Patterned Ultraslippery Surfaces of Stainless Steel Prepared by Femtosecond Laser Ablation for Directional Manipulation of Liquid Droplets.

Slippery liquid-infused porous surfaces (SLIPS) have promising applications in chip laboratories, nanofriction power generation, and microfluidics due to their excellent properties such as good hydrophobicity and low adhesion. However, the self-driven stability of conventionally lubricated surfaces is not high, and the velocity of liquid droplets is difficult to regulate. This greatly limits the potential applications of SLIPS. A strategy is offered to prepare microporous structures of SLIPS directly on a stainless-steel substrate using femtosecond laser processing technology as the main means to realize exhibiting smoothness to liquids. At the same time, the principle of bionics is utilized, the porous structure of SLIPS is combined with the groove structure of rice leaves, or porous structures are combined with the wedge structure of shorebird beak to prepare the three-dimensional structure of SLIPS. Droplets exhibit significant individual anisotropy on three-dimensional (3D) SLIPS of leaf-like groove stripe structure in rice, enabling the precise control of droplet motion direction. When droplets are transported in wedge-shaped SLIPS with an asymmetric structure, the wedge edge can limit the direction of droplet motion while squeezing the droplet to generate Laplace pressure gradient, which achieves continuous self-driven transport of droplets. In addition, based on the above two processing strategies, an information transfer device is designed: the splicing of the self-driven transport surface with anisotropic topological channels enables the differential drive for liquid transport, which provides the conditions for the information transfer of the droplets. This strategy not only is simple and efficient but also provides new ideas for the effective development of multifunctional SLIPS as well as lab-on-a-chip and microfluidic domains.

High internal phase Pickering emulsions stabilized by Zein-hyaluronic acid conjugate particles and their application in active substances protection.

In recent years, active substances have been extensively applied in the fields of food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. However, their preservation and transportation have posed challenges due to issues such as oxidation and photodegradation. This study proposes a method for synthesizing Zein-Hyaluronic Acid (Zein-HA) conjugate particles via the Schiff base reaction, utilizing these conjugate particles to encapsulate and protect active substances within a stable emulsion system. Compared to zein, the modified conjugate particles exhibit significantly improved dispersibility, amphiphilicity, interfacial affinity, and emulsifying properties. Consequently, these particles are capable of stabilizing high internal phase Pickering emulsions with an oil phase volume fraction of up to 80 (v/v)%, thereby enabling the carriage of a higher load of active components. Furthermore, the prepared emulsions demonstrate excellent storage stability, resistance to ionic strength (250-2000 mM NaCl), and outstanding antioxidative characteristics. Moreover, after 8 h of UV light exposure, the retention rates of the active substances (curcumin, astaxanthin, and resveratrol) exceed 60 %. Therefore, these emulsions hold substantial potential to be applied as a carrier system in the food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries.

SARS-CoV-2 spike-induced syncytia are senescent and contribute to exacerbated heart failure.

SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SARS-2-S) induced cell-cell fusion in uninfected cells may occur in long COVID-19 syndrome, as circulating SARS-2-S or extracellular vesicles containing SARS-2-S (S-EVs) were found to be prevalent in post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) for up to 12 months after diagnosis. Although isolated recombinant SARS-2-S protein has been shown to increase the SASP in senescent ACE2-expressing cells, the direct linkage of SARS-2-S syncytia with senescence in the absence of virus infection and the degree to which SARS-2-S syncytia affect pathology in the setting of cardiac dysfunction are unknown. Here, we found that the senescent outcome of SARS-2-S induced syncytia exacerbated heart failure progression. We first demonstrated that syncytium formation in cells expressing SARS-2-S delivered by DNA plasmid or LNP-mRNA exhibits a senescence-like phenotype. Extracellular vesicles containing SARS-2-S (S-EVs) also confer a potent ability to form senescent syncytia without de novo synthesis of SARS-2-S. However, it is important to note that currently approved COVID-19 mRNA vaccines do not induce syncytium formation or cellular senescence. Mechanistically, SARS-2-S syncytia provoke the formation of functional MAVS aggregates, which regulate the senescence fate of SARS-2-S syncytia by TNFα. We further demonstrate that senescent SARS-2-S syncytia exhibit shrinked morphology, leading to the activation of WNK1 and impaired cardiac metabolism. In pre-existing heart failure mice, the WNK1 inhibitor WNK463, anti-syncytial drug niclosamide, and senolytic dasatinib protect the heart from exacerbated heart failure triggered by SARS-2-S. Our findings thus suggest a potential mechanism for COVID-19-mediated cardiac pathology and recommend the application of WNK1 inhibitor for therapy especially in individuals with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.

