Isomer of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and red blood cell indices in adults: The Isomers of C8 Health Project in China.

This study aimed to explore the isomer-specific, sex-specific, and joint associations of PFAS and red blood cell indices. We used data of 1,238 adults from the Isomers of C8 Health Project in China. Associations of PFAS isomers and red blood cell indices were explored using multiple linear regression models, Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression models and subgroup analysis across sex. We found that serum concentration of linear (n-) and branched (Br-) isomers of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS) were significantly associated with red blood cell indices in single-pollutant models, with stronger associations observed for n-PFHxS than Br-PFHxS, in women than in men. For instance, the estimated percentage change in hemoglobin concentration for n-PFHxS (3.65%; 95% CI: 2.95%, 4.34%) was larger than that for Br-PFHxS (0.96%; 95% CI: 0.52%, 1.40%). The estimated percentage change in red blood cell count for n-PFHxS in women (2.55%; 95% CI: 1.81%, 3.28%) was significantly higher than that in men (0.12%; 95% CI: -1.04%, 1.29%) (Pinter < 0.001). Similarly, sex-specific positive association of PFAS mixture and outcomes was observed. Therefore, the structure, susceptive population, and joint effect of PFAS isomers should be taken into consideration when evaluating the health risk of chemicals.

Low-resistivity Ohmic contacts of Ti/Al on few-layered 1T'-MoTe2/2H-MoTe2 heterojunctions grown by chemical vapor deposition.

This study explores the phase-controlled growth of few-layered 2H-MoTe2, 1T'-MoTe2, and 2H-/1T'-MoTe2 heterostructures and their impacts on metal contact properties. Cold-wall chemical vapor deposition (CW-CVD) with varying growth rates of MoOx and reaction temperatures with Te vapors enabled the growth of continuous thin films of either 1T'-MoTe2 or 2H-MoTe2 phases on two-inch sapphire substrates. This methodology facilitates the meticulous optimization of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) parameters, enabling the realization of phase-controlled growth of few-layered MoTe2 thin films and their subsequent heterostructures. The study further investigates the influence of a 1T'-MoTe2 intermediate layer on the electrical properties of metal contacts on few-layered 2H-MoTe2. Bi-layer Ti/Al contacts directly deposited on 2H-MoTe2 exhibited Schottky behavior, indicating inefficient carrier transport. However, introducing a few-layered 1T'-MoTe2 intermediate layer between the metal and 2H-MoTe2 layers improved the contact characteristics significantly. The resulting Al/Ti/1T'-MoTe2/2H-MoTe2 contact scheme demonstrates Ohmic behavior with a specific contact resistance of around 1.7 × 10-4 Ω cm2. This substantial improvement is attributed to the high carrier concentration of the 1T'-MoTe2 intermediate layer which could be attributed tentatively to the increased tunneling events across the van der Waals gap and enhancing carrier transport between the metal and 2H-MoTe2.

Reliability Issues of Mobile Nutrition Apps for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: Comparative Study.

Background: Controlling saturated fat and cholesterol intake is important for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Although the use of mobile diet-tracking apps has been increasing, the reliability of nutrition apps in tracking saturated fats and cholesterol across different nations remains underexplored. Objective: This study aimed to examine the reliability and consistency of nutrition apps focusing on saturated fat and cholesterol intake across different national contexts. The study focused on 3 key concerns: data omission, inconsistency (variability) of saturated fat and cholesterol values within an app, and the reliability of commercial apps across different national contexts. Methods: Nutrient data from 4 consumer-grade apps (COFIT, MyFitnessPal-Chinese, MyFitnessPal-English, and LoseIt!) and an academic app (Formosa FoodApp) were compared against 2 national reference databases (US Department of Agriculture [USDA]-Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies [FNDDS] and Taiwan Food Composition Database [FCD]). Percentages of missing nutrients were recorded, and coefficients of variation were used to compute data inconsistencies. One-way ANOVAs were used to examine differences among apps, and paired 2-tailed t tests were used to compare the apps to national reference data. The reliability across different national contexts was investigated by comparing the Chinese and English versions of MyFitnessPal with the USDA-FNDDS and Taiwan FCD. Results: Across the 5 apps, 836 food codes from 42 items were analyzed. Four apps, including COFIT, MyFitnessPal-Chinese, MyFitnessPal-English, and LoseIt!, significantly underestimated saturated fats, with errors ranging from -13.8% to -40.3% (all P<.05). All apps underestimated cholesterol, with errors ranging from -26.3% to -60.3% (all P<.05). COFIT omitted 47% of saturated fat data, and MyFitnessPal-Chinese missed 62% of cholesterol data. The coefficients of variation of beef, chicken, and seafood ranged from 78% to 145%, from 74% to 112%, and from 97% to 124% across MyFitnessPal-Chinese, MyFitnessPal-English, and LoseIt!, respectively, indicating a high variability in saturated fats across different food groups. Similarly, cholesterol variability was consistently high in dairy (71%-118%) and prepackaged foods (84%-118%) across all selected apps. When examining the reliability of MyFitnessPal across different national contexts, errors in MyFitnessPal were consistent across different national FCDs (USDA-FNDSS and Taiwan FCD). Regardless of the FCDs used as a reference, these errors persisted to be statistically significant, indicating that the app's core database is the source of the problems rather than just mismatches or variances in external FCDs. Conclusions: The findings reveal substantial inaccuracies and inconsistencies in diet-tracking apps' reporting of saturated fats and cholesterol. These issues raise concerns for the effectiveness of using consumer-grade nutrition apps in cardiovascular disease prevention across different national contexts and within the apps themselves.

