Short-term choroidal changes as early indicators for future myopic shift in primary school children: results of a 2-year cohort study.

BACKGROUND: To assess predictive value of short-term choroidal changes for future myopic shift in children. METHODS: 577 eyes of 289 primary school children were prospectively followed for 2 years. Cycloplegic refractions at baseline, 1 year and 2 years, and choroidal measurements by optical coherence tomography at baseline and 3 months, were used for analyses. Myopic shift was defined as refraction change of at least -0.50 dioptre/year, at 2 years compared with baseline. RESULTS: 228 participants (455 eyes) completed 2-year follow-up. Approximately 37.6% of 311 initially non-myopic eyes and 73.6% of 144 initially myopic eyes developed a myopic shift. Notably, at 3 months greater reductions were found in initially myopic eyes with myopic shift, than in those without myopic shift-in choroidal thickness (ChT), luminal area (LA), stromal area (SA) and total choroidal area (TCA), but no significant differences in any choroidal parameters were observed between non-myopic eyes, with and without myopic shift. Multivariable analyses showed that in myopic eyes, each percentage increase in ChT, LA, SA and TCA was associated with reduced odds of myopic shift (all p<0.001). Similar associations were observed in non-myopic eyes, with smaller effects than in myopic eyes. Adding a 3-month percentage change of each choroidal parameter to a basic model including age, gender, parental myopia and baseline refraction significantly improved the predictive performance in myopic eyes (area under the receiver operating characteristic curves increasing from 0.650 to approximately 0.800, all p<0.05), but not in non-myopic eyes. CONCLUSION: Short-term choroidal changes could act as early indicators for future myopic shift in children.

Hypoperfusion of periaqueductal gray as an imaging biomarker in chronic migraine beyond diagnosis: A 3D pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling MR imaging.

BACKGROUND: The periaqueductal gray (PAG) is at the center of a powerful descending antinociceptive neuronal network, and is a key node in the descending pain regulatory system of pain. However, less is known about the altered perfusion of PAG in chronic migraine (CM). AIM: To measure the perfusion of PAG matter, an important structure in pain modulation, in CM with magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion without contrast administration. METHODS: Three-dimensional pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling (3D-PCASL) and brain structure imaging were performed in 13 patients with CM and 15 normal subjects. The inverse deformation field generated by brain structure image segmentation was applied to the midbrain PAG template to generate individualized PAG. Then the perfusion value of the PAG area of the midbrain was extracted based on the individual PAG mask. RESULTS: Cerebral blood flow (CBF) value of PAG in CM patients (47.98 ± 8.38 mL/100 mg min) was significantly lower than that of the control group (59.87 ± 14.24 mL/100 mg min). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the area under the curve was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.60, 0.94), and the cutoff value for the diagnosis of CM was 54.83 mL/100 mg min with a sensitivity 84.60% and a specificity 60%. CONCLUSION: Imaging evidence of the impaired pain conduction pathway in CM may be related with the decreased perfusion in the PAG, which could be considered as an imaging biomarker for the diagnosis and therapy evaluation.

A Microfluidic 3D-Tumor-Spheroid Model for the Evaluation of Targeted Therapies from Angiogenesis-Related Cytokines at the Single Spheroid Level.

Angiogenesis is a key player in drug resistance to targeted therapies for breast cancer. The average expression of angiogenesis-related cytokines is widely associated with the treatments of target therapies for a population of cells or spheroids, overlooking the distinct responses for individuals. In this work, a highly integrated microfluidic platform is developed for the generation of monodisperse multicellular tumor spheroids (MTSs), drug treatments, and the measurement of cytokines for individual MTSs in a single chip. The platform allows the correlation evaluation between cytokine secretion and drug treatment at the level of individual spheroids. For validation, quantities of six representative proangiogenic cytokines are tested against treatments with four model drugs at varying times and concentrations. By applying a linear regression model, significant correlations are established between cytokine secretion and the treated drug concentration for individual spheroids. The proposed platform provides a high-throughput method for the investigation of the molecular mechanism of the cytokine response to targeted therapies and paves the way for future drug screening using predictive regression models at the single-spheroid level.

