Histogram of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient to Evaluate the Activity of Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the activity of extraocular muscles (EOMs) in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) using turbo spin echo imaging. By analyzing tissue heterogeneity, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram analysis offers enhanced insights into edema within the EOMs.

Methods: Eighty-eight patients with TAO were retrospectively evaluated and allocated into active (n = 24, clinical activity score [CAS] ≥ 3) and inactive (n = 64, CAS < 3) groups.

Visualization of Right Adrenal Vein in Non-Contrast-Enhanced MDCT and Its Guiding Role for Right Adrenal Venous Sampling.

This study aimed to evaluate the visualization of right adrenal vein (RAV) in non-contrast-enhanced multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) and its guiding role for right adrenal venous sampling (AVS) in patients with primary aldosteronism (PA). A total of 237 patients diagnosed with PA who underwent successful AVS procedures from January 2020 to March 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The non-contrast-enhanced MDCT image features of RAV included the degree of visualization and the position of RAV orifice.

The alleviation by wheat and oat dietary fiber alone or combined of T2DM symptoms in / mice.

The effects of wheat and oat dietary fiber (DF) alone or combined on T2DM remain unclear. In this research, / diabetic mice were fed with diets containing 10% insoluble wheat dietary fiber (WDF), 10% insoluble oat dietary fiber (ODF), and 10% WODF (mixture of WDF and ODF, WDF : ODF = 1 : 1) for 8 weeks. The results showed that WDF, ODF, and WODF all reduced the body weight and fasting blood glucose (FBG) and improved oral glucose tolerance in / mice.

Sparse loudspeaker array design for wideband frequency-invariant beamforming with multiple targets.

Beamforming technology using loudspeaker arrays is widely used in sound applications, but current sparse array design methods focus on optimizing a single beam for a single target direction, limiting their applicability to multi-channel sound systems. This paper presents a design method for sparse loudspeaker line arrays to generate wideband frequency-invariant beams in multiple target directions. A model based on tapped delay lines is developed and a two-stage design approach is proposed.

End-to-end underwater acoustic transmission loss prediction with adaptive multi-scale dilated network.

Underwater acoustic propagation is a complex phenomenon in the ocean environment. Traditional methods for calculating acoustic propagation loss rely on solving complex partial differential equations. Deep learning methods, leveraging their robust nonlinear approximation capabilities, can model various physical phenomena effectively, significantly reducing computation time and cost.

Engineering a Novel NIR RNA-Specific Probe for Tracking Stress Granule Dynamics in Living Cells.

Real-time monitoring of the dynamics of cytosolic RNA-protein condensates, termed stress granules (SGs), is vital for understanding their biological roles in stress response and related disease treatment but is challenging due to the lack of simple and accurate methods. Compared with protein visualization that requires complex transfection procedures, direct RNA labeling offers an ideal alternative for tracking SG dynamics in living cells. Here, we propose a novel molecular design strategy to construct a near-infrared RNA-specific fluorescent probe () for tracking SGs in living cells.

Multiple-Signal Amplification Strategy to Fabricate an Ultrasensitive Electrochemiluminescence Magnetic Immunosensor for Detecting Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease via Iridium-Based Self-Enhancing Nanoemitters.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive decline, significantly impairing the daily life of elderly individuals. The low abundance of blood-based biomarkers in AD necessitates higher analytical technique requirements. Herein, one novel iridium-based ECL self-enhanced nanoemitter (TPrA@Ir-SiO) was unprecedentedly reported, and it was further used to construct an ultrasensitive ECL magnetic immunosensor by a multiple-signal amplification strategy to unequally sensitively and accurately detect the AD blood-based biomarker (P-tau181) in this work.

RNASEK interacting with PEDV structural proteins facilitates virus entry via clathrin-mediated endocytosis.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), as a type of Alphacoronavirus causing acute diarrhea and high death rate among sucking piglets, poses great financial damage to the swine industry. Nevertheless, the molecular mechanism whereby PEDV enters host cells is unclear, limiting the development of PED vaccines and anti-PEDV agents. The present study found that the host protein ribonuclease kappa (RNASEK) was regulated by USF2, a transcription factor, and facilitated the PEDV replication.

