[Genetic analysis and assisted reproductive guidance for two infertile patients with rare small supernumerary marker chromosomes].

OBJECTIVE: To carry out cytogenetic and molecular genetic analysis for two infertile patients carrying rare small supernumerary marker chromosomes (sSMC). METHODS: Two infertile patients who received reproductive and genetic counseling at CITIC Xiangya Reproductive and Genetic Hospital on October 31, 2018 and May 10, 2021, respectively were selected as the study subjects. The origin of sSMCs was determined by conventional G banding, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and copy number variation sequencing (CNV-seq). Microdissection combined with high-throughput whole genome sequencing (MicroSeq) was carried out to determine the fragment size and genomic information of their sSMCs. RESULTS: For patient 1, G-banded karyotyping and FISH revealed that he has a karyotype of mos47,XY,del(16)(p10p12),+mar[65]/46,XY,del(16)(p10p12)[6]/48,XY,del(16)(p10p12),+2mar[3].ish mar(Tel 16p-,Tel 16q-,CEP 16-,WCP 16+). CNV analysis has yielded a result of arr[GRCh37]16p12.1p11.2(24999364_33597595)×1[0.25]. MicroSeq revealed that his sSMC has contained the region of chromosome 16 between 24979733 and 34023115 (GRCh37). For patient 2, karyotyping and reverse FISH revealed that she has a karyotype of mos 47,XX,+mar[37]/46,XX[23].rev ish CEN5, and CNV analysis has yielded a result of seq[GRCh37]dup(5)(p12q11.2)chr5:g(45120001_56000000)dup[0.8]. MicroSeq results revealed that her sSMC has contained the region of chromosome 5 between 45132364 and 55967870(GRCh37). After genetic counseling, both couples had opted in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment and preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). CONCLUSION: For individuals harboring sSMCs, it is vital to delineate the origin and structural characteristics of the sSMCs for their genetic counseling and reproductive guidance. Preimplantation genetic testing after microdissection combined with high-throughput whole genome sequencing (MicroSeq-PGT) can provide an alternative treatment for carrier couples with a high genetic risk.

Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic evaluation of gamithromycin against rabbit pasteurellosis.

BACKGROUND: Gamithromycin is an effective therapy for bovine and swine respiratory diseases but not utilized for rabbits. Given its potent activity against respiratory pathogens, we sought to determine the pharmacokinetic profiles, antimicrobial activity and target pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) exposures associated with therapeutic effect of gamithromycin against Pasteurella multocida in rabbits. RESULTS: Gamithromycin showed favorable PK properties in rabbits, including high subcutaneous bioavailability (86.7 ± 10.7%) and low plasma protein binding (18.5-31.9%). PK analysis identified a mean plasma peak concentration (Cmax) of 1.64 ± 0.86 mg/L and terminal half-life (T1/2) of 31.5 ± 5.74 h after subcutaneous injection. For P. multocida, short post-antibiotic effects (PAE) (1.1-5.3 h) and post-antibiotic sub-inhibitory concentration effects (PA-SME) (6.6-9.1 h) were observed after exposure to gamithromycin at 1 to 4× minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Gamithromycin demonstrated concentration-dependent bactericidal activity and the PK/PD index area under the concentration-time curve over 24 h (AUC24h)/MIC correlated well with efficacy (R2 > 0.99). The plasma AUC24h/MIC ratios of gamithromycin associated with the bacteriostatic, bactericidal and bacterial eradication against P. multocida were 15.4, 24.9 and 27.8 h in rabbits, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Subcutaneous administration of 6 mg/kg gamithromycin reached therapeutic concentrations in rabbit plasma against P. multocida. The PK/PD ratios determined herein in combination with ex vivo activity and favorable rabbit PK indicate that gamithromycin may be used for the treatment of rabbit pasteurellosis.

Electroacupuncture Promotes Nerve Regeneration and Functional Recovery Through Regulating lncRNA GAS5 Targeting miR-21 After Sciatic Nerve Injury.

