Microfluidic-based electrically driven particle manipulation techniques for biomedical applications.

Microfluidic chips exhibit unique advantages in both economy and rapidity, particularly for the separation and detection of biomolecules. In this review, we first introduced the mechanisms of several electrically driven methods, such as electrophoresis, dielectrophoresis, electro-wetting and electro-rotation. We then discussed in detail the application of these methods in nucleic acid analysis, protein manipulation and cell treatment.

Establishment of a survival rabbit model for laryngotracheal stenosis: A prospective randomized study.

Objective: To develop a reproducible survival rabbit model for laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS).

Methods: Seventy New Zealand white (NZW) rabbits were randomly divided into experimental groups ( = 30) and a control group ( = 40). In experimental groups, a nylon brush was inserted retrograde from the tracheotomy through the subglottis and rotated until a full layer circumferential mucosal injury to cartilage exposure, assisted by fiberoptic laryngoscopy (FOL) visualization.

Colorectal cancer screening using a multi-locus blood-based assay targeting circulating tumor DNA methylation: a cross-sectional study in an average-risk population.

Background: Effective screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) enables earlier diagnosis and intervention to improve patient survival.

Methods: In this study, we prospectively conducted a blood-based CRC screening program for community residents in Hanjiang District, Yangzhou City, and evaluated the screening efficacy of a blood-based multi-locus DNA methylation assay (ColonAiQ). The ColonAiQ-positive rate and colonoscopy participation rate of the population, detection rate of intestinal lesions, and positive predictive value (PPV) of CRC and advanced adenoma (AA) were calculated, and the associated factors were explored.

Real-time control of distillation process to improve the recovery efficiency of ThF-LiCl-KCl molten salt.

The purification and recovery of chloride electrolyte molten salts are vital to reuse this valuable species and reduce the waste. Vacuum distillation method was used to investigate the recovery efficiency of LiCl-KCl mixed molten salt containing 20 wt% ThF. Rapid mass loss in the initial stage and the subsequent lower evaporation rate were significantly observed under 1173 K and 20 Pa due to the coordination species such as LiThF and LiThF.

Investigating the effect of overbased sulfonates on calcium sulfonate complex grease: enhancements in physicochemical, rheological, and tribological properties.

Overbased sulfonate plays a crucial role in calcium sulfonate complex grease, significantly impacting the grease's performance characteristics. Herein, the calcium sulfonate complex grease was formulated using overbased calcium sulfonate (T106D) and overbased magnesium sulfonate (T107) in ratios of 1 : 2, 1 : 1, and 2 : 1, labeled as CMSCG (1 : 2), CMSCG (1 : 1), and CMSCG (2 : 1), respectively. This study examined the effects of overbased sulfonates on the physicochemical, anti-corrosion, rheological, and tribological properties of the grease.

Comprehensive review of multidimensional biomarkers in the ShangHai At Risk for Psychosis (SHARP) program for early psychosis identification.

Psychosis is recognized as one of the largest contributors to nonfatal health loss, and early identification can largely improve routine clinical activity by predicting the psychotic course and guiding treatment. Clinicians have used the clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHR) paradigm to better understand the risk factors that contribute to the onset of psychotic disorders. Clinical factors have been widely applied to calculate the individualized risks for conversion to psychosis 1-2 years later.

Polyvinylidene fluoride/graphene oxide/polyimide composite high-efficiency PM filtration nanofiber membranes.

Particulate air pollution is a global environmental problem, with PM being the primary pollutant. One of the most effective ways to remove particles from the air is through filtration. Therefore, high-performance air filters are urgently needed to combat the harm caused by PM.

The efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors on low PD-L1 cervical cancer: A meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: The effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in low programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in cervical cancer (CC) patients remains unknown. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ICIs in low PD-L1 expression CC patients.

Methods: The study is an individual patient data (IPD)-based meta-analysis.

Advances in superhydrophobic material research: from preparation to electrified railway protection.

Freezing is a serious problem that affects the power, transport, and transmission industries and is a major concern for the national economy and safety. Currently, several engineering de-icing methods, such as thermal, mechanical, and chemical de-icing, have shown problems related to energy consumption, efficiency, and the environment. Superhydrophobic materials have high droplet contact and roll angles, which can reduce the droplet residence and ice adhesion on their surfaces and have unique advantages in the self-cleaning and anti-icing fields.

PU.1 induces tumor-associated macrophages promoting glioma progression through BTK-mediated Akt/mTOR pathway activation.

Glioma, the most common primary malignant brain tumor, is characterized by infiltrating immune cells that contribute to tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) constitute a significant proportion of these infiltrating immune cells and have been implicated in glioma progression. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms by which TAMs promote glioma progression remain elusive.

Effects of pulmonary rehabilitation on systemic inflammation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a meta-analysis.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is marked by both lung-related and systemic symptoms, notably chronic inflammation. Despite pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) being a critical treatment for COPD, its influence on systemic inflammation remains unclear. This meta-analysis was conducted to assess PR's effect on circulating inflammatory markers in COPD patients.

Erratum: Long non-coding RNA SNHG5 affects the invasion and apoptosis of renal cell carcinoma by regulating the miR-363-3p-Twist1 interaction.

[This corrects the article on p. 697 in vol. 12, PMID: 32194916.

