PAHs removal by soil washing with thiacalix[4]arene tetrasulfonate.

Remediating soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) presents a significant environmental challenge due to their toxic and carcinogenic properties. Traditional PAHs remediation methods-chemical, thermal, and bioremediation-along with conventional soil-washing agents like surfactants and cyclodextrins face challenges of cost, ecological harm, and inefficiency. Here we show an effective and environmentally friendly calixarene derivative for PAHs removal through soil washing. Thiacalix[4]arene tetrasulfonate (TCAS) has a unique molecular structure of a sulfonate group and a sulfur atom, which enhances its solubility and facilitates selective binding with PAHs. It forms host-guest complexes with PAHs through π-π stacking, OH-π interactions, hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, and electrostatic interactions. These interactions enable partial encapsulation of PAH molecules, aiding their desorption from the soil matrix. Our results show that a 0.7% solution of TCAS can extract approximately 50% of PAHs from contaminated soil while preserving soil nutrients and minimizing adverse environmental effects. This research unveils the pioneering application of TCAS in removing PAHs from contaminated soil, marking a transformative advancement in resource-efficient and sustainable soil remediation strategies.

Efficacy and safety of ciprofol for sedation in outpatient gynecological procedures: a phase III multicenter randomized trial.

Objective: Ciprofol (also known as cipepofol and HSK3486), is a compound similar to propofol in chemical structure and hypnotic effect. Herein we evaluated the efficacy and safety of ciprofol for sedation in outpatient gynecological procedures. Methods: This phase III multicenter randomized trial with a non-inferiority design was conducted in nine tertiary hospitals. We enrolled 135 women aged 18-65 years who were scheduled for ambulatory gynecological procedures. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either ciprofol (0.4 mg/kg for induction and 0.2 mg/kg for maintenance) or propofol (2.0 mg/kg for induction and 1.0 mg/kg for maintenance) sedation in a 2:1 ratio. Patients and investigators for data collection and outcome assessment were blinded to study group assignments. The primary outcome was the success rate of sedation, defined as completion of procedure without remedial anesthetics. The non-inferiority margin was set at -8%. Secondary outcomes included time to successful induction, time to full awake, time to meet discharge criteria, and satisfaction with sedation assessed by patients and doctors. We also monitored occurrence of adverse events and injection pain. Results: A total of 135 patients were enrolled; 134 patients (90 patients received ciprofol sedation and 44 patients propofol sedation) were included in final intention-to-treat analysis. The success rates were both 100% in the two groups (rate difference, 0.0%; 95% CI, -4.1 to 8.0%), i.e., ciprofol was non-inferior to propofol. When compared with propofol sedation, patients given ciprofol required more time to reach successful induction (median difference [MD], 2 s; 95% CI, 1 to 7; p < 0.001), and required more time to reach full awake (MD, 2.3 min; 95% CI, 1.4 to 3.1; p < 0.001) and discharge criteria (MD, 2.3 min; 95% CI, 1.5 to 3.2; p < 0.001). Fewer patients in the ciprofol group were dissatisfied with sedation (relative risk, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.06 to 0.77; p = 0.024). Patients given ciprofol sedation had lower incidences of treat-emergent adverse events (34.4% [31/90] vs. 79.5% [35/44]; p < 0.001) and injection pain (6.7% [6/90] vs. 61.4% [27/44]; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Ciprofol for sedation in ambulatory gynecological procedures was non-inferior to propofol, with less adverse events and injection pain. Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04958746.

The relationship between different fatty acids intake and the depressive symptoms: A population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Depression is a common psychological disorder worldwide, affecting mental and physical health. Previous studies have explored the benefits of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) intake in depressive symptoms; however, few studies have focused on the association between all types of fatty acids intake and depressive symptoms. Therefore, we explored the relationship between the intake of different fatty acids intake and the risk of depressive symptoms. METHODS: The study was based on the data from the 2005-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), a large US-based database. We used a nutrient residual model and multi-nutrient density model for the analysis. We calculated the nutrient density and residual in men and women separately, and the fatty acids intake was divided into quartiles based on the sex distribution. The relationship between the depressive symptoms and the intake of different fatty acids was examined using logistic regression; furthermore, we explored the relationships separately in men and women. RESULTS: The intake of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and PUFAs, particularly n-3 and n-6 PUFAs, were associated with reduced odds ratios for depressive symptoms. The inverse relationship between the intake of MUFAs, PUFAs, n-3, and n-6 PUFAs and depressive symptoms was stronger in women. The inverse relationship between total fatty acid (TFAs) intake and depressive symptoms existed only in a single model. In contrast, saturated fatty acid (SFAs) intake was not related to depressive symptoms. CONCLUSION: Consuming MUFAs and PUFAs can counteract the depressive symptoms, especially in women.

