Increased plasma interleukin-1β is associated with accelerated lung function decline in non-smokers.

Interleukin-1β is one of the major cytokines involved in the initiation and persistence of airway inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the association between plasma interleukin-1β and lung function decline remains unclear. We aimed to explore the association between plasma interleukin-1β and lung function decline.

Adjuvant Atezolizumab for Early Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: The ALEXANDRA/IMpassion030 Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive subtype with a high incidence in young patients, a high incidence in non-Hispanic Black women, and a high risk of progression to metastatic cancer, a devastating sequela with a 12- to 18-month life expectancy. Until recently, one strategy for treating early-stage triple-negative breast cancer was chemotherapy after surgery. However, it was not known whether the addition of immune therapy to postsurgery chemotherapy would be beneficial.

Registered reports in psychology across scholarly citations and public dissemination: A comparative metaevaluation of more than a decade of practice.

After more than a decade of practice, registered reports (RRs) are widely adopted in psychology. However, the acceptance of RRs in terms of postpublication academic recognition and public dissemination, compared with nonregistered reports (non-RR), remained largely unexplored. This matched meta-evaluation identified and analyzed 119 pairs of original research articles (RR vs.

A High-Throughput Integrated Nontargeted Metabolomics and Lipidomics Workflow Using Microelution Enhanced Matrix Removal-Lipid for Comparative Analysis of Human Maternal and Umbilical Cord Blood Metabolomes.

Sample pretreatment for mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolomics and lipidomics is normally conducted independently with two sample aliquots and separate matrix cleanup procedures, making the two-step process sample-intensive and time-consuming. Herein, we introduce a high-throughput pretreatment workflow for integrated nontargeted metabolomics and lipidomics leveraging the enhanced matrix removal (EMR)-lipid microelution 96-well plates. The EMR-lipid technique was innovatively employed to effectively separate and isolate non-lipid small metabolites and lipids in sequence using significantly reduced sample amounts and organic solvents.

Validation of a Pretransplant Risk Prediction Model for Early Allograft Dysfunction After Living-donor Liver Transplantation.

Background: Early allograft dysfunction (EAD) affects outcomes in liver transplantation (LT). Existing risk models developed for deceased-donor LT depend on posttransplant factors and fall short in living-donor LT (LDLT), where pretransplant evaluations are crucial for preventing EAD and justifying the donor's risks.

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed data from 2944 adult patients who underwent LDLT at 17 centers between 2016 and 2020.

RNA G-quadruplex structure-based PROTACs for targeted DHX36 protein degradation and gene activity modulation in mammalian cells.

RNA G-quadruplexes (rG4s) are non-canonical secondary nucleic acid structures found in the transcriptome. They play crucial roles in gene regulation by interacting with G4-binding proteins (G4BPs) in cells. rG4-G4BP complexes have been associated with human diseases, making them important targets for drug development.

Subattojoule Electrical Switching in a Two-Dimensional TaSe Oxide Device with High Endurance.

Recent developments in artificial intelligence and the internet-of-things have created great demand for low-power microelectronic devices. Two-dimensional (2D) electrical switching materials are extensively used in neuromorphic computing technology, yet their high leakage current and low endurance impede their further application. This study presents a vertical crossbar-structured conductive-bridge threshold switching device based on 2D TaSe oxide.

Ultra-precise ruler for ammonia nitrogen quantification in electrochemical synthesis experiments.

The field of electrochemical ammonia synthesis has made rapid advancements, attracting a large number of scientists to contribute to this area of research. Accurate detection of ammonia is crucial in this process for evaluating the efficiency and selectivity of electrocatalysts. In this study, we systematically investigate the indophenol blue method for ammonia detection, examining the effects of key factors such as solution pH, nitrate concentration, and metal ion concentration on measurement accuracy.

A study of Filipina migrant workers' subjective health in Hong Kong and an assessment of eight scoring methods for the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12).

Objectives: The SF-12 version 2 is a survey instrument for collecting data on subjective health. The US-based scoring method is the recommended standard for measuring subjective health with data collected with this instrument. The inadequacy of the US-based scoring method of the SF-12 version 2 instrument for non-US populations is widely documented.

Evaluating plasma biomarkers NfL, GFAP, GDF15, and FGF21 as indicators of disease severity in Charcot-Marie Tooth patients.

Background: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), a slowly advancing hereditary nerve disorder, presents a significant challenge in the medical field. Effective drugs for treatment are lacking, and we struggle to find sensitive markers to track the disease's severity and progression. In this study, our objective was to investigate the levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) in individuals with CMT and to compare them to a control group.

Evaluation of an oral health education training program for kindergarten teachers.

Objectives: This study aims to examine kindergarten teachers' satisfaction and their perceived impact of an oral health education (OHE) training program.

Methods: This study followed the steps outlined in the Program Evaluation Standards in Public Health recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong were invited to attend the OHE training.

Using Bayesian Hypothesis-testing to Reanalyze Randomized Controlled Trials: Does it Always Tell the Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth?

Unlabelled: Adequately powered randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the highest level of evidence in guiding clinical practice. Reports using Bayesian hypothesis-testing to reanalyze RCTs are increasing. One distinct advantage of Bayesian analysis is that we can obtain a range of numerical probabilities that reflect how likely a study intervention is more effective than the alternative after considering both pre-existing available evidence and the alternate hypotheses.

SARS-CoV-2 infection in microglia and its sequelae: What do we know so far?

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused the COVID-19 pandemic. After the success of therapeutics and worldwide vaccination, the long-term sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infections are yet to be determined. Common symptoms of COVID-19 include the loss of taste and smell, suggesting SARS-CoV-2 infection has a potentially detrimental effect on neurons within the olfactory/taste pathways, with direct access to the central nervous system (CNS).

