Exploration of brain imaging biomarkers in subthreshold depression patients across different ages: an ALE meta-analysis based on MRI studies.

Background: Structural neuroimaging findings in Subthreshold depression (StD) patients at different ages are highly heterogeneous. This study aims to investigate the pathophysiology of StD across different ages.

Methods: Literature searches for MRI studies of StD were conducted in 11 databases, including PubMed and Embase, from database inception to June 18, 2024.

Effects of Tai Chi on Multiple Brain Networks Structure-Function Couplings in Individuals with Subthreshold Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Subthreshold depression represents a prodromal stage of major depressive disorder and may be associated with abnormalities in brain structural and functional networks. While studies have shown that mind-body exercises such as Tai Chi can alleviate subthreshold depression, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Purpose: This study aimed to explore the potential mechanisms of Tai Chi for improving subthreshold depression from the perspective of structure-function coupling of brain networks.

The Diagnostic Value of Plasma Small Extracellular Vesicle-Derived CAIX Protein in Prostate Cancer and Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer: A Study on Predictive Models.

Background: Current diagnostic tools are inaccurate and not specific to prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis. Cancer-derived small extracellular vehicles (sEVs) play a key role in intercellular communication. In this study, we examined the diagnostic value of plasma sEV-derived carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) protein for PCa and clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) diagnosis and avoiding unnecessary biopsies.

The effect of transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) over bilateral parietal cortex in visual cross-modal conflicts.

In complex sensory environments, visual cross-modal conflicts often affect auditory performance. The inferior parietal cortex (IPC) is involved in processing visual conflicts, namely when cognitive control processes such as inhibitory control and working memory are required. This study investigated the effect of bilateral IPC tRNS on reducing visual cross-modal conflicts and explored whether its efficacy is dependent on the conflict type.

Chronic Stress Mediates Inflammatory Cytokines Alterations and Its Role in Tumorigenesis.

Introduction: Prolonged psychological stress is closely associated with cancer due to its role in promoting the release of stress hormones through the sustained activation of the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system. These hormones interact with receptors on inflammatory cells, leading to the activation of key signaling pathways, including the transcription factors signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT-3) and kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB). These factors drive the production of pro-inflammatory substances, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), which can influence the initiation and progression of cancer.

Stromal vascular fraction: Mechanisms and application in reproductive disorders.

Stromal vascular fraction (SVF) is a complex mixture derived from adipose tissue, consisting of a variety of cells. Due to its potential for tissue repair, immunomodulation, and support of angiogenesis, SVF represents a promising frontier in regenerative medicine and offers potential therapy for a range of disease conditions. In this article, we delve into the mechanisms through which SVF exerts its effects and explore its potential applications in treating both male and female reproductive disorders, including erectile dysfunction, testicular injury, stress urinary incontinence and intrauterine adhesion.

Discovery of phloridzin as a new antagonist for Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate-induced male reproductive toxicity based on the adverse outcome pathway network and drug-target gene set enrichment analysis.

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a widespread ubiquitous phthalate environmental contaminant. The male reproductive toxicity (MRT) from exposure to DEHP and its main metabolite, mono(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), has been well documented. Fully elucidating its toxic mechanism and discovering effective antagonists are desirable means to reduce the health risks of DEHP.

Toward Automated Simulation Research Workflow through LLM Prompt Engineering Design.

The advent of Large Language Models (LLMs) has created new opportunities for the automation of scientific research spanning both experimental processes and computational simulations. This study explores the feasibility of constructing an autonomous simulation agent (ASA) powered by LLMs through prompt engineering and automated program design to automate the entire simulation research process according to a human-provided research plan. This process includes experimental design, remote upload and simulation execution, data analysis, and report compilation.

Impaired visual attention and numerical processing in children with anisometropic amblyopia and after visual acuity recovery.

