Exploring precision treatments in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases: Harnessing the infinite potential of nucleic acid delivery.

Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) impose an immeasurable burden on individuals and society. While the conventional use of immunosuppressants and disease-modifying drugs has provided partial relief and control, their inevitable side effects and limited efficacy cast a shadow over finding a cure. Promising nucleic acid drugs have shown the potential to exert precise effects at the molecular level, with different classes of nucleic acids having regulatory functions through varying mechanisms.

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 ameliorates disordered glucose and lipid metabolism in liver: Involvement of gasdermin D in regulating pyroptosis.

Background: The epidemic of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease linked to excessive high-fat diet (HFD) consumption has sparked widespread public concern. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) has been reported to improve glucose/lipid metabolism, liver lipid degeneration and alleviate HFD-induced inflammation. However, its pathways and mechanisms of action are not fully understood.

Visible-Light-Induced Esterification of Carboxylic Acids with Arylsulfonium Salts.

A photoinduced copper-mediated acyloxylation of arylthianthrenium or arylphenoxathiinium salts with either aliphatic or aromatic carboxylic acids is described for the convenient synthesis of -aryl esters. The reaction has shown obvious advantages, such as high efficiency, good functional group tolerance, excellent chemoselectivity, and capacity for esterification of complex drug molecules, offering a practical synthetic route to multifunctionalized and sterically congested -aryl esters, which are potentially useful in the development of new prodrugs or twin drugs.

Positive association of triglyceride glucose index and gestational diabetes mellitus: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common metabolic disorder with important health implications for both mother and offspring. This study aims to assess the relationship between the Triglyceride Glucose (TyG) index and GDM and explore its clinical significance.

Methods: A retrospective cohort study included 631 singleton pregnant women.

The feasibility of the deep hypothermal cryotherapy plus immune checkpoint inhibitor for treatment of severe malignant central airway obstruction.

Background: The recurrence shortly after interventional therapy poses a great challenge in managing malignant central airway obstruction (MCAO). While cryotherapy has shown potential benefits when combined with immunotherapy in lung cancer, its effectiveness for improving local control of malignant central airway tumors is not well understood. This study aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of combining these strategies.

The relation of anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin antibodies and premature rupture of membranes: A retrospective cohort study.

Background: Existing literature supports the association between atypical phospholipid antibodies - anti-phosphatidylserine/prothrombin antibodies (aPS/PT) and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between aPS/PT and premature rupture of membranes (PROM).

Methods: A retrospective cohort study analysis was conducted on 408 pregnant women who had experienced at least one unexplained miscarriage.

Ethyl Lactate Ameliorates Hepatic Steatosis and Acute-on-Chronic Liver Injury in Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease by Inducing Fibroblast Growth Factor 21.

Aberrant upregulation of hepatic lipogenesis induced by chronic and excessive alcohol consumption is a critical driver of the progression of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD), however, no effective approaches inhibiting lipogenesis are currently available for treating ALD patients. Moreover, little is known about whether and how nonethanol ingredients in alcoholic beverages regulate the pathogenesis of ALD. Here the discovery of a small molecule that activates the production and secretion of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is reported.

Simulation, prediction and optimization for synthesis and heavy metals adsorption of schwertmannite by machine learning.

Due to its sea urchin-like structure, Schwertmannite is commonly applied for heavy metals (HMs) pollutant adsorption. The adsorption influence parameters of Schwertmannite are numerous, the traditional experimental enumeration is powerless. In recent years, machine learning (ML) has been gradually employed for adsorbent materials, but there is no comprehensive research on the Schwertmannite adsorbent.

Peer effects of health behaviors and the moderating role of Internet use among middle-aged and older adults: a nationally representative cross-sectional survey in China.

Objective: This study investigates peer effects on the health behaviors of middle-aged and older adult people in China and examines the moderating role of Internet use.

Methods: A total of 16,188 respondents were selected from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2020 data set. Ordinary Least Squares and Quantile Regression were used to validate the peer effect of health behaviors on middle-aged and older adults, and a moderating effects model was used to test the moderating roles of Internet use and Internet proficiency.

The impact of widowhood on the quality of life of older adults: the mediating role of intergenerational support from children.

Background: China's transition into an aging society is accelerated by the simultaneous decline in fertility rates and the prolonged life expectancy of older adults. The impact of widowhood, a significant stressor in old age, has emerged as a crucial factor affecting the quality of life among the elderly.

Methods: This study is based on data from the 2018 China Health and Aging Tracking Survey.

The Effect of β-Sheet Secondary Structure on All-β Proteins by Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

The effect of β-sheet ratio and chain length on all-β proteins was investigated by MD simulations. Protein samples composed of different repeating units with various β-sheet ratios or a different number of repeating units were simulated under a broad temperature range. The simulation results show that the smaller radius of gyration was achieved by the protein with the higher proportion of β-sheet secondary structure, which had the lower nonbonded energy with more HBs within the protein.

Associations of oxidative balance score with hyperuricemia and gout among American adults: a population-based study.

Objective: The current study aimed to assess the relationships between oxidative balance score (OBS) and OBS subclasses (dietary and lifestyle OBS) with risks of hyperuricemia (HUA) and gout among American adults.

