Pericarpium Trichosanthis Inhibits TGF-β1-Smad3 Pathway-Induced Cardiac Fibrosis in Heart Failure Rats via Upregulation of microRNA-29b.

Cardiac dysfunction and adverse consequences induced by cardiac fibrosis have been well documented. However, the cardiac fibrosis pathway in chronic heart failure (CHF) remains unclear, and it is therefore necessary to conduct further research for the sake of developing more effective therapeutic strategies for CHF. Some recent studies suggest that Pericarpium Trichosanthis (PT) may help improve the progression of fibrotic diseases.

Separating the Effects of Early-Life and Adult Body Size on Chronic Kidney Disease Risk: A Mendelian Randomization Study.

Background: Whether there is a causal relationship between childhood obesity and increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains controversial. This study sought to explore how body size in childhood and adulthood independently affects CKD risk in later life using a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach.

Methods: Univariate and multivariate MR was used to estimate total and independent effects of body size exposures.

Uptake and Transpiration of Solid and Hollow SiO Nanoparticles by Terrestrial Plant (Apium Graveolens var. secalinum).

Recent studies have raised concerns about the potential toxicity of amorphous silica (SiO) nanoparticles (NPs). This investigation explores the uptake, transport, and transpiration of silica NPs in Apium graveolens var. secalinum.

The Predictive Value of Multifidus Degeneration in Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fracture Patients with Kyphosis Deformity.

Background Context: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) causes pain, kyphosis and neurological damage, which significantly affect patients' quality of life. Patients with OVCF are often elderly and have severe osteoporosis, which makes preoperative symptom more serious, postoperative recovery worse and the incidence of postoperative complications high. The paraspinal muscles have been well studied in adult spinal deformities, but there is no conclusive evidence that their findings can be applied to OVCF.

The application value of targeted next-generation sequencing using bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples in community-acquired pneumonia in children.

Background: The precise identification of pathogens responsible for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children is essential for effective treatment. However, the performance of targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) in the detection of pathogens associated with CAP in children remains unclear.

Methods: In this study, 216 children diagnosed with CAP were enrolled, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples underwent detection through tNGS, culture, and multiplex quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR).

An overview of recent progress in cultured meat: focusing on technology, quality properties, safety, industrialization and public acceptance.

Cultured meat technology represents an innovative food production approach that enables the large-scale cultivation of animal cells to obtain muscle, fat, and other tissues, which are then processed into meat products. Compared to traditional meat production methods, cell-cultured meat may significantly reduce energy consumption by 7% to 45%, greenhouse gas emissions by 78% to 96%, land use by 99%, and water use by 82% to 96%. This technology offers several advantages, including a shorter production cycle and enhanced environmental sustainability, resource efficiency, and overall sustainability.

Dietary Reference Intakes of Selenium for Chinese Residents.

The plasma selenoprotein P (SELENOP) concentration leveling out was thought to represent saturation of the functional selenium body pool and an appropriate supply of selenium to all tissues, indicating that the necessary amount of selenium had been supplied. Based on the selenium intake when SELENOP reaches saturation, the estimated average requirement (EAR) of selenium was set as 50 μg/d, and the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) was 60 μg/d for Chinese general population. According a recent study, "lactating Chinese women with the optimal daily selenium intake" was defined, and the adequate intake (AI) of 0‒6 months old infants was set as 15 μg/d, and 20 μg/d was calculated for 7‒12 months old infants.

Association of Sugar sweetened, Artificially Sweetened, and Unsweetened Coffee Consumption with Chronic Liver Disease and Liver Related Events: A Large Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Previous observational studies haven't reached an agreement on the association between coffee consumption and risk of liver diseases. Also, none of these studies took sweetener added in coffee into consideration.

Objective: We aim to explore the associations of consumption of sweetened and unsweetened coffee with chronic liver disease (CLD) and liver-related events (LREs), and evaluate the degree to which sweetener added counteracted the effect of coffee.

How hydrodynamic conditions drive the regime shift towards a bacterial state with lower carbon emissions in river bends.