KRT9 is required for GBP5 suppression of human respiratory syncytial virus.

Unlabelled: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections continue to plague infants, young children, and older individuals worldwide. Since there is no specific treatment for RSV, characterizing the interactions between RSV and host factors remains crucial for the eventual development of robust therapeutic interventions. In our previous study, guanylate binding protein 5 (GBP5) was shown to promote excessive RSV-small hydrophobic (RSV-SH) protein secretion by microvesicles and inhibited viral replication.

Energy Aggregation for Illuminating Upconversion Multicolor Emission Based on Ho Ions.

Lanthanide-doped upconversion luminescent nanoparticles (UCNPs) have garnered extensive attention due to their notable anti-Stokes shifts and superior photostability. Notably, Ho-based UCNPs present a complex energy level configuration, which poses challenges in augmenting their luminescence efficiency. Herein, a rational design strategy was used to enhance the upconversion luminescence intensity of Ho ions by improving the photon absorption ability and energy utilization efficiency.

Newly identified SpoVAF/FigP complex: the role in spore germination at moderate high pressure and influencing factors.

Unlabelled: The SpoVAF/FigP complex, a newly identified dormant spore ion channel, has been shown to amplify the response of germinant receptors (GRs) to nutrient germinants. However, its contribution to high-pressure-induced germination remains unexplored. In this study, we discovered that the 5AF/FigP complex played an important role in the GR-dependent germination of spores under moderate high pressure (MHP) by facilitating the release of ions, such as potassium (K), a mechanism in parallel with its role in nutrient-induced germination.

Hydride-containing Ag- and Au-rich 8-electron superatomic icosahedral cores: a DFT investigation.

Following several reports on ligand-protected atom-precise nanoclusters which encapsulate hydrides as interstitial dopants within their icosahedral core, the stability, structure and bonding of MH@Ag and MH@Au (M = Mo-Ag; W-Au) 8-electron cores is investigated through DFT calculations. The encapsulation of up to = 3 hydrides appears to be possible but at the cost of substantial structural distortions. In most of the computed models, the hydrides are found nearly free to move inside their icosahedral cages.

Applications of transcranial direct current stimulation over vagus nerve on dysphagia after stroke.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been commonly employed for the functional rehabilitation of stroke patients. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on the vagus nerve (TDCSVN) in improving dysphagia in stroke patients. Patients experiencing dysphagia following a stroke were diagnosed with dysphagia by a water swallow test.

Bone-Induced Her2 Promotes Secondary Metastasis in HR+/Her2- Breast Cancer.

Bone metastases can disseminate to secondary sites and promote breast cancer progression creating additional clinical challenges. The mechanisms contributing to secondary metastasis are barely understood. Here, we evaluate the prediction power of Her2-expressing (Her2E) circulating tumor cells (CTCs) after analyzing over 13,000 CTCs from a cohort of 137 metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients with initial HR+/Her2- status and employ preclinical models of bone metastasis (BM) to validate the role of Her2E CTCs in multi-organ metastases.

Evaporation-Assisted Synthesis of Olympic Gels.

Catenated networks exclusively composed of intertwining rings were first envisioned as "Olympic gels" by Pierre-Gilles de Gennes four decades ago but have not been successfully prepared in artificial materials yet due to the challenge in synthesis. Herein, we present a bio-inspired, evaporation-assisted strategy to address this issue. In our design, the evaporation of liquid catalysts that induce ring-chain equilibrium of polymer systems drives macrocycles to encounter and assists their catenation through reversible cyclization.

Design and Synthesis of Two Sn-Centered Mixed Halide Crystals with Enhanced Birefringence.

Enhancing the optical anisotropy of compounds has attracted significant interest in the optical field. Sn-centered crystals, containing stereochemically active lone pairs, are widely regarded as promising birefringent materials. In this study, we successfully synthesized two novel Sn-centered mixed halide birefringent crystals, NaSnFBr and NaSnFI.

