Two laser-assisted hatching methods of embryos in ART: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Laser-assisted hatching (LAH) stands as the predominant technique for removing the zona pellucida (ZP) in embryos, primarily consisting of two methods: drilling laser-assisted hatching (D-LAH) and thinning laser-assisted hatching (T-LAH). Presently, both methods have limitations, and their comparative efficacy for embryo implantation and clinical pregnancy remains uncertain. AIM: Evaluate the impact of D-LAH and T-LAH on clinical pregnancy rates within assisted reproductive technology (ART). METHODS: We systematically searched electronic databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library until July 20, 2022. This study encompassed observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A 95% confidence interval (CI) was utilized for assessing the risk ratio (RR) of pregnancy outcomes. The level of heterogeneity was measured using I2 statistics, considering a value exceeding 50% as indicative of substantial heterogeneity. RESULTS: The meta-analysis scrutinized 9 studies involving 2405 clinical pregnancies from D-LAH and 2239 from T-LAH. Findings suggested no considerable variation in the clinical pregnancy rates between the two techniques (RR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.79-1.10, I2 = 71%, P = 0.41). Subgroup analyses also revealed no substantial differences. However, D-LAH exhibited a notably higher occurrence of singleton pregnancies compared to T-LAH (RR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.08-4.82, I2 = 89%, P = 0.03). There were no noteworthy distinctions observed in other secondary outcomes encompassing implantation rate, multiple pregnancies, ongoing pregnancy, miscarriage, premature birth, and live birth. CONCLUSION: Both the primary findings and subgroup analyses showed no marked variance in clinical pregnancy rates between D-LAH and T-LAH. Therefore, patients with varying conditions should select their preferred LAH technique after assessing their individual situation. However, due to the restricted number of studies involved, accurately gauging the influence of these laser techniques on clinical outcomes is challenging, necessitating further RCTs and high-quality studies to enhance the success rate of ART. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO: CRD42022347066.

Dissolving microneedles loaded with nimodipine for prevention of sleep disorders at a high altitude.

Sleep disorders are one of the most common acute reactions on the plateau, which can cause serious complications. However, there is no effective and safe treatment currently available. Nimodipine (NMD) is a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker with neuroprotective and vasodilating activity, mainly used for the treatment of ischemic brain injury. Commercial oral or injectable NMD formulations are not a good option for central neuron diseases due to their poor brain delivery. In this study, nimodipine dissolving microneedles (NDMNs) were prepared for the prevention of sleep disorders caused by hypoxia. NDMNs were composed of NMD and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) K90 with a conical morphology and high rigidity. After administration of NDMNs on the back neck of mice, the concentration of NMD in the brain was significantly higher than that of oral medication as was confirmed by the fluorescent imaging on mouse models. NDMNs enhanced cognitive function, alleviated oxidative stress, and improved the sleep quality of mice with high-altitude sleep disorders. The blockage of calcium ion overloading may be an important modulation mechanism. NDMNs are a promising and user-friendly formulation for the prevention of high-altitude sleep disorders.

TiN-Au/HfO2 -Au Multilayer Thin Films with Tunable Hyperbolic Optical Response.

Hyperbolic metamaterials (HMM) possess significant anisotropic physical properties and tunability and thus find many applications in integrated photonic devices. HMMs consisting of metal and dielectric phases in either multilayer or vertically aligned nanocomposites (VAN) form are demonstrated with different hyperbolic properties. Herein, self-assembled HfO2 -Au/TiN-Au multilayer thin films, combining both the multilayer and VAN designs, are demonstrated. Specifically, Au nanopillars embedded in HfO2 and TiN layers forming the alternative layers of HfO2 -Au VAN and TiN-Au VAN. The HfO2 and TiN layer thickness is carefully controlled by varying laser pulses during pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Interestingly, tunable anisotropic physical properties can be achieved by adjusting the bi-layer thickness and the number of the bi-layers. Type II optical hyperbolic dispersion can be obtained from high layer thickness structure (e.g., 20 nm), while it can be transformed into Type I optical hyperbolic dispersion by reducing the thickness to a proper value (e.g., 4 nm). This new nanoscale hybrid metamaterial structure with the three-phase VAN design shows great potential for tailorable optical components in future integrated devices.

