Nobiletin promotes lipolysis of white adipose tissue in a circadian clock-dependent manner.

Nobiletin has been reported to protect against obesity-related metabolic disorders by enhancing the circadian rhythm; however its effects on lipid metabolism in adipose tissue are unclear. In this study, mice were fed with high-fat diet (HFD) for four weeks firstly and gavaged with 50 or 200 mg/kg bodyweight/day nobiletin at Zeitgeber time (ZT) 4 for another four weeks while still receiving HFD. At the end of the 8-week experimental period, the mice were sacrificed at ZT4 or ZT8 on the same day. Mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes were treated with nobiletin in the presence or absence of siBmal1, siRora, siRorc, SR8278 or SR9009. Nobiletin reduced the weight of white adipose tissue (WAT) and the size of adipocytes in WAT. At ZT4, nobiletin decreased the TG, TC and LDL-c levels and increased serum FFA level and glucose tolerance. Nobiletin triggered the lipolysis of mesenteric and epididymal WAT at both ZT4 and ZT16. Nobiletin increased the level of RORγ at ZT16, that of BMAL1 and PPARγ at ZT4, and that of ATGL at both ZT4 and ZT16. Nobiletin increased lipolysis and ATGL levels in 3T3-L1 adipocytes in Bmal1- or Rora/c- dependent manner. Dual luciferase assay indicated that nobiletin enhanced the transcriptional activation of RORα/γ on Atgl promoter and decreased the repression of RORα/γ on PPARγ-binding PPRE. Promoter deletion analysis indicated that nobiletin inhibited the suppression of PPARγ-mediated Atgl transcription by RORα/γ. Taken together, nobiletin elevated lipolysis in WAT by increasing ATGL levels through activating the transcriptional activity of RORα/γ and decreasing the repression of RORα/γ on PPARγ-binding PPRE.

Microenvironment-Responsive Antibacterial, Anti-Inflammatory, and Antioxidant Pickering Emulsion Stabilized by Curcumin-Loaded Tea Polyphenol Particles for Accelerating Infected Wound Healing.

Multiphase Pickering emulsions, including two or more active agents, are of great importance to effectively manage complicated wounds. However, current strategies based on Pickering emulsions are still unsatisfying since they involve only stabilization by inactive particles and encapsulation of the hydrophobic drugs in the oil phase. Herein, thyme essential oil (TEO) was encapsulated in the shell of functional tea polyphenol (TP)-curcumin (Cur) nanoparticles (TC NPs) to exemplarily develop a novel Pickering emulsion (TEO/TC PE). Hydrophobic Cur was loaded with hydrophilic TP to obtain TC NPs, and under homogenization, these TC NPs adsorbed on the surface of TEO droplets to form a stable core-shell structure. Owing to such an oil-in-water (O/W) structure, the sequential release of the first Cur from pH-responsive disintegrated TC NPs and then the leaked TEO from the emulsion yielded synergetic functions of TEO/TC PE, leading to enhanced antibacterial, biofilm elimination, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. This injectable TEO/TC PE was applied to treat the infected full-thickness skin defects, and satisfactory wound healing effects were achieved with rapid angiogenesis, collagen deposition, and skin regeneration. The present TEO/TC PE constituted entirely of plant-sourced active products is biosafe and expected to spearhead the future development of novel wound dressings.

Ti-Substituted O3-NaNi0.5Mn0.3Ti0.2O2 Material with a Disordered Transition Metal Layer and a Stable Structure.

O3-type NaNi0.5Mn0.5O2 (NNM) is very competitive for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to its high capacity and easy production. Nevertheless, the intricate phase transitions during the charging-discharging significantly impede its practical application. This paper proposes a strategy for successfully synthesizing NaNi0.5Mn0.3Ti0.2O2 (NNMT) by combining coprecipitation and a high-temperature solid-state method. This method introduces Ti elements while retaining the electrochemically active Ni2+ content, thus, the NNMT has a high initial specific capacity of 151.4 mAh g-1 at 1 C. It is demonstrated that introducing Ti4+ leads to the transition metal layers becoming disordered by ex situ XRD, thus mitigating the irreversible phase transition of the material. In addition, Ti4+ does not have an outer electron, which can reduce electron delocalization in the transition metal layer and improve the material's cyclic stability. The NNMT possesses a capacity retention rate of 60.66% after 150 cycles, much higher than the initial NNM's 18.96%. It also exhibits an excellent discharge capacity of 86.8 mAh g-1 at 5 C. In conclusion, the cycling and rate performance of the Ti-substituted NNMT are greatly improved without capacity loss, which offers innovative concepts for the modification means of the SIBs layered oxide cathode materials.