Controllable fabrication of CoNi bimetallic alloy for high-performance electromagnetic wave absorption.

With the coming era of artificial intelligence (AI) dominated by high-tech electronics, developing high-performance microwave absorption materials (MAMs) is imperative to solve the problem of increasing electromagnetic inference and pollution. Herein, a metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived CoNi bimetallic alloy (CoNi/C) with an irregular rod-like structure is prepared by a thermal reduction method. Introducing the CoNi alloy facilitates the balance between conduction loss and polarization loss and forms good impedance matching, leading to excellent microwave absorption performance. Interestingly, the optimization of absorption performance can be further achieved by controllably modulating the molar ratio of Co and Ni (Co2+/Ni2+). As expected, the obtained CoNi/C delivers excellent microwave absorption performance with a minimum reflection loss (RLmin) of -50.80 dB at 10.40 GHz and an effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 3.28 GHz (8.91-12.19 GHz) with a filler loading of 50 wt% at 2.0 mm. In addition, the CoNi/C can reach a maximum EAB of 4.77 GHz (12.99-17.76 GHz) at a low thickness of 1.5 mm, spanning nearly the entire Ku band. The CoNi3/C also exhibits an impressive RLmin of -44.84 dB at 3.28 GHz in the S band. This work offers a novel strategy to modulate the magnetic/electric properties of MOF-derived MAMs.

Wnt5a/ß-catenin-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition: a key driver of subretinal fibrosis in neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

BACKGROUND: Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), accounts for up to 90% of AMD-associated vision loss, ultimately resulting in the formation of fibrotic scar in the macular region. The pathogenesis of subretinal fibrosis in nAMD involves the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) occurring in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Here, we aim to investigate the underlying mechanisms involved in the Wnt signaling during the EMT of RPE cells and in the pathological process of subretinal fibrosis secondary to nAMD. METHODS: In vivo, the induction of subretinal fibrosis was performed in male C57BL/6J mice through laser photocoagulation. Either FH535 (a ß-catenin inhibitor) or Box5 (a Wnt5a inhibitor) was intravitreally administered on the same day or 14 days following laser induction. The RPE-Bruch's membrane-choriocapillaris complex (RBCC) tissues were collected and subjected to Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence to examine fibrovascular and Wnt-related markers. In vitro, transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFß1)-treated ARPE-19 cells were co-incubated with or without FH535, Foxy-5 (a Wnt5a-mimicking peptide), Box5, or Wnt5a shRNA, respectively. The changes in EMT- and Wnt-related signaling molecules, as well as cell functions were assessed using qRT-PCR, nuclear-cytoplasmic fractionation assay, Western blot, immunofluorescence, scratch assay or transwell migration assay. The cell viability of ARPE-19 cells was determined using Cell Counting Kit (CCK)-8. RESULTS: The in vivo analysis demonstrated Wnt5a/ROR1, but not Wnt3a, was upregulated in the RBCCs of the laser-induced CNV mice compared to the normal control group. Intravitreal injection of FH535 effectively reduced Wnt5a protein expression. Both FH535 and Box5 effectively attenuated subretinal fibrosis and EMT, as well as the activation of ß-catenin in laser-induced CNV mice, as evidenced by the significant reduction in areas positive for fibronectin, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen I, and active ß-catenin labeling. In vitro, Wnt5a/ROR1, active ß-catenin, and some other Wnt signaling molecules were upregulated in the TGFß1-induced EMT cell model using ARPE-19 cells. Co-treatment with FH535, Box5, or Wnt5a shRNA markedly suppressed the activation of Wnt5a, nuclear translocation of active ß-catenin, as well as the EMT in TGFß1-treated ARPE-19 cells. Conversely, treatment with Foxy-5 independently resulted in the activation of abovementioned molecules and subsequent induction of EMT in ARPE-19 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reveals a reciprocal activation between Wnt5a and ß-catenin to mediate EMT as a pivotal driver of subretinal fibrosis in nAMD. This positive feedback loop provides valuable insights into potential therapeutic strategies to treat subretinal fibrosis in nAMD patients.

