U-shaped relationship found between fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio and systemic inflammation response index in osteoporotic fracture patients.

The relationship between the Systemic Inflammatory Response Index (SIRI) and the Fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) has not been extensively investigated. The objective of this study was to determine the independent relationship between FAR and SIRI in people with osteoporotic fractures (OPF). A cross-sectional study was conducted using retrospective data from 3431 hospitalized OPF patients. The exposure variable in this study was the baseline FAR, while the outcome variable was the SIRI. Covariates, including age, gender, BMI, and other clinical and laboratory factors, were adjusted. Cross-correlation analysis and linear regression models were applied. The generalized additive model (GAM) investigated non-linear relationships. Adjusted analysis revealed an independent negative association between FAR and SIRI in OPF patients (ß = - 0.114, p = 0.00064, 95% CI - 0.180, - 0.049). A substantial U-shaped association between FAR and SIRI was shown using GAM analysis (p < 0.001). FAR and SIRI indicated a negative association for FAR below 6.344% and a positive correlation for FAR over 6.344%. The results of our study revealed a U-shaped relationship between SIRI and FAR. The lowest conceivable FAR for a bone-loose inflammatory disease might be 6.344%, suggesting that this has particular significance for the medical diagnosis and therapy of persons with OPF. Consequently, the term "inflammatory trough" is proposed. These results offer fresh perspectives on controlling inflammation in individuals with OPF and preventing inflammatory osteoporosis.

Dual-template synthesis of SFO-type aluminophosphate with enhanced water-sorption-driven cooling performance.

Water-based adsorption chillers (ADC) driven by low-grade thermal energy are environment-friendly alternatives to the traditional compression ones to realize the net zero carbon target. Aluminophosphates molecular sieve (AlPOs) is an excellent material for water-based adsorption applications. However, AlPOs suffers from relatively high cost attributed to the extensive use of expensive structure direct agents (SDAs). This study employed a dual-template method, using cheap organic amine as a dual-template, to synthesize low-cost and excellent adsorbent AlPOs with SFO topology (AlPO-SFO). AlPO-SFO synthesized with dual templates shows high crystallinity, large micropore volume, excellent water uptake, and low regeneration temperature. AlPO-SFO guided by 4-dimethylaminopyridine (4-DMAPy) and diethanolamine (DEOA) molar composition of 0.4 and 0.1 exhibits large microporous volume (0.30 ml g-1), high water uptake (0.26 g g-1 at P/P0 = 0.25) and low regeneration temperature (65 °C). Importantly, this AlPO-SFO exhibits a high coefficient of performance (COP) of 0.89 for cooling at a low driven temperature of 64 °C. The additive amine providing alkaline medium ensures the practical synthesis of AlPO-SFO when expensive 4-DMAPy decreases, endowing the 42 % reduction of the raw material cost. The results provide a cheaper synthesis route of AlPO-SFO, which is conducive to its large-scale production as a distinguished adsorbent for adsorption chillers.

Hemodynamic effects of withholding vs. continuing angiotensin II receptor blockers on the day of prone positioning spinal surgery in elderly patients.

Introduction: The hemodynamic effects of withholding vs. continuing angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) before surgery in elderly patients undergoing spinal surgery in a prone position during anesthesia induction to skin incision are still unknown. Methods: In this prospective study, 80 patients undergoing spinal surgery in a prone position with general anesthesia, aged 60-79 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) II or III, were enrolled. Patients who had ARBs only in their preoperative medication list were randomly divided into two groups at a 1:1 ratio: In Group A, ARBs were continued on the morning of surgery, while in Group B, they were withhold. Norepinephrine was infused to maintain the blood pressure at the baseline level of ±20% during anesthesia induction in all patients. The primary outcome was the consumption of norepinephrine in each group from anesthesia induction to skin incision. The secondary outcomes include changes in invasive arterial blood pressure and heart rate, the fluid infusion volumes, the amounts of anesthetic drugs, and the total time from induction to skin incision. Results: There were no significant differences in the demographics, the fluid infusion volumes, the amounts of anesthetic drugs, the total time from induction to skin incision, and hemodynamics at different time points (p > 0.05), while significant differences were found in norepinephrine consumption between the two groups (p < 0.001). Compared with Group B, the consumption of norepinephrine increased significantly in Group A (93.3 ± 29.8 vs. 124.1 ± 38.7 µg, p = 0.000). In addition, the same trend was illustrated in the pumping rate of norepinephrine between Group B (0.04 ± 0.01 µg·kg-1·min-1) and Group A (0.06 ± 0.02 µg·kg-1·min-1) (p = 0.004). Conclusion: Our study conducted in elderly patients with hypotension undergoing prone spinal surgery demonstrated a greater pumping rate of norepinephrine during anesthesia induction in patients with ARBs continuing before surgery than those withholding, indicating that it was more difficult to maintain hemodynamic stability.Clinical Trial Registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=141081, ChiCTR2100053583.