Mechanism exploration of synergistic photo-immunotherapy strategy based on a novel exosome-like nanosystem for remodeling the immune microenvironment of HCC.

The immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) has become a major challenge in cancer immunotherapy, with abundant tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) playing a key role in promoting tumor immune escape by displaying an immunosuppressive (M2) phenotype. Recently, it was reported that M1 macrophage-derived nanovesicles (M1NVs) can reprogram TAMs to an anti-tumor M1 phenotype, thereby significantly alleviating the immunosuppressive TME and enhancing the anti-tumor efficacy of immunotherapy. Herein, we developed M1NVs loaded with mesoporous dopamine (MPDA) and indocyanine green (ICG), which facilitated the recruitment of M2 TAMs through synergistic photothermal and photodynamic therapy. Thereafter, M1NVs can induce M1 repolarization of TAMs, resulting in increased infiltration of cytotoxic T lymphocytes within the tumor to promote tumor regression. This study investigated the effect of phototherapy on the immune environment of liver cancer using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) by comparing HCC tissues before and after MPDA/ICG@M1NVs + NIR treatment. The results showed significant shifts in cell composition and gene expression, with decreases in epithelial cells, B cells, and macrophages and increases in neutrophils and myeloid cells. Additionally, gene analysis indicated a reduction in pro-inflammatory signals and immunosuppressive functions, along with enhanced B-cell function and anti-tumor immunity, downregulation of the Gtsf1 gene in the epithelial cells of the MPDA/ICG @M1NVs + NIR group, and decreased expression of the lars2 gene in immune subpopulations. Eno3 expression is reduced in M1 macrophages, whereas Clec4a3 expression is downregulated in M2 macrophages. Notably, the B cell population decreased, whereas Pou2f2 expression increased. These genes regulate cell growth, death, metabolism, and tumor environment, indicating their key role in HCC progression. This study highlights the potential for understanding cellular and molecular dynamics to improve immunotherapy.

Exploiting the potential of the ubiquitin-proteasome system in overcoming tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia.

The advent of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) targeting BCR-ABL has drastically changed the treatment approach of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), greatly prolonged the life of CML patients, and improved their prognosis. However, TKI resistance is still a major problem with CML patients, reducing the efficacy of treatment and their quality of life. TKI resistance is mainly divided into BCR-ABL-dependent and BCR-ABL-independent resistance. Now, the main clinical strategy addressing TKI resistance is to switch to newly developed TKIs. However, data have shown that these new drugs may cause serious adverse reactions and intolerance and cannot address all resistance mutations. Therefore, finding new therapeutic targets to overcome TKI resistance is crucial and the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) has emerged as a focus. The UPS mediates the degradation of most proteins in organisms and controls a wide range of physiological processes. In recent years, the study of UPS in hematological malignant tumors has resulted in effective treatments, such as bortezomib in the treatment of multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma. In CML, the components of UPS cooperate or antagonize the efficacy of TKI by directly or indirectly affecting the ubiquitination of BCR-ABL, interfering with CML-related signaling pathways, and negatively or positively affecting leukemia stem cells. Some of these molecules may help overcome TKI resistance and treat CML. In this review, the mechanism of TKI resistance is briefly described, the components of UPS are introduced, existing studies on UPS participating in TKI resistance are listed, and UPS as the therapeutic target and strategies are discussed.

Population structure and antibiotic resistance of swine extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli from China.

Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) pose a significant threat to human and animal health. However, the diversity and antibiotic resistance of animal ExPEC, and their connection to human infections, remain largely unexplored. The study performs large-scale genome sequencing and antibiotic resistance testing of 499 swine-derived ExPEC isolates from China. Results show swine ExPEC are phylogenetically diverse, with over 80% belonging to phylogroups B1 and A. Importantly, 15 swine ExPEC isolates exhibit genetic relatedness to human-origin E. coli strains. Additionally, 49 strains harbor toxins typical of enteric E. coli pathotypes, implying hybrid pathotypes. Notably, 97% of the total strains are multidrug resistant, including resistance to critical human drugs like third- and fourth-generation cephalosporins. Correspondingly, genomic analysis unveils prevalent antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), often associated with co-transfer mechanisms. Furthermore, analysis of 20 complete genomes illuminates the transmission pathways of ARGs within swine ExPEC and to human pathogens. For example, the transmission of plasmids co-harboring fosA3, blaCTX-M-14, and mcr-1 genes between swine ExPEC and human-origin Salmonella enterica is observed. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring and controlling ExPEC infections in animals, as they can serve as a reservoir of ARGs with the potential to affect human health or even be the origin of pathogens infecting humans.

Boron Dipyrromethene-Based Nanotheranostic System for Sonophotoassisted Therapy and Simultaneous Monitoring of Tumor Immune Microenvironment Reprogramming.

Therapy-induced modulation of the tumor microenvironment (TME) to overcome the immunosuppressive TME is considered to be an opportunity for cancer treatment. However, monitoring of TME modulation during the therapeutic process to accurately determine immune responses and adjust treatment plans in a timely manner remains to be challenging. Herein, we report a carrier-free nanotheranostic system (CANPs) assembled by two boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) dyes, a sonophotosensitizer C-BDP, and a nitric oxide (NO) probe amino-BODIPY (A-BDP). CANPs can exert combined sonophototherapeutic effects of C-BDP under ultrasound and light irradiation and simultaneously induce inflammatory TME, as well as emit bright fluorescence via A-BDP by monitoring tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) repolarization through the released NO in vitro and in vivo. Of note, transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) could be the key cytokine involved in the sonophototherapy-induced TME reprogramming. By virtue of high physiological stability, good biocompatibility, and effective tumor targetability, CANPs could be a potential nanotheranostic system for the simultaneous induction and detection of TME reprogramming triggered by sonophototherapy.

Disulfiram downregulates ferredoxin 1 to maintain copper homeostasis and inhibit inflammation in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

In the current study, we aimed to investigate whether disulfiram (DSF) exerts a neuroprotective role in cerebral ischemiareperfusion (CI-RI) injury by modulating ferredoxin 1 (FDX1) to regulate copper ion (Cu) levels and inhibiting inflammatory responses. To simulate CI-RI, a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model in C57/BL6 mice was employed. Mice were administered with or without DSF before and after tMCAO. Changes in infarct volume after tMCAO were observed using TTC staining. Nissl staining and hematoxylin-eosin (he) staining were used to observe the morphological changes of nerve cells at the microscopic level. The inhibitory effect of DSF on initial inflammation was verified by TUNEL assay, apoptosis-related protein detection and iron concentration detection. FDX1 is the main regulatory protein of copper death, and the occurrence of copper death will lead to the increase of HSP70 stress and inflammatory response. Cuproptosis-related proteins and downstream inflammatory factors were detected by western blotting, immunofluorescence staining, and immunohistochemistry. The content of copper ions was detected using a specific kit, while electron microscopy was employed to examine mitochondrial changes. We found that DSF reduced the cerebral infarction volume, regulated the expression of cuproptosis-related proteins, and modulated copper content through down regulation of FDX1 expression. Moreover, DSF inhibited the HSP70/TLR-4/NLRP3 signaling pathway. Collectively, DSF could regulate Cu homeostasis by inhibiting FDX1, acting on the HSP70/TLR4/NLRP3 pathway to alleviate CI/RI. Accordingly, DSF could mitigate inflammatory responses and safeguard mitochondrial integrity, yielding novel therapeutic targets and mechanisms for the clinical management of ischemia-reperfusion injury.

A bibliometric study of the intellectual base and global research hotspots for single-cell sequencing [2009-2022] in breast cancer.