Effect of acupuncture on Hashimoto thyroiditis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is a common autoimmune thyroid disease for which there is no specific treatment. Oral levothyroxine sodium tablets significantly improved thyroid function but did not promote a reduction in thyroid-related antibody concentrations. Acupuncture can improve clinical symptoms and thyroid function in HT patients, reduce serum TPOAb and TGAb levels in HT patients, and improve patients' quality of life. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of acupuncture versus levothyroxine sodium tablets on Hashimoto thyroiditis. We searched Web of Science, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang, VIP, SinoMed and the Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials to identify candidate randomized controlled trials (RCTs). RESULTS: A total of 1020 patients participated in 14 randomized controlled trials. The results of meta-analysis showed that acupuncture regulated TPOAb content (mean difference [MD] = -63.18, 95%CI = -91.73 to -34.62, P < .00001), TGAb content (MD = -68.56, 95%CI = -101.55 to -35.57, P < .00001), serum free triiodothyronine (FT3) content (MD = 0.74, 95%CI = 0.20 to 1.27, P < .00001), serum free thyroxine (FT4) content (MD = 1.10, 95%CI = 0.29 to 1.92, P < .00001), TSH content (MD = -2.16, 95%CI = -3.14 to -1.19, P < .00001) had a significant effect. CONCLUSION: Compared with levothyroxine sodium tablets alone, acupuncture can significantly regulate the contents of TPOAb, TGAb, FT3, FT4 and TSH.

Large Yellow Tea Polysaccharide Alleviates HFD-Induced Intestinal Homeostasis Dysbiosis via Modulating Gut Barrier Integrity, Immune Responses, and the Gut Microbiome.

Long-term high-fat diet (HFD) will induce dysbiosis and a disturbance of intestinal homeostasis. Large yellow tea polysaccharide (LYP) has been shown to improve obesity-associated metabolic disease via modulation of the M2 polarization. However, the contribution of LYP to intestinal barrier impairment and improvement mechanisms in obesity caused by an HFD are still not clear. In this study, we evaluated the impacts of LYP on the mucosal barrier function and microbiota composition in HFD-feeding mice. Results exhibited that dietary LYP supplement could ameliorate the physical barrier function via maintaining intestinal mucosal integrity and elevating tight-junction protein production, strengthen the chemical barrier function via up-regulating the levels of glucagon-like peptide-1 and increasing mucin-producing goblet cell numbers, and enhance the intestinal immune barrier function though suppressing immune cell subsets and cytokines toward pro-inflammatory phenotypes. Moreover, LYP reshaped the constitution and metabolism of intestinal flora by enriching probiotics that produce short-chain fatty acids. Overall, LYP might be used as a critical regulator of intestinal homeostasis to improve host health by promoting gut barrier integrity, modulating intestinal immune response, and inhibiting bowel inflammation.

