Females have lower salivary flow than males, before and after radiation therapy for head/neck cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To compare salivary flow rates between females and males, before and after radiation therapy (RT) for head and neck cancer (HNC). METHODS: Prospective observational multicenter cohort study (OraRad). Stimulated whole salivary flow was measured before RT and at 6 and 18 months after RT. RESULTS: Mean (95% confidence interval) salivary flow in g/min before RT was 0.81 (0.71, 0.90) in females (n = 107) and 1.20 (1.15, 1.25) in males (n = 391) (p < 0.001); at 6 months was 0.34 (0.24, 0.44) in females and 0.50 (0.44, 0.55) in males (p = 0.01); at 18 months was 0.49 (0.38, 0.59) in females and 0.70 (0.64, 0.75) in males (p < 0.001). Median nadir salivary flow after RT was 0.22 in females and 0.35 in males (p < 0.001). A lower nadir salivary flow in females, but not males, was associated with an increased risk for tooth failure (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Females with HNC have lower stimulated whole salivary flow than males, before and after RT. Low salivary flow after RT may be a risk factor for tooth failure among females. The lower pre-RT salivary flow rates in females, combined with prior literature in other populations, indicates that, in general, females have lower stimulated salivary flow than males.

Drop to Gate Nasal Drops Attenuates Sepsis-Induced Cognitive Dysfunction.

Nasal administration can bypass the blood-brain barrier and directly deliver drugs to the brain, providing a non-invasive route for central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Inspired by the appearance that a gate can block the outside world and the characteristics of the sol-gel transition can form a "gate" in the nasal cavity, a Drop to Gate nasal drop (DGND) is designed to set a gate in nose, which achieves protecting role from the influence of nasal environment. The DGND demonstrates the efficiency and application prospect of delivering drugs to the brain through the N-to-B. The effective concentration of single administration is increased through the hydrophobic interaction between C8-GelMA and SRT1720 (SA), and then cross-linked under UV to form nanogel, which can respond to MMP in the inflammatory microenvironment of sepsis-induced cognitive dysfunction. Finally, the SA/nanogel is compounded into the thermogel, which can respond to the nasal cavity temperature to form DGND in situ, increasing the residence time and delivery efficiency of drugs in the nasal cavity. In vitro, the DGND alleviates lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-induced BV2 inflammation. In vivo, DGND effectively targets the nasal mucosa and deliver drugs to the brain, which activate Sirt1 to alleviate inflammation mediated by microglia and improve cognitive dysfunction in sepsis mice.

Label-free investigation of infected acute pyelonephritis tissue by FTIR microspectroscopy with unsupervised and supervised analytical methods.

Acute pyelonephritis (AP) is a severe urinary tract infection (UTI) syndrome with a large population of patients worldwide. Current approaches to confirming AP are limited to urinalysis, radiological imaging methods and histological assessment. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy is a promising label-free modality that can offer information about both morphological and molecular pathologic alterations from biological tissues. Here, FTIR microspectroscopy serves to investigate renal biological histology of a rat model with AP and classify normal cortex, normal medulla and infected acute pyelonephritis tissues. The spectra were experimentally collected by FTIR with an infrared Globar source through raster scanning procedure. Unsupervised analysis methods, including integrating, clustering and principal component analysis (PCA) were performed on such spectra data to form infrared histological maps of entire kidney section. In comparison to Hematoxylin & Eosin-stained results of the adjacent tissue sections, these infrared maps were proved to enable the differentiation of the renal tissue types. The results of both integration and clustering indicated that the concentration of amide II decreases in the infected acute pyelonephritis tissues, with an increased presence of nucleic acids and lipids. By means of PCA, the infected tissue was linearly separated from normal ones by plotting confident ellipses with the score values of the first and second principal components. Moreover, supervised analysis was performed based on the supported vector machines (SVM). Normal cortex, normal medulla and infected acute pyelonephritis tissues were classified by SVM models with the best accuracy of 96.11% in testing dataset. In addition, these analytical methods were further employed on synchrotron-based FTIR spectra data and successfully form high-resolution infrared histological maps of glomerulus and necrotic cell mass. This work demonstrates that FTIR microspectroscopy will be a powerful manner to investigate AP tissue and differentiate infected tissue from normal tissue in a renal infected model system.

