Evaluating multi-channel interaction design for enhancing Pose accuracy in yoga training among visually impaired individuals.

Aim: Physical exercise is essential for the physical and mental health of visually impaired people, but they often face challenges such as inaccurate movements, lack of rhythm and difficulty in mastering postures during exercise. This project introduces an assistive device based on a multi-channel interaction design strategy to improve the accuracy of yoga practice for the visually impaired and to enable their independent exercise.Methods: The system uses a 1:1 model combined with an output interaction model. The effectiveness was verified through controlled experiments with unassisted exercise as the control group and yoga-assisted exercise as the experimental group. Improvements in yoga accuracy and product usability were verified using the Assisted Accuracy Scale and the SUS Scale, respectively.Results: The results showed that the multi-channel interaction design significantly improved the accuracy and usability of yoga exercises and enhanced the ability of visually impaired people to exercise independently.Conclusion: Through this project, we hope to replicate this design strategy to help more visually impaired individuals independently perform effective physical exercise at home, in a gym, or in an outdoor space, thereby improving their quality of life and overall health.

A yoga assistive device called E-YOGA, which improves the accuracy of yoga for the visually impaired through augmented interactive technology, thereby enhancing the ability of the visually impaired to exercise on their own.By participating in sports activities, visually impaired people can improve their health, living ability, body system and organ function.Regular physical activity is essential for visually impaired people, not only to build strength and endurance, but also for simple daily activities that require a lot of energy.

Application of Flow-through Anterolateral Thigh Perforator Flaps in Replantation of Complex Severed Limb.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical application value of flow-through anterolateral thigh perforator (ALTP) flaps in replantation of complex severed limbs. METHODS: Thirteen severe vascular, nerve injury, and skin or soft tissue defects in patients with complex severed limbs from August 2017 to January 2019 were enrolled in this retrospective study. The skin flap has covered the wound by using the flow-through ALTP flap technique. The main vascular defect was repaired by using the descending branch of the lateral circumflex femoral artery, and the blood supply of the transplanted limb was reconstructed. The blood supply of the flap and wound healing observed were observed after the operation. Regular follow-up was performed to observe the survival and functional recovery of the replanted limb. RESULTS: Eleven cases of replanted limb and perforator flap survived completely. Limb shortening occurred in 3 patients owing to bone defects caused by distal amputation. After the second stage of bone transplantation, the limb length and function of those 3 patients recovered well. One case showed necrosis of the little finger after replantation of the severed palm. One case showed that the crushed forearm was severed completely. The anastomotic vascular inflammatory embolism was caused by infection and necrosis of soft tissue after replantation for 2 weeks, and then the stump wound was covered with a survived skin flap in the second stage. CONCLUSION: The flow-through ALTP flap technique has a good therapeutic effect on the functional reconstruction of complex severed limbs with severe skin and vascular injuries.

Dynamic Changes of Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio on Predicting Response of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Plus Targeted Therapies for Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Backgrounds and Aims: Multiple regimens of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) plus targeted therapies are commonly prescribed as first-line treatments for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). Here, we aimed to investigate the correlation between dynamic changes of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and tumor response to the combination of ICIs and targeted therapies for uHCC. Methods: Sixty-one patients who received ICIs plus targeted therapies for uHCC were enrolled in this retrospective study. The NLR before and at 3-6 weeks after treatments were assessed to calculate the dynamic NLR changes (ΔNLR). Multivariate logistic regression and Cox regression models were used to explore the relationship between dynamic NLR changes and tumor response or progression-free survival (PFS), respectively. Furthermore, we assessed the predictive effect of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) changes in combination with dynamic NLR changes compared to AFP changes alone. Results: The NLR at 3-6 weeks and ΔNLR after treatments significantly increased in patients who underwent progressive disease (PD), while the baseline NLR showed no significant difference between different tumor responses. Increased NLR and AFP after treatments were both independent predictors of PD (For NLR increase: OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.47-3.88, P < 0.001; For AFP increase: OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.03-2.17, P = 0.043), and correlated with worse PFS (for NLR increase: HR, 4.08; 95% CI, 1.99-8.36, P < 0.001; for AFP increase: HR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.04-4.24, P = 0.039). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and net reclassification index (NRI) showed that the combination of dynamic NLR and AFP changes was better than AFP changes alone on predicting PD (AUC: 0.83 vs 0.68, P = 0.034; NRI: 0.340, P = 0.048) and PFS (AUC: 0.80 vs 0.70, P = 0.166; NRI: 0.431, P = 0.042). Conclusion: Dynamic changes of NLR might be an effective predictor of the therapeutic response to ICIs plus targeted therapies for uHCC.