Biochar-derived dissolved organic matter enhanced the release of residual ciprofloxacin from the soil solid phase.

Biochar has been utilized to reduce ciprofloxacin (CIP) residues in soil. However, little is known about the effect of biochar-derived dissolved organic matter (DOM) on residual CIP transformation. Thus, we analyzed the residual soil CIP as influenced by biochar generated from rice straw (RS3 and RS6), pig manure (PM3 and PM6), and cockroach shell (CS3 and CS6) at 300 °C and 600 °C. The three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (3D-EEM), parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) and two-dimensional correlation spectral analysis (2D-COS) were used to describe the potential variation in the DOM-CIP interaction. Compared with CK, biochar amendment increased the water-soluble CIP content by 160.7% (RS3), 55.2% (RS6), 534.1% (PM3), 277.5% (PM6), 1160.6% (CS3) and 703.9% (CS6), indicating that the biochar feedstock controlled the soil CIP release. The content of water-soluble CIP was positively correlated with the content of dissolved organic carbon (r = 0.922, p < 0.01) and dissolved organic nitrogen (r = 0.898, p < 0.01), suggesting that the major influence of the water-soluble CIP increase was DOM. The fluorescence quenching experiment showed that the interaction between DOM and CIP triggered static quenching and the creation of a DOM complex. The mean log K of protein-like material (4.977) was higher than that of terrestrial humus-like material (3.491), suggesting that the protein-like material complexed CIP was more stable than the humus-like material. Compared with pyrolysis at 300 °C, pyrolysis at 600 °C decreased the stability of the complex of protein-like material and CIP by 0.44 (RS), 1.689 (PM) and 0.548 (CS). This result suggested that the influence of temperature change was more profound on PM biochar-derived DOM than on RS and CS. These insights are essential for understanding CIP transportation in soil and controlling CIP contamination with biochar.

Single-Cell Transcriptome Landscape and Cell Fate Decoding in Human Brain Organoids after Transplantation.

Human stem cells and derivatives transplantation are widely used to treat nervous system diseases, while the fate determination of transplanted cells is not well elucidated. To explore cell fate changes of human brain organoids before and after transplantation, human brain organoids are transplanted into prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HIP), respectively. Single-cell sequencing is then performed. According to time-series sample comparison, transplanted cells mainly undergo neural development at 2 months post-transplantation (MPT) and then glial development at 4MPT, respectively. A different brain region sample comparison shows that organoids grafted to PFC have obtained cell fate close to those of host cells in PFC, other than HIP, which may be regulated by the abundant expression of dopamine (DA) and acetylcholine (Ach) in PFC. Meanwhile, morphological complexity of human astrocyte grafts is greater in PFC than in HIP. DA and Ach both activate the calcium activity and increase morphological complexity of astrocytes in vitro. This study demonstrates that human brain organoids receive host niche factor regulation after transplantation, resulting in the alignment of grafted cell fate with implanted brain regions, which may contribute to a better understanding of cell transplantation and regenerative medicine.