Hydrodynamic conditions influenced by river sinuosity may alter carbon (e.g., carbon dioxide and methane) emissions and microbial communities responsible for nutrient turnover.

Spatio-temporal Variations of Heat Extremes across the Yangtze River Delta during 2001-2023 Based on Remotely Sensed Seamless Air Temperature.

Heat extremes become increasingly frequent and severe, posing adverse risks to public health and environment. Previous research on extreme heat mostly used meteorological observations or reanalysis data, which cannot well capture detailed spatial patterns. This study developed a seamless air temperature (T) dataset from remote sensing data to characterize the spatio-temporal variations of heat extremes in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) from 2001 to 2023.

Degradation of naphthalene in aqueous solution using a microbial symbiotic system founded by degrading and ureolytic bacteria.

Although single bacteria have been applied to the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) remediation, its efficacy is severely restricted by long degradation periods and low efficacy. A microbial symbiotic system founded by two or more bacterial strains may be an alternative to traditional remediation approaches. Its construction is, however, hampered by antagonistic interactions and remains challenging.

Efficient Degradation of Ciprofloxacin in Water Using nZVI/g-CN Enhanced Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Process.

Residual antibiotics in aquatic environments pose health and ecological risks due to their persistence and resistance to biodegradation. Thus, it is crucial to develop efficient technologies for the degradation of such antibiotics. This study presents a novel approach using a nano zero-valent iron/graphitic carbon nitride (nZVI/g-CN)-enhanced dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma process for the degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP).

Utilization of wall-breaking sludge for improving soil structure in abandoned mine land.

Promoting soil structure is considered an essential prerequisite for abandoned mine land restoration. Sewage sludge (SS) has the potential to improve soil structure. However, traditional SS application to improve soil structure requires a lot of SS, potentially exacerbating heavy metal (HM) contamination.

Data-Driven Fault Detection and Diagnosis Methods in Wastewater Treatment Systems: A Comprehensive Review.

Wastewater treatment systems are essential for sustainable water resource management but face challenges such as equipment and sensor malfunctions, fluctuating influent conditions, and operational disturbances that compromise process stability and detection accuracy. To address these challenges, this paper systematically reviews data-driven fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) methods applied in wastewater treatment systems from 2014 to 2024, focusing on their applications, advancements, and limitations. Main contributions include an overview of key treatment processes, a detailed evaluation of fault types (process and sensor faults), advancements in multivariate statistical methods, machine learning (ML), and hybrid FDD techniques, as well as their effectiveness in anomaly detection, managing complex data distributions, and enabling real-time monitoring.

Elucidating the roles of voltage sensors in Na1.9 activation and inactivation through a spider toxin.

The gating process of voltage-gated sodium (Na) channels is extraordinary intrinsic and involves numerous factors, such as voltage-sensing domain (VSD), the N-terminus and C-terminus, and the auxiliary subunits. To date, the gating mechanism of Na channel has not been clearly elucidated. Na1.

Reducing radiation-induced hypothyroidism by modified delineation of cervical lymphatic drainage area for nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated by intensity-modulated radiation Therapy: 3 years' experience.

Background And Purpose: Radiation-induced hypothyroidism (RIHT) is a late complication of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). We evaluated thyroid protection in NPC patients receiving IMRT using modified delineation (MD) of cervical lymphatic drainage areas, sparing the common carotid artery within the clinical target volume (CTV), to assess its impact on thyroid function and survival outcomes.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients without metastatic lymph nodes at levels III and IV who received neck irradiation.

Enhancing crop yields to ensure food security by optimizing photosynthesis.

The crop yields achieved through traditional plant breeding techniques appear to be nearing a plateau. Therefore, it is essential to accelerate advancements in photosynthesis, the fundamental process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy, to further enhance crop yields. Research focused on improving photosynthesis holds significant promise for increasing sustainable agricultural productivity and addressing challenges related to global food security.

