Rewriting Viral Fate: Epigenetic and Transcriptional Dynamics in KSHV Infection.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), a γ-herpesvirus, is predominantly associated with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) as well as two lymphoproliferative disorders: primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) and multicentric Castleman disease (MCD). Like other herpesviruses, KSHV employs two distinct life cycles: latency and lytic replication. To establish a lifelong persistent infection, KSHV has evolved various strategies to manipulate the epigenetic machinery of the host.

An Experimental Study of the Flexural Bearing Capacity of Reinforced Concrete Beams Damaged by Explosions Using Piezoelectric Smart Aggregates.

Two identically sized RC beams were fabricated to investigate the effects of explosive loads on the flexural behaviour of Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams. One of the beams was subjected to an explosive load to induce post-explosion damage, and subsequently, both beams underwent flexural capacity testing. Integrating piezoelectric smart aggregates (SAas) within the beams facilitated continuous observation of the damage conditions, allowing for the assessment of internal concrete deterioration from explosive impacts to bending failures.

Temporal and Spatial Analysis of Trace Metal Ecotoxicity in Sediments of Chaohu Lake, China.

The species sensitivity distribution (SSD) analysis for aquatic ecosystems has been increasingly used in risk assessment. However, existing analyses of the impact of trace metals in lake sediments on aquatic organisms often neglect the spatiotemporal variability of trace metal release. This oversight can result in ecological risk assessments that lack specificity.

Respiratory Flora Intervention: A New Strategy for the Prevention and Treatment of Occupationally Related Respiratory Allergy in Healthcare Workers.

Occupational allergic respiratory disease in healthcare workers due to occupational exposure has received widespread attention. At the same time, evidence of altered respiratory flora associated with the development of allergy has been found in relevant epidemiologic studies. It is of concern that the composition of nasopharyngeal flora in healthcare workers differs significantly from that of non-healthcare workers due to occupational factors, with a particularly high prevalence of carriage of pathogenic and drug-resistant bacteria.

Strategies Used by SARS-CoV-2 to Evade the Innate Immune System in an Evolutionary Perspective.

By the end of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), had diffused widely across the globe, with 770 million infected individuals and over 7 million deaths reported. In addition to its high infectivity and pathogenicity and its rapid mutation rate, the unique capacity of SARS-CoV-2 to circumvent the immune system has also contributed to the widespread nature of this pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 elicits the onset of innate immune system activation and initiates antiviral responses once it has infected the host.

Metal Transfer Behavior and Molten Pool Dynamics in Cold Metal Transfer Pulse Advanced Additive Manufacturing of 7075 Aluminum Alloy.

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) with a special arc mode of cold metal transfer pulse advanced (CMT-PADV) is an ideal additive manufacturing process for fabricating aerospace components, primarily high-strength aluminum alloys, offering advantages such as high deposition rates and low cost. However, the numerical simulation of the CMT-PADV WAAM process has not been researched until now. In this study, we first developed a three-dimensional fluid dynamics model for the CMT-PADV WAAM of 7075 aluminum alloy, aiming at analyzing the droplet transition and molten pool flow.

Balancing Page Endurance Variation Between Layers to Extend 3D NAND Flash Memory Lifetime.

With vertical stacking, 3D NAND's flash memory can achieve continuous capacity growth. However, the endurance variation between the stacked layers becomes more and more significant due to process variation, which will lead to the underutilization of many pages and seriously affect the lifetime of 3D NAND's flash memory. We investigated the endurance variation characteristics between layers and divided the stacked layers into the top, middle, and bottom layers according to the endurance characteristics.

Flexural Behavior of BFRP Bar-Recycled Tire Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete Beams.

This research advocates for the use of basalt fiber-reinforced polymer (BFRP) bars and recycled tire steel fibers to reinforce concrete beams. Six concrete beams were constructed using different volume contents of recycled tire steel fibers (0, 0.5%, 1.

The Potential Regulatory Role of Ferroptosis in Orthodontically Induced Inflammatory Root Resorption.

People, in increasing numbers, are seeking orthodontic treatment to correct malocclusion, while some of them are suffering from orthodontically induced inflammatory root resorption (OIIRR). Recent evidence suggests that the immune-inflammatory response occurring during bone remodeling may be responsible for OIIRR. Ferroptosis, a new type of programmed cell death (PCD), has been found to have a close interrelation with inflammation during disease progression.

Electrochemical Degradation of Sulfamethoxazole Enhanced by Bio-Inspired Iron-Nickel Encapsulated Biochar Particle Electrode.

In the electrocatalytic (EC) degradation process, challenges such as inefficient mass transfer, suboptimal mineralization rates, and limited current efficiency have restricted its broader application. To overcome these obstacles, this study synthesized spherical particle electrodes (FeNi@BC) with superior electrocatalytic performance using a bio-inspired preparation method. A three-dimensional electrocatalytic oxidation system based on FeNi@BC electrode, EC/FeNi@BC, showed excellent degradation efficiency of sulfamethoxazole (SMX), reaching 0.

Structural Elucidation and In Silico-Aided Toxicity Prediction of Forced Degradation Products of Ginsenoside Re Using Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Equipped with a Diode Array Detector and Charged Aerosol Detector (UHPLC-DAD-CAD) and Liquid Chromatography Coupled to a High-Resolution Mass Detector (LC-HRMS).

Ginsenoside Re was the major bioactive component found rich in C. A. Meyer, which exerted excellent cardiovascular protection, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidation effects.

Optimizing CT Esophagography: Ex Vivo Study on Contrast Ratios, Image Quality, and Dual-Energy Benefits.