Ag nanoparticles at p-Si/ MAPbI3 perovskite interface: improved photo responsivity and response speed in photodetection.

Although enhanced performances of photovoltaic devices by embedding metal nanoparticals in charge transport layer, doping into active layer bulk, decorating the active layer surface, and inserting at the interface between semiconductor and the electrode were reported, the effect of incorporating metal NPs at the interface of single crystal semiconductor and perovskite is rarely tackled. Herein the effects of incorporating Ag nanoparticals (AgNPs) at p-Si/MAPbI3 perovskite interface on the photodiode performances were investigated. The results showed that compared with reference device (without AgNPs) the photoresponsivity of the device incorporating AgNPs is greatly improved with the exception for light with wavelengths fall in the spectral range where AgNPs have strong optical absorption. This effect is extremely significant for relatively shorter wavelengths in visible region, and a maximal improvement of around 10.6 times in photoresponsivity was achieved. The physical origin of the exception for spectral range that AgNPs have strong optical absorption is the cancelation of scatter resulted enhancement through AgNPs by band-to-band absorption resulted reduction of photocurrent, in which the generated electron has energy near the fermi level and the hole has large effective mass, which relax by nonradiative recombination, thus making not contribution to the photocurrent. More importantly, the AgNP decorated device showed much faster photo response speed than reference device, and a maximal improvement of around 7.9 times in rise and fall time was achieved. These findings provide a novel approach for high responsive and high speed detection for weak light.

Effect of Titanium Dioxide Particles on the Thermal Stability of Silica Aerogels.

Silica aerogels exhibit a unique nanostructure with low thermal conductivity and low density, making them attractive materials for thermal isolation under extreme conditions. The TiO2 particle is one of the common industrial additives used to reduce the thermal radiation of aerogel composites under high-temperature environments, but its influence on thermal resistance is almost unknown. Herein, we report the effect of TiO2 nanoparticles with different crystal phases and different sizes on the thermal stability of silica aerogel composites. By adding TiO2 nanoparticles, the aerogel can significantly resist collapse at high temperatures (up to 1000 °C). And compared with the rutile phase TiO2, the anatase phase TiO2 shows much higher temperature resistance performance, with shrinkage of only one-sixth of the rutile phase after 800 °C treatment. Interestingly, energy-dispersive spectrometer mapping results show that after 800 °C treatment, silica nanoparticles (NPs) are squeezed out in between anatase TiO2 particles, which resists the coarsening of silica NPs and ultimately enhances the stability of aerogel composites. The optimal anatase phase TiO2-doped silica aerogel demonstrates the integrated properties of crack-free morphology (2.84% shrinkage), low thermal conductivity (29.30 mW/(m·K)) and low density (149.4 mg/cm3) after 800 °C treatment. This study may provide new insights for developing oxide-doped silica aerogels with both high-temperature resistance and low thermal radiation.

Astrocytes in the Ventral Hippocampus Bidirectionally Regulate Innate and Stress-Induced Anxiety-Like Behaviors in Male Mice.

