China's Modified Version of Sniffin' Sticks 12-Identification Test Used in Chinese Parkinson's Disease and Multiple System Patients: Comparison of Three Olfactory Testing Methods.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the Sniffin' Sticks 12-identification test (SIT-12), China-modified version of the SIT-12 test (Ch-SIT-12) and brief smell identification test for Chinese (B-SITC) in Chinese population of Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA).

Methods: 36 patients with PD and 7 patients with MSA were enrolled in this study. Three olfactory testing methods (SIT-12, Ch-SIT-12, and B-SITC) were used to test the olfactory function in all participants.

Galectin-3-ITGB1 Signaling Mediates Interleukin 10 Production of Hepatic Conventional Natural Killer Cells in Hepatitis B Virus Transgenic Mice and Correlates with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression in Patients.

Background And Aims: The outcomes of HBV infections are related to complex immune imbalances; however, the precise mechanisms by which HBV induces immune dysfunction are not well understood.

Methods: HBV transgenic (HBs-Tg) mice were used to investigate intrahepatic NK cells in two distinct subsets: conventional NK (cNK) and liver-resident NK (LrNK) cells during a chronic HBV infection.

Results: The cNK cells, but not the LrNK cells, were primarily responsible for the increase in the number of bulk NK cells in the livers of ageing HBs-Tg mice.

LncRNA TubAR complexes with TUBB4A and TUBA1A to promote microtubule assembly and maintain myelination.

A long-standing hypothesis proposes that certain RNA(s) must exhibit structural roles in microtubule assembly. Here, we identify a long noncoding RNA (TubAR) that is highly expressed in cerebellum and forms RNA-protein complex with TUBB4A and TUBA1A, two tubulins clinically linked to cerebellar and myelination defects. TubAR knockdown in mouse cerebellum causes loss of oligodendrocytes and Purkinje cells, demyelination, and decreased locomotor activity.

Tumor neoantigens and tumor immunotherapies.

As a high-risk group of patients with cancer, the elderly exhibit limited efficacy with traditional treatments. Immunotherapy emerges as a promising adjunctive therapeutic approach that holds potential in addressing the needs of geriatric patients with cancer. Neoantigens, a unique class of tumor-specific antigens generated by non-synonymous mutations, are garnering increasing attention as targets for immunotherapy in clinical applications.

Effects of metformin, saxagliptin and repaglinide on gut microbiota in high-fat diet/streptozocin-induced type 2 diabetic mice.

Introduction: There has been increasing evidence that the gut microbiota is closely related to type 2 diabetes (T2D). Metformin (Met) is often used in combination with saxagliptin (Sax) and repaglinide (Rep) for the treatment of T2D. However, little is known about the effects of these combination agents on gut microbiota in T2D.

Inhibition of Nogo-B reduces the progression of pancreatic cancer by regulation NF-κB/GLUT1 and SREBP1 pathways.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a lethal disease and associated with metabolism dysregulation. Nogo-B is related to multiple metabolic related diseases and types of cancers. However, the role of Nogo-B in PC remains unknown.

DAMPs and DAMP-sensing receptors in inflammation and diseases.

Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are endogenous danger molecules produced in cellular damage or stress, and they can activate the innate immune system. DAMPs contain multiple types of molecules, including nucleic acids, proteins, ions, glycans, and metabolites. Although these endogenous molecules do not trigger immune response under steady-state condition, they may undergo changes in distribution, physical or chemical property, or concentration upon cellular damage or stress, and then they become DAMPs that can be sensed by innate immune receptors to induce inflammatory response.

Implications of vascular depression for successful cognitive aging in HIV Disease.

Although older adults with HIV are at high risk for mild neurocognitive disorders, a subset experience successful cognitive aging (SCA). HIV is associated with an increased risk of vascular depression (VasDep), which can affect cognitive and daily functioning. The current study examined whether VasDep impedes SCA among older adults with HIV.

Genome-wide analyses reveal the regulatory roles of DNA methylation-regulated alternative promoter transcripts in breast cancer.

