Association between serum levels of 12 different cytokines and short-term efficacy of chemoradiotherapy in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) has a poor prognosis, with chemoradiotherapy (CRT) being a key treatment method. This study focused on circulating cytokines as potential predictors of treatment response and prognosis in patients with ESCC.

Materials And Methods: Serum samples were collected from 36 ESCC patients, and 12 different cytokines were quantified using a multiplex immunofluorescence assay.

Development and In-Vitro Tuning of Piperine Containing Solid Lipid Microparticles for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The current project was designed to develop piperine-loaded solid lipid microparticles (SLMs) to assess the anti-arthritic potential of piperine (PIP). Variable proportions of carnauba wax, beeswax, and tween 80 were employed for preparing SLMs by using the solvent evaporation technique. The developed formulations were subjected to particle size measurements, entrapment efficiency (EE), and zeta potential (ZP) determination.

CT-based skeletal muscle loss predicts long term prognosis in patients with distal cholangiocarcinoma undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy.

Skeletal muscle index (SMI), as an effective indicator of nutritional status, plays an important role in the prognosis of malignancy. However, the impact of skeletal muscle changes on tumor prognosis has not been systematically elaborated. We aimed to explore the value of skeletal muscle changes in the prognosis of distal cholangiocarcinoma (DCC) patients undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD).

Mitochondrial NAD deficiency in vascular smooth muscle impairs collagen III turnover to trigger thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Thoracic and abdominal aortic aneurysm poses a substantial mortality risk in adults, yet many of its underlying factors remain unidentified. Here, we identify mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)⁺ deficiency as a causal factor for the development of aortic aneurysm. Multiomics analysis of 150 surgical aortic specimens indicated impaired NAD salvage and mitochondrial transport in human thoracic aortic aneurysm, with expression of the NAD transporter SLC25A51 inversely correlating with disease severity and postoperative progression.

Clinical novel exploration of intractable fever in stroke rehabilitation: a single-center cross-sectional retrospective study.

Fever has long been recognized as one of the earliest clinical indicators of illness and remains a leading reason for seeking medical care worldwide. It is typically classified based on its duration and underlying etiology. In clinical settings, intractable fever is as common as acute fever, particularly in patients with brain injuries.

Glycosylated lysosomal membrane protein promotes tissue repair after spinal cord injury by reducing iron deposition and ferroptosis in microglia.

Excessive iron deposition can lead to ferroptosis, a form of iron-dependent cell death detrimental to neuronal survival. Microglia have been identified as having a high capacity for iron deposition, yet it remains unclear whether microglia undergo ferroptosis while phagocytosing excessive amounts of iron after spinal cord injury (SCI). Here, we observed scattered iron around the epicenter of the injured spinal cord at 7 days post-injury (dpi) in mice, which then accumulated in the lesion core at 14 dpi.

Maternal Smoking Around Birth Is a Risk Factor for Gastrointestinal Diseases in Offspring: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: The effect of maternal smoking around birth (MSAB) on gastrointestinal (GI) diseases in the offspring is still not fully understood.

Aim: We conducted a rigorous Mendelian randomization (MR) study to examine the association between MSAB and 24 GI diseases in offspring.

Methods: Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with MSAB were obtained from a recent study.

Clioquinol 3% Cream Improves Clinical Symptoms and Restores the Skin Microbiome in Interdigital Tinea Pedis.

Background: Interdigital tinea pedis is a common type of tinea pedis that occurs between toes and is easy to recur. Recently, the skin microbiome analysis of interdigital tinea pedis showed changes in bacterial microbiome in addition to fungal infection.

Objectives: To investigate the efficacy and safety of clioquinol 3% cream in treating interdigital tinea pedis as well as characterize changes in the skin microbiome during treatment.

Prediction Trough Concentrations of Valproic Acid Among Chinese Adult Patients with Epilepsy Using Machine Learning Techniques.