Distinct clinical characteristics of bocavirus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in children plastic bronchitis.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated clinical and laboratory characteristics of human bocavirus type 1 (HBoV1)-plastic bronchiolitis (PB), Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP)-associated plastic bronchitis (PB) and MP-NPB in children, highlighting inflammation, coagulation, and bronchoscopic needs. METHODS: Data on preschool children with PB during HBoV1 or MP infection were collected, comparing MP-PB to severe Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia. RESULT: Compared with the MP-PB group, the HBoV1-PB group, with younger children, had significantly milder clinical symptoms but higher WBC counts (p = .028). The MP-PB group exhibited notably elevated Fibrinogen (p = .045) and d-dimer levels (p < .001). When contrasting the MP-PB with the MP-NPB group, children in MP-PB group still had higher levels of d-dimer and increased inflammatory indicators such as C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, lactate dehydrogenase, and interleukin-6, which were significantly elevated compared with the MP-NPB group. MP-PB showed a higher prevalence of plastic bronchial casts in lower lobes (p = .016) and a dominance of neutrophils in BALF cytology. Additionally, children in the MP-PB group tended to undergo a greater number of bronchoscopies. CONCLUSION: This study identifies key differences in plastic bronchitis in children due to HBoV1 and MP, highlighting HBoV1's milder inflammation in younger kids and MP's link to severe inflammatory and coagulation responses, guiding clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Heterogeneity of social participation in patients three months after total knee arthroplasty: a latent profile analysis.

BACKGROUND: Social participation is an important index of rehabilitation and social reintegration in patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, most existing studies focus on improving patients' functioning and activities, with only a few examining the social participation among patients after TKA. Therefore, the study aims to investigate the heterogeneity of social participation in patients three months after TKA and analyze subgroup influencing factors, to promote functional exercise and postoperative follow-up in specific patients. METHODS: This cross-sectional study recruited 255 patients who underwent TKA in a Tertiary Hospital in Jinan City, China, from March to July 2022. Three months after having undergone TKA, participants' data were collected using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale, the Chinese version of the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, the 10-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Hospital for Special Surgery Knee-rating Scale, and Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire. Latent profile analysis was used to identify categories of patients' social participation. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors of the different subgroups. RESULTS: Three months after TKA, the patients were divided into three subgroups: low social participation group (17.9%), moderate social participation group (40.8%), and high social participation group (41.3%). The vast majority of patients who underwent TKA exhibited moderate-to-high level of social participation. The multiple logistic regression analysis results showed that age, degree of pain, knee function, and kinesiophobia were the influencing factors of the potential profiles of social participation in patients three months after TKA (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These results support a distinct categorical feature of social participation among patients three months after undergoing TKA. Medical staff need to provide targeted guidance according to the potential classification characteristics of social participation to improve the level of social participation and promote rehabilitation of patients.

Hypoperfusion of hypothalamic subunits in medication-overuse headache using a 3D PCASL MRI.

Hypothalamus is a crucial deep brain area that is responsible for the integration and coordination of various brain functions. The altered perfusion of hypothalamus during headache caused by medication-overuse headache (MOH) was previously unknown. In the current study, the altered perfusion of hypothalamic subregions in MOH patients was investigated using state-of-the-art 3D pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (PCASL) MR imaging. In this study, 29 normal controls subjects (NCs) and 29 MOH patients underwent 3D PCASL and brain structural MR imaging. The hypothalamus was automatically segmented into 10 subunits and the volume of each subunit was automatically determined using Freesurfer software (v7.4.1). All segmented hypothalamic subunits were converted to individual hypothalamic subunit masks. The cerebral blood flow (CBF) images were coregistered with the raw brain structural images and resliced. The CBF value of each hypothalamic subunit was extracted from the warped CBF images. The volume and CBF value of each hypothalamic subunit were analyzed using the independent sample T test and Mann-Whitney U test, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis. Hypothalamic subunits with significantly decreased perfusion were located in the left posterior, left tubular superior, right anterior-inferior, right tubular inferior, right tubular superior, right posterior subunit and the entire right hypothalamus [CBF value for MOH vs NC (mL/100 g·min): 48.41 ± 6.75 vs 54.08 ± 11.47, 44.44 ± 4.79 vs 48.11 ± 7.73, 41.49 (32.90, 61.46) vs 49.38 ± 10.47, 46.62 ± 7.04 vs 53.90 ± 11.75, 42.12 ± 5.74 vs 47.02 ± 9.99, 42.79 ± 5.15 vs 47.93 ± 10.48 and 43.58 ± 5.06 vs 48.65 ± 9.33, respectively] in MOH compared to NC (P < 0.05). ROC analysis for these positive subunits revealed that area under the curve was 0.658-0.693, and ROC curve for left posterior subunit had the highest specificity of 93.10% while the entire right hypothalamus had the highest sensitivity of 72.41%. Further correlation analysis showed that the CBF value of the left posterior, right anterior-inferior, right tubular superior, whole right hypothalamus presented significantly negative correlation with Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) score (P < 0.05). Hypoperfusion of hypothalamic subunits may contribute to the understanding of MOH pathogenesis, and the 3D PCASL could be considered as a potential diagnostic and assessment tool for MOH.

