Enhanced Piezoelectric Performance of Highly-Aligned ZnO Nanorods Embedded in P(VDF-TrFE) Nanofiber Membranes.

Flexible and wearable electronics often rely on piezoelectric materials, and Poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) membranes are popular for this application. However, their electromechanical performance is limited due to a relatively low piezoelectric coefficient. To address this, this study investigates the incorporation of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) into a P(VDF-TrFE) nanofiber membrane matrix.

Elucidating the pharmacological foundations and mechanisms of the Sihai Shuyu formula in treating Graves' disease through integrated serum metabolomics and network pharmacology with molecular docking techniques.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The Sihai Shuyu Formula (SHSY) shows promising potential for treating Graves' disease (GD), although the therapeutic mechanisms and pharmacological basis of SHSY have not been thoroughly evaluated.

Objective: This work is aim to investigate the pharmacological basis and mechanism of SHSY in the treatment of GD by integrating non-targeted serum metabolomics and network pharmacology coupled with molecular docking technology.

Materials And Methods: GD was induced in mice through injections of Ad-TSH289.

Age but not vitamin D is related to sarcopenia in vitamin D sufficient male elderly in rural China.

This study aimed to identify the correlation of serum 25(OH)D level with sarcopenia and its components in Chinese elderly aged 65 years and above from rural areas. A total of 368 Chinese elderly aged 65 years and above in rural areas were enrolled. Indicators of muscle mass and strength, including the appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM), skeletal muscle index (SMI) and hand grip strength (HGS) were measured.

Spectroscopic characterization of buffer-gas-cooled lead monofluoride molecules in the BΣ(υ' = 0) ← XΠ(υ = 0) transition.

Establishing a nonzero measurement of the electron Electric Dipole Moment (eEDM) has long been a fundamental pursuit in atomic, molecular and optical physics, offering possible insights into new physics beyond the Standard Model. In this regard, lead monofluoride (PbF) has emerged as a potential candidate for measuring eEDM primarily due to its suitable properties such as the strong internal effective electric field, and eEDM-sensitive ground state with large Ω-doubling and small magnetic g factor. In the present work, we realized the production of a buffer-gas-cooled PbF molecular beam and characterized its high-resolution spectroscopy in the BΣ(υ'=0) ← XΠ(υ = 0) transition, including both direct absorption and laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy.

Proangiogenic effect of thyrotropin receptor stimulating antibody in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the role of TRAb in the angiogenesis associated with Graves' disease (GD) and to elucidate its underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Human thyroid follicular epithelial cells (Nthy-ori 3-1) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with the monoclonal thyroid-stimulating antibody M22 and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) at various concentrations. Cell viability, migration, and tube formation were evaluated using CCK-8, wound healing, and tube formation assays, respectively.

Mechanism of Prunella vulgaris L. and luteolin in restoring Tfh/Tfr balance and alleviating oxidative stress in Graves' disease.

Background: The pathophysiology of Graves' disease (GD) involves imbalances between follicular helper T (Tfh) and follicular regulatory T (Tfr) cells, as well as oxidative stress (OS). Prunella vulgaris L. (Xia Ku Cao, XKC) and its primary bioactive compound, luteolin, are recognized for their potential in treating GD.

E4bp4-Cyp3a11 axis in high-fat diet-induced obese mice with weight fluctuation.

Objective: Weight regain after weight loss is a challenge in obesity management. The metabolic changes and underlying mechanisms in obese people with weight fluctuation remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we aimed to profile the features and clinical significance of liver transcriptome in obese mice with weight regain after weight loss.

Design, Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Novel Phenyl-Substituted Naphthoic Acid Ethyl Ester Derivatives as Strigolactone Receptor Inhibitor.

Strigolactones (SLs) are plant hormones that regulate several key agronomic traits, including shoot branching, leaf senescence, and stress tolerance. The artificial regulation of SL biosynthesis and signaling has been considered as a potent strategy in regulating plant architecture and combatting the infection of parasitic weeds to help improve crop yield. DL1b is a previously reported SL receptor inhibitor molecule that significantly promotes shoot branching.

Design, Synthesis, and Bioactivities of N-Heterocyclic Ureas as Strigolactone Response Antagonists against Parasitic-Weed Seed Germination.

The pernicious parasitism exhibited by root parasitic weeds such as and poses substantial peril to agricultural productivity and global food security. This deleterious phenomenon hinges upon the targeted induction of the signaling molecule strigolactones (SLs). Consequently, the identification of prospective SL antagonists holds significant promise in the realm of mitigating the infection of these pernicious weeds.

Ketogenic diet alleviates β-cell dedifferentiation but aggravates hepatic lipid accumulation in db/db mice.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the effect of the ketogenic diet (KD) on β-cell dedifferentiation and hepatic lipid accumulation in db/db mice.

Methods: After a 3-wk habituation, male db/db mice ages 8 wk were assigned into one of three groups: normal diet (ND), KD, and 75% calorie restriction (CR) group. Free access to a standard diet, a KD, and 75% of a standard diet, respectively, were given to each group.

Visuospatial or verbal-spatial codes? The different effect of two secondary tasks on the power-space associations during a semantic categorizing task.

The power-space associations have been extensively studied as a possible way to reveal the nature of concept representations, while the visuospatial and verbal-spatial codes are two primary explanations for the phenomenon. In two experiments, we imposed either a visuospatial or a verbal secondary task during the semantic categorizing of power words to examine their respective roles. The results showed that retaining a letter but not a location concurrently interfered with the power-space association.

A DRL-based online VM scheduler for cost optimization in cloud brokers.