Background: Breast cancer is the most widespread malignant tumor worldwide. Single-cell sequencing technology offers novel insights and methods to understand the onset, progression, and treatment of tumors. Nevertheless, there is currently an absence of a thorough and unbiased report on the comprehensive research status of single-cell sequencing in breast cancer. This study seeks to summarize and quantify the dynamics and trends of research on breast cancer single-cell sequencing by bibliometric analysis. Methods: Research articles and reviews related to breast cancer single-cell sequencing were selected from the WoSCC database. Visualization of data regarding countries, institutions, authors, references, and keywords was performed by CiteSpace and VOSviewer software. Results: 583 articles and reviews were analyzed in this study. The quantity of publications related to breast cancer single-cell sequencing has been increasing annually. These studies originate from 302 institutions in 46 countries, with YMAX S WICHA producing the most publications and WANG Y being the most cited author. Nature Communications is the most researched journal, while Nature holds the highest number of citations. These journals predominantly cover topics in the molecular/biological/immunological fields. Moreover, an analysis of reference and keyword bursts revealed that current research trends in this area are primarily centered on "clonal evolution," "tumor microenvironment," and "immunotherapy." Conclusion: Breast cancer single-cell sequencing is a rapidly growing area of scientific interest. Future research requires more frequent and in-depth collaborations among countries, institutions, and authors. Furthermore, "clonal evolution," "tumor microenvironment," and "immunotherapy" are likely to become major focal points in upcoming research on breast cancer single-cell sequencing.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease as a Risk Factor for Complications and Revisions Following Lumbar Discectomy.

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. OBJECTIVES: Patients with IBD are at an increased risk for postoperative complications following surgery. The goal of this study is to investigate if inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a risk factor for complications following lumbar discectomy. METHODS: We identified IBD patients who underwent lumbar discectomy for lumbar disc herniation (LDH) and matched to them with controls without IBD in a1:5 ratio. We excluded patients with a history of spinal injury, cancer, infection, trauma, or surgery to remove the digestive tract. We used multivariate logistic regression analyses to compare postoperative outcomes, including 90-day complications, 90-day emergency department visits, and 90-day readmissions. In addition, 2-year re-discectomy rates and a 3-year lumbar fusion rate were compared between the cohorts. RESULTS: After applying the study criteria, we identified 6134 IBD patients with LDH for further analysis. With the exception of dura tears, patients with IBD had significantly higher rates of medical complications, incision-related complications, ED visits, and readmission rates compared to patients without IBD, especially for the 2-year and 3-year rates of disc recurrence and revision surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with IBD who underwent lumbar discectomy are at a significantly higher rate of complications. Therefore, spine surgeons and other health care providers should be aware of this higher risk associated with IBD patients and properly treat the patients' IBD before surgery to lower these risks.

Red Blood Cell Distribution Width to Albumin Ratio for Predicting Type I Cardiorenal Syndrome in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: Red blood cell distribution width to albumin ratio (RAR) is a novel inflammatory biomarker that independently predicts adverse cardiovascular events and acute kidney injury. This study aimed to assess the predictive value of RAR for cardio-renal syndrome type I (CRS-I) risk in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. Patients and methods: This study retrospectively enrolled 551 patients who were definitively diagnosed as AMI between October 2021 and October 2022 at the Affiliated Zhongda Hospital of Southeast University. Participants were divided into two and four groups based on the occurrence of CRS-I and the quartiles of RAR, respectively. Demographic data, laboratory findings, coronary angiography data, and drug utilization were compared among the groups. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis were performed to identify independent risk factors for CRS-I and evaluated the predictive value of RAR for CRS-I. Results: Among the cohort of 551 patients, 103 (18.7%) developed CRS-I. Patients with CRS-I exhibited significantly elevated RAR levels compared to those without the condition, and the incidence of CRS-I correlated with escalating RAR. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified RAR as an independent risk factor for CRS-I. ROC curves analysis demonstrated that RAR alone predicted CRS-I with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.683 (95% CI=0.642-0.741), which was superior to the traditional inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP). Adding the variable RAR to the model for predicting the risk of CRS-I further improved the predictive value of the model from 0.808 (95% CI=0.781-0.834) to 0.825 (95% CI=0.799-0.850). Conclusion: RAR is an independent risk factor for CRS-I, and high levels of RAR are associated with an increased incidence of CRS-I in patients with AMI. RAR emerges as a valuable and readily accessible inflammatory biomarker that may play a pivotal role in risk stratification in clinical practice.