Analysis of Alterations in Intestinal Flora in Chinese Elderly with Cardiovascular Disease and Its Association with Trimethylamine.

To investigate the changes in the intestinal flora in the Chinese elderly with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its correlation with the metabolism of trimethylamine (TMA), the intestinal flora composition of elderly individuals with CVD and healthy elderly individuals was analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing, the TMA levels in the feces of elderly were detected using headspace-gas chromatography (HS-GC), and four kinds of characterized TMA-producing intestinal bacteria in the elderly were quantified using real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The results showed that Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Verrucomicrobia are the dominant microorganisms of the intestinal flora in the Chinese elderly. And there were significant differences in the intestinal bacteria composition between healthy elderly individuals and those with CVD, accompanied by a notable difference in the TMA content. The richness and diversity of the intestinal flora in the elderly with CVD were higher than those in the healthy elderly. Correlation analysis indicated that certain significantly different intestinal flora were associated with the TMA levels. Our findings showed a significant difference in TMA-producing intestinal flora between healthy elderly individuals and those with CVD. The TMA levels were found to be positively and significantly correlated with Klebsiella pneumoniae, suggesting that this bacterium is closely linked to the production of TMA in the elderly gut. This may have implications for the development and progression of CVD in the elderly population.

An active peptide from yak inhibits hypoxia-induced lung injury via suppressing VEGF/MAPK/inflammatory signaling.

Pulmonary vascular remodeling and inflammation play an important role in the hypoxic-induced lung diseases. Our previous investigations showed that peptide from yak milk residues could alleviate inflammation. In this study, our results suggest that peptide (LV) from yak milk residues peptide had protective effect of lung in the animal models of hypoxic-induced lung injury. LV Gavage could improve pulmonary vascular remodeling in the lung tissues of hypoxic mice. A comprehensive analysis of metabolomics and transcriptomics revealed that 5-KETE, 8,9-EET, and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1a might be potential targets to prevent lung injury in the hypoxic mice. These metabolites can be regulated by MAPK/VEGF and inflammatory pathways. Our data indicated that LV treatment could inhibit apoptosis and inflammation via Nrf2/NF-κB/MAPK/PHD-2 pathway and protected hypoxic-induced lung epithelial cells injury. Taken together, our results suggest that LV provides a novel therapeutic clue for the prevention of hypoxia-induced lung injury and inflammation-related lung diseases.

Evaluation of cutout factors with small and narrow fields using various dosimetry detectors in electron beam keloid radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The inherent problems in the existence of electron equilibrium and steep dose fall-off pose difficulties for small- and narrow-field dosimetry. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cutout factors for keloid electron radiotherapy using various dosimetry detectors for small and narrow fields. METHOD: The measurements were performed in a solid water phantom with nine different cutout shapes. Five dosimetry detectors were used in the study: pinpoint 3D ionization chamber, Farmer chamber, semiflex chamber, Classic Markus parallel plate chamber, and EBT3 film. RESULTS: The results demonstrated good agreement between the semiflex and pinpoint chambers. Furthermore, there was no difference between the Farmer and pinpoint chambers for large cutouts. For the EBT3 film, half of the cases had differences greater than 1%, and the maximum discrepancy compared with the reference chamber was greater than 2% for the narrow field. CONCLUSION: The parallel plate, semiflex chamber and EBT3 film are suitable dosimeters that are comparable with pinpoint 3D chambers in small and narrow electron fields. Notably, a semiflex chamber could be an alternative option to a pinpoint 3D chamber for cutout widths≥3 cm. It is very important to perform patient-specific cutout factor calibration with an appropriate dosimeter for keloid radiotherapy.