Progress of studies on natural products for glioblastoma therapy.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common, malignant, and lethal primary brain tumor in adults. Up to now, the chemotherapy approaches for GBM are limited. Therefore, more studies on identifying and exploring new chemotherapy drugs or strategies overcome the GBM are essential. Natural products are an important source of drugs against various human diseases including cancers. With the better understanding of the molecular etiology of GBM, the development of new anti-GBM drugs has been increasing. Here, we summarized recent researches of natural products for the GBM therapy and their potential mechanisms in details, which will provide new ideas for the research on natural products and promote developing drugs from nature products for GBM therapy.

Enhanced Memristive Performance via a Vertically Heterointerface in Nanocomposite Thin Films for Artificial Synapses.

Memristors can be used to mimic synaptic behavior in artificial neural networks, which makes them a key component in neuromorphic computing and holds promise for advancing the field. In this study, a memory artificial synaptic device based on ZnO-BaTiO3 (ZnO-BTO) vertically aligned nanocomposite thin films was prepared. The vertical interface between the two phases can be used as a conduit for oxygen vacancy (OV) accumulation and a channel for OV movement, which greatly optimizes the resistive switching performance of the device and has the potential for multistage storage. By applying different pulse sequences to the device, the conductance of the device is adjusted from multiple angles, and a variety of synaptic functions are simulated, such as paired-pulse facilitation, spike-timing-dependent plasticity, short-term plasticity to long-term plasticity (STP-LTP), and long-term potentiation/depression (LTP/LTD). Finally, we construct a neural network for image recognition, and the recognition accuracy can reach 91%. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of using composite thin-film vertical interface to regulate the resistive performance of memristors and its great potential in artificial synaptic simulation and neuromorphic computing.

AAA237, an SKP2 inhibitor, suppresses glioblastoma by inducing BNIP3-dependent autophagy through the mTOR pathway.

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common brain tumor with the worst prognosis. Temozolomide is the only first-line drug for GBM. Unfortunately, the resistance issue is a classic problem. Therefore, it is essential to develop new drugs to treat GBM. As an oncogene, Skp2 is involved in the pathogenesis of various cancers including GBM. In this study, we investigated the anticancer effect of AAA237 on human glioblastoma cells and its underlying mechanism. METHODS: CCK-8 assay was conducted to evaluate IC50 values of AAA237 at 48, and 72 h, respectively. The Cellular Thermal Shift Assay (CETSA) was employed to ascertain the status of Skp2 as an intrinsic target of AAA237 inside the cellular milieu. The EdU-DNA synthesis test, Soft-Agar assay and Matrigel assay were performed to check the suppressive effects of AAA237 on cell growth. To identify the migration and invasion ability of GBM cells, transwell assay was conducted. RT-qPCR and Western Blot were employed to verify the level of BNIP3. The mRFP-GFP-LC3 indicator system was utilized to assess alterations in autophagy flux and investigate the impact of AAA237 on the dynamic fusion process between autophagosomes and lysosomes. To investigate the effect of compound AAA237 on tumor growth in vivo, LN229 cells were injected into the brains of mice in an orthotopic model. RESULTS: AAA237 could inhibit the growth of GBM cells in vitro. AAA237 could bind to Skp2 and inhibit Skp2 expression and the degradation of p21 and p27. In a dose-dependent manner, AAA237 demonstrated the ability to inhibit colony formation, migration, and invasion of GBM cells. AAA237 treatment could upregulate BNIP3 as the hub gene and therefore induce BNIP3-dependent autophagy through the mTOR pathway whereas 3-MA can somewhat reverse this process. In vivo, the administration of AAA237 effectively suppressed the development of glioma tumors with no side effects. CONCLUSION: Compound AAA237, a novel Skp2 inhibitor, inhibited colony formation, migration and invasion of GBM cells in a dose-dependent manner and time-dependent manner through upregulating BNIP3 as the hub gene and induced BNIP3-dependent autophagy through the mTOR pathway therefore it might be a viable therapeutic drug for the management of GBM.

Impact of Bivalirudin on Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Patients with Reperfused STEMI Assessed by Cardiac Magnetic Resonance.

