Impact of thrombocytopenia on failure of endoscopic variceal treatment in cirrhotic patients with acute variceal bleeding.

Background: Acute variceal bleeding (AVB), a life-threatening complication of liver cirrhosis, can be effectively treated by endoscopy, but there is a risk of early rebleeding after endoscopic variceal treatment (EVT). Thrombocytopenia is the most common hemostatic abnormality in liver cirrhosis. However, it is still unclear about whether thrombocytopenia increases the failure of EVT in cirrhotic patients with AVB.

Carotid Pericarotid Fat Density: A New Predictor of Recurrent Ischemic Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack.

Aim: This study assessed the predictive value of pericarotid fat density (PFD) on carotid computed tomography angiography (CTA) for recurrent ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Methods: In total, 739 patients who underwent CTA between January 2014 and December 2021 were retrospectively included in this study. The PFD was evaluated using carotid CTA.

The involvement of circRNAs in molecular processes and their potential use in therapy and diagnostics for glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor, is well-known for its aggressive nature and can affect individuals of all ages. Glioblastoma continues to be a difficult cancer to manage because of various resistance mechanisms. The blood-brain barrier restricts the delivery of drugs, and the heterogeneity of tumors, along with overlapping signaling pathways, complicates its effective treatment.

Sang-Bai-Pi extract and its constituent regiafuran C ameliorate renal fibrosis through TGF-β/Smad and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways.

Background: Renal fibrosis is a major pathological feature of many chronic kidney diseases, and traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) have shown promising therapeutic potential for treating renal fibrosis. Although the extracts or fractions of Morus alba leaves and twigs have been reported to ameliorate renal fibrosis, the beneficial effects of M. alba root bark (commonly known as Sang-Bai-Pi), a well-known TCM, on this disorder have not been investigated.

Epithelial stem cells from human small bronchi offer a potential for therapy of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fibrosing interstitial pneumonia with restrictive ventilation. Recently, the structural and functional defects of small airways have received attention in the early pathogenesis of IPF. This study aimed to elucidate the characteristics of small airway epithelial dysfunction in patients with IPF and explore novel therapeutic interventions to impede IPF progression by targeting the dysfunctional small airways.

Ferristatin II protects nucleus pulposus against degeneration through inhibiting ferroptosis and activating HIF-1α pathway mediated mitophagy.

Background: Nucleus pulposus (NP) degeneration represents a significant contributing factor in the pathogenesis of intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration (IVDD), and is a key underlying mechanism in several lumbar spine pathologies. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms that govern NP degeneration remain unclear. A significant contributing factor to IVDD has been identified as ferroptosis.

Inter- and intra-hemispheric lateralization alterations in auditory verbal hallucinations of Schizophrenia: insights from resting-state functional connectivity.

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) in schizophrenia are hypothesized to involve alterations in hemispheric lateralization, but the specific neural mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigated functional intra- and inter-hemispheric connectivity to identify lateralization patterns unique to AVHs. Resting-state fMRI data were collected from 60 schizophrenia patients with persistent AVHs (p-AVH group), 39 patients without AVHs (n-AVH group), and 59 healthy controls (HC group).

Abnormalities in cerebellar subregions' volume and cerebellocerebral structural covariance in autism spectrum disorder.

The cerebellum plays a crucial role in functions, including sensory-motor coordination, cognition, and emotional processing. Compared to the neocortex, the human cerebellum exhibits a protracted developmental trajectory. This delayed developmental timeline may lead to increased sensitivity of the cerebellum to external influences, potentially extending the vulnerability period for neurological disorders.

A novel liquid-liquid phase separation-related gene signature for predicting prognosis in colon cancer.

Background: An increasing body of evidence indicates that dysregulation of liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) in cellular processes is implicated in the development of diverse tumors. Nevertheless, the association between LLPS and the prognosis, as well as the tumor immune microenvironment, in individuals with colon cancer remains poorly understood.

Methods: We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the LLPS cluster in 1010 colon cancer samples from the TCGA and GEO databases, utilizing the expression profiles of LLPS-related prognostic differentially expressed genes (DEGs).