Objective: This study aimed to establish an optimal model based on machine learning (ML) to predict Valproic acid (VPA) trough concentrations in Chinese adult epilepsy patients.

Methods: A single-center retrospective study was carried out at the Jinshan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University from January 2022 to December 2023. A total of 102 VPA trough concentrations were split into a derivation cohort and a validation cohort at a ratio of 8:2.

Self-reports map the landscape of task states derived from brain imaging.

Psychological states influence our happiness and productivity; however, estimates of their impact have historically been assumed to be limited by the accuracy with which introspection can quantify them. Over the last two decades, studies have shown that introspective descriptions of psychological states correlate with objective indicators of cognition, including task performance and metrics of brain function, using techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Such evidence suggests it may be possible to quantify the mapping between self-reports of experience and objective representations of those states (e.

MD-Unet for tobacco leaf disease spot segmentation based on multi-scale residual dilated convolutions.

Identification and diagnosis of tobacco diseases are prerequisites for the scientific prevention and control of these ailments. To address the limitations of traditional methods, such as weak generalization and sensitivity to noise in segmenting tobacco leaf lesions, this study focused on four tobacco diseases: angular leaf spot, brown spot, wildfire disease, and frog eye disease. Building upon the Unet architecture, we developed the Multi-scale Residual Dilated Segmentation Model (MD-Unet) by enhancing the feature extraction module and integrating attention mechanisms.

Ultrabroadband integrated electro-optic frequency comb in lithium tantalate.

The integrated frequency comb generator based on Kerr parametric oscillation has led to chip-scale, gigahertz-spaced combs with new applications spanning hyperscale telecommunications, low-noise microwave synthesis, light detection and ranging, and astrophysical spectrometer calibration. Recent progress in lithium niobate (LiNbO) photonic integrated circuits (PICs) has resulted in chip-scale, electro-optic (EO) frequency combs, offering precise comb-line positioning and simple operation without relying on the formation of dissipative Kerr solitons. However, current integrated EO combs face limited spectral coverage due to the large microwave power required to drive the non-resonant capacitive electrodes and the strong intrinsic birefringence of LiNbO.

Leveraging a phased pangenome for haplotype design of hybrid potato.

The tetraploid genome and clonal propagation of the cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) dictate a slow, non-accumulative breeding mode of the most important tuber crop. Transitioning potato breeding to a seed-propagated hybrid system based on diploid inbred lines has the potential to greatly accelerate its improvement.

Experience-dependent dopamine modulation of male aggression.

Numerous studies support the role of dopamine in modulating aggression, but the exact neural mechanisms remain elusive. Here we show that dopaminergic cells in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) can bidirectionally modulate aggression in male mice in an experience-dependent manner. Although VTA dopaminergic cells strongly influence aggression in novice aggressors, they become ineffective in expert aggressors.

Precise modelling of mitochondrial diseases using optimized mitoBEs.

The development of animal models is crucial for studying and treating mitochondrial diseases. Here we optimized adenine and cytosine deaminases to reduce off-target effects on the transcriptome and the mitochondrial genome, improving the accuracy and efficiency of our newly developed mitochondrial base editors (mitoBEs). Using these upgraded mitoBEs (version 2 (v2)), we targeted 70 mouse mitochondrial DNA mutations analogous to human pathogenic variants, establishing a foundation for mitochondrial disease mouse models.

Synthesis of a semimetallic Weyl ferromagnet with point Fermi surface.

Quantum materials governed by emergent topological fermions have become a cornerstone of physics. Dirac fermions in graphene form the basis for moiré quantum matter and Dirac fermions in magnetic topological insulators enabled the discovery of the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect. By contrast, there are few materials whose electromagnetic response is dominated by emergent Weyl fermions.

Depressive intensity, duration, and their associations with cognitive decline: a population-based study in Korea.

