Identifying potential repurposable medications for Parkinson's disease through Mendelian randomization analysis.

Observational studies have suggested the potential benefits of several medications for Parkinson's disease (PD) and their potential for repurposing. However, the conclusions drawn from these studies are not entirely consistent. To address this inconsistency, we used the two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) method to explore the putative causal relationships between 23 medications and the risk and progression of PD.

Development of a net ozone production rate detection system based on dual-channel cavity ring-down spectroscopy.

A novel system for measuring net photochemical ozone production rates in the atmosphere based on cavity ring-down spectroscopy (OPR-CRDS) was developed. The system consists of two chambers (a reaction chamber and a reference chamber) and a dual-channel O-CRDS detector. To minimize the wall loss of O in the chambers, the inner surfaces of both chambers are coated with Teflon film.

Enhancing the Efficiency and Stability of Perovskite Solar Cells Using Chemical Bath Deposition of SnO Electron Transport Layers and 3D/2D Heterojunctions.

Chemical bath deposition (CBD) is an effective technique used to produce high-quality SnO electron transport layers (ETLs) employed in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). By optimizing the CBD process, high-quality SnO films are obtained with minimal oxygen vacancies and close energy level alignment with the perovskite layer. In addition, the 3D perovskite layers are passivated with n-butylammonium iodide (BAI), iso-pentylammonium iodide (PNAI), or 2-methoxyethylammonium iodide (MOAI) to form 3D/2D heterojunctions, resulting in defect passivation, suppressing ion migration and improving charge carrier extraction.

Glycated haemoglobin index is a new predictor for all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in the adults.

Glycosylated haemoglobin index (HGI) has been shown to correlate with the prognosis of metabolic diseases, but the relationship with mortality remains unclear. This study included 18,285 US adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2018. During the median follow-up period of 115 months, a total of 2572 all-cause deaths and 671 cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths occurred.

Fertility protection during chemotherapy treatment by boosting the NAD(P) metabolome.

Chemotherapy induced ovarian failure and infertility is an important concern in female cancer patients of reproductive age or younger, and non-invasive, pharmacological approaches to maintain ovarian function are urgently needed. Given the role of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) as an essential cofactor for drug detoxification, we sought to test whether boosting the NAD(P) metabolome could protect ovarian function. We show that pharmacological or transgenic strategies to replenish the NAD metabolome ameliorates chemotherapy induced female infertility in mice, as measured by oocyte yield, follicle health, and functional breeding trials.

Targeting the I Channel PKA Phosphorylation Axis to Restore Its Function in High-Risk LQT1 Variants.

Background: The KCNQ1+KCNE1 (I) potassium channel plays a crucial role in cardiac adaptation to stress, in which β-adrenergic stimulation phosphorylates the I channel through the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/PKA (protein kinase A) pathway. Phosphorylation increases the channel current and accelerates repolarization to adapt to an increased heart rate. Variants in KCNQ1 can cause long-QT syndrome type 1 (LQT1), and those with defective cAMP effects predispose patients to the highest risk of cardiac arrest and sudden death.

Benchmarking robustness of deep neural networks in semantic segmentation of fluorescence microscopy images.

Background: Fluorescence microscopy (FM) is an important and widely adopted biological imaging technique. Segmentation is often the first step in quantitative analysis of FM images. Deep neural networks (DNNs) have become the state-of-the-art tools for image segmentation.

Bibliometric analysis of dendritic cell-based vaccines over the past 15 years.

Dendritic cells, which are crucial for inducing T-cell responses, are pivotal in current immunotherapy strategies aiming to replenish depleted T cells within the tumor microenvironment to combat tumors. Consequently, dendritic cell vaccine-based cancer therapies have garnered significant attention. Through bibliometric analysis, we examined research trends in this field.

Long noncoding RNA H19 knockdown promotes angiogenesis via IMP2 after ischemic stroke.

Aims: This study aimed to explore the effects of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) H19 knockdown on angiogenesis and blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and elucidate their underlying regulatory mechanisms.

Methods: A middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion model was used to induce cerebral I/R injury. The cerebral infarct volume and neurological impairment were assessed using 2,3,5-triphenyl-tetrazolium chloride staining and neurobehavioral tests, respectively.

