Declining Chinese attitudes toward the United States amid COVID-19.

In this paper, we present findings from four separate studies using different data sources and methods to examine Chinese attitudes toward the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The empirical results consistently indicate a marked and significant decline in Chinese attitudes toward the US between late 2019 and the end of 2022. Using a quasi-experimental design and granular survey data that exploit daily variations in public opinion, we offer additional evidence that the decline in Chinese attitudes toward the United States followed a distinct pattern not true for Chinese attitudes toward other countries. Specifically, the rise in Chinese unfavorability toward the United States closely corresponded to the heightened Chinese attention to the pandemic's progression in the United States. These results collectively suggest a causal effect of COVID-19, shedding light on how public health crises, international relations, and media jointly shape the increasing enmity between the two great powers.

Caught in the crossfire: Fears of Chinese-American scientists.

The US global leadership in science and technology has greatly benefitted from immigrants from other countries, most notably from China in the recent decades. However, feeling the pressure of potential federal investigations since the 2018 launch of the China Initiative, scientists of Chinese descent in the United States now face higher incentives to leave the United States and lower incentives to apply for federal grants. Analyzing data pertaining to institutional affiliations of more than 200 million scientific papers, we find a steady increase in the return migration of scientists of Chinese descent from the United States to China. We also conducted a survey of scientists of Chinese descent employed by US universities in tenured or tenure-track positions (n = 1,304), with results revealing general feelings of fear and anxiety that lead them to consider leaving the United States and/or stop applying for federal grants. If the situation is not corrected, American science will likely suffer the loss of scientific talent to China and other countries.

A Bioinspired Gradient Design Strategy for Cellulose-Based Electromagnetic Wave Absorbing Structural Materials.

Cellulose nanofiber (CNF) possesses excellent intrinsic properties, and many CNF-based high-performance structural and functional materials have been developed recently. However, the coordination of the mechanical properties and functionality is still a considerable challenge. Here, a CNF-based structural material is developed by a bioinspired gradient structure design using hollow magnetite nanoparticles and the phosphorylation-modified CNF as building blocks, which simultaneously achieves a superior mechanical performance and electromagnetic wave absorption (EMA) ability. Benefiting from the gradient design, the flexural strength of the structural material reached ∼205 MPa. Meanwhile, gradient design improves impedance matching, contributing to the high EMA ability (-59.5 dB) and wide effective absorption width (5.20 GHz). Besides, a low coefficient of thermal expansion and stable storage modulus was demonstrated as the temperature changes. The excellent mechanical, thermal, and EMA performance exhibited great potential for application in stealth equipment and electromagnetic interference protecting electronic packaging materials.

Historical comparison of gender inequality in scientific careers across countries and disciplines.

There is extensive, yet fragmented, evidence of gender differences in academia suggesting that women are underrepresented in most scientific disciplines and publish fewer articles throughout a career, and their work acquires fewer citations. Here, we offer a comprehensive picture of longitudinal gender differences in performance through a bibliometric analysis of academic publishing careers by reconstructing the complete publication history of over 1.5 million gender-identified authors whose publishing career ended between 1955 and 2010, covering 83 countries and 13 disciplines. We find that, paradoxically, the increase of participation of women in science over the past 60 years was accompanied by an increase of gender differences in both productivity and impact. Most surprisingly, though, we uncover two gender invariants, finding that men and women publish at a comparable annual rate and have equivalent career-wise impact for the same size body of work. Finally, we demonstrate that differences in publishing career lengths and dropout rates explain a large portion of the reported career-wise differences in productivity and impact, although productivity differences still remain. This comprehensive picture of gender inequality in academia can help rephrase the conversation around the sustainability of women's careers in academia, with important consequences for institutions and policy makers.

[Improvement of solubility of epimedium flavonoid secondary glycoside components by traditional Chinese medicine polysaccharides and its mechanism].

