Identification and functional characterization of a novel amidohydrolase involved in ochratoxin A degradation by Acinetobacter baumannii HAU425.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a widespread mycotoxin calling for the development of effective strategies for its decontamination. In this study, a highly efficient OTA-degrading bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii HAU425 was isolated from soil with ochratoxin α (OTα) as the degradation product. The identification of OTA hydrolase from strain HAU425 was carried out by combining genome mining with gene cloning and heterologous expression technologies.

Transcranial alternating current stimulation for older adults with cognitive impairment: A bibliometric and knowledge map analysis.

As the population ages, cognitive impairment leading to dementia and related disorders presents an increasingly significant societal burden. Transcranial alternating current stimulation emerges as a potential noninvasive treatment, yet remains an area of ongoing research. Using the Science Citation Index Expanded within the Web of Science Core Collection database, we identified 144 relevant articles spanning from 1965 to December 1st, 2023.

Effects of antiseizure medication withdrawal during the first trimester of pregnancy on seizure control and offspring outcomes.

Objective: To explore seizure control and offspring outcomes associated with antiseizure medication (ASM) withdrawal during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Methods: Based on a prospective multicenter study in China, pregnancies followed up between 2009 and 2023 at the neurology outpatient clinic of 50 hospitals were included in this study. Information on demographics, epileptic characteristics, treatment during pregnancy, and offspring outcomes was collected.

Global burden and management of women with epilepsy in pregnancy: A modeling study.

Background: Most pregnant women with epilepsy do not receive proper medical care, which creates a special burden worldwide. We aimed to qualify this special global burden and assess the impact of different clinical management strategies to reduce it.

Methods: The data used in this study were extracted from articles published between 2005 and 2022.

Pleurotus eryngii polysaccharides alleviate aflatoxin B-induced liver inflammation in ducks involving in remodeling gut microbiota and regulating SCFAs transport via the gut-liver axis.

Aflatoxin B (AFB) is one of the most widespread contaminants in agricultural commodities. Pleurotus eryngii (PE) is widely used as a feed additive for its anti-inflammatory properties, and its major active substance is believed to be polysaccharides. This study aims to explore the underlying mechanism of dietary PE polysaccharides alleviating AFB-induced toxicity in ducks.

Chlorogenic Acid Alleviated AFB1-Induced Hepatotoxicity by Regulating Mitochondrial Function, Activating Nrf2/HO-1, and Inhibiting Noncanonical NF-κB Signaling Pathway.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a kind of mycotoxin, imposes acute or chronic toxicity on humans and causes great public health concerns. Chlorogenic acid (CGA), a natural phenolic substance, shows a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effect. This study was conducted to investigate the effect and mechanism of CGA on alleviating cytotoxicity induced by AFB1 in L-02 cells.

Nomograms for the prediction of decannulation in patients with neurological injury: a study based on clinical practice.

Background: Rational prediction of the probability of decannulation in tracheotomy patients is of great importance to clinicians and patients' families. This study aimed to develop a prediction model for decannulation in tracheotomized patients with neurological injury using routine clinical data and blood tests.

Methods: We developed a prediction model based on 186 tracheotomized patients, and data were collected from January 2018 to March 2021.

Traumatic brain injury and rTMS-ERPs: Case report and literature review.

Currently, there are no cases of targeted, individualized repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment based on event-related potential (ERPs) results showing the activation of functional brain regions. The identification and treatment of mild cognitive impairment after traumatic brain injury are challenging. rTMS has shown unique advantages in previous studies, with positive effects on noninvasive modulation and neuroplasticity after brain injury.

Interactive effect between sleep and exercise on depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents.

Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the effects of sleep and exercise, individually and jointly, on depressive symptoms in Chinese adolescents.

Methods: Cluster sampling was used to conduct a cross-sectional, electronic survey among 11,563 students from five primary and high schools in Sichuan Province in Western China. The questionnaire contained custom-designed items concerning sleep and exercise, while it used the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale to assess depressive symptoms and the Core Self-Evaluations Scale to assess core self-evaluation.

