Modulation of Intestinal Inflammation and Protection of Dopaminergic Neurons in Parkinson's Disease Mice through a Probiotic Formulation Targeting NLRP3 Inflammasome.

Emerging evidence highlights the significance of peripheral inflammation in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) and suggests the gut as a viable therapeutic target. This study aimed to explore the neuroprotective effects of the probiotic formulation VSL#3 and its underlying mechanism in a PD mouse model induced by MPTP. Following MPTP administration, the striatal levels of dopamine and its metabolites, as along with the survival rate of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, were significantly reduced in PD mice.

Associations of fat, bone, and muscle indices with disease severity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) severity and fat, bone, and muscle indices.

Methods: This study included 102 patients with OSAHS and retrospectively reviewed their physical examination data. All patients underwent polysomnography, body composition analysis, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, computed tomography (CT) and blood test.

Unraveling the controversy: exploring the link between sex hormones and skin cancers through a meta-analysis and systematic review.

Skin cancers continue to present unresolved challenges, particularly regarding the association with sex hormones, which remains a topic of controversy. A systematic review is currently warranted to address these issues. To analyze if sex hormones result in a higher incidence of skin cancers (cutaneous melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma).

Alterations of amino acids in older adults with Alzheimer's Disease and Vascular Dementia.

Metabolomics provide a promising tool for understanding dementia pathogenesis and identifying novel biomarkers. This study aimed to identify amino acid biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Vascular Dementia (VD). By amino acid metabolomics, the concentrations of amino acids were determined in the serum of AD and VD patients as well as age-matched healthy controls.

Pro-Arg, The Potential Anti-Diabetes Peptide, Screened from Almond by In-Silico Analysis.

Insulin resistance was considered to be the most important clinical phenotype of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Almond is a widely-consumed nut and long-term intake was beneficial to alleviating insulin resistance in patients with T2DM. Hence, screening of anti-diabetic peptides from almond proteins was feasible based on the effectiveness of peptides in the treatment of T2DM.

Unlocking the Key to Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production Using Electronic Mediators for Z-Scheme Water Splitting.

A prevalent challenge in particulate photocatalytic water splitting lies in the fact that while numerous photocatalysts exhibit outstanding hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity in organic sacrificial reagents, their performance diminishes markedly in a Z-scheme water splitting system using electronic mediators. This underlying reason remains undefined, posing a long-standing issue in photocatalytic water splitting. Herein, we unveiled that the primary reason for the decreased HER activity in electronic mediators is due to the strong adsorption of shuttle ions on cocatalyst surfaces, which inhibits the initial proton reduction and results in a severe backward reaction of the oxidized shuttle ions.

Efficacy and safety of KN026 and docetaxel for HER2-positive breast cancer: a phase II clinical trial.

Background: The standard first-line treatment for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive recurrent/metastatic breast cancer currently includes pertuzumab plus trastuzumab and docetaxel. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of KN026, an anti-HER2 bispecific antibody, plus docetaxel in first-line treatment of HER2-positive recurrent/metastatic breast cancer.

Methods: This open-label, single-arm, phase II study enrolled patients with HER2-positive recurrent/metastatic breast cancer in 19 centers across China from December 30, 2019 to May 27, 2021.

Probing the Interaction Mechanisms of Dodecane and Mica/Calcite: Implications for Oil Recovery.

Understanding the interfacial interaction mechanisms between oil and minerals is of vital importance in the applications of petroleum production and environmental protection. In this work, the interactions of dodecane with mica and calcite in aqueous media were investigated by using the drop probe technique based on atomic force microscopy. For the dodecane-mica interactions, the electrical double layer (EDL) repulsion dominated in 10 mM NaCl solution, and a higher pH facilitated the detachment of dodecane.

X-ray Responsive Antioxidant Drug-Free Hydrogel for Treatment of Radiation Skin Injury.

Radiotherapy (RT) is widely applied in tumor therapy, but inevitable side effects, especially for skin radiation injury, are still a fatal problem and life-threatening challenge for tumor patients. The main components of topical radiation protection preparations currently available on the market are antioxidants, such as SOD, which are limited by their unstable activity and short duration of action, making it difficult to achieve the effects of radiation protection and skin radiation damage treatment. Therefore, we designed a drug-free antioxidant hydrogel patch with encapsulated bioactive epidermal growth factor (EGF) for the treatment of radiation skin injury.

New Numerical Inversion Method to Improve the Spatial Accuracy of Elemental Imaging for LA-ICP-MS.

The elemental imaging of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) provides spatial information on elements and therefore can further investigate the growth or evolution processes of an analyte. However, the accurate determination of spatial information is limited by the decoupling between the elemental distribution and mass spectrometry signals. This phenomenon, which is more distinct when high-diffusion ablation cells are used, arises from the overlap of ablation and the transport dispersion of aerosols.

A SPR aptamer sensor for mercury based on AuNPs@NaYF:Yb,Tm,Gd upconversion luminescent nanoparticles.

A new aptamer-based surface plasmon resonance (SPR) system has been designed to detect Hg that utilizes near-infrared (NIR)-to-NIR gold nanoparticle coated NaYF:Yb,Tm,Gd up-conversion nanoparticles (AuNPs@NaYF:Yb,Tm,Gd UCNPs) as probes. The AuNPs@NaYF:Yb,Tm,Gd UCNPs were prepared and excited by near-infrared light (980 nm) which emitted at a near-infrared wavelength (808 nm) using an inexpensive infrared continuous wave laser diode. The AuNPs@NaYF:Yb,Tm,Gd UCNPs were conjugated with Hg aptamers.

Construction of a Vero cell line expression human KREMEN1 for the development of CVA6 vaccines.

Coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6) has emerged as a major pathogen causing hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) outbreaks worldwide. The CVA6 epidemic poses a new challenge in HFMD control since there is currently no vaccine available against CVA6 infections. The Vero cell line has been widely used in vaccine production, particularly in the preparation of viral vaccines, including poliovirus vaccines and EV71 vaccines.

Inducible engineering precursor metabolic flux for synthesizing hyaluronic acid of customized molecular weight in Streptococcus zooepidemicus.

Background: Hyaluronic acid (HA) is extensively employed in various fields such as medicine, cosmetics, food, etc. The molecular weight (MW) of HA is crucial for its biological functions. Streptococcus zooepidemicus, a prominent HA industrial producer, naturally synthetizes HA with high MW.

The association between the dietary index for gut microbiota and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The relationship between the gut microbiome and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) has garnered increasing attention. However, the association between the dietary index for gut microbiota (DI-GM), a measure of microbiome diversity, and MAFLD has yet to be fully explored.

Methods: Data from the 2017-2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were analyzed, including 7243 participants.

Finite element analysis of stress in mandibular molars repaired after fractured instrument removal.

Background: This study assessed stress distributions in simulated mandibular molars filled with various materials after the removal of fractured instruments from the apical thirds of the root canals.

Methods: Finite element models of the mesial and distal root canals were created, where fractured instruments were assumed to be removed using a staging platform established with a modified Gates-Glidden bur (Woodpecker, Guangxi, P.R.

Relationship of negative life events with depression and anxiety in nursing students: a moderated mediation model of resilience and gender.

Background: Compared to ordinary student in the same age group, nursing students experience notably higher rates of depression and anxiety. Negative life events (NLEs) and resilience were recognized as risk factors and protective factors, respectively. There is little literature on the complex interaction of these factors among nursing students.

Interaction of STIL with FOXM1 regulates SF3A3 transcription in the hepatocellular carcinoma development.

Background: Dysregulation of SF3A3 has been related to the development of many cancers. Here, we investigated the functional role of SF3A3 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: SF3A3 expression in HCC tissues and cell lines was examined using RT-qPCR.

Idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease in children: a single-center retrospective analysis.

Objective: To investigate the clinical features, pathological phenotype, treatment and prognosis of idiopathic multicenter Castleman disease (iMCD)in children.

Methods: From January 2017 to September 2023, basic information, laboratory tests, treatment and prognosis of children diagnosed with iMCD who attended Beijing Children's Hospital of Capital Medical University were collected.

Results: A total of 9 children were enrolled, with a median age of onset of median 11 (2-15) years, 6 males and 3 female.

Arteriolar Elasticity Measurement in the Fingertip Based on Photoplethysmographic Volume-Oscillometry: A New Approach to the Assessment of Vasomotor Functions in the Microvasculature.

Purpose: Dysfunction of vasomotor reactions due to arteriolar smooth muscle causes serious adverse events, such as loss of hemodynamic coherence. This in turn can increase risks of cardiovascular-related diseases. A noninvasive and quantitative evaluation of microvascular disorder is therefore very important for early diagnosis and treatment.

Biochar and bentonite application improves aeolian sandy soil health and enhances soil carbon sequestration and emission reduction potential.

Aeolian sandy soil is barren and readily leads to low fertilizer utilization rates and yields. Therefore, it is imperative to improve the water and fertilizer retention capacity of these soils. In this paper, three kinds of biochar (rice husk, corn stalk, and bamboo charcoal) and bentonite were used as amendments in the first year of the experiment.

Construction of cuproptosis-related genes risk model predicts the prognosis of Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma.

Cuproptosis, a recently discovered form of cell death, has emerged as a crucial player in tumor development, although its role in uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) remains inadequately explored. This study aims to identify prognostically relevant cuproptosis-related genes in endometrial cancer. Cuproptosis-related genes were sourced from previously published studies and the FerrDb database.

Immunogenic dying cells elicit potent anti-tumor T cell immunity against lung metastasis and tumorigenesis.

Purpose: Immune checkpoint blockades (ICBs) are promising, however they do not fit all types of tumor, such as those lack of tumor antigens. Induction of potent anti-tumor T cell immunity is critical for cancer therapy. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of immunotherapy via the immunogenic cell death (ICD) dying tumor cells in mouse models of lung metastasis and tumorigenesis.

Climate change influences on the potential geographic distribution of the invasive Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis.

The Asian long-horned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann, 1901, is the competent vector for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV). Haemaphysalis longicornis originated mainly in eastern Asia and invaded many areas like Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands, and was recently introduced to eastern parts of the USA. This species is characterized by high adaptability to a wide range of temperatures and can reproduce parthenogenically under stressful conditions.

Yttrium-doped NiMo-MoO heterostructure electrocatalysts for hydrogen production from alkaline seawater.

Active and stable electrocatalysts are essential for hydrogen production from alkaline water electrolysis. However, precisely controlling the interaction between electrocatalysts and reaction intermediates (HO*, H*, and *OH) remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate an yttrium-doped NiMo-MoO heterogenous electrocatalyst that efficiently promotes water dissociation and accelerates the intermediate adsorption/desorption dynamics in alkaline electrolytes.

Non-metallic iodine single-atom catalysts with optimized electronic structures for efficient Fenton-like reactions.

In this study, we introduce a highly effective non-metallic iodine single-atom catalyst (SAC), referred to as I-NC, which is strategically confined within a nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) scaffold. This configuration features a distinctive C-I coordination that optimizes the electronic structure of the nitrogen-adjacent carbon sites. As a result, this arrangement enhances electron transfer from peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to the active sites, particularly the electron-deficient carbon.