Regulating the activity of GABAergic neurons in the ventral pallidum alters the general anesthesia effect of propofol.

The full mechanism of action of propofol, a commonly administered intravenous anesthetic drug in clinical practice, remains elusive. The focus of this study was the role of GABAergic neurons which are the main neuron group in the ventral pallidum (VP) closely associated with anesthetic effects in propofol anesthesia. The activity of VP GABAergic neurons following propofol anesthesia in Vgat-Cre mice was observed via detecting c-Fos immunoreactivity by immunofluorescence and western blotting. Subsequently, chemogenetic techniques were employed in Vgat-Cre mice to regulate the activity of VP GABAergic neurons. The role of VP GABAergic neurons in generating the effects of general anesthesia induced by intravenous propofol was further explored through behavioral tests of the righting reflex. The results revealed that c-Fos expression in VP GABAergic neurons in Vgat-Cre mice dramatically decreased after propofol injection. Further studies demonstrated that chemogenetic activation of VP GABAergic neurons during propofol anesthesia shortened the duration of anesthesia and promoted wakefulness. Conversely, the inhibition of VP GABAergic neurons extended the duration of anesthesia and facilitated the effects of anesthesia. The results obtained in this study suggested that regulating the activity of GABAergic neurons in the ventral pallidum altered the effect of propofol on general anesthesia.

Effects of mindful breathing training combined with diary-based rehabilitation guidance in lung cancer patients undergoing surgery: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Lung cancer surgery patients experience severe physical and mental symptoms, which seriously affect their quality of life and prognosis. Mindful breathing training is a promising strategy to improve their symptoms, but its effectiveness is affected by training compliance, and diary-based rehabilitation instruction has been shown to help improve training compliance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of mindful breathing training combined with diary-based rehabilitation guidance on improving perioperative outcomes in lung cancer surgery patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single-center, assessor-blinded, prospective, three-arm randomized controlled trial was conducted from November 1, 2021 to November 1, 2022. Patients diagnosed with primary non-small cell lung cancer and scheduled for thoracoscopic surgery were randomly allocated to the combined intervention group, the mindful breathing group or the control group, with 34 patients in each group. The control group received routine care, while the mindful breathing group received mindful breathing training and routine care. The combined intervention group received both mindful breathing training and diary-based rehabilitation guidance, along with routine care. RESULTS: The per-protocol analysis revealed that patients in the mindful breathing group experienced statistically significant improvements in dyspnea, fatigue and anxiety. Patients in the combined intervention group had statistically significant improvements in dyspnea, fatigue, anxiety, depression, exercise self-efficacy and training compliance. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that mindful breathing training combined with diary-based rehabilitation guidance can be effective in improving perioperative outcomes in lung cancer patients. It can be applied in clinical practice in the future.

Swimming short fibrous nasal drops achieving intraventricular administration.

Adequate drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a critical factor in treating central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Inspired by swimming fish and the microstructure of the nasal cavity, this study is the first to develop swimming short fibrous nasal drops that can directly target the nasal mucosa and swim in the nasal cavity, which can effectively deliver drugs to the brain. Briefly, swimming short fibrous nasal drops with charged controlled drug release were fabricated by electrospinning, homogenization, the π-π conjugation between indole group of fibers, the benzene ring of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) inhibitor along with charge-dipole interaction between positively charged poly-lysine (PLL) and negatively charged surface of fibers; this enabled these fibers to stick to nasal mucosa, prolonged the residence time on mucosa, and prevented rapid mucociliary clearance. In vitro, swimming short fibrous nasal drops were biocompatible and inhibited microglial activation by releasing an LRRK2 inhibitor. In vivo, luciferase-labelled swimming short fibrous nasal drops delivered an LRRK2 inhibitor to the brain through the nasal mucosa, alleviating cognitive dysfunction caused by sepsis-associated encephalopathy by inhibiting microglial inflammation and improving synaptic plasticity. Thus, swimming short fibrous nasal drops is a promising strategy for the treatment of CNS diseases.