The mechanisms of anxiety disorders, the most common mental illness, remain incompletely characterized. The ventral hippocampus (vHPC) is critical for the expression of anxiety. However, current studies primarily focus on vHPC neurons, leaving the role for vHPC astrocytes in anxiety largely unexplored. Here, genetically encoded Ca2+ indicator GCaMP6m and in vivo fiber photometry calcium imaging are used to label vHPC astrocytes and monitor their activity, respectively, genetic and chemogenetic approaches to inhibit and activate vHPC astrocytes, respectively, patch-clamp recordings to measure glutamate currents, and behavioral assays to assess anxiety-like behaviors. It is found that vHPC astrocytic activity is increased in anxiogenic environments and by 3-d subacute restraint stress (SRS), a well-validated mouse model of anxiety disorders. Genetic inhibition of vHPC astrocytes exerts anxiolytic effects on both innate and SRS-induced anxiety-related behaviors, whereas hM3Dq-mediated chemogenetic or SRS-induced activation of vHPC astrocytes enhances anxiety-like behaviors, which are reversed by intra-vHPC application of the ionotropic glutamate N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonists. Furthermore, intra-vHPC or systemic application of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor antagonist memantine, a U.S. FDA-approved drug for Alzheimer's disease, fully rescues SRS-induced anxiety-like behaviors. The findings highlight vHPC astrocytes as critical regulators of stress and anxiety and as potential therapeutic targets for anxiety and anxiety-related disorders.

Preparation of High-Performance Polyethylene Nanocomposites with Oleic Acid-Siloxene-Supported Ziegler-Natta Catalysts.

The addition of two-dimensional inorganic nanomaterials can effectively enhance the properties of polyethylene (PE). In the present study, a series of high-performance PE/oleic acid (OA)-siloxene nanocomposites were prepared by in situ polymerization using OA-siloxene-supported Ziegler-Natta catalysts. Compared with the conventional Ziegler-Natta catalyst, the polymerization activity of the OA-siloxene-supported Ziegler-Natta catalyst was enhanced to 100 kg/mol-Ti•h, an increase of 56%. The OA-siloxene fillers exhibited excellent dispersion within the PE matrix through the in situ polymerization technique. Compared to pure PE, PE/OA-siloxene nanocomposites containing 1.13 wt% content of OA-siloxene showed 68.3 °C, 126%, 37%, and 46% enhancements in Tdmax, breaking strength, modulus, and elongation at break, respectively.

Silicone-modified black peanut shell (BPS) biochar adsorbents: Preparation and their adsorptions for copper(II) from water.

Novel silicone-modified biochar adsorbents (BPS-MBCs) were prepared by utilizing waste black peanut shell (BPS) as a raw biochar and gamma-amino-propyl triethoxysilane (silicone) as an inorganic modifier. The novelty of this work is that the incorporation of silicone into BPS can rise the specific surface area and porosity of BPS-MBCs and elevate their adsorptions for copper (II). Sorption kinetics data for copper (II) were molded using five kinetic equations [i.e. Lagergren 1st-order and 2nd-order, intraparticle diffusion (IN-D), Elovich, and Diffusion-chemisorption]. The equilibrium adsorption data for copper (II) were analyzed using two-parameter isotherm equations [i.e. Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich, and Temkin] and three-parameter Sips, Redlich-Peterson and Toth isotherm models. It was validated that copper (II) sorption on BPS-MBCs matched better with pseudo-2nd-order kinetic, Diffusion-chemisorption and Langmuir isotherm models. The maximal qmLan of BPS-MBC-400 was near 284 mg/g at 45 °C. By multi-phase fitting of IN-D modelling, intra-particle diffusion coefficient (kin-d) and diffusion coefficient of external mass-transfer (DEx-Di) for copper (II) were calculated. The low sorption energy from Temkin and mean free energy from D-R modellings implied that copper (II) sorption was initiated by weak non-covalent bond interactions. Thermodynamic parameters indicated that copper (II) on BPS-MBCs was an endothermic and spontaneous process. Recycling of BPS-MBC-400 for copper (II) suggested it has excellent reusability. The major mechanism of copper (II) on BPS-MBCs is possibly comprised of multiple processes, such as physical adsorption (electrostatic attraction), chemical adsorption (adsorption from functional groups, chelation, and ion exchange) and diffusion-chemisorption. Based on these findings, it is expects that BPS-MBCs are promising sorbents for copper (II) eradication from Cu(II)-including wastewater.

PIM1-HDAC2 axis modulates intestinal homeostasis through epigenetic modification.

