Association Between Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index and CA125 in Older Women: Insights from a Cross-Sectional NHANES Study.

Introduction: The Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index (SII) is a novel biomarker that has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the association between SII and the conventional tumor marker CA125 (Carbohydrate antigen 125) in a population of postmenopausal women.

Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), focusing on postmenopausal women with available data on SII and CA125.

Discovery of fecal microbial signatures in patients with ankylosing spondylitis.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of the gut microbiota in Chinese patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and healthy controls in Quanzhou aiming to explore the correlation between microbiome changes and AS activities.

Patients And Methods: In this study, high-throughput sequencing of the gene of 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) in fecal samples from 40 AS patients and 40 healthy controls, for a total of 80 participants (70 males, 10 females; mean age 33.7±10.

Pledgeted versus nonpledgeted sutures in aortic valve replacement: Insights from a prospective multicenter trial.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare short- and midterm clinical and echocardiographic outcomes according to the use of pledgeted sutures during aortic valve replacement.

Methods: Patients with aortic stenosis or regurgitation requiring aortic valve replacement were enrolled in a prospective cohort study to evaluate the safety of a new stented bioprosthesis. Outcomes were analyzed according to the use of pledgets (pledgeted group) or no pledgets (nonpledgeted group).

Health Risk, Income Effect, and the Stability of Farmers' Poverty Alleviation in Deep Poverty Areas: A Case Study of S-County in Qinba Mountain Area.

Health status and income level are both important factors in reducing poverty and accomplishing sustainable development in deep poverty areas of China. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide policy support for the sustainable poverty alleviation of farmers by analyzing the net effect of health risk on Farmers' income poverty and its impact mechanism. Based on the data of more than 199,000 farmers, this study uses the Difference in Difference (DID) model to empirically analyze the effect of health-risk on farmers' income poverty.

The correlation between fibroblast growth factor-23 and ESRD patients with hearing impairment.

Background: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients often experience hearing impairment, resulting in a high rate of disability and a decline in their quality of life. Fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF23) is a diagnostic biomarker for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and a pathogenic contributor to CKD progression. However, the correlation between FGF23 level and CKD patients with hearing impairment remains elusive.

Influence of Bushen Tiaochong Cycle Therapy on Th1/Th2 Deviation, Sex Hormone Level, and Pregnancy Outcome of Alloimmune Recurrent Spontaneous Abortion.

Objective: To analyze the influence of Bushen Tiaochong cycle therapy on Th1/Th2 deviation, sex hormone level, and pregnancy outcome of alloimmune recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA).

Methods: From August 2018 to April 2020, 130 patients with alloimmune RSA who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into the control group ( = 65) and the study group ( = 65). The former received lymphocyte immunotherapy (LIT), and the latter received Bushen Tiaochong cycle therapy on the basis of LIT.

Country-Specific Environmental Risks of Fragrance Encapsulates Used in Laundry Care Products.

Fragrance encapsulates (FEs) are designed to deliver fragrance components, notably in laundry care products. They are made of thermoset polymeric shells surrounding the fragrance content. These materials enter the environment mainly during laundry washing, but little is known about their distribution in and impact on the environment.

Formation of Fiber Fragments during Abrasion of Polyester Textiles.

Fiber fragments are one of the dominant types of microplastics in environmental samples, suggesting that synthetic textiles are a potential source of microplastics to the environment. Whereas the release of microplastics during washing of textiles is already well studied, much less is known about the release during abrasion processes. The abrasion of textiles may induce fibrillation of fibers and therefore result in the formation of much finer fiber fragments.

Improving Activity of Polysaccharide on Depressive Mice Induced by Reserpine.

Depressive disorder will be the second highest disease burden worldwide, which will impair life quality, reduce productivity, and increase disability and mortality. polysaccharide (LBP) is the main active fraction purified from The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential therapeutic effects of LBP on depressive mice induced by reserpine, as well as the relevant mechanisms. The antidepressant effect of LBP was investigated by open field test (OFT), forced swimming test (FST), tail suspension test (TST), and antagonism of reserpine hypothermia and ptosis in mice.

Efficacy of needle-knife combined with etanercept treatment regarding disease activity and hip joint function in ankylosing spondylitis patients with hip joint involvement: A randomized controlled study.

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of needle-knife (NK) combined with etanercept (NKCE) in attenuating pain, inflammation, disease activity, and improving hip joint function in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients with hip joint involvement.Totally, 90 patients with active AS involving unilateral hip joint were enrolled and randomly assigned in 1:1:1 ratio to receive NKCE, NK or conventional drugs (control). The ESR, CRP, hip joint pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI), bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI), modified Harris hip score (mHHS), and range of motion (ROM) of affected hip joint were assessed at baseline (W0), after 1-week treatment (W1) and after 24-week treatment (W24).

Systematic Study of Microplastic Fiber Release from 12 Different Polyester Textiles during Washing.

Microplastic fibers (MPFs) have been found to be a major form of microplastics in freshwaters, and washing of synthetic textiles has been identified as one of their main sources. The aim of this work was to use a panel of 12 different textiles of representative fibers and textile types to investigate the source(s) of the MPF during washing. Using standardized washing tests, textile swatches tailored using five different cutting/sewing methods were washed up to 10 times.

Economic burden and cost-utility analysis of three renal replacement therapies in ESRD patients from Yunnan Province, China.