Validity of the modified versions of SARC-F+EBM for sarcopenia screening and diagnosis in China: the PPLSS study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It is recommended by Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia to early identify people at risk for sarcopenia using simple screening tools like SARC-F. The modified version SARC-F+EBM showed higher diagnostic performance. However, this cut-off value of body mass index (BMI) remained uncertain to be used in Chinese population. In this study, we used appropriate BMI recommended for Chinese older population and further modified SARC-F+EBM by combining calf circumference. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Diagnostic tests were performed and the receiver operating characteristics analyses were conducted between the SARC-F, SARC-F+EBM (cut-off of BMI: ≤ 21 kg/m2), SARC-F+EBM (CN) (cut-off of BMI: ≤ 22 kg/m2), SARC-CalF and SARC-CalF+EBM (CN) (cut-off of BMI: ≤ 22 kg/m2) in 1660 community-dwelling participants aged ≥ 65 years from China. RESULTS: The participants had an average age of 71.7±5.1 years, of which 56.8% were women. All the modified models could enhance the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of original SARC-F (all p<0.001). The SARC-F+EBM (CN) also showed a significantly higher sensitivity of 47.4% (p<0.001) and an AUC of 0.809 (p=0.005) than SARC-F+EBM. SARC-CalF+EBM (CN) was validated to be of great diagnostic value of the highest AUC of 0.88 among these sarcopenia screening tools, including SARC-F, SARC-CalF and SARC-F+EBM (CN) (all p<0.001). Using this study population as a reference, the optimal cut-off value of SARC-CalF+EBM (CN) is ≥12 points, with a sensitivity of 79.3% and a specificity of 80.7%. CONCLUSIONS: The SARC-F+EBM (CN) and SARC-CalF+EBM (CN) could enhance the diagnostic performance of SARC-F and SARC-F+EBM and are suitable sarcopenia screening tools for Chinese population.

Automated detection of nine infantile fundus diseases and conditions in retinal images using a deep learning system.

Purpose: We developed an Infant Retinal Intelligent Diagnosis System (IRIDS), an automated system to aid early diagnosis and monitoring of infantile fundus diseases and health conditions to satisfy urgent needs of ophthalmologists. Methods: We developed IRIDS by combining convolutional neural networks and transformer structures, using a dataset of 7697 retinal images (1089 infants) from four hospitals. It identifies nine fundus diseases and conditions, namely, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) (mild ROP, moderate ROP, and severe ROP), retinoblastoma (RB), retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Coats disease, coloboma of the choroid, congenital retinal fold (CRF), and normal. IRIDS also includes depth attention modules, ResNet-18 (Res-18), and Multi-Axis Vision Transformer (MaxViT). Performance was compared to that of ophthalmologists using 450 retinal images. The IRIDS employed a five-fold cross-validation approach to generate the classification results. Results: Several baseline models achieved the following metrics: accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score (F1), kappa, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) with best values of 94.62% (95% CI, 94.34%-94.90%), 94.07% (95% CI, 93.32%-94.82%), 90.56% (95% CI, 88.64%-92.48%), 92.34% (95% CI, 91.87%-92.81%), 91.15% (95% CI, 90.37%-91.93%), and 99.08% (95% CI, 99.07%-99.09%), respectively. In comparison, IRIDS showed promising results compared to ophthalmologists, demonstrating an average accuracy, precision, recall, F1, kappa, and AUC of 96.45% (95% CI, 96.37%-96.53%), 95.86% (95% CI, 94.56%-97.16%), 94.37% (95% CI, 93.95%-94.79%), 95.03% (95% CI, 94.45%-95.61%), 94.43% (95% CI, 93.96%-94.90%), and 99.51% (95% CI, 99.51%-99.51%), respectively, in multi-label classification on the test dataset, utilizing the Res-18 and MaxViT models. These results suggest that, particularly in terms of AUC, IRIDS achieved performance that warrants further investigation for the detection of retinal abnormalities. Conclusions: IRIDS identifies nine infantile fundus diseases and conditions accurately. It may aid non-ophthalmologist personnel in underserved areas in infantile fundus disease screening. Thus, preventing severe complications. The IRIDS serves as an example of artificial intelligence integration into ophthalmology to achieve better outcomes in predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM / 3PM) in the treatment of infantile fundus diseases. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13167-024-00350-y.

Nano-Engineering Strategies for Tumor-Specific Therapy.

Nanodelivery systems (NDSs) provide promising prospects for decreasing drug doses, reducing side effects, and improving therapeutic effects. However, the bioapplications of NDSs are still compromised by their fast clearance, indiscriminate biodistribution, and limited tumor accumulation. Hence, engineering modification of NDSs aiming at promoting tumor-specific therapy and avoiding systemic toxicity is usually needed. An NDS integrating various functionalities, including flexible camouflage, specific biorecognition, and sensitive stimuli-responsiveness, into one sequence would be "smart" and highly effective. Herein, we systematically summarize the related principles, methods, and progress. At the end of the review, we predict the obstacles to precise nanoengineering and prospects for the future application of NDSs.