The mucosal barrier is crucial for intestinal homeostasis, and goblet cells are essential for maintaining the mucosal barrier integrity. The proviral integration site for Moloney murine leukemia virus-1 (PIM1) kinase regulates multiple cellular functions, but its role in intestinal homeostasis during colitis is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that PIM1 is prominently elevated in the colonic epithelia of both ulcerative colitis patients and murine models, in the presence of intestinal microbiota. Epithelial PIM1 leads to decreased goblet cells, thus impairing resistance to colitis and colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) in mice. Mechanistically, PIM1 modulates goblet cell differentiation through the Wnt and Notch signaling pathways. Interestingly, PIM1 interacts with histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) and downregulates its level via phosphorylation, thereby altering the epigenetic profiles of Wnt signaling pathway genes. Collectively, these findings investigate the unknown function of the PIM1-HDAC2 axis in goblet cell differentiation and ulcerative colitis/CAC pathogenesis, which points to the potential for PIM1-targeted therapies of ulcerative colitis and CAC.

Pre-pubertal sublingual immunotherapy is more effective than immunotherapy during puberty in allergic rhinitis and asthma.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of sublingual-specific immunotherapy (SLIT) and pulmonary function in children with allergic rhinitis and asthma before and after puberty. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included 136 patients aged 4-18 years with allergic asthma and rhinitis who received two years of SLIT treatment. Patients were divided into two groups based on age: the prepubertal group (4-10 years old) and the pubertal group (11-18 years old). After half a year, one year, and two years of SLIT, the total nasal symptom score (TNSS), total rhinitis medication score (TRMS), daytime asthma symptom score (DASS), nighttime asthma symptom score (NASS), total asthma medication score (TAMS), asthma control test (ACT), and peak expiratory flow rate (PEF%) were evaluated and compared with the baseline before treatment. RESULTS: In both groups, TNSS, TRMS, DASS, NASS, TAMS, ACT, and PEF% improved significantly after half a year, one year, and two years of SLIT treatment. After half a year of treatment, prepubertal patients showed better therapy for TNSS, DASS, NASS, and TAMS compared to the pubertal group. The TAMS of the pubertal group was higher than that of the prepubertal group after one year of treatment. Finally, the PEF% showed better therapy compared to the pubertal group. CONCLUSION: SLIT treatment with Dermatophagoides farinae drops can effectively control the symptoms of rhinitis and asthma in children with allergic rhinitis and asthma before and after puberty, reduce the use of symptomatic drugs, significantly improve the pulmonary function of patients, and have better effects on asthma in prepubertal children than in adolescents.

BreathXplorer: Processing Online Breathomics Data Generated from Direct Analysis Using High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Nontargeted breath analysis in real time using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) is a promising approach for high coverage profiling of metabolites in human exhaled breath. However, the information-rich and unique non-Gaussian metabolic signal shapes of real-time HRMS-based data pose a significant challenge for efficient data processing. This work takes a typical real-time HRMS technique as an example, i.e. secondary electrospray ionization high-resolution mass spectrometry (SESI-HRMS), and presents BreathXplorer, an open-source Python package designed for the processing of real-time exhaled breath data comprising multiple exhalations. BreathXplorer is composed of four main modules. The first module applies either a topological algorithm or a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) to determine the start and end points of each exhalation. Next, density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) is employed to cluster m/z values belonging to the same metabolic feature, followed by applying an intensity relative standard deviation (RSD) filter to extract real breath metabolic features. BreathXplorer also offers functions of (1) feature alignment across the samples and (2) associating MS/MS spectra with their corresponding metabolic features for downstream compound annotation. Manual inspection of the metabolic features extracted from SESI-HRMS breath data suggests that BreathXplorer can achieve 100% accuracy in identifying the start and end points of each exhalation and acquire accurate quantitative measurements of each breath feature. In a proof-of-concept study on exercise breathomics using SESI-HRMS, BreathXplorer successfully reveals the significantly changed metabolites that are pertinent to exercise. BreathXplorer is publicly available on GitHub (https://github.com/HuanLab/breathXplorer). It provides a powerful and convenient-to-use tool for the researchers to process breathomics data obtained by directly analysis using HRMS.