Unified theoretical framework for temperature regulation via phase transition.

Phase transition usually consumes or releases energy to produce cooling or heating within different materials, providing a generalized framework for temperature regulation in practical applications. Because of the strong coupling between the enthalpy change in thermodynamics and heat-mass transfer kinetics, unveiling the mechanism of temperature regulation via the phase transition remains a great challenge. Here, we develop a new theoretical method by establishing a connection of enthalpy change from thermodynamics to phase transition dynamics to study evaporation-induced cooling as an example.

Neural correlates of anxiety in adult-onset isolated dystonia.

Psychiatric disturbances are commonly associated with adult-onset isolated dystonia (AOID); however, the mechanisms underlying psychiatric abnormalities in AOID remain unknown. We aimed to investigate the structural and functional brain changes in AOID patients with anxiety, and identify imaging biomarkers for diagnosing anxiety. Structural and functional magnetic resonance was performed on 69 AOID patients and 35 healthy controls (HCs).

Extra cut-off value of aldosterone-to-renin ratio for screening primary aldosteronism in hypertensive patients with diabetes mellitus.

Primary aldosteronism (PA) and diabetes mellitus (DM) may coexist. We previously found that DM and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) may decrease the efficiency of the aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR) for screening PA. Thus, we wanted to determine appropriate ARR cut-off values for screening PA in patients with hypertension with DM and IGT.

Characterization and stability of lycopene-loaded high internal phase emulsion stabilized by ovalbumin-chitosan complexes.

Lycopene, a carotenoid with numerous physiological benefits, particularly in its -isomer form, faces challenges in its application due to low chemical stability. To address this limitation, high internal phase emulsion was successfully synthesized using ovalbumin-chitosan complexes. The aim was to enhance the stability of lycopene including -lycopene.

Elevated international normalized ratio contributes to poor prognosis in patients with traumatic lung injury.

Objective: To investigate the pivotal determinants contributing to the adverse prognosis in patients afflicted with traumatic lung injury (TLI), with an aim to mitigate the elevated mortality rate associated with this condition.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out on 106 TLI patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit of a comprehensive hospital from March 2018 to November 2022. The patients were categorized into two groups based on their 28-day outcome: the survival group ( = 88) and the death group ( = 18).

Carbon-Coated MOF-Derived Porous SnPS Core-Shell Structure as Superior Anode for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Metal thiophosphites have recently emerged as a hot electrode material system for sodium-ion batteries because of their large theoretical capacity. Nevertheless, the sluggish electrochemical reaction kinetics and drastic volume expansion induced by the low conductivity and inherent conversion-alloying reaction mechanism, require urgent resolution. Herein, a distinctive porous core-shell structure, denoted as SnPS@C, is controllably synthesized by synchronously phosphor-sulfurizing resorcinol-formaldehyde-coated tin metal-organic framework cubes.

Legacy and novel brominated flame retardants in outdoor settled dusts and pine needles in a megacity of Eastern China: Interpretation of plant uptake.

Brominated flame retardants, considered emerging contaminants, are widespread and persist in the environment. This study investigated the contamination of legacy and novel brominated flame retardants in paired outdoor settled dusts and pine needles sampled from a megacity in the Eastern China. The measured total concentrations of PBDEs (∑PBDEs) in outdoor settled dusts and pine needles were in the range of 77.

Biomarker Detection and Validation for Corneal Involvement in Patients With Acute Infectious Conjunctivitis.

Importance: Infectious conjunctivitis can lead to corneal involvement and result in ocular morbidity. The identification of biomarkers associated with corneal involvement has the potential to improve patient care.

Objective: To identify biomarkers in patients with acute infectious conjunctivitis.

Recurrent mitral regurgitation after repair of Barlow's disease in a single-center retrospective cohort study.

Background: Barlow's disease (BD) is a common etiology of degenerative mitral valve (MV) disease, often causing significant mitral regurgitation (MR). The pathology of BD is challenging for surgeons performing MV repair (MVR). However, most MVR effectiveness studies have been based on survival and risk of reoperation.