Untethered Microgrippers for Biopsy in the Upper Urinary Tract.

Untethered microrobots offer the possibility to perform medical interventions in anatomically complex and small regions in the body. Presently, it is necessary to access the upper urinary tract to diagnose and treat Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma (UTUC). Diagnostic and treatment challenges include ensuring adequate tissue sampling, accurately grading the disease, achieving completeness in endoscopic treatment, and consistently delivering medications to targeted sites. This work introduces microgrippers (µ-grippers) that are autonomously triggered by physiological temperature for biopsy in the upper urinary tract. The experiments demonstrated that µ-grippers can be deployed using standard ureteral catheters and maneuvered using an external magnetic field. The µ-grippers successfully biopsied tissue samples from ex vivo pig ureters, indicating that the thin-film bilayer springs' autonomous, physiologically triggered actuation exerts enough force to retrieve urinary tract tissue. The quality of these biopsy samples is sufficient for histopathological examination, including hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and GATA3 immunohistochemical staining. Beyond biopsy applications, the µ-grippers' small size, wafer-scale fabrication, and multifunctionality suggest their potential for statistical sampling in the urinary tract. Experimental data and clinical reports underscore this potential through statistical simulations that compare the efficacy of µ-grippers with conventional tools, such as ureteroscopic forceps and baskets.

Analysis of unsuccessful tests and the effect of prolonged clinical sample preprocessing in the GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay.

BACKGROUND: The GeneXpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) assay is a widely used technology for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in clinical samples. However, the study on the failure of the Xpert assay during routine implementation and its potential solutions is limited. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the records of unsuccessful tests in the Xpert and the GeneXpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Ultra) assays between April 2017 and April 2021 at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. To further investigate the effect of prolonged preprocessing on clinical sputum, an additional 120 sputum samples were collected for Xpert testing after 15 min, 3 h, and 6 h preprocessing. The analysis was performed by SPSS version 19.0 software. RESULTS: A total of 11,314 test records were analyzed, of which 268 (2.37%) had unsuccessful test results. Among these, 221 (1.95%) were reported as "Error", 43 (0.38%) as "Invalid", and 4 (0.04%) as "No result". The most common clinical specimen for Xpert tests was sputum, accounting for 114 (2.17%) unsuccessful tests. The failure rate of urine specimens was lower than that of sputum (OR = 0.12, 95% CI: 0.02-0.88, χ2 = 6.22, p = 0.021). In contrast, the failure rate of stool specimens was approximately twice as high as that of sputum (OR = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.09-3.40, χ2 = 5.35, p = 0.014). In the prolonged preprocessing experiment, 102 cases (85%) yielded consistent results in Xpert tests. Furthermore, 7 cases (5.83%) detected an increase in MTB load, 8 cases (6.67%) detected a decrease in MTB load, and 3 cases (2.5%) yielded incongruent results in MTB and rifampicin resistance detection. CONCLUSIONS: The primary cause of unsuccessful tests in the Xpert assay was reported as "Error". Despite varying failure rates depending on the samples, the Xpert assay can be applied to extrapulmonary samples. For paucibacillary specimens, retesting the remaining preprocessed mixture should be carefully considered.

Metagenomics reveals the potential transmission risk of resistomes from urban park environment to human.

Urban parks play a significant role in urban ecosystems and are strongly associated with human health. Nevertheless, the biological contamination of urban parks - opportunistic pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) - has been poorly reported. Here, metagenomic and 16 S rRNA sequencing methods were used to study the distribution and assembly of opportunistic pathogens and ARGs in soil and water from nine parks in Lanzhou city, and further compared them with local human gut microbiomes to investigate the potential transmission risk. Our results revealed that the most important type of drug resistance in urban parks was multidrug resistance, with various resistance mechanisms. Approximately half of ARGs were shared between human gut and park environment, and it was noteworthy that cross-species transmission might exist among some high-risk ARGs, such as mepA and mdtE, with a significant enrichment in human gut. Metagenomic binning uncovered several bacterial genomes carrying adjacent ARGs, MGEs, and virulence genes, indicating a possibility that these genes may jointly transfer among different environments, particularly from park environment to human. Our results provided a reference point for the management of environmental pollutants in urban parks.