LASF: a local adaptive segmentation framework for coronary angiogram segments.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the leading cause of death globally, highlighting the critical need for accurate diagnostic tools in medical imaging. Traditional segmentation methods for coronary angiograms often struggle with vessel discontinuity and inaccuracies, impeding effective diagnosis and treatment planning. To address these challenges, we developed the Local Adaptive Segmentation Framework (LASF), enhancing the YOLOv8 architecture with dilation and erosion algorithms to improve the continuity and precision of vascular image segmentation.

Interleukin-1 Receptor-Associated Kinase-3 Aggravates Neuroinflammatory Injury After Intracerebral Hemorrhage via Activation NF-κB/IL-17A Pathway in Mice.

Background: Neuroinflammatory reactions are crucial factors in secondary brain damage following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Although previous studies have shown that IRAK3 is involved in immune responses, the potential effects of IRAK3 on ICH remain unclear.

Methods: Collagenase IV-induced ICH mouse model.

Neuro-ophthalmologic Outcomes of Orbital Apex Syndrome Caused by Invasive Fungal Rhinosinusitis.

 Orbital apex syndrome (OAS) is characterized by visual loss, ophthalmoplegia, ptosis, and orbital pain. This study aims to analyze neuro-ophthalmologic outcomes of OAS resulting from invasive fungal rhinosinusitis (IFS).  This retrospective study analyzed 25 patients diagnosed with OAS resulting from IFS between January 2018 and July 2022.

Smart Directional Liquid Manipulation on Curvature-Ratchet Surfaces.

Structured surfaces leverage interfacial energy for directional liquid manipulation without external power, showing tremendous potential in microfluidics, green energy and biomedical applications. While the interplay of interfacial energy between solid surfaces and liquids is crucial for liquid manipulation, a systematic understanding of how the balance in liquid-solid interfacial energy affects liquid behaviors remains lacking. Here, using the curvature-ratchet surface as a generic example, we reveal the complex directional liquid dynamics inherent in the subtle regulation of liquid-solid interfacial energy.

Centrosome protein TAX1BP mediates STING-dependent immune response and potentiates anti-PD-1 efficacy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Centrosome aberrations are a common feature in human cancer cells. Our previous studies demonstrated that the centrosomal protein Tax1 binding protein 2 (TAX1BP2) inhibits centrosome overduplication and is underexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we report that Intratumoral TAX1BP2 promotes tumor lymphocyte infiltration and enhances the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy.

Ambient air pollution and Alzheimer's disease and other dementias: a global study between 1990 and 2019.

Background: Emerging research found air pollution may be associated with incident Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias. However, few studies have examined these associations at the global scale. This study aimed to assess the dynamic associations between ambient air pollution and the burden of AD and other dementias worldwide.

Randomized studies in China show that studying and promoting civic honesty needs to consider local norms.

Civic honesty is a crucial behavior that policymakers and business leaders strive to promote among citizens and employees. We conducted online and field experiments in China adapting the setting of a recent research which employed an innovative design to study civic honesty behavior around the globe. Results show that the psychological mechanism underlying lost-wallet reporting behavior in China is somewhat different from what has been suggested in the literature.

Efficient nonlinear function approximation in analog resistive crossbars for recurrent neural networks.

Analog In-memory Computing (IMC) has demonstrated energy-efficient and low latency implementation of convolution and fully-connected layers in deep neural networks (DNN) by using physics for computing in parallel resistive memory arrays. However, recurrent neural networks (RNN) that are widely used for speech-recognition and natural language processing have tasted limited success with this approach. This can be attributed to the significant time and energy penalties incurred in implementing nonlinear activation functions that are abundant in such models.

Effects of thermal aging on the performance of ordinary and novel superhydrophobic and oleophobic ultra-fine dry powder extinguishing agent.

Powder-based fire extinguishing agents have become a kind of promising substitutes for halon extinguishing agents in civil aircrafts. However, their storage lifespan, significantly influenced by the thermal aging, emerges as a crucial yet overlooked aspect for aviation use. This study investigates the effects of thermal aging cycles on various parameters of ordinary dry powder extinguishing agent (ODPEA) and novel superhydrophobic and oleophobic ultra-fine dry powder extinguishing agent (SHOU DPEA), including surface microscopic morphology, D90 (the diameter at which 90% of the cumulative volume of particles are equal to or smaller than this value), chemical structure, hydrophobic and oleophobic angles, flowability, extinguishing time and effectiveness.

Non-fullerene acceptors with high crystallinity and photoluminescence quantum yield enable >20% efficiency organic solar cells.

The rational design of non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) with both high crystallinity and photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) is of crucial importance for achieving high-efficiency and low-energy-loss organic solar cells (OSCs). However, increasing the crystallinity of an NFA tends to decrease its PLQY, which results in a high non-radiative energy loss in OSCs. Here we demonstrate that the crystallinity and PLQY of NFAs can be fine-tuned by asymmetrically adapting the branching position of alkyl chains on the thiophene unit of the L8-BO acceptor.

Dynamic simulation of breast behaviour during different activities based on finite element modelling of multiple components of breast.

This study presents an advanced dynamic finite element (FE) model of multiple components of the breast to examine the biomechanical impact of different types of physical activities and activity intensity on the breast tissues. Using 4D scanning and motion capture technologies, dynamic data are collected during different activities. The accuracy of the FE model is verified based on relative mean absolute error (RMAE), and optimal material parameters are identified by using a validated stepwise grid search method.