Association of Circulating Long-Chain Free Fatty Acids and Incident Diabetes Risk Among Normoglycemic Chinese Adults: A Prospective Nested Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Long-chain free fatty acids (FFAs) are associated with risk of incident diabetes. However, comprehensive assessment of the associations in normoglycemic populations is lacking. OBJECTIVE: Our study aims to comprehensively investigate the prospective associations and patterns of FFA profiles with diabetes risk among normoglycemic Chinese adults. METHODS: This is a prospective nested case-control study from the China Cardiometabolic Disease and Cancer Cohort (4C) study. We quantitatively measured 53 serum FFAs using targeted metabolomics approach in 1707 incident diabetes subjects and 1707 propensity score-matched normoglycemic controls. Conditional logistic regression models were employed to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for associations. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) penalty regression and quantile g-computation (qg-comp) analyses were implemented to estimate the association between multi-FFA exposures and incident diabetes. RESULTS: The majority of odd-chain FFAs exhibited an inverse association with incident diabetes, wherein the ORs per SD increment of all 7 saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) 15:1 and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) 25:2 were ranging from 0.79 to 0.88 (95%CIs ranging between 0.71 and 0.97). Even-chain FFAs comprised 99.3% of total FFAs and displayed heterogeneity with incident diabetes. SFAs with 18 to 26 carbon atoms are inversely linked to incident diabetes, with ORs ranging from 0.81 to 0.86 (95%CIs ranging between 0.73 and 0.94). MUFAs 26:1 (OR[95%CI]: 0.85[0.76-0.94]), PUFAs 20:4 (0.84[0.75-0.94]) and 24:2 (0.87[0.78-0.97]) demonstrated significant associations. In multi-FFA exposure model, 24 FFAs were significantly associated with incident diabetes, most of which were consistent with univariate results. The mixture OR was 0.78 [0.61-0.99] (P= 0.04159). Differential correlation network analysis revealed pre-existing perturbations in intraclass and interclass FFA coregulation before diabetes onset. CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the variations in diabetes risk associated with FFAs across chain length and unsaturation degree, highlighting the importance of recognizing FFA subtypes in the pathogenesis of diabetes.

A rare complex structural variant of novel intragenic inversion combined with reciprocal translocation t(X;1)(p21.2;p13.3) in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Structural variants (SVs) are infrequently observed in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a condition mainly marked by deletions and point mutations in the DMD gene. SVs in DMD remain difficult to reliably detect due to the limited SV-detection capacity of conventionally used short-read sequencing technology. Herein, we present a family, a boy and his mother, with clinical signs of muscular dystrophy, elevated creatinine kinase levels, and intellectual disability. A muscle biopsy from the boy showed dystrophin deficiency. Routine molecular techniques failed to detect abnormalities in the DMD gene, however, dystrophin mRNA transcripts analysis revealed an absence of exons 59 to 79. Subsequent long-read whole-genome sequencing identified a rare complex structural variant, a 77 kb novel intragenic inversion, and a balanced translocation t(X;1)(p21.2;p13.3) rearrangement within the DMD gene, expanding the genetic spectrum of dystrophinopathy. Our findings suggested that SVs should be considered in cases where conventional molecular techniques fail to identify pathogenic variants.

CryoMAE: Few-Shot Cryo-EM Particle Picking with Masked Autoencoders.

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) emerges as a pivotal technology for determining the architecture of cells, viruses, and protein assemblies at near-atomic resolution. Traditional particle picking, a key step in cryo-EM, struggles with manual effort and automated methods' sensitivity to low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and varied particle orientations. Furthermore, existing neural network (NN)-based approaches often require extensive labeled datasets, limiting their practicality. To overcome these obstacles, we introduce cryoMAE, a novel approach based on few-shot learning that harnesses the capabilities of Masked Autoencoders (MAE) to enable efficient selection of single particles in cryo-EM images. Contrary to conventional NN-based techniques, cryoMAE requires only a minimal set of positive particle images for training yet demonstrates high performance in particle detection. Furthermore, the implementation of a self-cross similarity loss ensures distinct features for particle and background regions, thereby enhancing the discrimination capability of cryoMAE. Experiments on large-scale cryo-EM datasets show that cryoMAE outperforms existing state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods, improving 3D reconstruction resolution by up to 22.4%.

