Neural Correlates of Analogical Reasoning on Syntactic Patterns.

Analogical reasoning is central to thought and learning. However, previous neuroscience studies have focused mainly on neural substrates for visuospatial and semantic analogies. There has not yet been research on the neural correlates of analogical reasoning on syntactic patterns generated by the syntactic rules, a key feature of human language faculty. The present investigation took an initial step to address this paucity. Twenty-four participants, whose brain activity was monitored by fMRI, engaged in first-order and second-order relational judgments of syntactic patterns as well as simple and complex working memory tasks. After scanning, participants rated the difficulty of each step during analogical reasoning; these ratings were related to signal intensities in activated regions of interest using Spearman correlation analyses. After prior research, differences in activation levels during second-order and first-order relational judgments were taken as evidence of analogical reasoning. These analyses showed that analogical reasoning on syntactic patterns recruited brain regions consistent with those supporting visuospatial and semantic analogies, including the anterior and posterior parts of the left middle frontal gyrus, anatomically corresponding to the left rostrolateral pFC and the left dorsolateral pFC. The correlation results further revealed that the posterior middle frontal gyrus might be involved in analogical access and mapping with syntactic patterns. Our study is the first to investigate the process of analogical reasoning on syntactic patterns at the neurobiological level and provide evidence of the specific functional roles of related regions during subprocesses of analogical reasoning.

Role of a novel circRNA-CGNL1 in regulating pancreatic cancer progression via NUDT4-HDAC4-RUNX2-GAMT-mediated apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is an extremely malignant tumor with low survival rate. Effective biomarkers and therapeutic targets for PC are lacking. The roles of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in cancers have been explored in various studies, however more work is needed to understand the functional roles of specific circRNAs. In this study, we explore the specific role and mechanism of circ_0035435 (termed circCGNL1) in PC. METHODS: qRT-PCR analysis was performed to detect circCGNL1 expression, indicating circCGNL1 had low expression in PC cells and tissues. The function of circCGNL1 in PC progression was examined both in vitro and in vivo. circCGNL1-interacting proteins were identified by performing RNA pulldown, co-immunoprecipitation, GST-pulldown, and dual-luciferase reporter assays. RESULTS: Overexpressing circCGNL1 inhibited PC proliferation via promoting apoptosis. CircCGNL1 interacted with phosphatase nudix hydrolase 4 (NUDT4) to promote histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) dephosphorylation and subsequent HDAC4 nuclear translocation. Intranuclear HDAC4 mediated RUNX Family Transcription Factor 2 (RUNX2) deacetylation and thereby accelerating RUNX2 degradation. The transcription factor, RUNX2, inhibited guanidinoacetate N-methyltransferase (GAMT) expression. GAMT was further verified to induce PC cell apoptosis via AMPK-AKT-Bad signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: We discovered that circCGNL1 can interact with NUDT4 to enhance NUDT4-dependent HDAC4 dephosphorylation, subsequently activating HDAC4-RUNX2-GAMT-mediated apoptosis to suppress PC cell growth. These findings suggest new therapeutic targets for PC.

The association between serum testosterone level and congestive heart failure in US male adults: data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2016.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum testosterone levels and the risk of congestive heart failure (CHF) in adult males. Previous research has suggested a potential link between serum testosterone and cardiovascular health, but the findings have been inconclusive. METHODS: This study was cross-sectional, and the data were obtained from the 2011-2016 cycle of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included a sample of 6,841 male participants. Serum testosterone levels were measured using a standardized assay, and CHF status was assessed through self-reporting. Covariates such as age, ethnicity, lifestyle factors, and health conditions were considered in the analysis. RESULTS: Among the participants, 242 individuals had a documented history of CHF. We observed a linear correlation between serum testosterone levels and CHF occurrence, with higher serum testosterone levels associated with a decreased risk of CHF (Q4 vs. Q1, OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.19-0.47, P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding variables, multivariate analysis revealed that high serum testosterone levels remained significantly associated with a lower risk of CHF (OR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.27-0.80, P = 0.01). Subgroup analysis indicated a significant association between high serum testosterone levels and reduced CHF risk in individuals over 50 years old. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the serum testosterone level was positively associated with CHF in adult males. This study highlights the potential role of serum testosterone in cardiovascular health, particularly in older individuals. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and explore the clinical implications of these findings.

