Rheumatoid Factor Titer as an Indicator of the Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis Activity: Dose-Effect Analysis with the Restricted Cubic Spline Model.

Background: Rheumatoid factor (RF) titer is known to be correlated to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) activity, but the ideal cut-off titer of RF remains unclear. Here, the relationship between RF titer and RA activity was investigated in order to determine the ideal RF value indicative of the risk of RA activity.

Methods: Clinical data from 2044 eligible patients were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from February 2022 to October 2023.

Differential lncRNA profiles of blood plasma-derived exosomes from systemic lupus erythematosus.

Introduction: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) dysregulation is key in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), but the role of exosomal lncRNAs in SLE has not been well studied. We elucidated the profiles of plasma exosomal lncRNAs expression in patients with SLE and predictd their potential clinical significance in SLE.

Methods: In the screening stage, six newly diagnosed and untreated patients with SLE and six healthy controls were examined by high-throughput sequencing technology, and differential exosomal lncRNA profiles were constructed.

From Short- to Long-Range Chiral Recognition on Surfaces: Chiral Assembly and Synthesis.

Research on chiral behaviors of small organic molecules at solid surfaces, including chiral assembly and synthesis, can not only help unravel the origin of the chiral phenomenon in biological/chemical systems but also provide promising strategies to build up unprecedented chiral surfaces or nanoarchitectures with advanced applications in novel nanomaterials/nanodevices. Understanding how molecular chirality is recognized is considered to be a mandatory basis for such studies. In this review, a series of recent studies in chiral assembly and synthesis at well-defined metal surfaces under ultra-high vacuum conditions are outlined.

The presumable effects of hydroxychloroquine and its metabolites in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an essential drug in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study aimed to detect the concentrations of HCQ and its metabolites from peripheral blood of SLE patients and to investigate the relationship between those concentrations and SLE disease activity.

Methods: 176 SLE patients treated with HCQ were enrolled in this study.

Highly Selective On-Surface Reactions of Aryl Propiolic Acids via Decarboxylative Coupling.

Aryl propiolic acids are introduced as a new class of monomers in the field of on-surface chemistry to build up poly(arylenebutadiynylenes) through decarboxylative Glaser coupling. As compared to aryl alkynes that are routinely used in the on-surface Glaser coupling, it is found that the decarboxylative coupling occurs at slightly lower temperature and with excellent selectivity. Activation occurs through decarboxylation for the propiolic acids, whereas the classical Glaser coupling is achieved through alkyne CH activation, and this process shows poor selectivity.

Modulation on the Iron Centers by Selective Synthesis of Organic Ligands with Stereo-Specific Conformations.

Advanced fabrication of surface metal-organic complexes with specific coordination configuration and metal centers will facilitate to exploit novel nanomaterials with attractive electronic/magnetic properties. The precise on-surface synthesis provides an appealing strategy for in situ construction of complex organic ligands from simple precursors autonomously. In this paper, distinct organic ligands with stereo-specific conformation are separately synthesized through the well-known dehalogenative coupling.