Thrombin is an important ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) mediator in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). This study examines the use of bivalirudin, a direct thrombin inhibitor, in reducing IRI in STEMI patients. STEMI patients (n = 21) were treated with bivalirudin and compared to 21 patients treated with unfractionated heparin (UFH) from the EARLY Assessment of Myocardial Tissue Characteristics by CMR in STEMI (EARLY-MYO-CMR) registry (NCT03768453). Infarct size (IS) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were comparable between the two groups at follow up. During the first cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) scan within the first week after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), all patients in both the bivalirudin and UFH groups exhibited myocardial edema. However, the myocardium edema volume was significantly less in the bivalirudin group (p < 0.05). At the one-month follow-up, a smaller proportion of patients in the bivalirudin group than in the UFH group exhibited myocardial edema (4.7% vs. 33.3%, p < 0.05). At the three-month follow-up, myocardial edema had completely resolved in the bivalirudin group, while it persisted in two patients in the UFH group. The incidence and volume of microvascular obstruction (MVO) were significantly lower in the bivalirudin group during the acute phase. Additionally, the incidence of intramyocardial hemorrhage (IMH) was significantly lower in the bivalirudin group during both the acute and follow up (p < 0.05). These findings were corroborated by T2 and T1 mapping results. The study concluded that the use of bivalirudin for anticoagulation is associated with attenuated IRI in STEMI patients who receive primary PCI.

Flame-Retardant GF-PSB/DOPO-POSS Composite with Low Dk/Df and High Thermal Stability for High-Frequency Copper Clad Applications.

In the field of high-frequency communications devices, there is an urgent need to develop high-performance copper clad laminates (CCLs) with low dielectric loss (Df) plus good flame retardancy and thermal stability. The hydrocarbon resin styrene-butadiene block copolymer (PSB) was modified with the flame-retardant 9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide/polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (DOPO-POSS) to meet the demands of high-frequency and high-speed applications. The resulting DOPO-POSS-modified PSB was used as the resin matrix along with other additives to fabricate PSB/DOPO-POSS laminates. At a high-frequency of 10 GHz, the laminates containing 20 wt.% of DOPO-POSS and with a thickness of 0.09 mm exhibited a Df of 0.00328, which is much lower compared with the commercial PSB/PX-200 composite (Df: 0.00498) and the PSB without flame retardancy (Df: 0.00453). Afterwards, glass fiber cloth (GF) was used as a reinforcing material to manufacture GF-PSB/DOPO-POSS composite laminates with a thickness of 0.25 mm. The flame retardancy of GF-PSB/DOPO-POSS composite laminate reached vertical burning (UL-94) V-1 grade, and GF-PSB/DOPO-POSS exhibited higher thermal and dynamic mechanical properties than GF-PSB/PX-200. The results of a limited oxygen index (LOI) and self-extinguishing time tests also demonstrated the superior flame-retardant performance of DOPO-POSS compared with PX-200. The investigation indicates that GF-PSB/DOPO-POSS composite laminates have significant potential for use in fabricating a printed circuit board (PCB) for high-frequency and high-speed applications.

Enabling Extreme Low-Temperature (≤ -100 °C) Battery Cycling with Niobium Tungsten Oxides Electrode and Tailored Electrolytes.

The degradation of current Li-ion batteries (LIBs) hinders their use in electronic devices, electric vehicles, and other applications at low temperatures, particularly in extreme environments like the polar regions and outer space. This study presents a pseudocapacitive-type niobium tungsten oxides (NbWO) electrode material combined with tailored electrolytes, enabling extreme low-temperature battery cycling for the first time. The synthesized NbWO material exhibits analogous structural properties to previous studies. Its homogenous atom distribution can further facilitate Li+ diffusion, while its pseudocapacitive Li+ storage mechanism enables faster Li+ reactions. Notably, the NbWO electrode material exhibits remarkable battery performance even at -60 and -100 °C, showcasing capacities of ≈90 and ≈75 mAh g-1 , respectively. The electrolytes, which have demonstrated favorable Li+ transport attributes at low temperatures in the earlier investigations, now enable extreme low-temperature battery operations, a feat not achievable with either NbWO or the electrolytes independently. Moreover, the outcomes extend to -120 °C and encompass a pouch-type cell configuration at -100 °C, albeit with reduced performance. This study highlights the potential of NbWO for developing batteries for their use in extremely frigid environments.

Data Player: Automatic Generation of Data Videos with Narration-Animation Interplay.

