Recent advances in portable devices for fruit firmness assessment.

Fruit firmness is of vital importance in various links of the fruit supply chain, such as determining harvest time, choosing packaging and transportation methods, regulating storage conditions and predicting shelf life. Portable devices are useful tools to perform on-site measurements of fruit firmness to guide production, optimize processing procedures, improve handling practices and formulate supply strategies. This paper reviews the recent advances in the design and development of portable devices to evaluate fruit firmness based on sensing mechanical, sonic, vibrational and optical properties of fruits. The principle, structure, composition, application and performance of different portable devices are presented. Since each sensor has its merits and limitations, the integration of multiple microsensors to develop a miniaturized, low-cost and facile-operation device may achieve higher sensing performance in determining fruit firmness.

Dust-mite-derived protein disulfide isomerase suppresses airway allergy by inducing tolerogenic dendritic cells.

House dust mites (HDMs) are a potent allergen source that are commonly found in human living environments. While HDMs are known to induce allergic diseases in humans, such as asthma, its other biological activities related to human health are less understood. Our laboratory recently purified the HDM protein PDI (protein disulfide isomerase). In this study, we assess the role of PDI in contributing to immune regulation. Using mass spectrometry, we analyzed the complexes of DEC205 and HDM extracts, and the role of PDI in the induction of tolerogenic dendritic cells (DCs) was assessed in human cell culture experiments and verified in a murine model. We found that more than 20 HDM-derived proteins, including PDI, bound to DCs by forming complexes with DEC205. Additionally, DEC205-mediated the endocytosis of PDI. HDM-derived PDI (HDM-PDI) promoted Foxp3 expression in DCs. HDM-PDI-primed DCs also showed tolerogenic properties that induced regulatory T cell development, indicating that the primed DCs were tolerogenic DCs. Our results suggested that the PDI/DEC205/TIEG1/Foxp3 signal pathway activation was involved in the HDM-PDI-induced Foxp3 expression in DCs. Finally, we found that HDM-PDI competitively counteracted the Th2 cytokines to restore DC's tolerogenicity, and administration of HDM-PDI could suppress experimental asthma. In conclusion, our data suggest that HDM-PDI contributes to immune regulation by inducing tolerogenic DC development. Administration of HDM-PDI can alleviate experimental asthma. These findings demonstrate that HDM-PDI has translational potential to be used in the treatment of immune disorders such as asthma.

Significance of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in predicting the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in extremity osteosarcoma: a multicentre retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: At present, no predictive factor has been validated for the early efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in osteosarcoma. The purpose of this study was to investigate the significance of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in predicting the response to NACT in extremity osteosarcoma. METHODS: Pathological complete response (pCR) was used to assess the efficacy of NACT. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and the Youden index (sensitivity + specificity-1) were used to determine the optimal cut-off values of the NLR. Univariate and multivariate analyses using logistic regression models were conducted to confirm the independent factors affecting the efficacy of NACT. RESULTS: The optimal NLR cut-off value was 2.36 (sensitivity, 80.0%; specificity, 71.3%). Univariate analysis revealed that patients with a smaller tumour volume, lower stage, lower NLR and lower PLR were more likely to achieve pCR. Multivariate analyses confirmed that the NLR before treatment was an independent risk factor for pCR. Compared to patients with a high NLR, those with a low NLR showed a more than 2-fold higher likelihood of achieving pCR (OR 2.82, 95% CI 1.36-5.17, p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: The NLR is a novel and effective predictive factor for the response to NACT in extremity osteosarcoma patients. Patients with a higher NLR showed a lower percentage of pCR after NACT.

Integration of the Metabolomic and Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Remarkable Compounds of G. bicolor Young and Mature Leaves under Different Iron Nutrient Conditions.

Gynura bicolor (Roxb. ex Willd.) DC. (G. bicolor) is a functional vegetable rich in iron (Fe) and widely grown in Asia (e.g., Japan and China). Because most Fe in the soil exists in the form of insoluble oxides or hydroxides, it is difficult for plants to obtain Fe from the soil. A comparative metabolomic and transcriptome study was carried out to investigate the effect of Fe deficiency on metabolite synthesis and gene expression in young and mature leaves of G. bicolor. Fe deficiency caused chlorosis and decreased the chlorophyll content in young leaves. The metabolomic results for young leaves showed that l-glutamate and 4-hydroxybutanoic acid lactone significantly increased and decreased, respectively. The transcriptome results showed that the expression levels of genes involved in ferric reduction oxidase 7 and 14-kDa proline-rich protein DC2.15-like were significantly upregulated and downregulated, respectively. However, Fe deficiency had little effect on mature leaves.