Dahuang-Gancao Decoction Ameliorates Testosterone-Induced Androgenetic Alopecia in Mice.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Dahuang-Gancao decoction (DGD) is a traditional Chinese medicinal formula that is recorded in the Synopsis of the Golden Chamber, and is widely used to treat damp-heat in the body. Since the pathological factors of androgenetic alopecia (AGA) also reflect damp-heat blockage, DGD has great potential for the treatment of AGA and has been used effectively in clinical practice.

Aim Of The Study: The aim of the study was to investigate whether external application of DGD could promote the activation and proliferation of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) and improve AGA through the Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Ropivacaine and celecoxib-loaded injectable composite hydrogel for improved chronic pain-exacerbated myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Chronic pain is a prevalent condition affecting a significant portion of the global population and is known to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Despite the clinical relevance, the mechanisms underlying the link between chronic pain and myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) injury remain poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the role of the superior cervical ganglion (SCG) in mediating the effects of chronic pain on MI/R injury and to develop a novel therapeutic strategy.

Non-Bioartificial Artificial Liver Support System in Acute Liver Failure: A Comprehensive Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background: Acute liver failure (ALF) poses a significant threat to patient health with high mortality rates. While Non-Bioartificial Artificial Liver Support system (NBALSS) has been utilized as a transitional intervention to liver transplant, its efficacy remains uncertain, It is also used as a last-line treatment for patients who are not candidates for liver transplantation.

Objective: The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the efficacy of NBALSS in treating acute liver failure (ALF).

Prevalence and Patterns of Social Media Use in Early Adolescents.

Objective: To describe patterns of social media use, including underage (under 13 years) use and sex differences, in a diverse, national sample of early adolescents in the U.S.

Methods: We analyzed the social media use data in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (2019-2021, Year 3), which includes a national sample of early adolescents in the U.

Retrospective Evaluation of Combined Anterior and Posterior Surgery with Autologous Tricortical Iliac and Rib Bone Grafting for Severe Kyphotic Deformity in Thoracic Spinal Tuberculosis.

Background: Spinal tuberculosis is a common cause of spinal deformity and neurological dysfunction, with surgical treatment being crucial in severe cases. This study evaluates the efficacy and safety of combined anterior and posterior surgery with autologous tricortical iliac bone and rib grafting for treating spinal tuberculosis.

Methods: We included 61 patients with thoracic tuberculosis, who underwent a surgical procedure involving initial posterior correction, followed by anterior debridement and reconstruction with autologous tricortical iliac bone and rib grafts.

RET-AREAL: a multi-center, real-world data analysis on the efficacy of pralsetinib in acquired RET fusion after resistance to EGFR/ALK-TKIs.

Pralsetinib demonstrated impressive improvement of survival in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harbored de novo RET fusion. However, the efficacy in patients with acquired RET fusion after resistance to EGFR/ALK-TKIs has only been reported on a case-by-case basis, and the strategy for overcoming the acquired RET fusion has not been fully investigated. This multicenter, real-world analysis enrolled 32 patients with unresectable NSCLC harbored acquired RET fusion after resistance to EGFR/ALK-TKIs in 23 centers across China from July 1, 2018 to Nov 23, 2022.

From Pathogenesis to Precision Medicine: Transformative Advances in Research and Treatment of Ameloblastoma.

Odontogenic neoplasms of the jaw are dominated by ameloblastoma (AM), a locally aggressive epithelial tumor with a significant propensity for recurrence. The World Health Organization's 2022 update to the AMclassification system underscores recent progress in comprehending its underlying mechanisms and refining clinical approaches. Contemporary research has yielded significant insights into the genetic underpinnings of AM, paving the way for the development of precision-based treatment strategies.

Oral and Fecal Microbiota as Accurate Non-invasive Tools for Detection of Pancreatic Cancer in the Chinese Population.

Pancreatic cancer (PCA), a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, has limited non-invasive diagnostic methods. We aimed to identify oral and fecal microbiome biomarkers and construct diagnostic classifiers. Oral and fecal samples from 97 PCA patients and 90 healthy controls underwent 16S rRNA sequencing.