The poor solubility of insoluble components of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) is an important factor restricting the development of its preparations. Natural polysaccharides of TCM can be used as functional components to increase the solubility of insoluble components. Epimedium flavonoid secondary glycoside components(EFSGC) have been shown to have positive effects on the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, but they exhibit poor solubility. Therefore, the strategy of solubilizing EFSGC with TCM polysaccharides was adopted, and its effect on the permeability and stability of EFSGC was evaluated in this study. Based on the equilibrium solubility experiment of EFSGC, it was found that Panax notoginseng crude polysaccharide(PNCP) had the best solubilization effect on EFSGC among the ten kinds of TCM polysaccharides, which increased the solubility of EFSGC from 0.8 mg·mL~(-1) to 13.3 mg·mL~(-1). It should be noted that after the solubilization of EFSGC by preparation technology, the effects on permeability and stability should be considered. Therefore, this study also investigated these two properties. The results showed that PNCP increased the effective transmittance of EFSGC from 50.5% to 71.1%, which could increase the permeability of EFSGC significantly. At the same time, it could improve the stability of EFSGC in the simulated gastric juice environment. In order to explain the solubilization mechanism of PNCP on EGSGC, critical micelle concentration, particle size, potential, differential scanning calorimetry, and infrared spectroscopy were analyzed. It was preliminarily inferred that the mechanism was as follows: PNCP and EFSGC could self-assemble into aggregates for solubilization by intermolecular hydrogen bonding interaction in water. In summary, PNCP can not only improve the solubility of EFSGC but also improve its permeability and stability. This study lays the foundation for the application of TCM polysaccharides as a functional component to solubilize insoluble components.

Origin of the frequency-sensitive super-collimation phenomenon from the geometry of band dispersion surface for two-dimensional photonic crystals.

Frequency-sensitive super-collimation (FSSC) is a novel dispersion phenomenon of photonic crystals (PhCs) that can realize the beam collimating propagation with very high frequency sensitivity. In order to deeply investigate the origin and the stability of FSSC phenomenon in a wide parameter space, we study the geometry of dispersion surface in detail. Four features for the special geometry of dispersion surface with FSSC are found for rectangular PhCs. The special geometry supports the stability of FSSC in a wide range of parameter space. Two-parameter modulation (TPM) method, in which the aspect ratio ß and the dielectric constant of rods ɛr of rectangular lattice are chosen as the key parameters, is used to analyze the geometry of dispersion surface from the frequency changes at the high-symmetry points. Step by step, the origin of such geometry is revealed and the evolving process can be explained by the field distribution changes of Bloch modes at the high-symmetry points. Furthermore, we show that the geometry not only can be used to explain the origin and the stability of FSSC, but also can help us to find other FSSC phenomenons. Theoretically, we believe the geometry of dispersion surface and the TPM can be widely used on the studies of complex dispersion properties of PhCs. The FSSCs found in this work with higher sensitivity or higher stability can help us to design new on-chip PhC devices.

The efficacy of platelet rich plasma on anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is a common musculoskeletal injury, most frequently affecting young and physically active patients. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been widely used in ACL reconstruction to augment the graft healing. However, high-level studies addressing its clinical efficacy could not reach a consensus. In this study, we assess the efficacy of PRP on pain relief, functional improvement along with radiological changes in patients who underwent ACL reconstruction. We performed comprehensive literature search and included 17 RCTs containing 970 participants who underwent ACL reconstruction. The combined data showed significant difference between PRP and control with regard to VAS score (MD: -1.12, 95% CI -1.92, -0.31; P = .007), subjective IKDC score (MD: 6.08, 95% CI 4.39, 7.77; P < .00001) and Lysholm score (MD: 8.49, 95% CI 1.63, 15.36; P = .02) by postoperative 6 months, but only pain reduction was deemed clinically important. At the end of one year's follow-up, no clinically meaningful improvement in VAS (MD: -0.47, P = .04), subjective IKDC score (MD: 3.99, P = .03), Lysholm score (MD: 2.30, P = .32), objective IKDC score (RR: 1.03, P = .09) and knee joint laxity (MD: 0.17, P = .28) was seen. In terms of radiological findings, about one-third of the studies favored PRP to facilitate the graft healing, improve the harvest site morbidity and prevent tunnel widening. In summary, moderate quality of evidence suggested that PRP could provide short-term but not long-term clinically important pain reduction.

