MicroRNA-668 alleviates renal fibrosis through PPARα/PGC-1α pathway.

Background: The involvement of microRNA-668 (miR-668) in the onset and progression of renal fibrosis remains unclear. To this end, we aimed to explore the relevant mechanism of miR-668 in renal fibrosis.

Methods: C57BL/6 J male mice were randomly divided into sham-operated, unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO), and UUO-fenofibrate groups.

KRAS inhibitors: resistance drivers and combinatorial strategies.

In 1982, the RAS genes HRAS and KRAS were discovered as the first human cancer genes, with KRAS later identified as one of the most frequently mutated oncogenes. Yet, it took nearly 40 years to develop clinically effective inhibitors for RAS-mutant cancers. The discovery in 2013 by Shokat and colleagues of a druggable pocket in KRAS paved the way to FDA approval of the first covalently binding KRAS inhibitors, sotorasib and adagrasib, in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Development and characterization of bigel systems as carriers for thyme essential oil utilizing hydrogel from chicken processing by-products for food applications.

A chicken protein hydrogel (HG) was enzymatically prepared and blended with a carnauba wax-based oleogel (OG) to form bigels (BG) in ratios of 50:50 to 90:10. These systems were infused with thyme essential oil (TEO) at 0.5 %, 1 %, and 2 % v/v to harness its antioxidant properties.

Generalized measures of population synchrony.

Synchronized behavior among individuals, broadly defined, is a ubiquitous feature of populations. Understanding mechanisms of (de)synchronization demands meaningful, interpretable, computable quantifications of synchrony, relevant to measurements that can be made of complex, dynamic populations. Despite the importance to analyzing and modeling populations, existing notions of synchrony often lack rigorous definitions, may be specialized to a particular experimental system and/or measurement, or may have undesirable properties that limit their utility.

Changes in Patent Ductus Arteriosus Management and Outcomes in Infants Born at 26 to 28 Weeks' Gestation.

Objective: To investigate the association between the secular decrease in treatment of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA ) and trends in neonatal mortality and morbidity in infants born at 26 0/7 to 28 6/7 weeks' gestation.

Study Design: A retrospective cohort study including infants born between 2012 and 2021 in continually participating hospitals in the NICHD Neonatal Research Network. The primary composite outcome was defined as surgical necrotizing enterocolitis, grade 2-3 bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), severe intraventricular hemorrhage, or death.

Testing the generalizability of minimal group attitudes in minority and majority race children.

The minimal group effect, in which people prefer ingroup members to outgroup members even when group membership is trivially constructed, has been studied extensively in psychological science. Despite a large body of literature on this phenomenon, concerns persist regarding previous developmental research populations that are small and lack racial/ethnic diversity. In addition, it remains unclear what role holding membership within and interacting with specific racial/ethnic groups plays in the development of children's group attitudes.

Connections among family socioeconomic status, aerobic fitness, executive function, and the positive experiences of childhood physical activity.

A family's socioeconomic status (SES) can be linked to a child's physical and cognitive health, with children from low-SES families often experiencing poor developmental outcomes. Early positive childhood experiences that include structured and unstructured physical activities (SUPAs) offer a potential avenue to promote positive health and cognitive development during early childhood. However, prior to school entry, it is not well-understood whether SES is related to participation in SUPAs or how SUPAs relate to early health and cognitive indicators such as aerobic fitnessand executive function (EF).

Understanding constipation as a geriatric syndrome.

Constipation is common among older adults and significantly impacts their quality of life (QoL). Prior studies have extensively detailed constipation, but conceptualization of constipation as a geriatric syndrome is lacking. In this review, we provide an overview of constipation in the geriatric population and conceptualize constipation as a geriatric syndrome given its high prevalence, under-recognized status, and association with poor QoL and adverse outcomes among older adults.

Do bilateral deficits in hop for distance performance occur concomitantly with bilateral movement differences in people with patellofemoral pain? A cross-sectional investigation with between-group and -limb comparisons.

Background: People with patellofemoral pain (PFP) may have bilateral deficits in hop for distance test (SLHD) performance, whereas the worsening performance of the pain-free or less painful limbs suggests that bilateral movement differences may occur. While clinicians may not be aware of bilateral movement differences that may be employed during the clinical assessment of SLHD performance (e.g.

Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and chlorine isotope fractionation during 3-chloroaniline transformation in aqueous environments by direct photolysis, TiO photocatalysis and hydrolysis.

This study investigates carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and chlorine isotope fractionation during the transformation of 3-chloroaniline (3-CA) via direct photolysis, TiO photocatalytic degradation at neutral condition and hydrolysis at pH 3, pH 7 and pH 11. Direct photolysis and ∙OH reaction (UV/HO) showed similar inverse isotope fractionation (ε) for carbon (1.9 ± 0.

Sex Differences in Spatiotemporal Consistency and Effective Connectivity of the Precuneus in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been reported to exhibit altered local functional consistency. However, previous studies mainly focused on male samples and explored the temporal consistency in the ASD brain ignoring the spatial consistency. In this study, FOur-dimensional Consistency of local neural Activities (FOCA) analysis was used to investigate the sex differences of local spatiotemporal consistency of spontaneous brain activity in ASD.

