Comparative efficacy and safety of Chinese patent medicines as an adjunctive therapy for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Context: Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most common complication of diabetes mellitus. Chinese patent medicines (CPMs) are widely used in clinical practice to treat DPN.

Objective: This study aims to summarize the latest evidence on the harms and benefits of CPMs as adjunctive therapy for DPN.

Selective Methylation of Cyclic Ether Towards Highly Elastic Solid Electrolyte Interphase for Silicon-based Anodes.

Silicon (Si)-based anodes offer high theoretical capacity for lithium-ion batteries but suffer from severe volume changes and continuous solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) degradation. Here, we address these challenges by selective methylation of 1,3-dioxolane (DOL), thus shifting the unstable bulk polymerization to controlled interfacial reactions and resulting in a highly elastic SEI. Comparative studies of 2-methyl-1,3-dioxolane (2MDOL) and 4-methyl-1,3-dioxolane (4MDOL) reveal that 4MDOL, with its larger ring strain and more stable radical intermediates due to hyperconjugation effect, promotes the formation of high-molecular-weight polymeric species at the electrode-electrolyte interface.

Push-Pull Electrolyte Design Strategy Enables High-Voltage Low-Temperature Lithium Metal Batteries.

Lithium (Li) metal batteries hold significant promise in elevating energy density, yet their performance at ultralow temperatures remains constrained by sluggish charge transport kinetics and the formation of unstable interphases. In conventional electrolyte systems, lithium ions are tightly locked in the solvation structure, thereby engendering difficulty in the desolvation process and further exacerbating solvent decomposition. Herein, we propose a new push-pull electrolyte design strategy, utilizing molecular electrostatic potential (ESP) screening to identify 2,2-difluoroethyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (DTF) as an optimal cosolvent.

Long-Life All-Solid-State Batteries Enabled by Cold-Pressed Garnet Composite Electrolytes with Enhanced Li Conduction.

Garnet LiLaZrO (LLZO)-based solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) hold promise for realizing next-generation lithium metal batteries with high energy density. However, the high stiffness of high-temperature sintered LLZO makes it brittle and susceptible to strain during the fabrication of solid-state batteries. Cold-pressed LLZO exhibits improved ductility but suffers from insufficient Li conductivity.

Strategies for overcoming challenges in selective electrochemical CO conversion to ethanol.

The electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO) to valuable chemicals is gaining significant attention as a pragmatic solution for achieving carbon neutrality and storing renewable energy in a usable form. Recent research increasingly focuses on designing electrocatalysts that specifically convert CO into ethanol, a desirable product due to its high-energy density, ease of storage, and portability. However, achieving high-efficiency ethanol production remains a challenge compared to ethylene (a competing product with a similar electron configuration).

Half-life of serum alpha-fetoprotein in prepubertal testicular yolk sac tumors: an index significantly associated with prognosis.

Purpose: To evaluate the association between serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) half-life (HL) and prognosis in prepubertal children with elevated AFP values 3 to 4 weeks after surgery for testicular yolk sac tumors (YST).

Methods: Prepubertal patients with testicular YST treated with radical orchiectomy between January 2016 and December 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Negative outcomes were defined as relapse, metastasis or death.

Highly reversible zinc metal anode enabled by strong Brønsted acid and hydrophobic interfacial chemistry.

Uncontrollable zinc (Zn) plating and hydrogen evolution greatly undermine Zn anode reversibility. Previous electrolyte designs focus on suppressing HO reactivity, however, the accumulation of alkaline byproducts during battery calendar aging and cycling still deteriorates the battery performance. Here, we present a direct strategy to tackle such problems using a strong Brønsted acid, bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (HTFSI), as the electrolyte additive.

Effects of Heat Treatment on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of a Dual-Phase High-Entropy Alloy Fabricated via Laser Beam Power Bed Fusion.

To enhance the applicability of dual-phase high-entropy alloys (HEAs) like Fe32Cr33Ni29Al3Ti3, fabricated via laser beam power bed fusion (LB-PBF), a focus on improving their mechanical properties is essential. As part of this effort, heat treatment was explored. This study compares the microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-printed sample with those cooled in water after undergoing heat treatment at temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1200 °C for 1 h.