Amblyopia affects more than visual acuity. To compare the performances of visual selective attention and numerical processing in children with anisometropic amblyopia and children with normal vision, and investigate whether performance would be improved after visual acuity recovery, we performed 3 visual attention tasks (identifying number location task, numerical comparison task, and specific number comparison task) in children with anisometropic amblyopia, children who had recovered from anisometropic amblyopia, and children with normal vision in 6-8 and 9-11 years groups. The numerical processing ability, visual selective attention, and numerical distance effect were assessed by their reaction time of different tasks.

Barriers and Facilitators to the Participation of Pregnant Women in Clinical Research: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.

Objectives: Pregnant women had a large demand for diagnosis and treatment, but the clinical research was not sufficient, and there were many barriers for pregnant women to participate in clinical research. This study aimed to systematically identify these barriers and facilitators, map them with Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and Behavior Change Techniques (BCTs) to inform the development of interventions promoting pregnant women's involvement in clinical research.

Methods: This was a mixed-methods systematic review.

Individualized identification value of stress-related network structural-functional properties and HPA axis reactivity for subthreshold depression.

Accumulating studies have highlighted the links between stress-related networks and the HPA axis for emotion regulation and proved the mapping associations between altered structural and functional networks (called SC-FC coupling) in depression. However, the signatures of SC-FC coupling in subthreshold depression (StD) individuals and their relationships with HPA axis reactivity, as well as the predictive power of these combinations for discriminating StD, remain unclear. This cross-sectional study enrolled 160 adults, including 117 StD and 43 healthy controls (HC).

Service quality evaluation of integrated health and social care for older Chinese adults in residential settings based on factor analysis and machine learning.

Objective: To evaluate the service quality of integrated health and social care institutions for older adults in residential settings in China, addressing a critical gap in the theoretical and empirical understanding of service quality assurance in this rapidly expanding sector.

Methods: This study employs three machine learning algorithms-Backpropagation Neural Networks (BPNN), Feedforward Neural Networks (FNN), and Support Vector Machines (SVM)-to train and validate an evaluative item system. Comparative indices such as Mean Squared Error, Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), and predictive performance metrics were employed to assess the models.

Advances of New Extracellular Vesicle Isolation and Detection Technologies in Cancer Diagnosis.

Cancer is a global health issue threatening people's lives. Currently, cancer detection methods still have a lot of room for improvement in both efficiency and accuracy. The development and application of new technologies are urgently required for early cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

Urine-based SERS and multivariate statistical analysis for identification of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer and muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer (BC) is an epidemiological urologic malignancy that continues to increase each year. Early diagnosis and prognosis monitoring is always significant in clinical practice, especially in distinguishing non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) from muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), due to the various depths of tumor invasion related to different therapeutic schedules and recurrence rates. Common diagnostic approaches are too invasive or generally inefficient in accuracy and specificity.

Fluoropolymer-Gadolinium(III) Hybrids for Photoactivatable Dual-Mode -Weighted H MRI and F MRI Contrast Agents.

Multimodal imaging probes play a crucial role in overcoming the limitations associated with single-mode imaging for clinical medical diagnosis. This study focuses on the development of a photoresponsive fluorine-containing water-soluble polymer () through RAFT polymerization. Subsequently, a polymer-gadolinium(III) hybrid () dual-modal probe capable of -weighted H MRI and F MRI was synthesized via postmodification of with a Gd-DOTA derivative.

A surgical site abscess caused by an ant bite on foot 7 years after mastectomy: A case report.

Key Clinical Message: Abscess at a previous surgical site induced by an insect bite has rarely been reported. Here we report a case of abscess at the breast surgical site, which occurred 7 years after mastectomy following an ant bite.

Abstract: Surgical site abscess generally occurs following operation within 30 days.

Using PRECIS-2 in Chinese herbal medicine randomized controlled trials for irritable bowel syndrome: A methodological exploration based on literature.