Features associated with high-risk sessile serrated polyps at index and follow-up colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Clinically significant serrated polyps are precursors of colorectal cancers, with features considered high risk including size ≥10 mm, dysplasia, and presence of synchronous conventional adenoma. While these features have been described in cohorts undergoing screening colonoscopy, there is little information regarding the prevalence and patient characteristics associated with high-risk sessile serrated polyps (SSPs) in those undergoing surveillance colonoscopy. METHODS: Polyp pathology at the index and first follow-up colonoscopy performed between 2004 and 2019 were examined in patients enrolled in a surveillance program because of an index finding of adenoma and/or SSP. Demographics and pathology features for SSP were compared between the colonoscopies. RESULTS: Of 6297 patients undergoing index colonoscopy, 2035 underwent follow-up colonoscopy after 3.3 years (interquartile range 2.1-4.8 years). The proportion with SSP decreased from 7.6% at index to 5.0% at follow-up (P < 0.001); however, the proportion of SSPs that were considered high risk was not different between the colonoscopies (62.8% vs 62.4%). Female gender was associated with the presence of high-risk SSP at index colonoscopy (odds ratio [OR] 1.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28-2.06), while age ≥75 years (OR 3.38, 95% CI 1.67-6.81) and previous high-risk SSP (OR 9.40, 95% CI 4.23-20.88) were independently associated with high-risk SSP at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of SSP falls by one-third at first follow-up colonoscopy although the proportion of SSP with high-risk features remains the same. While females were more likely to have a high-risk SSP at the index colonoscopy, those at greatest risk for high-risk SSP at follow-up colonoscopy were age >75 years and an index high-risk SSP.

Accumulation of LDL/ox-LDL in the necrotic region participates in osteonecrosis of the femoral head: a pathological and in vitro study.

BACKGROUND: Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a common but intractable disease that appears to involve lipid metabolic disorders. Although numerous studies have demonstrated that high blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) are closely associated with ONFH, there is limited evidence to explain the pathological role of LDL. Pathological and in vitro studies were performed to investigate the role of disordered metabolism of LDL and oxidized LDL (ox-LDL) in the femoral head in the pathology of ONFH. METHODS: Nineteen femoral head specimens from patients with ONFH were obtained for immunohistochemistry analysis. Murine long-bone osteocyte Y4 cells were used to study the effects of LDL/ox-LDL on cell viability, apoptosis, and metabolism process of LDL/ox-LDL in osteocytes in normoxic and hypoxic environments. RESULTS: In the pathological specimens, marked accumulation of LDL/ox-LDL was observed in osteocytes/lacunae of necrotic regions compared with healthy regions. In vitro studies showed that ox-LDL, rather than LDL, reduced the viability and enhanced apoptosis of osteocytes. Pathological sections indicated that the accumulation of ox-LDL was significantly associated with impaired blood supply. Exposure to a hypoxic environment appeared to be a key factor leading to LDL/ox-LDL accumulation by enhancing internalisation and oxidation of LDL in osteocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The accumulation of LDL/ox-LDL in the necrotic region may contribute to the pathology of ONFH. These findings could provide new insights into the prevention and treatment of ONFH.

Biomechanical evaluation of autologous bone-cage in posterior lumbar interbody fusion: a finite element analysis.

BACKGROUND: An autologous bone-cage made from the spinous process and laminae might provide a stability in posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) close that of the traditional-cage made of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) or titanium. The biomechanical effect of autologous bone-cages on cage stability, stress, and strains, and on the facet contact force has not been fully described. This study aimed to verify whether autologous bone-cages can achieve similar performance as that of PEEK cages in PLIF by using a finite element analysis. METHODS: The finite element models of PLIF with an autologous bone-cage, a titanium cage, and a PEEK cage were constructed. The autologous bone-cage was compared with the titanium and PEEK cages. The mechanical properties of the autologous bone-cage were obtained through mechanical tests. The four motion modes were simulated. The range of motion (ROM), the stress in the cage-end plate interface, and the facet joint force (FJF) were compared. RESULTS: The ROM was increased at adjacent levels but decreased over 97% at the treated levels, and the intradiscal pressure at adjacent levels was increased under all conditions in all models. The FJF disappeared at treated levels and increased under extension, lateral bending, and lateral rotation in all models. The maximum stress of the cage-endplate interface was much lower in the autologous bone-cage model than those in the PEEK and titanium cage models. CONCLUSIONS: In a finite model of PLIF, the autologous bone-cage model could achieve stability close that of traditional titanium or PEEK cages, reducing the risk of subsidence.

Mechano-growth factor protects against mechanical overload induced damage and promotes migration of growth plate chondrocytes through RhoA/YAP pathway.