Gstp1 negatively regulates blood pressure in hypertensive rat via promoting APLNR ubiquitination degradation mediated by Nedd4.

Hypertension is a leading risk factor for disease burden worldwide. Vascular contraction and remodeling contribute to the development of hypertension. Glutathione S-transferase P1 (Gstp1) plays several critical roles in both normal and neoplastic cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of Gstp1 on hypertension and on vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) contraction and phenotypic switching. We identified the higher level of Gstp1 in arteries and VSMCs from hypertensive rats compared with normotensive rats for the first time. We then developed Adeno-associated virus 9 (AAV9) mediated Gstp1 downregulation and overexpression in rats and measured rat blood pressure by using the tail-cuff and the carotid catheter method. We found that the blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and 2-kidney-1-clip (2K1C) renovascular hypertensive rats rose significantly with Gstp1 downregulation and reduced apparently after Gstp1 overexpression. Gstp1 did not influence blood pressure of normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Further in vitro study indicated that Gstp1 knockdown in SHR-VSMCs promoted cell proliferation, migration, dedifferentiation and contraction. Results from bioinformatic analysis showed that the Apelin/APLNR system was involved in the effect of Gstp1 on SHR-VSMCs. The rise in blood pressure of SHR induced by Gstp1 knockdown could be reversed by APLNR antagonist F13A. We further found that Gstp1 enhanced the association between APLNR and Nedd4 E3 ubiquitin ligases to induce APLNR ubiquitination degradation. Thus, in the present study, we discovered a novel anti-hypertensive role of Gstp1 in hypertensive rats and provided the experimental basis for designing an effective anti-hypertensive therapeutic strategy.

MicrobeTCM: A comprehensive platform for the interactions of microbiota and traditional Chinese medicine.

Thanks to the advancements in bioinformatics, drugs, and other interventions that modulate microbes to treat diseases have been emerging continuously. In recent years, an increasing number of databases related to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) or gut microbes have been established. However, a database combining the two has not yet been developed. To accelerate TCM research and address the traditional medicine and micro ecological system connection between short board, we have developed the most comprehensive micro-ecological database of TCM. This initiative includes the standardization of the following advantages: (1) A repeatable process achieved through the standardization of a retrieval strategy to identify literature. This involved identifying 419 experiment articles from PubMed and six authoritative databases; (2) High-quality data integration achieved through double-entry extraction of literature, mitigating uncertainties associated with natural language extraction; (3) Implementation of a similar strategy aiding in the prediction of mechanisms of action. Leveraging drug similarity, target entity similarity, and known drug-target entity association, our platform enables the prediction of the effects of a new herb or acupoint formulas using the existing data. In total, MicrobeTCM includes 171 diseases, 725 microbes, 1468 herb-formulas, 1032 herbs, 15780 chemical compositions, 35 acupoint-formulas, and 77 acupoints. For further exploration, please visit https://www.microbetcm.com.

Comparison of novel flexible and traditional ureteral access sheath in retrograde intrarenal surgery.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficiency and safety of a novel flexible ureteral access sheath (f-UAS) and traditional ureteral access sheath (UAS) during retrograde intrarenal surgery (RIRS). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 2022 and September 2022, a total of 152 consecutive cases with renal stones underwent RIRS with the f-UAS. Their outcomes were compared with those of another 152 consecutive cases undergoing RIRS with traditional UAS using a 1:1 scenario matched-pair analysis, with matching parameters including age and stone size. The f-UAS is a novel UAS with a 10-cm-long tube at the tip that can follow the bends of flexible ureteroscope (f-URS). RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were found to be similar between the two groups. The f-UAS group demonstrated significantly higher SFR (76.3% vs. 7.2%; P < 0.001) at 1 day postoperatively and a higher clearance rate of stone volume (98.11% vs. 91.78%; P < 0.001). The f-UAS group also had lower total complications rate (9.9% vs. 22.4%; P = 0.003), lower incidence of fever (5.9% vs 11.9%; P = 0.001), shorter operative times (56.5 min vs. 59.9 min; P = 0.047), and lower usage rate of baskets (17.1% vs. 100%; P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in SFR at 1 month postoperatively (P = 0.627) and in the length of postoperative hospital stay between the two groups (P = 0.225). CONCLUSION: Compared to the traditional UAS during RIRS, the f-UAS showed several advantages, including higher SFR at 1 day postoperatively, shorter operative times, lower incidence of complications, and less use of basket.

