Evaluating Intermittent Dosing of Aspirin for Colorectal Cancer Chemoprevention.

Aspirin reduces colorectal cancer risk but has a potential for adverse effects. Recent pre-clinical data suggest that intermittent dosing of aspirin may minimize adverse effects maintaining efficacy. We conducted a three-arm double-blind randomized placebo-controlled Phase II trial.

Development of hydrophobic catalysts for reducing the CO emission during the conversion of syngas into chemicals and fuels.

Syngas conversion is a key process for the production of chemicals and fuels from non-petroleum resources, such as biomass, coal, and natural gas. Water produced during syngas conversion can not only boost the production of CO by-products inducing the water-gas shift side reaction, but also inhibit the conversion of CO by occupying the active sites on the catalyst, leading to high CO emission and low carbon utilization efficiency. Reducing CO emission during syngas conversion is a main development direction of the energy chemical industry toward the goal of carbon neutrality.

Defects vibrations engineering for enhancing interfacial thermal transport in polymer composites.

To push upper boundaries of thermal conductivity in polymer composites, understanding of thermal transport mechanisms is crucial. Despite extensive simulations, systematic experimental investigation on thermal transport in polymer composites is limited. To better understand thermal transport processes, we design polymer composites with perfect fillers (graphite) and defective fillers (graphite oxide), using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as a matrix model.

Design and characterization of EGCG conjugated walnut protein cold-set gels for quercetin encapsulation.

While heat treatment is a conventional method for the gelation of alkaline-extracted walnut protein isolates (AWPI), it can limit the incorporation of heat-sensitive ingredients. This study explored a novel approach to fabricate cold-set gels from epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) conjugated AWPI (AWPI-EGCG). EGCG conjugation effectively inhibited the thermal gelation of AWPI while promoting the formation of soluble aggregates upon heat treatment.

Morphological and molecular control of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) polymerized polythiophene thin films.

Oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD) has emerged as one of the most promising techniques for conjugated polymer deposition, especially for unsubstituted polythiophene thin films. oCVD overcomes the insolubility challenge that unsubstituted polythiophene (PT) presents and adds the ability to control morphological and molecular structure. This control is important for enhancing the performance of devices which incorporate organic conductors.

Effects of surface hydrophobization on the phase evolution behavior of iron-based catalyst during Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.

Iron-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) catalyst is widely used for syngas conversion, but its iron carbide active phase is easily oxidized into FeO by the water produced during reaction, leading to the deterioration of catalytic performance. Here, we show an efficient strategy for protecting the iron carbide active phase of FTS catalyst by surface hydrophobization. The hydrophobic surface can reduce the water concentration in the core vicinity of catalyst during syngas conversion, and thus inhibit the oxidation of iron species by water, which enhances the C - C coupling ability of catalyst and promotes the formation of long-chain olefins.

Understanding adherence to continuous positive airway pressure in patients with obstructive sleep apnea post-stroke: A prospective study based on the Andersen model.

Adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) post-stroke is often problematic, despite potential benefits. This study aimed to evaluate CPAP adherence in patients with OSA post-stroke based on the Andersen behavioral model of health services utilization. A total of 227 eligible participants were recruited from a Chinese hospital.

Cytosine-guanine-guanine repeats of FMR1 gene negatively affect ovarian reserve and response in Chinese women.

Research Question: Do cytosine-guanine-guanine (CGG) repeats of the FMR1 gene affect ovarian function, ovarian response and assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes in Chinese women?

Design: A retrospective cohort study of 5869 women who underwent 8932 ART cycles at Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University between January 2018 and June 2021. Basic hormone level, oocyte yield, embryo quality and the rate of live birth were considered as main outcome measures to evaluate the effects of CGG repeats on ovarian function, ovarian response and ART outcomes.

Results: The CGG repeats were negatively related to serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), oestradiol, antral follicle count (AFC) and oocyte yield.

Performance of noninvasive prenatal screening for fetal sex chromosome aneuploidies in a cohort of 116,862 pregnancies.

Background: Noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS) has shown good performance in screening common aneuploidies. However, its performance in detecting fetal sex chromosome aneuploidies (SCAs) needs to be evaluated in a large cohort.

Research Design And Methods: In this retrospective observation, a total of 116,862 women underwent NIPS based on DNA nanoball sequencing from 2015 to 2022.

A randomized Phase I pre-operative window trial of transdermal endoxifen in women planning mastectomy: Evaluation of dermal safety, intra-mammary drug distribution, and biologic effects.

Breast cancer prevention only requires local exposure of the breast to active drug. However, oral preventive agents entail systemic exposure, causing adverse effects that limit acceptance by high-risk women. Drug-delivery through the breast skin is an attractive option, but requires demonstration of dermal safety and drug distribution throughout the breast.

Modulating the texture of heat-set gels of phosphorylated walnut protein isolates through Glucono-δ-lactone acidification.

The gelation of walnut protein isolates has not been extensively studied, mainly due to their inherent poor dispersity. This study investigated the gelation of alkaline-extracted walnut protein isolates (AWPI) and phosphorylated walnut protein isolates (PWPI) induced by heat treatment with glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) acidification, focusing on the impact of GDL concentrations on microstructure, rheology, and texture of the resulting gels. The PWPI gel exhibited lower hardness but a smoother structure than the AWPI gel.