Progress of research on the surface functionalization of tantalum and porous tantalum in bone tissue engineering.

Tantalum and porous tantalum are ideal materials for making orthopedic implants due to their stable chemical properties and excellent biocompatibility. However, their utilization is still affected by loosening, infection, and peripheral inflammatory reactions, which sometimes ultimately lead to implant removal. An ideal bone implant should have exceptional biological activity, which can improve the surrounding biological microenvironment to enhance bone repair. Recent advances in surface functionalization have produced various strategies for developing compatibility between either of the two materials and their respective microenvironments. This review provides a systematic overview of state-of-the-art strategies for conferring biological functions to tantalum and porous tantalum implants. Furthermore, the review describes methods for preparing active surfaces and different bioactive substances that are used, summarizing their functions. Finally, this review discusses current challenges in the development of optimal bone implant materials.

Tuning the Metal-Support Interaction by Modulating CeO2 Oxygen Vacancies to Enhance the Toluene Oxidation Activity of Pt/CeO2 Catalysts.

In this research, a range of Pt/CeO2 catalysts featuring varying Pt-O-Ce bond contents were developed by modulating the oxygen vacancies of the CeO2 support for toluene abatement. The Pt/CeO2-HA catalyst generated a maximum quantity of Pt-O-Ce bonds (possessed the strongest metal-support interaction), as evidenced by the visible Raman results, which demonstrated outstanding toluene catalytic performance. Additionally, the UV Raman results revealed that the strong metal-support interaction stimulated a substantial increase in oxygen vacancies, which could facilitate the activation of gaseous oxygen to generate abundant reactive oxygen species accumulated on the Pt/CeO2-HA catalyst surface, a conclusion supported by the H2-TPR, XPS, and toluene-TPSR results. Furthermore, the results from quasi-in situ XPS, in situ DRIFTS, and DFT indicated that the Pt/CeO2-HA catalyst with a strong metal-support interaction led to improved mobility of reactive oxygen species and lower oxygen activation energies, which could transfer a large number of activated reactive oxygen species to the reaction interface to participate in the toluene oxidation, resulting in the relatively superior catalytic performance. The approach of tuning the metal-support interaction of catalysts offers a promising avenue to develop highly active catalysts for toluene degradation.

Nobiletin Protects Against Alcoholic Liver Disease in Mice via the BMAL1-AKT-Lipogenesis Pathway.

SCOPE: Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a global public health concern. Nobiletin, a polymethoxyflavone abundant in citrus fruits, enhances circadian rhythms and ameliorates diet-induced hepatic steatosis, but its influences on ALD are unknown. This study investigates the role of brain and muscle Arnt-like protein-1 (Bmal1), a key regulator of the circadian clock, in nobiletin-alleviated ALD. METHODS AND RESULTS: This study uses chronic ethanol feeding plus an ethanol binge to establish ALD models in Bmal1flox/flox and Bmal1 liver-specific knockout (Bmal1LKO) mice. Nobiletin mitigates ethanol-induced liver injury (alanine aminotransferase [ALT]), glucose intolerance, hepatic apoptosis, and lipid deposition (triglyceride [TG], total cholesterol [TC]) in Bmal1flox/flox mice. Nobiletin fails to modulated liver injury (ALT, aspartate aminotransferase [AST]), apoptosis, and TG accumulation in Bmal1LKO mice. The expression of lipogenic genes (acetyl-CoA carboxylase alpha [Acaca], fatty acid synthase [Fasn]) and fatty acid oxidative genes (carnitine pamitoyltransferase [Cpt1a], cytochrome P450, family 4, subfamily a, polypeptide 10 [Cyp4a10], and cytochrome P450, family4, subfamily a, polypeptide 14 [Cyp4a14]) is inhibited, and the expression of proapoptotic genes (Bcl2 inteacting mediator of cell death [Bim]) is enhanced by ethanol in Bmal1flox/flox mice. Nobiletin antagonizes the expression of these genes in Bmal1flox/flox mice and not in Bmal1LKO mice. Nobiletin activates protein kinase B (PKB, also known as AKT) phosphorylation, increases the levels of the carbohydrate response element binding protein (ChREBP), ACC1, and FASN, and reduces the level of sterol-regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP1) and phosphorylation of ACC1 in a Bmal1-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: Nobiletin alleviates ALD by increasing the expression of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation by increasing AKT phosphorylation and lipogenesis in a Bmal1-dependent manner.

