Chemokines in diabetic eye disease.

Background: Diabetic eye disease is a common micro-vascular complication of diabetes and a leading cause of decreased vision and blindness in people of working age worldwide.Although previous studies have shown that chemokines system may be a player in pathogenesis of diabetic eye disease, it is unclear which chemokines play the most important role.To date, there is no meta-analysis which has investigated the role of chemokines in diabetic eye disease.

In Situ Construction of a Hydrophobic Honeycomb-like Structured ZnMoO Coating Applied for Enhancing Zinc Anode Performance.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) suffer from sharp cycling deterioration due to serious interfacial side reactions and corrosion problems on the zinc anode. Herein, an efficacious approach to construct hydrophobic ZnMoO coatings on Zn (denoted as Zn@ZMO) is proposed to mitigate direct contact between the zinc anode and electrolyte and enhance its cycle life. The hydrophobic ZnMoO layer (contact angle = 128°) with a honeycomb-like structure is prepared by an in situ liquid phase deposition method.

Protective Effect of Silibinin on Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Endotoxemia by Inhibiting Caspase-11-Dependent Cell Pyroptosis.

Objective: To explore the protective effect and the underlying mechanism of silibinin (SIB), one of the active compounds from Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn in endotoxemia.

Methods: Mouse peritoneal macrophage were isolated via intraperitoneally injection of BALB/c mice with thioglycolate medium.

Research on the tripartite evolution strategy of prefabricated building promotion based on the deepening of demand-side interests.

Under construction industry upgrading and environmental protection requirements, promoting prefabricated buildings is very important, but its development varies significantly in different regions. For example, it only accounts for 20% of the new construction area in China, and the overall development level is low. The promotion of prefabricated buildings involves multiple interests.

Corilagin alleviates liver fibrosis in zebrafish and mice by repressing IDO1-mediated M2 macrophage repolarization.

Background: Liver fibrosis caused by chronic liver injury, eventually develops into liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Currently, there are no effective drugs to relieve liver fibrosis due to the lack of molecular pathogenesis characteristics. Former research demonstrates that the hepatic immune microenvironment plays a key role in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis, thus macrophages are important immune cells in the liver.

MnO nanosheets and gold nanoparticles supported electrochemical detection of circulating tumor cells.

The concentration of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood is strongly correlated with the progress of certain metastatic cancers. In this study, we have developed a novel and facile electrochemical biosensor for the detection of CTCs based on the use of manganese dioxide nanosheets (MnO NSs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Aptamer sequence of target cell is modified on the surface of AuNPs for specifical recognition.

Auxiliary screening COVID-19 by computed tomography.

Background: The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic remains rampant in many countries/regions. Improving the positive detection rate of COVID-19 infection is an important measure for the control and prevention of this pandemic. This meta-analysis aims to systematically summarize the current characteristics of the computed tomography (CT) auxiliary screening methods for COVID-19 infection in the real world.

Liquiritin exhibits anti-acute lung injury activities through suppressing the JNK/Nur77/c-Jun pathway.

Background: Licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch.), a well-known traditional medicine, is traditionally used for the treatment of respiratory disorders, such as cough, sore throat, asthma and bronchitis. We aim to investigate the effects of liquiritin (LQ), the main bioactive compound in licorice against acute lung injury (ALI) and explore the potential mechanism.

A cognitive evaluation and equity-based perspective of pay for performance on job performance: A meta-analysis and path model.

Pay for performance, as one of the most important means of motivating employees, has attracted the attention of many scholars and managers. However, controversy has continued regarding whether it promotes or undermines job performance. Drawing on a meta-analysis of 108 independent samples ( = 71,438) from 100 articles, we found that pay for performance was positively related to job performance.

The Alleviation of Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS)-Induced Colitis Correlate with the log Values of Food-Derived Electrophilic Compounds.

Food-derived electrophilic compounds (FECs) are small molecules with electrophilic groups with potential cytoprotective effects. This study investigated the differential effects of six prevalent FECs on colitis in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced mice and the underlying relationship with molecular characteristics. Fumaric acid (FMA), isoliquiritigenin (ISO), cinnamaldehyde (CA), ferulic acid (FA), sulforaphane (SFN), and chlorogenic acid (CGA) exhibited varying improvements in colitis on clinical signs, colonic histopathology, inflammatory and oxidative indicators, and Nrf2 pathway in a sequence of SFN, ISO > FA, CA > FMA, CGA.

Design of ultracompact broadband focusing spectrometers based on diffractive optical networks.