Purpose: To compare the economic burden and cost-utility analysis of the renal replacement therapies, including hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis (PD), and allograft kidney transplantation (KT) among end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients from Yunnan Province, China.

Methods: Multistage stratified random sampling method was used to select presentative sample of 298 patients from four hospitals in Yunnan Province. The two-step model was applied to calculate a direct economic burden; the human capital approach was used to analyze the indirect economic burden.

Linking Probabilistic Exposure and Pharmacokinetic Modeling To Assess the Cumulative Risk from the Bisphenols BPA, BPS, BPF, and BPAF for Europeans.

The bisphenols S, F, and AF (BPS, BPF, and BPAF) are used to replace the endocrine disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) while exerting estrogenic effects of comparable potency. We assessed the cumulative risk for the aforementioned BPs in Europe and compared the risk before and after the year 2011, which was when the first BPA restrictions became effective. For this, we probabilistically modeled external exposures from food, personal care products (PCPs), thermal paper, and dust (using the tools MCRA and PACEM for exposures from food and PCPs, respectively).

Effects of hepatitis C virus core protein and nonstructural protein 4B on the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein and nonstructural protein 4B (NS4B) are potentially oncogenic. Aberrant activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is closely associated with hepatocarcinogenesis. We investigated the effects of HCV type 1b core protein and NS4B on Wnt/β-catenin signaling in various liver cells, and explored the molecular mechanism underlying HCV-related hepatocarcinogenesis.

A unique macrolactam derivative via a [4+6]-cycloaddition from Streptomyces niveus.

One new macrolactam derivative, nivelactam (1) and one new polyenoic acid derivative, niveamide (2), along with two other known 20-atom macrolactams (3 and 4) were isolated from the fermentation broth of Streptomyces niveus, which obtained from the forest soil in northeastern China. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated on the basis of HRESIMS, IR, and NMR spectroscopic data analyses. Compound 1 was proposed as an intramolecular [4+6]-cycloaddition product of 3 by S.

Effects of Portulaca oleracea L. Polysaccharides on Phenotypic and Functional Maturation of Murine Bone Marrow Derived Dendritic Cells.

Portulaca oleracea L. is an annual plant widely distributed from the temperate to the tropical zones. POL-P3b, a polysaccharide fraction purified from Portulaca oleracea L.

Characterization of a thermostable and alkali-stable α-amylase from deep-sea bacterium Flammeovirga pacifica.

A thermostable α-amylase (designated as Amy16) has been previously identified in Flammeovirga pacifica isolated from deep-sea sediments. The DNA sequence of Amy16 exhibited no significant similarity with those of any known protein, including the glycoside hydrolases. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that Amy16 belonged to GH13 family and possessed a conserved DXEXD motif, which was essential for its hydrolysis activities.

Improving the activity of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide on sub-health mice.

Sub-health has been described as a chronic condition of unexplained deteriorated physiological function, which falls between health and illness and includes fatigue as one of its principal manifestations. Mitochondrial dysfunctions have been discovered in fatigue-type sub-health such as impaired oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial damage. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP-4a), a polysaccharide fraction purified from Lycium barbarum, on anti-fatigue in sub-health mice, and the relevant mechanisms were studied.

Draft genome sequence of algal polysaccharides degradation bacterium, Flammeovirga sp. OC4.

Flammeovirga sp. OC4 was isolated from seawater sample of the South China Sea using the method of in-situ-enrichment, which has the ability to degrade algal polysaccharides. Colonies are reddish orange in the exponential growth phase and turn white in the late stationary growth phase, which is the indicator of the bacterial death.

[Screening of differentially expressed genes and gene pathways in hepatitis C virus 1b type nonstructural protein 4B stably expressed L02 cell line].

Objective: To screen differentially expressed genes and gene pathways in L02 cell line stably expressing hepatitis C virus (HCV) Ib type nonstructural protein 4B (NS4B) mediated by lentiviral system, and to provide a basis for further research of molecular biological mechanism of NS4B gene in chronic hepatitis C and hepatocarcinogenesis.

Methods: NS4B stably overexpressed L02 cell line and negative control stable L02 cell line, designated as L02-NS4B and L02-mkate2 respectively, were resurrected and amplified in vitro. The differentially expressed genes between L02-NS4B and L02-mkate2 were determined by gene expression microarray from Human Gene 1.

LBP-4a improves insulin resistance via translocation and activation of GLUT4 in OLETF rats.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) has been shown to ameliorate insulin resistance, but the identification of compounds from LBP and the mechanisms have not been clarified. In this study, LBP-4a was purified from Lycium barbarum by DEAE cellulose and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography, and the effects of LBP-4a on insulin resistance were investigated. The results indicated that LBP-4a caused translocation of the glucose transporter isoform 4 (GLUT4) to the cell surface, which in turn stimulated glucose uptake, and the effect was sensitive to wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K), and SB203580, an inhibitor of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK (α, β)).

Antitumor activity of Portulaca oleracea L. polysaccharides against cervical carcinoma in vitro and in vivo.

Portulaca oleracea L. has been used as folk medicine in different countries to treat different ailments in humans. P.

Treatment of diazo dye C.I. Reactive Black 5 in aqueous solution by combined process of interior microelectrolysis and ozonation.

Interior microelectrolysis (IM) as a pretreatment process was effective to treat Reactive Black 5 (RB5) in this study. The removal rates of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC) and color were 46.05, 39.