Hydrogen sulfide alleviates neural degeneration probably by reducing oxidative stress and aldose reductase expression.

We investigated the potential role of hydrogen sulfide (HS) as a novel therapy for diabetic peripheral neuropathy in diabetic rats. A single dose of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg) was applied to the rats for the diabetic rat models. Sodium bisulfide (50 μmol/kg/d) was injected intraperitoneally daily for 2 weeks as HS treatment.

State transitions of coupled G-protein: Insights into internal water channel dynamics within dopamine receptor D3 from in silico submolecular analyses.

Dopamine is a crucial neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS) that facilitates communication among neurons. Activation of dopamine receptors in the CNS regulates key functions such as movement, cognition, and emotion. Disruption of these receptors can result in severe neurological diseases.

Bioactive Glial-Derived Neurotrophic Factor from a Safe Injectable Collagen-Alginate Composite Gel Rescues Retinal Photoreceptors from Retinal Degeneration in Rabbits.

The management of vision-threatening retinal diseases remains challenging due to the lack of an effective drug delivery system. Encapsulated cell therapy (ECT) offers a promising approach for the continuous delivery of therapeutic agents without the need for immunosuppressants. In this context, an injectable and terminable collagen-alginate composite (CAC) ECT gel, designed with a Tet-on pro-caspase-8 system, was developed as a safe intraocular drug delivery platform for the sustained release of glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) to treat retinal degenerative diseases.

Evaluating the psychometric properties of the simplified Chinese version of PROMIS-29 version 2.1 in patients with hematologic malignancies.

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29-item Profile version 2.1 (PROMIS-29 V2.1) is a widely utilized self-reported instrument for assessing health outcomes from the patients' perspectives.

Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) in Mainland China between 2008 and 2023: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

To evaluate the overall prevalence of FIP infection in cats in mainland China and associated risk factors, studies on the prevalence of FIP conducted from 1 January 2008 to 20 December 2023 were retrieved from five databases-CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect-and comprehensively reviewed. The 21 studies selected, with a total of 181,014 samples, underwent a rigorous meta-analysis after quality assessment. The results revealed a 2% prevalence of FIP (95% CI: 1-2%) through the random-effects model, showing considerable heterogeneity (I = 95.

Decoupling economic growth from construction waste generation: Comparative analysis between the EU and China.

The reduction and management of construction waste is crucial for the sustainable development of the construction industry. This research aims to explore a comparative analysis on decoupling relationship between economic growth and construction waste generation on European Union (EU) and Chi et al., 2020 to 2020 in the construction industry, through an integrated method framework of "Tapio + Kaya + LMDI".

Pixel-Domain Just Noticeable Difference Modeling with Heterogeneous Color Features.

With the rapidly emerging user-generated images, perception compression for color image is an inevitable mission. Whilst in existing just noticeable difference (JND) models, color-oriented features are not fully taken into account for coinciding with HVS perception characteristics, such as sensitivity, attention, and masking. To fully imitate the color perception process, we extract color-related feature parameters as local features, including color edge intensity and color complexity, as well as region-wise features, including color area proportion, color distribution position and color distribution dispersion, and inherent feature irrelevant to color content called color perception difference.

Machine-Learning Classification of Pulse Waveform Quality.

Pulse measurements made using wearable devices can aid the monitoring of human physiological condition. Accurate estimation of waveforms is often difficult for nonexperts; motion artifacts may occur during tonometry measurements when the skin-sensor contact pressure is insufficient. An alternative approach is to extract only high-quality pulses for use in index calculations.

Tracking Key Industrial Sectors for CO Mitigation through the Driving Effects: An Attribution Analysis.

The heavy pressure to improve CO emission control in industry requires the identification of key sub-sectors and the clarification of how they mitigate CO emissions through various actions. Focusing on 30 Chinese provincial regions, this study quantifies the contribution of each industrial sector to regional CO mitigation by combining the logarithmic mean Divisia index with attribution analysis and extract the key sectors of CO mitigation for each region. Results indicate that during 2010-2019, significant emission reduction was achieved through energy intensity (74%) in Beijing, while emission reductions were attained through industrial structure changes for Anhui (50%), Henan (45%), and Chongqing (45%).