Data visualizations and narratives are often integrated to convey data stories effectively. Among various data storytelling formats, data videos have been garnering increasing attention. These videos provide an intuitive interpretation of data charts while vividly articulating the underlying data insights. However, the production of data videos demands a diverse set of professional skills and considerable manual labor, including understanding narratives, linking visual elements with narration segments, designing and crafting animations, recording audio narrations, and synchronizing audio with visual animations. To simplify this process, our paper introduces a novel method, referred to as Data Player, capable of automatically generating dynamic data videos with narration-animation interplay. This approach lowers the technical barriers associated with creating data videos rich in narration. To enable narration-animation interplay, Data Player constructs references between visualizations and text input. Specifically, it first extracts data into tables from the visualizations. Subsequently, it utilizes large language models to form semantic connections between text and visuals. Finally, Data Player encodes animation design knowledge as computational low-level constraints, allowing for the recommendation of suitable animation presets that align with the audio narration produced by text-to-speech technologies. We assessed Data Player's efficacy through an example gallery, a user study, and expert interviews. The evaluation results demonstrated that Data Player can generate high-quality data videos that are comparable to human-composed ones.

S670, an amide derivative of 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-ß-boswellic acid, induces ferroptosis in human glioblastoma cells by generating ROS and inhibiting STX17-mediated fusion of autophagosome and lysosome.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant tumor in the brain with temozolomide (TMZ) as the only approved chemotherapy agent. GBM is characterized by susceptibility to radiation and chemotherapy resistance and recurrence as well as low immunological response. There is an urgent need for new therapy to improve the outcome of GBM patients. We previously reported that 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-ß-boswellic acid (AKBA) inhibited the growth of GBM. In this study we characterized the anti-GBM effect of S670, a synthesized amide derivative of AKBA, and investigated the underlying mechanisms. We showed that S670 dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of human GBM cell lines U87 and U251 with IC50 values of around 6 µM. Furthermore, we found that S670 (6 µM) markedly stimulated mitochondrial ROS generation and induced ferroptosis in the GBM cells. Moreover, S670 treatment induced ROS-mediated Nrf2 activation and TFEB nuclear translocation, promoting protective autophagosome and lysosome biogenesis in the GBM cells. On the other hand, S670 treatment significantly inhibited the expression of SXT17, thus impairing autophagosome-lysosome fusion and blocking autophagy flux, which exacerbated ROS accumulation and enhanced ferroptosis in the GBM cells. Administration of S670 (50 mg·kg-1·d-1, i.g.) for 12 days in a U87 mouse xenograft model significantly inhibited tumor growth with reduced Ki67 expression and increased LC3 and LAMP2 expression in the tumor tissues. Taken together, S670 induces ferroptosis by generating ROS and inhibiting STX17-mediated fusion of autophagosome and lysosome in GBM cells. S670 could serve as a drug candidate for the treatment of GBM.

Research progress on the regulatory mechanisms of FOXC1 expression in cancers and its role in drug resistance.

The Forkhead box C1 (FOXC1) transcription factor is an important member of the FOX family. After initially being identified in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) with significant oncogenic function, FOXC1 was subsequently demonstrated to be involved in the development of more than 16 types of cancers. In recent years, increasing studies have focused on the deregulatory mechanisms of FOXC1 expression and revealed that FOXC1 expression was regulated at multiple levels including transcriptional regulation, post-transcription regulation and post-translational modification. Moreover, dysregulation of FOXC1 is also implicated in drug resistance in various types of cancer, especially in breast cancer, which further emphasizes the translational and clinical significance of FOXC1 as a therapeutic target in cancer treatment. This review summarizes recent findings on mechanisms of FOXC1 dysregulation in cancers and its role in chemoresistance, which will help to better understand the oncogenic role of FOXC1, overcome FOXC1-mediated drug resistance and develop targeted therapy for FOXC1 in cancers.

Exploring the Molecular Origin for the Long-Range Propagation of the Substrate Effect in Unentangled Poly(methyl methacrylate) Films.