Morphological, Physiological, and Photosynthetic Differences of Tartary Buckwheat Induced by Post-Anthesis Drought.

Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum (L.) Gaertn) is a crop of significant interest due to its nutritional value and resilience to drought conditions. However, drought, particularly following flowering, is a major factor contributing to yield reduction. This research employed two distinct Tartary buckwheat genotypes to investigate the effects of post-anthesis drought on growth and physicochemical characteristics. The study aimed to elucidate the response of Tartary buckwheat to drought stress. The findings indicated that post-anthesis drought adversely impacted the growth, morphology, and biomass accumulation of Tartary buckwheat. Drought stress enhanced the maximum photosynthetic capacity (Fv/Fm) and light protection ability (NPQ) of the 'Xiqiao-2' genotype. In response to drought stress, 'Dingku-1' and 'Xiqiao-2' maintained osmotic balance by accumulating soluble sugars and proline, respectively. Notably, 'Xiqiao-2' exhibited elevated levels of flavonoids and polyphenols in its leaves, which helped mitigate oxidative damage caused by drought. Furthermore, rewatering after a brief drought period significantly improved plant height, stem diameter, and biomass accumulation in 'Dingku-1'. Overall, 'Xiqiao-2' demonstrated greater long-term tolerance to post-anthesis drought, while 'Dingku-1' was less adversely affected by short-term post-anthesis drought.

Charge Transfer and Intersystem Crossing in Compact Naphthalenediimide-Phenothiazine Triads: Synthesis and Study of the Photophysical Property with Transient Optical and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Methods.

In order to obtain a long-lived charge separation (CS) state in compact electron donor-acceptor molecular systems, we prepared a series of naphthalenediimide (NDI)-phenothiazine (PTZ) triads, with phenylene as the linker between the donor and acceptor. Conformation restriction is imposed to control the mutual orientation of the NDI and PTZ units by attaching methyl groups on the phenylene linker to tune the electronic coupling between the donor and the acceptor. Moreover, the PTZ moiety was oxidized to sulfoxide to tune the ordering of the CS state and the 3LE state (LE: locally excited state). UV-vis absorption spectra indicate electronic coupling between NDI with the phenylene linker as well as the PTZ units, manifested by the appearance of a charge-transfer (CT) absorption band, whereas this coupling is devoid in the triads with conformation restriction imposed. Fluorescence is strongly quenched in the triads compared to the reference compound, indicating electron transfer upon photoexcitation. Femtosecond transient absorption spectra indicate that the CS takes 0.8 ps, and then the 3LE state is formed by charge recombination in 83 ps. Nanosecond transient absorption (ns-TA) spectra show that the 3NDI state was observed in nonpolar solvents such as cyclohexane (triplet state lifetime: 95.7 µs), whereas the CS state was observed in more polar solvents. The CS state lifetimes are up to 1.2 µs (in toluene). Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of the triads in toluene consist of two types of signals: CS states (narrower signals, ∼10 mT) and 3LE states (broader signals, ∼50 to 200 mT). In the spectra of the triads containing PTZ, the CS state signals dominate, whereas for the triads containing oxidized PTZ, the 3NDI signals (zero-field splitting D ≈ 2000 MHz) prevail, both observations being in agreement with the ns-TA spectral studies. The electron spin polarization phase pattern of the 3NDI states of the triads indicates that the intersystem crossing (ISC) mechanism is spin-orbit charge-transfer ISC. Considering the 3CS state as ion pairs, the electron-exchange energy (J) is determined to be -39 to -59 MHz, and the electron spin dipolar interaction is 83-92 MHz.

Helicobacter pylori-Induced Angiopoietin-Like 4 Promotes Gastric Bacterial Colonization and Gastritis.