Existing epidemiological studies have ignored the effect of depressive duration on cognitive decline despite the presence of biological cues and understudied the depression-cognition association in Asian countries in the context of increasing cognitive burden worldwide. We aimed to comprehensively characterize the effects of depressive duration and intensity on cognitive decline at the population level. A total of 6406 individuals from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) from 2010 to 2018 were included to generate four datasets with durations of 2, 4, 6, and 8 years.

m1A-regulated DIAPH3 promotes the invasiveness of colorectal cancer via stabilization of KRT19.

Background: In recent years, the emphasis has shifted to understanding the role of N1-methyladenosine (m1A) in tumor progression as little is known about its regulatory effect on mRNA and its role in the metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC).

Methods: We performed methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing of tumor tissues and tumor-adjacent normal tissues from three patients with CRC to determine the m1A profile of mRNA in CRC. The expression of diaphanous-related formin 3 (DIAPH3) and its correlation with clinicopathological characteristics of CRC were evaluated using immunohistochemistry and online datasets.

How Does Social Comparison of Received Help Relate to Interpersonal Gratitude? The Roles of Self-Worth and Help Effectiveness.

Cultivating interpersonal gratitude is crucial for promoting adaptive development in emerging adults. Social comparison theory provides a more comprehensive framework for exploring the mechanisms behind the formation of interpersonal gratitude. However, empirical findings regarding the effect of social comparison of received help on interpersonal gratitude are inconsistent, and the underlying mechanism driving this effect is still unclear.

The Longitudinal Relationship between Adolescents' Prosocial Behavior and Well-Being: A Cross-Lagged Panel Network Analysis.

Despite extensive research on the relationship between adolescents' prosocial behavior and well-being, few studies have examined the relationships between prosocial acts towards different targets (family, friends, and strangers) and both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being over time, especially within the cultural context of China, where relational closeness are highly emphasized. To address this research gap, the present study conducted a longitudinal investigation involving 514 Chinese adolescents (M = 13.75 years, SD = 1.

Parental Monitoring, Deviant Peer Affiliation, and Adolescents' Cyberbullying Involvement: Prospective Within-Person Associations.

Cybervictimization and cyberbullying are serious public health issues. Parental monitoring serves as a protective factor, reducing adolescents' risk of cybervictimization and cyberbullying. However, no study has systematically explored the interplay between parental monitoring, cybervictimization and cyberbullying at within-person processes, the mediating mechanisms between them, and the moderator of sex among Chinese adolescents.

Effects of HIV exposure on anemia and vitamin D nutritional status in children aged 6-24 months: a hospital-based cross-sectional study.

There is little research on anemia and vitamin D deficiency in HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) children. This study was aimed to describe and compare the prevalence of anemia and vitamin D inadequacy in HEU children and HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU) children, and to examine the associations of HIV exposure with anemia and vitamin D inadequacy. This was a hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study nested within the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV program in Hunan Province during July and September 2022.

The importance of the Autostrain RV technique in the treatment of right ventricular myocardial alterations in patients with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy.

To research the value of Autostrain right ventricular (RV) technology in detecting and preventing right ventricular myocardial injury in patients undergoing breast cancer chemotherapy by providing an imaging basis for early identification. To examine the changes in various cardiac function parameters before and after chemotherapy, two-dimensional echocardiography was employed 48 h before chemotherapy, 48 h after the fourth cycle of chemotherapy, and 48 h after the eighth cycle of chemotherapy, respectively. The patients included those with breast cancer who underwent surgery and were primarily administered anthracycline-based chemotherapeutic drugs.

Breast Cancer Histopathological Image Classification Based on Graph Assisted Global Reasoning.

Breast cancer ranks as the most prevalent cancer among women globally. Histopathological image analysis stands as one of the most reliable methods for tumor detection. This study aims to utilize deep learning to extract histopathological features and automatically identify tumor information, thereby assisting doctors in high-precision pathological diagnosis.