Spatial Structure Design of Thioether-Linked Naphthoquinone Cathodes for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Organic Batteries.

Organic electrode materials (OEMs) have gathered extensive attention for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their structural diversity and molecular designability. However, the reported research mainly focuses on the design of the planar configuration of OEMs and does not take into account the important influence of the spatial structure on the electrochemical properties, which seriously hamper the further performance liberation of OEMs. Herein, this work has designed a series of thioether-linked naphthoquinone-derived isomers with tunable spatial structures and applied them as the cathodes in AZIBs. The incomplete conjugated structure of the elaborately engineered isomers can guarantee the independence of the redox reaction of active groups, which contributes to the full utilization of active sites and high redox reversibility. In addition, the position isomerization of naphthoquinones on the benzene rings changes the zincophilic activity and redox kinetics of the isomers, signifying the importance of spatial structure on the electrochemical performance. As a result, the 2,2'-(1,4-phenylenedithio) bis(1,4-naphthoquinone) (p-PNQ) with the smallest steric hindrance and the most independent redox of active sites exhibits a high specific capacity (279 mAh g-1 ), an outstanding rate capability (167 mAh g-1 at 100 A g-1 ), and a long-term cycling lifetime (over 2800 h at 0.05 A g-1 ).

Multifaceted Nature of HuR in Atherosclerosis Development.

HuR (Human antigen R) is an RNA binding protein (RBP) that specifically binds to certain RNA sequences, influencing post-transcriptional regulation. HuR is primarily involved in tumor regulation, as well as cell growth, proliferation, inflammation, and angiogenesis. HuR is implicated in endothelial activation, smooth muscle proliferation, inflammatory response, macrophage apoptosis, lipid regulation, and autophagy, playing a crucial regulatory role in atherosclerosis. Accumulating evidence suggests that HuR has dual roles in AS. On the one hand, HuR expedites the development of AS by facilitating endothelial activation, smooth muscle proliferation, and inflammation. On the contrary, it exerts beneficial effects by reducing macrophage apoptosis, regulating lipid efflux, and increasing autophagy. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive summary of the role of HuR in the development of AS by examining its involvement in cellular mechanisms, inflammation, autophagy, and apoptosis. Additionally, we discuss the mechanisms of drugs that target HuR, with the goal of offering new perspectives for the treatment of AS.

Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index Combined with Calf Circumference Can be a Good Predictor of Prognosis in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Gastric or Colorectal Cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the effect of combined hematological and physical measurement indicators on the prognosis of patients undergoing surgery for gastric or colorectal cancer and to screen for the best prognostic indicators. INTRODUCTION: Gastric and colorectal cancer is a widespread health concern worldwide and one of the major contributors to cancer-related death. The hematological and physical measurement indicators have been shown to associate with the prognosis of patients undergoing surgery for gastric or colorectal cancer, respectively, but it is still unclear whether the combination of the two can reflect the prognosis more effectively. METHODS: Thirteen hematological indicators and 5 physical measurement indicators were selected in this study, and the most promising ones were screened using LASSO regression. Then, the best prognostic indicators were selected by time-ROC curves. Survival curves were constructed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and the effects of hematological and physical measurement indicators on the prognosis of patients undergoing surgery for gastric or colorectal cancers were evaluated by Cox proportional risk regression analysis. In addition, the relationship between hematological and physical measurement indicators on secondary outcomes, including length of stay, hospitalization costs, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and patients' subjective global assessment scores (PGSGA), was explored. RESULTS: After initial screening, among the hematological indicators, the geriatric nutritional risk index (GNRI) showed the highest mean area under the curve (AUC) values. Among body measures, calf circumference (CC) showed the highest mean AUC value. Further analyses showed that the combination of combined nutritional prognostic index (GNRI) and calf circumference (CC) (GNRI-CC) had the best performance in predicting the prognosis of patients undergoing surgery for gastric or colorectal cancers. Low GNRI, low CC, and low GNRI-low CC increased the risk of death by 44%, 48%, and 104%, respectively. Sensitivity analyses showed the same trend. In addition, low GNRI-low CC increased the risk of malnutrition by 17%. CONCLUSION: This study emphasizes that a combination of blood measures and body measures is essential to accurately assess the prognosis of patients undergoing surgery for gastric or colorectal cancers. The GNRI-CC is a good prognostic indicator and can also assess the risk of possible malnutrition.