Weight-adjusted waist index as a practical predictor for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and non-accidental mortality risk.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Identifying a more suitable marker among various measures of adiposity, demonstrating strong associations and predictive ability for clinical use, remains a topic of debate. Weight-adjusted waist index (WWI) has been proposed as a novel index of adiposity, yet its exploration is limited, especially in Chinese populations. This study seeks to examine the associations between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHTR), weight-adjusted waist index (WWI), waist circumference divided by body mass to the power of 0.333 (WC/M0.333), visceral adiposity index (VAI), lipid accumulation product (LAP), and the incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and non-accidental mortality in Chinese populations. Furthermore, our goal is to compare the respective predictive values of these measures for these health outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: This prospective cohort study included 21,750 subjects with a 9-year follow-up period. Cox proportional hazard models were used to investigate the relationship between eight anthropometric indexes and the incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and non-accidental mortality. The predictive value of these eight indexes was compared using the area under the curve metric. Significant positive associations were found between WWI and the risk of diabetes. Using the first quartile (Q1) of WWI as the reference group, hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals for the risk of diabetes were 1.58 (0.98-2.55) for Q2, 2.18 (1.34-3.35) for Q3, and 2.27 (1.41-3.67) for Q4. Significant associations were observed with the highest quartile of WWI for the risk of cardiovascular disease [Q2: HR 1.45 (95% CI 1.06-1.98); Q3: 1.33 (0.97-1.83); Q4: 1.55 (1.13-2.14)] and risk of non-accidental mortality [Q2: 0.94 (0.80-1.11); Q3: 1.24 (1.04-1.48); Q4: 1.44 (1.16-1.79)]. Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that WWI exhibited superior discrimination and accuracy in predicting cardiovascular disease and non-accidental mortality compared to other adiposity indexes (BMI, WC, WHR, WHTR, WC/M0.333, VAI, and LAP). CONCLUSION: WWI exhibited the most robust and consistent association with the incidence of cardiovascular disease and non-accidental mortality. Given its simplicity and widespread use, WWI emerges as a novel and practical predictor of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and non-accidental mortality among the eight adiposity indexes investigated in this study.

UV-Mediated Facile Fabrication of a Robust, Fully Renewable and Controllably Biodegradable Poly(lactic acid)-Based Covalent Adaptable Network.

A robust and fully biobased covalent adaptable network (CAN) that allows recyclability, biocompatibility, and controlled biodegradability is reported. The CAN was fabricated through a simple photo-cross-linking method, wherein low-molecular-weight poly(lactic acid) (∼3 kDa) was modified with end 1,2-dithiolane rings through a one-step Steglich esterification reaction with thioctic acid (TA). These incorporated 1,2-dithiolane rings undergo photoinduced ring-opening polymerization, thus enabling the cross-linking of poly(lactic acid) with abundant dynamic disulfide bonds. The resultant CAN demonstrates excellent transparency, effective UV-blocking capabilities below 320 nm, robust tensile strength (∼39 MPa), and superior dimensional stability at 80 °C, alongside attractive biocompatibility. Moreover, owing to the dynamic exchange and redox-responsiveness of disulfide bonds, the material can be recycled by hot-pressing and a reduction-oxidation process while also being capable of controllably biodegrading at the end of its lifecycle. Furthermore, it exhibits reconfigurable shape memory properties with fast recovery. This study elucidates a straightforward approach to fabricating multifunctional and sustainable polymer materials with potential applications in diverse fields such as packaging, coating, and biomedicine.

