A non-crystallization-driven strategy for the preparation of non-spherical polymeric nanoparticles.

To fabricate precisely defined non-spherical nanostructures like those widely exist in the biological domain by self-assembly of synthetic polymers without employing crystallization-driven forces is still a great challenge. In this study, we report a strategy to fabricate nanoparticles with advanced hierarchical architectures using styrene and methacrylic as monomers and maleamic acid-α-methyl styrene copolymer as a macroinitiator by polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA). The structure of the prepared particles changed from common spherical micelles to cubes with edge lengths ranging from 50 to 200 nm when the solvent was 50 wt% ethanol in water and the monomer molar ratio of styrene to 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate was 3:1.

Varying Bifidobacterium species in the maternal-infant gut microbiota correlate with distinct early neurodevelopmental outcomes.

The impact of mother-infant microbiota on neurodevelopment is an area of interest, but longitudinal studies are scarce. Using a cohort of 520 families from the Jiangsu birth cohort in China, we reveal that the maternal gut microbiota during early pregnancy play a substantial role, accounting for 3.34% of the variance in offspring neurodevelopmental scores.

Terahertz Saturable Absorption across Charge Separation in Photoexcited Monolayer Graphene/MoS Heterostructure.

Unveiling the nonlinear interactions between terahertz (THz) electromagnetic waves and free carriers in two-dimensional materials is crucial for the development of high-field and high-frequency electronic devices. Herein, we investigate THz nonlinear transport dynamics in a monolayer graphene/MoS heterostructure using time-resolved THz spectroscopy with intense THz pulses as the probe. Following ultrafast photoexcitation, the interfacial charge transfer establishes a nonequilibrium carrier redistribution, leaving free holes in the graphene and trapping electrons in the MoS.

Rh blood group caused by novel base deletion and comprehensive pedigree analysis.

Objective: The objective of this study was to rigorously investigate and elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying the formation of the RH blood group in a specific case and to systematically analyse the RH blood group genes among the family members of the proband.

Methods: Serological methods were used to determine the RH blood group phenotype of the proband. To elucidate the underlying genetic mechanism responsible for the RH phenotype, a comprehensive approach was undertaken, including RHCE genotyping, sequencing of RHD and RHCE genes, and exon sequencing of RHAG.

Association between penultimate ejaculatory abstinence and sperm quality: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Ejaculatory abstinence (EA) duration influences semen parameters. However, the impact of penultimate ejaculatory abstinence (PEA) on conventional and functional sperm parameters remains underexplored.

Method: A cross-sectional study recruited 1,503 men from a reproductive center between November 2023 and July 2024.

CCL2/CCR2 axis promotes perineural invasion of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma via ITGβ5-mediated nerve-tumor interaction.

Perineural invasion (PNI) is a notorious feature of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) and other neurotropic tumors. The pathogenesis of PNI that involves the molecular communication between the tumor and the suffered nerve is elusive. The in vitro co-culture assays of SACC cells with dorsal root ganglia (DRG) or neural cells showed that nerve-derived CCL2 activated CCR2 expression in SACC cells, promoting the proliferation, adhesion, migration, and invasion of SACC cells via the ERK1/2/ITGβ5 pathway.

infection delays neutrophil apoptosis and exacerbates inflammatory response.

Understanding molecular mechanisms of ()-induced inflammation is important for developing new therapeutic strategies for gastrointestinal diseases. We designed an -neutrophil infection model and explored the effects of infection on neutrophils. infected neutrophils showed a low level of apoptosis.

Prognostic value of serum immunoglobulin M levels in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Background And Aims: The immuno-inflammatory response is a crucial early step in the development of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In this study, we investigated whether immunoglobulin M (IgM) in the body's initial immune response can predict the prognosis of patients with ACS.

Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled 1556 ACS patients at Beijing Hospital between March 2017 and October 2020.

Latest insights into the global epidemiological features, screening, early diagnosis and prognosis prediction of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

As a highly invasive carcinoma, esophageal cancer (EC) was the eighth most prevalent malignancy and the sixth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide in 2020. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the major histological subtype of EC, and its incidence and mortality rates are decreasing globally. Due to the lack of specific early symptoms, ESCC patients are usually diagnosed with advanced-stage disease with a poor prognosis, and the incidence and mortality rates are still high in many countries, especially in China.

Contrasting water-use strategies to climate warming in white birch and larch in a boreal permafrost region.