The polymer/substrate interface plays a significant role in the dynamics of nanoconfined polymers because of its suppression on polymer mobility and its long-range propagation feature, while the molecular origin of the long-range substrate effect in unentangled polymer material is still ambiguous. Herein, we investigated the propagation distances of the substrate effect (h*) by a fluorinated tracer-labeled method of two unentangled polymer films supported on silicon substrates: linear and ring poly(methyl methacrylate) films with relatively low molecular weights. The results indicate that the value of h* has a molecular weight dependence of h*∝N (N is the degree of polymerization) in the unentangled polymer films, while h*∝N1/2 was presented as previously reported in the entangled films. A theoretical model, depending on the polymer/polymer intermolecular interaction, was proposed to describe the above long-range propagation behavior of the substrate effect and agrees with our experiment results very well. From the model, it revealed that the intermolecular friction determines the long-range propagation of the substrate effect in the unentangled system, but the intermolecular entanglement is the dominant role in entangled system. These results give us a deeper understanding of the long-range substrate effect.

Actinomycin D Synergizes with Doxorubicin in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer by Inducing P53-Dependent Cell Apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: There are three major subtypes of breast cancer, ER+, HER2+ and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), namely ER-, PR-, HER2-. TNBC is the most aggressive breast cancer with poor prognosis and no target drug up to now. Actinomycin D (ActD) is a bioactive metabolite of marine bacteria that has been reported to have antitumor activity. METHODS: To investigate whether ActD has a synergetic effect on TNBC with Doxorubicin (Dox), the major chemotherapeutic drug for TNBC, and explore the underlying mechanism, TNBC cell lines HCC1937, MDA-MB-436 and nude mice were used in the study. Drug synergy determination, LDH assay, MMP assay, Hoechst 33342 staining, Flow cytometry, Flexible docking and CESTA assay were carried out. The expression of apoptosis associated with proteins was checked by Western blot and siRNA experiments were performed to investigate the role of P53 and PUMA induced by drug. RESULTS: There was much higher apoptosis rate of cells in the ActD + Dox group than that in ActD group or Dox group. Expression of MDM2 and BCL-2 was reduced while expression of P53, PUMA and BAX were increased in the groups treated with ActD + Dox or Dox compared to the control group. Furthermore, P53 siRNA or PUMA siRNA tremendously abrogated the cell apoptosis in the groups treated by ActD, Dox and ActD + Dox. Flexible docking and CESTA showed that ActD can bind MDM2. CONCLUSIONS: ActD had a synergetic effect on TNBC with Dox via P53-dependent apoptosis and it may be a new choice for treatment of TNBC.

Improved epitaxial growth and multiferroic properties of Bi3Fe2Mn2Ox using CeO2 re-seeding layers.

In ferroelectric and multiferroic-based devices, it is often necessary to grow thicker films for enhanced properties. For certain phases that rely on substrate strain for growth, such thicker film growths beyond the typical thin film regime could be challenging. As an example, the Bi3Fe2Mn2Ox (BFMO) Aurivillius supercell (SC) phase possesses highly desirable multiferroic (i.e., ferromagnetic and ferroelectric) properties and a unique layered structure but relies heavily on substrate strain. Beyond the thin film regime (approximately 100 nm), a less desirable pseudo-cubic (PC) phase is formed. In this work, a novel heterogeneous re-seeding method is applied to maintain the strained growth in this SC phase beyond the thin film regime, thus enabling the growth of thick BFMO SC phase films. The insertion of periodic CeO2 interlayers reintroduces the heteroepitaxial strain and effectively re-initiates the growth of the SC phase. The thick BFMO SC phase maintains the overall multiferroic and interesting anisotropic optical properties, even exceeding those of the typical 100 nm SC film. This re-seeding method can be effectively adopted with other SC systems or strain-dependent thin films, thus introducing practical applications of the new SC phases without thickness limitations.

Insights into brain perceptions of the different taste qualities and hedonic valence of food via scalp electroencephalogram.

Investigating brain activity is essential for exploring taste-experience related cues. The paper aimed to explore implicit (unconscious) emotional or physiological responses related to taste experiences using scalp electroencephalogram (EEG). We performed implicit measures of tastants of differing perceptual types (bitter, salty, sour and sweet) and intensities (low, medium, and high). The results showed that subjects were partially sensitive to different sensory intensities, i.e., for high intensities, taste stimuli could induce activation of different rhythm signals in the brain, with α and θ bands possibly being more sensitive to different taste types. Furthermore, the neural representations and corresponding sensory qualities (e.g., "sweet: pleasant" or "bitter: unpleasant") of different tastes could be discriminated at 250-1,500 ms after stimulus onset, and different tastes exhibited distinct temporal dynamic differences. Source localization indicated that different taste types activate brain areas associated with emotional eating, reward processing, and motivated tendencies, etc. Overall, our findings reveal a larger sophisticated taste map that accounted for the diversity of taste types in the human brain and assesses the emotion, reward, and motivated behavior represented by different tastes. This study provided basic insights and a perceptual foundation for the relationship between taste experience-related decisions and the prediction of brain activity.

