A Simple Sensitivity Analysis Method for Unmeasured Confounders via Linear Programming With Estimating Equation Constraints.

In estimating the average treatment effect in observational studies, the influence of confounders should be appropriately addressed. To this end, the propensity score is widely used. If the propensity scores are known for all the subjects, bias due to confounders can be adjusted by using the inverse probability weighting (IPW) by the propensity score.

Controlling the J- and H-Aggregates and Supramolecular Polymerization Pathways of Anthanthrene by Tuning the Hydrogen Bonding Sites.

Exploration of new π-conjugated building blocks for construction of supramolecular polymers is at the forefront of self-assembly. Herein, we incorporate a highly planar anthanthrene skeleton into the design of two supramolecular monomers 1 and 2. Their supramolecular polymerization have been comprehensively investigated by spectroscopic studies.

Vegetation Types Shift Physiological and Phenological Controls on Carbon Sink Strength in a Coastal Zone.

The carbon sink function performed by the different vegetation types along the environmental gradient in coastal zones plays a vital role in mitigating climate change. However, inadequate understanding of its spatiotemporal variations across different vegetation types and associated regulatory mechanisms hampers determining its potential shifts in a changing climate. Here, we present long-term (2011-2022) eddy covariance measurements of the net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO at three sites with different vegetation types (tidal wetland, nontidal wetland, and cropland) in a coastal zone to examine the role of vegetation type on annual carbon sink strength.

Estimation of Diagnostic Test Accuracy Without Gold Standards.

The ideal evaluation of diagnostic test performance requires a reference test that is free of errors. However, for many diseases, obtaining such a "gold standard" reference is either impossible or prohibitively expensive. Estimating test accuracy in the absence of a gold standard is therefore a significant challenge.

Single-Cell Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Biomechanical Loading-Induced Imbalance in Bone and Fat, Leading to Ossification in Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Nucleus Pulposus Degeneration.

In this study, we explored the impact of different biomechanical loadings on lumbar spine motion segments, particularly concerning intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). We aimed to uncover the cellular milieu and mechanisms driving ossification in the nucleus pulposus (NP) during IVDD, a process whose underlying mechanisms have remained elusive. The study involved the examination of fresh NP tissue from the L3-S1 segment of five individuals, either with IVDD or healthy.

mHealth-Based Diabetes Prevention Program for Chinese Mothers With Abdominal Obesity: Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Among people with abdominal obesity, women are more likely to develop diabetes than men. Mobile health (mHealth)-based technologies provide the flexibility and resource-saving opportunities to improve lifestyles in an individualized way. However, mHealth-based diabetes prevention programs tailored for busy mothers with abdominal obesity have not been reported yet.

A Varying-Coefficient Additive Hazard Model for Recurrent Events Data.

The additive hazard model, which focuses on risk differences rather than risk ratios, has been widely applied in practice. In this paper, we consider an additive hazard model with varying coefficients to analyze recurrent events data. The model allows for both varying and constant coefficients.

Incidence of 12-month postoperative cognitive decline following regional vs. general anaesthesia in older patients undergoing hip fracture surgery: follow-up of the RAGA trial.

Introduction: Data regarding the incidence of 12-month postoperative cognitive decline following regional or general anaesthesia in older patients undergoing hip fracture surgery remain observational. Compared with general anaesthesia, we hypothesised that regional anaesthesia would decrease the incidence of 12-month postoperative cognitive decline.

Methods: This is substudy of a multicentre randomised trial of regional anaesthesia with no sedation vs.

Cellular uptake and transport mechanism of lycopene-loaded nanomicelles formed by amphiphilic peptide self-assembly in the intestinal epithelium.

Background: This study aimed to elucidate the transport mechanism of lycopene-loaded nanomicelles to improve intestinal absorption of lycopene. The interactive mechanism between lycopene and nanomicelles was investigated through isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). The cytotoxicity, cellular uptake, endocytosis, and intracellular transport pathways of lycopene-loaded nanomicelles were investigated using the Caco-2 cell model.

Betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase attenuates liver ischemia-reperfusion injury by targeting TAK1.

Liver ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is a common complication following liver surgery, significantly impacting the prognosis of liver transplantation and other liver surgeries. Betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT), a crucial enzyme in the methionine cycle, has been previously confirmed the pivotal role in hepatocellular carcinoma, and it has also been demonstrated that BHMT inhibits inflammation, apoptosis, but its role in liver IR injury remains unknow. Following I/R injury, we found that BHMT expression was significantly upregulated in human liver transplant specimens, mice and hepatocytes.

Animal models of cisplatin-induced neuropathic pain.

Cisplatin chemotherapy has been used as the main treatment for different types of cancer. However, cisplatin chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathic pain (CIPNP) seriously affects the treatment process and quality of life of patients. In addition, it impacts the underlying mechanism and prevention and treatment strategies, indicating that drug selection and efficacy evaluation need to be further investigated.

Indole-3-Lactic Acid Inhibits Doxorubicin-Induced Ferroptosis Through Activating Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor/Nrf2 Signalling Pathway.

The clinical application of doxorubicin (DOX) is limited due to its cardiotoxicity, which is primarily attributed to its interaction with iron in mitochondria, leading to lipid peroxidation and myocardial ferroptosis. This study aimed to investigate the role of the gut microbiota-derived metabolite, indole-3-lactic acid (ILA), in mitigating DOX-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC). Cardiac function, pathological changes, and myocardial ferroptosis were assessed in vivo.

The Role of Exerkines in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: From Mechanisms to Exercise Strategies.

With the increasing prevalence of knee osteoarthritis (KOA), the limitations of traditional treatments, such as their limited efficacy in halting disease progression and their potential side effects, are becoming more evident. This situation has prompted scientists to seek more effective strategies. In recent years, exercise therapy has gained prominence in KOA treatment due to its safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness, which are underpinned by the molecular actions of exerkines.