Application of environmental DNA metabarcoding to identify fish community characteristics in subtropical river systems.

Fish are vital in river ecosystems; however, traditional investigations of fish usually cause ecological damage. Extracting DNA from aquatic environments and identifying DNA sequences offer an alternative, noninvasive approach for detecting fish species. In this study, the effects of environmental DNA (eDNA), coupled with PCR and next-generation sequencing, and electrofishing for identifying fish community composition and diversity were compared. In three subtropical rivers of southern China, fish specimens and eDNA in water were collected along the longitudinal (upstream-downstream) gradient of the rivers. Both fish population parameters, including species abundance and biomass, and eDNA OTU richness grouped 38 sampling sites into eight spatial zones with significant differences in local fish community composition. Compared with order-/family-level grouping, genus-/species-level grouping could more accurately reveal the differences between upstream zones I-III, midstream zones IV-V, and downstream zones VI-VIII. From the headwaters to the estuary, two environmental gradients significantly influenced the longitudinal distribution of the fish species, including the first gradient composed of habitat and physical water parameters and the second gradient composed of chemical water parameters. The high regression coefficient of alpha diversity between eDNA and electrofishing methods as well as the accurate identification of dominant, alien, and biomarker species in each spatial zone indicated that eDNA could characterize fish community attributes at a level similar to that of traditional approaches. Overall, our results demonstrated that eDNA metabarcoding can be used as an effective tool for revealing fish composition and diversity, which is important for using the eDNA technique in aquatic field monitoring.

Quercetin, a natural flavonoid, protects against hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury via inhibiting Caspase-8/ASC dependent macrophage pyroptosis.

INTRODUCTION: Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is an inevitable adverse event following liver surgery, leading to liver damage and potential organ failure. Despite advancements, effective interventions for hepatic IRI remain elusive, posing a significant clinical challenge. The innate immune response significantly contributes to the pathogenesis of hepatic IRI by promoting an inflammatory cytotoxic cycle. We have reported that blocking GSDMD-induced pyroptosis in innate immunity cells protected hepatic IRI from inflammatory injury. However, the search for effective pyroptosis inhibitors continues. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate whether quercetin, a natural flavonoid, can inhibit GSDMD-induced pyroptosis and mitigate hepatic IRI. METHODS: We established the hepatic IRI murine model and cellular pyroptosis model to evaluate the efficacy of quercetin. RESULTS: Quercetin effectively alleviated hepatic IRI-induced tissue necrosis and inflammation. We found that during hepatic IRI, the cleavage of GSDMD occurred in hepatic macrophages, but not in other non-parenchymal cells. Quercetin inhibited the cleavage of GSDMD in macrophages. Moreover, we found that quercetin blocked the ASC assembly to inhibit the formation of NLRP3 inflammasomes and AIM2 inflammasomes, suppressing macrophage pyroptosis. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments confirmed that quercetin inhibited the interaction between ASC and Caspase-8, which is the mechanism of ASC complex and inflammasome formation. Overexpression of Caspase-8 abolished the anti-pyroptosis effect of quercetin in NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasome signaling. Furthermore, we found that the hepatoprotective activity of quercetin was reduced in myelocytic GSDMD-deficient mice. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that quercetin has beneficial effects on hepatic IRI. Quercetin could attenuate hepatic IRI and target inhibition of macrophage pyroptosis via blocking Caspase-8/ASC interaction. We recommend that quercetin might serve as a targeted approach for the prevention and personalized treatment of hepatic IRI in perioperative patients.

Comparison of different nutritional screening tools in nutritional screening of patients with cirrhosis: A cross-sectional observational study.

