Integer topological defects offer a methodology to quantify and classify active cell monolayers.

Monolayers of confluent elongated cells are frequently considered active nematics, featuring topological defects. In extensile systems, where cells extend further along their long axis, they can accumulate at defects and escape from defects. Nevertheless, collective dynamics surrounding integer defects remain insufficiently understood.

Association between exposure to volatile organic compounds and allergic symptoms: Emphasis on the cocktail effect and potential mechanisms of toxicity.

Assessment of the influence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on allergic symptoms is usually limited to the effect of individual VOC exposure, with fewer substances being considered. Furthermore, the impact of mixed VOC exposure on allergic symptoms has rarely been addressed. This study aimed to investigate the association between mixed VOC exposure and allergic symptoms while identifying key risk factors.

Network pharmacology analysis uncovers the mechanism of Shudihuang-Shanzhuyu herb pair in prevention and treatment of diabetic osteoporosis via PI3K/AKT pathway.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Diabetic osteoporosis (DOP) is a complication of diabetes characterized by reduced bone mass and increased fracture risk. Shudihuang (Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata, RR) and Shanzhuyu (Corni Fructus, CF) form a classical herb pair known as RR-CF in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for nourishing Yin and tonifying the kidney, and have long been used for the treatment of diabetes and OP in TCM clinical practise. However, the potential mechanism underlying the preventive and therapeutic effects of RR-CF on DOP has not been clarified.

The comprehensive potential of AQP1 as a tumor biomarker: evidence from kidney neoplasm cohorts, cell experiments and pan-cancer analysis.

Aquaporin1 (AQP1) facilitates water transport. Its ability to be a biomarker at the pan-cancer level remains uninvestigated. We performed immunohistochemical staining on tissues from 370 individuals with kidney neoplasms to measure AQP1 expression.

Association between exposure to brominated flame retardants and atherosclerosis: Evidence for inflammatory status as a potential mediator.

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are a widely used category of environmentally persistent, bioaccumulative chemicals. However, research focusing on the potential adverse effects of these chemicals on human health, particularly on cardiovascular issues, remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the association between BFR exposure and the development of atherosclerosis with a particular focus on the potential role of inflammatory indicators as mediators.

Active Nematics Reinforce the Ratchet Flow in Dense Environments Without Jamming.

The past decade witnessed a surge in discoveries where biological systems, such as bacteria or living cells, inherently portray active polar or nematic behavior: they prefer to align with each other and form local order during migration. Although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, utilizing their physical properties to achieve controllable cell-layer transport will be of fundamental importance. In this study, the ratchet effect is harnessed to control the collective motion of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in vitro.

Role of the Dorsal Cortex of the Inferior Colliculus in the Precedence Effect.

BACKGROUND The precedence effect (PE) is a physiological phenomenon for accurate sound localization in a reverberant environment. Physiological studies of PE have mostly focused on the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (CNIC), which receives ascending and descending projections, as well as projections from the shell of the inferior colliculus (IC) and contralateral IC. However, the role of the dorsal cortex of the IC (DCIC), which receives ascending and descending projections to ensure sound information processing and conduction on PE formation, remains unclear.

Construction and validation of a regulatory T cells-based classification of renal cell carcinoma: an integrated bioinformatic analysis and clinical cohort study.

Purpose: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC), exhibiting remarkable heterogeneity, can be highly infiltrated by regulatory T cells (Tregs). However, the relationship between Treg and the heterogeneity of RCC remains to be explored.

Methods: We acquired single-cell RNA-seq profiles and 537 bulk RNA-seq profiles of TCGA-KIRC cohort.

Immunoglobulin G N-glycan markers of mild cognitive impairment in a Chinese population with cerebrovascular stenosis: A case-control study.

Background: Immunoglobulin G (IgG) N-glycans have been shown to regulate the inflammatory response in the context of disease. In recent years, it has been found to be associated with several neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we examined the relationship between IgG N-glycans and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in a high-risk population for MCI, specifically patients with cerebrovascular stenosis.

Record of microplastic deposition revealed by ornithogenic soil and sediment profiles from Ross Island, Antarctica.

Microplastics (MPs) are a global concern as an emerging pollutant, and the investigation on MPs in Antarctic aids in informing their global pollution assessments. Therefore, there are urgent scientific concerns regarding the environmental behavior, origins, influencing factors, and potential hazards of MPs in Antarctica. This study presents the characteristics of MPs from one ornithogenic sediment profile (coded CC) and two ornithogenic soil profiles (coded MR1 and MR2) from ice-free areas on Ross Island, Antarctica.

Tryptophan regulates the expression of IGFBP1 in bovine endometrial epithelial cells in vitro via the TDO2-AHR pathway.

Background: This study aimed to identify the roles of L-tryptophan (Trp) and its rate-limiting enzymes on the receptivity of bovine endometrial epithelial cells. Real-time PCR was conducted to analyze the differential expression of genes between different groups of bovine endometrial epithelial cells. Western blot was performed to detect Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) expression after treatment with Trp or kynurenine (the main metabolites of Trp).

Trends in Clinico-Epidemiological Profile and Outcomes of Patients with HIV-Associated Cryptococcal Meningitis in Shanghai, China, 2013-2023.

The study aimed to analyze changes in the clinical and epidemiological aspects of HIV-associated cryptococcal meningitis (CM) patients and to identify factors influencing their prognosis. Clinical data of patients with HIV-associated CM treated in Shanghai, China between 2013 and 2023 were collected. This study included 279 cases, 2.