Helicobacter pylori infection is characterized as progressive processes of bacterial persistence and chronic gastritis with features of infiltration of mononuclear cells more than granulocytes in gastric mucosa. Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) is considered a double-edged sword in inflammation-associated diseases, but its function and clinical relevance in H. pylori-associated pathology are unknown. Here, we demonstrate both pro-colonization and pro-inflammation roles of ANGPTL4 in H. pylori infection. Increased ANGPTL4 in the infected gastric mucosa was produced from gastric epithelial cells (GECs) synergistically induced by H. pylori and IL-17A in a cagA-dependent manner. Human gastric ANGPTL4 correlated with H. pylori colonization and the severity of gastritis, and mouse ANGPTL4 from non-bone marrow-derived cells promoted bacteria colonization and inflammation. Importantly, H. pylori colonization and inflammation were attenuated in Il17a -/-, Angptl4 -/-, and Il17a -/- Angptl4 -/- mice. Mechanistically, ANGPTL4 bound to integrin αV (ITGAV) on GECs to suppress CXCL1 production by inhibiting ERK, leading to decreased gastric influx of neutrophils, thereby promoting H. pylori colonization; ANGPTL4 also bound to ITGAV on monocytes to promote CCL5 production by activating PI3K-AKT-NF-κB, resulting in increased gastric influx of regulatory CD4+ T cells (Tregs) via CCL5-CCR4-dependent migration. In turn, ANGPTL4 induced Treg proliferation by binding to ITGAV to activate PI3K-AKT-NF-κB, promoting H. pylori-associated gastritis. Overall, we propose a model in which ANGPTL4 collectively ensures H. pylori persistence and promotes gastritis. Efforts to inhibit ANGPTL4-associated pathway may prove valuable strategies in treating H. pylori infection.

Network pharmacology combined with experimental validation reveals the mechanism of action of Cangerzisan on allergic rhinitis.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Allergic rhinitis (AR) stands as a non-infectious inflammatory condition affecting the nasal mucosa, marked by bouts of sneezing, nasal itching, and congestion. This ailment afflicts individuals across all age groups and poses challenges for effective treatment due to its chronic nature. Cangerzisan (CEZS), documented in the Jishengfang compendium, represents a traditional Chinese medicinal formula long utilized for AR management. AIM OF THE STUDY: Investigating mechanism beneath therapeutic effect of CEZS in alleviating AR. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The main active components in CEZS were determined by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).The active constituents of CEZS and their corresponding targets were identified through an exhaustive screening process employing TCMSP database. To identify targets relevant to AR, GeneCards, OMIM, and DisGeNET databases were thoroughly applied. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was assembled utilizing STRING platform. Potential signaling pathways influenced by CEZS were delineated through GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. Subsequently, an AR model was induced by administering aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3) and ovalbumin (OVA) for affecting basal and local sensitization, respectively, facilitating experimental validation of the principal signaling pathways. RESULTS: There were 61 active constituents identified within CEZS, targeting a pool of 129 entities associated with AR treatment. Pathways analysis of KEGG revealed that CEZS potentially inhibits AR advancement via modulating TLR4 signaling pathway. Animal experiments demonstrated that CEZS effectively alleviated symptom scores in guinea pigs with AR. Moreover, it exhibited notable improvements in serum immune and inflammatory factors levels, as well as reduced inflammatory infiltration within nasal mucosa, including goblet and mast cells. CEZS was found to enhance GATA-3 expression while reducing T-bet expression, thereby modulating the TH1/TH2 immune balance. Additionally, CEZS downregulated HMGB1, TLR4, and p-NF-κB/NF-κB protein expressions within nasal mucosa of guinea pigs. CONCLUSIONS: The therapeutic mechanism of CEZS against AR involves rectifying TH1/TH2 immune imbalance and upregulating inflammatory and immune factors through modulating key proteins expression within TLR4 pathway. This targeted regulation effectively impedes AR progression.