Circ-ZNF236 mediates stem cells from apical papilla differentiation by regulating LGR4-induced autophagy.

AIM: Human stem cells from the apical papilla (SCAPs) are an appealing stem cell source for tissue regeneration engineering. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are known to exert pivotal regulatory functions in various cell differentiation processes, including osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells. However, few studies have shown the potential mechanism of circRNAs in the odonto/osteogenic differentiation of SCAPs. Herein, we identified a novel circRNA, circ-ZNF236 (hsa_circ_0000857) and found that it was remarkably upregulated during the SCAPs committed differentiation. Thus, in this study, we showed the significance of circ-ZNF236 in the odonto/osteogenic differentiation of SCAPs and its underlying regulatory mechanisms. METHODOLOGY: The circular structure of circ-ZNF236 was identified via Sanger sequencing, amplification of convergent and divergent primers. The proliferation of SCAPs was detected by CCK-8, flow cytometry analysis and EdU incorporation assay. Western blotting, qRT-PCR, Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Alizarin red staining (ARS) were performed to explore the regulatory effect of circ-ZNF236/miR-218-5p/LGR4 axis in the odonto/osteogenic differentiation of SCAPs in vitro. Fluorescence in situ hybridization, as well as dual-luciferase reporting assays, revealed that circ-ZNF236 binds to miR-218-5p. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and mRFP-GFP-LC3 lentivirus were performed to detect the activation of autophagy. RESULTS: Circ-ZNF236 was identified as a highly stable circRNA with a covalent closed loop structure. Circ-ZNF236 had no detectable influence on cell proliferation but positively regulated SCAPs odonto/osteogenic differentiation. Furthermore, circ-ZNF236 was confirmed as a sponge of miR-218-5p in SCAPs, while miR-218-5p targets LGR4 mRNA at its 3'-UTR. Subsequent rescue experiments revealed that circ-ZNF236 regulates odonto/osteogenic differentiation by miR-218-5p/LGR4 in SCAPs. Importantly, circ-ZNF236 activated autophagy, and the activation of autophagy strengthened the committed differentiation capability of SCAPs. Subsequently, in vivo experiments showed that SCAPs overexpressing circ-ZNF236 promoted bone formation in a rat skull defect model. CONCLUSIONS: Circ-ZNF236 could activate autophagy through increasing LGR4 expression, thus positively regulating SCAPs odonto/osteogenic differentiation. Our findings suggested that circ-ZNF236 might represent a novel therapeutic target to prompt the odonto/osteogenic differentiation of SCAPs.

A highly sensitive fluorescence sensor for tobacco mosaic virus RNA based on DSN cycle and ARGET ATRP double signal amplification.

Early and sensitive detection of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is of great significance for improving crop yield and protecting germplasm resources. Herein, we constructed a novel fluorescence sensor to detect TMV RNA (tRNA) through double strand specific nuclease (DSN) cycle and activator regenerative electron transfer atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET ATRP) dual signal amplification strategy. The hairpin DNA complementarily paired with tRNA was used as a recognition unit to specifically capture tRNA. By the double-stranded DNA hydrolyzed with DSN, tRNA is released to open more hairpin DNA, and more complementary DNA (cDNA) is bound to the surface of the magnetic beads (MBs) to achieve the first amplification. After binding with the initiator, the cDNA employed ARGET ATRP to attach more fluorescent signal molecules to the surface of MBs, thus achieving the second signal amplification. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the logarithm of fluorescence intensity versus tRNA concentration showed a good linear relationship in the range of 0.01-100 pM, with a detection limit of 1.03 fM. The limit of detection (LOD) was calculated according to LOD = 3 N/S. Besides, the sensor showed good reproducibility and stability, which present provided new method for early and highly sensitive detection for plant viruses.