Primary Surgery Followed by Selective Chemoradiotherapy Versus Preoperative Chemoradiotherapy Followed by Surgery for Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: The aim of this work was to determine whether locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) with negative mesorectal fascia (MRF) predicted by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be excluded from preoperative radiation therapy treatment. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This multicenter, open-label, non-inferiority, randomized clinical trial enrolled patients with LARC within 6 to 12 cm from the anal verge and with negative MRI-predicted MRF. Participants were randomized to the intervention group (primary surgery, in which the patients with positive pathologic [CRM] circumferential margins were subjected to chemoradiotherapy [CRT] and those with negative CRM underwent adjuvant chemotherapy according to pathologic staging) or the control group (preoperative CRT, in which all patients underwent subsequent surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy). The primary endpoint was 3-year disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS: A total of 275 patients were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 140) and control (n = 135) groups, in which 33.57% and 28.15% patients were at clinical T4 stage and 85.92% and 80.45% patients were at "bad" or "ugly" risk in the intervention and control groups, respectively. There were 2 patients (1.52%) and 1 patient (0.77%) with positive CRM in the intervention and control groups, respectively (P > .05). The non-adherence rates for the intervention and control groups were 3.6% and 23.7%, respectively. After a median follow-up of 34.6 months (IQR, 18.2-45.7), 43 patients had positive events (28 patients and 15 patients in the intervention and control groups, respectively). There were 6 patients (4.4%) with local recurrence in the intervention group and none in the control group, which led to the termination of the trial. The 3-year DFS rate was 81.82% in the intervention group (95% CI, 78.18%-85.46%) and 85.37% in the control group (95% CI, 81.75%-88.99%), with a difference of -3.55% (95% CI, -3.71% to -3.39%; hazard ratio, 1.76; 95% CI, 0.94-3.30). In the per-protocol data set, the difference between 3-year DFS rates was -5.44% (95% CI, -5.63% to -5.25%; hazard ratio, 2.02; 95% CI, 1.01-4.06). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the outcomes of this trial, in patients with LARC and MRI-negative MRF, primary surgery could negatively influence their DFS rates. Therefore, primary surgery was an inferior strategy compared with preoperative CRT followed by surgery and cannot be recommended for patients with LARC.

Systemic inflammation and insulin resistance-related indicator predicts poor outcome in patients with cancer cachexia.

BACKGROUND: The C-reactive protein (CRP)-triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index (CTI), which is a measure representing the level of inflammation and insulin resistance (IR), is related to poor cancer prognosis; however, the CTI has not been validated in patients with cancer cachexia. Thus, this study aimed to explore the potential clinical value of the CTI in patients with cancer cachexia. METHODS: In this study, our prospective multicenter cohort included 1411 patients with cancer cachexia (mean age 59.45 ± 11.38, 63.3% male), which was a combined analysis of multiple cancer types. We randomly selected 30% of the patients for the internal test cohort (mean age 58.90 ± 11.22% 61.4% male). Additionally, we included 307 patients with cancer cachexia in the external validation cohort (mean age 61.16 ± 11, 58.5% male). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and calibration curves were performed to investigate the prognostic value of CTI. The prognostic value of the CTI was also investigated performing univariate and multivariate survival analyses. RESULTS: The survival curve indicated that the CTI showed a significant prognostic value in the total, internal, and external validation cohorts. Prognostic ROC curves and calibration curves revealed that the CTI showed good consistency in predicting the survival of patients with cancer cachexia. Multivariate survival analysis showed that an elevated CTI increased the risk of death by 22% (total cohort, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.13-1.33), 34% (internal test cohort, 95%CI = 1.11-1.62), and 35% (external validation cohort, 95%CI = 1.14-1.59) for each increase in the standard deviation of CTI. High CTI reliably predicted shorter survival (total cohort, hazard ratio [HR] = 1.45, 95%CI = 1.22-1.71; internal test cohort, HR = 1.62, 95%CI = 1.12-2.36; external validation cohort, HR = 1.61, 95%CI = 1.15-2.26). High CTI significantly predicted shorter survival in different tumor subgroups, such as esophageal [HR = 2.11, 95%CI = 1.05-4.21] and colorectal cancer [HR = 2.29, 95%CI = 1.42-3.71]. The mediating effects analysis found that the mediating proportions of PGSGA, ECOG PS, and EORTC QLQ-C30 on the direct effects of CTI were 21.72%, 19.63%, and 11.61%, respectively We found that there was a significant positive correlation between the CTI and 90-day [HR = 2.48, 95%CI = 1.52-4.14] and 180-day mortality [HR = 1.77,95%CI = 1.24-2.55] in patients with cancer cachexia. CONCLUSION: The CTI can predict the short- and long-term survival of patients with cancer cachexia and provide a useful prognostic tool for clinical practice.