Network pharmacology combined with experimental validation reveals the mechanism of action of erpixing granules on functional dyspepsia.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a prevalent gastrointestinal disorder characterised by high incidence and recurrence rates, posing significant health risks. Erpixing Granules (EPX), approved by the National Food and Drug Administration in 2002, are known for their spleen and stomach invigorating properties, effectively treating FD. However, its mechanism of action remains unclear. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aims to elucidate EPX's mechanism of treating FD through network pharmacology, and experimental validation using FD animal models. METHODS: In this study, the chemical composition of EPX in positive and negative ion modes was analyzed by UHPLC-Q-TOF MS. The mass spectral data were processed and analyzed using MS-DIAL software to automatically match compound fragment information and identify the known components with the compound database to obtain the active components of EPX. SwissTargetPrediction was used to obtain EPX targets, while FD-related targets were sourced from GeneCards, OMIM and DisGeNET databases. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using the STRING platform, and potential signalling pathways of EPX were determined through Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. Finally, an FD model was established in rates by administering a 0.1% iodoacetamide sucrose solution, followed by tail clamp stimulation to experimentally validate the network pharmacology findings. RESULTS: Our results revealed 139 effective ingredients in EPX, targeting 60 core FD-related genes. PPI network analysis identified EGFR, CTNNB1 and NFκB1 as core target genes. The KEGG pathway analysis indicated that EPX can modulate FD progression through the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway. Animal experiments demonstrated EPX's capacity to increase body mass, food intake and food utilisation efficiency in FD rats, alongside increased gastric juice secretion, pepsin activity, trypsin activity, cholesterol, bile acid and bilirubin activity. HE examination revealed that EPX improved the inflammatory infiltration of gastric mucosal cells in rats. Furthermore, EPX also promoted gastric emptying and intestinal propulsion in mice. These results suggest that EPX improves spleen and stomach function, enhances the protective effect on the spleen and stomach and promotes food digestion and absorption. Immunofluorescence studies revealed upregulated expression of PI3K, AKT and ANO1 proteins in gastric tissue following EPX administration, while Western blotting indicated increased expression of SCF and C-kit proteins. CONCLUSION: Suggesting EPX's anti-FD effect may involve the regulation of the SCF/C-kit signalling pathway and activation of downstream PI3K/AKT signalling pathway, thereby promoting gastrointestinal motility and improving FD symptoms.

Quinoa greens as a novel plant food: a review of its nutritional composition, functional activities, and food applications.

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd) is widely regarded as a versatile pseudo-cereal native to the Andes Mountains in South America. It has gained global recognition as a superfood due to its rich nutritional profile. While quinoa grains are well-known, there is an undiscovered potential in quinoa greens, such as sprouts, leaves, and microgreens. These verdant parts of quinoa are rich in a diverse array of essential nutrients and bioactive compounds, including proteins, amino acids, bioactive proteins, peptides, polyphenols, and flavonoids. They have powerful antioxidant properties, combat cancer, and help prevent diabetes. Quinoa greens offer comparable or even superior benefits when compared to other sprouts and leafy greens, yet they have not gained widespread recognition. Limited research exists on the nutritional composition and biological activities of quinoa greens, underscoring the necessity for thorough systematic reviews in this field. This review paper aims to highlight the nutritional value, bioactivity, and health potential of quinoa greens, as well as explore their possibilities within the food sector. The goal is to generate interest within the research community and promote further exploration and wider utilization of quinoa greens in diets. This focus may lead to new opportunities for enhancing health and well-being through innovative dietary approaches.

Ameliorative action of "daitongxiao" against hyperuricemia includes the "uric acid transporter group".