Asymmetric copper-catalyzed alkynylallylic monofluoroalkylations with fluorinated malonates.

The unprecedented copper-catalyzed asymmetric alkynylallylic monofluoroalkylation reaction is described via the use of 1,3-enynes and fluorinated malonates. A series of 1,4-enynes bearing a monofluoroalkyl unit are achieved in high yields, excellent regio- and enantioselectivity and high E/Z selectivity. The asymmetric propargylic monofluoroalkylation is also developed. The reliability and synthetic value of the work are highlighted by a gram-scale test and a couple of downstream transformations. Preliminary mechanistic studies unveil a negative nonlinear effect for the catalytic process.

Research on Human-Robot Collaboration Method for Parallel Robots Oriented to Segment Docking.

In the field of aerospace, large and heavy cabin segments present a significant challenge in assembling space engines. The substantial inertial force of cabin segments' mass often leads to unexpected motion during docking, resulting in segment collisions, making it challenging to ensure the accuracy and quality of engine segment docking. While traditional manual docking leverages workers' expertise, the intensity of the labor and low productivity are impractical for real-world applications. Human-robot collaboration can effectively integrate the advantages of humans and robots. Parallel robots, known for their high precision and load-bearing capacity, are extensively used in precision assembly under heavy load conditions. Therefore, human-parallel-robot collaboration is an excellent solution for such problems. In this paper, a framework is proposed that is easy to realize in production, using human-parallel-robot collaboration technology for cabin segment docking. A fractional-order variable damping admittance control and an inverse dynamics robust controller are proposed to enhance the robot's compliance, responsiveness, and trajectory tracking accuracy during collaborative assembly. This allows operators to dynamically adjust the robot's motion in real-time, counterbalancing inertial forces and preventing collisions between segments. Segment docking assembly experiments are performed using the Stewart platform in this study. The results show that the proposed method allows the robot to swiftly respond to interaction forces, maintaining compliance and stable motion accuracy even under unknown interaction forces.

Effects of transitional care interventions on quality of life in people with lung cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: To identify and appraise the quality of evidence of transitional care interventions on quality of life in lung cancer patients. BACKGROUND: Quality of life is a strong predictor of survival. The transition from hospital to home is a high-risk period for patients' readmission and death, which seriously affect their quality of life. DESIGN: Systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS: The PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and CINAHL databases were searched from inception to 22 October 2022. The primary outcome was quality of life. Statistical analysis was conducted using Review Manager 5.4, results were expressed as standard mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). The risk of bias of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool. This study was complied with PRISMA guidelines and previously registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023429464). RESULTS: Fourteen randomized controlled trials were included consisting of a total of 1700 participants, and 12 studies were included in the meta-analysis. It was found that transitional care interventions significantly improved quality of life (SMD = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.02 to 0.40, p = .03) and helped reduce symptoms (SMD = -0.65, 95% CI: -1.13 to -0.18, p = .007) in lung cancer patients, but did not significantly reduce anxiety and depression, and the effect on self-efficacy was unclear. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that transitional care interventions can improve quality of life and reduce symptoms in patients, and that primarily educational interventions based on symptom management theory appeared to be more effective. But, there was no statistically significant effect on anxiety and depression. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: This study provides references for the application of transitional care interventions in the field of lung cancer care, and encourages nurses and physicians to apply transitional care plans to facilitate patients' safe transition from hospital to home. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No Patient or Public Contribution.

UV-filter benzophenones suppress human, pig, rat, and mouse 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1: Structure-activity relationship and in silico docking analysis.