Unveiling the unique role of TSPAN7 across tumors: a pan-cancer study incorporating retrospective clinical research and bioinformatic analysis.

Background: TSPAN7 is an important factor in tumor progression. However, the precise function of TSPAN7 and its role in pan-cancer are not clear.

Methods: Based on Xinhua cohort incorporating 370 patients with kidney neoplasm, we conducted differential expression analysis by immunohistochemistry between tumor and normal tissues, and explored correlations of TSPAN7 with patients' survival.

Elevated temperature affects the expression of signaling molecules in quail testes meiosis I prophase, but spermatogenesis remains normal.

Spermatogenesis in eukaryotes is a process that occurs within a very narrow temperature threshold, typically not exceeding 36 °C. SPO11 was isolated from the temperature-sensitive mutant receptor of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and is thought to be the only protein that functions during meiosis. This suggested that SPO11 may be the key protein that influenced the temperature of spermatogenesis not exceeding 36 °C.

Age-related differences in auditory spatial processing revealed by acoustic change complex.

Objectives: The auditory spatial processing abilities mature throughout childhood and degenerate in older adults. This study aimed to compare the differences in onset cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) and location-evoked acoustic change complex (ACC) responses among children, adults, and the elderly and to investigate the impact of aging and development on ACC responses.

Design: One hundred and seventeen people were recruited in the study, including 57 typically-developed children, 30 adults, and 30 elderlies.

Core fucosylation of maternal milk -glycans imparts early-life immune tolerance through gut microbiota-dependent regulation in RORγt Treg cells.

Milk glycans play key roles in shaping and maintaining a healthy infant gut microbiota. Core fucosylation catalyzed by fucosyltransferase (Fut8) is the major glycosylation pattern on human milk -glycan, which was crucial for promoting the colonization and dominant growth of and spp. in neonates.

Identification of mitophagy-related hub genes during the progression of spinal cord injury by integrated multinomial bioinformatics analysis.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a disturbance of peripheral and central nerve conduction that causes disability in sensory and motor function. Currently, there is no effective treatment for SCI. Mitophagy plays a vital role in mitochondrial quality control during various physiological and pathological processes.

The development of cancers research based on mitochondrial heat shock protein 90.

Mitochondrial heat shock protein 90 (mtHsp90), including Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated protein 1 (TRAP1) and Hsp90 translocated from cytoplasm, modulating cellular metabolism and signaling pathways by altering the conformation, activity, and stability of numerous client proteins, and is highly expressed in tumors. mtHsp90 inhibition results in the destabilization and eventual degradation of its client proteins, leading to interference with various tumor-related pathways and efficient control of cancer cell development. Among these compounds, gamitrinib, a specific mtHsp90 inhibitor, has demonstrated its safety and efficacy in several preclinical investigations and is currently undergoing evaluation in clinical trials.

Optical fiber-integrated achromatic metalens based on catenary metasurfaces.

A challenge in all-fiber-integrated metasurface devices is to efficiently control dispersion in the limited fiber end area to build metasurfaces, therefore, the design of metasurfaces with a special structure becomes crucial to meet the demands of dispersion control. A unique phase response of circularly polarized light in catenary metasurfaces can offer new opportunities for polarization-sensitive arbitrary chromatic dispersion control. Herein, we proposed an optical achromatic metalens based on equal width catenary metasurfaces integrated on the large-mode optical fiber (LMF) end.

A novel structural design of cellulose-based conductive composite fibers for wearable e-textiles.

Cellulose-based conductive composite fibers hold great promise in smart wearable applications, given cellulose's desirable properties for textiles. Blending conductive fillers with cellulose is the most common means of fiber production. Incorporating a high content of conductive fillers is demanded to achieve desirable conductivity.

The Development of Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Recurrent Glioblastoma.

Recurrent glioblastoma (rGBM) is a highly aggressive form of brain cancer that poses a significant challenge for treatment in neuro-oncology, and the survival status of patients after relapse usually means rapid deterioration, thus becoming the leading cause of death among patients. In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising strategy for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma by stimulating the body's immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells, which could be used in combination with other treatments such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy to improve outcomes for patients with recurrent glioblastoma. This therapy combines several key methods such as the use of monoclonal antibodies, chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy, checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic viral therapy cancer vaccines, and combination strategies.

Dual output feature fusion networks for femoral segmentation and quantitative analysis of the knee joint.

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the preferred imaging modality for diagnosing knee disease. Segmentation of the knee MRI images is essential for subsequent quantification of clinical parameters and treatment planning for knee prosthesis replacement. However, the segmentation remains difficult due to individual differences in anatomy, the difficulty of obtaining accurate edges at lower resolutions, and the presence of speckle noise and artifacts in the images.

Rapid extraction of osimertinib and its active metabolite in urine by miniaturized centrifugal spin-column extraction using ionic liquid hybrid hierarchical porous adsorbent.

Osimertinib (OSIM) is widely used as a mainstream drug for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the lack of a rapid extraction and detection method for OSIM and its metabolite, AZ-5104, has limited clinical drug metabolism and drug resistance research because the drug is unstable. In this study, a new ionic liquid hybrid hierarchical porous material (IL-HHPM) was synthesized with hierarchical porous structures, including micropores (1.