Diversity Patterns of Plant Communities along an Elevational Gradient in Arid and Semi-Arid Mountain Ecosystems in China.

Quantitative classification and ordination are instrumental in improving our understanding of plant community patterns and facilitating effective conservation efforts in national mountain ecosystems worldwide. However, there has been a lack of relevant research focused on arid and semi-arid mountain ecosystems. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the Ningxia Helan Mountain National Nature Reserve (located in Northwest China).

Risk of spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage associated with NOACs compared with aspirin and warfarin: A long-term single hospital follow-up study.

Background: Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) are currently the mainstay treatment for preventing thrombosis-induced ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or previous infarction. However, such management may potentially induce antithrombotic-associated intracranial hemorrhage, leading to significantly adverse clinical outcomes. To investigate the risk of spontaneous intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) in patients under therapeutic anticoagulation.

Assessing leaf physiological traits in response to flooding among dominant riparian herbs along the Three Gorges Dam in China.

Dams worldwide have significantly altered the composition of riparian forests. However, research on the functional traits of dominant herbs experiencing flooding stress due to dam impoundment remains limited. Given the high plasticity of leaf traits and their susceptibility to environmental influences, this study focuses on riparian herbs along the Three Gorges Hydro-Fluctuation Zone (TGHFZ).

Multi-functional Chitosan Polymeric Micelles for improving the oral bioavailability of Paclitaxel based on synergistic effect.

A novel multi-functional micelle delivery system was developed for enhancing the oral absorption of paclitaxel (PTX). The delivery carriers were constructed by modifying chitosan-stearic acid (CS-SA) micelles with L-carnitine (LC) and co-encapsulating quercetin (Que), and the PTX-loaded micelles were prepared by film-sonication dispersing technique. The as-prepared micelles showed homogeneous spherical shapes with a small particle size of 148.

Self-improving dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa with a novel heterozygous missense variant in the COL7A1 gene in a Taiwanese family.

Self-improving dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is a genodermatosis that is inherited autosomal dominantly or recessively, and its clinical symptoms may improve or subside spontaneously. Herein, we report a case of self-improving DEB with COL7A1 p.Gly2025Asp variant.

Serum cell division control 42 reflects treatment response and survival profiles in recurrent or metastatic oral squamous cell carcinoma patients who receive programmed death-1 inhibitors.

Objectives: Cell division control 42 (CDC42) facilitates tumor growth, migration, and immune escape to accelerate the pathogenesis and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study intended to explore the optimal cut-value of serum CDC42 for predicting treatment response to programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors and survival in recurrent or metastatic (R/M) OSCC patients.

Methods: CDC42 was detected from serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 45 R/M OSCC patients before initiating PD-1 inhibitors with or without chemotherapy.

Chaperonin containing TCP1 subunit 6A may activate Notch and Wnt pathways to facilitate the malignant behaviors and cancer stemness in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Chaperonin containing TCP1 subunit 6A (CCT6A) was recently discovered to be involved in cancer pathogenesis and stemness; however, its role in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has not been reported. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of CCT6A on OSCC cell malignant behaviors and stemness and to explore its potentially interreacted pathways. SCC-15 and HSC-3 cells were transfected with the plasmid loading control overexpression, CCT6A overexpression, control knockout, or CCT6A knockout.

Preparation of fluffy bimodal conjugated electrospun poly(lactic acid) air filters with low pressure drop.

Electrospun nanofiber membranes have been extensively studied as air filters. However, their limited filtration efficiency for submicron inhalable particulate matter (PM), high resistance to filtration, and limited capacity to hold dust have hindered their widespread use. The majority of materials come from petroleum, and the use of organic solvents during the spinning process has a significant negative impact on the environment.

Lumbar paraspinal atypical spindle cell/pleomorphic lipomatous tumor: A report of a rare case.

The atypical spindle cell/pleomorphic lipomatous tumor (ASPLT) was classified as a new tumor by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020. The tumor is benign and commonly occurs in the limbs. Paraspinal presentations are rare.

Validating the repetitive behavior scale-revised for children in China aged 9 to 16 with autism spectrum disorder.

Restricted and repetitive behavior (RRB) is one of the two core diagnostic features used to determine the severity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Repetitive Behavior Scale‑Revised (RBS-R) is widely used to measure the presence and severity of a variety of RRBs in individuals with ASD. Previous studies have implemented a factor analysis framework to examine the RBS-R, while there're still inconsistencies in the use of the measure.

Air-mattress system for ballistocardiogram-based heart rate and breathing rate estimation.

Sleep-related problems are widespread. Numerous devices for sleep monitoring are increasingly available, including smartwatches, sleep monitoring rings, etc. These devices accumulate and analyze a substantial quantity of physiological data.

High expression of GSKIP is associated with poor prognosis in meningioma.

Meningiomas are the most common extra-axial primary central nervous system tumors. There is no effective treatment or targeted therapy for meningioma except excision and radiotherapy. glycogen synthesis kinase 3β interaction protein (GSKIP) is an A-kinase anchor protein that has cytosolic scaffolding function and binds to a protein kinase A and glycogen synthesis kinase 3β to modulate different biological processes and malignant tumorigenesis through the Wnt pathway.

Extraction of pigments from camellia seed husks and their application on silk fabrics.

To reuse camellia husk waste and expand the scope of natural dyes, this research proposes pigment extraction from camellia husks and investigates various properties when applied on silk fabrics. Single-factor experiments were used to screen and optimize the dyeing process. The extracted pigments and dyed fibers were analyzed and characterized by LC-MS, FTIR and SEM, respectively.

Linolenic acid conjugated chitosan micelles for improving the oral absorption of doxorubicin via fatty acid transporter.

A novel delivery system based on linolenic acid (LA) conjugated chitosan (CS) polymeric micelles were proposed for improving the oral absorption of doxorubicin (DOX) through targeting intestinal fatty acid transporter. LA, as a ligand of the transporter, was grafted into CS to construct CS-LA micelles, and DOX was encapsulated into the micelles. The synthesized micelle material was identified by H NMR and FT-IR.

Relationship Between Physical Performance and Peripheral Arterial Diseases in Different Age Groups of Chinese Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Aims: This study aimed to examine the relationship between physical performance and peripheral artery disease (PAD) in different age groups of Chinese older adults.

Methods: We enrolled 1357 relatively healthy ≥ 65 years old participants of Chinese ethnicity. We classified the participants into two age categories, the pre-old group (65-74 years, n=968) and the old group (≥ 75 years, n=389).

[A consensus on prenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling for chromosomal mosaicism].

With the extensive application of highly sensitive genetic techniques in the field of prenatal diagnosis, prenatal chromosomal mosaicisms including true fetal mosaicisms and confined placental mosaicisms are frequently identified in clinical settings, and the diagnostic criteria and principle of genetic counseling and clinical management for such cases may vary significantly among healthcare centers across the country. This not only has brought challenges to laboratory technician, genetic counselor and fetal medicine doctor, but can also cause confusion and anxiety of the pregnant woman and their family members. In this regard, we have formulated a consensus over the prenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling for chromosomal mosaicisms with the aim to promote more accurate and rational evaluation for fetal chromosomal mosaicisms in prenatal clinics.