Aims: The Royal Free Hospital Nutritional Prioritizing Tool (RFH-NPT), the Liver Disease Undernutrition Screening Tool (LDUST) and Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS2002) were used by nurses to screen, compare, and analyze the nutritional status of patients with liver cirrhosis. The application value of different screening tools was summarized in the nutritional screening of patients with liver cirrhosis. Methods: In this study, LDUST, RFH-NPT, and NRS2002 were used by nurses to screen the nutritional status of hospitalized patients with liver cirrhosis within 24-48 h after admission. The study calculated validity indicators such as sensitivity, specificity, the area under the receiver operating curve (AUC), and reliability indicators such as the Kappa coefficient. The efficacy of these screening tools in the nutritional screening of patients with liver cirrhosis was compared. Results: Among the 207 patients, LDUST and NRS2002 identified 72.9 % and 23.7 % as undernourished, respectively. The sensitivity of LDUST and NRS2002 were 92.1 % and 30.0 %, respectively. The Kappa value of LDUST and RFH-NPT was 0.620, and the Kappa value of LDUST compared with NRS2002 was 0.144. Conclusion: This study shows that the Liver Disease Undernutrition Screening Tool, a special screening tool for patients with liver cirrhosis, has a more reliable screening effect and higher sensitivity than NRS2002. The Liver Disease Undernutrition Screening Tool is recommended for nutritional screening in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Beneficial Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine Fuzheng Huayu on the Occurrence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Compensated Chronic Hepatitis B Cirrhosis Receiving Entecavir: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background and Aims: The application of antifibrotic drugs to treat patients with chronic liver diseases who are receiving antiviral therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has not been established. Here, we aimed to assess the impact of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Fuzheng Huayu (FZHY) on the occurrence of HCC in patients with hepatitis B virus-related compensated cirrhosis receiving the antiviral drug entecavir (ETV). Methods: A multicenter retrospective cohort study was performed. Compensated liver cirrhosis patients were divided into the ETV+FZHY group or the ETV group according to treatment. The cumulative incidence of HCC was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests. Propensity score matching was used for confounding factors. Stratified analysis and Cox regression were used to determine the effects of FZHY on the occurrence of HCC and liver function decompensation. Results: Out of 910 chronic hepatitis B patients, 458 were in the ETV+FZHY group and 452 were in the ETV group. After propensity score matching, the 5-year cumulative incidence of HCC was 9.8% in the ETV+FZHY group and 21.8% in the ETV group (p<0.01). The adjusted hazard ratio for HCC was 0.216 (0.108, 0.432) when FZHY treatment was >36 months. Age, diabetes, alanine aminotransferase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, albumin, hepatitis B e-antigen, and fibrosis 4 score were associated with the occurrence of HCC. FZHY decreased the risk of HCC in patients aged >45 years with a hepatitis B virus DNA level of ≥2,000 IU/l. Conclusion: Adjunctive FZHY treatment reduced HCC occurrence in patients with hepatitis B virus cirrhosis who were treated with ETV, possibly due to the antifibrotic properties of FZHY.

Puerarin-containing rhein-crosslinked tyramine-modified hyaluronic acid hydrogel for antibacterial and anti-inflammatory wound dressings.

Wound infections, posing a grave risk of severe physical consequences and even mortality, exact a substantial financial toll on society, rendering them among the most formidable challenges confronting our world today. A critical imperative is the development of hydrogel dressings endowed with immune-regulating and antibacterial properties. This study is founded upon the symbiotic physical and efficacious attributes of two small natural molecules. An injectable hydrogel is meticulously crafted by encapsulating puerarin (PUE) into tyramine-modified hyaluronic acid, subsequently introducing rhein (RHE), and catalyzing the formation of inter-phenol crosslinks with H2O2/horseradish peroxidase (HA-Tyr-R@P). Exhibiting a favorable microenvironmental impact the developed hydrogel attains an antibacterial efficacy exceeding 95 %, coupled with a wound closure rate twice that of the control group. HA-Tyr-R@P hydrogels not only inhibit bacterial growth but also mitigate inflammation, fostering wound healing, owing to their harmonized physicochemical characteristics and synergistic therapeutic effects. This work underscores the creation of a singular, versatile hydrogel platform, negating the complexities and side effects associated with pharmaceutical preparations. Furthermore, it offers new ideas for the formulation of RHE-based hydrogels for wound healing, emphasizing the pivotal role of natural small molecules in advancing biological materials.