Icariin inhibits chondrocyte ferroptosis and alleviates osteoarthritis by enhancing the SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling.

Background: Chondrocyte ferroptosis plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA), regulated by the SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling pathway. Icariin (ICA), a flavonoid glycoside, exhibits strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. This study investigated whether ICA could modulate the SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling to inhibit chondrocyte ferroptosis and alleviate OA.

Nomogram for personalized prognostic assessment of children with favorable histology Wilms tumor: A retrospective analysis.

Objective: This retrospective study aimed to construct and validate a nomogram for personalized prognostic assessment of favorable histology Wilms tumor (FHWT) based on clinical and pathological variables.

Methods And Materials: This was a retrospective study collected data from patients who underwent surgery for FHWT between March 2007 and November 2022 at Beijing Children's Hospital. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were conducted to determine the significance variables and constructed the nomogram in predicting event-free survival (EFS) in FHWT patients.

Comparative efficacy and safety of Chinese medicine injections as an adjunctive therapy for cervical cancer in Chinese patients: a network meta-analysis.

Context: Chinese medicine injections (CMIs) are widely used as adjuvant therapy for cervical cancer in China. However, the effectiveness of different types of CMIs remains uncertain.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness and safety of CMIs when used in conjunction with radiotherapy (RT) or concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), particularly in combination with cisplatin (DDP), docetaxel plus cisplatin (DP), and paclitaxel plus cisplatin (TP).

Effectiveness of penile ventral curvature correction and the trend of hypospadias repair: a prospective study of the national center in China.

Background: Hypospadias repair is a complex surgical procedure that involves correcting penile ventral curvature (VC) and performing urethroplasty. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of different strategies for VC correction and analyse the trends in hypospadias repair at a national centre in China.

Methods: Prospective data collection was conducted from 2019 to 2020 for patients undergoing hypospadias repair.

Solvent versus Anion Chemistry: Unveiling the Structure-Dependent Reactivity in Tailoring Electrochemical Interphases for Lithium-Metal Batteries.

Electrolytes are critical for the reversibility of various electrochemical energy storage systems. The recent development of electrolytes for high-voltage Li-metal batteries has been counting on the salt anion chemistry for building stable interphases. Herein, we investigate the effect of the solvent structure on the interfacial reactivity and discover profound solvent chemistry of designed monofluoro-ether in anion-enriched solvation structures, which enables enhanced stabilization of both high-voltage cathodes and Li-metal anodes.

Localized Alkaline Environment via In Situ Electrostatic Confinement for Enhanced CO-to-Ethylene Conversion in Neutral Medium.

Electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction (CORR) is one of the most promising routes to facilitate carbon neutrality. An alkaline electrolyte is typically needed to promote the production of valuable multi-carbon molecules (such as ethylene). However, the reaction between CO and OH consumes a significant quantity of CO/alkali and causes the rapid decay of CORR selectivity and stability.

Strongly Solvating Ether Electrolytes for High-Voltage Lithium Metal Batteries.

Ethers are promising electrolytes for lithium (Li) metal batteries (LMBs) because of their unique stability with Li metal. Although intensive research on designing anion-enriched electrolyte solvation structures has greatly improved their electrochemical stabilities, ether electrolytes are approaching an anodic bottleneck. Herein, we reveal the strong correlation between electrolyte solvation structure and oxidation stability.

Regulating Frozen Electrolyte Structure with Colloidal Dispersion for Low Temperature Aqueous Batteries.

Electrolyte freezing under low temperatures is a critical challenge for the development of aqueous batteries (ABs). While lowering the freezing point of the electrolyte has caught major research efforts, limited attention has been paid to the structural evolution during the electrolyte freezing process and regulating the frozen electrolyte structure for low temperature ABs. Here, we reveal the formation process of interconnected liquid regions for ion transport in frozen electrolytes with various in situ variable-temperature technologies.

