Evaluation of Intensive Statins and Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 Inhibitors on Intracranial Artery Plaque Stability: A Prospective Single-Arm Study.

Background: Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis is a leading cause of ischemic stroke and recurrent events due to plaque instability. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging identifies plaque enhancement as a key marker of instability. This study evaluated the efficacy of combined high-intensity statins and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors in plaque stabilization.

Insights Into Metabolic Signatures and Regulatory Effect of Polysaccharides in Gut Microbiota: A Comparative Study of Healthy and Diabetic Status.

is a kind of popular functional food to be consumed by both healthy and diabetic people. As its major constituent, polysaccharide (DOP) is mainly utilized by gut microbiota. Despite distinctive gut microbiota composition between healthy and diabetic individuals, no study compared the interplay between DOP and gut microbiota under healthy and diabetic status.

Conference 2024: Building an innovative scientific research ecosystem for microbiome and One Health.

The Conference 2024 provides a platform to promote the development of an innovative scientific research ecosystem for microbiome and One Health. The four key components - Technology, Research (Biology), Academic journals, and Social media - form a synergistic ecosystem. Advanced technologies drive biological research, which generates novel insights that are disseminated through academic journals.

Atherothrombotic Outcomes After Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors Versus Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitors in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Territory-Wide Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: This study compared the risks of atherothrombotic major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes taking SGLT2 (sodium-glucose cotransporter 2) inhibitors to those taking DPP-4 (dipeptidyl peptidase-4) inhibitors.

Methods And Results: All adult patients (≥18 years of age) with type 2 diabetes and newly prescribed with SGLT2 inhibitors or DPP-4 inhibitors across all public hospitals in Hong Kong between January 2015 and December 2019 were included. Patients were propensity matched in a 1:1 ratio using a caliper distance of 0.

Dynamic selection in metallo-organic cube Cd L conformations induced by perfluorooctanoate encapsulation.

Metallo-organic cages possess flexibility comparable to that of biological receptors and can alter their conformations to better accommodate guest species due to the dynamic reversibility of the coordination bond. Induced fit is widely accepted involving conformation change of the host, while few definitive examples are related to conformation selection. Herein, we report the generation of metallo-organic cube Cd L with two coexisting conformations, which have been fully confirmed by NMR, ESI-MS and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.

Small-Molecule Benzo-Phenoselenazine Derivatives for Multi-Subcellular Biomolecule Profiling.

Elucidating the subcellular localization of RNAs and proteins is fundamental to understanding their biological functions. Genetically encoded proteins/enzymes provide an attractive approach to target many proteins of interest, but are limited to specific cell lines. Although small-molecule-based methods have been explored, a comprehensive system for profiling multiple locations in living cells, comparable to fusion-protein techniques, is yet to be established.

A tetrathiafulvalene-containing covalent organic nanobelt: preparation, crystal structure and application for sodium-ion batteries.

Developing single crystals of covalent organic polymers (COPs) is highly attractive as they can afford precise structural information for studying internal interactions. Employing dative boron-nitrogen (B-N) bonds to construct single-crystalline COPs is feasible since the dynamic linkages can self-correct errors, thus improving crystallization. In this project, we develop a single-crystal COP with a nanobelt structure, namely CityU-26, B-N-driven-assembly between 4,4',5,5'-tetrakis(4-(pyridin-4-yl)phenyl)-2,2'-bi(1,3-dithiolylidene) and 1,4-bis(benzodioxaborole) benzene.

From small changes to big gains: pyridinium-based tetralactam macrocycle for enhanced sugar recognition in water.

The complex distribution of functional groups in carbohydrates, coupled with their strong solvation in water, makes them challenging targets for synthetic receptors. Despite extensive research into various molecular frameworks, most synthetic carbohydrate receptors have exhibited low affinities, and their interactions with sugars in aqueous environments remain poorly understood. In this work, we present a simple pyridinium-based hydrogen-bonding receptor derived from a subtle structural modification of a well-known tetralactam macrocycle.

Scalable Neuroanatomical and Behavioral Phenotyping of Radio Frequency Radiation on Young Zebrafish.

In our wireless-centric world, evaluating the health effects of radio frequency electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) is crucial. An existing research gap pertains to the replication of real-world specific absorption rates (SAR) for RF-EMR, especially within aquatic environments. We aimed to bridge this gap using an innovative TEM cell platform to replicate realistic SAR conditions in water and assess RF-EMR's impact on neuroanatomical and behavioral changes.

Quadrupling the capacity of post aerobic digestion treating anaerobically digested sludge using a moving-bed biofilm (MBBR) configuration.