A Hyper-Pseudoelastic Model of Cyclic Stress-Softening Effect for Rubber Composites.

Rubber composites are hyperelastic materials with obvious stress-softening effects during the cyclic loading-unloading process. In previous studies, it is hard to obtain the stress responses of rubber composites at arbitrary loading-unloading orders directly. In this paper, a hyper-pseudoelastic model is developed to characterize the cyclic stress-softening effect of rubber composites with a fixed stretch amplitude at arbitrary loading-unloading order.

Macrophage-Derived Extracellular DNA Initiates Heterotopic Ossification.

Heterotopic ossification (HO) severely affects people's lives; however, its pathological mechanism remains poorly understood. Although extracellular DNA (ecDNA) has been shown to play important roles in pathological calcification, its effects in HO development and progression remain unknown. The in vivo rat Achilles tendon injury model and in vitro collagen I calcification model were used to evaluate the effects of ecDNA in the ectopic calcifications and the main cell types involved in those pathological process.

Yeast polysaccharide mitigated oxidative injury in broilers induced by mixed mycotoxins via regulating intestinal mucosal oxidative stress and hepatic metabolic enzymes.

This study was aimed to investigate the effects of yeast polysaccharides (YPS) on growth performance, intestinal health, and aflatoxin metabolism in livers of broilers fed diets naturally contaminated with mixed mycotoxins (MYCO). A total of 480 one-day-old Arbor Acre male broilers were randomly allocated into a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments (8 replicates with 10 birds per replicate) for 6 wk to assess the effects of 3 levels of YPS (0, 1, or 2 g/kg) on the broilers fed diets contaminated with or without MYCO (95 μg/kg aflatoxin B, 1.5 mg/kg deoxynivalenol, and 490 μg/kg zearalenone).

Fibrotic Matrix Induces Mesenchymal Transformation of Epithelial Cells in Oral Submucous Fibrosis.

Oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) is a potentially malignant disorder of the oral mucosa; however, whether and how the fibrotic matrix of OSF is involved in the malignant transformation of epithelial cells remains unknown. Herein, oral mucosa tissue from patients with OSF, OSF rat models, and their controls were used to observe the extracellular matrix changes and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) in fibrotic lesions. Compared with controls, oral mucous tissues from patients with OSF showed an increased number of myofibroblasts, a decreased number of blood vessels, and increased type I and type III collagen levels.

Controlling liquid crystal boojum defects on fixed microparticle arrays via capillarity-assisted particles assembly.

Hypothesis: Colloidal particles in nematic liquid crystals (LCs) are of high interest for self-assembly of soft matter systems. When two free particles approach within a uniaxially-oriented nematic LC, an elastic force is generated due to the distorted nematic director configuration around them, allowing particles to self-assemble by an attractive force. We hypothesize that if particles are immobilized, repulsive forces emerge instead, causing the deflection of the interacting defects to compensate for the energy increase.

Assessment of CuO NPs on soil microbial community structure based on phospholipid fatty acid techniques and phytotoxicity of bok choy seedlings.

In this study, a soil culture and a hydroponic experiment were conducted to assess the toxicology effects of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) on soil microbial community structure and the growth of bok choy. Results showed CuO NPs had an inhibitory effect on soil microbial abundance, diversity, and activity, as well as the bok choy seedling growth, whereas CuO NPs at low concentrations did not significantly affect the soil microbial biomass or plant growth. In soil, CuO NPs at high dose (80 mg kg) significantly reduced the indexes of Simpson diversity, Shannon-Wiener diversity and Pielou evenness by 3.

Comparative effects of copper nanoparticles and copper oxide nanoparticles on physiological characteristics and mineral element accumulation in Brassica chinensis L.