Presurgical Oral Tamoxifen vs Transdermal 4-Hydroxytamoxifen in Women With Ductal Carcinoma In Situ: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Oral tamoxifen citrate benefits women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), but concern about toxic effects has limited acceptance. Previous pilot studies have suggested transdermal 4-hydroxytamoxifen gel has equivalent antiproliferative efficacy to oral tamoxifen, with low systemic exposure.

Objective: To demonstrate that 4-hydroxytamoxifen gel applied to the breast skin is noninferior to oral tamoxifen in its antiproliferative effect in DCIS lesions.

Insights into the Diffusion Behaviors of Water over Hydrophilic/Hydrophobic Catalysts During the Conversion of Syngas to High-Quality Gasoline.

Although considerable efforts towards directly converting syngas to liquid fuels through Fischer-Tropsch synthesis have been made, developing catalysts with low CO selectivity for the synthesis of high-quality gasoline remains a big challenge. Herein, we designed a bifunctional catalyst composed of hydrophobic FeNa@Si-c and HZSM-5 zeolite, which exhibited a low CO selectivity of 14.3 % at 49.

Phosphorylated walnut protein/chitosan nanocomplexes as promising carriers for encapsulation of caffeic acid phenethyl ester.

Background: Walnut proteins display poor solubility and dispersity under acidic pH conditions, which limits their application in acidic beverages and foods. This study aimed to fabricate stable nanocomplexes between phosphorylated walnut protein (PWPI) and chitosan (CS) in an acidic pH and to investigate the encapsulation capacity of the complexes.

Results: The PWPI/CS nanocomplexes prepared at a mass ratio of 2:1 showed small Z-average sizes (approximately 285 nm at pH 5.

Noninvasive Prenatal Screening for Common Fetal Aneuploidies Using Single-Molecule Sequencing.

Amplification biases caused by next-generation sequencing (NGS) for noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS) may be reduced using single-molecule sequencing (SMS), during which PCR is omitted. Therefore, the performance of SMS-based NIPS was evaluated. We used SMS-based NIPS to screen for common fetal aneuploidies in 477 pregnant women.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Function of a G-Protein α Subunit Gene in the Growth and Development of .

is a commercially important edible fungus with high nutritional and economic value. However, few functional studies have examined key genes affecting the growth and development of . In this study, transformed strains, including over-expression (-OE) and RNA interference (-RNAi) lines, were constructed to elucidate the role of in growth.

The effects of conjugation of walnut protein isolate with polyphenols on protein solubility, antioxidant activity, and emulsifying properties.

Alkaline-extracted walnut protein isolate (AWPI) shows poor solubility in aqueous solutions, resulting in relatively low emulsion capacity. This work investigated the influence of ellagic acid (EA) or epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) conjugation on the solubility and emulsifying properties of AWPI. The increase in polyphenol content and decrease in free amino and thiol groups of walnut proteins confirmed successful conjugation.

Preparation of Nitrogen Doped Biochar-Based Iron Catalyst for Enhancing Gasoline-Range Hydrocarbons Production.

Developing catalysts to obtain high space time yield (STY) of gasoline-range hydrocarbons via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) is a huge challenge due to the restriction of Anderson-Schulz-Flory distribution. Herein, a nitrogen doped biochar-based iron catalyst was synthesized by a one-step method using sugar cane bagasse as carbon precursor, which exhibited an excellent gasoline STY of 8.65 g g h, exceeding most reported catalysts.

Variation in community structure and network characteristics of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) compost microbiota driven by time and environmental conditions.

Global mushroom production is growing rapidly, raising concerns about polluting effects of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) and interest in uses in composts. In this study, SMS composting trials and high-throughput sequencing were carried out to investigate to better understand how the structure, co-occurrence patterns, and functioning of bacterial and fungal communities vary through compost time and across environmental conditions. The results suggested that both bacterial and fungal microbiota displayed significant variation in community composition across different composting stages.

Improving catalysis by moving water.

The conversion of gases into building blocks for synthesizing plastics is enhanced.

Phosphorylated walnut protein isolate as a nanocarrier for enhanced water solubility and stability of curcumin.

Background: The low solubility and poor dispersion of alkaline-extracted walnut protein isolate (AWPI) limit its application as a protein-based carrier for the delivery of poorly soluble nutraceuticals, including curcumin. This work investigated the physicochemical characteristics of phosphorylated walnut protein isolate (PWPI) extracted using sodium tripolyphosphate (STP) and evaluated its encapsulation ability.

Results: The results of phosphorus determination, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the phosphorylation of the extracted PWPI.

Prenatal diagnosis of Walker-Warburg syndrome due to compound mutations in the B3GALNT2 gene.

Background: Congenital hydrocephalus is one of the symptoms of Walker-Warburg syndrome that is attributed to the disruptions of the genes, among which the B3GALNT2 gene is rarely reported. A diagnosis of the Walker-Warburg syndrome depends on the clinical manifestations and the whole-exome sequencing after birth, which is unfavorable for an early diagnosis.

Methods: Walker-Warburg Syndrome was suspected in two families with severe fetal congenital hydrocephalus.