Wastewater treatment plants produce large amounts of sludge requiring stabilization before safe disposal. Traditional biological stabilization approaches are cost-effective but generally require either an extended retention time (10-40 days), or elevated temperatures (40-80 °C) for effective pathogens inactivation. This study overcomes these limitations via a novel acidic aerobic digestion process, leveraging an acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacterium (AOB) Nitrosoglobus.

Evaluation of Cost-Effectiveness of a Virtual Multidisciplinary Stroke Care Clinic for Community-Dwelling Survivors of Stroke.

Background: A technologically integrated, multidisciplinary approach to stroke rehabilitation service was delivered and embedded into conventional health care practice. This article reports an evaluation of cost-effectiveness analysis of a new Virtual Multidisciplinary Stroke Care Clinic (VMSCC) service for community-dwelling survivors of stroke.

Methods And Results: A randomized controlled trial was conducted.

Prior disulfide bond-mediated Ser/Thr ligation.

In this work, we developed a novel strategy, prior disulfide bond-mediated Ser/Thr ligation (PD-STL), for the chemical synthesis of peptides and proteins. This approach combines disulfide bond-forming chemistry with Ser/Thr ligation (STL), converting intermolecular STL into intramolecular STL to effectively proceed regardless of concentrations. We demonstrated the effectiveness of PD-STL under high dilution conditions, even for the relatively inert C-terminal proline at the ligation site.

Decisive reversal of lethal coronavirus disease 2019 in senescent hamster by synchronic antiviral and immunoregulatory intervention.

The poor prognosis observed in elderly individuals infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains a serious clinical burden and the underlying mechanism is unclear, which necessities detailed investigation of disease characteristics and research for efficient countermeasures. To simulate lethal coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in senescent human patients, 80-week-old male hamsters are intranasally inoculated with different doses of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.5 variant.

Human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocyte platform in modeling of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background And Aim: Currently, SARS-CoV-2 is still spreading rapidly and globally. A large proportion of patients with COVID-19 developed liver injuries. The human-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived hepatocytes recapitulate primary human hepatocytes and have been widely used in studies of liver diseases.

Panoramic analysis of cell death patterns reveals prognostic and immune profiles of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has been characterized by a low therapeutic response and poor prognosis. Currently, there are no reliable predictive models for HNSCC progression and therapeutic efficacy. This study explores the role of diverse patterns of cell death in tumor development, positing them as predictive factors of HNSCC prognosis.

Unlocking the potential: T1-weighed MRI as a powerful predictor of levodopa response in Parkinson's disease.

Background: The efficacy of levodopa, the most crucial metric for Parkinson's disease diagnosis and treatment, is traditionally gauged through the levodopa challenge test, which lacks a predictive model. This study aims to probe the predictive power of T1-weighted MRI, the most accessible modality for levodopa response.

Methods: This retrospective study used two datasets: from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (219 records) and the external clinical dataset from Ruijin Hospital (217 records).

Clinically used drug arsenic trioxide targets XIAP and overcomes apoptosis resistance in an organoid-based preclinical cancer model.

Drug resistance in tumor cells remains a persistent clinical challenge in the pursuit of effective anticancer therapy. XIAP, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein (IAP) family, suppresses apoptosis its Baculovirus IAP Repeat (BIR) domains and is responsible for drug resistance in various human cancers. Therefore, XIAP has attracted significant attention as a potential therapeutic target.

Kill two birds with one stone: simultaneous removal of volatile organic compounds and ozone secondary pollution by a novel photocatalytic process.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) originating from diverse sources with complex compositions pose threats to both environmental safety and human health. Photocatalytic treatment of VOCs has garnered attention due to its high efficacy at room temperature. However, the intricate photochemical reaction generates ozone (O), causing secondary pollution.

Emerging single-atom catalysts in the detection and purification of contaminated gases.

Single atom catalysts (SACs) show exceptional molecular adsorption and electron transfer capabilities owing to their remarkable atomic efficiency and tunable electronic structure, thereby providing promising solutions for diverse important processes including photocatalysis, electrocatalysis, thermal catalysis, Consequently, SACs hold great potential in the detection and degradation of pollutants present in contaminated gases. Over the past few years, SACs have made remarkable achievements in the field of contaminated gas detection and purification. In this review, we first provide a concise introduction to the significance and urgency of gas detection and pollutant purification, followed by a comprehensive overview of the structural feature identification methods for SACs.

High-resolution climate data reveal an increasing risk of warming-driven activity restriction for diurnal and nocturnal lizards.

Widespread species experience a variety of climates across their distribution, which can structure their thermal tolerance, and ultimately, responses to climate change. For ectotherms, activity is highly dependent on temperature, its variability and availability of favourable microclimates. Thermal exposure and tolerance may be structured by the availability and heterogeneity of microclimates for species living along temperature and/or precipitation gradients - but patterns and mechanisms underlying such gradients are poorly understood.