This study aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms involved in the therapeutic effects of daitongxiao (DTX) on hyperuricemia (HUA). DTX was administered to two animal models of HUA via gavage feeding: HUA quail model (a uricotelic animal with urate oxidase deficiency), treated continuously for 35 days post-HUA induction, and HUA rats (an animal with active urate oxidase), treated continuously for 28 days post-HUA induction. HUA was induced in quail by administering a solution of sterile dry yeast powder via gavage feeding, while in rats, it was induced by intragastric gavage feeding of a solution of adenine and ethambutol hydrochloride. DTX improved overall health; increased bodyweight; reduced renal index, serum urate levels, serum xanthine oxidase activity, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine; and enhanced urinary and fecal uric acid (UA) excretion in these two animal models. The results of hematoxylin and eosin and hexamine silver staining of kidney sections revealed that DTX significantly mitigated HUA-induced renal structural damage and inflammatory response. The results of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence analyses revealed that DTX downregulated the renal expression levels of glucose transporter 9 (GLUT9) and upregulated the renal expression levels of organic anion transporters (OAT1 and OAT3) in both HUA models. Thus, the findings of this study suggest that DTX suppresses the progression of HUA by modulating the expression of the UA transporter group members.

POLR2J expression promotes glioblastoma malignancy by regulating oxidative stress and the STAT3 signaling pathway.

Glioblastoma is the most common cancer in the brain, resistant to conventional therapy and prone to recurrence. Therefore, it is crucial to explore novel therapeutics strategies for the treatment and prognosis of GBM. In this study, through analyzing online datasets, we elucidated the expression and prognostic value of POLR2J and its co-expressed genes in GBM patients. Functional experiments, including assays for cell apoptosis and cell migration, were used to explore the effects of POLR2J and vorinostat on the proliferation and migration of GBM cells. The highest overexpression of POLR2J, among all cancer types, was observed in GBM. Furthermore, high expression of POLR2J or its co-expressed genes predicted a poor outcome in GBM patients. DNA replication pathways were significantly enriched in the GBM clinical samples with high POLR2J expression, and POLR2J suppression inhibited proliferation and triggered cell cycle G1/S phase arrest in GBM cells. Moreover, POLR2J silencing activated the unfolded protein response (UPR) and significantly enhanced the anti-GBM activity of vorinostat by suppressing cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis. Additionally, POLR2J could interact with STAT3 to promote the metastatic potential of GBM cells. Our study identifies POLR2J as a novel oncogene in GBM progression and provides a promising strategy for the chemotherapeutic treatment of GBM.

Synthesis of High-Quality Bulk Single-Crystal Black Phosphorus by the Circulating Vapor Growth Approach.

Black phosphorus (BP), a promising two-dimensional (2D) layered semiconductor material, has gained enormous attention due to its impressive properties over the past several years. Although plenty of methods have been developed to synthesize high-quality BP, most of the currently available BP materials still suffer from unsatisfactory crystallization, purity, and stability in air, hindering their practical application. A facile approach to synthesizing ultrahigh-quality single-crystal BP is of significance to shed light on the nature of 2D semiconductor materials and their massive application. In this work, we present the facile and efficient circulating vapor growth approach to growing bulk single-crystal BP. The as-grown BP material features high crystallinity and ultrahigh purity (higher than 99.999 at %), exceeding those of all the previously reported and some commercially available BP crystals. It also maintains excellent stability in air and water after 15 consecutive days of test. Moreover, the as-synthesized BP material features good thermal stability, oxidation resistance, and excellent electrical properties, as well. This study provides a new approach for the fabrication of ultrahigh-quality BP material and thus promotes its application.

Reducing Water Absorption and Improving Flexural Strength of Aluminosilicate Ceramics by MnO2 Doping.

As key performance indicators, the water absorption and mechanical strength of ceramics are highly associated with sintering temperature. Lower sintering temperatures, although favorable for energy saving in ceramics production, normally render the densification degree and water absorption of as-prepared ceramics to largely decline and increase, respectively. In the present work, 0.5 wt.% MnO2, serving as an additive, was mixed with aluminosilicate ceramics using mechanical stirring at room temperature, achieving a flexural strength of 58.36 MPa and water absorption of 0.05% and lowering the sintering temperature by 50 °C concurrently. On the basis of the results of TG-DSC, XRD, MIP, and XPS, etc., we speculate that the MnO2 additive promoted the elimination of water vapor in the ceramic bodies, effectively suppressing the generation of pores in the sintering process and facilitating the densification of ceramics at a lower temperature. This is probably because the MnO2 transformed into a liquid phase in the sintering process flows into the gap between grains, which removed the gas inside pores and filled the pores, suppressing the generation of pores and the abnormal growth of grains. This study demonstrated a facile and economical method to reduce the porosity and enhance the densification degree in the practical production of aluminosilicate ceramics.