Puppet Dynasty Recognition System Based on MobileNetV2.

Traditional image classification usually relies on manual feature extraction; however, with the rapid development of artificial intelligence and intelligent vision technology, deep learning models such as CNNs can automatically extract key features from input images to achieve efficient classification. This study focuses on the application of lightweight separable convolutional neural networks in domain-specific image classification tasks. In this paper, we discuss how to use the SSDLite object detection algorithm combined with the MobileNetV2 lightweight convolutional architecture for puppet dynasty recognition from images-a novel and challenging task. By constructing a system that combines object detection and image classification, we aimed to solve the problem of automatic puppet dynasty recognition to reduce manual intervention and improve recognition efficiency and accuracy. We hope that this will have significant implications in the fields of cultural protection and art history research.

Robotic-assisted CT-guided percutaneous pulmonary nodules localization by hook-wire needles: a retrospective observational study.

Background: Preoperative computed tomography (CT)-guided localization of small pulmonary nodules (SPNs) is the major approach for accurate intraoperative visualization in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). However, this interventional procedure has certain risks and may challenge to less experienced junior doctors. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of robotic-assisted CT-guided preoperative pulmonary nodules localization with the modified hook-wire needles before VATS. Methods: A total of 599 patients with 654 SPNs who preoperatively accepted robotic-assisted CT-guided percutaneous pulmonary localization were respectively enrolled and compared to 90 patients with 94 SPNs who underwent the conventional CT-guided manual localization. The clinical and imaging data including patients' basic information, pulmonary nodule features, location procedure findings, and operation time were analyzed. Results: The localization success rate was 96.64% (632/654). The mean time required for marking was 22.85±10.27 min. Anchor of dislodgement occurred in 2 cases (0.31%). Localization-related complications included pneumothorax in 163 cases (27.21%), parenchymal hemorrhage in 222 cases (33.94%), pleural reaction in 3 cases (0.50%), and intercostal vascular hemorrhage in 5 cases (0.83%). Localization and VATS were performed within 24 hours. All devices were successfully retrieved in VATS. Histopathological examination revealed 166 (25.38%) benign nodules and 488 (74.62%) malignant nodules. For patients who received localizations, VATS spent a significantly shorter time, especially the segmentectomy group (93.61±35.72 vs. 167.50±40.70 min, P<0.001). The proportion of pneumothorax in the robotic-assisted group significantly decreased compared with the conventional manual group (27.21% vs. 43.33%, P=0.002). Conclusions: Robotic-assisted CT-guided percutaneous pulmonary nodules hook-wire localization could be effectively helpful for junior less experienced interventional physicians to master the procedure and potentially increase precision.

Improving the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy by host-defence caerin 1.1 and 1.9 peptides.

Cancer remains a major global health challenge. Immunotherapy has revolutionized the management of cancer, yet only a limited number of patients respond to such treatments. This is largely attributed to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, which diminishes the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Recent studies have underscored the potential of naturally derived caerin 1 peptides, particularly caerin 1.1 and caerin 1.9, which exhibit strong antitumor effects and enhance the efficacy of immunotherapies in animal models. This review encapsulates the current research aimed at augmenting the effectiveness of immunotherapy, focusing on the role of caerin 1.1 and caerin 1.9 in boosting immunotherapeutic outcomes, elucidating possible mechanisms, and discussing their limitations and challenges.