Surgical management of chondrosarcomas of the skull-base and temporal bone.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the overall long-term outcome of surgically treated skull base and temporal bone chondrosarcomas. METHODS: The medical records of patients with surgically treated skull base and temporal bone chondrosarcomas between 1983 and 2024 were thoroughly evaluated. RESULTS: Out of a total of over 5000 skull base surgeries performed at our center, only 29 patients had histopathologically confirmed chondrosarcomas of the skull base and temporal bone. The mean of patients age was 45.6, and the male-to-female ratio was 1.9:1. The most common symptoms included hearing loss (58.6%), tinnitus (41.4%), diplopia (31%), dysphonia (24.1%), dysphagia (20.7%), vertigo (10.3%), and dizziness (10.3%). The most frequent locations of lesions among the 29 patients are as follows: petroclival region (34.5%), jugular foramen (27.6%), petrous apex (17.2%), middle ear (13.8%), others (3.4%). TO, IFTA, IFTB, IFTC, POTS, and combined surgical approaches were commonly used. The rate of gross total removal and recurrence was 82.6% and 13.8% respectively. The follow-up duration of 6 patients was more than five years and less than ten years whereas ten patients had more than ten years of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Chondrosarcoma of the skull base and temporal bone is a very rare pathology. Due to its multiple potential sites of origin and histological specificity, it presents us with significant challenges. Gross total removal is the primary treatment for chondrosarcoma of the skull base and temporal bone. Personalized decision-making should be considered based on the following aspects: tumor, patient, and surgeon's factors. Postoperative radiation therapy is complementary to surgical treatment in grades II and III lesions to achieve long-term survival.

The Naples prognostic score serves as a predictor and prognostic indicator for cancer survivors in the community.

OBJECTIVE: Inflammation, malnutrition, and cancer are intricately interconnected. Despite this, only a few studies have delved into the relationship between inflammatory malnutrition and the risk of death among cancer survivors. This study aimed to specifically investigate the association between the categorically defined Naples prognostic score (NPS) and the prognosis of cancer survivors. METHODS: Data from 42,582 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 1999-2018) were subjected to analysis. Naples prognostic scores (NPS) were computed based on serum albumin (ALB), total cholesterol (TC), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR), and participants were stratified into three groups accordingly. Cancer status was ascertained through a self-administered questionnaire, while mortality data were sourced from the National Death Index up to December 31, 2019. Multiple logistic regression was employed to estimate the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) between NPS and cancer prevalence within the U.S. community population. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and the Log-rank test were utilized to compare survival disparities among the three groups. Additionally, Cox proportional regression was utilized to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) with a 95% CI. RESULTS: The incidence of cancers was 9.86%. Among the participants, 8140 individuals (19.1%) were classified into Group 0 (NPS 0), 29,433 participants (69.1%) into Group 1 (NPS 1 or 2), and 5009 participants (11.8%) into Group 2 (NPS 3 or 4). After adjusting for confounding factors, the cancer prevalence for the highest NPS score yielded an odds ratio (OR) of 1.64 (95% CI: 1.36, 1.97) (P(for trend) < 0.05). In comparison to cancer survivors in Group 0, those with the highest NPS had adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of 2.57 (95% CI: 1.73, 3.84) for all-cause mortality, 3.44 (95% CI: 1.64, 7.21) for cardiovascular mortality, 1.60 (95% CI: 1.01, 2.56) for cancer mortality, and 3.15 (95% CI: 1.74, 5.69) for other causes of mortality (All P(for trend) < 0.05). These associations remained consistent when stratified by age, sex, race, and body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the Naples prognostic score (NPS), serving as a novel prognostic metric integrating inflammation and nutritional status, is closely linked to cancer prognosis within the general population.

Association of sudden sensorineural hearing loss with meteorological factors: a time series study in Hefei, China, and a literature review.