Hot Carrier Trapping and It's Influence to the Carrier Diffusion in CsPbBr3 Perovskite Film Revealed by Transient Absorption Microscopy.

The defects in perovskite film can cause charge carrier trapping which shortens carrier lifetime and diffusion length. So defects passivation has become promising for the perovskite studies. However, how defects disturb the carrier transport and how the passivating affects the carrier transport in CsPbBr3 are still unclear. Here the carrier dynamics and diffusion processes of CsPbBr3 and LiBr passivated CsPbBr3 films are investigated by using transient absorption spectroscopy and transient absorption microscopy. It's found that there is a fast hot carrier trapping process with the above bandgap excitation, and the hot carrier trapping would decrease the population of cold carriers which are diffusible, then lower the carrier diffusion constant. It's proved that LiBr can passivate the defect and lower the trapping probability of hot carriers, thus improve the carrier diffusion rate. The finding demonstrates the influence of hot carrier trapping to the carrier diffusion in CsPbBr3 film.

Survival Outcome Analysis of Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy (SBRT-IO) versus SBRT-Alone in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Introduction: While combination of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and immunotherapy are promising, their efficacy and safety have not been compared with SBRT-alone in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: This retrospective study included 100 patients with nonmetastatic, unresectable HCC in two hospitals. Eligible patients had tumor nodules ≤3 and Child-Pugh liver function score of A5 to B7. Seventy patients received SBRT-alone, and 30 patients underwent combined SBRT and immunotherapy (SBRT-IO). Overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP), overall response rate (ORR), and toxicity were analyzed. We adjusted for the potential confounding factors using propensity score matching. Results: The median tumor size was 7.3 cm (range, 2.6-18 cm). Twenty-five (25%) of patients had vascular invasion. Before propensity score matching, the 1-year and 3-year OS rate was 89.9% and 59.8% in the SBRT-IO group and 75.7% and 42.3% in SBRT-alone group (p = 0.039). After propensity score matching (1:2), 25 and 50 patients were selected from the SBRT-IO and SBRT-alone group. The 1-year and 3-year OS was 92.0% and 63.9% in the SBRT-IO group versus 74.0% and 43.3% in the SBRT-alone group (p = 0.034). The 1-year and 3-year TTP was better in SBRT-IO group (1-year: 68.9% vs. 58.9% and 3-year: 61.3% vs. 32.5%, p = 0.057). The ORR of 88% (complete response [CR]: 56%, partial response [PR]: 22%) in SBRT-IO arm was significantly better than 50% (CR: 20%, PR: 30%) in the SBRT-alone arm (p = 0.006). Three patients (12%) developed ≥grade 3 immune-related treatment adverse events (n = 2 hepatitis, n = 1 dermatitis) leading to permanent treatment discontinuation. Conclusion: Adding immunotherapy to SBRT resulted in better survival with manageable toxicities. Prospective randomized trial is warranted.

A Detection Transformer-Based Intelligent Identification Method for Multiple Types of Road Traffic Safety Facilities.

Road traffic safety facilities (TSFs) are of significant importance in the management and maintenance of traffic safety. The complexity and variety of TSFs make it challenging to detect them manually, which renders the work unsustainable. To achieve the objective of automatic TSF detection, a target detection dataset, designated TSF-CQU (TSF data collected by Chongqing University), was constructed based on images collected by a car recorder. This dataset comprises six types of TSFs and 8410 instance samples. A detection transformer with an improved denoising anchor box (DINO) was selected to construct a model that would be suitable for this scenario. For comparison purposes, Faster R-CNN (Region Convolutional Neural Network) and Yolov7 (You Only Look Once version 7) were employed. The DINO model demonstrated the highest performance on the TSF-CQU dataset, with a mean average precision (mAP) of 82.2%. All of the average precision (AP) values exceeded 0.8, except for streetlights (AP = 0.77) and rods (AP = 0.648). The DINO model exhibits minimal instances of erroneous recognition, which substantiates the efficacy of the contrastive denoising training approach. The DINO model rarely makes misjudgments, but a few missed detection.

