An approach for mechanical property optimization of cell-laden alginate-gelatin composite bioink with bioactive glass nanoparticles.

Alginate-gelatin (Alg-Gel) composite hydrogel is extensively used in extrusion-based bioprinting. Although Alg-Gel blends possess excellent biocompatibility and printability, poor mechanical properties have hindered its further clinical applications. In this study, a series of design by incorporating bioactive glass nanoparticles (BG) (particle size of 12 and 25 nm) into Alg-Gel hydrogel have been considered for optimizing the mechanical and biological properties.

Exploiting the activity-stability trade-off of glucose oxidase from Aspergillus niger using a simple approach to calculate thermostability of mutants.

Glucose oxidase (Gox) is a biocatalyst that is widely applied in the food industry, as well as other biotechnological industries. However, the industrial application of Gox is hampered by its low thermostability and activity. Here, we aimed to improve the thermostability of GoxM4 from Aspergillus niger without reducing its activity due to the activity-stability trade-off.

Bilaterally Asymmetric Associations Between Extracranial Carotid Artery Atherosclerosis and Ipsilateral Middle Cerebral Artery Stenosis in Symptomatic Patients: A CARE-II Study.

Objective: To determine the bilaterally asymmetrical associations between extracranial carotid artery atherosclerosis and ipsilateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis in symptomatic patients using magnetic resonance vessel wall imaging. Approach and Results: Patients with symptomatic carotid artery atherosclerosis were recruited from the Chinese Atherosclerosis Risk Evaluation, a multicenter study. All subjects underwent intracranial magnetic resonance angiography and extracranial carotid artery magnetic resonance imaging.

Dose-dependent Cardiac Dysfunction and Structural Damage in Rats after Shortwave Radiation.

Objective: To detect the effects of shortwave radiation on dose-dependent cardiac structure and function in rats after radiation and to elucidate the mechanism of shortwave radiation induced cardiac injury to identify sensitive indicators and prophylactic treatment.

Methods: One hundred Wistar rats were either exposed to 27 MHz continuous shortwave at a power density of 5, 10, and 30 mW/cm for 6 min or undergone sham exposure for the control (the rats had to be placed in the exposure system with the same schedules as the exposed animals, but with an inactive antenna). The Ca , glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (AST), creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) content in the peripheral serum of the rats were detected by an automatic blood biochemical analyser.

Laparoscopic transmesenteric pyeloplasty and isthmusectomy for adult horseshoe kidney with recurrent symptomatic hydronephrosis.

Introduction: There is no consensus for the horseshoe kidneys with recurrent symptomatic hydronephrosis, so we presented our initial experience with a laparoscopic transmesenteric approach.

Case Presentation: Five patients with symptomatic ureteropelvic junction obstruction were identified by computed tomography urography. The laparoscopic transmesenteric approach was performed in such a way that the mesentery of the small intestine was incised along with the blood vessels longitudinally, and the isthmus was isolated to avoid injury to the mesenteric blood supply; then we cut the isthmus using an endostapler.

Early Onset Immune-Related Adverse Event to Identify Pseudo-Progression in a Patient With Ovarian Cancer Treated With Nivolumab: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have shown clinical benefit in many advanced tumors, however, pseudo-progression is a noted phenomenon of ICIs characterized by radiologic enlargement of the tumor burden, followed by regression. How to differentiate pseudo-progression from progression remains a critical clinical issue. Recent studies have demonstrated the association between immune-related adverse events (irAEs) and efficacy of ICIs.

Modulation of Field-Effect Passivation at the Back Electrode Interface Enabling Efficient Kesterite-Type CuZnSn(S,Se) Thin-Film Solar Cells.

For further efficiency improvement in kesterite-type CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZTSSe) solar cells, it is essential to address the carrier recombination issue at the back electrode interface (BEI) caused by the undesirable built-in potential orientation toward an absorber as an -MoSe interfacial layer formed. In this regard, back surface field (BSF) incorporation, i.e.

Pathways toward PAH Formation during Fatty Acid and Triglyceride Pyrolysis.