Interannual evolution of the chemical composition, sources and processes of PM2.5 in Chengdu, China: Insights from observations in four winters.

The air quality in China has improved significantly in the last decade and, correspondingly, the characteristics of PM2.5 have also changed. We studied the interannual variation of PM2.5 in Chengdu, one of the most heavily polluted megacities in southwest China, during the most polluted season (winter). Our results show that the mass concentrations of PM2.5 decreased significantly year-by-year, from 195.8 ± 91.0 µg/m3 in winter 2016 to 96.1 ± 39.3 µg/m3 in winter 2020. The mass concentrations of organic matter (OM), SO42-, NH4+ and NO3- decreased by 49.6%, 57.1%, 49.7% and 28.7%, respectively. The differential reduction in the concentrations of chemical components increased the contributions from secondary organic carbon and NO3- and there was a larger contribution from mobile sources. The contribution of OM and NO3- not only increased with increasing levels of pollution, but also increased year-by-year at the same level of pollution. Four sources of PM2.5 were identified: combustion sources, vehicular emissions, dust and secondary aerosols. Secondary aerosols made the highest contribution and increased year-by-year, from 40.6% in winter 2016 to 46.3% in winter 2020. By contrast, the contribution from combustion sources decreased from 14.4% to 8.7%. Our results show the effectiveness of earlier pollution reduction policies and emphasizes that priority should be given to key pollutants (e.g., OM and NO3-) and sources (secondary aerosols and vehicular emissions) in future policies for the reduction of pollution in Chengdu during the winter months.

Human Herpesvirus 6A U4 Inhibits Proteasomal Degradation of the Amyloid Precursor Protein.

Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) belongs to the betaherpesvirus subfamily and is divided into two distinct species, HHV-6A and HHV-6B. HHV-6 can infect nerve cells and is associated with a variety of nervous system diseases. Recently, the association of HHV-6A infection with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been suggested. The main pathological phenomena of AD are the accumulation of ß-amyloid (Aß), neurofibrillary tangles, and neuroinflammation; however, the specific molecular mechanism of pathogenesis of AD is not completely clear. In this study, we focused on the effect of HHV-6A U4 gene function on Aß expression. Coexpression of HHV-6A U4 with amyloid precursor protein (APP) resulted in inhibition of ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation of APP. Consequently, accumulation of ß-amyloid peptide (Aß), insoluble neurofibrillary tangles, and loss of neural cells may occur. Immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry (IP-MS) showed that HHV-6A U4 protein interacts with E3 ubiquitin ligase composed of DDB1 and cullin 4B, which is also responsible for APP degradation. We hypothesize that HHV-6A U4 protein competes with APP for binding to E3 ubiquitin ligase, resulting in the inhibition of APP ubiquitin modification and clearance. Finally, this leads to an increase in APP expression and Aß deposition, which are the hallmarks of AD. These findings provide novel evidence for the etiological hypothesis of AD, which can contribute to the further analysis of the role of HHV-6A in AD. IMPORTANCE The association of HHV-6A infection with Alzheimer's disease has attracted increasing attention, although its role and molecular mechanism remain to be established. Our results here indicate that HHV-6A U4 inhibits amyloid precursor protein (APP) degradation. U4 protein interacts with CRLs (cullin-RING E3 ubiquitin-protein ligases), which is also responsible for APP degradation. We propose a model in which U4 competitively binds to CRLs with APP, resulting in APP accumulation and Aß generation. Our findings provide new insights into the etiological hypothesis of HHV-6A in AD that can help further analyses.