Methods: Participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2018 were initially recruited and then the final sample was restricted to adults without missing values about serum uric acid, gout, OBS, and covariates. Rao-Scott adjusted chi-square test and analysis of variance were utilized to compare the baseline characteristics in adults of different quartiles of OBS, while the weighted stepped logistic regression models were used to explore the associations of overall, dietary, and lifestyle OBS with the risks of HUA and gout.

Registered report "Categorical perception of facial expressions of anger and disgust across cultures".

Previous research has demonstrated that individuals from Western cultures exhibit categorical perception (CP) in their judgments of emotional faces. However, the extent to which this phenomenon characterises the judgments of facial expressions among East Asians remains relatively unexplored. Building upon recent findings showing that East Asians are more likely than Westerners to see a mixture of emotions in facial expressions of anger and disgust, the present research aimed to investigate whether East Asians also display CP for angry and disgusted faces.

How emotion is experienced and expressed in multiple cultures: a large-scale experiment across North America, Europe, and Japan.

Core to understanding emotion are subjective experiences and their expression in facial behavior. Past studies have largely focused on six emotions and prototypical facial poses, reflecting limitations in scale and narrow assumptions about the variety of emotions and their patterns of expression. We examine 45,231 facial reactions to 2,185 evocative videos, largely in North America, Europe, and Japan, collecting participants' self-reported experiences in English or Japanese and manual and automated annotations of facial movement.

Integrating scRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq to explore the differentiation mechanism of human nail stem cells mediated by onychofibroblasts.

Nail stem cell (NSC) differentiation plays a vital role in maintaining nail homeostasis and facilitating digit regeneration. Recently, onychofibroblasts (OFs), specialized mesenchymal cells beneath the nail matrix, have emerged as potential regulators of NSC differentiation. However, limited understanding of OFs' cellular properties and transcriptomic profiles hinders our comprehension of their role.

Predictive value of Caprini risk assessment model, D-dimer, and fibrinogen levels on lower extremity deep vein thrombosis in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.

Introduction: Research indicates that individuals experiencing hemorrhagic stroke face a greater likelihood of developing lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) compared to those with ischemic stroke. This study aimed to assess the predictive capacity of the Caprini risk assessment model (RAM), D-dimer (D-D) levels, and fibrinogen (FIB) levels for lower extremity DVT in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH).

Methodology: This study involved a retrospective analysis of medical records from all sICH patients admitted to Shanghai General Hospital between June 2020 and June 2023.

Protocol for building an in vitro model of M2-like tumor-associated macrophages with lactic acid or conditioned medium from Lewis cells.

The model of M2-like tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is an increasingly attractive model for the study of TAMs. However, the detailed process of M2-like TAMs polarization induced by lactic acid or conditioned medium from Lewis cells (LCM) and the identification of M2-like TAMs is not yet available. In this protocol, we present the detailed methods to induce M2-like TAMs polarization and verify its functionality in order to better carry out related research.

Efficacy of Xianling Gubao capsule vs. its combination therapy in the treatment of primary osteoporosis: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Xianling Gubao (XLGB) capsule alone and its combination therapy in primary osteoporosis (POP).

Methods: Databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, and SinoMed were searched from their inception to January 16, 2024, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the XLGB treatment for POP. A network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of multiple interventions in the treatment of POP.

Associations of healthy eating index-2015 with osteoporosis and low bone mass density in postmenopausal women: a population-based study from NHANES 2007-2018.

Purpose: The current study aimed to explore the associations of diet quality assessed by healthy eating index-2015 (HEI-2015) with risks of osteoporosis and low bone mineral density (BMD) among American postmenopausal women aged 50 years and older.

Methods: Postmenopausal women aged 50 years and older in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 through 2018 were included in the final sample. Analysis of variance and Rao-Scott adjusted chi-square tests were used to compare the characteristics across tertiles of HEI-2015.

Aerosol inhalation of inflammatory cells-targeted dendrimer-dexamethasone conjugate for efficient allergic asthma therapy.

Allergic asthma (AA) is a common breathing disorder clinically characterized by the high occurrence of acute and continuous inflammation. However, the current treatment options for AA are lacking in effectiveness and diversity. In this study, we determined that the cell membrane receptor of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) was highly overexpressed on the inflammatory cells that infiltrate the pulmonary tissues in AA cases.

Anger and disgust shape judgments of social sanctions across cultures, especially in high individual autonomy societies.

When someone violates a social norm, others may think that some sanction would be appropriate. We examine how the experience of emotions like anger and disgust relate to the judged appropriateness of sanctions, in a pre-registered analysis of data from a large-scale study in 56 societies. Across the world, we find that individuals who experience anger and disgust over a norm violation are more likely to endorse confrontation, ostracism and, to a smaller extent, gossip.

Deep learning reveals what facial expressions mean to people in different cultures.

Cross-cultural studies of the meaning of facial expressions have largely focused on judgments of small sets of stereotypical images by small numbers of people. Here, we used large-scale data collection and machine learning to map what facial expressions convey in six countries. Using a mimicry paradigm, 5,833 participants formed facial expressions found in 4,659 naturalistic images, resulting in 423,193 participant-generated facial expressions.

Eye signs as a novel risk predictor in pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: To investigate the role of eye signs in predicting poor outcomes in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Methods: This prospective observational study recruited patients diagnosed with SLE-PAH from Jan. 2021 to Dec.