Air pollution can cause disease and has become a major global environmental problem. It is currently believed that air pollution may be related to the progression of SSNHL. As a rapidly developing city in recent years, Hefei has serious air pollution. In order to explore the correlation between meteorological variables and SSNHL admissions, we conducted this study. This study investigated the short-term associations between SSNHL patients admitted to the hospital and Hefei climatic variables. The daily data on SSNHL-related hospital admissions and meteorological variables containing mean temperature (T-mean; °C), diurnal temperature range (DTR; °C), atmospheric pressure (AP; Hp), and relative humidity (RH; %), from 2014 to 2021 (2558 days), were collected. A time-series analysis integrating distributed lag non-linear models and generalized linear models was used. PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases were searched. Literature published up to August 2023 was reviewed to explore the potential impact mechanisms of meteorological factors on SSNHL. The mechanisms were determined in detail, focusing on wind speed, air pressure, temperature, humidity, and air pollutants. Using a median of 50.00% as a baseline, the effect of exceedingly low T-mean in the single-day hysteresis effect model began at a lag of 8 days (RR = 1.032, 95% CI: 1.001 ~ 1.064). High DTR affected the admission rate for SSNHL on lag 0 day. The significance of the effect was the greatest on that day (RR = 1.054, 95% CI: 1.007 ~ 1.104) and then gradually decreased. High and exceedingly high RH affected the admission rate SSNHL on lag 0 day, and these effects lasted for 8 and 7 days, respectively. There were significant associations between all grades of AP and SSNHL. This is the first study to assess the effect of meteorological variables on SSNHL-related admissions in China using a time-series approach. Long-term exposures to high DTR, RH values, low T-mean values, and all AP grades enhance the incidence of SSNHL in residents. Limiting exposure to extremes of ambient temperature and humidity may reduce the number of SSNHL-related hospital visits in the region. It is advisable to maintain a suitable living environment temperature and avoid extreme temperature fluctuations and high humidity. During periods of high air pollution, it is recommended to stay indoors and refrain from outdoor exercise.

A Prelimbic Cortex-Thalamus Circuit Bidirectionally Regulates Innate and Stress-Induced Anxiety-Like Behavior.

Anxiety-related disorders respond to cognitive behavioral therapies, which involved the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Previous studies have suggested that subregions of the mPFC have different and even opposite roles in regulating innate anxiety. However, the specific causal targets of their descending projections in modulating innate anxiety and stress-induced anxiety have yet to be fully elucidated. Here, we found that among the various downstream pathways of the prelimbic cortex (PL), a subregion of the mPFC, PL-mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD) projection, and PL-ventral tegmental area (VTA) projection exhibited antagonistic effects on anxiety-like behavior, while the PL-MD projection but not PL-VTA projection was necessary for the animal to guide anxiety-related behavior. In addition, MD-projecting PL neurons bidirectionally regulated remote but not recent fear memory retrieval. Notably, restraint stress induced high-anxiety state accompanied by strengthening the excitatory inputs onto MD-projecting PL neurons, and inhibiting PL-MD pathway rescued the stress-induced anxiety. Our findings reveal that the activity of PL-MD pathway may be an essential factor to maintain certain level of anxiety, and stress increased the excitability of this pathway, leading to inappropriate emotional expression, and suggests that targeting specific PL circuits may aid the development of therapies for the treatment of stress-related disorders.

Mature astrocytes as source for astrocyte repopulation after deletion in the medial prefrontal cortex: Implications for depression.

The adult brain retains a high repopulation capacity of astrocytes after deletion, and both mature astrocytes in the neocortex and neural stem cells in neurogenic regions possess the potential to generate astrocytes. However, the origin and the repopulation dynamics of the repopulating astrocytes after deletion remain largely unclear. The number of astrocytes is reduced in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of patients with depression, and selective elimination of mPFC astrocytes is sufficient to induce depression-like behaviors in rodents. However, whether astrocyte repopulation capacity is impaired in depression is unknown. In this study, we used different transgenic mouse lines to genetically label different cell types and demonstrated that in the mPFC of normal adult mice of both sexes, mature astrocytes were a major source of the repopulating astrocytes after acute deletion induced by an astrocyte-specific toxin, L-alpha-aminoadipic acid (L-AAA), and astrocyte regeneration was accomplished within two weeks accompanied by reversal of depression-like behaviors. Furthermore, re-ablation of mPFC astrocytes post repopulation led to reappearance of depression-like behaviors. In adult male mice subjected to 14-day chronic restraint stress, a well-validated mouse model of depression, the number of mPFC astrocytes was reduced; however, the ability of mPFC astrocytes to repopulate after L-AAA-induced deletion was largely unaltered. Our study highlights a potentially beneficial role for repopulating astrocytes in depression and provides novel therapeutic insights into enhancing local mature astrocyte generation in depression.