Electrophysiological Characteristics and Ablation Outcomes in Patients With Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia.

Background: Catheter ablation of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) that trigger polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PVT) or ventricular fibrillation has been reported as a novel therapy to reduce the syncope events in patients with catecholaminergic PVT, whereas the long-term ablation outcome and its value in improving exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmias remain unclear.

Methods And Results: Fourteen consecutive selected patients with catecholaminergic PVT (mean±SD age, 16±6 years; 43% male patients) treated with maximum β-blockers with no possibility of adding flecainide were prospectively enrolled for catheter ablation. The primary end point was syncope recurrence, and the secondary end point was the reduction of the ventricular arrhythmia score during exercise testing.

Tracking of trastuzumab resistance in patients with HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer by CTC liquid biopsy.

This study aimed to utilize circulating tumor cell-DNA (CTC-DNA) from liquid biopsies to monitor trastuzumab resistance in Gastric cancer (GC) and assess the limited response rate in HER2 metastatic gastric cancer. Given the heterogeneity of GC, we established a high-precision CTC detection system that effectively isolates tumor cells with high HER2 expression for downstream analysis. Targeted sequencing of 610 genes was conducted on 20 paired CTC and tissue samples to assess uniformity.

UBXN9 inhibits the RNA exosome function to promote T cell control of liver tumorigenesis.

Background And Aims: Liver tumorigenesis encompasses oncogenic activation and self-adaptation of various biological processes in premalignant hepatocytes to circumvent the pressure of cellular stress and host immune control. Ubiquitin regulatory X domain-containing proteins (UBXNs) participate in the regulation of certain signaling pathways. However, whether UBXN proteins function in the development of liver cancer remains unclear.

MALAT1 knockdown alleviates myocardial injury in mice with severe acute pancreatitis via the miR-374a/Sp1/Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Background: Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) contributes to high mortality (as high as 30%) and multiple organ injuries. In this study, we established a mouse model with SAP to detect biomolecules implicated in myocardial injury and to expound the signal transduction pathway involved.

Methods: A SAP mouse model was established to assess inflammation- and myocardial injury-related markers.

Economic development, weak ties, and depression: Evidence from China.

Objectives: Weak ties are becoming mainstream in daily relationships and play an essential role in the improvement of individuals' mental health. Despite growing concerns on depression, inclusion of weak ties is limited. To address the gap, this study empirically shed light on the role of weak ties on individual depression in the context of economic development.

A light-activated polymer with excellent serum tolerance for intracellular protein delivery.

The design of efficient materials for intracellular protein delivery has attracted great interest in recent years; however, most current materials for this purpose are limited by poor serum stability due to the early release of cargoes triggered by abundant serum proteins. Here, we propose a light-activated crosslinking (LAC) strategy to prepare efficient polymers with excellent serum tolerance for intracellular protein delivery. A cationic dendrimer engineered with photoactivatable -nitrobenzene moieties co-assembles with cargo proteins ionic interactions, followed by light activation to yield aldehyde groups on the dendrimer and the formation of imine bonds with cargo proteins.

The impact of Omicron pandemic and COVID-19 vaccination on the pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in enormous medical and economic burden worldwide during the past 3 years. The vaccination was deemed the effective option to prevent the severe symptoms, and especially recommended among cancer patients. Shanghai experienced the first lockdown during the recent Omicron pandemic since 2019.

Erratum: Downregulation of circ-TRPS1 suppressed prostatic cancer prognoses by regulating miR-124-3p/EZH2 axis-mediated stemness.

[This corrects the article on p. 4372 in vol. 10, PMID: 33415005.

Identification of BIK as an unfavorable prognostic marker and novel therapeutic target in microsatellite stable colorectal cancer harboring KRAS mutations.

mutations lead to persistent activation of multiple downstream effectors that drive the cancer phenotype. Approximately 30%-50% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients harbor mutations, which confer more aggressive tumor biology and shorter overall survival (OS), especially in microsatellite stable (MSS) metastatic CRC. Given that KRAS mutant protein has been proven difficult to target directly, identifying genes that function closely with and targeting these genes seems to be a promising therapeutic strategy for -mutated MSS CRC.

Integrated bioactive scaffold with aptamer-targeted stem cell recruitment and growth factor-induced pro-differentiation effects for anisotropic meniscal regeneration.

Reconstruction of the knee meniscus remains a significant clinical challenge owing to its complex anisotropic tissue organization, complex functions, and limited healing capacity in the inner region. The development of in situ tissue-engineered meniscal scaffolds, which provide biochemical signaling to direct endogenous stem/progenitor cell (ESPC) behavior, has the potential to revolutionize meniscal tissue engineering. In this study, a fiber-reinforced porous scaffold was developed based on aptamer Apt19S-mediated mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-specific recruitment and dual growth factor (GF)-enhanced meniscal differentiation.

An esterase-activatable prodrug formulated liposome strategy: potentiating the anticancer therapeutic efficacy and drug safety.

Liposomal nanomedicine represents a common and versatile carrier for the delivery of both lipophilic and hydrophilic drugs. However, the direct formulation of many chemotherapeutics into a liposomal system remains an enormous challenge. Using the topoisomerase I inhibitor 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN38) as a model drug, we combined lipophilic prodrug construction with subsequent integration into an exogenous liposomal scaffold to assemble a prodrug-formulated liposome for systemic administration.