Epiphyseal growth plate is highly dynamic tissue which is controlled by a variety of endocrine, paracrine hormones, and by complex local signaling loops and mechanical loading. Mechano growth factor (MGF), the splice variant of the IGF-I gene, has been discovered to play important roles in tissue growth and repair. However, the effect of MGF on the growth plate remains unclear. In the present study, we found that MGF mRNA expression of growth plate chondrocytes was upregulated in response to mechanical stimuli. Treatment of MGF had no effect on growth plate chondrocytes proliferation and differentiation. But it could inhibit growth plate chondrocytes apoptosis and inflammation under mechanical overload. Moreover, both wound healing and transwell assay indicated that MGF could significantly enhance growth plate chondrocytes migration which was accompanied with YAP activation and nucleus translocation. Knockdown of YAP with YAP siRNA suppressed migration induced by MGF, indicating the essential role of YAP in MGF promoting growth plate chondrocytes migration. Furthermore, MGF promoted YAP activation through RhoA GTPase mediated cytoskeleton reorganization, RhoA inhibition using C3 toxin abrogated MGF induced YAP activation. Importantly, we found that MGF promoted focal adhesion(FA) formation and knockdown of YAP with YAP siRNA partially suppressed the activation of FA kinase, implying that YAP is associated with FA formation. In conclusion, MGF is an autocrine growth factor which is regulated by mechanical stimuli. MGF could not only protect growth plate chondrocytes against damage by mechanical overload, but also promote migration through activation of RhoA/YAP signaling axis. Most importantly, our findings indicate that MGF promote cell migration through YAP mediated FA formation to determine the FA-cytoskeleton remodeling.

Association between polymorphisms in vitamin D receptor gene and adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: This meta-analysis was performed to clarify whether the two single nucleotide polymorphisms (ApaI and BsmI) in vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene conferred susceptibility to adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). METHODS: A comprehensive literature search in five online databases (PubMed, EMBASE, ISI Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang) was performed to identify studies that analyzed the association between VDR gene polymorphisms and risk of AIS. Observational studies met the predetermined inclusion criteria were selected for meta-analysis. The most appropriate genetic model was identified using a genetic model-free approach. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: Five eligible studies were included in this meta-analysis, which involved a total of 717 cases and 554 controls. A statistically significant association was observed between BsmI polymorphism and AIS (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.32, 2.62). In subgroup analysis by ethnicity, the association between BsmI polymorphism and AIS was significant in Asians (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.56, 2.73) but not in Caucasians (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.23, 2.19). However, the ApaI polymorphism was not associated with AIS. Moreover, no evidence of association between BMD and the two VDR gene polymorphisms was detected. CONCLUSIONS: Meta-analysis of existing data suggested that BsmI was associated with increased risk of AIS in Asian populations. Nevertheless, further studies with rigorous design and more ethnic groups are encouraged to validate our findings. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

Efficacy and Safety of Postoperative Pain Relief by Parecoxib Injection after Laparoscopic Surgeries: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of parecoxib injection in pain relief after laparoscopic surgeries. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search based on 4 online databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Science) was applied to retrieve all related randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Two independent reviewers screened each article for eligibility according to the predetermined inclusion criteria. The Cochrane Collaboration's tool was applied to evaluate the methodological quality of included studies. A standardized data collection sheet was designed to extract data from included studies. RevMan version 5.3 (The Cochrane Collaboration, Copenhagen, Denmark) was selected to perform meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1,060 participants who were scheduled for gynecological laparoscopic surgery or laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) were enrolled in 12 selected RCTs. The methodological qualities of the studies were evaluated as moderate to high. The combined data showed that perioperative parecoxib injection could significantly reduce the proportion of patients who required adjuvant pain relieve after laparoscopic surgeries. Significantly lower pain scores in the parecoxib groups were observed, which proved that preoperative or intraoperative injection of 40 mg parecoxib was more effective than placebo for immediate pain relief after LC. But preoperative injection of 40 mg parecoxib showed no improvement compared with placebo in the management of immediate pain following gynecological laparoscopic surgery. The occurrence of adverse events showed no differences between perioperative parecoxib administration and placebo control. CONCLUSION: Perioperative parecoxib administration was effective in reducing the proportion of patients who required adjuvant pain relief after laparoscopic surgeries without significant adverse events compared with placebo. The effect of parecoxib injection on immediate pain relief remains in question. Future RCTs with larger sample sizes are encouraged.

Deciphering the molecular classification of pediatric sepsis: integrating WGCNA and machine learning-based classification with immune signatures for the development of an advanced diagnostic model.