Association of Tocilizumab and Invasive Aspergillosis in Critically Ill Patients with Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) causes severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. According to the current consensus, immunosuppressants, such as dexamethasone and anti-interleukin-6 receptor monoclonal antibodies, are therapeutic medications in the early stages of infection. However, in critically ill patients, viral, fungal, and bacterial coinfection results in higher mortality.

Swelling-Resistant, Crosslinked Polyvinyl Alcohol Membranes with High ZIF-8 Nanofiller Loadings as Effective Solid Electrolytes for Alkaline Fuel Cells.

The present work investigates the direct mixing of aqueous zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) suspension into a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA) to form swelling-resistant, mechanically robust and conductivity retentive composite membranes. This drying-free nanofiller incorporation method enhances the homogeneous ZIF-8 distributions in the PVA/ZIF-8/GA composites to overcome the nanofiller aggregation problem in the mixed matrix membranes. Various ZIF-8 concentrations (25.

Clinical efficacy and safety of peroral endoscopic myotomy for esophageal achalasia: A multicenter study in Taiwan.

Background/objective: Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), a novel minimally invasive treatment for esophageal achalasia, is becoming more popular globally because of its efficacy and safety. We aimed to clarify the technical concerns, efficacy, and safety of POEM for treating esophageal achalasia in Taiwan.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on consecutive patients with achalasia who underwent POEM between October 2016 and May 2021 at three medical centers in Taiwan.

Collagen-Alginate Composite Hydrogel: Application in Tissue Engineering and Biomedical Sciences.

Alginate (ALG), a polysaccharide derived from brown seaweed, has been extensively investigated as a biomaterial not only in tissue engineering but also for numerous biomedical sciences owing to its wide availability, good compatibility, weak cytotoxicity, low cost, and ease of gelation. Nevertheless, alginate lacks cell-binding sites, limiting long-term cell survival and viability in 3D culture. Collagen (Col), a major component protein found in the extracellular matrix (ECM), exhibits excellent biocompatibility and weak immunogenicity.

Incidence and management of metabolic acidosis with sodium bicarbonate in the ICU: An international observational study.

Background: Metabolic acidosis is a major complication of critical illness. However, its current epidemiology and its treatment with sodium bicarbonate given to correct metabolic acidosis in the ICU are poorly understood.

Method: This was an international retrospective observational study in 18 ICUs in Australia, Japan, and Taiwan.

Value of staging information provided by linear-array endoscopic ultrasound for therapeutic response and prognosis prediction in gastric lymphoma.

Objectives: Currently, positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT)-based Ann Arbor and Lugano staging systems are widely applied for gastric lymphoma, which majorly focused on the extent of systemic invasion, but there is insufficient assessment in extent of gastric wall invasion. Thus, we aimed to assess the value of linear-array EUS in therapeutic response and prognosis prediction, and provide an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-based staging system for gastric lymphoma.

Methods: Between January 2012 and October 2019, 191 patients with histologically confirmed gastric lymphoma were included.

Rapid-onset acute respiratory distress syndrome after mastectomy in a breast cancer patient: A case report and review of literature.

Rationale: Postoperative acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) often results in severe morbidity and mortality in surgical patients. The etiology of this condition is complex, especially in cancer patients.

Patient Concerns: We encountered a 53-year-old woman with left breast cancer, cT1cN2M0, stage IIIA with left axillary lymph node metastasis.

Self-pinning of silica suspension droplets on hydrophobic surfaces.

Hypothesis: Self-pinning induced by the aggregation of particles at the edge of a pinned drop is a pre-requisite for the coffee ring formation. The edge (three-phase contact line) of a suspension drop on a hydrophobic surface would depin and shrink in the early stage of evaporation process. It is plausible to conjecture that the self-pinning of silica suspension drops depends on the particle size and surface property.

Glycemic control and radiographic manifestations of tuberculosis in diabetic patients.

Background: Radiographic manifestations of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have previously been reported, with inconsistent results. We conducted a study to investigate whether glycemic control has an impact on radiographic manifestations of pulmonary TB.

Methods: Consecutive patients with culture-positive pulmonary TB who had DM in three tertiary care hospitals from 2005-2010 were selected for review and compared with a similar number without DM.