Synthesis of Benzazepines Bearing Three Contiguous Carbon Stereocenters through Pd(II)-Catalyzed [3 + 2] Cycloaddition of -Aryl Nitrones with Allenoates.

A cascade reaction of Pd(II)/dppben-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of -aryl nitrones with allenoates and sequential reduction has been developed for the synthesis of functionalized benzazepines bearing three contiguous carbon stereocenters in moderate to good yields ranging from 15 to 82% and high diastereoselectivity. The obtained benzazepines could be converted into various benzazepine scaffolds, and an estrone-derived benzazepine scaffold was prepared over four steps from estrone. More importantly, chiral benzazepine bearing three contiguous carbon stereocenters could be obtained in 88% ee value with chiral auxiliary.

Enhancing Functional Breast Imaging: A sCMOS Camera-Based Lock-in Implementation for Dynamic Tomography.

Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) enables the in vivo quantification of tissue chromophores, specifically the discernment of oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin (HbO and HbR, correspondingly). This specific criterion is useful in detecting and predicting early-stage neoadjuvant breast cancer treatment response. To address the issues of the limited channels in the fiber-dependent breast DOT system and limited signal-to-noise ratio in the camera-dependent systems, we hereby present a camera-based lock-in detection scheme to achieve dynamic DOT with improved SNR, which adopted orthogonal frequency division multiplexing technology.

Clinical and Radiological Comparison of Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic and Percutaneous Transforaminal Endoscopic Discectomy in the Treatment of Lumbar Spinal Degenerative Disease.

Objective: Unilateral biportal endoscopic discectomy (UBE) is an emerging and minimally invasive surgeryfor lumbar spinal degenerative disease. However, the efficacy, safety and the radiological changes of dural sac and paraspinal muscle of UBE compared with the conventional percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED) remains to be determined. The purpose of the study was to comprehensively compare the clinical efficacy between UBE and PTED in the surgical treatment of lumbar spinal degenerative disease.

Penicillin Allergy Management in India and Sri Lanka: Current Challenges.

Data regarding Penicillin allergy labels (PALs) from India and Sri Lanka are sparse. Emerging data suggests that the proportion of patients declaring an unverified PAL in secondary care in India and Sri Lanka (1%-4%) is lesser than that reported in High Income Countries (15%-20%). However, even this relatively small percentage translates into a large absolute number, as this part of the world accounts for approximately 25% of the global population.

Lubricating Copolymer Brushes Achieving Excellent Antiadhesion and Antibacterial Performance through Hydration and Electrostatic Repulsion Effects.

Interventional catheters have been widely applied in diagnostics, therapeutics, and other biomedical areas. The complications caused by catheter-related bacterial infection, venous thrombosis, and vascular abrasion have become the main reasons for the failure of interventional therapy. In this study, polyacrylamide/poly(acrylic acid) lubricating copolymer brushes were constructed on the surface of catheters and efficiently resisted the adhesion of blood components and bacteria through hydration and electrostatic repulsion effects.

Shape-Directed Dynamic Assembly of Active Colloidal Metamachines.

Modularly organizing active micromachines into high-grade metamachines makes a great leap for operating the microscopic world in a biomimetic way. However, modulating the nonreciprocal interactions among different colloidal motors through chemical reactions to achieve the controllable construction of active colloidal metamachines with specific dynamic properties remains challenging. Here, we report the phototactic active colloidal metamachines constructed by shape-directed dynamic self-assembly of chemically driven peanut-shaped TiO colloidal motors and Janus spherical Pt/SiO colloidal motors.

Coordination Self-Assembly Induced Hot Exciton Fluorescence and Multi-Source Excitation Long Afterglow.

Metal-organic complexes with long afterglow luminescence have attracted extensive attention due to potential applications in display, sensing and information security. However, most of the metal-organic complex long afterglow materials reported so far are limited to the use of UV light as the excitation source, and the ambiguity of the structure-activity relationship makes the development of metal-organic complexes extremely limited. Herein, a series of metal-organic complexes with ultralong emission lifetime is constructed by coordination assembly of Zn(II) with three isomers.

Dynamic Accommodation Responses in Subjects Wearing Myopia Control Spectacles Modifying Peripheral Refraction.

Purpose: Peripheral optics have been suggested to play a role in myopia progression, with accommodation responses also considered a potential contributor. This study aimed to investigate whether modifications in peripheral optics through different spectacle lenses affect accommodation responses.

Methods: Dynamic accommodation responses were assessed using a double-pass instrument while switching the target from distance (3 m for 3 seconds) to near (0.

Simvastatin-Induced Ferroptosis in Orbital Fibroblasts in Graves' Ophthalmopathy.

Purpose: Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO), the most common extrathyroidal manifestation of Graves' disease, is disabling and disfiguring. Recent studies have shown that statins have a protective effect on individuals with GO. Statins were reported to trigger ferroptosis in some disorders, but little is known about whether statins protect against GO via ferroptosis.

ENO2-Regulated Glycolysis in Endothelial Cells Contributes to FGF2-Induced Retinal Neovascularization.

Purpose: Ocular neovascularization is a major cause of blindness. Although fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of angiogenesis, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of FGF2 in retinal neovascularization and elucidate its underlying mechanisms.

Design and Discovery of Preclinical Candidate LYG-409 as a Highly Potent and Selective GSPT1 Molecular Glue Degraders.

Molecular glue degraders induce "undruggable" protein degradation by a proximity-induced effect. Inspired by the clinical success of immunomodulatory drugs, we aimed to design novel molecular glue degraders targeting GSPT1. Here, we report the design of a series of GSPT1 molecular glue degraders.