Regulation and mechanism of enzyme metabolism in germinated hemp seeds by ultrasound combined with exogenous calcium chloride treatment.

γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) plays an important role in anti-anxiety by inhibiting neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS) of mammals, which is generated in the germinating seeds. The key enzymes activity of GABA metabolism pathway and nutrients content in hemp seeds during germination were studied after treated with ultrasound and CaCl2. The mechanism of exogenous stress on key enzymes in GABA metabolism pathway was investigated by molecular dynamics simulation. The results showed that ultrasonic combined with 1.5 mmol·L-1CaCl2 significantly increased the activities of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) and GABA transaminase (GABA-T) in seeds, and promoted the conversion of glutamate to GABA, resulting in the decrease of glutamate content and the accumulation of GABA. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that Ca2+ environment enhanced the activity of GAD and GABA-T enzymes by altering their secondary structure, exposing their hydrophobic residues. Ultrasound, germination and CaCl2 stress improved the nutritional value of hemp seeds.

Let food be your medicine - dietary fiber.

Dietary fiber (DF) cannot be digested and absorbed by the digestive tract, nor can it provide the energy needed to be burned for metabolic activities. Therefore, from the 1950s to the 1980s, DF received little attention in nutrition studies. With in-depth research and developments in global nutrition, people have gradually paid attention to the fact that DF occupies an essential position in the structure of nutrition, and it can ensure the healthy development of human beings. As early as 390 B.C., the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates proposed, "Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food". This concept has been more systematically validated in modern scientific research, with numerous epidemiological studies showing that the dietary intake of DF-rich foods such as whole grains, root vegetables, legumes, and fruits has the potential to regulate the balance of the gut microbiota and thereby prevent diseases. However, the crosstalk between different types of DF and the gut microbiota is quite complex, and the effects on the organism vary. In this paper, we discuss research on DF and the gut microbiota and related diseases, aiming to understand the relationship between all three better and provide a reference basis for the risk reduction of related diseases.

Association Between Insomnia and Cognitive Frailty Among Older Patients With Chronic Heart Failure: Multiple Mediating Effects of Depressive Symptoms and Social Support.

BACKGROUND: Older patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) are prone to insomnia. Studies have shown that insomnia affects the onset of cognitive frailty and is also strongly associated with depressive symptoms and social support. However, information on how these factors interact to influence cognitive frailty remains underexplored. OBJECTIVE: Our aim in this study was to explore the multiple mediating roles of depressive symptoms and social support in the relationship between insomnia and cognitive frailty. METHODS: We recruited 300 hospitalized older patients with CHF to participate in this study. The participants completed the Athens Insomnia Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, FRAIL Scale, and Social Support Rating Scale. The mediation hypothesis was tested using a multiple mediation model and bootstrapping method. RESULTS: In this study, 44% of the patients experienced insomnia, and 51.3% were in a state of cognitive frailty. Our main findings suggest that insomnia has an indirect effect on cognitive frailty through 2 pathways: the multiple mediating effects of depressive symptoms and social support, and a single mediating effect of depressive symptoms. The direct effect of insomnia on cognitive frailty is also significant. CONCLUSIONS: Older patients with CHF who experience insomnia tend to have more severe depressive symptoms, cognitive frailty, and poor social support. Thus, interventions to recognize insomnia early, improve depressive symptoms, and provide social support may reduce cognitive frailty in older patients with CHF. Longitudinal studies are necessary to further refine our findings and address the limitations of the current study.

Preoperative CT-based radiomics and deep learning model for predicting risk stratification of gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumors.