Background: The pragmatism levels of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) mean how similar the interventions delivered in the trial setting match those in the setting where the results will be applied. We aimed to investigate the association between the consistency of pragmatism among the characteristics of RCT design and its effect size of results in Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Methods: Eight English and Chinese language databases were searched for RCTs on CHM for IBS.

How fragile the positive results of Chinese herbal medicine randomized controlled trials on irritable bowel syndrome are?

Objective: The fragility index (FI), which is the minimum number of changes in status from "event" to "non-event" resulting in a loss of statistical significance, serves as a significant supplementary indicator for clinical physicians in interpreting clinical trial results and aids in understanding the outcomes of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In this systematic literature survey, we evaluated the FI for RCTs evaluating Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and explored potential associations between study characteristics and the robustness of RCTs.

Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in four databases in Chinese and four databases in English from their inception to January 1, 2023.

Retrospective Analysis of Risk Factors for Urinary Tract Infection after Ureteral Calculi Surgery.

Background: Ureteral calculi are a common diagnosis in the field of urology worldwide, and they represent a prevalent subtype of urolithiasis. Ureteroscopic stone surgery is the cornerstone treatment, but postoperative urinary tract infection (UTI) remains a clinical concern. Our study aims to analyse specific risk factors associated with postoperative UTIs following ureteroscopic stone surgery.

Inference of chromosome selection parameters and missegregation rate in cancer from DNA-sequencing data.

Aneuploidy is frequently observed in cancers and has been linked to poor patient outcome. Analysis of aneuploidy in DNA-sequencing (DNA-seq) data necessitates untangling the effects of the Copy Number Aberration (CNA) occurrence rates and the selection coefficients that act upon the resulting karyotypes. We introduce a parameter inference algorithm that takes advantage of both bulk and single-cell DNA-seq cohorts.

[Clinical analysis of breast reconstruction with endoscopic-assisted harvesting of latissimus dorsi muscle flap for breast cancer].

Objective: To investigate the benefits and drawbacks of breast reconstruction with endoscopic-assisted harvesting of the latissimus dorsi muscle flap for breast cancer and treatment experience of postoperative operation-related complications.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on clinical data of 26 female patients with breast cancer who met the selection criteria between September 2021 and March 2023 aging 48.7 years (range, 26-69 years).

Identifying Hub Genes Related to Vascular Endothelial Cell Permeability Through Bioinformatics and Verification.

Background: In this study, we aimed to identify the hub genes responsible for increased vascular endothelial cell permeability.

Methods: We applied the weighted Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to mine dataset GSE178331 and ob-tained the most relevant high-throughput sequenced genes for an increased permeability of vascular endothelial cells due to inflammation. We constructed two weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) networks, and the differential expression of high-throughput sequenced genes related to endothelial cell permeability were screened from the GEO database.

Research Progress of Warburg Effect in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

The Warburg effect, also called aerobic glycolysis, refers to tumor cells that metabolize glucose through glycolysis even in the presence of oxygen. This rapid breakdown of glucose fuels the fast development, growth, and migration of tumor cells. Lactate, the final product of aerobic glycolysis, contributes to an acidic environment within the tumor, promoting the formation of an immunosuppressive microenvironment and accelerating tumor progression by impeding anti-tumor immunity.

Synergistic enhancement mediated sensitive SERS-based immunoassay of PSA using versatile PDMS@AgNPs@ZIF-67 biomimetic substrates.

Among various biomimetic polymer materials, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stands out as an ideal matrix for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) due to its unique intrinsic Raman signal and tenacity. In order to realize the precise detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), we proposed a sandwich-type SERS-active immunostructure composed of PDMS@silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs)@ZIF-67 biomimetic film as the immunosubstrate and gold nanorods (Au NRs) as immunoprobes. Due to the synergistic effect of electromagnetic enhancement facilitated by biomimetic surfaces and chemical enhancement achieved by ZIF-67, this structure enabled an ultrasensitive and selective detection of PSA across a broad range from 10 to 10 mg/mL.