In this study, the short-term toxicity of Cu NPs, CuO NPs, and CuSO on bok choy (Brassica chinensis L.) under hydroponic conditions was evaluated using indicators such as biomass, net photosynthesis rate, root morphology, enzyme activity, and Cu accumulation and subcellular distribution. Results showed that CuO NPs exposure notably increased the biomass, root length, and root tip number by 22.

Evaporation-Driven Liquid-Liquid Crystalline Phase Separation in Droplets of Anisotropic Colloids.

Drying a colloidal droplet involves complex physics that is often accompanied by evaporation-induced concentration gradients inside of the droplet, offering a platform for fundamental and technological opportunities, including self-assembly, thin film deposition, microfabrication, and DNA stretching. Here, we investigate the drying, liquid crystalline structures, and deposit patterns of colloidal liquid crystalline droplets undergoing liquid-liquid crystalline phase separation (LLCPS) during evaporation. We show that evaporation-induced progressive up-concentration inside the drying droplets makes it possible to cross, at different speeds, various thermodynamic stability states in solutions of amyloid fibril rigid filamentous colloids, thus allowing access to both metastable states, where phase separation occurs via nucleation and growth, as well as to unstable states, where phase separation occurs via the more elusive spinodal decomposition, leading to the formation of liquid crystalline microdroplets (or tactoids) of different shapes.

Post-stroke cognitive impairment: A bibliometric and knowledge-map analysis.

Background: Post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) has a negative effect on activities of daily living.

Objective: Although a number of studies have been published on PSCI, no quantitative studies have yet been conducted.

Method: CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to quantitatively analyze PSCI to illustrate the research hotspots and trends in PSCI.

Exploring the complex pathways between somatosensory impairment, physical ability and affective symptoms following stroke: mediation analyses.

Background: Based on the theory of postural control and the role of cognitive capacity, this study analyses how physical ability and somatosensory impairment influence affective symptoms in patients with stroke.

Methods: The cross-sectional study with a consecutive sampling approach was conducted in 10 different rehabilitation departments in Yunnan Province, China between August 2019 and February 2021. A total of 1,058 patients with stroke were included according to the inclusion criteria and exclusive criteria.

Proximal avulsion of five ligaments and revised diagonal principle in tibial plateau fractures.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the incidence of proximal avulsion of the five main ligaments and to revise the diagonal tension/compression concept in tibial plateau fractures.

Methods: Computed tomographic images of 1263 cases of tibial plateau fractures were retrospectively analyzed by the OTA/AO classification and four-column nine-segment classification. The correlation between proximal avulsion of five ligaments and the injury mechanism was analyzed.

Phytotoxicity and Accumulation of Copper-Based Nanoparticles in under Cadmium Stress.

The widespread use of copper-based nanoparticles expands the possibility that they enter the soil combined with heavy metals, having a toxic effect and posing a threat to the safety of vegetables. In this study, single and combined treatments of 2 mg/L Cd, 20 mg/L Cu NPs and 20 mg/L CuO NPs were added into Hoagland nutrient solution by hydroponics experiments. The experimental results show that copper-based Nanoparticles (NPs) can increase the photosynthetic rate of plants and increase the biomass of Brassica.

Dynamic regulation of O-GlcNAcylation and phosphorylation on STAT3 under hypoxia-induced EMT.

Activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is associated with hypoxia-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Activation of STAT3 requires its phosphorylated form, and STAT3 can also be post-translationally modified by O-GlcNAcylation. Dynamic regulation of STAT3 O-GlcNAcylation in relation to STAT3 phosphorylation remains poorly understood.

The Underlying Molecular Mechanisms Involved in Traditional Chinese Medicine L. for the Treatment of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.

L. (SCL) is extensively used in the treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This study aimed to clarify the potential active ingredients of SCL and mechanisms on PID.

C8orf48 inhibits the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer by regulating the MAPK signaling pathway.

Aims: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death globally. Thus, in this study, we aimed to investigate chromosome 8 open reading frame 48 (C8orf48) as a biomarker for early detection of CRC.

Main Methods: RNA expression and methylation profiles were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database.