Molecular beam mass spectrometry was used to follow model triglyceride pyrolysis with temperature. A selectively formed set of PAHs (276, 352, 444 amu) arose with increasing temperature. They were attributed to association of up to five C-C sized fragments (observed in abundance by pyrolysis with gas chromatography), presumably due to their propensity to form stable benzyl radicals.

Water Addition Prolonged the Length of the Growing Season of the Desert Shrub in a Temperate Desert.

Climate models often predict that more extreme precipitation events will occur in arid and semiarid regions, where plant phenology is particularly sensitive to precipitation changes. To understand how increases in precipitation affect plant phenology, this study conducted a manipulative field experiment in a desert ecosystem of northwest China. In this study, a long-term water addition experiment was conducted in a temperate desert in northwestern China.

Stiffness-mediated mesenchymal stem cell fate decision in 3D-bioprinted hydrogels.

Background: Hydrogels with tuneable mechanical properties are an attractive material platform for 3D bioprinting. Thus far, numerous studies have confirmed that the biophysical cues of hydrogels, such as stiffness, are known to have a profound impact on mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation; however, their differentiation potential within 3D-bioprinted hydrogels is not completely understood. Here, we propose a protocol for the exploration of how the stiffness of alginate-gelatin (Alg-Gel) composite hydrogels (the widely used bioink) affects the differentiation of MSCs in the presence or absence of differentiation inducing factors.

3D-printable supramolecular hydrogels with shear-thinning property: fabricating strength tunable bioink via dual crosslinking.

3-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology provides promising strategy in the fabrication of artificial tissues and organs. As the fundamental element in bioprinting process, preparation of bioink with ideal mechanical properties without sacrifice of biocompatibility is a great challenge. In this study, a supramolecular hydrogel-based bioink is prepared by polyethylene glycol (PEG) grafted chitosan, -cyclodextrin (-CD) and gelatin.

The effect of climatic and edaphic factors on soil organic carbon turnover in hummocks based on δC on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Hummocks (thúfur, pounus) are peculiar landforms usually formed by repeated freeze-thaw processes and differential frost heave, and are common in frost soil regions, especially in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. However, little is known about the response of δC in soil organic carbon (δC) to soil and climate properties in hummocks. The β value indicates the decomposition rate of soil organic carbon (SOC) in soil, and was obtained from the slope of the regression between the log10-transformed SOC concentration and δC in soil depth profiles.

Enhancing the Performance of Aqueous Solution-Processed CuZnSn(S,Se) Photovoltaic Materials by Mn Substitution.

In this work, the CuMnZnSn(S,Se) (0 ≤ ≤ 1) (CMZTSSe) alloy films were fabricated by a sol-gel method. Meanwhile, the effects of Mn substitution on the structural, morphological, electrical, optical, and device performance were studied systematically. The clear phase transformation from CuZnSn(S,Se) (CZTSSe) with kesterite structure to CuMnSn(S,Se) (CMTSSe) with stannite structure was observed as = 0.

[Research progress in structure and function of pectin methylesterase].

Pectin methylesterase (PME) is an important pectinase that hydrolyzes methyl esters in pectin to release methanol and reduce the degree of methylation of pectin. At present, it has broad application prospects in food processing, tea beverage, paper making and other production processes. With the in-depth study of PME, the crystal structures with different sources have been reported.

Impacts of glycemic variability on the relationship between glucose management indicator from iPro2 and laboratory hemoglobin A1c in adult patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Aims: Our aim was to investigate the impact of glycemic variability (GV) on the relationship between glucose management indicator (GMI) and laboratory glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c).

Methods: Adult patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) were enrolled from five hospitals in China. All subjects wore the iPro2 system for 14 days before HbA1c was measured at baseline, 3 months and 6 months.

Adult-onset type 1 diabetic patients with less severe clinical manifestation have less risk DR-DQ genotypes than childhood-onset patients.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate differences in clinical features and HLA genotypes between adult-onset and childhood-onset patients with type 1 diabetes in a Chinese population.