The virtual machine (VM) scheduling problem in cloud brokers that support cloud bursting is fraught with uncertainty due to the on-demand nature of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) VMs. Until a VM request is received, the scheduler does not know in advance when it will arrive or what configurations it demands. Even when a VM request is received, the scheduler does not know when the VM's lifecycle expires.

Hierarchical multiloop MPC scheme for robot manipulators with nonlinear disturbance observer.

This paper addresses the robust enhancement problem in the control of robot manipulators. A new hierarchical multiloop model predictive control (MPC) scheme is proposed by combining an inverse dynamics-based feedback linearization and a nonlinear disturbance observer (NDO) based uncertainty compensation. By employing inverse dynamics-based feedback linearization, the multi-link robot manipulator was decoupled to reduce the computational burden compared with the traditional MPC method.

Age-specific serum thyrotropin reference range for the diagnosis of subclinical hypothyroidism and its association with lipid profiles in the elderly population.

The overdiagnosis of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) in the elderly has driven researchers to establish age-specific thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) intervals to precisely evaluate the prevalence of SCH. Moreover, abnormal lipid profiles, an insidious manifestation of SCH, show various impacts on different age groups. This study aimed to establish an age-specific TSH reference range to clarify the spectrum of SCH in the elderly.

Development of matrix certified reference material for accurate determination of docosahexaenoic acid in milk powder.

A novel matrix certified reference material (CRM) of docosahexaenoic acid in milk powder [GBW (E) 100641] was first developed. The CRM candidates was prepared by adding appropriate levels of docosahexaenoic acid to cow's milk, then powder sprayed, lyophilized, mixed, dispensed and sterilized. An optimized acetylchloride-methanol method was proposed and used for the characterization.

Diagnostic performance of six ultrasound-based risk stratification systems in thyroid follicular neoplasm: A retrospective multi-center study.

This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performances of six commonly used ultrasound-based risk stratification systems for distinguishing follicular thyroid adenoma (FTA) from follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC), including the American Thyroid Association Sonographic Pattern System (ATASPS), ultrasound classification systems proposed by American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American College of Endocrinology, and Associazione Medici Endocrinology (AACE/ACE/AME), Korean thyroid imaging reporting and data system (K-TIRADS), European Thyroid Association for the imaging reporting and data system (EU-TIRADS), American College of Radiology for the imaging reporting and data system (ACR-TIRADS), and 2020 Chinese Guidelines for Ultrasound Malignancy Risk Stratification of Thyroid Nodules (C-TIRADS). A total of 225 FTA or FTC patients were retrospectively analyzed, involving 251 thyroid nodules diagnosed by postoperative pathological examinations in three centers from January 2013 to October 2021. The diagnostic performances of six ultrasound-based risk stratification systems for distinguishing FTA from FTC were assessed by plotting the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and compared at different cut-off values.

Immune System Acts on Orthodontic Tooth Movement: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms.

Orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) is a tissue remodeling process based on orthodontic force loading. Compressed periodontal tissues have a complicated aseptic inflammatory cascade, which are considered the initial factor of alveolar bone remodeling. Since skeletal and immune systems shared a wide variety of molecules, osteoimmunology has been generally accepted as an interdisciplinary field to investigate their interactions.

Xiehuo Xiaoying decoction inhibits Tfh cell expansion and promotes Tfr cell amplification to ameliorate Graves' disease.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Xiehuo Xiaoying decoction (XHXY) has shown great potential in the treatment of GD, but its mechanism remains obscure. Increase of follicular helper T (Tfh) cells and reduction of follicular regulatory T (Tfr) cells contribute to a high thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TRAb) level and possible Graves' disease (GD). Oxidative stress (OS) disrupts T helper cell differentiation and aggravates autoimmunity.

Efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided microwave ablation versus surgical resection for Bethesda category IV thyroid nodules: A retrospective comparative study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided microwave ablation (MWA) for Bethesda IV thyroid nodules and to compare the outcomes, complications, and costs of MWA and thyroidectomy.

Methods: A total of 130 patients with Bethesda IV nodules were retrospectively reviewed, involving 46 in the MWA group and 84 in the surgery group. The local institutional review board approved this study.

Optimal design of model predictive controller based on transient search optimization applied to robotic manipulators.

Due to nonlinearity and uncertainty of the robotic manipulator, the design of the robot controller has a crucial impact on its performance of motion and trajectory tracking. In this paper, the linear parameter varying (LPV) - model predictive controller (MPC) of a two-link robot manipulator is established and then the controller's optimal parameters are determined via a newly developed meta-heuristic algorithm, transient search optimization (TSO). The proposed control method is verified by set point and nonlinear trajectory tracking.

Long-term outcomes of endoscopic papillary large-balloon dilation (12-15 mm) with or without limited sphincterotomy for removal of bile duct stones.

Background: Limited endoscopic sphincterotomy with large balloon dilation (ES-LBD) and endoscopic papillary large-balloon dilation (EPLBD) have been proven safe and effective for removal of bile duct stones. However, the long-term outcomes are not clear. The aim of this study was to assess the long-term outcomes of EPLBD (12-15 mm) with or without limited sphincterotomy for removal of common bile duct (CBD) stones.

Plasma Metabolomics Reveals Metabolic Profiling For Diabetic Retinopathy and Disease Progression.

Backgrounds: Diabetic retinopathy (DR), the main retinal vascular complication of DM, is the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness among working-age people worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the difference of plasma metabolic profiles in patients with DR to better understand the mechanism of this disease and disease progression.

Methods: We used ultrahigh-performance liquid Q-Exactive mass spectrometry and multivariate statistical analyses to conduct a comprehensive analysis of plasma metabolites in a population with DR and proliferative DR (PDR).