The effects of Lactobacillus reuteri microcapsules on radiation-induced brain injury by regulating the gut microenvironment.

A radiation-induced brain injury (RIBI) is a major adverse event following radiotherapy of malignant tumors. RIBI would affect cognitive function, leading to a series of complications and even death. However, the pathogenesis of RIBI is still unclear, and it still lacks specific therapeutic drugs. The gut-brain bidirectional communication may be mediated by various microbiota and metabolites in the gastrointestinal tract. Probiotics are closely related to physiological health. The theory of the gut-brain axis provides us with a new idea to improve the gut microenvironment by supplementing probiotics against RIBI. Here, Lactobacillus reuteri microcapsules (LMCs) were prepared, which were predominantly irregular spheres with a rough surface under a scanning electron microscope and a narrow size distribution ranging from 20 to 700 µm. The transmission electron microscopy images showed that the structure of microcapsules containing Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) was a core and shell structure. The survival of L. reuteri in microcapsules was significantly more than that of free L. reuteri in the simulated stomach environment of pH 1.2. 16S rDNA sequencing showed that LMCs observably increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus in RIBI mice. More importantly, compared with the RIBI model mice, the behavior of RIBI mice treated with LMCs was significantly improved. In addition, LMCs greatly alleviated the pathological damage of the hippocampus and intestines in the mice after irradiation and reduced the level of TNF-α and IL-6 in vivo. Generally, LMCs are a promising oral preparation, which provide new ideas and methods for the treatment of RIBI.

Design, synthesis and characterization of a novel multicomponent salt of bexarotene with metformin and application in ameliorating psoriasis with T2DM.

Psoriasis is a common systemic inflammatory skin disorder affecting over 60 million people globally. Some patients with psoriasis are associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Psoriasis and T2DM occur concurrently in some patients; however, there is no effective drug for the treatment of psoriasis with T2DM. Bexarotene (BEX) is a specific RXR agonist and an antineoplastic agent indicated by the FDA for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTLA). Metformin (MET) is the first-line treatment for T2DM. To develop novel effective drugs for the treatment of psoriasis with T2DM, multicomponent salts containing MET and BEX were designed and synthesized based on the drug-drug combination strategy. MET-BEX (1:1) and MET-BEX-H2O (1:1:1) were obtained and structurally characterized. The in vitro evaluation results showed that the hygroscopicity of MET was significantly optimized by the salt formation strategy, while the solubility of BEX was improved, which laid the foundation for improving the bioavailability of BEX in vivo. In a mouse model of imiquimod-induced psoriasis with T2DM, MET-BEX ameliorated imiquimod-induced psoriasis morphological features and systematic inflammation and improved glucolipid metabolism. These results showed that the multicomponent drug combination strategy in this study optimized the physicochemical properties of MET and BEX simultaneously, providing a promising candidate therapy for psoriasis with T2DM.

Starch granules and their size distribution in wheat: Biosynthesis, physicochemical properties and their effect on flour-based food systems.

Starch is a vital component of wheat grain and flour, characterized by two distinct granule types: A-type starch (AS) with granules larger than 10 µm in diameter, and B-type starch (BS) with granules measuring no more than 10 µm in diameter. This review comprehensively evaluates the isolation, purification, and biosynthesis processes of these types of granules. In addition, a comparative analysis of the structure and properties of AS and BS is presented, encompassing chemical composition, molecular, crystalline and morphological structures, gelatinization, pasting and digestive properties. The variation in size distribution of granules leads to differences in physicochemical properties of starch, influencing the formation of polymeric proteins, secondary and micro-structures of gluten, chemical and physical interactions between gluten and starch, and water absorption and water status in dough system. Thus, starch size distribution affects the quality of dough and final products. In this review, we summarize the up-to-date knowledge of AS and BS, and propose the possible strategies to enhance wheat yield and quality through coordinated breeding efforts. This review serves as a valuable reference for future advancements in wheat breeding.