Comparing four different methods of measuring fracture toughness and its relationship with fractal dimension in a polycrystalline (3Y-TZP) dental ceramic.

Objectives: Previous studies reported various methods of measuring fracture toughness of dental ceramics. The objectives of this study were to compare different methods and to validate fractal analysis to estimate fracture toughness for a polycrystalline dental ceramic.

Methods: Bar-shaped specimens were prepared from 3 mol% yttria-stabilized tetragonal polycrystalline (3Y-TZP) ceramic.

Hepatoprotective effects of polysaccharide from Morchella esculenta are associated with activation of the AMPK/Sirt1 signaling pathway in mice with NAFLD.

The functional food application of edible fungus polysaccharides has been widely studied based on their variety of potential pharmacological activities. However, the hepatoprotective effects and mechanisms of Morchella esculenta polysaccharide against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remain unknown. A high-fat diet (HFD) fed C57BL/6 J mice for 8 weeks was employed to establish NAFLD with simple steatosis, methionine choline deficiency (MCD) diet for 4 weeks induced hepatic steatohepatitis and fibrosis.

Chimeric Cytokine Receptor TGF-β RⅡ/IL-21R Improves CAR-NK Cell Function by Reversing the Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment of Gastric Cancer.

Gastric cancer remains a significant global health burden, characterized by regional variations in incidence and poor survival prospects in advanced stages. Natural killer (NK) cells play a crucial role in the body's anti-cancer defense, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK cell therapy is gaining attention as a cutting-edge and promising treatment method. This study aims to tackle the challenge of TGF-β-mediated tumor immune evasion within the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment by designing a novel chimeric cytokine receptor TRII/21R, which consists of extracellular domains of TGF-β receptor II (TRII) and transmembrane and intracellular domains of IL-21 receptor (21R) and can convert the immunosuppressive signal from TGF-β in the tumor microenvironment (TME) into an NK cell activation signal through the IL-21R-STAT3 pathway.

ADSL promotes autophagy and tumor growth through fumarate-mediated Beclin1 dimethylation.

As an enzyme with a critical role in de novo purine synthesis, adenylosuccinate lyase (ADSL) expression is upregulated in various malignancies. However, whether ADSL possesses noncanonical functions that contribute to cancer progression remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) activated by lipid deprivation or ER stress phosphorylates ADSL at S140, leading to an enhanced association between ADSL and Beclin1.

Preparation, characterization, and stability of pectin-whey protein isolate-based nanoparticles with mitochondrial targeting ability.

Quercetin (Que) is a polyhydroxy flavonoid with strong inhibitory activity against cancer cells. However, the poor water solubility and low bioavailability of Que. limit its application in the functional food industry.