Introduction: Pediatric sepsis (PS) is a life-threatening infection associated with high mortality rates, necessitating a deeper understanding of its underlying pathological mechanisms. Recently discovered programmed cell death induced by copper has been implicated in various medical conditions, but its potential involvement in PS remains largely unexplored. Methods: We first analyzed the expression patterns of cuproptosis-related genes (CRGs) and assessed the immune landscape of PS using the GSE66099 dataset. Subsequently, PS samples were isolated from the same dataset, and consensus clustering was performed based on differentially expressed CRGs. We applied weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify hub genes associated with PS and cuproptosis. Results: We observed aberrant expression of 27 CRGs and a specific immune landscape in PS samples. Our findings revealed that patients in the GSE66099 dataset could be categorized into two cuproptosis clusters, each characterized by unique immune landscapes and varying functional classifications or enriched pathways. Among the machine learning approaches, Extreme Gradient Boosting demonstrated optimal performance as a diagnostic model for PS. Discussion: Our study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying PS, highlighting the involvement of cuproptosis-related genes and immune cell infiltration.

Identifying causal relationships between gastroesophageal reflux and extraesophageal diseases: A Mendelian randomization study.

Traditional observational and in vivo studies have suggested an etiological link between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and the development of extraesophageal diseases (EEDs), such as noncardiac chest pain. However, evidence demonstrating potential causal relationships is lacking. This study evaluated the potential causal relationship between GERD and EEDs, including throat and chest pain, asthma, bronchitis, chronic rhinitis, nasopharyngitis and pharyngitis, gingivitis and periodontal disease, cough, using multiple Mendelian randomization (MR) methods, and sensitivity analysis was performed. The Mendelian randomization Pleiotropy RESidual Sum and Outlier and PhenoScanner tools were used to further check for heterogeneous results and remove outliers. MR with inverse-variance weighted (IVW) showed a significant causal relationship between GERD and EEDs after Bonferroni correction. IVW results indicated that GERD increased the risk of chronic rhinitis, nasopharyngitis and pharyngitis (odds ratio [OR] = 1.482, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.267-1.734, P < .001], gingivitis and periodontal disease (OR = 1.166, 95% CI = 1.046-1.190, P = .001), throat and chest pain (OR = 1.585, 95% CI = 1.455-1.726, P < .001), asthma (OR = 1.539, 95% CI = 1.379-1.717, P < .001), and bronchitis (OR = 1.249, 95% CI = 1.168-1.335, P < .001). Sensitivity analysis did not detect pleiotropy. Leave-one-out analysis shows that MR results were not affected by individual single nucleotide polymorphisms. The funnel plot considers the genetic instrumental variables to be almost symmetrically distributed. This MR supports a causal relationship among GERD and EEDs. Precise moderation based on causality and active promotion of collaboration among multidisciplinary physicians ensure high-quality diagnostic and treatment recommendations and maximize patient benefit.

DLL1/NOTCH1 signaling pathway maintain angiogenesis in meniscus development and degeneration.

OBJECTIVES: The decline in vascular capacity within the meniscus is a well-documented phenomenon during both development and degeneration. Maintaining vascular integrity has been proposed as a potential therapeutic strategy for osteoarthritis. Therefore, our study aims to investigate the characteristics of endothelial cells and blood vessels in embryonic and degenerated meniscus tissues. METHODS: Human embryonic and mature menisci were used for histological analyses. Single-cell RNA sequencing was used to identify cell clusters and their significant genes in embryo meniscus to uncover characteristic of endothelial cells. Computer analysis and various staining techniques were used to characterize vessels in development and osteoarthritis meniscus. RESULTS: Vessels structure first observed in E12w and increasing in E14w. Vessels were veins majorly and arteries growth in E35w. Endothelial cells located not only perivascular but also in the surface of meniscus. The expression of DLL1 was observed to be significantly altered in endothelial cells within the vascular network that failed to form. Meniscus tissues affected by osteoarthritis, characterized by diminished vascular capacity, displayed reduced levels of DLL1 expression. Experiment in vitro confirmed DLL1/NOTCH1 be vital to angiogenesis. CONCLUSION: Lack of DLL1/NOTCH1 signaling pathway was mechanism of vascular declination in development and degenerated meniscus.