Prediction of Phenoconversion into Alpha-Synucleinopathy in Patients with isolated REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Using Event-Related Potentials During Visuospatial Attention Tasks.

Study Objectives: Isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is recognized as a prodromal stage of alpha-synucleinopathies. Predicting phenoconversion in iRBD patients remains a key challenge. We aimed to investigate whether event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded during visuospatial attention task can serve as predictors of phenoconversion in iRBD patients.

MIIVefa: An R Package for a New Type of Exploratory Factor Anaylysis Using Model-Implied Instrumental Variables.

We present the R package MIIVefa, designed to implement the MIIV-EFA algorithm. This algorithm explores and identifies the underlying factor structure within a set of variables. The resulting model is not a typical exploratory factor analysis (EFA) model because some loadings are fixed to zero and it allows users to include hypothesized correlated errors such as might occur with longitudinal data.

From cells to recapture rates: responses and recovery of a wild fish after an experimental exposure to a widely used herbicide.

Freshwater environments are biodiversity hotspots under multiple pressures, including pesticide exposure. S-metolachlor, a widely used herbicide, can induce genotoxic, cytotoxic and physiological effects in captive fish, but we have a limited understanding of the effects of exposure to S-metolachlor in free-living vertebrates. We carried out an original field experiment using integrative approaches across biological levels and temporal scales.

Smoking-associated electrocardiographic abnormalities predict cardiovascular mortality.

Background -Smoking is associated with arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death, but the biological mechanisms remain unclear. In electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings abnormal durations of ventricular repolarization (QT interval), atrial depolarization (P wave), and atrioventricular depolarization (PR interval and segment), predict cardiac arrhythmia and mortality. Previous analyses of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database for associations between smoking and ECG abnormalities were incomplete.

Ecological and anthropogenic effects on the genomic diversity of lemurs in Madagascar.

Ecological variation and anthropogenic landscape modification have had key roles in the diversification and extinction of mammals in Madagascar. Lemurs represent a radiation with more than 100 species, constituting roughly one-fifth of the primate order. Almost all species of lemurs are threatened with extinction, but little is known about their genetic diversity and demographic history.

DOA estimation algorithm for non-circular signal by a large-spacing array with auxiliary element.

In this paper, a direction of arrival (DOA) estimation algorithm for non-circular signal by a large-spacing uniform array with an auxiliary element has been presented. The auxiliary element is placed away from the last element of the large-spacing uniform array. The spacing between arbitrary two elements of the whole array is not limited by the half-wavelength of the signal.

Radiomics of Periprostatic Fat and Tumor Lesion Based on MRI Predicts the Pathological Upgrading of Prostate Cancer from Biopsy to Radical Prostatectomy.

Rationale And Objectives: To assess the predictive value of MRI-based radiomics of periprostatic fat (PPF) and tumor lesions for predicting Gleason score (GS) upgrading from biopsy to radical prostatectomy (RP) in prostate cancer (PCa).

Methods: A total of 314 patients with pathologically confirmed prostate cancer (PCa) after radical prostatectomy (RP) were included in the study. The patients were randomly assigned to the training cohort (n = 157) and the validating cohort (n = 157) in a 1:1 ratio.

Zoonotic Gastroenteric Diseases of Exotic Animals.

Exotic pet ownership has steadily increased over the last decade, and with increased numbers of these species in close contact with humans, the risk of gastrointestinal zoonoses has also increased. Non-typhoidal serovars of Salmonella enterica are one of the most prevalent and important zoonoses of exotic pets, and reptile and backyard poultry are common asymptomatic carriers of these bacteria. Outbreaks of reptile-associated salmonellosis have occurred yearly in the United States since 2019 but contact with backyard poultry has actually been associated with more Salmonella outbreaks in the United States than any other animal species to date.

Current Approaches to Optimize Donor Heart for Transplantation.

Heart transplantation remains a critical therapy for patients with end-stage heart failure, offering incremental survival and improved quality of life. One of the key components behind the success of heart transplantation is the condition and preservation of the donor heart. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of ischemic reperfusion injury, risk factors associated with primary graft dysfunction, current use of various preservation solutions for organ procurement and recent advancements in donor heart procurement technologies.

Multifunctional nanocellulose hybrid films: From packaging to photovoltaics.

This study aimed to develop eco-friendly multifunctional nanocellulose (NC) hybrid films with tailored properties for versatile applications including packaging and photovoltaics. Hybrid films composed by cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) and carboxymethylated cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) were produced at various mass ratio (CNC - 100:0 to 0:100). Montmorillonite clay (MTM) was incorporated (50 % by mass) into the CNC:CNF films.

Robust and ultra-thin nanocellulose/MXene composite film and its performance in efficient electricity-generation and sensing.

The conversion of mechanical energy into electrical energy by triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) has attracted attention in recent years, particularly in the field of wearable sensor. In this work, TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (TOCNF) with carboxylate groups were compounded with MXene to serve as both the negative friction layer and the electrode in assembling a TENG with nylon. The synergistic effect between TOCNF and MXene was analyzed to disclose its influence on the performance of the as-prepared TENG.