Differentiated Modulating the Electronic Structure of NiFe@Ni/Fe-MnOx via Phase Transformation Engineering to Synergy Promote Bifunctional Water Splitting Reactions.

Modulating electronic structure to balance the requirement of both hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is crucial for developing bifunctional catalysts. Herein, phase transformation engineering is utilized to separately regulate catalyst structure, and the designed NiFe@Ni/Fe-MnOOH schottky heterojunction exhibits remarkable bifunctional electrocatalytic activity with low overpotentials of 19 and 230 mV at 10 mA cm for HER and OER in 1M KOH, respectively. Meanwhile, an anion-exchange membrane water electrolyzer employing NiFe@Ni/Fe-MnOOH as electrodes shows low voltages of 1.

Status of a New Model of ERCP Training in China: A Nationwide Survey of Standardized Training for ERCP Procedure (STEP) Programs.

Aims: ERCP training should adapt to the rapid development of ERCP technology and indications. China has a large population and vast land area, but ERCP training resources are insufficient. To make effective use of scarce ERCP training resources, the Standardized Training for ERCP Procedure (STEP) program was launched as a pilot trial.

Utilizing zebrafish models to elucidate mechanisms and develop therapies for skeletal muscle atrophy.

Skeletal muscle atrophy, resulting from an imbalance in muscle protein synthesis and degradation, compromises muscle quality and function, imposing significant burdens on movement and metabolic stability. Animal models are crucial for understanding the mechanisms of skeletal muscle atrophy and developing clinical prevention and treatment strategies. Zebrafish, as small aquatic vertebrates, exhibit high genetic homology with humans and offer advantages such as rapid reproduction, development, and transparent embryos.

Dienogest treatment of symptomatic adenomyosis: An in-depth meta-analysis.

Background: Adenomyosis is a common gynecological disease and a major contributor to dysmenorrhea that substantially reduces the quality of life of the affected. Dienogest has emerged as a promising drug for treating adenomyosis. A few systematic reviews and meta-analyses on this topic have been published recently.

Optimization and characterization of apple essence microencapsulation utilizing β-cyclodextrin/gum arabic/montmorillonite for fresh-cut apple preservation.

Natural apple essence (AE) has been widely used as a flavor enhancer due to its distinct aroma and taste, but its high volatility restricts its broader applications in food products. This study addresses the need for an effective microencapsulation technique to overcome the volatility of AE. The objective was to optimize and characterize the AE microencapsulation using β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), gum arabic (GA), and montmorillonite (MMT) as wall materials.

Gastric cancer-derived exosomal let-7 g-5p mediated by SERPINE1 promotes macrophage M2 polarization and gastric cancer progression.

Background: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), particularly M2-polarized TAMs, are significant contributors to tumor progression, immune evasion, and therapy resistance in gastric cancer (GC). Despite efforts to target TAM recruitment or depletion, clinical efficacy remains limited. Consequently, the identification of targets that specifically inhibit or reprogram M2-polarized TAMs presents a promising therapeutic strategy.

Mitochondrial-cytochrome c oxidase II promotes glutaminolysis to sustain tumor cell survival upon glucose deprivation.

Glucose deprivation, a hallmark of the tumor microenvironment, compels tumor cells to seek alternative energy sources for survival and growth. Here, we show that glucose deprivation upregulates the expression of mitochondrial-cytochrome c oxidase II (MT-CO2), a subunit essential for the respiratory chain complex IV, in facilitating glutaminolysis and sustaining tumor cell survival. Mechanistically, glucose deprivation activates Ras signaling to enhance MT-CO2 transcription and inhibits IGF2BP3, an RNA-binding protein, to stabilize MT-CO2 mRNA.

Fabrication, characteristics and properties of α-lactalbumin fibril-derived hydrogels: Effects of metal ions type.

The effects of different valence metal ions on the formation of hydrogels with α-lactalbumin fibrils (ALAF) were comprehensively examined in this study. The properties of hydrogel were generally characterized with water holding capacity (WHC), rheology, texture, DSC and ICP tests. Except FeCl, it was shown that KCl, NaCl, CaCl, MgCl, NiCl, and AlCl at 90 mM could induce the formation of hydrogels with ALAF (40 mg/mL), and hydrogels formed by high valence metal salts had more good properties (viscoelasticity, WHC, and thermal stability), and the amounts of metal ions released from hydrogels with high valence salts after immersion in deionized water for 90 min were all below 10 %.

Cortical VIP neurons as a critical node for dopamine actions.

Dopamine modulates a wide range of cognitive processes in the prefrontal cortex, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we examined the roles of prefrontal vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-expressing neurons and their D1 receptors (D1Rs) in working memory using a delayed match-to-sample task in mice. VIP neurons conveyed robust working-memory signals, and their inactivation impaired behavioral performance.

Improving functional correlation of quantification of interstitial lung disease by reducing the vendor difference of CT using generative adversarial network (GAN) style conversion.

Objective: To assess whether CT style conversion between different CT vendors using a routable generative adversarial network (RouteGAN) could minimize variation in ILD quantification, resulting in improved functional correlation of quantitative CT (QCT) measures.

Methods: Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) who underwent unenhanced chest CTs with vendor A and a pulmonary function test (PFT) were retrospectively evaluated. As deep-learning based ILD quantification software was mainly developed using vendor B CT, style-converted images from vendor A to B style were generated using RouteGAN.