Materials And Methods: This study enrolled 716 Han Chinese patients with type 1 diabetes from Guangdong (258 childhood-onset and 458 adult-onset) to compare their clinical features. Of them 214 patients with classical type 1 diabetes (100 childhood-onset and 114 adult-onset) were selected for HLA DR and DQ genotyping by next-generation sequencing.

Responses of nitrogen transformation and dissolved oxygen in constructed wetland to biochar and earthworm amendment.

Many constructed wetland systems are facing the problem of low dissolved oxygen (DO) and reduced nitrogen removal efficiency. In this study, an experimental constructed wetland system is designed and used to investigate the effect of biochar (rice husk biochar (RHB), coconut shell biochar (CSB), and wood biochar (WB) and earthworm on DO concentration, nitrogen transformation, and ammonia nitrogen removal. Specifically, effects of different biochar and earthworm on NH-N in wastewater, N content of Phragmites australis, NH-N and NO-N content in substrates, microbial nitrification and denitrification potentials, and the DO concentration were investigated.

Mid-upper arm circumference as a simple tool for identifying central obesity and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes.

Background: Our research aimed to explore the correlation between mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) and central obesity and insulin resistance (IR) in Chinese subjects with type 2 diabetes.

Materials: A total of 103 participants (60 men) were recruited in our study. MUAC was measured around the mid-arm between the shoulder and elbow.

Efficacy and safety of metformin and sitagliptin-based dual and triple therapy in elderly Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes: Subgroup analysis of STRATEGY study.

Aims/introduction: To assess the efficacy and safety of metformin/sitagliptin-based dual/triple therapy in elderly Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Materials And Methods: This subgroup analysis included individuals aged ≥65 years from the STRATEGY study, a two-stage study in which type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with unsatisfactory glycemic control on metformin were first treated with the dual combination of metformin and sitagliptin for 16 weeks (n = 681), and then, if glycemic control had not been achieved, were treated with a third add-on oral antihyperglycemic drug for another 24 weeks (n = 291). The efficacy end-point was change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in each stage, and the safety end-point was adverse events with a focus on hypoglycemia.

A novel thermostable aspartic protease from Talaromyces leycettanus and its specific autocatalytic activation through an intermediate transition state.

Aspartic proteases exhibit optimum enzyme activity under acidic conditions and have been extensively used in food, fermentation, and leather industries. In this study, a novel aspartic protease precursor (proTlAPA1) from Talaromyces leycettanus was identified and successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris. Subsequently, the auto-activation processing of the zymogen proTlAPA1 was studied by SDS-PAGE and N-terminal sequencing, under different processing conditions.

Biochemical and structural cues of 3D-printed matrix synergistically direct MSC differentiation for functional sweat gland regeneration.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) encapsulation by three-dimensionally (3D) printed matrices were believed to provide a biomimetic microenvironment to drive differentiation into tissue-specific progeny, which made them a great therapeutic potential for regenerative medicine. Despite this potential, the underlying mechanisms of controlling cell fate in 3D microenvironments remained relatively unexplored. Here, we bioprinted a sweat gland (SG)-like matrix to direct the conversion of MSC into functional SGs and facilitated SGs recovery in mice.

Clinical Characteristics of Fulminant Type 1 Diabetes Compared with Typical Type 1 Diabetes: One-Year Follow-Up Study from the Guangdong T1DM Translational Medicine Study.

Background: Fulminant type l diabetes mellitus (FT1DM) is a subtype of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) with abrupt onset, but data on its progression was limited. This study was aimed at exploring the clinical features through one-year follow-up. .

IQGAP1/ERK regulates fear memory formation via histone posttranslational modifications induced by HDAC2.

Epigenetic mechanisms of learning and memory are particularly interesting topics in neuroscience that have recently been investigated. As shown in our previous study, IQGAP1, a scaffolding protein of MAPK, is involved in fear memory through interactions with GluN2A-containing NMDA receptors and the ERK1/2 cascade. However, researchers have not determined whether histone posttranslational modifications are regulated by the IQGAP1/ERK signaling pathway.