A certain proportion of genes are regulated by multiple, distinct promoters, revealing a dynamic landscape of the cancer transcriptome. However, the contribution of alternative promoters (APs) in breast cancer (BRCA) remains largely unexplored. Here, we identified 3654 genes with multiple promoters in BRCA patients, and 53 of them could generate distinct AP transcripts that are dysregulated and prognosis-related in BRCA, namely prognosis-related dysregulated AP (prdeAP) transcripts.

Patient Care Technician Staffing and Outcomes Among US Patients Receiving In-Center Hemodialysis.

Importance: Dialysis patient care technicians (PCTs) play a critical role in US in-center hemodialysis (HD) care, but little is known about the association of PCT staffing with patient outcomes at US HD facilities.

Objective: To estimate the associations of in-center HD patient outcomes with facility-level PCT staffing.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This was a retrospective cohort study, with data analysis performed from March 2023 to January 2024.

Patient Care Technician Staffing in US Hemodialysis Facilities: An Ecological Study.

Rationale & Objective: Technicians caring for patients receiving dialysis play a critical, frontline role in the care of patients receiving dialysis in the United States. We sought to provide a comprehensive description and identify correlates of US in-center hemodialysis facility patient care technician staffing patterns.

Study Design: This was an ecological study.

Research progress on the pharmacological mechanism, in vivo metabolism and structural modification of Erianin.

Erianin is an important bibenzyl compound in dendrobium and has a wide spectrum of pharmacological properties. Since Erianin was discovered, abundant results have been achieved in the in vitro synthesis, structural modification, and pharmacological mechanism research. Researchers have developed a series of simple and efficient in vitro synthesis methods to improve the shortcomings of poor water solubility by replacing the chemical structure or coating it in nanomaterials.

Depression, Vascular Burden, and Dementia Prevalence in Late Middle-Aged and Older Black Adults.

Objectives: Late-life depression and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) have been linked to increased dementia risk. However, there is a dearth of literature examining these relationships in Black adults. We investigated whether depression or WMH volume are associated with a higher likelihood of dementia diagnosis in a sample of late middle-aged to older Black adults, and whether dementia prevalence is highest in individuals with both depression and higher WMH volume.

Necklace-like Te-Au reticula platform with three dimensional hotspots Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) sensor for food hazards analysis.

In this work, we combined three-dimensional (3D) necklace-like Te-Au reticula as novel surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) active substrates with oxidation-reduction displacement reactions to construct a molecular machine for SERS detection. The structurally tunable 3D necklace-like spatial structures generated more active 'hot spots' and thus enhanced the sensitivity of SERS signals. Besides, layers of ultrathin nanowires showed high sequence dependence that ensure the repeatability and abundant hotspots at interparticle gaps and guarantee the high SERS performance of the substrate.

A deep learning approach for mental health quality prediction using functional network connectivity and assessment data.

While one can characterize mental health using questionnaires, such tools do not provide direct insight into the underlying biology. By linking approaches that visualize brain activity to questionnaires in the context of individualized prediction, we can gain new insights into the biology and behavioral aspects of brain health. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) can be used to identify biomarkers of these conditions and study patterns of abnormal connectivity.

Association of white matter hyperintensities and clinical vascular burden with depressive symptoms in Black older adults.

Objectives: Black older adults have a higher vascular burden compared to non-Hispanic White (NHW) older adults, which may put them at risk for a form of depression known as vascular depression (VaDep). The literature examining VaDep in Black older adults is sparse. The current study addressed this important gap by examining whether vascular burden was associated with depressive symptoms in Black older adults.

The illusory truth effect: A review of how repetition increases belief in misinformation.

Repetition increases belief in information, a phenomenon known as the illusory truth effect. In laboratory experiments, the illusory truth effect has often been examined using general trivia statements as stimuli, but repetition also increases belief in misinformation, such as fake news headlines and conspiracy beliefs. Repetition even increases belief in claims that are implausible or that contradict prior knowledge.