BACKGROUND: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are clinically heterogeneous with various malignant potential in different individuals. It is crucial to explore a reliable method for preoperative risk stratification of gastric GISTs noninvasively. PURPOSE: To establish and evaluate a machine learning model using the combination of computed tomography (CT) morphology, radiomics, and deep learning features to predict the risk stratification of primary gastric GISTs preoperatively. METHODS: The 193 gastric GISTs lesions were randomly divided into training set, validation set, and test set in a ratio of 6:2:2. The qualitative and quantitative CT morphological features were assessed by two radiologists. The tumors were segmented manually, and then radiomic features were extracted using PyRadiomics and the deep learning features were extracted using pre-trained Resnet50 from arterial phase and venous phase CT images, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis and recursive feature elimination were used for feature selection. Support vector machines were employed to build a classifier for predicting the risk stratification of GISTs. This study compared the performance of models using different pre-trained convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to extract deep features for classification, as well as the performance of modeling features from single-phase and dual-phase images. The arterial phase, venous phase and dual-phase machine learning models were built, respectively, and the morphological features were added to the dual-phase machine learning model to construct a combined model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to evaluate the efficacy of each model. The clinical application value of the combined model was determined through the decision curve analysis (DCA) and the net reclassification index (NRI) was analyzed. RESULTS: The area under the curve (AUC) of the dual-phase machine learning model was 0.876, which was higher than that of the arterial phase model or venous phase model (0.813, 0.838, respectively). The combined model had best predictive performance than the above models with an AUC of 0.941 (95% CI: 0.887-0.974) (p = 0.012, Delong test). DCA demonstrated that the combined model had good clinical application value with an NRI of 0.575 (95% CI: 0.357-0.891). CONCLUSION: In this study, we established a combined model that incorporated dual-phase morphology, radiomics, and deep learning characteristics, which can be used to predict the preoperative risk stratification of gastric GISTs.

Integrating intratumoral and peritumoral radiomics with deep transfer learning for DCE-MRI breast lesion differentiation: A multicenter study comparing performance with radiologists.

PURPOSE: To conduct the fusion of radiomics and deep transfer learning features from the intratumoral and peritumoral areas in breast DCE-MRI images to differentiate between benign and malignant breast tumors, and to compare the diagnostic accuracy of this fusion model against the assessments made by experienced radiologists. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This multi-center study conducted a retrospective analysis of DCE-MRI images from 330 women diagnosed with breast cancer, with 138 cases categorized as benign and 192 as malignant. The training and internal testing sets comprised 270 patients from center 1, while the external testing cohort consisted of 60 patients from center 2. A fusion feature set consisting of radiomics features and deep transfer learning features was constructed from both intratumoral (ITR) and peritumoral (PTR) areas. The Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) based support vector machine was chosen as the classifier by comparing its performance with five other machine learning models. The diagnostic performance and clinical usefulness of fusion model were verified and assessed through the area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) and decision curve analysis. Additionally, the performance of the fusion model was compared with the diagnostic assessments of two experienced radiologists to evaluate its relative accuracy. The study strictly adhered to CLEAR and METRICS guidelines for standardization to ensure rigorous and reproducible methods. RESULTS: The findings show that the fusion model, utilizing radiomics and deep transfer learning features from the ITR and PTR, exhibited exceptional performance in classifying breast tumors, achieving AUCs of 0.950 in the internal testing set and 0.921 in the external testing set. This performance significantly surpasses that of models relying on singular regional radiomics or deep transfer learning features alone. Moreover, the fusion model demonstrated superior diagnostic accuracy compared to the evaluations conducted by two experienced radiologists, thereby highlighting its potential to support and enhance clinical decision-making in the differentiation of benign and malignant breast tumors. CONCLUSION: The fusion model, combining multi-regional radiomics with deep transfer learning features, not only accurately differentiates between benign and malignant breast tumors but also outperforms the diagnostic assessments made by experienced radiologists. This underscores the model's potential as a valuable tool for improving the accuracy and reliability of breast tumor diagnosis.

Shared and unique alterations of large-scale network connectivity in drug-free adolescent-onset and adult-onset major depressive disorder.