Tensile and High Cycle Fatigue Performance at Room and Elevated Temperatures of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Manufactured Hastelloy X.

The application potential of additive manufacturing nickel-based superalloys in aeroengines and gas turbines is extensive, and evaluating their mechanical properties is crucial for promoting the engineering application in load-bearing components. In this study, Hastelloy X alloy was prepared using the laser powder bed fusion process combined with solution heat treatment. The tensile and high cycle fatigue properties were experimentally investigated at room temperature as well as two typical elevated temperatures, 650 °C and 815 °C. It was found that, during elevated-temperature tensile deformation, the alloy exhibits significant serrated flow behavior, primarily observed during the initial stage of plastic deformation at 650 °C but occurring throughout the entire plastic deformation process at 815 °C. Notably, when deformation is small, sawtooth fluctuations are significantly higher at 815 °C compared to 650 °C. Irregular subsurface lack of fusion defects serve as primary sources for fatigue crack initiation in this alloy including both single-source and multi-source initiation mechanisms; moreover, oxidation on fracture surfaces is more prone to occur at elevated temperatures, particularly at 815 °C.

Preparation and Performance Evaluation of Temperature-Resistant and Salt-Resistant Gels.

In order to improve the plugging performance of high-temperature and high-salt oil reservoir plugging agents, this paper utilizes a copolymer composed of acrylamide and 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AM/AMPS) as the polymer, polyethyleneimine as the cross-linking agent, and nylon fiber as the stabilizer to develop a high-temperature- and high-salt-resistant gel system. This study analyzed and evaluated the temperature resistance, salt resistance and blocking performance of the gel system. The evaluation results show that the gel-forming strength of this gel system can reach an H level, and it has good thermal stability at the high temperature of 130 °C. At the high salinity of 240,720 mg/L, the syneresis rate remains below 2.5%, and the gel-forming time is greater than 15 h; the higher the temperature, the shorter the gelling time. The results of our sand-filled pipe-plugging experiment show that the gel system can adapt to sand-filled pipes with different levels of permeability, and reaching a plugging rate of 94%.

Delaying age at first sexual intercourse provides protection against oral cavity cancer: a mendelian randomization study.

Aim: To investigate whether age at first sexual intercourse could lead to any changes in the risk of oral cavity cancer. Methods: A two-sample mendelian randomization was conducted using genetic variants associated with age at first sexual intercourse in UK biobank as instrumental variables. Summary data of Northern American from a previous genome-wide association study aimed at oral cavity cancer was served as outcome. Three analytical methods: inverse variance-weighted, mendelian randomization Egger, and weighted median were used to perform the analysis, among which inverse variance-weighted was set as the primary method. Robustness of the results was assessed through Cochran Q test, mendelian randomization Egger intercept tests, MR PRESSO, leave one out analysis and funnel plot. Results: The primary analysis provided substantial evidence of a positive causal relationship age at first sexual intercourse and the risk of oral cavity cancer (p = 0.0002), while a delayed age at first sexual intercourse would lead to a decreased risk of suffering oral cavity cancer (ß = -1.013). The secondary outcomes confirmed the results (all ß < 0) and all assessments supported the robustness, too (all p > 0.05). Conclusion: The study demonstrates that a delayed sexual debut would provide protection against OCC, thus education on delaying sexual intercourse should be recommended.