Bioinspired triple-layered membranes for periodontal guided bone regeneration applications.

Barrier membranes have been used for the treatment of alveolar bone loss caused by periodontal diseases or trauma. However, an optimal barrier membrane must satisfy multiple requirements simultaneously, which are challenging to combine into a single material. We herein report the design of a bioinspired membrane consisting of three functional layers. The primary layer is composed of clay nanosheets and chitin, which form a nacre-inspired laminated structure. A calcium phosphate mineral layer is deposited on the inner surface of the nacre-inspired layer, while a poly(lactic acid) layer is coated on the outer surface. The composite membrane integrates good mechanical strength and deformability because of the nacre-inspired structure, facilitating operations during the implant surgery. The mineral layer induces the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and increases the stiffness of the membrane, which is an important factor for the regeneration process. The poly(lactic acid) layer can prevent unwanted mineralization on the outer surface of the membrane in oral environments. Cell experiments reveal that the membrane exhibits good biocompatibility and anti-infiltration capability toward connective tissue/epithelium cells. Furthermore, in vitro analyses show that the membrane does not degrade too fast, allowing enough time for bone regeneration. In vivo experiments prove that the membrane can effectively induce better bone regeneration and higher trabecular bone density in alveolar bone defects. This study demonstrates the potential of this bioinspired triple-layered membrane with hierarchical structures as a promising barrier material for periodontal guided tissue regeneration.

Additive-Controlled Divergent Synthesis of Fluorenone-4-carboxylic Acids and Diphenic Anhydrides via Rhodium-Catalyzed Oxidative Dimeric Cyclization of Aromatic Acids.

A rhodium-catalyzed one-pot access to valuable polycyclic frameworks of fluorenone-4-carboxylic acids and diphenic anhydrides via the oxidative dimeric cyclization of aromatic acids has been developed. This transformation proceeded via carboxyl-assisted 2-fold C-H activation followed by intramolecular Friedel-Crafts or dehydration reactions. The silver salt additive plays a vital role in the chemoselectivity of the products. Diphenic anhydride 3l exhibits a maximum fluorescence quantum yield of up to 59%.

Treatment of acute dacryocystitis by translacrimal canalicular drainage and D-silicone intubation.

AIM: To demonstrate the outcomes of translacrimal canalicular drainage using a lacrimal probe and intranasal drainage by D-silicone intubation for acute dacryocystitis (AD). METHODS: This retrospective study included 23 patients with AD and had undergone abscess decompression with the use of lacrimal probe and intranasal drainage by D-silicone intubation between January 2019 and December 2022. Patients received abscess decompression and systemic antibiotic-corticosteroid from the time of diagnosis. D-silicone tube was inserted within 10d after diagnosis and removed 3-6mo after intubation. The procedure and outcomes of this method were evaluated. RESULTS: All patients showed improvement of signs and symptoms of AD within 72h. No intraoperative and postoperative complications were observed. No recurrence of lacrimal sac abscesses occurred after D-silicone tube removed. CONCLUSION: Lacrimal probe and D-silicone intubation appear to be a feasible, minimally invasive, safe, and effective method, which could be a reasonable choice in the treatment of AD.

Solid-Liquid-Gas Three-Phase Indirect Electrolysis Enabled by Affinity Auxiliary Imparted Covalent Organic Frameworks.