Benzophenone chemicals (BPs) have been developed to prevent the adverse effects of UV radiation and they are widely contaminated. 11ß-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11ß-HSD1) catalyze the conversion of inactive glucocorticoid to active glucocorticoid, playing critical role in many physiological function. However, the direct effect of BPs on human, pig, rat, and mouse 11ß-HSD1 remains unclear. In this study, we screened the inhibitory strength of 12 BPs on 4 species, and performed the structure-activity relationship (SAR) and in silico docking analysis. The inhibitory potency of BPs was: for human 11ß-HSD1, BP6 (IC50 = 18.76 µM) > BP8 (40.84 µM) > BP (88.89 µM) > other BPs; for pig 11ß-HSD1, BP8 (45.57 µM) > BP6 (59.44 µM) > BP2 (65.12 µM) > BP (135.56 µM) > other BPs; for rat 11ß-HSD1, BP7 (67.17 µM) > BP (68.83 µM) > BP8 (133.04 µM) > other BPs; and for mouse 11ß-HSD1, BP8 (41.41 µM) > BP (50.61 µM) > other BPs. These BP chemicals were mixed/competitive inhibitors of these 11ß-HSD1 enzymes. The 2,2'-dihydroxy substitutions in two benzene rings play a key role in enhancing the effectiveness of inhibiting 11ß-HSD1, possibly via increasing hydrogen bond interactions. Docking analysis shows that these BPs bind to NADPH/glucocorticoid binding sites and forms hydrogen bonds with catalytic residues Ser and/or Tyr. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that BP chemicals can inhibit 11ß-HSD1 from 4 species, and there are subtle species-dependent difference in the inhibitory strength and structural variations of BPs.

The Potential Role of Vitamin E and the Mechanism in the Prevention and Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, and it is a multifactorial disease of the intestinal mucosa. Oxidative stress damage and inflammation are major risk factors for IBD. Vitamin E has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Our previous work and other investigations have shown that vitamin E has a positive effect on the prevention and treatment of IBD. In this paper, the source and structure of vitamin E and the potential mechanism of vitamin E's role in IBD were summarized, and we also analyzed the status of vitamin E deficiency in patients with IBD and the effect of vitamin E supplementation on IBD. The potential mechanisms by which vitamin E plays a role in the prevention and treatment of IBD include improvement of oxidative damage, enhancement of immunity, maintenance of intestinal barrier integrity, and suppression of inflammatory cytokines, modulating the gut microbiota and other relevant factors. The review will improve our understanding of the complex mechanism by which vitamin E inhibits IBD, and it also provides references for doctors in clinical practice and researchers in this field.

An In Vitro Colonic Fermentation Study of the Effects of Human Milk Oligosaccharides on Gut Microbiota and Short-Chain Fatty Acid Production in Infants Aged 0-6 Months.

The impact of five human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs)-2'-fucosyllactose (2FL), 3'-sialyllactose (3SL), 6'-sialyllactose (6SL), lacto-N-tetraose (LNT), and lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT)-on the gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolites in infants aged 0-6 months was assessed through in vitro fermentation. Analyses of the influence of different HMOs on the composition and distribution of infant gut microbiota and on SCFA levels were conducted using 16S rRNA sequencing, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), and gas chromatography (GC), respectively. The findings indicated the crucial role of the initial microbiota composition in shaping fermentation outcomes. Fermentation maintained the dominant genera species in the intestine but influenced their abundance and distribution. Most of the 10 Bifidobacteria strains effectively utilized HMOs or their degradation products, particularly demonstrating proficiency in utilizing 2FL and sialylated HMOs compared to non-fucosylated neutral HMOs. Moreover, our study using B. infantis-dominant strains and B. breve-dominant strains as inocula revealed varying acetic acid levels produced by Bifidobacteria upon HMO degradation. Specifically, the B. infantis-dominant strain yielded notably higher acetic acid levels than the B. breve-dominant strain (p = 0.000), with minimal propionic and butyric acid production observed at fermentation's conclusion. These findings suggest the potential utilization of HMOs in developing microbiota-targeted foods for infants.

Addressing long-term mortality risk in patients undergoing total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplant (TPIAT): causes of death and risk factors.