Enhancing the Cycling and Rate Performance of Ni-Rich Cathodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries by Bulk-Phase Engineering and Surface Reconstruction.

The structural and interfacial instability of Ni-rich layered cathodes LiNi0.9Co0.05Mn0.05O2 (NCM9055) severely hinders their commercial application. In this work, straightforward high-temperature solid-state methods are utilized to successfully synthesize Nb-doped and Li3PO4-coated LiNi0.9Co0.05Mn0.05O2 by combining two niobium sources, NbOPO4·3H2O and Nb2O5, for the first time. Studies indicate that Nb doping enhanced the integrity of the layered structure, and the Li3PO4 coating reduced water absorption on the surface and considerably boosted the durability of the interface. The dual-modified cathode Li(Ni0.9Co0.05Mn0.05)0.985Nb0.015O2@Li3PO4 (NCM-2) exhibits remarkable cycling and rate performance. The initial discharge specific capacity of NCM-2 is 203.33 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C and 196.04 mAh g-1 at 1 C, while the capacity retention after 200 cycles is 91.38% at 1 C, which is much higher than that of pristine NCM9055 (49.96%). In addition, it also provides a superior discharge specific capacity of about 175.63 mAh g-1 even at 5 C. This study emphasizes a feasible approach to enhancing the stability of Ni-rich cathodes at the interfaces and bulk structures.

Soft yet mechanically robust injectable alginate hydrogels with processing versatility based on alginate/hydroxyapatite hybridization.

The salient gelling feature of alginate via forming the egg-box structure with calcium ions has received extensive interests for different applications. Owing to the interfacial incompatibility of rigid inorganic solids with soft polymers, the requirement of overall stereocomplexation with calcium released from uniformly distributed solids in alginate remains a challenge. In this study, a novel alginate-incorporated calcium source was proposed to tackle the intractable dispersion for the preparation of injectable alginate hydrogels. Calcium phosphate synthesis in alginate solution yielded CaP-alginate hybrids as a calcium source. The physicochemical characterization confirmed the CaP-alginate hybrid was a nano-scale alginate-hydroxyapatite complex. The colloidally stable CaP-alginate hybrids were uniformly dispersed in alginate solutions even under centrifugation. The calcium-induced gelling of the CaP-alginate hybrids-loaded alginate solutions formed soft yet tough hydrogels including transparent sheets and knittable threads, confirming the homogeneous gelation of the hydrogel. The gelation time, injectability and mechanical properties of the hydrogels could be adjusted by changing preparation parameters. The prepared hydrogels showed uniform porous structure, excellent swelling, wetting properties and cytocompatibility, showing a great potential for applications in different fields. The present strategy with organic/inorganic hybridization could be exemplarily followed in the future development of functional hydrogels especially associated with the interface integration.

EPA and DHA differentially improve insulin resistance by reducing adipose tissue inflammation-targeting GPR120/PPARγ pathway.

Insulin resistance (IR) is a global health challenge, often initiated by dysfunctional adipose tissue. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may have different effects on IR, but the mechanisms are unknown. This study aims to evaluate the protective effect of EPA and DHA against IR in a high-fat diet (HFD) mice model and investigate whether EPA and DHA alter IR modulate the G-protein-poupled receptor 120/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (GPR120/PPARγ) pathway in macrophages and adipocytes, which may affect IR in adipocytes. The findings of this study show that 4% DHA had a better effect in improving IR and reducing inflammatory cytokines in adipose tissue of mice. Additionally, in the cell experiment, the use of AH7614 (a GPR120 antagonist) inhibited the glucose consumption increase and the increasable expression of PPARγ and insulin signaling molecules mediated by DHA in adipocytes. Furthermore, GW9662 (a PPARγ antagonist) hindered the upregulation of glucose consumption and insulin signaling molecule expression induced by EPA and DHA in adipocytes. DHA exhibited significant effects in reducing the number of migrated cells and inflammation. The compounds AH7614 and GW9662 hindered the suppressive effects of EPA and DHA on macrophage-induced IR in adipocytes. These findings suggest that DHA has a stronger potential in improving IR in adipocytes through the GPR120/PPARγ pathway in macrophages, when compared to EPA.