Multi-step strategies for synergistic treatment of urinary tract infections based on D-xylose-decorated antimicrobial peptide carbon dots.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), often reoccur due to the formation of intracellular bacterial colonies (IBCs) and antibiotic resistance. Given the significance of YadC for UPEC infection in our previous study, we developed D-xylose-decorated ɛ-poly-L-lysine (εPL)-based carbon dots (D-xyl@εPLCDs) that can be traced, and employed multi-step approaches to elucidate the functional roles of D-xyl@εPLCDs in UPEC infection. Compared to undecorated particles, D-xyl@εPLCDs demonstrate YadC-dependent bacterial targeting and exhibit enhanced bactericidal activities both intracellularly and extracellularly. Moreover, pre-treatment of D-xyl@εPLCDs before infection blocked the subsequent adhesion and invasion of UPEC to bladder epithelial cells 5637. Increase of ROS production and innate immune responses were observed in bladder epithelial cells 5637 treated with D-xyl@εPLCDs. In addition, treatment of D-xyl@εPLCDs post-infection facilitated clearance of UPEC in the bladders of the UTI mouse model, and reduced ultimate number of neutrophils, macrophages and inflammatory responses raised by invaded bacteria. Collectively, we presented a comprehensive evaluating system to show that D-xyl@εPLCDs exhibits superior bactericidal effects against UPEC, making them a promising candidate for drug development in clinical UTI therapeutics.

Enhancing Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Knowledge With an Educational Toolkit -Evaluation of the Chinese Doll Program.

Objective: In countries with conservative attitudes towards sex and limited resources to prevent child sexual abuse, culturally adapted CSA prevention programs are essential. This study outlines a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of the Doll program for preventing CSA in the specific context of China. Method: 181 children were pre-tested and post-tested (5 weeks later) for knowledge of sexual abuse prevention. Children were assigned to one of three groups; 1) child only (n = 60); 2) child and parent (n = 60); and 3) control (n = 61). Results: Children in groups 1 and 2 showed significant increases (p < 0.001) in scores on the Appropriate Touch Scale (ATS) and the Inappropriate Touch Scale (ITS), whereas those in the control group did not show a significant increase in ATS scores, but their scores on ITS significantly increased (p < 0.001). Children in group 2 showed significantly increased ITS scores compared to group 1 (p = 0.016). Conclusion: Doll program effectively enhances children's CSA prevention knowledge, with parental engagement demonstrating a positive impact on the program.

Global research on sinonasal inverted papilloma over the past two decades: a bibliometric analysis.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the global research status, hot topics, and prospects in the field of sinonasal inverted papilloma (SNIP) through bibliometric analysis. Methods: The literature on SNIP was retrieved and downloaded from the Web of Science Core Collection from 2002 to 2021. The bibliometric and visualisation networks of SNIP were constructed using VOSviewer 1.6.18, CiteSpace 6.1. R2, and a bibliometric online analysis platform. Results: A total of 560 original articles about SNIP research were included, involving 2,457 authors from 610 institutions in 45 countries. The number of SNIP publications showed an overall rising trend, with an average annual output of 28 articles and almost 3 times as many articles published in 2020 as in 2002. The analysis of keyword burst detection indicated that EGFR mutation, malignant transformation and infection are emerging research hotspots. Moreover, EGFR mutation, KRAS mutation, malignant tumour, metallothionein 2a gene, pre-operative diagnosis, HPV-negative tumour, and expression were among the 11 key clusters of co-cited references. Conclusions: This study provided a comprehensive, systematic, and objective analysis and visualised knowledge map of SNIP over the past 2 decades. In particular, current hotspots and prospective trends in the field of SNIP have been identified. These results highlight the future direction of SNIP research for rhinologists.