Inverse correlations between serum carotenoids and respiratory morbidity and mortality: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

The objective was to evaluate the association between serum carotenoid levels and respiratory morbidity and mortality in a nationally representative sample of US adults. We assessed the association of serum carotenoid levels with respiratory morbidity and mortality using logistic regression and proportional hazards regression models. Meanwhile, a series of confounders were controlled in regression models and restricted cubic spline, which included age, sex, race, marriage, education, income, drinking, smoking, regular exercise, BMI, daily energy intake, vitamin E, vitamin C, fruit intake, vegetable intake, diabetes, hypertension, asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Compared with participants in the lowest tertiles, participants in the highest tertiles of serum total carotenoids, ß-cryptoxanthin and lutein/zeaxanthin levels had a significantly lower prevalence of emphysema (ORtotal carotenoids = 0·61, 95% CI: 0·41-0·89, ORß-cryptoxanthin = 0·67, 95% CI: 0·49-0·92), chronic bronchitis (ORß-cryptoxanthin = 0·66, 95% CI: 0·50-0·87) and asthma (Q2: ORlutein/zeaxanthin = 0·78, 95% CI: 0·62-0·97); participants in the highest tertiles of total carotenoids, α-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin and lycopene had a lower risk of respiratory mortality (hazard ratio (HR)total carotenoids = 0·62, 95% CI: 0·42-0·90, HRα-carotene = 0·54, 95% CI: 0·36-0·82, HRlutein/zeaxanthin = 0·48, 95% CI: 0·33-0·71, HRlycopene = 0·66, 95% CI: 0·45-0·96) than those in the lowest tertiles. Higher serum total carotenoids and ß-cryptoxanthin levels is associated with decreased prevalence of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and higher serum total carotenoids, α-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin and lycopene levels had a lower mortality of respiratory disease.

Biological Interactions and Environmental Influences Shift Microeukaryotes in Permafrost Active Layer Soil Across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Permafrost active layer soils are harsh environments with thaw/freeze cycles and sub-zero temperatures, harboring diverse microorganisms. However, the distribution patterns, assembly mechanism, and driving forces of soil microeukaryotes in permafrost remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated microeukaryotes in permafrost active layer across the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) using 18S rRNA gene sequencing. The results showed that the microbial eukaryotic communities were dominated by Nematozoa, Ciliophora, Ascomycota, Cercozoa, Arthropoda, and Basidiomycota in terms of relative abundance and operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness. Nematozoa had the highest relative abundance, while Ciliophora had the highest OTU richness. These phyla had strong interactions between each other. Their alpha diversity and community structure were differently influenced by the factors associated to location, climate, and soil properties, particularly the soil properties. Significant but weak distance-decay relationships with different slopes were established for the communities of these dominant phyla, except for Basidiomycota. According to the null model, community assemblies of Nematozoa and Cercozoa were dominated by heterogeneous selection, Ciliophora and Ascomycota were dominated by dispersal limitation, while Arthropoda and Basidiomycota were highly dominated by non-dominant processes. The assembly mechanisms can be jointly explained by biotic interactions, organism treats, and environmental influences. Modules in the co-occurrence network of the microeukaryotes were composed by members from different taxonomic groups. These modules also had interactions and responded to different environmental factors, within which, soil properties had strong influences on these modules. The results suggested the importance of biological interactions and soil properties in structuring microbial eukaryotic communities in permafrost active layer soil across the QTP.

Emulate randomized clinical trials using heterogeneous treatment effect estimation for personalized treatments: Methodology review and benchmark.

Big data and (deep) machine learning have been ambitious tools in digital medicine, but these tools focus mainly on association. Intervention in medicine is about the causal effects. The average treatment effect has long been studied as a measure of causal effect, assuming that all populations have the same effect size. However, no "one-size-fits-all" treatment seems to work in some complex diseases. Treatment effects may vary by patient. Estimating heterogeneous treatment effects (HTE) may have a high impact on developing personalized treatment. Lots of advanced machine learning models for estimating HTE have emerged in recent years, but there has been limited translational research into the real-world healthcare domain. To fill the gap, we reviewed and compared eleven recent HTE estimation methodologies, including meta-learner, representation learning models, and tree-based models. We performed a comprehensive benchmark experiment based on nationwide healthcare claim data with application to Alzheimer's disease drug repurposing. We provided some challenges and opportunities in HTE estimation analysis in the healthcare domain to close the gap between innovative HTE models and deployment to real-world healthcare problems.

A hierarchical strategy to minimize privacy risk when linking "De-identified" data in biomedical research consortia.