This study aimed to optimize CT esophagography by identifying effective oral contrast dilution ratios and exploring the advantages of dual-energy CT (DECT) over conventional CT for improving image quality. Ex vivo experiments using iodine contrast agents (320-400 mgI/mL) at 21 dilution ratios were scanned at three voltages, with additional dual-energy scans generating various reconstruction images. Image quality was assessed both objectively and subjectively.

Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells Prevent Steroid-Induced Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head by Modulating Cellular Autophagy.

Background: Glucocorticoids (GCs) are critical regulatory molecules in the body, commonly utilized in clinical practice for their potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive properties. However, prolonged, high-dose GC therapy is frequently associated with femoral head necrosis, a condition known as glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (GC-ONFH). Emerging evidence suggests that enhanced autophagy may mitigate apoptosis, thereby protecting osteoblasts from GC-induced damage and delaying the progression of ONFH.

Echinacoside Alleviates Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease by Inhibiting Ferroptosis via Nrf2/HMOX1 Pathway.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic lipid accumulation, and echinacoside (ECH) has demonstrated antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects across multiple conditions, it has demonstrated hepatoprotective effects. Ferroptosis represents a novel mechanism of cell demise, differing from apoptosis and autophagy. Emerging research indicates that ferroptosis in hepatocytes plays a role in the development of alcoholic liver disease.

Developing a Simple and Feasible Process for the Crude Extraction of Livetins and Phosvitin from Egg Yolk.

Due to imbalanced demand favoring egg whites, the egg industry faces a surplus of egg yolk, limiting overall growth. This study designed a feasible process for the crude extraction of livetins and phosvitin (PV) and revealed the related separation mechanisms. Our method utilized a 1:9 egg yolk dilution at pH 6.

Rational Design of an Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Vaccine: Immunogenicity and Antitumor Research.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is frequently overexpressed in a variety of human epithelial tumors, and its aberrant activation plays a pivotal role in promoting tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. The clinically approved passive EGFR-related therapies have numerous limitations. Seven EGFR-ECD epitope peptides (EG1-7) were selected through bioinformatics epitope prediction tools including NetMHCpan-4.

Mitophagy in Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity: Insights into Molecular Biology and Novel Therapeutic Strategies.

Doxorubicin is a chemotherapeutic drug utilized for solid tumors and hematologic malignancies, but its clinical application is hampered by life-threatening cardiotoxicity, including cardiac dilation and heart failure. Mitophagy, a cargo-specific form of autophagy, is specifically used to eliminate damaged mitochondria in autophagosomes through hydrolytic degradation following fusion with lysosomes. Recent advances have unveiled a major role for defective mitophagy in the etiology of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity.

Differential Regulation of Hyaluronan Synthesis by Three Isoforms of Hyaluronan Synthases in Mammalian Cells.

Hyaluronan (HA) is one of the crucial components of the extracellular matrix in vertebrates and is synthesized by three hyaluronan synthases (HASs), namely HAS1, HAS2, and HAS3. The low expression level of HASs in normal keratinocytes and other various types of cells presents a recognized challenge, impeding biological and pathological research on their localization. In this study, the human proteins HAS1, HAS2, and HAS3 with fused maltose-binding protein (MBP) tags were successfully expressed at high levels and purified for the first time in HEK293F cells.

Effects of environmental bisphenol S exposure on male rat reproductive health and gut-blood-testicular axis integrity.

In this study, male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were exposed to bisphenol S (BPS) at environmentally relevant concentrations to investigate its reproductive toxicity and evaluate its effects on the gut-blood-testicular axis. After 28 days of exposure to BPS (0.05 and 20 mg/kg), the results showed a reduction in weight gain and the induction of reproductive toxicity in male rats, including decreased sperm parameters, lower sperm viability, and increased abnormal sperm density and mortality.

Cognitive or non-cognitive? The effect of maternal dominance on adolescent human capital: Evidence from adolescents' educational decisions.

Using data from the 2014 China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study finds that when mothers hold dominant positions in their children's educational decisions, they are more likely to adopt a "tiger mom" approach. This dynamic explains why maternal dominance in educational decisions significantly enhances adolescents' cognitive abilities while hindering their non-cognitive skills. We propose time investment, material investment, and parenting styles as channel variables that offer a more comprehensive explanation.

Bimetallic nanoreactor mediates cascade amplification of oxidative stress for complementary chemodynamic-immunotherapy of tumor.

As a promising tumor treatment, chemodynamic therapy (CDT) can specifically catalyze HO into the cytotoxic hydroxyl radical (·OH) via Fenton/Fenton-like reaction. However, the limited HO and weakly acidic pH in tumor microenvironment (TME) would severely restrict the therapeutic efficiency of CDT. Here, a weakly acid activated, HO self-supplied, hyaluronic acid (HA)-functionalized Ce/Cu bimetallic nanoreactor (CBPNs@HA) is elaborately designed for complementary chemodynamic-immunotherapy.

Extension of an ICU-based noninvasive model to predict latent shock in the emergency department: an exploratory study.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) has been widely adopted for the prediction of latent shock occurrence in critically ill patients in intensive care units (ICUs). However, the usefulness of an ICU-based model to predict latent shock risk in an emergency department (ED) setting remains unclear. This study aimed to develop an AI model to predict latent shock risk in patients admitted to EDs.

Efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors for EGFR mutated non-small cell lung cancer: a network meta-analysis.

Introduction: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) constitutes approximately 80-85% of cancer-related fatalities globally, and direct and indirect comparisons of various therapies for NSCLC are lacking. In this study, we aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated NSCLC.

Methods: The electronic databases were systematically searched from inception until March 18, 2024.