Electric field induced associations in the double layer of salt-in-ionic-liquid electrolytes.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are an extremely exciting class of electrolytes for energy storage applications. Upon dissolving alkali metal salts, such as Li or Na based salts, with the same anion as the IL, an intrinsically asymmetric electrolyte can be created for use in batteries, known as a salt-in-ionic liquid (SiIL). These SiILs have been well studied in the bulk, where negative transference numbers of the alkali metal cation have been observed from the formation of small, negatively charged clusters. The properties of these SiILs at electrified interfaces, however, have received little to no attention. Here, we develop a theory for the electrical double layer (EDL) of SiILs where we consistently account for the thermoreversible association of ions into Cayley tree aggregates. The theory predicts that the IL cations first populate the EDL at negative voltages, as they are not strongly bound to the anions. However, at large negative voltages, which are strong enough to break the alkali metal cation-anion associations, these IL cations are exchanged for the alkali metal cation because of their higher charge density. At positive voltages, we find that the SiIL actually becomes more aggregated while screening the electrode charge from the formation of large, negatively charged aggregates. Therefore, in contrast to conventional intuition of associations in the EDL, SiILs appear to become more associated in certain electric fields. We present these theoretical predictions to be verified by molecular dynamics simulations and experimental measurements.

M2 macrophage-derived extracellular vesicles ameliorate Benzalkonium Chloride-induced dry eye.

Dry eye disease (DED) is a common ocular condition affecting a significant portion of the global population, yet effective treatment options remain elusive. This study investigates the therapeutic potential of M2 macrophage-derived extracellular vesicles (M2-EVs) in a mouse model of DED. The DED model was established using 0.2% benzalkonium chloride (BAC) eye drops, applied twice daily for a week. Post induction, the mice were categorized into 5 groups: PBS, Sodium Hyaluronate (HA, 0.1%), Fluoromethalone (FM, 0.1%), M0-EVs, and M2-EVs. The efficacy of M2-EVs was assessed through tear production, corneal fluorescein staining and HE staining. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was employed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of M2-EVs in DED. Notably, the M2-EVs treated group exhibited the highest tear secretion, indicating improved tear film stability and reduced corneal surface damage. Histological analysis revealed better corneal structure organization in the M2-EVs group, suggesting enhanced ocular surface repair and corneal preservation. Furthermore, M2-EVs treatment significantly decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and showed unique enrichment of genes related to retinal development. These findings suggest that M2-EVs could serve as a promising noninvasive therapeutic approach for human DED, targeting ocular surface inflammation.

Mutational and transcriptional profile predicts the prognosis of stage IV gastric cancer - Prognostic factors for metastatic gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: The clinicopathological risk factors in the prognosis of stage IV gastric cancer have been comprehensively studied. However, the influencing factors of stage IV gastric cancer prognosis at genomic and transcriptional levels have not been well defined. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The mutational and transcriptional data, along with demographic, clinicopathological and prognostic information of 44 stage IV gastric cancer patients were downloaded from the TCGA database. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the significant risk factors and a Nomogram model was established to predict the patient prognosis. RESULTS: TTN, TP53, FLG, LRP1B, SYNE1 and ARID1A were among the top mutated genes without hot-spot mutations. The mutational status of AHNAK2, ASCC3, DNAH3, DOP1A, MYLK, SIPA1L1, SORBS2, SYNE1 and ANF462 significantly stratified the patient prognosis. The transcription of several genes, such as AQP10, HOXC8/9/10, COL10A1/COL11A1, WNT7B, KRT17 and KLK6 was significantly up-regulated or down-regulated. Enrichment analysis on mutations and transcription revealed cell skeleton and membrane function, extracellular matrix function, HPV infection, and several cancer-related pathways as the main aberrancies. Univariate analyses revealed a series of significant factors stratifying patient prognosis, mainly including cancer location, several mutated genes and many up- or down-regulated genes. However, subsequent multivariate analysis revealed SYNE1 mutation, DNAH3 mutation, COMMD3 transcription level, and cancer location as the independent risk factors. A Nomogram model has been established with these significant risk factors to predict the patient prognosis. Further validation is needed to ensure the effectiveness of the model in real clinical practice. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer location, along with the mutational status of SYNE1 and DNAH3 and the transcriptional level of COMMD3 were independent risk factors of stage IV gastric cancer. A Nomogram model was established with these factors for prognosis prediction.

Genomic Alterations and Clinical Characterization in Chinese Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is increasingly characterized by myriad genomic alterations beyond the well-known factors such as RAS, BRAF, and microsatellite instability (MSI). Novel genomic changes, including ERBB2 amplifications, mutations, and gene fusions, are now recognized as potential targets for precision therapy. This study aims to explore the genomic landscape of a Chinese cohort with mCRC to identify potentially targetable genetic alterations for personalized treatment strategies. METHODS: A total of 500 mCRC patients in China were enrolled, based on which genomic profiling was performed using capture-based targeted sequencing across a panel of 520 genes on tumor tissues to identify prevalent genomic alterations. The mutations were analyzed by optimized proprietary algorithms. MSI and mismatch repair deficiency status were analyzed using the read-count-distribution approach. Besides, the overall survival (OS) related to these molecular changes was estimated. RESULTS: The cohort's genomic profiling revealed TP53 mutations in 78%, APC in 60%, and KRAS in 47% of the patients. MSI-High status was confirmed in 5.8% of cases via a next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based algorithm. ERBB2/HER2 amplifications were found in 12% (60/500) of patients, with potential therapeutic implications for those without concurrent KRAS mutations. A subset of patients (1.2%; 6/500) showed fusions and DNA damage response (DDR) gene mutations (except TP53) that could be targeted therapeutically. The KRAS (G12C) variant was detected in 14 patients (2.8%), and 61 (12.2%) had a BRAF V600E mutation. Notably, survival analysis showed no significant differences in OS between KRAS mutant loci and NRAS mutations (p = 0.436). However, BRAF V600E mutations were associated with a poorer prognosis than BRAF wild-type and non-V600E mutations (16.3 months vs. 29.5 and 31.1 months, respectively; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study validates the feasibility of using NGS to detect prognostic and therapeutically actionable genetic variants in Chinese mCRC patients, contributing to understanding the genomic variation within this population and highlighting the potential for personalized medicine in managing mCRC.

Clinical comparative study of single-use and reusable digital flexible ureteroscopy for the treatment of lower pole stones: a retrospective case-controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of single-use and reusable digital flexible ureteroscopy for the treatment of lower pole stones. METHODS: We enrolled 135 patients underwent reusable flexible ureteroscopy (FURS) and 78 patients underwent single-use digital FURS. Demographic, clinical variables, anatomical parameters of the lower calyx and perioperative indicators were compared in the two groups. RESULTS: Thirty-six patients in the infundibuloureter angle (IPA) < 45° subgroup had a mini-percutaneous nephrolithotomy (mini-PCNL), including 25 patients in the reusable FURS group and 11 patients in the single-use FURS group. The demographic and clinical variables in the two FURS groups were comparable. There was no statistical difference in the success rate of stone searching (P > 0.05). In terms of the success rate of lithotripsy, there was also no statistical difference in the IPA ≥ 45° subgroup (P > 0.05), whereas single-use FURS was superior in the IPA < 45° subgroup (χ2 = 6.513, P = 0.011). The length of the working fiber in the reusable FURS and single-use FURS groups was 3.20 ± 0.68 mm and 1.75 ± 0.47 mm, respectively (t = 18.297, P < 0.05). The use of a stone basket in the reusable FURS (31/135, 23.0%) was significantly higher than that in the single-use FURS (8/78, 10.3%) (χ2 = 5.336, P = 0.021). Compared with the reusable FURS group, the single-use FURS group had shorter operation times (P < 0.05) and higher stone-free rate (SFR) (χ2 = 4.230, P = 0.040). There was no statistical difference in the intraoperative transfer of mini-PCNL and postoperative complications between the two groups (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Single-use and reusable FURS are alternative methods for removal of lower pole stones (i.e., 2 cm or less). Single-use FURS has a high success rate of lithotripsy, shorter operation time, and high stone-free rate.

Deep-sea microplastics aging and migration exerted by seamount topography and biotopes in the subtropic Northwest Pacific Ocean.

Microplastics (MPs) have drawn exponential attention as anthropogenic pollutants, which have invaded every corner of planet. Seamounts are prominent features of the deep-sea topography, acting as breeding ground for marine animal calves and hotspots of pelagic biodiversity, yet MPs pollution in seamounts is scarcely studied. We investigated the MPs load in the whole vertical profile of seamount ambient water in the Subtropical Northwest Pacific Ocean. Based on focal plane array Fourier Transform Infrared spectrometry, MPs were detected in all layers, and varied from 0.9 to 3.8 items L-1, PP and PE were dominant, PA and PET tended to gather at the seamount summit. With depth increasing, small MPs (20-50 µm) were dominant, and MPs surface roughness including crack, hole, and biofouling showed an increase. Three plastic-degrading bacteria were noted in the layers around the seamount, indicating that the seamount community may accelerate MPs aging and further migration. Our work first unveiled the MPs occurrence in the whole vertical profile of the seamount. It reveals that ocean MPs migration and degradation are significantly affected by the unique topography and biotopes of the seamount.

Clinical practice of the transrectal shear-wave elastography in benign prostatic hyperplasia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the practical value of the transrectal two-dimensional shear-wave elastography (SWE) in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). METHODS: Consecutive male participants with and without BPH constituted the BPH and control group respectively were enrolled prospectively between March and December 2022. Transrectal conventional ultrasound and SWE examinations for the prostate were performed on these participants. Data of quantitative stiffness of the transitional zone (TZ) and peripheral zone (PZ) of prostate, volume of prostate (VP) and volume of TZ (VTZ) and prostate specific androgen (PSA), etc., were collected. Linear regression analyses were used to investigate the associations between quantitative stiffness data and other clinical parameters. RESULTS: There were 200 participants evaluated, including 100 healthy participants and 100 BPH patients. For every one-year increment in age, it was correlated with 0.50 kPa increasement of TZ stiffness. VP and VTZ were correlated with TZ stiffness. Higher TZ stiffness was associated with higher free prostate specific antigen (PSA) and total PSA. CONCLUSIONS: The prostate is stiffer and larger in BPH group compared to control group. Quantitative stiffness of the TZ was related with age, VP, VTZ and PSA.

Biochar boosted high oleic peanut production with enhanced root development and biological N fixation by diazotrophs in a sand-loamy Primisol.

Peanut yield and quality face significant threats due to climate change and soil degradation. The potential of biochar technology to address this challenge remains unanswered, though biochar is acknowledged for its capacity to enhance the soil microbial community and plant nitrogen (N) supply. A field study was conducted in 2021 on oil peanuts grown in a sand-loamy Primisol that received organic amendments at 20 Mg ha-1. The treatments consisted of biochar amendments derived from poultry manure (PB), rice husk (RB), and maize residue (MB), as well as manure compost (OM) amendment, compared to no organic amendment (CK). In 2022, during the second year after amendment, samples of bulk topsoil, rooted soil, and plants were collected at the peanut harvest. The analysis included the assessment of soil quality, peanut growth traits, microbial community, nifH gene abundance, and biological N fixation (BNF) rate. Compared to the CK, the OM treatment led to an 8 % increase in peanut kernel yield, but had no effect on kernel quality in terms of oil production. Conversely, both PB and MB treatments increased kernel yield by 10 %, whereas RB treatment showed no change in yield. Moreover, all biochar amendments significantly improved oilseed quality by 10-25 %, notably increasing the proportion of oleic acid by up to 70 %. Similarly, while OM amendment slightly decreased root development, all biochar treatments significantly enhanced root development by over 80 %. Furthermore, nodule number, fresh weight per plant, and the nifH gene abundance in rooted soil remained unchanged under OM and PB treatments but was significantly enhanced under RB and MB treatments compared to CK. Notably, all biochar amendments, excluding OM, increased the BNF rate and N-acetyl-glucosaminidase activity. These changes were attributed to alterations in soil aggregation, moisture retention, and phosphorus availability, which were influenced by the diverse physical and chemical properties of biochars. Overall, maize residue biochar contributed synergistically to enhancing soil fertility, peanut yield, and quality while also promoting increased root development, a shift in the diazotrophic community and BNF.

Voice Changes of Patients With Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Eleven Years After Radiotherapy: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to assess voice changes in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) using subjective and objective assessment tools and to make inferences regarding the underlying pathological causes for different phases of radiotherapy (RT). METHODS: A total of 187 (123 males and 64 females) patients with post-RT NPC with no recurrence of malignancy or other voice diseases and 17 (11 males and 6 females) healthy individuals were included in this study. The patients were equally divided into 11 groups according to the number of years after RT. The acoustic analyses, GRBAS (grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, and strain) scales, and Voice Handicap Index (VHI)-10 scores were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: The fundamental frequency (F0) parameters in years 1 and 2 and year 11 were significantly lower in patients with NPC than in healthy individuals. The maximum phonation times in years 1 and 11 were significantly shorter than those in healthy individuals. The jitter parameters were significantly different between year 1 and from years 8 to 11 and the healthy individuals. The shimmer parameters were significantly different between years 1, from years 9 to 11, and healthy individuals. Hoarseness was the most prominent problem compared to other items of the GRBAS. The VHI-10 scores were significantly different between years 1 and 2 and year 11 after RT in patients with NPC. CONCLUSIONS: Voice quality was worse in the first 2 years and from years 8 to 11 but remained relatively normal from years 3 to 7 after RT. Patient-reported voice handicaps began during year 3 after RT. The most prominent problem was perceived hoarseness, which was evident in the first 2 years and from years 9 to 11 after RT. The radiation-induced mucous edema, laryngeal intrinsic muscle fibrosis, nerve injuries, upper respiratory tract changes, and decreased lung capacity might be the pathological reasons for voice changes in post-RT patients with NPC.

pH responsive fabrication of PVA-stabilized selenium nano formulation encapsulated with luteolin to reduce diabetic ureteral injury by decreasing NLRP3 inflammasome via Nrf2/ARE signaling.

Diabetic ureteral injury (DUI) is a condition characterized by damage to the ureter, causing functional and morphological changes in the urinary system, which have a significant impact on a quality of life and requires appropriate medical treatment. The present study describes to novel design of luteolin (LT), a type of natural flavonoid, encapsulated selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) to attain therapeutic potential for DUI. The physico-chemical characterizations of prepared Se NPs have benefitted zeta potential (-18 mV) and particle size (10-50 nm). In vitro assays were demonstrated the potential of LT-SeNPs by HEK 293 cells stimulated by STZ for DUI. Cytotoxicity assays on HEK 293 and NIH-3T3 showed >90% cell viability, which demonstrates the suitability of the nanoformulation for DUI treatment. The LT-SeNPs significantly inhibits the NLRP3 inflammasome through Nrf2/ARE pathway, which benefits for DUI treatment. The developed LT-SeNPs could be an effective formulation for the DUI therapy.

Electrophysiological Changes on Laryngeal Motor Neuropathways Cause Voice Disorders for Postradiotherapy Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored electrophysiological changes in the laryngeal motor neuropathway and determined whether lesions in the laryngeal motor cortex (LMC) and its descending tract contribute to voice deterioration and peripheral nerve palsy in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) postradiotherapy (RT). STUDY DESIGNS: Prospective cohort study. METHODS: Twenty-two patients with NPC at 2 to 4years post-RT (8 female and 14 male), 22 patients with NPC at 8 to 10years post-RT (8 female and 14 male), and 22 healthy individuals (9 female and 13 male) were selected to test their magnetic evoked potentials (MEP), motor nerve conduction, and voice quality using transcranial magnetic stimulation, laryngeal electromyography, and the XION DiVAS acoustic analysis software. Three groups were matched according to approximate age. Multiple comparisons were performed among the three groups. RESULTS: The voice quality of post-RT patients with NPC deteriorated compared to that of healthy individuals. Bilateral LMC and their corticonuclear tracts to the bilateral ambiguous nuclei of post-RT patients with NPC were impaired according to multigroup comparisons of MEP amplitudes, latencies, and resting motor thresholds. The vagus and recurrent laryngeal nerves (RLN) of post-RT patients with NPC were impaired according to multigroup comparisons of the amplitude and latencies of the compound muscle action potential and latencies of f-waves. CONCLUSIONS: The voice quality of patients with NPC deteriorated after RT. The pathogenesis of post-RT voice deterioration may involve radiation-induced injuries to the vagus, RLN, and bilateral LMC. Furthermore, radiation-induced injuries to the bilateral LMC may contribute to vagus and RLN palsies. These findings support the use of transcranial approaches to treating voice disorders and peripheral nerve palsies in post-RT patients with NPC. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ChiCTR2100054425; Electrophysiological Study of Vocal-Fold Mobility Disorders After Radiotherapy for NPC Patients via Magnetic Evoked Potential and Their Correlation with Voice Quality Assessment; https://www.chictr.org.cn/bin/project/edit?pid=144429.

Pickering emulsions with high ionic strength resistance stabilized by pea protein isolate-polyglycerol conjugate particles with good biocompatibility.

Among various biopolymers, protein particles are widely used for stabilizing Pickering emulsions, yet their emulsifying ability are easily influenced by the ion concentration, pH, and high temperatures. To address these challenges, this study utilized chemical modification to prepare pea protein isolate-polyglycerol (PPI-PG) conjugates by Schiff-base reaction. Compared with other chemical modifications, this method produces conjugate particles with excellent biocompatibility, capable of promoting cell proliferation by up to 177 %. These conjugates showed improved dispersibility, with diffusion coefficients 3.5 times greater than pure PPI, and the isoelectric points shift from pH 4.6 to pH 1.5, which contribute to the pH stability of emulsions (pH 3-9). Additionally, the anisotropic nature of the conjugate particles, with a three-phase contact angle close to 90°, make particles need more energy for detachment from the oil-water interface, leading to good thermal stability of emulsion (80 °C, 48 h). Notably, after conjugation, these particles rely more on PG chains for dispersibility, which are less affected by ions, resulting in emulsions with high ionic strength resistance (3000 mM). Furthermore, the prepared Pickering emulsion demonstrates remarkable antioxidative properties (only a 10 % decrease), indicating widely potential applications in food, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical sectors.

Developing Plant Exosomes as an Advanced Delivery System for Cosmetic Peptide.

Peptides are a promising skincare ingredient, but due to their inherent instability and the barrier function of the skin's surface, they often have limited skin absorption and penetration, which can significantly hinder their skincare benefits. To address this, a novel technique called NanoGlow has been introduced for encapsulating peptide-based cosmetic raw materials into engineered nanosized plant-derived exosomes (pExo) to achieve the goal of a healthier and more radiant skin state. In this approach, pExo served as carriers for cosmetic peptides across the intact skin barrier, enhancing their biological effectiveness in skin beauty. The NanoGlow strategy combines chemical activation and physical proencapsulation, boasting a high success rate and straightforward and stable operation, making it suitable for large-scale production. Comprehensive analysis using in vitro cellular absorption and skin penetration models has demonstrated that the nanosized pExo carriers significantly improve peptide penetration into the skin compared to free peptides. Furthermore, in vivo tissue slice studies have shown that pExo carriers efficiently deliver acetyl hexapeptide-8 to the skin's dermis, surpassing the performance of free peptides. Cosmetic skincare effect analysis has also indicated that pExo-loaded cosmetic peptides deliver superior results. Therefore, the NanoGlow technique harnesses the natural size and properties of pExo to maximize the bioavailability of cosmetic peptides, holding great promise for developing advanced peptide delivery systems in both the cosmetic and medical drug industries.

RCEAU-Net: Cascade Multi-Scale Convolution and Attention-Mechanism-Based Network for Laser Beam Target Image Segmentation with Complex Background in Coal Mine.

Accurate and reliable pose estimation of boom-type roadheaders is the key to the forming quality of the tunneling face in coal mines, which is of great importance to improve tunneling efficiency and ensure the safety of coal mine production. The multi-laser-beam target-based visual localization method is an effective way to realize accurate and reliable pose estimation of a roadheader body. However, the complex background interference in coal mines brings great challenges to the stable and accurate segmentation and extraction of laser beam features, which has become the main problem faced by the long-distance visual positioning method of underground equipment. In this paper, a semantic segmentation network for underground laser beams in coal mines, RCEAU-Net, is proposed based on U-Net. The network introduces residual connections in the convolution of the encoder and decoder parts, which effectively fuses the underlying feature information and improves the gradient circulation performance of the network. At the same time, by introducing cascade multi-scale convolution in the skipping connection section, which compensates for the lack of contextual semantic information in U-Net and improves the segmentation effect of the network model on tiny laser beams at long distance. Finally, the introduction of an efficient multi-scale attention module with cross-spatial learning in the encoder enhances the feature extraction capability of the network. Furthermore, the laser beam target dataset (LBTD) is constructed based on laser beam target images collected from several coal mines, and the proposed RCEAU-Net model is then tested and verified. The experimental results show that, compared with the original U-Net, RCEAU-Net can ensure the real-time performance of laser beam segmentation while increasing the Accuracy by 0.19%, Precision by 2.53%, Recall by 22.01%, and Intersection and Union Ratio by 8.48%, which can meet the requirements of multi-laser-beam feature segmentation and extraction under complex backgrounds in coal mines, so as to further ensure the accuracy and stability of long-distance visual positioning for boom-type roadheaders and ensure the safe production in the working face.