Linking data across studies offers an opportunity to enrich data sets and provide a stronger basis for data-driven models for biomedical discovery and/or prognostication. Several techniques to link records have been proposed, and some have been implemented across data repositories holding molecular and clinical data. Not all these techniques guarantee appropriate privacy protection; there are trade-offs between (a) simple strategies that can be associated with data that will be linked and shared with any party and (b) more complex strategies that preserve the privacy of individuals across parties. We propose an intermediary, practical strategy to support linkage in studies that share de-identified data with Data Coordinating Centers. This technology can be extended to link data across multiple data hubs to support privacy preserving record linkage, considering data coordination centers and their awardees, which can be extended to a hierarchy of entities (e.g., awardees, data coordination centers, data hubs, etc.) b.

A retrospective examination of pain in acute stroke at hospital discharge.

OBJECTIVES: Pain is an overlooked sequela of stroke. Persistent pain after stroke is an underrecognized experience and significantly impacts survivors' function, ability to participate in rehabilitation, and quality of life. The aim of this retrospective, observational study is to examine the incidence of pain at the acute hospitalization period immediately after stroke, to identify the characteristics of those reporting pain at discharge, and to compare pain reporting between stroke and non-stroke hospital controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using discharge diagnosis, this retrospective review examined self- reports of pain during acute hospitalization for stroke compared to those with COPD (control group) admitted during the same time in the same facilities. Variables of interest included age, gender, body mass index (BMI), length of stay, pain assessment score (numeric rating scale [NRS], behavior pain scale [BPS], and medication administration record pain score total [MAR]), smoking history, prevalence of hypertension and race. 821 subjects were included from a total of three campuses from one large hospital system. 772 subjects were included in the comparative analysis with COPD patients from the same facilities during the same time. RESULTS: 43% of patients diagnosed with stroke reported pain at discharge. For stroke survivors reporting pain at discharge, the average BMI was higher (p=0.009), average arrival NIHSS was higher (p=0.044), and mean hospital length of stay was longer (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The evidence demonstrated in this study highlights the critical need for the implementation of targeted objective pain assessment and effective pain interventions for stroke survivors beginning at initial hospitalization.

Polysaccharide-based biosorbents for cholesterol and bile salts in gastric-intestinal passage: Advances and future trends.

Cholesterol is one of the hazard elements for many cardiovascular diseases, but many cholesterol-lowering drugs are expensive and unhealthy. Therefore, it is necessary to develop edible and safe biosorbents to reduce excess cholesterol and bile salts in the gastric-intestinal passage. Polysaccharide-based biosorbents offer a feasible strategy for decreasing them. This review summarized polysaccharide-based biosorbents that have been developed for adsorbing cholesterol and bile salts from the gastric-intestinal passage and analyzed common modification methods for these adsorbents. Finally, the adsorption models were also elucidated. Polysaccharides, including ß-cyclodextrin, pectin, chitin/chitosan, dietary fiber extract, and cellulose, have been proposed for adsorbing cholesterol and bile salts in the gastric-intestinal passage as biosorbents. This is mainly due to the retention of pores, the capture of the viscosity network, and the help of hydrophobic interactions. In spite of this, the adsorption capacity of polysaccharides is still limited. Therefore, the modifications for them became the most popular areas in the recent studies of in vitro cholesterol adsorption. Chemical approaches namely grafting, (1) acetylation, (2) hydroxypropylation, (3) carboxymethylation, and (4) amination are considered to modify the polysaccharides for higher adsorption ability. Moreover, ultrasonic/microwave/pressure treatment and micron technology (microfluidization, micronization, and ball milling) are effective physical modification methods, while the biological approach mainly refers to enzymatic hydrolysis and microbial fermentation. The adsorption models are generally explained by two adsorption isotherms and two adsorption kinetics. In sum, it is reckoned that further food applications will follow soon.

A comprehensive review of intelligent packaging for fruits and vegetables: Target responders, classification, applications, and future challenges.