Association Between Preeclampsia and Blood Pressure in Offspring: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Pregnancy-induced preeclampsia is a severe pregnancy complication and preeclampsia has been associated with an increased risk of chronic hypertension for offspring. However, the magnitude of the overall effect of exposure to preeclampsia in pregnancy on blood pressure (BP) in offspring is unknown. This systematic review and meta-analysis was sought to systematically assess the effects of preeclampsia on the BP of the offspring. RECENT FINDINGS: Of 2550 publications identified, 23 studies were included. The meta-analysis indicated that preeclampsia increases the potential risk of hypertension in offspring. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 2.0 mm Hg (95% CI: 1.2, 2.8) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was 1.4 mm Hg (95% CI: 0.9, 1.9) higher in offspring exposed to pre-eclampsia in utero, compared to those born to normotensive mothers. The correlations were similar in stratified analyses of children and adolescents by sex, geographic area, ages, and gestational age. During childhood and young adulthood, the offspring of pregnant women with preeclampsia are at an increased risk of high BP. It is crucial to monitor their BP.

Construction of human 3D striato-nigral assembloids to recapitulate medium spiny neuronal projection defects in Huntington's disease.

The striato-nigral (Str-SN) circuit is composed of medium spiny neuronal projections that are mainly sent from the striatum to the midbrain substantial nigra (SN), which is essential for regulating motor behaviors. Dysfunction of the Str-SN circuitry may cause a series of motor disabilities that are associated with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Huntington's disease (HD). Although the etiology of HD is known as abnormally expanded CAG repeats of the huntingtin gene, treatment of HD remains tremendously challenging. One possible reason is the lack of effective HD model that resembles Str-SN circuitry deficits for pharmacological studies. Here, we first differentiated striatum-like organoids from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), containing functional medium spiny neurons (MSNs). We then generated 3D Str-SN assembloids by assembling striatum-like organoids with midbrain SN-like organoids. With AAV-hSYN-GFP-mediated viral tracing, extensive MSN projections from the striatum to the SN are established, which formed synaptic connection with GABAergic neurons in SN organoids and showed the optically evoked inhibitory postsynaptic currents and electronic field potentials by labeling the striatum-like organoids with optogenetic virus. Furthermore, these Str-SN assembloids exhibited enhanced calcium activity compared to that of individual striatal organoids. Importantly, we further demonstrated the reciprocal projection defects in HD iPSC-derived assembloids, which could be ameliorated by treatment of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Taken together, these findings suggest that Str-SN assembloids could be used for identifying MSN projection defects and could be applied as potential drug test platforms for HD.

Synergistic growth of nickel and platinum nanoparticles via exsolution and surface reaction.

Bimetallic catalysts combining precious and earth-abundant metals in well designed nanoparticle architectures can enable cost efficient and stable heterogeneous catalysis. Here, we present an interaction-driven in-situ approach to engineer finely dispersed Ni decorated Pt nanoparticles (1-6 nm) on perovskite nanofibres via reduction at high temperatures (600-800 oC). Deposition of Pt (0.5 wt%) enhances the reducibility of the perovskite support and promotes the nucleation of Ni cations via metal-support interaction, thereafter the Ni species react with Pt forming alloy nanoparticles, with the combined processes yielding smaller nanoparticles that either of the contributing processes. Tuneable uniform Pt-Ni nanoparticles are produced on the perovskite surface, yielding reactivity and stability surpassing 1 wt.% Pt/γ-Al2O3 catalysts for CO oxidation. This approach heralds the possibility of in-situ fabrication of supported bimetallic nanoparticles with engineered compositional distributions and performance.

Fangyukangsuan granules ameliorate hyperuricemia and modulate gut microbiota in rats.

