Mixed Matrix Completion in Complex Survey Sampling under Heterogeneous Missingness.

Modern surveys with large sample sizes and growing mixed-type questionnaires require robust and scalable analysis methods. In this work, we consider recovering a mixed dataframe matrix, obtained by complex survey sampling, with entries following different canonical exponential distributions and subject to heterogeneous missingness. To tackle this challenging task, we propose a two-stage procedure: in the first stage, we model the entry-wise missing mechanism by logistic regression, and in the second stage, we complete the target parameter matrix by maximizing a weighted log-likelihood with a low-rank constraint.

A computer-aided, heterodimer-based "triadic" carrier-free drug delivery platform to mitigate multidrug resistance in lung cancer and enhance efficiency.

Co-delivering multiple drugs or circumventing the drug efflux mechanism can significantly decrease multidrug resistance (MDR), a major cause of cancer treatment failure. In this study, we designed and fabricated a universal "three-in-one" self-delivery system for synergistic cancer therapy using a computer-aided strategy. First, we engineered two glutathione (GSH)-responsive heterodimers, ERL-SS-CPT (erlotinib [ERL] linked with camptothecin [CPT] via a disulfide bond [SS]) and CPT-SS-ERI (CPT conjugated with erianin [ERI]), which serve as both cargo and carrier material.

A General Photoactive H-Bonding EDA Complex Model Drives the Selective Hydrothiolation and Hydroxysulfenylation of Carbonyl Activated Alkenes.

Excitation of photoactive electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complexes to generate radical is a promising approach in radical chemistry. In this study, we introduce a new model of H-bonding EDA complexes for the selective hydrothiolation and hydroxysulfenylation of carbonyl-activated alkenes with diverse thiols under visible light conditions. The reliability of this H-bonding EDA complex model has been confirmed by meticulous experimental and theoretical calculations.

Natural-product-based, carrier-free, noncovalent nanoparticles for tumor chemo-photodynamic combination therapy.

Cancer, with its diversity, heterogeneity, and complexity, is a significant contributor to global morbidity, disability, and mortality, highlighting the necessity for transformative treatment approaches. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has aroused continuous interest as a viable alternative to conventional cancer treatments that encounter drug resistance. Nanotechnology has brought new advances in medicine and has shown great potential in drug delivery and cancer treatment.

Stand Up to Stand Out: Natural Dietary Polyphenols Curcumin, Resveratrol, and Gossypol as Potential Therapeutic Candidates against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection.

The COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated collaborative drug discovery efforts in academia and the industry with the aim of developing therapies and vaccines that target SARS-CoV-2. Several novel therapies have been approved and deployed in the last three years. However, their clinical application has revealed limitations due to the rapid emergence of viral variants.

Matrix completion under complex survey sampling.

Multivariate nonresponse is often encountered in complex survey sampling, and simply ignoring it leads to erroneous inference. In this paper, we propose a new matrix completion method for complex survey sampling. Different from existing works either conducting row-wise or column-wise imputation, the data matrix is treated as a whole which allows for exploiting both row and column patterns simultaneously.

The Therapeutic Potential of Natural Dietary Flavonoids against SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

The exploration of non-toxic and cost-effective dietary components, such as epigallocatechin 3-gallate and myricetin, for health improvement and disease treatment has recently attracted substantial research attention. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity for the investigation and identification of dietary components capable of treating viral infections, as well as gathering the evidence needed to address the major challenges presented by public health emergencies. Dietary components hold great potential as a starting point for further drug development for the treatment and prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection owing to their good safety, broad-spectrum antiviral activities, and multi-organ protective capacity.

Bench-to-bedside: Innovation of small molecule anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs in China.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in millions of deaths globally, highlighting the need to develop potent prophylactic and therapeutic strategies against SARS-CoV-2. Small molecule inhibitors (remdesivir, Paxlovid, and molnupiravir) are essential complements to vaccines and play important roles in clinical treatment of SARS-CoV-2. Many advances have been made in development of anti-SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors in China, but progress in discovery and characterization of pharmacological activity, antiviral mechanisms, and clinical efficacy are limited.

Unraveling the mechanism of action of cepharanthine for the treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19) from the perspectives of systematic pharmacology.

Natural products play an irreplaceable role in the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nevertheless, the underlying molecular mechanisms involved remain elusive. To better understand their potential therapeutic effects, more validation studies are needed to explore underlying mechanisms systematically.

Oral GS-441524 derivatives: Next-generation inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.

GS-441524, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitor, is a 1'-CN-substituted adenine C-nucleoside analog with broad-spectrum antiviral activity. However, the low oral bioavailability of GS-441524 poses a challenge to its anti-SARS-CoV-2 efficacy. Remdesivir, the intravenously administered version (version 1.

Dietary Restriction against Parkinson's Disease: What We Know So Far.

