2, SLC26A4, and MT-RNR1), then bioinformatics analysis was performed on the sequencing data to identify candidate pathogenic variants.

Establishment of LC-MS/MS Methodology for the Determination of Rapamycin Concentration in Rat Whole Blood.

Background: The establishment and validation of methods for testing biological samples are crucial steps in pharmacokinetic studies. Currently, several methodological reports have been published on the detection of rapamycin plasma concentrations.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore an effective method for detecting rapamycin in rat whole blood biological samples.

Isolation and Diverse Reactivity of an Unsymmetrical 1,2-Bis(silylene)-Stabilized Pentacarbonyl Chromium(0) Species.

The construction of the unsymmetrical 1,2-bis(silylene) pentacarbonyl chromium(0) complex was achieved through the reaction of chlorosilylene with half an equivalent of KCr(CO). X-ray diffraction analysis of confirms the formation of the Si-Si bond and the coordination of one of the silicon atoms to the Cr center. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations disclose that highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) mainly corresponds to the lone pair of electrons on the silicon atom and the σ-bonding interaction between two Si atoms.

Comparison and use of explainable machine learning-based survival models for heart failure patients.

Objective: Explainable machine learning (XAI) was introduced in this study to improve the interpretability, explainability and transparency of the modelling results. The survex package in R was used to interpret and compare two survival models - the Cox proportional hazards regression (coxph) model and the random survival forest (rfsrc) model - and to estimate overall survival (OS) and its determinants in heart failure (HF) patients using these models.

Methods: We selected 1159 HF patients hospitalised at the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University.

Altered memory CCR6 Th17-polarised T-cell function and biology in people with HIV under successful antiretroviral therapy and HIV elite controllers.

Background: Despite successful antiretroviral therapy (ART), frequencies and immunological functions of memory CCR6 Th17-polarised CD4 T-cells are not fully restored in people with HIV (PWH). Moreover, long-lived Th17 cells contribute to HIV persistence under ART. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these observations remain understudied.

Immunotherapies targeting the oncogenic fusion gene CLDN18-ARHGAP in gastric cancer.

The CLDN18-ARHGAP fusion gene is an oncogenic driver newly discovered in gastric cancer. It was detected in 9% (8/87) of gastric cancer patients in our center. An immunogenic peptide specifically targeting CLDN18-ARHGAP fusion gene was generated to induce neoantigen-reactive T cells, which was proved to have specific and robust anti-tumor capacity both in in vitro coculture models and in vivo xenograft gastric cancer models.

All-natural aerogel of nanoclay/cellulose nanofibers with hierarchical porous structure for rapid hemostasis.

Developing an effective and user-friendly hemostatic agent is highly desired in the treatment of hemorrhage. Inspired by the natural nanostructure and abundant hydroxyl groups of cellulose and clay minerals, we designed an aerogel (HNTs/TOCNs) composed of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCNs) with a hierarchical porous structure for the treatment of bleeding, using a simple and environmentally friendly self-assembly method. TOCNs formed a three-dimensional porous scaffold with excellent water-holding capacity.

Dosage sensitivity shapes balanced expression and gene longevity of homoeologs after whole-genome duplications in angiosperms.

Following whole-genome duplication (WGD), duplicate gene pairs (homoeologs) can evolve varying degrees of expression divergence. However, the determinants influencing these relative expression level differences (RFPKM) between homoeologs remain elusive. In this study, we analyzed the RFPKM between homoeologs in 3 angiosperms, Nymphaea colorata, Nelumbo nucifera, and Acorus tatarinowii, all having undergone a single WGD since the origin of angiosperms.

The role of amino acid metabolism alterations in acute ischemic stroke: From mechanism to application.

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is the most prevalent type of stroke, and due to its high incidence, disability rate, and mortality rate, it imposes a significant burden on the health care system. Amino acids constitute one of the most crucial metabolic products within the human body, and alterations in their metabolic pathways have been identified in the microenvironment of AIS, thereby influencing the pathogenesis, severity, and prognosis of AIS. The amino acid metabolism characteristics in AIS are complex.

Positively Charged Hollow Co Nanoshells by Kirkendall Effect Stabilized by Electron Sink for Alkaline Water Dissociation.

While cobalt (Co) exhibits a comparable energy barrier for H adsorption/desorption to platinum in theory, it is generally not suitable for alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) because of unfavorable water dissociation. Here, the Kirkendall effect is adopted to fabricate positive-charged hollow metal Co (PHCo) nanoshells that are stabilized by MoO and chainmail carbon as the electron sink. Compared to the zero-valent Co, the PHCo accelerates the water dissociation and changes the rate-determining step from Volmer to Heyrovsky process.

A data-driven method for estimating sewer inflow and infiltration based on temperature and conductivity monitoring.

Quantitation of sewer inflow and infiltration (I/I) is important for maintaining efficient wastewater transport and treatment. I/I flows can be quantified based on flow rate and water quality measurements. Flow rate-based methods require continuous monitoring of flow rates using flow meters that are costly and prone to fouling.

CTRP9 Promotes Brown Adipose Tissue Lipolysis in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet.

Background: This study aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanism through which C1q/tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related protein 9 (CTRP9) acts in the formation and differentiation of brown adipose tissue (BAT).

Methods: Adenovirus particles encoding CTRP9 and green fluorescent protein were inoculated into the scapula of C57BL/6J mice and fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks; the body weight, lipid droplet morphology, glucose tolerance, insulin tolerance, and protein expression levels were analyzed. In addition, CTRP9 adenovirus was transfected into brown preadipocytes, and differentiation was induced to identify the effect of CTRP9 overexpression on adipocyte differentiation.