Mechanism of flavonoids in the treatment of gouty arthritis (Review).

The present review expounds the advancements in the application and mechanisms of flavonoids in gouty arthritis, highlighting their significance in managing the disease. Gouty arthritis is among the most common and severe inflammatory diseases, caused by hyperuricemia and the deposition of sodium urate crystals in the joints and surrounding tissues, posing a serious threat to human life and health. Flavonoids, extracted from various herbs, have attracted significant attention due to their efficacy in improving gouty arthritis. The present study systematically reviews the in vivo studies and in vitro animal studies on flavonoids from herbal medicines for the treatment of gouty arthritis that have been previously published in the PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases between 2000 and 2023. The review of the literature indicated that flavonoids can improve gouty arthritis through multiple mechanisms. These include lowering xanthine oxidase activity, inhibiting uric acid (UA) synthesis, regulating UA transporters to promote UA excretion, reducing the inflammatory response and improving oxidative stress. These mechanisms predominantly involve regulating the NOD­like receptor 3 inflammasome, the Toll­like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation factor 88/nuclear factor­κB signaling pathway, and the levels of UA transporter proteins, namely recombinant urate transporter 1, glucose transporter 9, organic anion transporter (OAT)1 and OAT3. Various flavonoids used in traditional Chinese medicine hold therapeutic promise for gouty arthritis and are anticipated to pave the way for novel pharmaceuticals and clinical applications.

Reversible Switching Between Microwave Absorption and EMI Shielding of VO2 Composite Foam.

Developing lightweight composite with reversible switching between microwave (MW) absorption and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding is promising yet remains highly challenging due to the completely inconsistent attenuation mechanism for electromagnetic (EM) radiation. Here, a lightweight vanadium dioxide/expanded polymer microsphere composites foam (VO2/EPM) is designed and fabricated with porous structures and 3D VO2 interconnection, which possesses reversible switching function between MW absorption and EMI shielding under thermal stimulation. The VO2/EPM exhibits MW absorption with a broad effective absorption bandwidth of 3.25 GHz at room temperature (25 °C), while provides EMI shielding of 23.1 dB at moderately high temperature (100 °C). This reversible switching performance relies on the porous structure and tunability of electrical conductivity, complex permittivity, and impedance matching, which are substantially induced by the convertible crystal structure and electronic structure of VO2. Finite element simulation is employed to qualitatively investigate the change in interaction between EM waves and VO2/EPM before and after the phase transition. Moreover, the application of VO2/EPM is demonstrated with a reversible switching function in controlling wireless transmission on/off, showcasing its excellent cycling stability. This kind of smart material with a reversible switching function shows great potential in next-generation electronic devices.

[Simultaneous determination of 31 banned veterinary drugs during egg-laying period in poultry eggs by ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry].

