Unraveling the Distribution, Metabolization, and Catabolism of Foliar Sprayed Carbon Dots in Maize and Effect on Soil Environment.

The enormous potential of carbon dots (CDs) in agriculture has been widely reported, whereas their accurate distribution, transformation, and metabolic fate and potential soil health effects are not clearly understood. Herein, C-labeled CDs (C-CDs) were sprayed on maize leaf, accumulated in all tissues, and promoted photosynthesis. Specifically, C-CDs were internalized to participate in the synthesis of glucose, sucrose, citric acid, glyoxylate, and chlorogenic acid, promoting tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) and phenylalanine metabolism.

Discovery of a Hybrid Molecule with Phytotoxic Activity by Genome Mining, Heterologous Expression, and OSMAC Strategy.

Genome mining in association with the OSMAC (one strain, many compounds) approach provides a feasible strategy to extend the chemical diversity and novelty of natural products. In this study, we identified the biosynthetic gene cluster (BGC) of restricticin, a promising antifungal agent featuring a reactive primary amine, from the fungus LZDX-33-4 by genome mining. Combining heterologous expression and the OSMAC strategy resulted in the production of a new hybrid product (), along with -acetyl-restricticin () and restricticinol ().

Role of short-chain fatty acids in host physiology.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are major metabolites produced by the gut microbiota through the fermentation of dietary fiber, and they have garnered significant attention due to their close association with host health. As important mediators between the gut microbiota and the host, SCFAs serve as energy substrates for intestinal epithelial cells and maintain homeostasis in host immune and energy metabolism by influencing host epigenetics, activating G protein-coupled receptors, and inhibiting pathogenic microbial infections. This review provides a comprehensive summary of SCFAs synthesis and metabolism and offering an overview of the latest research progress on their roles in protecting gut health, enhancing energy metabolism, mitigating diseases such as cancer, obesity, and diabetes, modulating the gut-brain axis and gut-lung axis, and promoting bone health.

Biosynthesis of Epipyrone A Reveals a Highly Specific Membrane-Bound Fungal -Glycosyltransferase for Pyrone Galactosylation.

Epipyrone A is a unique -galactosylated 4-hydroxy-2-pyrone derivative with an antifungal potential from the fungus . We elucidated its biosynthesis via heterologous expression and characterized an unprecedented membrane-bound pyrone -glycosyltransferase biochemically. Molecular docking and mutagenesis experiments suggested a possible mechanism for the heterocyclic -glycosylation and the importance of a transmembrane helix for its catalysis.

Quassinoids with Inhibitory Activities against Plant Fungal Pathogens from .

A bioactivity-guided study on the leaves of led to the isolation of 19 quassinoids, including 13 new compounds. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by a combination of spectroscopic data analysis, X-ray crystallography studies, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) data interpretation. Compounds - are rare examples of quassinoids with a keto carbonyl group at C-12.

Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index Is Superior to Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio in Prognostic Assessment of Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy.

Results: SII, NLR, and PLR did not define patient groups with distinct clinicopathological characteristics. SII, NLR, and PLR cut-off values were 547, 2.13, and 88.

Tailoring neoadjuvant chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer who have achieved pathologic complete response.

Background: We retrospectively examined whether different cycles of chemotherapy affected the prognosis of patients who achieved a pathologic complete response (pCR).

Methods: We reviewed data from patients who achieved pCR after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) between 2008 and 2018. In total, 286 patients were divided into three groups: group one (n=148, 52%) completed standard chemotherapy cycles before surgery, group two (n=81, 28%) did not complete standard chemotherapy cycles before surgery or received chemotherapy after surgery, and group three (n=57, 20%) did not complete standard chemotherapy cycles before surgery but completed them after surgery.

An Abbreviated Scale for the Assessment of Skeletal Bone Age Using Radiographs of the Knee.

Hand and wrist radiographs are the most common means for estimating skeletal bone age. There is no widely used scale for estimating skeletal bone age using knee radiographs. Do skeletal bone age estimates from knee-maturity scales correlate sufficiently with both chronologic age and estimates from a hand-wrist scale to potentially substitute for estimates from the latter? The authors reviewed the records of 503 patients 6 to 19 years old who had hand and knee radiographs obtained within 30 days of each other.

MR-guided percutaneous biopsy of solitary pulmonary lesions using a 1.0-T open high-field MRI scanner with respiratory gating.

Objectives: To prospectively evaluate the feasibility, safety and accuracy of MR-guided percutaneous biopsy of solitary pulmonary lesions using a 1.0-T open MR scanner with respiratory gating.

Methods: Sixty-five patients with 65 solitary pulmonary lesions underwent MR-guided percutaneous coaxial cutting needle biopsy using a 1.

Cystoid angiocentric glioma: A case report and literature review.

Angiocentric glioma is a rare subtype of neuroepithelial tumor that is associated with a history of epilepsy. We report a case of cystoid angiocentric glioma associated with an area of calcification. This 25 year old male patient presented with tonic clonic spasm.

MRI-guided percutaneous transpedicular biopsy of thoracic and lumbar spine using a 0.23t scanner with optical instrument tracking.