Integrative analysis of gene expression profiles of substantia nigra identifies potential diagnosis biomarkers in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease whose etiology is attributed to development of Lewy bodies and degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Currently, there are no definitive diagnostic indicators for PD. In this study, we aimed to identify potential diagnostic biomarkers for PD and analyzed the impact of immune cell infiltrations on disease pathogenesis. The PD expression profile data for human SN tissue, GSE7621, GSE20141, GSE20159, GSE20163 and GSE20164 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database for use in the training model. After normalization and merging, we identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using the Robust rank aggregation (RRA) analysis. Simultaneously, DEGs after batch correction were identified. Gene interactions were determined through venn Diagram analysis. Functional analyses and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were used to the identify hub genes, which were visualized through Cytoscape. A Lasso Cox regression model was employed to identify the potential diagnostic genes. The GSE20292 dataset was used for validation. The proportion of infiltrating immune cells in the samples were determined via the CIBERSORT method. Sixty-two DEGs were screened in this study. They were found to be enriched in nerve conduction, dopamine (DA) metabolism, and DA biosynthesis Gene Ontology (GO) terms. The PPI network and Lasso Cox regression analysis revealed seven potential diagnostic genes, namely SLC18A2, TAC1, PCDH8, KIAA0319, PDE6H, AXIN1, and AGTR1, were subsequently validated in peripheral blood samples obtained from healthy control (HC) and PD patients, as well as in the GSE20292 dataset. The results revealed the exceptional sensitivity and specificity of these genes in PD diagnosis and monitoring. Moreover, PD patients exhibited a higher number of plasma cells, compared to HC individuals. The SLC18A2, TAC1, PCDH8, KIAA0319, PDE6H, AXIN1, and AGTR1 are potential diagnostic biomarkers for PD. Our findings also reveal the essential roles of immune cell infiltration in both disease onset and trajectory.

Novel nano-encapsulated limonene: Utilization of drug-in-cyclodextrin-in-liposome formulation to improve the stability and enhance the antioxidant activity.

Drug-in-cyclodextrin-in-liposome (DCL) combines advantages of cyclodextrin and liposome. Here, DCL formulation was successfully prepared to encapsulate limonene (Lim), whose characterization revealed that particle size was 147.5 ± 1.3 nm and zeta potential was -48.7 ± 0.8 mV. And the complexation mechanism of Lim/HP-ß-CD inclusion complex (the intermediate of DCL) was analyzed by molecular dynamics simulation, showing that Lim was entrapped into the cavity of HP-ß-CD through electrostatic and hydrophobic interaction with a molar ratio of 1:1. Notably, DCL formulation not only reduced Lim volatilization in 25℃, but also enhanced the free radical (DPPH· and ABTS·+) scavenging ability of Lim. In summary, Lim-DCL formulation improved the stability and enhanced the antioxidant activity of Lim. DCL nanocarrier system is suitable to preserve volatile and hydrophobic compounds, enlarging their application in pharmaceutics industries.

Attenuating bone loss in osteoporosis: the potential of corylin (CL) as a therapeutic agent.

The global prevalence of osteoporosis is being exacerbated by the increasing number of aging societies and longer life expectancies. In response, numerous drugs have been developed in recent years to mitigate bone resorption and enhance bone density. Nonetheless, the efficacy and safety of these pharmaceutical interventions remain constrained. Corylin (CL), a naturally occurring compound derived from the anti-osteoporosis plant Psoralea corylifolia L., has exhibited promising potential in impeding osteoclast differentiation. This study aims to evaluate the effect and molecular mechanisms of CL regulating osteoclast differentiation in vitro and its potential as a therapeutic agent for osteoporosis treatment in vivo. Our investigation revealed that CL effectively inhibits osteoclast formation and their bone resorption capacity by downregulating the transcription factors NFATc1 and c-fos, consequently resulting in the downregulation of genes associated with bone resorption. Furthermore, it has been observed that CL can effectively mitigate the migration and fusion of pre-osteoclast, while also attenuating the activation of mitochondrial mass and function. The results obtained from an in vivo study have demonstrated that CL is capable of attenuating the bone loss induced by ovariectomy (OVX). Based on these significant findings, it is proposed that CL exhibits considerable potential as a novel drug strategy for inhibiting osteoclast differentiation, thereby offering a promising approach for the treatment of osteoporosis.

Distance effect of single atoms on stability of cobalt oxide catalysts for acidic oxygen evolution.

Developing efficient and economical electrocatalysts for acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is essential for proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE). Cobalt oxides are considered promising non-precious OER catalysts due to their high activities. However, the severe dissolution of Co atoms in acid media leads to the collapse of crystal structure, which impedes their application in PEMWE. Here, we report that introducing acid-resistant Ir single atoms into the lattice of spinel cobalt oxides can significantly suppress the Co dissolution and keep them highly stable during the acidic OER process. Combining theoretical and experimental studies, we reveal that the stabilizing effect induced by Ir heteroatoms exhibits a strong dependence on the distance of adjacent Ir single atoms, where the OER stability of cobalt oxides continuously improves with decreasing the distance. When the distance reduces to about 0.6 nm, the spinel cobalt oxides present no obvious degradation over a 60-h stability test for acidic OER, suggesting potential for practical applications.