The design of efficient heterogenous redox mediators with favorable affinity to substrate and electrolyte are much desired yet still challenging for the development of indirect electrolysis system. Herein, for the first time, we have developed a solid-liquid-gas three-phase indirect electrolysis system based on a covalent organic framework (Dha-COF-Cu) as heterogenous redox mediator for S-S coupling reaction. Dha-COF-Cu with the integration of high porosity, nanorod morphology, abundant hydroxyl groups and active Cu sites is much beneficial for the adsorption/activation of thiols, uniform dispersion and high wettability in electrolyte, and efficient interfacial electron transfer. Notably, Dha-COF-Cu as solid-phase redox mediator exhibits excellent electrocatalytic efficiency for the formation of value-added liquid-phase S-S bond product (yields up to 99%) coupling with the generation of gas-phase product of H2 (~1.40 mmol g-1 h-1), resulting in a powerful three-phase indirect electrolysis system. This is the first work about COFs that can be applied in three-phase indirect electrolysis system, which might promote the development of porous crystalline materials in this field.

Tumor lysis syndrome signal with the combination of encorafenib and binimetinib for malignant melanoma: a pharmacovigilance study using data from the FAERS database.

Objective: To investigate the potential association between tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) and drugs for the treatment of malignant melanoma (MM). Methods: Reports of TLS recorded in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) (January 2004-2023q3) were identified. Demographic and clinical characteristics were described, and disproportionality signals were assessed through the Reporting Odds Ratio (ROR) and Information Component (IC). The latency of TLS with anticancer drugs was described based on parametric models. Subgroup analysis was conducted to explore the differences of TLS signals in different age and sex. Results: We found 5 (1.49%), 59 (17.61%), 79 (23.58%), 19 (5.67%), 13 (3.88%), 13 (3.88%), 33 (9.85%), 49 (14.63%), 16 (4.78%) TLS reports with pembrolizumab, nivolumab, ipilimumab, dabrafenib, vemurafenib, dacarbazine, "encorafenib and binimetinib", "nivolumab and ipilimumab", "dabrafenib and trametinib", respectively. The combination of encorafenib and binimetinib showed the strongest signal of TLS (IC025 = 3.98). The median days of latency of TLS with combination of encorafenib and binimetinib is 2 days, which was much shorter than nivolumab (22.0 days) and ipilimumab (21.5 days). TLS cases associated with drugs for MM were predominantly recorded in females and aged 25-65 years. After excluding confounding factors such as pre-existing diseases and co-treated drugs, the disproportionate signal of TLS with "encorafenib and binimetinib" remained strong. Conclusions: Stronger disproportionate signal of TLS was detected in MM patients using the combination of encorafenib and binimetinib than other drugs. Further research is needed to investigate the underlying mechanisms and identify patient-related predisposing factors to support safe prescribing of the combination of encorafenib and binimetinib.

Diagnostic accuracy of artificial intelligence-assisted caries detection: a clinical evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: This clinical study aimed to evaluate the practical value of integrating an AI diagnostic model into clinical practice for caries detection using intraoral images. METHODS: In this prospective study, 4,361 teeth from 191 consecutive patients visiting an endodontics clinic were examined using an intraoral camera. The AI model, combining MobileNet-v3 and U-net architectures, was used for caries detection. The diagnostic performance of the AI model was assessed using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy, with the clinical diagnosis by endodontic specialists as the reference standard. RESULTS: The overall accuracy of the AI-assisted caries detection was 93.40%. The sensitivity and specificity were 81.31% (95% CI 78.22%-84.06%) and 95.65% (95% CI 94.94%-96.26%), respectively. The NPV and PPV were 96.49% (95% CI 95.84%-97.04%) and 77.68% (95% CI 74.49%-80.58%), respectively. The diagnostic accuracy varied depending on tooth position and caries type, with the highest accuracy in anterior teeth (96.04%) and the lowest sensitivity for interproximal caries in anterior teeth and buccal caries in premolars (approximately 10%). CONCLUSION: The AI-assisted caries detection tool demonstrated potential for clinical application, with high overall accuracy and specificity. However, the sensitivity varied considerably depending on tooth position and caries type, suggesting the need for further improvement. Integration of multimodal data and development of more advanced AI models may enhance the performance of AI-assisted caries detection in clinical practice.