LncRNA-mediated Modulation of Endothelial Cells: Novel Progress in the Pathogenesis of Coronary Atherosclerotic Disease.

Coronary atherosclerotic disease (CAD) is a common cardiovascular disease and an important cause of death. Moreover, endothelial cells (ECs) injury is an early pathophysiological feature of CAD, and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) can modulate gene expression. Recent studies have shown that lncRNAs are involved in the pathogenesis of CAD, especially by regulating ECs. In this review, we summarize the novel progress of lncRNA-modulated ECs in the pathogenesis of CAD, including ECs proliferation, migration, adhesion, angiogenesis, inflammation, apoptosis, autophagy, and pyroptosis. Thus, as lncRNAs regulate ECs in CAD, lncRNAs will provide ideal and novel targets for the diagnosis and drug therapy of CAD.

Fused-Ring Pyrrole-Based Near-Infrared Emissive Organic RTP Material for Persistent Afterglow Bioimaging.

Organic near-infrared room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials offer remarkable advantages in bioimaging due to their characteristic time scales and background noise elimination. However, developing near-infrared RTP materials for deep tissue imaging still faces challenges since the small band gap may increase the non-radiative decay, resulting in weak emission and short phosphorescence lifetime. In this study, fused-ring pyrrole-based structures were employed as the guest molecules for the construction of long wavelength emissive RTP materials. Compared to the decrease of the singlet energy level, the triplet energy level showed a more effectively decrease with the increase of the conjugation of the substituent groups. Moreover, the sufficient conjugation of fused ring structures in the guest molecule suppresses the non-radiative decay of triplet excitons. Therefore, a near-infrared RTP material (764 nm) was achieved for deep penetration bioimaging. Tumor cell membrane is used to coat RTP nanoparticles (NPs) to avoid decreasing the RTP performance compared to traditional coating by amphiphilic surfactants. RTP NPs with tumor-targeting properties show favorable phosphorescent properties, superior stability, and excellent biocompatibility. These NPs are applied for time-resolved luminescence imaging to eliminate background interference with excellent tissue penetration. This study provides a practical solution to prepare long-wavelength and long-lifetime organic RTP materials and their applications in bioimaging.

Expression and Clinical Significance of MAGE-A Proteins and mRNA in Lung Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Study.