Multilayer network analysis in patients with end-stage kidney disease.

This study aimed to investigate alterations in a multilayer network combining structural and functional layers in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) compared with healthy controls. In all, 38 ESKD patients and 43 healthy participants were prospectively enrolled. They exhibited normal brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without any structural lesions.

High piezoelectric property with exceptional stability in self-poled ferroelectric films.

Ferroelectric films are highly sought-after in micro-electro-mechanical systems, particularly with the trend towards miniaturization. However, their tendency to depolarize and degradation in piezoelectric properties when exposed to packaging procedures at temperatures exceeding 260 °C remains a significant challenge. Here, we reveal the prerequisites for self-poling and leverage these insights to achieve unprecedented macroscopic performance through a two-step approach involving texture construction and hierarchical heterogeneity engineering.

Leukocyte telomere length decreased the risk of mortality in patients with alcohol-associated liver disease.

Background: It is necessary to find latent indicators to predict the survival of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) patients. Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) was regarded as an indicator of prognosis in several diseases. However, the relationships between LTL and survival as well as cause-specific mortality in ALD patients were still unknown.

Design of upper limb muscle strength assessment system based on surface electromyography signals and joint motion.

Purpose: This study aims to develop a assessment system for evaluating shoulder joint muscle strength in patients with varying degrees of upper limb injuries post-stroke, using surface electromyographic (sEMG) signals and joint motion data.

Methods: The assessment system includes modules for acquiring muscle electromyography (EMG) signals and joint motion data. The EMG signals from the anterior, middle, and posterior deltoid muscles were collected, filtered, and denoised to extract time-domain features.

Implications of prognostic nutritional index in predicting adverse outcomes of uncontrolled diabetic patients: a cohort study of the national health and nutrition examination survey from 2005 - 2018.

Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder with increasing prevalence and poor control rates, leading to adverse events. Prognostic nutritional value (PNI) has been identified as a protective factor in DM, but its role in uncontrolled DM remains unclear.

Methods: This study based on the representative cohort of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2018.

Understanding the mechanism of saccharides type and concentration affecting texture of freeze-dried pectin-CMC cryogels through experiment and molecular dynamic simulation.

Saccharides are the dominant factor shaping the texture of freeze-dried products. This study investigated the impact of various molecular-weight saccharides at different concentrations on the physical properties and intermolecular interactions of pectin-CMC cryogels by experiment and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. Results showed that the increased shrinkage of cryogels and enhanced molecular interactions between saccharides and pectin-CMC were mechanisms that enhanced the hardness of cryogels.

Study on jet dynamic impact performance under the influence of standoff.

Due to the sensitivity of the shaped charge jet to standoff and the complexity of its impact under lateral disturbances, this study aims to investigate the dynamic impact evolution of the jet influenced by standoff and lateral disturbances. A finite element model for the dynamic impact of shaped charge jets was established. Dynamic impact experiments were designed and conducted to validate the effectiveness of the numerical simulations.

NSUN2-Mediated R-loop Stabilization as a Key Driver of Bladder Cancer Progression and Cisplatin Sensitivity.

R-loops are critical structures that play pivotal roles in regulating genomic stability and modulating gene expression. This study investigates the interactions between the 5-methylcytosine (mC) methyltransferase NOP2/Sun RNA methyltransferase 2 (NSUN2) and R-loops in the transcriptional dynamics and damage repair process of bladder cancer (BCa) cells. We observed markedly elevated levels of R-loops in BCa cells relative to normal urothelial cells.

Effects of transglutaminase on the gelation properties and digestibility of pea protein isolate with resonance acoustic mixing pretreatment.

Our previous research confirmed that resonance acoustic mixing (RAM) pretreatment effectively improved the emulsification and water retention of commercial pea protein isolate (PPI), but significantly reduced its gel performance. This study aimed to investigate the effect of transglutaminase (TGase, 0.1 %, 0.

Enhanced solubility, stability, bioaccessibility, and antioxidant activity of curcumin with hydrolyzed pea protein-based nano-micelles: pH-driven method vs ethanol-induced method.

Pea protein nano-micelles gained with partial hydrolysis by a proteolytic enzyme (Protamex) were employed as nanocarriers to encapsulate and stabilize liable and hydrophobic curcumin (CUR) with two various methods (pH-driven method (PDM) and ethanol-induced method (EIM)). Both CUR-loaded pea protein hydrolysates (PPHs) nano-micelles by PDM and EIM exhibited spherical shapes, and uniform particle size distributions. Highest CUR loading amount (3.

Unraveling ptosis: a comprehensive review of clinical manifestations, genetics, and treatment.

Ptosis is defined as an abnormally low-lying upper eyelid margin on the primary gaze, generally resulting from a congenital or acquired abnormality of the nerves or muscles that control the eyelid. Ptosis can occur alone or concurrently as an ocular or systemic syndrome, and the prevalence of ptosis varies among different countries and populations. Isolated ptosis typically causes aesthetic problems in patients and can lead to functional ophthalmic problems in severe cases.

Global, regional, and national burden of childhood cardiovascular disease: trends from 1990 to 2021.

Background: Childhood cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an emerging public health concern, with rising incidence linked to obesity and diabetes. Despite advancements in care, significant disparities persist across regions and socioeconomic groups. This study analyzed the global, regional, and national burden of childhood CVD from 1990 to 2021.