Update on Palmar Fasciitis and Polyarthritis Syndrome: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES: This systematic review aims to (1) summarize the clinical, laboratory, and imaging characteristics of Palmar Fasciitis and Polyarthritis Syndrome (PFPAS) patients and (2) evaluate the effectiveness of different treatments. METHODS: We conducted a systematic search of three electronic databases (Scopus, Embase, and PubMed) from inception to December 31, 2023. We presented demographic and clinical features, along with laboratory factors and imaging examinations of PFPAS patients. Additionally, we outline main treatments and evaluate therapeutic effectiveness. RESULTS: A total of 121 patients were included in the analysis, with a mean onset age of 61.4 years. Swelling or thickening (49.6%, n=60/121) and pain (41.3%, n=50/121) were characteristic musculoskeletal symptoms of the hands. The median time between onset of PFPAS symptoms and detection of malignancy was 4 months, with a median survival of 13.0 months (range = 2 to 69). The abnormal rate of ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, and bone scan of the musculoskeletal system was more than 80%. Effective therapeutic responses were observed in 66.0% (n=33/50) of cases treated with chemotherapies and 79.2% (n=19/24) with operations. Two patients who received biologics achieved partial remission. CONCLUSION: PFPAS is a rare paraneoplastic condition, and early recognition of its distinctive symptoms may lead to the detection of underlying malignancy and timely treatments, potentially saving lives.

Network pharmacology-based study on the mechanism of action of Trollius chinensis capsule in the treatment of upper respiratory tract infection.

BACKGROUND: Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI), one of the most common respiratory diseases, has a high annual incidence. Trollius chinensis capsule has been used to treat URTI in China. However, the underlying-mechanisms remain unclear. METHODS: Network pharmacology was used to explore the potential mechanism of action of Trollius chinensis capsule in URTI treatment. The active compounds in Trollius chinensis were obtained from the TCMSP, SymMap, and ETCM databases. The TCMSP, PubChem, and SwissTargetPrediction databases were used to predict potential targets of Trollius chinensis. URTI-associated targets were gathered from GeneCards and DisGeNET databases. The key targets and signaling pathways associated with URTI were selected by network topology, GO, and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. Molecular docking was used to verify the binding activity between active compounds and key targets. RESULTS: Quercetin, pectolinarigenin, beta-sitosterol, acacetin and cirsimaritin are major active compounds in Trollius chinensis capsule. Eighty one candidate therapeutic targets were confirmed to be involved in protection of Trollius chinensis capsule against URTI. Among them, 7 key targets (TP53, IL6, AKT1, CASP3, CXCL8, MMP9, and EGFR) were verified to have good binding affinities to the main active compounds. Furthermore, enrichment analyses suggested that inflammatory response, virus infection and oxidative stress related biological processes and pathways were possibly the potential mechanism. CONCLUSION: Overall, the present study clarified that quercetin, pectolinarigenin, beta-sitosterol, acacetin and cirsimaritin are proved to be the main effective compounds of Trollius chinensis capsule treating URTI, possibly by acting on the targets of IL6, AKT1, CASP3, CXCL8, MMP9 and EGFR to play anti-infectious, anti-viral, and anti-oxidative effects. This study provides a new understanding of the active compounds and mechanisms of Trollius chinensis capsule in URTI treatment from the perspective of network pharmacology.

Sex differences in functional and structural alterations of hippocampus region in chronic pain: a DTI and resting-state fMRI study.

Introduction: It is well known that there are significant differences in the prevalence of chronic pain between males and females. Human and animal imaging studies have shown that chronic pain profoundly alters the structure and function of brain regions. However, there is limited research on the sex-specific mechanisms underlying the brain plasticity and adaptive changes associated with chronic pain. In this article, we conducted a multimodal study to evaluate how nerve injury-induced chronic pain affects the brain. Methods: Male and female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats with spared nerve injury (SNI) model underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) (male sham group: n = 18; male SNI group: n = 18; female sham group: n = 20; female SNI group: n = 18) and magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) (male sham group: n = 23; male SNI group: n = 21; female sham group: n = 20; female SNI group: n = 21) scanning. ICA method, Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF), immunofluorescence staining, and graph theory analysis was utilized to extract the rs-fMRI changes of brain regions of each group. Results: Using SNI model, which promotes long-lasting mechanical allodynia, we found that neuropathic pain deeply modified the intrinsic organization of the brain functional network in male and female rats (main effect of operation: F = 298.449, P < 0.001). 64 independent components (ICs) in the brain were divided and assigned to 16 systems. In male rats, we observed significant alterations in the microstructure of the hippocampal cornu ammonis 1 and cornu ammonis 2 (CA1/CA2) region, as indicated by increased mean diffusivity (MD) (CA1_L: P = 0.02; CA1_R: P = 0.031; CA2_L: P = 0.035; CA2_R: P = 0.015) and radial diffusivity (RD) (CA1_L: P = 0.028; CA1_R: P = 0.033; CA2_L: P = 0.037; CA2_R: P = 0.038) values, along with enhanced activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) expression. Conversely, in female rats, we found significant increases in the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF) value within the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) (F = 5.419, P = 0.023), accompanied by elevated c-Fos signal (F = 6.269, P = 0.031). Furthermore, graph theory analysis revealed notable differences in the small-world network of the hippocampal system in female rats, characterized by reduced small-world attributes and increased inter-nodal transmission efficiency. Discussion: Our study indicates sex differences in structural and functional alterations in the hippocampal system in rats under chronic pain conditions. The results suggest that the hippocampus system plays an important role in the different mechanisms of chronic pain in different sexes. These findings provide reliable insights to explore the complex mechanisms underlying sex differences in chronic pain.