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate the safety and accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided percutaneous transpedicular biopsy of thoracic and lumbar spine using 0.23T magnetic resonance imaging with optical tracking.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-seven thoracic and lumbar spine lesions in 67 patients underwent MRI-guided percutaneous transpedicular biopsy using 0.

The systematic assessment of traditional evidence from the premodern Chinese medical literature: a text-mining approach.

Objectives: This project aimed to develop an approach to evaluating information contained in the premodern Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) literature that was (1) comprehensive, systematic, and replicable and (2) able to produce quantifiable output that could be used to answer specific research questions in order to identify natural products for clinical and experimental research.

Methods: The project involved two stages. In stage 1, 14 TCM collections and compendia were evaluated for suitability as sources for searching; 8 of these were compared in detail.

MRI-guided stereotactic aspiration of brain abscesses by use of an optical tracking navigation system.

Background: Owing to the high risk of abscess drainage by craniotomy, imaging-guided stereotactic aspiration is considered an ideal choice in the management of brain abscesses. Interventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) represents a valuable technique for the treatment of brain abscess as a guiding modality.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of an interventional MRI system in performing the procedure.

The prevalence of osteoarthritis of the atlanto-odontoid joint in adults using multidetector computed tomography.

Background: The prevalence of osteoarthritis of the atlanto-odontoid joint has been reported by radiology, autopsy, and conventional computed tomography (CT), but the prevalence has not yet been assessed by multidetector computed tomography (MDCT).

Purpose: To reveal the prevalence of osteoarthritis of the atlanto-odontoid joint and to analyze the inter-relationships among gender, age, and osteoarthritis with MDCT in adults.

Material And Methods: First, a series of 700 selected domestic patients aged >18 years undergoing an upper cervical MDCT scan were divided equally into seven age groups.

Chinese herbs for memory disorders: a review and systematic analysis of classical herbal literature.

Text mining and other literature-based investigations can assist in identifying natural products for experimental and clinical research. This article details a method for systematically analyzing data derived from the classical Chinese medical literature. We present the results of electronic searches of Zhong Hua Yi Dian ("Encyclopaedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine"), a CD of 1000 premodern (before 1950) medical books, for single herbs, and other natural products used for dementia, memory disorders, and memory improvement.

Magnetic resonance imaging-guided percutaneous biopsy of mediastinal masses: diagnostic performance and safety.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance and safety of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging-guided percutaneous mediastinal biopsy procedures using a 0.23-T open MR system with optical tracking navigation.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective analysis of 59 participants (38 males and 21 females; mean age, 45 years; range, 16-73 years) who underwent MR imaging-guided percutaneous mediastinal biopsy procedures was performed.

Systematic assessment of the representativeness of published collections of the traditional literature on Chinese medicine.

Background: The traditional Chinese medical literature provides a substantial resource for natural products research. When undertaking systematic searches, investigators need to assess the scope, content, and relevance of collections both singly and in comparison.

Objectives: This study examines eight collections of pre-modern literature, develops an approach to quantitatively assess their content, and compares their relative inclusivity.

A multi-center survey of HPV knowledge and attitudes toward HPV vaccination among women, government officials, and medical personnel in China.

Objectives: To assess knowledge of HPV and attitudes towards HPV vaccination among the general female population, government officials, and healthcare providers in China to assist the development of an effective national HPV vaccination program.

Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiologic survey was conducted across 21 urban and rural sites in China using a short questionnaire. 763 government officials, 760 healthcare providers, and 11,681 women aged 15-59 years were included in the final analysis.

Quality of life of Chinese urban community residents: a psychometric study of the mainland Chinese version of the WHOQOL-BREF.

Background: The short version of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life Instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) is widely validated and popularly used in assessing the subjective quality of life (QOL) of patients and the general public. We examined its psychometric properties in a large sample of community residents in mainland China.

Methods: The WHOQOL-BREF was administered to 1052 adult community residents in a major metropolitan city in southern China.

Comparative effectiveness research on patients with acute ischemic stroke using Markov decision processes.

Background: Several methodological issues with non-randomized comparative clinical studies have been raised, one of which is whether the methods used can adequately identify uncertainties that evolve dynamically with time in real-world systems. The objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of different combinations of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatments and combinations of TCM and Western medicine interventions in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) by using Markov decision process (MDP) theory. MDP theory appears to be a promising new method for use in comparative effectiveness research.

A multi-center survey of age of sexual debut and sexual behavior in Chinese women: suggestions for optimal age of human papillomavirus vaccination in China.

Objective: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide, and over 85% of cervical cancers occur in developing countries such as China. Lack of resources for nationwide cervical cancer screening in China makes vaccination against oncogenic strains of HPV particularly important. Knowledge of age at sexual debut and sexual behavior is essential prior to implementation of a national vaccination program.

MRI-guided biopsy and aspiration in the head and neck: evaluation of 77 patients.

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of MRI-guided percutaneous biopsy procedures of head and neck lesions using 0.23T open MRI with optical tracking.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 77 patients (51 male, 26 female; mean age, 43 years; range, 11-88 years) who underwent MRI-guided percutaneous biopsy of a head and neck lesion was performed.