An Overcrowded Water-Ion Solvation Structure for a Robust Anode Interphase in Aqueous Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The water-in-salt electrolyte (WISE) features intimate interactions between a cation and anion, which induces the formation of an anion-derived solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and expands the aqueous electrolyte voltage window to >3.0 V. Although further increasing the salt concentration (even to >60 molality (m)) can gradually improve water stability, issues about cost and practical feasibility are concerned.

A Survey on How Ocular Surface Demodex Infestation Interactively Associates with Diabetes Mellitus and Dry Eye Disease.

Purpose: Prevention of ocular surface (OS) Demodex infestation plays an important role in OS hygiene and variety of factors may be associated with it, in which diabetes mellitus (DM) or dry eye disease (DED) has caught the attention of most scholars. However, there has been no research on whether there was a potential interaction between DM and DED in the process of OS Demodex infestation. This cross-sectional study was implemented in Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University.

Silencing circular RNA hsa_circ_009755 promotes growth and metastasis of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common and rampant malignancy of the head and neck. However, its pathogenesis remains unclear. In this study, we have investigated the effects of circular RNA hsa_circ_009755 on proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis in OSCC cells in vitro.

Achieving Superior Electrocatalytic Performance by Surface Copper Vacancy Defects during Electrochemical Etching Process.

Vacancy defects of catalysts have been extensively studied and proven to be beneficial to various electrocatalytic reactions. Herein, an ultra-stable three-dimensional PtCu nanowire network (NNW) with ultrafine size, self-supporting rigid structure, and Cu vacancy defects has been developed. The vacancy defect-rich PtCu NNW exhibits an outstanding performance for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), with a mass activity 14.

The clinical significance of long non-coding RNA ANRIL level in diabetic retinopathy.

Aim: To analyse the expression of lncRNA-ANRIL and other related factors in different human body fluids, explore the clinical significance of ANRIL and validate whether ANRIL is interrelated with the renin-angiotensin system and NF-κB signalling pathway.

Methods: Ninety-one patients were included in this cross-sectional study and were divided into the NDM group (20 patients), DM group (25 patients), NPDR group (21 patients) and PDR group (25 patients). Basic information and samples of serum, aqueous fluid and vitreous fluid were collected before vitrectomy or intravitreal injection.

Circular RNA hsa_circ_009755 downregulation correlates with clinicopathology in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most frequent oral malignancy in humans. Increasing numbers of studies suggest that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a major role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. We aimed to identify differently expressed circRNA in OSCC and adjacent normal tissue.

[Effects of interleukin-34 expressed by human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells on THP-1 cells].

To construct recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid vector of human IL-34 gene, and to study the effects of IL-34 expressed by human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) on THP-1 cells. Full-length IL-34 encoding sequence was amplified by PCR. And this fragment was cloned into the plasmid pIRES2-EGFP.

A Scalable Method toward Superhydrophilic and Underwater Superoleophobic PVDF Membranes for Effective Oil/Water Emulsion Separation.

A superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic PVDF membrane (PVDFAH) has been prepared by surface-coating of a hydrogel onto the membrane surface, and its superior performance for oil/water emulsion separation has been demonstrated. The coated hydrogel was constructed by an interfacial polymerization based on the thiol-epoxy reaction of pentaerythritol tetrakis (3-mercaptopropionate) (PETMP) with diethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDGE) and simultaneously tethered on an alkaline-treated commercial PVDF membrane surface via the thio-ene reaction. The PVDFAH membranes can be fabricated in a few minutes under mild conditions and show superhydrophilic and underwater superoleophobic properties for a series of organic solvents.

[Development of a wearable electrocardiogram monitor with recognition of physical activity scene].

To overcome the problems of current electrocardiogram (ECG) tele-monitoring devices used for daily life, according to information fusion thought and by means of wearable technology, we developed a new type of wearable ECG monitor with the capability of physical activity recognition in this paper. The ECG monitor synchronously detected electrocardiogram signal and body acceleration signal, and recognized the scene information of physical activity, and finally determined the health status of the heart. With the advantages of accuracy for measurement, easy to use, comfort to wear, private feelings and long-term continuous in monitoring, this ECG monitor is quite fit for the heart-health monitoring in daily life.