Zanubrutinib plus R-CHOP for the treatment of newly diagnosed double-expressor lymphoma: A phase 2 clinical study.

Background: Double-expressor lymphoma (DEL) has a poorer prognosis than other subtypes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). This study is a multicenter, prospective, single-arm, phase 2 clinical study initiated by investigators to evaluate the efficacy and safety of combined zanubrutinib with R-CHOP, which includes rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone for patients with DEL (stage II or more), as well as to explore factors related to efficacy preliminarily.

Methods: From November 2020 to July 2022, 48 newly diagnosed patients were enrolled.

A Cross Section Study on the Relationship Between Nurse-Reported Missed Care, Emotional Labour, and Compassion Fatigue in Intensive Care Units.

Aim(s): To investigate the correlation between compassion Fatigue, emotional labour and missed nursing care among intensive care unit nurses.

Design: A cross-sectional design.

Methods: Data were collected from two hospitals in Shandong Province, China, from July to August 2024.

A feeding-induced myokine modulates glucose homeostasis.

Maintaining blood glucose homeostasis during fasting and feeding is crucial for the prevention of dysregulation that can lead to either hypo- or hyperglycaemia. Here we identified feimin, encoded by a gene with a previously unknown function (B230219D22Rik in mice, C5orf24 in humans), as a key modulator of glucose homeostasis. Feimin is secreted from skeletal muscle during feeding and binds to its receptor, receptor protein tyrosine kinase Mer (MERTK), promoting glucose uptake and inhibiting glucose production by activation of AKT.

Elucidating Manganese Single-Atom Doping: Strategies for Fluorescence Enhancement in Water-Soluble Red-Emitting Carbon Dots and Applications for FL/MR Dual Mode Imaging.

The absence of the enhancement of fluorescence in carbon dots (CDs) through doping with transition metal atoms (TMAs) hinders the advancement of multi-modal bio-imaging CDs with high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Herein, Mn-atomically-doped R-CDs (R-Mn-CDs) with a high PLQY of 41.3% in water is presented, enabling efficient in vivo dual-mode fluorescence/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.

Biodegradable PHBVHHx-PEG/Collagen Hydrogel Scaffolds for Cartilage Repair.

Recently, there has been increased attention on the treatment of cartilage repair. Overall, we constructed PHBVHHx-COL, a composite hydrogel of PHBVHHx-co-PEG and collagen, and evaluated its cartilage repair efficacy through and studies using hydrogel loaded with peripheral blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (PBMSCs). Rheological properties and compressive mechanical properties of the hydrogels were systematically evaluated.

Plant-Derived Treatments for Different Types of Muscle Atrophy.

With the development of medicine and chemistry, an increasing number of plant-derived medicines have been shown to exert beneficial therapeutic on the treatment of various physical and psychological diseases. In particular, by using physical chemistry methods, we are able to examine the chemical components of plants and the effects of these substances on the human body. Muscle atrophy (MA) is characterized by decreased muscle mass and function, is caused by multiple factors and severely affects the quality of life of patients.

Targeting the FSH/FSHR axis in ovarian cancer: advanced treatment using nanotechnology and immunotherapy.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the gynecological malignancy with the poorest prognosis. Surgery and chemotherapy are the primary therapies for OC; however, patients often experience recurrence. Given the intimate interaction between OC cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME), it is imperative to devise treatments that target both tumor cells and TME components.

Corrigendum: Apolipoprotein A-I attenuates peritoneal fibrosis associated with peritoneal dialysis by inhibiting oxidative stress and inflammation.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.

Exosomes loaded with the anti-cancer molecule mir-1-3p inhibit intrapulmonary colonization and growth of human esophageal squamous carcinoma cells.

Background: The overall prognosis of patients with esophageal cancer (EC) is extremely poor. There is an urgent need to develop innovative therapeutic strategies. This study will investigate the anti-cancer effects of exosomes loaded with specific anti-cancer microRNAs in vivo and in vitro.