The consumption of poultry eggs has increased in recent years owing to the abundance of production and improvements in living standards. Thus, the safety requirements of poultry eggs have gradually increased. At present, few reports on analytical methods to determine banned veterinary drugs during egg-laying period in poultry eggs have been published. Therefore, establishing high-throughput and efficient screening methods to monitor banned veterinary drugs during egg-laying period is imperative. In this study, an analytical method based on ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) combined with QuEChERS-based techniques was developed for the simultaneous determination of 31 banned veterinary drugs encompassing nine drug classes (macrolides, antipyretic and analgesic drugs, sulfonamides, antibacterial synergists, anticoccidials, antinematodes, quinolones, tetracyclines, amphenicols) in different types of poultry eggs. The main factors affecting the response, recovery, and sensitivity of the method, such as the extraction solvent, purification adsorbent, LC separation conditions, and MS/MS parameters, were optimized during sample pretreatment and instrumental analysis. The 31 veterinary drug residues in 2.00 g eggs were extracted with 2 mL of 0.1 mol/L ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid disodium solution and 8 mL 3% acetic acid acetonitrile solution, and salted out with 2 g of sodium chloride. After centrifugation, 5 mL of the supernatant was cleaned-up using the QuEChERS method with 100 mg of octadecylsilane-bonded silica gel (C18), 50 mg of N-propylethylenediamine (PSA), and 50 mg of NH2-based sorbents. After nitrogen blowing and redissolution, the 31 target analytes were separated on a Waters CORTECS UPLC C18 analytical chromatographic column (150 mm×2.1 mm, 1.8 µm) at a flow rate, column temperature, and injection volume of 0.4 mL/min, 30 ℃, and 5 µL, respectively. Among these analytes, 26 analytes were acquired in dynamic multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode under positive electrospray ionization (ESI+) conditions using (A) 5 mmol/L ammonium acetate (pH 4.5) and (B) acetonitrile as mobile phases. The gradient elution program was as follows: 0-2.0 min, 12%B-30%B; 2.0-7.5 min, 30%B-50%B; 7.5-10.0 min, 50%B; 10.0-10.1 min, 50%B-100%B; 10.1-12.0 min, 100%B; 12.0-12.1 min, 100%B-12%B; The five other target analytes were acquired in MRM mode under negative electrospray ionization (ESI-) conditions using (A) H2O and (B) acetonitrile as mobile phases. The gradient elution program was as follows: 0-2.0 min, 12%B-40%B; 2.0-6.0 min, 40%B-80%B; 6.0-6.1 min, 80%B-100%B; 6.1-8.0 min, 100%B; 8.0-8.1 min, 100%B-12%B. Matrix-matched external standard calibration was used for quantification. The results showed that all the compounds had good linear relationships within their respective ranges, with correlation coefficients of >0.99. The limits of detection (LODs) and quantitation (LOQs) were 0.3-3.0 µg/kg and 1.0-10.0 µg/kg, respectively. The average recoveries of the 31 banned veterinary drugs spiked at three levels (LOQ, maximum residue limit (MRL), and 2MRL) in poultry eggs ranged from 61.2% to 105.7%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) ranged from 1.8% to 17.6%. The developed method was used to detect and analyze banned veterinary drugs in 30 commercial poultry egg samples, including 20 eggs, 5 duck eggs, and 5 goose eggs. Enrofloxacin was detected in one egg with a content of 12.3 µg/kg. The proposed method is simple, economical, practical, and capable of the simultaneous determination of multiple classes of banned veterinary drugs in poultry eggs.

Ultrafast photophysics of an orange-red thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitter: the role of external structural restraint.

The application of thermally activated delay fluorescence (TADF) emitters in the orange-red regime usually suffers from the fast non-radiative decay of emissive singlet states (kSNR), leading to low emitting efficiency in corresponding organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices. Although kSNR has been quantitatively described by energy gap law, how ultrafast molecular motions are associated with the kSNR of TADF emitters remains largely unknown, which limits the development of new strategies for improving the emitting efficiency of corresponding OLED devices. In this work, we employed two commercial TADF emitters (TDBA-Ac and PzTDBA) as a model system and attempted to clarify the relationship between ultrafast excited-state structural relaxation (ES-SR) and kSNR. Spectroscopic and theoretical investigations indicated that S1/S0 ES-SR is directly associated with promoting vibrational modes, which are considerably involved in electronic-vibrational coupling through the Huang-Rhys factor, while kSNR is largely affected by the reorganization energy of the promoting modes. By restraining S1/S0 ES-SR in doping films, the kSNR of TADF emitters can be greatly reduced, resulting in high emitting efficiency. Therefore, by establishing the connection among S1/S0 ES-SR, promoting modes and kSNR of TADF emitters, our work clarified the key role of external structural restraint for achieving high emitting efficiency in TADF-based OLED devices.