Objective: This study investigated the expression and clinical significance of Melanoma Associated Antigen (MAGE)-A proteins and mRNA in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: A retrospective study was conducted, and we selected a cohort of 88 NSCLC patients treated at our hospital from January 2015 to January 2020. Adjacent tissues were chosen as controls. The expression of MAGE-A proteins in lung cancer and adjacent tissues was assessed via Western blot, while MAGE-As mRNA expression was measured using RT-PCR. Results: The relative expression levels of MAGE-A proteins and mRNA in NSCLC tissues were significantly higher than those in adjacent tissues (P < .05), with values of (0.343 ± 0.101) and (0.728 ± 0.112), respectively. Furthermore, MAGE-As protein expression was significantly higher in stage III - IV lung cancer compared to stage I - II (P < .05). No significant differences were observed in MAGE-A protein expression concerning gender, age, tumor diameter, pathological type, and differentiation degree (P > .05). The relative expression of MAGE-As mRNA was significantly higher in clinical stage III - IV and moderately differentiated lung cancer tissues compared to stage I - II and well-differentiated tissues (P < .05). No significant differences were found in MAGE-As mRNA expression concerning gender, age, tumor diameter, and pathological type (P > .05). Patients with high MAGE-As mRNA expression had a significantly shorter median overall survival of 33 months (95% CI: 31.64-34.36) compared to those with low MAGE-As mRNA expression (P < .05). However, no significant difference was observed in median overall survival between patients with high and low MAGE-As protein expression (P > .05). Conclusions: In NSCLC, the up-regulation of MAGE-A proteins and mRNA is associated with clinical stage and differentiation degree, warranting further investigation.

Prevalence, Trends and Correlates of HIV, Syphilis and HCV Infection Among Chinese Local and Cross-border Migrant Female Sex Workers in the Sino-Vietnam Border Area of Guangxi, 2016-2021.

Female sex workers (FSWs) are considered a high-risk group for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, limited data exist on the prevalence and trends of HIV, syphilis and HCV among FSWs in the Sino-Vietnam border area. To determine the prevalence, trends and correlates of STIs among Chinese local FSWs (CL-FSWs) and cross-border migrant FSWs (CM-FSWs), we conducted consecutive cross-sectional surveys from 2016 to 2021, recruiting 7747 CL-FSWs and 932 CM-FSWs. The overall HIV, syphilis and HCV prevalence declined from 1.0%, 8.8% and 1.7% to 0.1%, 0.9% and 0.3%, respectively. There was no significant downward trend in the overall HIV and syphilis prevalence. However, HCV prevalence showed a decreasing trend among CL-FSWs. CM-FSWs had higher HIV prevalence (2.5% vs. 0.6%). Similarities and differences in STIs-related factors existed between CM-FSWs and CL-FSWs. For instance, receiving HIV-related services in the last year reduced the risk of HIV infection (for CM-FSWs: aOR = 0.234, 95% CI: 0.055-0.993; for CL-FSWs: aOR = 0.182, 95% CI: 0.058-0.567). Serving male clients at least 50 years old increased the risk of syphilis infection (for CM-FSWs: aOR = 4.277, 95% CI: 1.535-11.917; for CL-FSWs: aOR = 1.404, 95% CI: 1.087-1.815). Moreover, CM-FSWs with past-year STIs history had a higher risk of HIV (aOR = 34.976, 95% CI: 5.338-229.176) and HCV infection (aOR = 17.649, 95% CI: 1.846-168.846), both of which were associated with multiple factors in CL-FSWs. It is therefore necessary to develop effective, accessible, high-quality and targeted interventions for CM-FSWs and CL-FSWs.

Safety and efficacy of catheter ablation of para-Hisian accessory pathway via a direct superior vena cava approach: A multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Radiofrequency (RF) catheter ablation of para-Hisian accessory pathways (APs) can be challenging due to proximity to the conduction system. METHODS: A total of 30 consecutive patients with para-Hisian AP were enrolled for ablation in three centers, 12 (40%) of whom had previously failed attempted ablation from the inferior vena cava (IVC) approach. Ablation was preferentially performed using a superior approach from the superior vena cava (SVC) in all patients. RESULTS: The para-Hisian AP was eliminated from the SVC approach in 28 of 30 (93.3%) patients. In the remaining two patients, additional ablation from IVC was required to successfully eliminate the AP. There were two patients experienced reversible complete atrial-ventricular block and PR prolongation during the first RF application. Long-term freedom from recurrent arrhythmia was achieved in 29 (96.7%) patients over a mean follow-up duration of 15.6 ± 4.6 months. CONCLUSION: Catheter ablation of para-Hisian AP from above using a direct SVC approach is both safe and effective, and should be considered especially in patients who have failed conventional ablation attempts from IVC approach.