Long-term ambient ozone exposure and childhood asthma, rhinitis, eczema, and conjunctivitis: A multi-city study in China.

Evidence on the link of long-term exposure to ozone (O3) with childhood asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis and eczema is inconclusive. We did a population-based cross-sectional survey, including 177,888 children from 173 primary and middle schools in 14 Chinese cities. A satellite-based spatiotemporal model was employed to assess four-year average O3 exposure at both residential and school locations. Information on asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema and conjunctivitis was collected by a standard questionnaire developed by the American Thoracic Society. We used generalized non-linear and linear mixed models to test the associations. We observed linear exposure-response associations between O3 and all outcomes. The odds ratios of doctor-diagnosed asthma, rhinitis, eczema, and conjunctivitis associated with per interquartile increment in home-school O3 concentration were 1.31 (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.28, 1.34), 1.25 (95 %CI: 1.23, 1.28), 1.19 (95 %CI: 1.16, 1.21), and 1.28 (95 %CI: 1.21, 1.34), respectively. Similar associations were observed for asthma-related outcomes including current asthma, wheeze, current wheeze, persistent phlegm, and persistent cough. Moreover, stronger associations were observed among children who were aged > 12 years, physically inactive, and exposed to higher temperature. In conclusion, long-term O3 exposure was associated with higher risks of asthma, allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis and eczema in children.

The Method of Lipemia Clearance Should be Based on the Characteristics and the Method of Testing in the Emergency Laboratory.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the lipemia removal efficiency of highspeed centrifugation, lipid scavengers, and dilution for biochemical analytes. METHODS: We collected 30 cases of lipemic plasma in an emergency laboratory and divided them into 4 aliquots. Lipemia was removed by highspeed centrifugation, lipid scavenger, dilution, and ultracentrifugation, then analytes were measured by an AU5800 analyzer. Taking ultracentrifugation as reference, the efficiencies of the other three methods were evaluated based on the deviation. RESULTS: When highspeed centrifugation was used for lipemia removal, DBIL (18.62%), and Magnesium (6.09%) could not satisfy the criterion. When lipid scavengers were applied to remove lipemia, CRP (-86.70%), TP (-8.29%), CKMB (-44.85%), DBIL (37.96%), Glu (4.20%) and phosphate (14.32%) were not suggested as lipid scavengers. For dilution, nearly half of the analytes could satisfy the criterion, including AMY (2.41%), CRP (5.54%), ALT (2.85%), GGTL (-1.73%), ALP (-0.04%), Glu (-0.84%), LDH (0.06%), CK (0.68%), BUN (3.80%), CREA (-1.54%), UA (5.42%), and magnesium (0.43%). CONCLUSIONS: Neither of the methods for lipid removal could satisfy all emergency department tests for lipid removal. This finding suggests that removing lipemia in the clinical laboratory should be based on the characteristics and the method of testing.