Differences in clinical manifestations and biological underpinnings between Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) onset during adolescence and adulthood have been posited in previous studies, implying an influential role of age of onset (AOO) in the clinical subtyping and therapeutic approaches to MDD. However, direct comparisons between the two cohorts and their age-matched controls have been lacking in extant investigations. In this investigation, 156 volunteers participated, comprising 46 adolescents with MDD (adolescent-onset group), 35 adults with MDD (adult-onset group), 19 healthy adolescents, and 56 healthy adults. Resting-state functional MRI scans were undergone by all participants. Large-scale network analyses were applied. Subsequently, a 2 × 2 ANOVA was employed to analyze the main effects of diagnosis, age, and their interaction effect on functional connectivity (FC). Furthermore, regression analysis was employed to scrutinize the association between anomalous FC and HAMD sub-scores. Increased FC in visual network (VN), limbic network (LN), VN-dorsal attention network (DAN), VN-LN, and LN-Default Mode (DMN) was found in both adolescent-onset and adult-onset MDD; however, the increased FC in DAN and LN were only found in adult-onset MDD and the decreased FC in DAN was only found in adolescent-onset MDD. Additionally, the relationship between HAMD factor 1 anxiety somatization and altered FC of DAN, VN, and VN-DAN was moderated by AOO. In conclusion, shared and distinctive large-scale network alterations in adolescent-onset and adult-onset MDD patients were suggested by our findings, providing valuable contributions towards refining clinical subtyping and treatment approaches for MDD.

Dietary Fiber-Derived Butyrate Alleviates Piglet Weaning Stress by Modulating the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB Pathway.

During weaning, piglets are susceptible to intestinal inflammation and impairment in barrier function. Dietary fiber (DF) plays an active role in alleviating weaning stress in piglets. However, the effects of different sources of dietary fiber on the performance of weaned piglets are inconsistent, and the mechanisms through which they affect intestinal health need to be explored. Therefore, in this study, sixty weaned piglets were randomly divided into three treatment groups: basal diet (control, CON), beet pulp (BP), and alfalfa meal (AM) according to the feed formulation for a 28-day trial. The results showed that both AM and BP groups significantly reduced diarrhea rate and serum inflammatory factors (IL-1ß and TNF-α) and increased antioxidant markers (T-AOC and SOD), in addition to decreasing serum MDA and ROS concentrations in the AM group. At the same time, piglets in the AM group showed a significant reduction in serum intestinal permeability indices (LPS and DAO) and a substantial increase in serum immunoglobulin levels (IgA, IgG, and IgM) and expression of intestinal barrier-associated genes (Claudin1, Occludin, ZO-1, and MUC1), which resulted in an improved growth performance. Interestingly, the effect of DF on intestinal inflammation and barrier function can be attributed to its modulation of gut microbes. Fiber-degrading bacteria enriched in the AM group (Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, Pediococcus and Weissella) inhibited the production of TLR4- through the promotion of SCFAs (especially butyrate). MyD88-NF-κB signaling pathway activation reduces intestinal inflammation and repairs intestinal barrier function. In conclusion, it may provide some theoretical support and rationale for AM to alleviate weaning stress and improve early intestinal dysfunction, which may have implications for human infants.

Caerin 1.9-Titanium Plates Aid Implant Healing and Inhibit Bacterial Growth in New Zealand Rabbit Mandibles.

OBJECTIVES: With rising rates of maxillofacial fracture, postoperative infection following rigid internal fixation is an important issue that requires immediate resolution. It is important to explore an alternative antibacterial method apart from conventional antibiotics. A controlled experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a caerin 1.9 peptide-coated titanium plate in reducing mandibular infection in New Zealand (NZ) rabbits, aiming to minimise the risk of post-metallic implantation infection. METHODS: Twenty-two NZ rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups. The experiment group received caerin 1.9 peptide-coated titanium plates and mixed oral bacteria exposure. The control group received normal titanium plates with mixed oral bacteria exposure. The untreated group served as a control to prove that bacteria in the mouth can cause infection. Weight, temperature, hepatic function, and C-reactive protein levels were measured. Wound and bone conditions were evaluated. Further analysis included local infection, anatomic conditions, histology, and bacterial load. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in temperature, weight, blood alanine aminotransferase, and C-reactive protein levels amongst the 3 groups. The experiment group showed the lowest amount of bacterial RNA in wounds. Additionally, the experiment group had higher peripheral lymphocyte counts compared to the control group and lower neutrophil counts on the third and seventh day postoperatively. Histologic analysis revealed lower levels of inflammatory cell infiltration, bleeding, and areas of necrosis in the experimental group compared with the controls. CONCLUSIONS: A caerin 1.9-coated titanium plate is able to inhibit bacterial growth in a NZ rabbit mandibular mixed bacteria infection model and is worth further investigation.