Although the benefits of electroacupuncture (EA) for peripheral nerve injury (PNI) are well accepted in clinical practice, the underlying mechanism remains incompletely elucidated. In our study, we observed that EA intervention led to a reduction in the expression of the long non-coding RNA growth-arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5) and an increased in miR-21 levels within the injured nerve, effectively promoting functional recovery and nerve regeneration following sciatic nerve injury (SNI). In contrast, administration of adeno-associated virus expressing GAS5 (AAV-GAS5) weakened the therapeutic effect of EA. On the other hand, both silencing GAS5 and introducing a miR-21 mimic prominently enhanced the proliferation activity and migration ability of Schwann cells (SCs), while also inhibiting SCs apoptosis. On the contrary, inhibition of SCs apoptosis was found to be mediated by miR-21. Additionally, overexpression of GAS5 counteracted the effects of the miR-21 mimic on SCs. Moreover, SCs that transfected with the miR-21 mimic promoted neurite growth in hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced neurons, which might be prevented by overexpressing GAS5. Furthermore, GAS5 was found to be widely distributed in the cytoplasm and was negatively regulated by miR-21. Consequently, the targeting of GAS5 by miR-21 represents a potential mechanism through which EA enhances reinnervation and functional restoration following SNI. Mechanistically, the GAS5/miR-21 axis can modulate the proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of SCs while potentially influencing the neurite growth of neurons.

Tapered Fiber Bioprobe Based on U-Shaped Fiber Transmission for Immunoassay.

In this paper, a tapered fiber bioprobe based on Mach-Zehnder interference (MZI) is proposed. To retain the highly sensitive straight-tapered fiber MZI sensing structure, we designed a U-shaped transmission fiber structure for the collection of optical sensing signals to achieve a miniature-insert-probe design. The spectrum responses from the conventional straight-tapered fiber MZI sensor and our proposed sensor were compared and analyzed, and experimental results showed that our proposed sensor not only has the same sensing capability as the straight-tapered fiber sensor, but also has the advantages of being flexible, convenient, and less liquid-consuming, which are attributed to the inserted probe design. The tapered fiber bioprobe obtained a sensitivity of 1611.27 nm/RIU in the refractive index detection range of 1.3326-1.3414. Finally, immunoassays for different concentrations of human immunoglobulin G were achieved with the tapered fiber bioprobe through surface functionalization, and the detection limit was 45 ng/mL. Our tapered fiber bioprobe has the insert-probe advantages of simpleness, convenience, and fast operation. Simultaneously, it is low-cost, highly sensitive, and has a low detection limit, which means it has potential applications in immunoassays and early medical diagnosis.

Ultra-sensitive all-optical phase modulation based on a fiber optic interferometer combined with Ti3C2Tx MXene-incorporated PDMS.

This study proposes an all-optical phase modulator based on a compact fiber optic interferometer combined with Ti3C2Tx MXene-incorporated PDMS. Due to the high photothermal conversion efficiency of MXene and the high thermo-optic coefficient of PDMS, changes in pump power can be effectively converted into refractive index (RI) variations in the PDMS. Then, by employing a fiber optic interferometer with a high RI response, ultra-sensitive all-optical phase modulation can be realized. The experimental results demonstrate that the resonant wavelength shift of the modulator with MXene-incorporated PDMS is 126 times higher than that of a modulator with single MXene deposition. Also, a maximum wavelength sensitivity of 14.57 nm/mW is achieved (equivalent to a phase sensitivity of 0.33π/mW); this excellent modulation performance is a great improvement on that of a previously reported fiber-based all-optical phase modulator. Furthermore, PDMS is also employed as a packaging layer to strengthen the device structure and restrict the heat in an enclosed space, which improves the heat utilization efficiency. The proposed device shows great potential in optical communication, optical filtering, sensing, and modulation applications.

Titanium Nitride Modified Fiber Optic Interferometer for Refractive Index Sensitivity Enhancement.

As one of the most well-established biocompatible transition metal nitrides, titanium nitride (TiN) has been widely applied for fiber waveguide coupling device applications. This study proposes a TiN-modified fiber optic interferometer. Benefiting from the unique properties of TiN, including ultrathin nanolayer, high refractive index, and broad-spectrum optical absorption, the refractive index (RI) response of the interferometer is greatly enhanced, which is desired all the time in the field of biosensing. The experimental results show that the deposited TiN nanoparticles (NPs) can enhance the evanescent field excitation and modulate the effective RI difference of the interferometer, which eventually results in the RI response enhancement. Besides, after incorporating the TiN with different concentrations, the resonant wavelength and the RI responses of the interferometer are enhanced to varying degrees. Benefitting from this advantage, the sensing performances, including sensitivity and measurement range, can be flexibly adapted based on different detection requirements. Since RI response can effectively reflect the detection ability of biosensors, the proposed TiN-sensitized fiber optic interferometer can be potentially applied for high-sensitive biosensing applications.

Relationship between Body Mass Index and Bone Turnover Markers in Girls with Idiopathic Central Precocious Puberty.

Background: This study aimed to determine the effect of body mass index (BMI) on bone turnover markers in girls with idiopathic central precocious puberty (ICPP) according to weight status at diagnosis. