Comprehensive Screening and Characterization of α-glucosidase Inhibitory Components in the Edible Medicinal Plant Pholidota cantonensis Rolfe Using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS Analysis and Molecular Docking.

Pholidota cantonensis Rolfe is an edible medicinal plant in the genus Pholidota of the family Orchidaceae. This plant is used to prepare medicated food in China and has been reported to possess anti-α-glucosidase activity. To date, little is known about the active substances responsible for the observed anti-α-glucosidase activity. In the present study, we aimed to screen and characterize the α-glucosidase inhibitory fraction of P. cantonensis using ultraperformance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS) analysis and molecular docking. As a result, the 50% ethanol fraction obtained from D101 macroporous adsorption resin column chromatography (D50 fraction) had the highest total phenol content (353.83 ± 6.06 mg GAE/g) and the most prominent α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (IC50 = 30.01 ± 7.30 µg/mL). Forty-five compounds were identified from the D50 fraction by using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis. Molecular docking results showed that six main constituents, namely, crepidatin, 2,7-dihydroxy-4-methoxyl-9,10-dihydrophenylene, 4,4',5,6-tetrahydroxystilbene, 4,7-dihydroxy-2-methoxyl-9,10-dihydrophenylene, (-)-lariciresinol, and thunalbene, in the D50 fraction occupied the catalytic sites of α-glucosidase through strong hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and other patterns. The binding energies were between - 29.95 and - 11.41 kJ/mol, indicating good binding between the tested compounds and α-glucosidase. The active ingredients responsible for the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity may include phenanthrenes, stilbenes, dibenzyls, and lignans. The D50 fraction has potential value for developing innovative drugs for the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM) and is worthy of in-depth research.

NCAPH, ubiquitinated by TRIM21, promotes cell proliferation by inhibiting autophagy of cervical cancer through AKT/mTOR dependent signaling.

Autophagy is closely related to the occurrence and development of human malignancies; however, the detailed mechanisms underlying autophagy in cervical cancer require further investigation. Previously, we found that the ectopic expression of NCAPH, a regulatory subunit of condensed protein complexes, significantly enhanced the proliferation of tumor cells; however, the underlying mechanisms were unclear. Here, we revealed that NCAPH is a novel autophagy-associated protein in cervical cancer that promotes cell proliferation by inhibiting autophagosome formation and reducing autophagy, with no effect on the cell cycle, apoptosis, or aging. Tripartite motif-containing protein 21 (TRIM21) is well known to be involved in inflammation, autoimmunity and cancer, mainly via its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. Mass spectrometry and immunoprecipitation assays showed that TRIM21 interacted with NCAPH and decreased the protein stability of NCAPH via ubiquitination at the K11 lysine residue. Structural domain mutation analysis revealed that TRIM21 combined with NCAPH through its PRY/SPRY and CC domains and accelerated the degradation of NCAPH through the RING domain. Furthermore, TRIM21 promoted autophagosome formation and reduced cell proliferation by inhibiting NCAPH expression and the downstream AKT/mTOR pathway in cervical cancer cells. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the protein expression of TRIM21 was negatively correlated with that of NCAPH and positively correlated with that of beclin-1 in cervical cancer tissues. Therefore, we provide evidence for the role of the TRIM21-NCAPH axis in cervical cancer autophagy and proliferation and the involvement of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway in this process. These results deepen our understanding of the carcinogenesis of cervical cancer, broaden the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of TRIM21 and NCAPH, and provide guidance for individualized treatment of cervical cancer in the future.

Discovery of Novel Mcl-1 Inhibitors with a 3-Substituted-1H-indole-1-yl Moiety Binding to the P1-P3 Pockets to Induce Apoptosis in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells.

Mcl-1 is a main antiapoptotic protein in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and is used as a target to develop inhibitors. Currently, potent Mcl-1 inhibitors primarily interact with the P2-P4 pockets of Mcl-1, but pharmacological modulation by targeting the P1 pocket is less explored. We designed a series of 1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid compounds as novel Mcl-1 inhibitors occupying the P1-P3 pockets and evaluated their Mcl-1 inhibition and apoptosis induction in AML cells. Two-dimensional 15N-HSQC spectroscopy indicated that 47 (Ki = 24 nM) bound to the BH3 binding groove, occupied the P1 pocket in Mcl-1, and formed interactions with Lys234 and Val249. 47 exhibited good microsomal stability and pharmacokinetic profiles, with low potential risk of cardiotoxicity. 47 inhibited tumor growth in HL-60 and THP-1 xenograft models with growth inhibition rate of 63.7% and 57.4%, respectively. Collectively, 47 represents a novel Mcl-1 inhibitor targeting the P1-P3 pockets with excellent antileukemia effects.

SFC active reconfiguration based on user mobility and resource demand prediction in dynamic IoT-MEC networks.

To achieve secure, reliable, and scalable traffic delivery, request streams in mobile Internet of Things (IoT) networks supporting Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) typically need to pass through a service function chain (SFC) consisting of an ordered series of Virtual Network Functions (VNFs), and then arrive at the target application in the MEC for processing. The high mobility of users and the real-time variability of network traffic in IoT-MEC networks lead to constant changes in the network state, which results in a mismatch between the performance requirements of the currently deployed SFCs and the allocated resources. Meanwhile, there are usually multiple instances of the same VNF in the network, and proactively reconfiguring the deployed SFCs based on the network state changes to ensure high quality of service in the network is a great challenge. In this paper, we study the SFC Reconfiguration Strategy (SFC-RS) based on user mobility and resource demand prediction in IoT MEC networks, aiming to minimize the end-to-end delay and reconfiguration cost of SFCs. First, we model SFC-RS as Integer Linear Programming (ILP). Then, a user trajectory prediction model based on codec movement with attention mechanism and a VNF resource demand prediction model based on the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network are designed to accurately predict user trajectories and node computational and storage resources, respectively. Based on the prediction results, a Prediction-based SFV Active Reconfiguration (PSAR) algorithm is proposed to achieve seamless SFC migration and routing update before the user experience quality degrades, ensuring network consistency and high quality service. Simulation results show that PSAR provides 51.28%, 28.60%, 21.75%, and 16.80% performance improvement over the existing TSRFCM, DDQ, OSA, and DPSM algorithms in terms of end-to-end delay reduction, and 33.32%, 18.94%, 67.42%, and 60.61% performance optimization in terms of reconfiguration cost reduction.

Construction of intelligent response gene vector based on MOF/Fe3O4/AuNRs for tumor-targeted gene delivery.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have the potential to efficiently carry cargo due to their excellent porosity and high surface area. Nevertheless, conventional MOFs and their derivatives exhibit low efficiency in transporting nucleic acids and other small molecules, as well as having poor colloidal stability. In this study, a ZIF-90 loaded with iron oxide nanoparticles and Au nanorods was prepared, and then surface-functionalized with polyethyleneimine (PEI) to create a multifunctional nanocomposite (AFZP25k) with pH, photothermal, and magnetic responsiveness. AFZP25k can condense plasmid DNA to form AFZP25k/DNA complexes, with a maximum binding efficiency of 92.85 %. DNA release assay showed significant light and pH responsiveness, with over 80 % cumulative release after 6 h of incubation. When an external magnetic field is applied, the cellular uptake efficiency in HeLa cells reached 81.51 %, with low cytotoxicity and specific distribution. In vitro transfection experiments demonstrated a gene transfection efficiency of 44.77 % in HeLa cells. Following near-infrared irradiation, the uptake efficiency and transfection efficiency of AFZP25k in HeLa cells increased by 21.3 % and 13.59 % respectively. The findings indicate the potential of AFZP25k as an efficient and targeted gene delivery vector in cancer gene therapy.

Ortho-digital dynamics: Exploration of advancing digital health technologies in musculoskeletal disease management.

Background: Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders, affecting billions of people worldwide, pose significant challenges to the healthcare system and require effective management models. The rapid development of digital healthcare technologies (DHTs) has revolutionized the healthcare industry. DHT-based interventions have shown promising clinical benefits in managing MSK disorders, alleviating pain, and improving functional impairment. There is, however, no bibliometric analysis of the overall trends on this topic. Methods: We extracted all relevant publications from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database until April 30, 2023. We performed bibliometric analysis and visualization using CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and R software. Annual trends of publications, countries/regions distributions, funding agencies, institutions, co-cited journals, author contributions, references, core journals, and keywords and research hotspots were analyzed. Results: A total of 6810 papers were enrolled in this study. Publications have increased drastically from 16 in 1995 to 1198 in 2022, with 4067 articles published in the last five years. In all, 53 countries contributed with publications to this research area. The United States, the United Kingdom, and China were the most productive countries. Harvard University was the most contributing institution. Regarding keywords, research focuses include artificial intelligence, deep learning, machine learning, telemedicine, rehabilitation, and robotics. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has further accelerated the adoption of DHTs, highlighting the need for remote care options. The analysis reveals the positive impact of DHTs on improving physician productivity, enhancing patient care and quality of life, reducing healthcare expenditures, and predicting outcomes. DHTs are a hot topic of research not only in the clinical field but also in the multidisciplinary intersection of rehabilitation, nursing, education, social and economic fields. The analysis identifies four promising hotspots in the integration of DHTs in MSK pain management, biomechanics assessment, MSK diagnosis and prediction, and robotics and tele-rehabilitation in arthroplasty care.

α7-nAChR/P300/NLRP3-regulated pyroptosis mediated poor articular cartilage quality induced by prenatal nicotine exposure in female offspring rats.

Nicotine is developmentally toxic. Prenatal nicotine exposure (PNE) affects the development of multiple fetal organs and causes susceptibility to a variety of diseases in offspring. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of PNE on cartilage development and osteoarthritis susceptibility in female offspring rats. Wistar rats were orally gavaged with nicotine on days 9-20 of pregnancy. The articular cartilage was obtained at gestational day (GD) 20 and postnatal week (PW) 24, respectively. Further, the effect of nicotine on chondrogenic differentiation was explored by the chondrogenic differentiation model in human Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs). The PNE group showed significantly shallower Safranin O staining and lower Collagen 2a1 content of articular cartilage in female offspring rats. Further, we found that PNE activated pyroptosis in the articular cartilage at GD20 and PW24. In vitro experiments revealed that nicotine inhibited chondrogenic differentiation and activated pyroptosis. After interfering with nod-like receptors3 (NLRP3) expression by SiRNA, it was found that pyroptosis mediated the chondrogenic differentiation inhibition of WJ-MSCs induced by nicotine. In addition, we found that α7-nAChR antagonist α-BTX reversed nicotine-induced NLRP3 and P300 high expression. And, P300 SiRNA reversed the increase of NLRP3 mRNA expression and histone acetylation level in its promoter region induced by nicotine. In conclusion, PNE caused chondrodysplasia and poor articular cartilage quality in female offspring rats. PNE increased the histone acetylation level of NLRP3 promoter region by α7-nAChR/P300, which resulting in the high expression of NLRP3. Further, NLRP3 mediated the inhibition of chondrogenic differentiation by activating pyroptosis.

First report on liquid crystal monomers in tree barks surrounding a display manufacturer: Insights for atmospheric transport and establishment of priority list.

Tree bark has been proven as an effective passive air sampler, particularly where access to active sampling methods is limited. In this study, 60 target liquid crystal monomers (LCMs; comprising 10 cyanobiphenyl and analogs (CBAs), 13 biphenyl and analogs (BAs), and 37 fluorinated biphenyl and analogs (FBAs)) were analyzed in 34 tree barks collected from the vicinity of a liquid crystal display (LCD) manufacturer situated in the Pearl River Delta, South China. The concentrations of LCMs in tree barks ranged from 1400 to 16000 ng/g lipid weight, with an average of 5900 ng/g lipid weight. Generally, bark levels of BAs exponentially decreased within 5 km of the LCD manufacturer. The profiles of LCMs in tree barks are similar to previously reported patterns in gaseous phase, suggesting bark's efficacy as a sampler for gaseous LCMs. The inclusion of different congeners in existing studies on the environmental occurrence of LCMs has hindered the horizontal comparisons. Therefore, this study established a list of priority LCMs based on environmental monitoring data and the publicly accessible production data. This list comprised 146 LCMs, including 63 REACH registered LCMs that haven't been analyzed in any study and 56 belonging to 4 types of mainstream LCMs.

In-situ rapid cultivation of aerobic granular sludge in A/O bioreactor by using Ca(ClO)2 pretreating sludge.

The efficient utilization of residual sludge and the rapid cultivation of aerobic granular sludge in continuous-flow engineering applications present significant challenges. In this study, aerobic granular cultivation was fostered in a continuous-flow system using Ca(ClO)2-sludge carbon (Ca-SC). Ca-SC retained the original sludge properties, contributing to granular growth in an A/O bioreactor. By day 40, the granule diameters increased to 0.8 mm with the SVI30 decreased by 2.7 times. Moreover, Ca-SC facilitated protein secretion, reaching 98.06 mg/g VSS and enhanced the hydrophobicity to 68.4 %. The continuous-flow aerobic granular sludge exhibited a nutrient removal rate above 90 %. Furthermore, Tessaracoccus and Nitrospira were enriched to promote granular formation and nitrogen removal. The residual sludge was carbonized and reused in the traditional wastewater treatment process to culture granular sludge in situ, aiming to achieve "self-production and self-consumption" of sludge and promote the innovative model of "treating waste with waste" in urban sewage environmental restoration.

Predicting the incidence of rifampicin resistant tuberculosis in Yunnan, China: a seasonal time series analysis based on routine surveillance data.

BACKGROUND: Rifampicin resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) poses a growing threat to individuals and communities. This study utilized a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) model to quantitatively predict the monthly incidence of RR-TB in Yunnan Province which could guide government health administration departments and the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) in preventing and controlling the RR-TB epidemic. METHODS: The study utilized routine surveillance reporting data from the infectious Disease Network Surveillance and Reporting System. Monthly incidence rates of RR-TB were collected from January 2019 to December 2022. A time series SARIMA model was used to predict the number of monthly RR-TB cases in Yunnan Province in 2023, and the model was validated using time series plots, seasonal and non-seasonal differencing, autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation analysis, and white noise tests. RESULTS: From 2019 to 2022, the incidence of RR-TB decreases as the incidence of all TB decreases (P < 0.05). There was no significant change in the proportion of RR-TB among all TB cases, which remained within 2.5% (P>0.05). The time series decomposition shows that it presented obvious seasonality, periodicity and randomness after being decomposed. Time series analysis was performed on the original series after 1 non-seasonal difference and 1 seasonal difference, the ADF test showed P < 0.05. According to ACF and PACF, the SARIMA (1, 1, 1) (1, 1, 0)12 model was chosen and statistically significant model parameter estimates (P < 0.05). The predicted seasonal trend of RR-TB incidence in 2019 to 2023 was similar to the actual data. The percentage accuracy in the prediction excesses 80% in 2019 to 2022 and is all within 95% CI. However there was a certain gap between the actual incidence and the predicted value in 2023, and the acutual incidence had increased by 12.4% compared to 2022. The percentage of accuracy in the prediction was only 70% in 2023. CONCLUSIONS: We found the incidence of RR-TB was based on that of all TB in Yunnan. The SARIMA model successfully predicted the seasonal incidence trend of RR-TB in Yunnan Province in 2019 to 2023, but the prediction precision could be influenced by factors such as new infectious disease outbreaks or pandemics, social issues, environmental challenges or other unknown risks. Hence CDCs should pay special attention to the post epidemic effects of new infectious disease outbreaks or pandemics, carry out monitoring and early warning, and better optimize disease prediction models.

Coagulation risk predicting in anticoagulant-free CRRT.

INTRODUCTION: Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (CRRT) is a prolonged continuous extracorporeal blood purification therapy to replace impaired renal function. Typically, CRRT therapy requires routine anticoagulation, but for patients at risk of bleeding and with contraindications to sodium citrate, anticoagulant-free dialysis therapy is necessary. However, this approach increases the risk of CRRT circuit coagulation, leading to treatment interruption and increased resource consumption. In this study, we utilized artificial intelligence machine learning methods to predict the risk of CRRT circuit coagulation based on pre-CRRT treatment metrics. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 212 patients who underwent anticoagulant-free CRRT from October 2022 to October 2023. Patients were categorized into high-risk and low-risk groups based on CRRT circuit coagulation within 24 hours. We employed eight machine learning methods to predict the risk of circuit coagulation. The performance of the model was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC). 5-fold cross-validation was used to validate the machine learning models. Feature importance and SHAP plots were used to interpret the model's performance and key drivers. RESULTS: We identified 88 patients (41.51%) at high risk of circuit coagulation within 24 hours of CRRT. Our machine learning models showed excellent predictive performance, with ensemble learning (EL) achieving an AUC of 0.863 (95% CI 0.860 - 0.868), outperforming individual algorithms. Random forest (RF) was the best single-algorithm model, with an AUC of 0.819(95% CI 0.814 - 0.823). The top three features identified as most important by the SHAP summary plot and feature importance graph are platelet, FF, and triglycerides. CONCLUSION: We created a model using machine learning to predict the risk of circuit coagulation during anticoagulant-free CRRT therapy. Our model performs well (AUC 0.863) and identifies key factors like platelets, filtration fraction, and triglycerides. This facilitates the development of personalized treatment strategies by clinicians, aimed at reducing circuit coagulation risk, thereby enhancing patient outcomes and reducing healthcare expenses.

Establishing a Classification System for Predicting Flow-Limiting Dissection After Balloon Angioplasty Using Explainable Machine-Learning Models: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) is the primary method for treatment in peripheral arterial disease. However, some patients experience flow-limiting dissection (FLD) after PTA. We utilized machine learning and SHapley Additive exPlanations to identify and optimize a classification system to predict FLD after PTA. METHODS: This was a multi-center, retrospective, cohort study. The cohort comprised 407 patients who underwent treatment of the femoropopliteal (FP) arteries in 3 institutions between January 2021 and June 2023. Preoperative computed tomography angiography images were evaluated to identify FP artery grading, chronic total occlusion (CTO), and vessel calcification (peripheral artery calcium scoring system [PACSS]). After PTA, FLD was identified by angiography. We trained and validated 6 machine-learning models to estimate FLD occurrence after PTA, and the best model was selected. Then, the sum of the Shapley values for each of CTO, FP, and PACSS was calculated for each patient to produce the CTO-FP-PACSS value. The CTO-FP-PACSS classification system was used to classify the patients into classes 1 to 4. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to validate the effectiveness of the CTO-FP-PACSS classification system for predicting FLD. RESULTS: Overall, 407 patients were analyzed, comprising 189 patients with FLD and 218 patients without FLD. Differences in sex (71% males vs 54% males, p<0.001), CTO (72% vs 43%, p<0.001), FP (3.26±0.94 vs 2.66±1.06, p<0.001), and PACSS (2.39±1.40 vs 1.74±1.35, p<0.001) were observed between patients with and without FLD, respectively. The random forest model demonstrated the best performance (validation set area under the curve: 0.82). SHapley Additive exPlanations revealed CTO, PACSS, and FP as the 3 most influential FLD predictors, and the univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed CTO-FP-PACSS classification as an independent FLD predictor (multivariate hazard ratio 4.13; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The CTO-FP-PACSS classification system accurately predicted FLD after PTA. This user-friendly system may guide surgical decision-making, helping choose between PTA and additional devices to reduce FLD in FP artery treatment. CLINICAL IMPACT: We utilised machine-learning techniques in conjunction with SHapley Additive exPlanations to develop a clinical classification system that predicts the probability of flow-limiting dissection (FLD) after plain old balloon angioplasty. This classification system categorises lesions into Classes 1-4 based on three factors: chronic total occlusion, femoropopliteal grading, and peripheral artery calcium scoring. Each class demonstrated a different probability of developing FLD. This classification system may be valuable for surgeons in their clinical practice, as well as serving as a source of inspiration for other researchers.

Development of V2O3 Nanostructures for Alkali Metal Ion Batteries: A Novel Approach through Mild Metal Vapor Reduction and Interface Engineering.

V2O3 has been extensively researched as a battery electrode material due to its ample reserves and high theoretical capacity. However, the synthesis of valence-sensitive V2O3 presents technical challenges as it requires a strict combination of high-temperature treatment and a narrow range of oxygen partial pressures. This study proposes a gentle Li vapor-assisted thermal reduction method to synthesize pure-phase V2O3 at a relatively low temperature of 480 °C without any hazardous gases. It has been discovered that reducing the temperature also improves the specific surface area of the nanoto-mesoscale hierarchical structures and enhances the reactive sites between their secondary grains. These advantages enable the V2O3 micronano particles to store higher levels of Li+, Na+, and K+, increase ionic transport, and tolerate volume expansion. It demonstrates a significant capacity of 767 mA h g-1 in lithium-ion batteries, 393 mA h g-1 in sodium-ion batteries, and 209 mA h g-1 in potassium-ion batteries. It has also been discovered that the crystal structure of V2O3 is easily adjustable by varying the synthesis temperature, which significantly affects the electrochemical storage mechanism. The V2O3 synthesized at 480 °C with low crystallinity exhibits a notable intercalation reaction, facilitating the electrochemical kinetics of reversible insertion/extraction of Li+, Na+, and K+. In contrast, the highly crystalline sample synthesized at 580 °C displays pseudocapacitance behavior instead of an intercalation reaction. The highly crystalline sample synthesized at 680 °C exhibits a thorough pseudocapacitance reaction possessing the capacitive functionality for the electrochemical storage of Na+ or K+ with larger ion radii. This study describes a new synthesis strategy and rational modification of vanadium-based electrodes for alkali metal ion batteries, leading to the development of reasonably priced rechargeable battery systems with applications extending beyond lithium-ion batteries.

Glaucomatous Focal Perfusion Loss in the Macula Measured by Optical Coherence Tomographic Angiography.

PURPOSE: To measure low perfusion area (LPA) and focal perfusion loss (FPL) in the macula using OCT angiography (OCTA) for glaucoma. DESIGN: Prospective, cross-sectional "case-control" comparison study. METHODS: A total of 60 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and 37 normal participants were analyzed. AngioVue 6 × 6-mm high-definition (400 × 400 transverse pixels) macular OCTA scans were performed on one eye of each participant. Flow signal was calculated using the split-spectrum amplitude-decorrelation angiography algorithm. En face ganglion cell layer plexus (GCLP) and superficial vascular complex (SVC) images were generated. Using custom software, vessel density (VD) maps were obtained by computing the fraction of area occupied by flow pixels after low-pass filtering by local averaging 41 × 41 pixels. LPA was defined by local VD below 0.5 percentile over a contiguous area above 98.5 percentile of the normal reference population. The FPL was the percent VD loss (relative to normal mean) integrated over the LPA. RESULTS: Among patients with POAG, 30 had perimetric and 30 had pre-perimetric glaucoma. The LPAGCLP-VD was 0.16±0.38 mm2 in normal and 5.78±6.30 mm2 in glaucoma subjects (P<0.001). The FPLGCLP-VD was 0.20%±0.47% in normal and 7.52%±8.84% in glaucoma subjects (P<0.001). The perimetric glaucoma diagnostic accuracy, measured by the area under the receiver operating curve, was 0.993 for LPAGCLP-VD and 0.990 for FPLGCLP-VD. The sensitivities were 96.7% and 93.3% at 95% specificity, respectively. The LPAGCLP-VD and FPLGCLP-VD had good repeatability (0.957 and 0.952 by intraclass correlation coefficient). Diagnostic accuracy was better than GCLP VD (AROC 0.950, sensitivity 83.3%) and OCT ganglion cell complex (GCC) thickness (AROC 0.927, sensitivity 80.0%), GCC focal loss volume (AROC 0.957, sensitivity 80.0%). The LPAGCLP-VD and FPLGCLP-VD correlated well with central VF mean deviations (Pearson's r=-0.716 and -0.705 respectively, both P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Assessment of macular focal perfusion loss using OCTA is useful in evaluating glaucomatous damage.

Current treatment for male infertility: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

This umbrella review aimed to summarize and provide a general evaluation of the effectiveness of current treatments for male infertility and assess the quality of evidence and possible biases. An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses available in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, covering studies published up to October 2023, was conducted. Sperm concentration, morphology, and motility were used as endpoints to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatments. Of 2998 studies, 18 published meta-analyses were extracted, yielding 90 summary effects on sperm concentration (n = 36), sperm morphology (n = 26), and sperm motility (n = 28) on 28 interventions. None of the meta-analyses were classified as having low methodological quality, whereas 12 (66.7%) and 6 (33.3%) had high and moderate quality, respectively. Of the 90 summary effects, none were rated high-evidence quality, whereas 53.3% (n = 48), 25.6% (n = 23), and 21.1% (n = 19) were rated moderate, low, and very low, respectively. Significant improvements in sperm concentration, morphology, and motility were observed with pharmacological interventions (N-acetyl-cysteine, antioxidant therapy, aromatase inhibitors, selective estrogen receptor modulators, hormones, supplements, and alpha-lipoic acid) and nonpharmacological interventions (varicocele repair and redo varicocelectomy). In addition, vitamin supplementation had no significant positive effects on sperm concentration, motility, or morphology. Treatments for male infertility are increasingly diverse; however, the current evidence is poor because of the limited number of patients. Further well-designed studies on single treatment and high-quality meta-analysis of intertreatment comparisons are recommended.

From graphite of used lithium-ion batteries to holey graphite coated by carbon with enhanced lithium storage capability.

The efficient recycling of waste graphite anode from used lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has attracted considerable concerns mainly owing to the environment protection and reutilization of resources. Herein, we reported a rational and facile strategy for the synthesis of holey graphite coated by carbon (hG0.01@C0.10) through the separation, purification and creation of holey structures of waste graphite by using NaOH and carbon-coating by using phenolic resin. The holey structures facilitate the hG0.01@C0.10 with the quick penetration of electrolytes and rapid diffusion of Li+. The carbon coating is more favorable for hG0.01@C0.10 with improved electronic conductivity and less alleviated volume during the cycles. Benefiting from the synergistic effect of holey structures and carbon coating, the hG0.01@C0.10 as anode for LIBs displays a high reversible capacity of 377.6 mAh g-1 at 0.5 C and superior rate capabilities (e.g., 348.0 and 274.7 mAh g-1 at 1 and 2 C, respectively) and maintains a high reversible capacity of 278.7 mAh g-1 at 1 C after 300 cycles with an initial capacity retention of 80.0 %.

Long noncoding RNA small nucleolar RNA host gene 1 as a potential novel biomarker for intraperitoneal free cancer cells in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent cancer with intraperitoneal free cancer cells (IFCCs) playing a significant role in prognosis, especially during surgeries. The identification of IFCCs is crucial for determining the stage and treatment of patients with CRC. Existing methods for IFCC detection, such as conventional cytology, immunocytochemistry (ICC), and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), have limitations in sensitivity and specificity. This study investigates the potential of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) SNHG1 as a biomarker for detecting IFCCs in patients with CRC. Testing on a cohort of 91 patients with CRC and 26 patients with gastrointestinal benign disease showed that SNHG1 outperformed CEA in distinguishing CRC cells and detecting IFCCs across different disease stages. SNHG1 demonstrated higher sensitivity (76.1% vs. 43.1%) and specificity (68.4% vs. 52.3%) than CEA for IFCC detection in patients with CRC, suggesting its promising role as a clinical method for identifying IFCCs in CRC.

The impact of compound drought and heatwave events from 1982 to 2022 on the phenology of Central Asian grasslands.

In the context of global warming, the occurrence and severity of extreme events like atmospheric drought (AD) and warm spell duration index (WSDI) have increased, causing significant impacts on terrestrial ecosystems in Central Asia's arid regions. Previous research has focused on single extreme events such as AD and WSDI, but the effect of compound hot and dry events (CHWE) on grassland phenology in the arid regions of Central Asia remains unclear. This study utilized structural equation modeling (SEM) and the Pettitt breakpoint test to quantify the direct and indirect responses of grassland phenology (start of season - SOS, length of season - LOS, and end of season - EOS) to AD, WSDI, and CHWE. Furthermore, this research investigated the threshold of grassland phenology response to compound hot and dry events. The research findings indicate a significant increasing trend in AD, WSDI, and CHWE in the arid regions of Central Asia from 1982 to 2022 (0.51 day/year, P < 0.01; 0.25 day/year, P < 0.01; 0.26 day/year, P < 0.01). SOS in the arid regions of Central Asia showed a significant advancement trend, while EOS exhibited a significant advance. LOS demonstrated an increasing trend (-0.23 day/year, P < 0.01; -0.12 day/year, P < 0.01; 0.56 day/year). The temperature primarily governs the variation in SOS. While higher temperatures promote an earlier SOS, they also offset the delaying effect of CHWE on SOS. AD, temperature, and CHWE have negative impacts on EOS, whereas WSDI has a positive effect on EOS. AD exhibits the strongest negative effect on EOS, with an increase in AD leading to an earlier EOS. Temperature and WSDI are positively correlated with LOS, indicating that higher temperatures and increased WSDI contribute to a longer LOS. The threshold values for the response of SOS, EOS, and LOS to CHWE are 16.14, 18.49, and 16.61 days, respectively. When CHWE exceeds these critical thresholds, there are significant changes in the response of SOS, EOS, and LOS to CHWE. These findings deepen our understanding of the mechanisms by which extreme climate events influence grassland phenology dynamics in Central Asia. They can contribute to better protection and management of grassland ecosystems and help in addressing the impacts of global warming and climate change in practice.