Sleeve lobectomy versus pneumonectomy following neoadjuvant therapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Neoadjuvant therapy has gained widespread acceptance as the standard modality for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. However, the clinical benefit of sleeve lobectomy (SL) or pneumonectomy (PN) following neoadjuvant therapy remains controversial. METHODS: The clinical and pathological characteristics of non-small cell lung cancer patients who underwent SL or PN after neoadjuvant therapy at a high-volume single centre between December 2019 and March 2023 were retrospectively collected. The SL group was matched 4:1 with the PN group by propensity score matching. The surgical outcomes were systematically collected and analysed. RESULTS: During a 5-year study period, the majority of patients (175 of 215, 81.4%) underwent the SL procedure, while 40 patients (18.6%) underwent PN. Following propensity score matching, the SL group exhibited lower postoperative arrythmia (4.8% vs 26.9%, P < 0.001), lower 30-day mortality (1.0% vs 7.7%, P = 0.046) and a shorter length of postoperative hospital stay (6.0 days vs 10.0 days, P < 0.001), compared with the PN group. In addition, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of disease-free survival or overall survival (P = 0.977 and P = 0.913, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: SL stands as a safe and feasible option for patients with centrally located non-small-cell lung cancer who have undergone neoadjuvant therapy, in comparison to PN. This finding suggests that SL remains the preferable choice when feasible in the context of the widespread utilization of neoadjuvant therapy.

Alumina Ceramic Nanofibers: An Overview of the Spinning Gel Preparation, Manufacturing Process, and Application.

As an important inorganic material, alumina ceramic nanofibers have attracted more and more attention because of their excellent thermal stability, high melting point, low thermal conductivity, and good chemical stability. In this paper, the preparation conditions for alumina spinning gel, such as the experimental raw materials, spin finish aid, aging time, and so on, are briefly introduced. Then, various methods for preparing the alumina ceramic nanofibers are described, such as electrospinning, solution blow spinning, centrifugal spinning, and some other preparation processes. In addition, the application of alumina ceramic nanofibers in thermal insulation, high-temperature filtration, catalysis, energy storage, water restoration, sound absorption, bioengineering, and other fields are described. The wide application prospect of alumina ceramic nanofibers highlights its potential as an advanced functional material with various applications. This paper aims to provide readers with valuable insights into the design of alumina ceramic nanofibers and to explore their potential applications, contributing to the advancement of various technologies in the fields of energy, environment, and materials science.

Effectiveness of plyometric training vs. complex training on the explosive power of lower limbs: A Systematic review.

Introduction: Explosive power is considered an important factor in competitive events. Thus, strategies such as complex training (CT) and plyometric training (PLT) are effective at improving explosive power. However, it is still not clear which of the two strategies can enable greater improvements on the explosive power. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to compare the effects of PLT and CT on the explosive power of the lower limbs. Methods: The Review Manager and GraphPad Prism programs were used to analyze the synthetic and time effects (effects over training time) on explosive power (i.e., jump ability, sprint ability) and maximum strength. Our research identified 87 studies comprising 1,355 subjects aged 10-26.4 years. Results: The results suggested the following: 1) Synthetic effects on jump ability (Hedges' g): .79 (p < .001) for unloaded PLT, 1.35 (p < .001) for loaded PLT and .85 (p < .001) for CT; 2) Synthetic effects on sprint ability: .83 (p < .001) for unloaded PLT, -2.11 (p < .001) for loaded PLT and -.78 (p < .001) for CT; 3) Synthetic effects on maximum strength: .84 (p < .001) for loaded PLT and 1.53 (p < .001) for CT; 4) The time effects of unloaded PLT and CT on explosive power were similar, but the time effects of CT on maximum strength were obviously above that of PLT. Discussion: In conclusion, unloaded PLT and CT have a similar effect on explosive performance in the short term but loaded PLT has a better effect. The improvement of the maximum strength caused by CT was greater than that induced by PLT. In addition, more than 10 weeks of training may be more beneficial for the improvement of power. Therefore, for explosive power training, we suggest adopting unloaded or light-loaded PLT during a short season and applying CT during an annual or long training cycle.

[Synthesis, structure characterization and anti-tumor activity of lanthanide complex Ln[ (Phen)2 (5-Fu)3 (NO3) (NO3 )2].

AIM: To study the biochemistry of lanthanides, the cooperative action of inorganic and organic anti-tumor drugs. METHODS: A series of rare earth complexes were synthesized with Ln(NO3) 6H2O, Phen and 5-Fu. Their anti-tumor activity was measured by the improved MTT, SRB methods. RESULTS: The formula of complex Ln[(Phen)2(5-Fu)3(NO3)](NO3)2(Ln = Y, La, Ce, Sm, Gd, Dy, Er; Phen = 1, 10-phenanthroline; 5-Fu = fluorouracil) was characterized by elemental analyses, molar conductivity, IR, TGA, and 13C NMR spectra. The preliminary biological activity studies indicated that Lanthanide complex has strong anti-tumor activity in vitro. CONCLUSION: The complex might have anti-tumor cooperation action.

Effects of three diterpenoids on tumour cell proliferation and telomerase activity.

Xerophilusin B (XB), macrocalin B (MB) and eriocalyxin B (EB) belong to ent-kaurene diterpenoids. The inhibition effects of three ent-kaurane compounds on the proliferation of six tumour lines (K562, HL-60, A549, MKN, HCT and CA) were estimated by methyl-thiazol-tetrazolium, and the telomerase activity in K562 cells was measured by the telomeric repeat amplification protocol-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We found that XB, MB and EB could significantly inhibit the proliferation of tumour cells. Within the concentration range of 10(-4)-10(-8) mol L(-1), three ent-kaurane compounds could markedly inhibit the telomerase activity in K562 cells, and their effects on telomerase were exhibited in a dose-dependent manner. Our results demonstrate that XB, MB and EB can inhibit the proliferation of tumour cells and the telomerase activity, which provides data for developing ent-compounds as antitumour drugs.