Tofacitinib Treatment for Active Dermatomyositis and Anti-synthetase Syndrome: A Prospective Cohort Pilot Study.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in the treatment of active dermatomyositis (DM) and anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS).

Methods: Tofacitinib was administered at a dose of 5 mg twice daily to patients who exhibited inadequate response to conventional treatments. The primary end point was the reduction of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells at week 24.

Environmentally-Relevant Concentrations of Atrazine Had Minor Impacts on Gut Microbiota and Liver Metabolite in Juvenile Turtles.

Toxic effects of herbicide atrazine (ATR) have been evaluated in various aquatic organisms, but our understanding of its potential impacts in reptile species remains limited. In this study, the functional performances, and gut microbiota and liver metabolite alterations of ATR-exposed Mauremys sinensis juveniles were measured to evaluate its potential toxic effects in turtles. ATR exposure had no impact on the growth rate, but would allow turtles to right themselves more quickly.

A predictive model based on the gut microbiota improves the diagnostic effect in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, destructive autoimmune disorder predominantly targeting the joints, with gut microbiota dysbiosis being intricately associated with its progression. The aim of the present study was to develop of effective early diagnostic methods for early RA based on gut microbiota.

Methods: A cohort comprising 262 RA patients and 475 healthy controls (HCs) was recruited.

Kat7 accelerates osteoarthritis disease progression through the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative bone and joint disease with an unclear pathogenesis. Our study identified that the histone acetyltransferase encoded by Kat7 is upregulated in the affected articular cartilage of OA patients and in a mice model of medial meniscal instability-induced OA. Chondrocyte-specific knockdown of Kat7 expression exhibited a protective effect on articular cartilage integrity.

tRNA m1A modification regulates cholesterol biosynthesis to promote antitumor immunity of CD8+ T cells.

Activation of CD8+ T cells necessitates rapid metabolic reprogramming to fulfill the substantial biosynthetic demands of effector functions. However, the posttranscriptional mechanisms underpinning this process remain obscure. The transfer RNA (tRNA) N1-methyladenine (m1A) modification, essential for tRNA stability and protein translation, has an undefined physiological function in CD8+ T cells, particularly in antitumor responses.

Scarcity mindset facilitates empathy for social pain and prosocial intention: behavioral and neural evidences.

Empathy for social pain encompasses both affective and cognitive responses to others' emotional reactions following negative social encounters, facilitating an understanding of their suffering and promoting prosocial behaviors. This study examined how a scarcity mindset affects empathy for social pain and prosocial intentions at behavioral and neural levels. Sixty participants were randomly assigned to either the scarcity or abundance mindset group.

Glucose Metabolic Abnormalities and Their Interaction With Defective Phosphate Homeostasis in Tumor-induced Osteomalacia.

Context: Phosphate homeostasis was compromised in tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO) due to increased fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) secretion. Nevertheless, the glucose metabolic profile in TIO patients has not been investigated.

Objectives: This work aimed to clarify the glucose metabolic profiles in TIO patients and explore their interaction with impaired phosphate homeostasis.

A Force-Sensor-Less Approach for Rapid Young's Modulus Identification of Heterogeneous Soft Tissue.

Due to individual differences, accurate identification of tissue elastic parameters is essential for biomechanical modeling in surgical guidance for hepatic venous injections. This paper aims to acquire the absolute Young's modulus of heterogeneous soft tissues during endoscopic surgery with 2D ultrasound images. First, we introduced a force-sensor-less approach that utilizes a pre-calibrated soft patch with a known Young's modulus and its ultrasound images to calculate the external forces exerted by the probe on the tissue.

An InDel variant in the promoter of the NAC transcription factor MdNAC18.1 plays a major role in apple fruit ripening.

A complex regulatory network governs fruit ripening, but natural variations and functional differentiation of fruit ripening genes remain largely unknown. Utilizing a genome-wide association study (GWAS), we identified the NAC family transcription factor MdNAC18.1, whose expression is closely associated with fruit ripening in apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.

Targeting Ketone Body Metabolism Improves Cardiac Function and Hemodynamics in Patients With Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Context: The impacts of elevated ketone body levels on cardiac function and hemodynamics in patients with heart failure (HF) remain unclear.

Objective: The effects of ketone intervention on these parameters in patients with HF were evaluated quantitatively in this meta-analysis.

Data Sources: We searched the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases for relevant studies published from inception to April 13, 2024.

Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Lipid Profile in Overweight or Obese Women: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Context: Previous studies have explored the relationship between vitamin D and lipid profile in individuals with obesity or overweight women, but the results have been inconsistent.

Objective: This meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to assess the effect of vitamin D on lipid profile in women who are overweight or obese.

Data Sources: A meticulous search strategy was used across the Scopus, PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, and Embase databases up to June 2024.

Reticular Synthesis of Covalent Organic Frameworks with kgd-v Topology and Trirhombic Pores.

Two-dimensional (2D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with designable pore structures can be synthesized under the guidance of topology diagrams. Among the five existing edge-transitive topological nets, topology is considered a fine candidate for constructing COFs with ultramicropores. However, all of the reported COFs with topology need the use of -symmetric monomers, which are limited in compound type and difficult to synthesize.

SIRT4 Protects Retina Against Excitotoxic Injury by Promoting OPA1-Mediated Müller Glial Cell Mitochondrial Fusion and GLAST Expression.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the role of SIRT4 in retinal protection, specifically its ability to mitigate excitotoxic damage to Müller glial cells through the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics and glutamate transporters (GLASTs).

Methods: A model of retinal excitatory neurotoxicity was established in mice. Proteins related to mitochondrial dynamics, GLAST, and SIRT4 were analyzed on days 0, 1, 3, and 5 following toxic injury.