Hyperuricaemia (HUA) is a metabolic disorder characterised by high blood uric acid (UA) levels; moreover, HUA severity is closely related to the gut microbiota. HUA is also a risk factor for renal damage, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia; however, current treatments are associated with detrimental side effects. Alternatively, Fangyukangsuan granules are a natural product with UA-reducing properties. To examine their efficacy in HUA, the binding of small molecules in Fangyukangsuan granules to xanthine oxidase (XOD), a key factor in UA metabolism, was investigated via molecular simulation, and the effects of oral Fangyukangsuan granule administration on serum biochemical indices and intestinal microorganisms in HUA-model rats were examined. Overall, 24 small molecules in Fangyukangsuan granules could bind to XOD. Serum UA, creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and XOD levels were decreased in rats treated with Fangyukangsuan granules compared to those in untreated HUA-model rats. Moreover, Fangyukangsuan granules restored the intestinal microbial structure in HUA-model rats. Functional analysis of the gut microbiota revealed decreased amino acid biosynthesis and increased fermentation of pyruvate into short-chain fatty acids in Fangyukangsuan granule-treated rats. Together, these findings demonstrate that Fangyukangsuan granules have anti-hyperuricaemic and regulatory effects on the gut microbiota and may be a therapeutic candidate for HUA.

[Retracted] MicroRNA­219 is downregulated in non­small cell lung cancer and inhibits cell growth and metastasis by targeting HMGA2.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editor's attention by a concerned reader that certain of the Transwell migration and invasion assay data shown in Figs. 2C and 4C were strikingly similar to data that had already been published in different form in another article written by different authors at a different research institute [Yang S, Zhang Y, Zhao X, Wang J and Shang J: microRNA­361 targets Wilms' tumor 1 to inhibit the growth, migration and invasion of non­small­cell lung cancer cells. Mol Med Rep 14: 5415­5421, 2016].  Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published prior to its submission to Molecular Medicine Reports, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. The authors were asked for an explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office did not receive a reply. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Molecular Medicine Reports 16: 3557­3564, 2017; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2017.7000].

Structure Engineering of Acridine Donor to Optimize Color Purity of Blue Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence Emitters.

9,9-Dimethyl-9,10-dihydroacridine (DMAC) is one of the most widely used electron donor for constructing high-performance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters. However, DMAC-based emitters often suffer from the imperfect color purity, particularly in blue emitters, due to its strong electron-donating capability. To modulate donor strength, 2,7-F-Ph-DMAC and 2,7-CF3-Ph-DMAC were designed by introducing the electron-withdrawing 2-fluorophenyl and 2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl at the 2,7-positions of DMAC. These donors were used, in combination with 2,4,6-triphenyl-1,3,5-triazine (TRZ) acceptor, to develop novel TADF emitters 2,7-F-Ph-DMAC-TRZ and 2,7-CF3-Ph-DMAC-TRZ. Compared to the F- or CF3-free reference emitter, both two emitters showed hypsochromic effect in fluorescence and comparable photoluminescence quantum yields without sacrificing the reverse intersystem crossing rate constants. In particular, 2,7-CF3-Ph-DMAC-TRZ based OLED exhibited a blue shift by up to 39 nm and significantly improved Commission International de l'Éclairage (CIE) coordinates from (0.36, 0.55) to (0.22, 0.41), while the external quantum efficiency kept stable at about 22.5 %. This donor engineering strategy should be valid for improving the color purity of large amount of acridine based TADF emitters. It can be predicted that pure blue TADF emitters should be feasible if these F- or CF3-modifed acridine donors are combined with other weaker electron acceptors.

Investigation into the potential mechanism of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens in the fermentation of broad bean paste by metabolomics and transcriptomics.

Pixian broad bean paste is a renowned fermented seasoning. The fermentation of broad bean is the most important process of Pixian broad bean paste. To enhance the flavor of tank-fermented broad bean paste, salt-tolerant Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain was inoculated, resulting in an increase in total amount of volatile compounds, potentially leading to different flavor characteristics. To investigate the fermentation mechanism, monoculture simulated fermentation systems were designed. Metabolomics and transcriptomics were used to explore Bacillus amyloliquefaciens' transcriptional response to salt stress and potential aroma production mechanisms. The results highlighted different metabolite profiles under salt stress, and the crucial roles of energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, reaction system, transportation system in Bacillus amyloliquefaciens' hypersaline stress response. This study provides a scientific basis for the industrial application of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and new insights into addressing the challenges of poor flavor quality in tank fermentation products.