Prussian Blue Nanozyme Featuring Enhanced Superoxide Dismutase-like Activity for Myocardial Ischemia Reperfusion Injury Treatment.

The blood flow, when restored clinically following a myocardial infarction (MI), disrupts the physiological and metabolic equilibrium of the ischemic myocardial area, resulting in secondary damage termed myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and inflammatory reactions stand as primary culprits behind MIRI. Current strategies focusing on ROS-scavenging and anti-inflammatory actions have limited remission of MIRI.

Polydopamine-Induced BMP7-Poly (Lactic-Co-Glycolic Acid)-Nanoparticle Coating Facilitates Osteogenesis in Porous Tantalum Scaffolds.

Bone defects are difficult to treat clinically and most often require bone grafting for repair. However, the source of autograft bone is limited, and allograft bone carries the risk of disease transmission and immune rejection. As tissue engineering technology advances, bone replacement materials are playing an increasingly important role in the treatment of bone defects.

Recombinant FSH induced progesterone via partially regulating let-7 expression in human and mouse granulosa cells.

Serum progesterone may increase prior to ovulation trigger in in vitro fertilization patients, jeopardizing endometrial receptivity and therefore live birth rate. Recombinant FSH (rFSH) promotes progesterone production from human granulosa cells. Yet, the role of FSH on progesterone production need deeper exploration.

The Association of Persistent Hyperuricemia With Liver Function and the Management of Uric Acid Levels: Insights From a Three-Year Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: The association of long-term hyperuricemia with liver function remains less well understood. This prospective cohort study aimed to investigate the relationship between hyperuricemia and liver function as well as other metabolic and cardiovascular parameters.

Methods: We enrolled 375 participants with hyperuricemia and 599 normouricemic controls.

The Relationship Between Perceived Staffing and Quality of Care: The Mediating Roles of Job Satisfaction and Work Engagement.

Background: Although work engagement and job satisfaction are two important indicators associated with care quality, their mediating effects on the relationship between perceived staffing and quality of care have not been adequately clarified.

Purpose: This study was designed to determine the mechanism by which nurses' perceived staffing influences quality of care by clarifying the mediating roles of job satisfaction and work engagement.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was implemented among 2,142 clinical nurses from 211 inpatient wards in 13 hospitals.

Predicting nanofluid behavior in inflamed stenotic arteries: a neural network and finite element-Based analysis.

This study examines heat transfer and nanofluid-enhanced blood flow behaviour in stenotic arteries under inflammatory conditions, addressing critical challenges in cardiovascular health. The blood, treated as a Newtonian fluid, is augmented with gold nanoparticles to improve thermal conductivity and support drug delivery applications. A hybrid methodology combining finite element method (FEM) for numerical modelling and artificial neural networks (ANN) for stability prediction provides a robust analytical framework.

Mild [3 + 3] Annulation of (Trifluoromethyl)alkenes with Thioureas Enabled by Chemoselective Defluorinative Amination: Synthesis of 6-Fluoro-3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1)-thiones.

The chemoselective defluorinative [3 + 3] annulation of (trifluoromethyl)alkenes with thioureas is reported. This protocol affords various attractive 6-fluoro-3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2(1)-thiones in high yields, features transition-metal free, mild conditions, efficient, is operationally simple and gram-scalable, tolerates diverse useful functional groups.

Recent Insights Into Wnt-Related tRNA-Derived Fragments (tRFs) in Human Diseases.

tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are a newly recognized class of small noncoding RNAs (sncRNAs) that play significant roles in various diseases. The Wnt pathway plays a key role in various physiological processes such as embryonic development, tissue renewal and regeneration. In the regulation of Wnt/β-catenin, Forkhead box k1(FOXK1), Frizzled class receptor 3 (FZD3), and Wnt5b can be targeted and inhibited by three tRFs: tRF3008A targets FOXK1 to inhibit colorectal cancer (CRC), 5'-tiRNAVal targets FZD3 to inhibit breast cancer (BrC), and tRF-22-8BWS7K092 targets Wnt5b to induce ferroptosis in lung cells.