BACKGROUND: Total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplant (TPIAT) can improve quality of life for individuals with pancreatitis but creates health risks including diabetes, exocrine insufficiency, altered intestinal anatomy and function, and asplenia. METHODS: We studied survival and causes of death for 693 patients who underwent TPIAT between 2001 and 2020, using the National Death Index with medical records to ascertain survival after TPIAT, causes of mortality, and risk factors for death. We used Kaplan Meier curves to examine overall survival, and Cox regression and competing-risks methods to determine pre-TPIAT factors associated with all-cause and cause-specific post-TPIAT mortality. RESULTS: Mean age at TPIAT was 33.6 years (SD = 15.1). Overall survival was 93.1% (95% CI 91.2, 95.1%) 5 years after surgery, 85.2% (95% CI 82.0, 88.6%) at 10 years, and 76.2% (95% CI 70.8, 82.3%) at 15 years. Fifty-three of 89 deaths were possibly related to TPIAT; causes included chronic gastrointestinal complications, malnutrition, diabetes, liver failure, and infection/sepsis. In multivariable models, younger age, longer disease duration, and more recent TPIAT were associated with lower mortality. CONCLUSIONS: For patients undergoing TPIAT to treat painful pancreatitis, careful long-term management of comorbidities introduced by TPIAT may reduce risk for common causes of mortality.

Review on sterilization techniques, and the application potential of phage lyase and lyase immobilization in fighting drug-resistant bacteria.

Many human health problems and property losses caused by pathogenic contamination cannot be underestimated. Bactericidal techniques have been extensively studied to address this issue of public health and economy. Bacterial resistance develops as a result of the extensive use of single or multiple but persistent usage of sterilizing drugs, and the emergence of super-resistant bacteria brings new challenges. Therefore, it is crucial to control pathogen contamination by applying innovative and effective sterilization techniques. As organisms that exist in nature and can specifically kill bacteria, phages have become the focus as an alternative to antibacterial agents. Furthermore, phage-encoded lyases are proteins that play important roles in phage sterilization. The in vitro sterilization of phage lyase has been developed as a novel biosterilization technique to reduce bacterial resistance and is more environmentally friendly than conventional sterilization treatments. For the shortcomings of enzyme applications, this review discusses the enzyme immobilization methods and the application potential of immobilized lyases for sterilization. Although some techniques provide effective solutions, immobilized lyase sterilization technology has been proven to be a more effective innovation for efficient pathogen killing and reducing bacterial resistance. We hope that this review can provide new insights for the development of sterilization techniques.

Interpretable deep learning methods for multiview learning.

BACKGROUND: Technological advances have enabled the generation of unique and complementary types of data or views (e.g. genomics, proteomics, metabolomics) and opened up a new era in multiview learning research with the potential to lead to new biomedical discoveries. RESULTS: We propose iDeepViewLearn (Interpretable Deep Learning Method for Multiview Learning) to learn nonlinear relationships in data from multiple views while achieving feature selection. iDeepViewLearn combines deep learning flexibility with the statistical benefits of data and knowledge-driven feature selection, giving interpretable results. Deep neural networks are used to learn view-independent low-dimensional embedding through an optimization problem that minimizes the difference between observed and reconstructed data, while imposing a regularization penalty on the reconstructed data. The normalized Laplacian of a graph is used to model bilateral relationships between variables in each view, therefore, encouraging selection of related variables. iDeepViewLearn is tested on simulated and three real-world data for classification, clustering, and reconstruction tasks. For the classification tasks, iDeepViewLearn had competitive classification results with state-of-the-art methods in various settings. For the clustering task, we detected molecular clusters that differed in their 10-year survival rates for breast cancer. For the reconstruction task, we were able to reconstruct handwritten images using a few pixels while achieving competitive classification accuracy. The results of our real data application and simulations with small to moderate sample sizes suggest that iDeepViewLearn may be a useful method for small-sample-size problems compared to other deep learning methods for multiview learning. CONCLUSION: iDeepViewLearn is an innovative deep learning model capable of capturing nonlinear relationships between data from multiple views while achieving feature selection. It is fully open source and is freely available at https://github.com/lasandrall/iDeepViewLearn .