We propose the inverse design of ultracompact, broadband focusing spectrometers based on adaptive diffractive optical networks (a-DONs). Specifically, we introduce and characterize two-layer diffractive devices with engineered angular dispersion that focus and steer broadband incident radiation along predefined focal trajectories with the desired bandwidth and nanometer spectral resolution. Moreover, we systematically study the focusing efficiency of two-layer devices with side length =100 and focal length =300 across the visible spectrum and demonstrate accurate reconstruction of the emission spectrum from a commercial superluminescent diode.

Efficacy of metformin therapy in patients with cancer: a meta-analysis of 22 randomised controlled trials.

Background: To investigate whether metformin monotherapy or adjunctive therapy improves the prognosis in patients with any type of cancer compared to non-metformin users (age ≥18).

Methods: Databases (Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) and clinical trial registries ( ClinicalTrials.gov ; the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform) were screened for randomized, controlled trials (RCT) reporting at least progression-free survival (PFS) and/or overall survival (OS).

Electrophilic components from Xiaoheiyao (rhizomes of Inula nervosa Wall.) alleviate the production of heterocyclic aromatic amines via creatinine inhibition.

Xiaoheiyao is the rhizome of Inula nervosa Wall., a traditional spice and medicinal herb in China. In this study, the creatinine inhibitor from Xiaoheiyao extract and also the effects and mechanism on the production of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) were investigated.

Biejiajian pill inhibits progression of hepatocellular carcinoma by downregulating PDGFRβ signaling in cancer-associated fibroblasts.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Biejiajian pill (BJJP) is a canonical formula that is clinically used to treat chronic liver disease, especially to decrease the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the mechanisms underlying the prevention of HCC progression by BJJP remain unclear.

Aim Of The Study: This study aimed to determine whether BJJP inhibits HCC progression by downregulating platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRβ) signaling in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in a mouse model of diethylnitrosamine (DEN)/carbon tetrachloride (CCl)-induced HCC.

Effect of Sugar and Milk Powder Addition on the Mechanical Properties and Texture of Chocolate.

In order to investigate how the addition of two common ingredients in chocolate, sugar and milk powder, affects the mechanical properties of solid chocolate, uniaxial compression tests and wedge fracture tests were carried out using four ratios of chocolate as the experimental material. Mechanical properties such as Young's modulus and fracture toughness were directly correlated with textural properties such as hardness, elasticity, and brittleness. The results show that adding sugar increases Young's modulus and fracture toughness of chocolate, while milk powder is the opposite.

Auxiliary Screening COVID-19 by Serology.

Background: The 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic remains rampant in many countries/regions. Improving the positive detection rate of COVID-19 infection is an important measure for control and prevention of this pandemic. This meta-analysis aims to systematically summarize the current characteristics of the auxiliary screening methods by serology for COVID-19 infection in real world.

High-Performance Liquid Crystalline Polymer for Intrinsic Fire-Resistant and Flexible Triboelectric Nanogenerators.

Flammability is a great challenge in the fields of electronics. The emergence of triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) provides a safe way to harvest environmentalally friendly energy and convert it into more secure power sources. Especially, polymer-based TENGs significantly accelerate the practical application of self-powered flexible electronics.

Poria cocos polysaccharides rescue pyroptosis-driven gut vascular barrier disruption in order to alleviates non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Poria cocos polysaccharides (PCP) are abundant in Poria cocos (Schw.) Wolf (Poria). This is a common traditional Chinese medicine used to treat gastrointestinal and liver diseases.

Inverse design of ultracompact multi-focal optical devices by diffractive neural networks.

We propose an efficient inverse design approach for multifunctional optical elements based on adaptive deep diffractive neural networks (a-DNNs). Specifically, we introduce a-DNNs and design two-layer diffractive devices that can selectively focus incident radiation over two well-separated spectral bands at desired distances. We investigate focusing efficiencies at two wavelengths and achieve targeted spectral line shapes and spatial point-spread functions (PSFs) with optimal focusing efficiency.

Isoliquiritigenin alleviates liver fibrosis through caveolin-1-mediated hepatic stellate cells ferroptosis in zebrafish and mice.

Background: Liver fibrosis is a major disease that threatens people's health around the world. However, there is a lack of effective treatment to completely reverse liver fibrosis. Liver transplantation is currently the only curative option for patients with advanced cirrhosis.

Hyperuniform scalar random fields for lensless, multispectral imaging systems: erratum.

We present an erratum to our Letter [Opt. Lett.46, 5360 (2021)10.

Emodin Protects Against Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury the JNK/Nur77/c-Jun Signaling Pathway.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a serious inflammatory disease with clinical manifestations of hypoxemia and respiratory failure. Presently, there is no effective treatment of ALI. Although emodin from L.