Dietary restriction (DR) is defined as a moderate reduction in food intake while avoiding malnutrition. The beneficial effects of DR are being increasingly acknowledged in aging and in a series of age-related neurodegenerative disorders, for example, Parkinson's disease (PD). To date, the pathogenesis of PD remains elusive and there is no cure for it in spite of intensive research over decades.

Design of Learning Environment for Undergraduate Comprehensive Literacy Education under Blended Learning Environment.

Blended learning has become the dominant teaching approach in colleges and universities as they evolve. A good learning environment design can represent college and university teaching quality, improve undergraduates' literacy, and boost talent training. This paper introduces the data mining method of undergraduate comprehensive literacy education, discovers the association rules of the evaluation data, and introduces the undergraduate comprehensive literacy evaluation model and BP neural network model driven by theory and technology in a mixed learning environment, which promotes students' comprehensive literacy evaluation and builds a good learning environment.

Spatial distribution and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments from the northern Bohai Strait, China.

The epicontinental seas to the east of China have become highly anthropogenically impacted due to rapid economic development in recent decades, resulting in various environmental problems, including heavy metal pollution. The Bohai Strait, as a key junction connecting the material-energy exchange between the Bohai and Yellow Seas, is extremely critical in regional pollution prevention and control. To ascertain the spatial distribution and contamination levels of heavy metals in the surface sediments of the northern Bohai Strait, a systematic investigation was conducted.

Bioactive natural products in COVID-19 therapy.

The devastating COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than six million deaths worldwide during the last 2 years. Effective therapeutic agents are greatly needed, yet promising magic bullets still do not exist. Numerous natural products (cordycepin, gallinamide A, plitidepsin, telocinobufagin, and tylophorine) have been widely studied and play a potential function in treating COVID-19.

Advances in the Total Synthesis of Aflatoxins.

Aflatoxins, which are produced by , , and , are a group of pentacyclic natural products with difuran and coumarin skeletons. They mainly include aflatoxin B, B, G, G, M, and M. Biologically, aflatoxins are of concern to human health as they can be present as contaminants in food products.

Broad-spectrum prodrugs with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activities: Strategies, benefits, and challenges.

In this era, broad-spectrum prodrugs with anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) activities are gaining considerable attention owing to their potential clinical benefits and role in combating the fast-spreading coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The last 2 years have seen a surge of reports on various broad-spectrum prodrugs against SARS-CoV-2, and in in vitro studies, animal models, and clinical practice. Currently, only remdesivir (with many controversies and limitations) has been approved by the U.

Co-crystallization and structure determination: An effective direction for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug discovery.

Safer and more-effective drugs are urgently needed to counter infections with the highly pathogenic SARS-CoV-2, cause of the COVID-19 pandemic. Identification of efficient inhibitors to treat and prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection is a predominant focus. Encouragingly, using X-ray crystal structures of therapeutically relevant drug targets (PL, M, RdRp, and S glycoprotein) offers a valuable direction for anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug discovery and lead optimization through direct visualization of interactions.

Individuals at ultra-high risk of psychosis and first-degree relatives of patients with schizophreniaexperience impaired family functionality and social support deficit in comparison to healthy controls.

Aim: The present study was designed to assess the role of family function and social support in the context of different phases of schizophrenia.

Methods: First-episode patients with experiences of schizophrenia (FEP), ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR), first-degree relatives (FDR) of patients with experiences of schizophrenia, and healthy controls (HC) (40 per group) were subjected to in-person clinical interviews. The results of these interviews were then used to gauge social support and family function using the Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales (FACESII-CV).

Natural Products, Alone or in Combination with FDA-Approved Drugs, to Treat COVID-19 and Lung Cancer.

As a public health emergency of international concern, the highly contagious coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been identified as a severe threat to the lives of billions of individuals. Lung cancer, a malignant tumor with the highest mortality rate, has brought significant challenges to both human health and economic development. Natural products may play a pivotal role in treating lung diseases.

A small climate-amplifying effect of climate-carbon cycle feedback.

The climate-carbon cycle feedback is one of the most important climate-amplifying feedbacks of the Earth system, and is quantified as a function of carbon-concentration feedback parameter (β) and carbon-climate feedback parameter (γ). However, the global climate-amplifying effect from this feedback loop (determined by the gain factor, g) has not been quantified from observations. Here we apply a Fourier analysis-based carbon cycle feedback framework to the reconstructed records from 1850 to 2017 and 1000 to 1850 to estimate β and γ.

Chinese herbal medicine: Fighting SARS-CoV-2 infection on all fronts.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a highly pathogenic virus that has spread rapidly across the entire world. There is a critical need to develop safe and effective drugs, especially broad-spectrum antiviral and organ protection agents in order to treat and prevent this dangerous disease. It is possible that Chinese herbal medicine may play an essential role in the treatment of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection.