Molecular dynamics analysis of subsurface brittleness mechanism of nanocrystalline 3C-SiC rough friction surface.

To study the effect of polycrystalline 3C-SiC rough friction surface on the mechanism of subsurface brittleness during nanocrystalline grinding. Initial grinding models of polycrystalline 3C-SiC and diamond abrasive grains on rough friction surfaces are developed using molecular dynamics methods and the Voronoi method for constructing polycrystalline abrasive grains. The processing mechanism of 3C-SiC is analyzed by post-processing methods such as dislocation defect analysis, atomic arrangement analysis and stress analysis. At 2.6 nm, "stress concentration" occurs between the abrasive particles and the workpiece, forming irregular force shapes. The larger the grain size, the smaller the crystal hardness, the greater the possibility of crystal fracture, and it is obvious in the crystal of larger grains. At 8 nm, the crystal breaks and creates vacancies. The roughness of the polycrystalline 3C-SiC friction surface and the cross-cutting mechanism between grains with grain boundaries are found to be effective in ameliorating the damage in the subsurface layer.

Effects of continuous negative pressure suction combined with autologous platelet-rich gel on the levels of CRP, IL-6, wound healing and length of stay in clients with diabetic foot.

OBJECTIVE: Continuous passive pressure suction and APG gel therapy effect diabetic foot IL-6, CRP, wound healing, and hospitalization. METHODS: Clinicopathological data from 102 diabetic foot ulcer patients treated at our institution between March 2018 and May 2022 was examined. Tables generated 51 joint and controlling teams randomly. The observation team received passive pressure suction and APG gel whereas the controlled team received conventional treatment. Teams monitored therapy outcomes, adverse responses, wound healing, hospital stay, and costs. Both teams compared blood uric acid, cystatin C, homocysteine, and serum IL-6, IL-10, and CRP before and after medication. RESULTS: The joint team had higher hospitalization costs, shorter stays, and faster wound healing than the controlled team. Diaparity was significant (P < 0.05). The united team worked 100 %, unlike the controlling team. This difference was significant (P < 0.05). Both teams showed significant decreases in CRP, IL-6, and IL-10 levels after therapy (P < 0.05). After therapy, both the combined and controlled teams had substantial differences in blood CRP, IL-6, and IL-10 levels (P < 0.05). Both teams had significantly decreased uric acid, cystatin C, and homocysteine after treatment. The combined team showed significantly decreased uric acid, cystatin C, homocysteine levels following therapy compared to the control team (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The joint team experienced considerably fewer adverse events (3.92 % vs. 17.65 %) than the controls team (P < 0.05). Permanent passive pressure suction and APG gel therapy lower inflammatory response, blood uric acid, cystatin C, and homocysteine, speeding wound healing, reducing side effects.

Evaluation of Acupuncture Efficacy in Modulating Brain Activity With Periodic-Aperiodic EEG Measurements.

Acupuncture is an important therapeutic method of traditional Chinese medicine and can effectively modulate brain disorders. The therapeutic efficacy of acupuncture is hard to evaluate due to lacking of effective measurements of brain activity. In this work, we design an EEG-based monitoring system to evaluate therapeutic effect of acupuncture on human brain by extracting periodic-aperiodic features. Power spectral density is estimated to compute the adjusted power of periodic oscillatory rhythm in EEG under acupuncture stimulation. It is exhibited that the brain activity in alpha band (8-12 Hz) is significantly enhanced during acupuncture, especially in parietal and occipital lobe regions. To probe the modulatory effect of acupuncture on aperiodic brain activity, we calculate the aperiodic exponent based on the parameterization of EEG power spectra. The aperiodic exponent decreases along with acupuncture process, which is more significant in central and frontal lobe regions. Furthermore, sensitivity of different brain regions to acupuncture is assessed by the integration of adjusted power and aperiodic exponent. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of proposed periodic-aperiodic measurements of EEG signals, by which different effects of four acupuncture manipulations are precisely evaluated and a knowledge graph is established. The monitoring system provides a new perspective to quantitatively evaluate acupuncture effect on human brain and improve its therapeutic efficacy in clinical applications for neural disorders.

A comprehensive meta-analysis of tissue resident memory T cells and their roles in shaping immune microenvironment and patient prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer.

Tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) are a specialized subset of long-lived memory T cells that reside in peripheral tissues. However, the impact of TRM-related immunosurveillance on the tumor-immune microenvironment (TIME) and tumor progression across various non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient populations is yet to be elucidated. Our comprehensive analysis of multiple independent single-cell and bulk RNA-seq datasets of patient NSCLC samples generated reliable, unique TRM signatures, through which we inferred the abundance of TRM in NSCLC. We discovered that TRM abundance is consistently positively correlated with CD4+ T helper 1 cells, M1 macrophages, and resting dendritic cells in the TIME. In addition, TRM signatures are strongly associated with immune checkpoint and stimulatory genes and the prognosis of NSCLC patients. A TRM-based machine learning model to predict patient survival was validated and an 18-gene risk score was further developed to effectively stratify patients into low-risk and high-risk categories, wherein patients with high-risk scores had significantly lower overall survival than patients with low-risk. The prognostic value of the risk score was independently validated by the Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA) dataset and multiple independent NSCLC patient datasets. Notably, low-risk NSCLC patients with higher TRM infiltration exhibited enhanced T-cell immunity, nature killer cell activation, and other TIME immune responses related pathways, indicating a more active immune profile benefitting from immunotherapy. However, the TRM signature revealed low TRM abundance and a lack of prognostic association among lung squamous cell carcinoma patients in contrast to adenocarcinoma, indicating that the two NSCLC subtypes are driven by distinct TIMEs. Altogether, this study provides valuable insights into the complex interactions between TRM and TIME and their impact on NSCLC patient prognosis. The development of a simplified 18-gene risk score provides a practical prognostic marker for risk stratification.

Experimental study on the mechanical and electrochemical properties of aqueous emulsifiable diphenylmethane diisocyanate-modified silicon-carbon composite electrodes.

Aqueous emulsifiable diphenylmethane diisocyanate (EMDI) can form strong chemical bonds with aqueous adhesives due to the large number of isocyanate (-NCO) groups, which can enhance the mechanical performance of the adhesives. Currently, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-styrene butadiene rubber (SBR) emulsion aqueous bonding agents are widely used in the preparation of anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In this study, EMDI was added to a porous silicon-carbon composite electrode prepared from CMC-SBR, and the evolution of the mechanical properties of the electrode with the EMDI content was first investigated via quasi-static uniaxial tensile and interfacial strength tests. Subsequently, the effect of the EMDI content on the electrochemical properties of the electrodes was analysed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and constant-current (CC) charge/discharge performance tests. Finally, material characterisation of the electrodes was carried out by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and specific surface area (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET)) analysis. The results show that the addition of EMDI with a mass ratio of 10-20% to the CMC-SBR binder can enhance the mechanical performance of the active layer and the interfacial performance between the active layer and the current collector of the silicon-carbon composite electrode; simultaneously, EMDI can significantly reduce the electrochemical impedance of the electrode material and improve the capacity retention of the electrode. This study provides a new solution for modifying silicon-carbon composite electrodes and promotes the development of high-performance silicon-carbon electrodes.

Ag/ZnO microcavities with high sensitivity and self-cleaning properties for fast repetitive SERS detection.

A SERS substrate with high sensitivity and reusability was proposed. The chip consists of multiple ZnO microcavities loaded with silver particles. Based on structural characteristics, this coupling between cavity modes and localized surface plasmon modes can highly localize the electric field, where experimental results revealed a detection limit of 10-11 M for R6G. In addition, during carrier control in semiconductors with localized electromagnetic fields, our substrate also exhibits high self-cleaning efficiency and in situ detection stability. Even in a dry environment, it exhibits excellent light-mediated cleaning ability across multiple reuse test cycles. The convenient, rinse-free substrate, with its cost-effective and sustainable features, shows great promise for the study on detection and degradation of active materials.

Interfascial planes as surgical landmarks for laparoscopic upper retroperitoneal surgery: a cadaveric and retrospectively clinical study.

Background: Radiologists currently accept the concept of "interfascial plane (IFP)" to understand retroperitoneal anatomy, replacing Meyers' classic tricompartmental theory. Despite much research on retroperitoneal anatomy, its anatomical structure, embryonic origin and developmental process still require further exploration to guide the optimization of surgical process. This study aims to explore the anatomical basis of IFP related to laparoscopic upper retroperitoneal surgery (LURS) and to compare the clinical outcomes of trans-interfascial plane procedures for LURS (TIFP-LURS) with conventional LURS (Con-LURS). Methods: The study consisted of two parts: cadaveric and clinical study. The cadaveric study involved dissecting and observing the retroperitoneal fasciae and IFP in 32 cadavers using gross anatomical and histological methods. This retrospective clinical study compared the perioperative data and complications of 229 patients who underwent TIFP-LURS and 121 patients who underwent Con-LURS for upper retroperitoneal lesions at our center. Results: The cadaveric study revealed that the retroperitoneal space was composed of multilaminar fasciae that formed potential bloodless spaces among them, that could be used as surgical landmarks and operating planes. The clinical study showed that TIFP-LURS had a significantly less estimated blood loss, lower intraoperative complication rate, lower postoperative complication rate, shorter hospital-stay and lower long-term postoperative complications rate than Con-LURS. Multivariate analysis indicated that the TIFP procedure was an independent protective factor for decreasing the risk of postoperative complications. Conclusions: The IFP are potential avascular spaces that can be used during laparoscopic surgery, and TIFP-LURS is a novel surgical approach that can improve the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic surgery for upper retroperitoneal lesions.

Increased DNA methylation contributes to the early ripening of pear fruits during domestication and improvement.

BACKGROUND: DNA methylation is an essential epigenetic modification. However, its contribution to trait changes and diversity in the domestication of perennial fruit trees remains unknown. RESULTS: Here, we investigate the variation in DNA methylation during pear domestication and improvement using whole-genome bisulfite sequencing in 41 pear accessions. Contrary to the significant decrease during rice domestication, we detect a global increase in DNA methylation during pear domestication and improvement. We find this specific increase in pear is significantly correlated with the downregulation of Demeter-like1 (DML1, encoding DNA demethylase) due to human selection. We identify a total of 5591 differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Methylation in the CG and CHG contexts undergoes co-evolution during pear domestication and improvement. DMRs have higher genetic diversity than selection sweep regions, especially in the introns. Approximately 97% of DMRs are not associated with any SNPs, and these DMRs are associated with starch and sucrose metabolism and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. We also perform correlation analysis between DNA methylation and gene expression. We find genes close to the hypermethylated DMRs that are significantly associated with fruit ripening. We further verify the function of a hyper-DMR-associated gene, CAMTA2, and demonstrate that overexpression of CAMTA2 in tomato and pear callus inhibits fruit ripening. CONCLUSIONS: Our study describes a specific pattern of DNA methylation in the domestication and improvement of a perennial pear tree and suggests that increased DNA methylation plays an essential role in the early ripening of pear fruits.

Effect of lesion dimension on survival in patients with T1a renal cell carcinoma who underwent deferred surgery.

BACKGROUND: Small renal masses (SRMs) have been shown to have low malignant potential. Active surveillance (AS), typically characterized by regular follow-up and delayed nephrectomy if necessary, is recommended as an option for frail patients with SRMs. Nevertheless, the impact of tumor size on survival in T1a RCC patients undergoing delayed nephrectomy for SRMs remains unclear. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with non-metastatic T1a RCC who underwent nephrectomy were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and divided into immediate (< 6 months) and delayed nephrectomy (≥ 6 months) groups based on the duration from diagnosis to nephrectomy. After propensity score matching (PSM), overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were estimated by K-M curves and compared with log-rank test. RESULTS: A total of 27,502 patients were enrolled, of whom 26,915 (97.9%) received immediate nephrectomy and 587 (2.1%) received delayed nephrectomy. After PSM, 1174 patients who underwent immediate nephrectomy and 587 patients who underwent delayed nephrectomy were included. With a median delay of 7 months, delayed nephrectomy resulted in non-inferior OS for RCC tumors sized 0.1-2.0 cm (HR = 1.12, p = 0.636). However, for RCC tumors sized 2.1-3.0 cm (HR = 1.60, p = 0.008) and 3.1-4.0 cm (HR = 1.89, p < 0.001), delayed nephrectomy showed inferior OS compared to immediate nephrectomy. Delayed nephrectomy did not result in significantly worse CSS than immediate nephrectomy in all tumor size subgroups (all p > 0.05), however this may be due to sample size limiting statistical power. CONCLUSION: Based on the SEER database, we found that with a median delay of 7 months, 2 cm may be an appropriate cut-off point of delayed nephrectomy for patients diagnosed with non-metastatic T1a RCC.

High-throughput prediction of enzyme promiscuity based on substrate-product pairs.

The screening of enzymes for catalyzing specific substrate-product pairs is often constrained in the realms of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. Existing tools based on substrate and reaction similarity predominantly rely on prior knowledge, demonstrating limited extrapolative capabilities and an inability to incorporate custom candidate-enzyme libraries. Addressing these limitations, we have developed the Substrate-product Pair-based Enzyme Promiscuity Prediction (SPEPP) model. This innovative approach utilizes transfer learning and transformer architecture to predict enzyme promiscuity, thereby elucidating the intricate interplay between enzymes and substrate-product pairs. SPEPP exhibited robust predictive ability, eliminating the need for prior knowledge of reactions and allowing users to define their own candidate-enzyme libraries. It can be seamlessly integrated into various applications, including metabolic engineering, de novo pathway design, and hazardous material degradation. To better assist metabolic engineers in designing and refining biochemical pathways, particularly those without programming skills, we also designed EnzyPick, an easy-to-use web server for enzyme screening based on SPEPP. EnzyPick is accessible at http://www.biosynther.com/enzypick/.

Two cases of driver death caused by airbag rupture.

OBJECTIVE: This article reports two accidents caused by defective Takata airbags ruptured, which led to the deaths of the drivers. This is the first public report on the deaths caused by Takata airbags in China. METHODS: Determine the relationship between the driver death and airbag rupture through autopsy indings and vehicle inspection. RESULTS: Due to defects in the design of Takata's inflator, moist air was permitted to slowly enter the inflator, resulting the PSAN slowly degraded physically. The damaged propellant burned more rapidly than intended and overpressurized the inflator's steel housing, causing fragmentation and flying debris at high speed, killing or injuring vehicle occupants. CONCLUSIONS: To date, there are still tens of millions of defective Takata airbags that have not been recalled for repair, posing safety risks. This article suggests taking preventive measures to avoid the occurrence of similar accidents.

Variations of plasma oxidative stress levels in male patients with chronic schizophrenia. Correlations with psychopathology and matrix metalloproteinase-9: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence has indicated that oxidative stress (OS) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) may contribute to the mechanism of schizophrenia. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the associations of OS parameters and MMP-9 levels with psychopathological symptoms in male chronic schizophrenia patients. METHODS: This study was an observational, cross-sectional, retrospective case-control study. Plasma hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) levels were assayed in 80 male patients with chronic schizophrenia and 80 matched healthy controls. Schizophrenia symptoms were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Multivariate regression was used to analyze relationships between OS parameters and MMP-9, and clinical symptoms. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that levels of antioxidant enzymes, SOD, GSH-Px, H2O2, and MDA were significantly decreased, whereas CAT and MMP-9 levels were increased in patients with schizophrenia, when compared with healthy controls (all P < 0.05). In schizophrenia patients, correlation analyses showed that H2O2 levels were significantly and positively correlated with PANSS positive scores, CAT and MDA levels were significant negatively correlated with PANSS negative scores and PANSS total scores, and MDA levels were significantly positively correlated with MMP-9 levels (all P < 0.05). However, we did not find that MMP-9 played an interaction role between OS parameters and PANSS total scores and subscales scores (all P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that alterations of plasma OS parameters in male patients with chronic schizophrenia were associated with psychopathology and MMP-9, suggesting that OS and neuroinflammation may play important role in the mechanism of schizophrenia.

Isolated traumatic gallbladder injury: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Isolated gallbladder injury (GI) (IGI) directly induced by abdominal trauma is rare. Symptoms, indications, and imaging examinations of IGI are frequently non-specific, posing tremendous diagnostic challenges, which are simple to overlook and may have severe implications. Improving doctors' understanding of gallbladder injury (GI) facilitates early detection and decreases the likelihood of severe consequences, including death. CASE SUMMARY: We report a case of IGI caused by blunt violence (after falling from three meters with the umbilicus as the stress point) and performed laparoscopic repair of the gallbladder rupture, which helps clinicians understand IGI and reduce the severe consequences of delayed diagnosis. Through extensive medical history and dynamic abdominal ultrasound evaluation, doctors can identify GI early and begin surgery, thereby decreasing the devastating repercussions of delayed diagnosis. CONCLUSION: This article aims to improve clinicians' understanding of IGI and propose a method for the diagnosis and treatment of GI.

Excellent Dark/Light Dual-Mode Photoresponsive Activities Based on g-C3N4/CMCh/PVA Nanocomposite Hydrogel Using Electron Beam Radiation Method.

Photocatalytic technology for inactivating bacteria in water has received much attention. In this study, we reported a dark-light dual-mode sterilized g-C3N4/chitosan/poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogel (g-CP) prepared through freeze-thaw cycling and an in situ electron-beam radiation method. The structures and morphologies of g-CP were confirmed using Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), solid ultraviolet diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). Photocatalytic degradation experiments demonstrated that 1 wt% g-CP degraded rhodamine B (RhB) up to 65.92% in 60 min. At the same time, g-CP had good antimicrobial abilities for Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) within 4 h. The shapes of g-CP were adjustable (such as bar, cylinder, and cube) and had good mechanical properties and biocompatibility. The tensile and compressive modulus of 2 wt% g-CP were 0.093 MPa and 1.61 MPa, respectively. The Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) test and Hoechst33342/PI double staining were used to prove that g-CP had good biocompatibility. It is expected to be applied to environmental sewage treatment and wound dressing in the future.

Understanding the Plasmonic Effect of Enhanced Photodegradation with Au Nanoparticle Decorated ZnO Nanosheet Arrays under Visible Light Irradiation.

Plasmonic-enhanced photocatalysis using visible light is considered a promising strategy for pollution photodegradation. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive and quantitative understanding of the underlying mechanisms and interactions involved. In this study, we employed a two-step process to fabricate arrays of ZnO nanosheets decorated with Au nanoparticles (Au-ZnO NS). Various characterization techniques were used to examine the morphological, structural, and chemical properties of the fabricated Au-ZnO NS array. Furthermore, we systematically investigated the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange under visible light irradiation using Au-ZnO NS arrays prepared with varying numbers of photochemical reduction cycles. The results indicated that as the number of photochemical reduction cycles increased, the photodegradation efficiency initially increased but subsequently decreased. Under visible light irradiation, the Au-ZnO NS array obtained via four cycles of photochemical reduction exhibits the highest photocatalytic degradation rate of methyl orange 0.00926 min-1, which is six times higher than that of the ZnO NS array. To gain a better understanding of the plasmonic effect on photodegradation performance, we utilized electromagnetic simulations to quantitatively investigate the enhancement of electric fields in the Au-ZnO NS array. The simulations clearly presented the nonlinear dependencies of electric field intensity on the distribution of Au nanoparticles and the wavelength of radiation light, leading to a nonlinear enhancement of hot electron injection and eventual plasmonic photodegradation. The simulated model, corresponding to four cycles of photochemical reduction, exhibits the highest electric field intensity at 550 nm, which can be attributed to its strong plasmonic effect. This work provides mechanistic insights into plasmonic photocatalysts for utilizing visible light and represents a promising strategy for the rational design of high-performance visible light photocatalysts.

Effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on survival in patients with T1 high-grade non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer who underwent radical cystectomy.

Patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) who are at high and very high risk of disease progression are recommended for radical cystectomy (RC). However, the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) on survival outcomes in NMIBC patients undergoing RC remains unclear. Patients diagnosed with T1 high-grade NMIBC who underwent RC were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Overall survival (OS) was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier technique, and multivariable Cox regression analysis was conducted to determine the independent factors of OS. A total of 1268 T1 high-grade NMIBC patients who underwent RC between 2004 and 2015 were included in the study. NAC was administered to 76 (6.0%) patients. At a median follow-up of 75 months, there was no significant difference in the OS between the NAC and non-NAC groups (HR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.61-1.30, P = .539). However, in the multivariate Cox regression model, NAC demonstrated a more pronounced improvement in OS approaching statistical significance (HR = 0.7, 95% CI 0.47-1.05, P = .088). Subgroup analysis revealed a survival benefit of NAC in patients with lymph node metastasis. In summary, the results of this study suggest that NAC has the potential to confer a survival advantage in patients diagnosed with T1 high-grade NMIBC who undergo RC, but additional studies are needed. Nonetheless, the survival benefits of NAC in patients with lymph node involvement are apparent.

Efficacy and safety of gastrointestinal microbiome supplementation for allergic rhinitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis.

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a non-infective chronic inflammatory disease of nasal mucosa. PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of gastrointestinal microbiome supplementation (GMS) for patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), concerning improvement on symptoms and signs, laboratory outcomes, quality of life, and medication scores. METHODS: Five English databases were searched up to Dec 12th, 2022. Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics were main therapies or adjuvants in experimental groups. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses were conducted based on the Cochrane systematic review method by using RevMan 5.4 Software, with meta-influence analyses, subgroup-analyses, meta-regression, and publication bias performed for exploration of heterogeneity by Stata V.14. Trial sequential analyses were performed by TSA 0.9, and quality of the results was accessed through the GRADE-pro GDT. RESULTS: Finally, extracted from 53 articles, 65 RCTs involving 3,634 participants with sound worldwide representativeness were included. Primary results showed better improvement in GMS groups on TNSS (WMD=1.05, P for WMD=0.004, 95%CI:0.34 to 1.76), overall nasal condition (WMD=1.25, P for WMD<0.001, 95%CI:0.90 to 1.61), overall quality of life (WMD=6.16, P for WMD<0.001, 95%CI:4.92 to 7.40) and medication score (WMD=0.42, P for WMD=0.42, 95%CI:-0.06 to 0.90).However, GMS groups were inferior than the controls concerning reduction on serum total IgE (WMD=-1.81) and ratios of serum Th1/Th2 (WMD=-1.06). Meta-regressions suggested significant (p<0.05) variations of the effects in some comparisons. In addition, results of sub-group analyses firstly revealed potential influence between final results and the variables above. Instantly after intervention, the GRADE levels of evidence were sound, including "High ⨁⨁⨁⨁" in 10, "Moderate ⨁⨁⨁◯" in 33, and "Low ⨁⨁◯◯" in nine comparisons. However, overall certainties decreased obviously during follow-ups. CONCLUSION: Overall, our pooled results firstly revealed that GMS yielded acceptable benefits for patients with AR compared with controls with sound certainties, after balancing the benefits and harms.

Controllable Preparation and Research Progress of Photosensitive Antibacterial Complex Hydrogels.

Hydrogels are materials consisting of a network of hydrophilic polymers. Due to their good biocompatibility and hydrophilicity, they are widely used in biomedicine, food safety, environmental protection, agriculture, and other fields. This paper summarizes the typical complex materials of photocatalysts, photosensitizers, and hydrogels, as week as their antibacterial activities and the basic mechanisms of photothermal and photodynamic effects. In addition, the application of hydrogel-based photoresponsive materials in microbial inactivation is discussed, including the challenges faced in their application. The advantages of photosensitive antibacterial complex hydrogels are highlighted, and their application and research progress in various fields are introduced in detail.

Upregulated lncRNA NORAD can diagnose acute cerebral ischemic stroke patients and predict poor prognosis.

INTRODUCTION: Acute cerebral ischemic stroke (AIS) dramatically influences patients' quality of life. lncRNA NORAD (NORAD) has been studied in cerebrovascular diseases, which are potential risk factors for AIS. The specific significance of NORAD is unclear. This study aimed to assess the role of NORAD in AIS, and to provide therapeutic value for its' treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 103 AIS patients and 95 healthy individuals (control) were enrolled into this study. Expression level of NORAD in the plasma of all participants was analyzed by PCR. Diagnostic potential of NORAD in AIS was evaluated by ROC analysis, while Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were conducted to assess its' prognostic value in AIS. RESULTS: A significantly increased level of NORAD was observed in AIS patients compared with healthy individuals. The upregulation of NORAD could dramatically discriminate AIS patients from healthy individuals with high sensitivity (81.60%) and specificity (88.40%). NORAD was positively correlated with patients' high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs CRP, r = 0.796), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9, r = 0.757), and NIHSS scores ( r = 0.840), and negatively related to pc-ASPECTS scores ( r = -0.607). Moreover, NORAD upregulation was associated with patients' unfavorable prognosis and served as an independent prognostic biomarker, together with NIHSS and pc-ASPECTS scores of AIS patients. CONCLUSIONS: NORAD was upregulated in AIS, which can discriminate AIS patients, and was closely correlated with severe development and poor prognosis of patients.

SynBioTools: a one-stop facility for searching and selecting synthetic biology tools.

BACKGROUND: The rapid development of synthetic biology relies heavily on the use of databases and computational tools, which are also developing rapidly. While many tool registries have been created to facilitate tool retrieval, sharing, and reuse, no relatively comprehensive tool registry or catalog addresses all aspects of synthetic biology. RESULTS: We constructed SynBioTools, a comprehensive collection of synthetic biology databases, computational tools, and experimental methods, as a one-stop facility for searching and selecting synthetic biology tools. SynBioTools includes databases, computational tools, and methods extracted from reviews via SCIentific Table Extraction, a scientific table-extraction tool that we built. Approximately 57% of the resources that we located and included in SynBioTools are not mentioned in bio.tools, the dominant tool registry. To improve users' understanding of the tools and to enable them to make better choices, the tools are grouped into nine modules (each with subdivisions) based on their potential biosynthetic applications. Detailed comparisons of similar tools in every classification are included. The URLs, descriptions, source references, and the number of citations of the tools are also integrated into the system. CONCLUSIONS: SynBioTools is freely available at https://synbiotools.lifesynther.com/ . It provides end-users and developers with a useful resource of categorized synthetic biology databases, tools, and methods to facilitate tool retrieval and selection.