The prevalence and possible risk factors of gaming disorder among adolescents in China.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, moderate gaming behaviors can be a pleasant and relaxing experiences among adolescents. However, excessive gaming behavior may lead to gaming disorder (GD) that disruption of normal daily life. Understanding the possible risk factors of this emerging problem would help to suggest effective at preventing and intervening. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of GD and analyze its possible risk factors that adolescents with GD. METHODS: Data were collected between October 2020 and January 2021. In total, a sample of 7901 students (4080 (52%) boys, 3742 (48%) girls; aged 12-18 years) completed questionnaires regarding the Gaming-Related Behaviors Survey, Gaming Disorder Symptom Questionnaire-21 (GDSQ-21); Behavioral Inhibition System and Behavioral Activation System Scale (BIS/BAS Scale); Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ); Short-form Egna Minnenav Barndoms Uppfostran for Chinese (s-EMBU-C); and Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist (ASLEC). RESULTS: The prevalence of GD was 2.27% in this adolescent sample. The GD gamers were a little bit older (i.e., a higher proportion of senior grades), more boys, with more gaming hours per week in the last 12 months, with more reward responsiveness, maternal rejecting and occurrence of negative life events (e.g., interpersonal relationships, being punished and bereavement factors). CONCLUSION: These possible risk factors may influence the onset of GD. Future research in clinical, public health, education and other fields should focus on these aspects for provide target prevention and early intervention strategies.

Effects of Saponins on Lipid Metabolism: The Gut-Liver Axis Plays a Key Role.

Unhealthy lifestyles (high-fat diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, too little exercise, etc.) in the current society are prone to cause lipid metabolism disorders affecting the health of the organism and inducing the occurrence of diseases. Saponins, as biologically active substances present in plants, have lipid-lowering, inflammation-reducing, and anti-atherosclerotic effects. Saponins are thought to be involved in the regulation of lipid metabolism in the body; it suppresses the appetite and, thus, reduces energy intake by modulating pro-opiomelanocortin/Cocaine amphetamine regulated transcript (POMC/CART) neurons and neuropeptide Y/agouti-related peptide (NPY/AGRP) neurons in the hypothalamus, the appetite control center. Saponins directly activate the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway and related transcriptional regulators such as peroxisome-proliferator-activated-receptors (PPAR), CCAAT/enhancer-binding proteins (C/EBP), and sterol-regulatory element binding proteins (SREBP) increase fatty acid oxidation and inhibit lipid synthesis. It also modulates gut-liver interactions to improve lipid metabolism by regulating gut microbes and their metabolites and derivatives-short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bile acids (BAs), trimethylamine (TMA), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), et al. This paper reviews the positive effects of different saponins on lipid metabolism disorders, suggesting that the gut-liver axis plays a crucial role in improving lipid metabolism processes and may be used as a therapeutic target to provide new strategies for treating lipid metabolism disorders.

MCT1-mediated transport of valeric acid promotes porcine preimplantation embryo development by improving mitochondrial function and inhibiting the autophagic AMPK-ULK1 pathway.

Oocytes and embryos are highly sensitive to environmental stress in vivo and in vitro. During in vitro culture, many stressful conditions can affect embryo quality and viability, leading to adverse clinical outcomes such as abortion and congenital abnormalities. In this study, we found that valeric acid (VA) increased the mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP content, decreased the level of reactive oxygen species that the mitochondria generate, and thus improved mitochondrial function during early embryonic development in pigs. VA decreased expression of the autophagy-related factors LC3B and BECLIN1. Interestingly, VA inhibited expression of autophagy-associated phosphorylation-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK), phosphorylation-UNC-51-like autophagy-activated kinase 1 (p-ULK1, Ser555), and ATG13, which reduced apoptosis. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) can signal through G-protein-coupled receptors on the cell membrane or enter the cell directly through transporters. We further show that the monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) was necessary for the effects of VA on embryo quality, which provides a new molecular perspective of the pathway by which SCFAs affect embryos. Importantly, VA significantly inhibited the AMPK-ULK1 autophagic signaling pathway through MCT1, decreased apoptosis, increased expression of embryonic pluripotency genes, and improved embryo quality.