Systemic immune inflammation index is a valuable marker for predicting hemodialysis patients with depression: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Maintenance hemodialysis (MHD) patients suffer from enormous physical, mental stress and poor quality of life, so an increasing number of patients are in a long-term state of depression. A prominent feature of MHD patients is chronic persistent inflammation, which is also an important mechanism for the onset of depression. Therefore, finding economically convenient inflammatory markers to predict and diagnose the onset of depression in MHD patients is of great value. As a novel inflammatory marker, systemic immune inflammation index (SII) can more comprehensively reflect the inflammation and immunity level of patients. This study aims to explore the relationship between SII and depressive symptoms in MHD patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 206 MHD patients from three dialysis centers. Based on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores, patients were divided into non-depression and depression groups. Inter group comparison and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to determine whether SII is an independent risk factor for depression in MHD patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of SII on depression symptoms in MHD patients. Results: According to the HADS scale score, 38.83% of the included patients were in a state of depression. After adjusting for all confounding factors, MHD patients with SII>963.93 had a 4.709 times higher risk of depression than those with SII ≤ 478.32 (OR=4.709, 95% CI 1.821-12.178, P<0.01). ROC analysis showed that SII>685.11 was the best cutoff value for MHD depression patients, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.681. Conclusions: High SII is an independent risk factor for depressed MHD patients and an ideal inflammatory marker for predicting and identifying depression in MHD patients as assessed by the HADS scale.

Arctiin Mitigates Neuronal Injury by Modulating the P2X7R/NLPR3 Inflammasome Signaling Pathway.

Depression, recognized globally as a primary cause of disability, has its pathogenesis closely related to neuroinflammation and neuronal damage. Arctiin (ARC), the major bioactive component of Fructus arctii, has various pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. Building on previous findings that highlighted ARC's capability to mitigate depression by dampening microglial hyperactivation and thereby reducing neuroinflammatory responses and cortical neuronal damage in mice, the current study delves deeper into ARC's therapeutic potential by examining its impact on hippocampal neuronal damage in depression. Utilizing both chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced depression model in mice and corticosterone (CORT)-stimulated PC12 cell model of neuronal damage, the techniques including Nissl staining, immunohistochemistry, western blotting, ELISA, lactate dehydrogenase assays, colony formation assays, immunofluorescence staining and molecular docking were employed to unravel the mechanisms behind ARC's neuroprotective effects. The findings revealed that ARC not only mitigates hippocampal neuropathological damage and reduces serum CORT levels in CUMS-exposed mice but also enhances cell activity while reducing lactate dehydrogenase release in CORT-stimulated PC12 cells. ARC attenuated neuroinflammatory responses and neuronal apoptosis by inhibiting the overactivation of the P2X7 receptor (P2X7R)/NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome signaling pathway, similar to the effect of A438079 (P2X7R antagonist). Interestingly, pretreatment with A438079 blocked the neuroprotective effect of ARC. Computer modeling predicted that both ARC and A438079 have strong binding with P2X7R and they have the same binding site. These results suggested that ARC may exert a neuroprotective role by binding to P2X7R, thereby inhibiting the P2X7R/NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway.

Deliberation concerning the role of M1-type macrophage subset in oral carcinogenesis.

Over the last decade, accumulating evidence has suggested that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) play a significant role in the tumor development. This commentary wishes to highlight the findings by You, et al. that M1-like TAMs could cascade a mesenchymal/stem-like phenotype of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) via the IL6/Stat3/THBS1 feedback loop. These unprecedented findings identified M1-like TAMs-regulated processes as potentially tumor-promotion in the context of OSCC immunomicroenvironment.

Identification Analysis of Angelicae sinensis radix and Angelicae pubescentis radix Based on Quantized "Digital Identity" and UHPLC-QTOF-MSE Analysis.

Angelicae sinensis radix (ASR) and Angelicae pubescentis radix (APR), as traditional herbal medicines, are often confused and doped in the material market. However, the traditional identification method is to characterize the whole herb with a single or a few components, which do not have representation and cannot realize the effective utilization of unknown components. Consequently, the result is not convincing. In addition, the whole process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To avoid the confusion and adulteration of ASR and APR as well as to strengthen quality control and improve identification efficiency, in this study, a UHPLC-QTOF-MSE method was used to analyze ASR and APR. Based on digital representation, the shared data with high ionic strength were extracted from different batches of the same herbal medicine as their "digital identity". Further, the above "digital identity" was used as the benchmark for matching and identifying unknown samples to feedback on matching credibility (MC). The results showed that based on the "digital identities" of ASR and APR, the digital identification of two herbal samples can be realized efficiently and accurately at the individual level. And the matching credibility (MC) was higher than 94.00%, even if only 1% of APR or ASR in the mixed samples can still be identified efficiently and accurately. The study is of great practical significance for improving the efficiency of the identification of ASR and APR, cracking down on adulterated and counterfeit drugs, and strengthening the quality control of ASR and APR. In addition, it has important reference significance for developing nontargeted digital identification of herbal medicines at the individual level based on UHPLC-QTOF-MSE and "digital identity", which is beneficial to the construction of digital Chinese medicine and digital quality control.