The effects of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations (Ca) with climate warming on intrinsic water-use efficiency and radial growth in boreal forests are still poorly understood. We measured tree-ring cellulose δ13C, δ18O, and tree-ring width in Larix dahurica (larch) and Betula platyphylla (white birch), and analyzed their relationships with climate variables in a boreal permafrost region of northeast China over past 68 years covering a pre-warming period (1951-1984; base period) and a warm period (1985-2018; warm period). We found that white birch but not larch significantly increased their radial growth over the warm period.

Maternal Dietary Cholesterol and Egg Intake during Pregnancy and Large-for-Gestational-Age Infants: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Cholesterol plays a vital role in fetal growth and development during pregnancy. There remains controversy over whether pregnant females should limit their cholesterol intake.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between maternal dietary cholesterol intake during pregnancy and infant birth weight in a Chinese prospective cohort study.

Regulation of interstitial fluid flow in adventitia along vasculature by heartbeat and respiration.

Converging studies showed interstitial fluid (ISF) adjacent to blood vessels flows in adventitia along vasculature into heart and lungs. We aim to reveal circulatory pathways and regulatory mechanism of such adventitial ISF flow in rat model. By MRI, real-time fluorescent imaging, micro-CT, and histological analysis, ISF was found to flow in adventitial matrix surrounded by fascia and along systemic vessels into heart, then flow into lungs via pulmonary arteries and back to heart via pulmonary veins, which was neither perivascular tissues nor blood or lymphatic vessels.

Serum immunoglobulin M is associated with the severity of coronary artery disease in adults.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) and the severity of coronary artery disease in Chinese patients who underwent coronary angiography.

Methods: A total of 2,045 patients who underwent coronary angiography (CAG) from March 2017 to March 2020 at Beijing Hospital were included in this study. Serum IgM concentration and biochemical indicators were measured before coronary angiography (CAG).

Peroxiredoxin-1 as a molecular chaperone that regulates glutathione S-transferase P1 activity and drives mutidrug resistance in ovarian cancer cells.

Ovarian cancer is among the most prevalent gynecological malignancies around the globe. Nonetheless, chemoresistance continues to be one of the greatest obstacles in the treatment of ovarian cancer. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of chemoresistance and identifying new treatment options for ovarian cancer patients is urgently required.

Application of complete decongestive therapy after lymphaticovenular anastomosis of the lower limb combined with liposuction-A retrospective study research.

Background: Complete decongestive therapy (CDT) is a conservative treatment for lymphedema that combines interventions and lifestyle changes. We evaluated the application of CDT after lymphaticovenular anastomosis (LVA) of the lower limb combined with liposuction.

Methods: A total of 55 patients who underwent LVA of the lower limb combined with liposuction from January 2021 to July 2022 were enrolled in the study.

Comparison of the effect of two commercialized vitrification carriers on pregnancy outcomes in freeze-thaw cycles.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effects of two brands of commercial vitrification carriers on pregnancy outcomes in freeze-thaw cycles.

Methods: We included 4871 patients who underwent a "freeze all" strategy using the commercial carriers J.Y.

Disruption of Sarcoplasmic Reticulum-Mitochondrial Contacts Underlies Contractile Dysfunction in Experimental and Human Atrial Fibrillation: A Key Role of Mitofusin 2.

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common and progressive tachyarrhythmia. Diabetes is a common risk factor for AF. Recent research findings revealed that microtubule network disruption underlies AF.

A Low-Frequency MEMS Magnetoelectric Antenna Based on Mechanical Resonance.

Antenna miniaturization technology has been a challenging problem in the field of antenna design. The demand for antenna miniaturization is even stronger because of the larger size of the antenna in the low-frequency band. In this paper, we consider MEMS magnetoelectric antennas based on mechanical resonance, which sense the magnetic fields of electromagnetic waves through the magnetoelectric (ME) effect at their mechanical resonance frequencies, giving a voltage output.

Spinal Cord Stimulation Alleviates Neuropathic Pain by Attenuating Microglial Activation via Reducing Colony-Stimulating Factor 1 Levels in the Spinal Cord in a Rat Model of Chronic Constriction Injury.

Background: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is an emerging, minimally invasive procedure used to treat patients with intractable chronic pain conditions. Although several signaling pathways have been proposed to account for SCS-mediated pain relief, the precise mechanisms remain poorly understood. Recent evidence reveals that injured sensory neuron-derived colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) induces microglial activation in the spinal cord, contributing to the development of neuropathic pain (NP).