CAMK2D and Complement Factor I-Involved Calcium/Calmodulin Signaling Modulates Sodium Iodate-Induced Mouse Retinal Degeneration.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CAMKII) δ subtypes (CAMK2D) on sodium iodate (NaIO3)-induced retinal degeneration in mice.

Methods: Bioinformatics analysis and Western blot experiments were used to screen the significantly differentially expressed genes in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) disease. CAMK2D knockdown and overexpression models were constructed by lentivirus (LV) infection of adult retinal pigment epithelial cell line-19 (ARPE-19) cells in vitro.

Chinese herbal medicine-inspired construction of multi-component hydrogels with antibacterial and wound-healing-promoting functions.

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has offered a great treasure and source of inspiration for developing innovative medicinal materials and therapy. In this work, inspired by the macroscopic compatibility of and in CHM, the puerarin (PUE) and CaSO (Ca) as the main constituents, respectively, from the two herbs are co-assembled into two-component molecular hydrogels. Such two-component gels exhibited enhanced mechanical properties compared with the single-component PUE gel due to the introduction of crosslinking hydrogen bonds between PUE and Ca.

Degrees of Death: The Hierarchy of Capital Punishments Between Strangulation and Decapitation in Qing China.

This article unravels the classification of individuals which operated through the dualism between two execution methods, strangulation and decapitation, during the Qing dynasty. The fundamental difference lay in whether the method of execution preserved the integrity of the corpse. As this factor entailed important moral and metaphysical consequences, there is an uncrossable boundary between the two situations.

Multicolor emission from a 0D-doped hybrid halide (CHN)CdBr single crystal.

Achieving multicolor emission is a fascinating goal that remains challenging for zero-dimensional (0D) hybrid halides. We successfully obtained a three-millimeter-scale 0D (MXDA)CdBr (MXDA = CHN) single crystal (SC) by the solvothermal method. It serves as an outstanding host for doping with various valence activators, such as Cu, Mn and Sb, and these doped single crystals emit blue (470 nm), yellow (580 nm) and red (618 nm) fluorescence, which accurately cover a large visible region and achieve efficient multicolor emission.

Demographics and outcomes of acute type A aortic dissection in young adults in southeastern China: impact of syndromic heritable thoracic aortic disease.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the demographics and to evaluate long-term outcomes of acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) in surgically treated patients ≤40 years in China.

Methods: This study included patients aged ≤40 with ATAAD who underwent surgical treatment at our institution between 2015 and 2019. The patients were categorized into groups according to heritable thoracic aortic disease (HTAD) presence or absence.

Heterogeneous Frustrated Lewis Pair Catalysts: Rational Structure Design and Mechanistic Elucidation Based on Intrinsic Properties of Supports.

ConspectusThe discovery of reversible hydrogenation using metal-free phosphoborate species in 2006 marked the official advent of frustrated Lewis pair (FLP) chemistry. This breakthrough revolutionized homogeneous catalysis approaches and paved the way for innovative catalytic strategies. The unique reactivity of FLPs is attributed to the Lewis base (LB) and Lewis acid (LA) sites either in spatial separation or in equilibrium, which actively react with molecules.

Study on the Influence of External Electric Field Control and Vibrational Quantum Effect on the Charge Separation Mechanism in Fullerene-Based Systems.

Based on the DCV-C system of fullerene acceptor organic solar cell active materials, the charge transfer process of D-A type molecular materials under the action of an external electric field () was explored. Within the range of electric field application, the excited state characteristics exhibit certain regular changes. Based on reducing the excitation energy, the excitation mode shows a trend of developing toward low excited states.

Bisdemethoxycurcumin and Curcumin Alleviate Inflammatory Bowel Disease by Maintaining Intestinal Epithelial Integrity and Regulating Gut Microbiota in Mice.

Curcuminoids, found in turmeric ( L.), include curcumin (CUR), demethoxycurcumin (DMC), and bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC). Although CUR and DMC are well-studied, the anti-inflammatory effects of BDMC remain less explored.

Symmetry Breaking: Case Studies with Organic Cage-Racemates.

ConspectusSymmetry is a pervasive phenomenon spanning diverse fields, from art and architecture to mathematics and science. In the scientific realms, symmetry reveals fundamental laws, while symmetry breaking─the collapse of certain symmetry─is the underlying cause of phenomena. Research on symmetry and symmetry breaking consistently provides valuable insights across disciplines, from parity violation in physics to the origin of homochirality in biology.

Bioactive surface-functionalized MXenes for biomedicine.

MXenes, with their good biocompatibility, excellent photovoltaic properties, excellent physicochemical properties, and desirable bioactivity, have broad application prospects in the field of tissue regeneration. MXenes have been used in a wide range of applications including biosensing, bioimaging, tumour/infection therapy, bone regeneration and wound repair. By applying bioactive materials to modify the surface of MXenes, a series of multifunctional MXene-based nanomaterials can be designed for different biomedical applications to achieve better therapeutic effects or more desirable biological functions.

Quantification of Vascular Remodeling and Sinusoidal Capillarization to Assess Liver Fibrosis with Photoacoustic Imaging.

Background Photoacoustic microscopy (PAM) can be used to detect strong absorption from endogenous and exogenous contrast material, making it promising for detailed structural and functional imaging of hepatic sinusoids, including dynamic visualization of permeability. Purpose To evaluate whether PAM-based quantitative parameters of liver function and integrity (lacunarity, blood oxygen saturation [Sao], and Evans blue [EB] permeability) are associated with histopathologic indexes of fibrosis in a mouse model. Materials and Methods Between October 2022 and July 2023, a total of 35 male C57BL/6 mice were included in this study and received intraperitoneal injection of carbon tetrachloride to establish mouse models of progressive liver fibrosis, with seven mice in each group.