Post-harvest fruits and vegetables are extremely susceptible to dramatic and accelerated quality deterioration deriving from their metabolism and adverse environmental influences. Given their vigorous physiological metabolism, monitoring means are lacking due to the extent that unnecessary waste and damage are caused. Numerous intelligent packaging studies have been hitherto carried out to investigate their potential for fruit and vegetable quality monitoring. This state-of-the-art overview begins with recent advances in target metabolites for intelligent packaging of fruits and vegetables. Subsequently, the mechanisms of action between metabolites and packaging materials are presented. In particular, the exact categorization and function of intelligent packaging of fruits and vegetables, are all extensively and comprehensively described. In addition, for the sake of further research in this field, the obstacles that impede the scaling up and commercialization of intelligent packaging for fruits and vegetables are also explored, to present valuable references.

Highly Efficient Separation of C8 Aromatic Isomers by Rationally Designed Nonaromatic Metal-Organic Frameworks.

The separation of C8 aromatics (xylenes and ethylbenzene) remains one of the most challenging industrial separations due to their similar structures and properties. Suitable adsorbents that can distinguish the small differences among isomers are urgently demanded. Herein, we demonstrate a strategy to realize the precise discrimination of C8 aromatics by constructing a nonaromatic confined pore environment with mixed polycycloalkane-type ligands. The nonaromatic low-polar pore environment avoids strong convergent interactions between the framework and the common phenyl rings while creating possibilities to amplify the difference between host-guest/guest-guest interactions regarding the different methyl (ethyl) group positions of isomers. The resultant metal-organic framework, ZUL-C3, with either tetragonal or monoclinic lattice, exhibits outstanding separation performance for C8 aromatics, not only realizing the simultaneous separation of four isomers from each other but also setting a benchmark for the dynamic separation performance of OX/PX and OX/MX.

Construction of electrochemiluminescence biosensor via click chemistry and ARGET-ATRP for detecting tobacco mosaic virus RNA.

Herein, an electroluminescence (ECL) biosensor was constructed by combining click chemistry with activators regenerated by electron transfer-atom transfer radical polymerization (ARGET-ATRP) to sensitively assay tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) RNA for the first time. First, hairpin DNA (hDNA) was self-assembled on the gold electrode surface through Au-S bonding. The hDNA hybridized with the tDNA to form tRNA/hDNA hybrids in the presence of TMV RNA (tRNA), so that the azide group labelled at the end of the hDNA was kept away from the electrode surface. Subsequently, the initiator for the ARGET-ATRP reaction was modified on the electrode surface by chemical bonds via click chemistry. Then, N-acryloxysuccinimide (NAS)-labelled polymer chains were successfully formed on the electrode surface by ARGET-ATRP. Under the optimized conditions, a good linear relationship existed with the ECL signal and the logarithm of tRNA concentration in the range of 0.1 pM-10 nM, and the limit of detection was 2.61 fM. In addition, this strategy can identify mismatched bases and performs well in recovery assays in real samples. For its high sensitivity, selectivity, simplicity and economy, the ECL biosensor shows great potential for practical applications.

Trends in the cause of death among patients with bladder cancer in the US SEER population, 1992-2018.

BACKGROUND: Bladder cancer (BC) survival has shown no significant improvement. This study investigated the trends in the common causes of death among patients with BC to improve the management and survival of BC. METHOD: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) (1992-2018) database was utilized to get the data of BC patients. We presented the proportion of six common causes of death in BC patients. We calculated the annual incidence of death due to the six most common causes and analyzed temporal trends in mortality rates using joinpoint regression. The competitive risk model was utilized to analyze the risk factors for death of BC and other causes. RESULTS: 198037 BC patients were enrolled. BC was the most common cause of death (30.62%), followed by other cancers (22.22%), circulatory diseases (20.28%), non-disease causes (11.58%), other non-cancer diseases (8.29%), and respiratory diseases (7.01%). However, the proportion of cases dying from BC gradually decreased from 44.87% in 1992-1996 to 26.74% in 2012-2018. The proportion of deaths due to BC decreased gradually with survival time from diagnosis. Age-standardized temporal trends present an initial increase in BC-specific and other-cause mortality rates. Advanced stage and older age were the most influential risk factors for BC-specific and other-cause death, respectively. CONCLUSION: Although BC was still the leading cause of death, other causes, especially other cancers and circulatory diseases, gradually became more critical. The management of other comorbid conditions will be a crucial part of the treatment for BC patients, especially for those with prolonged survival and NMIBC tumors.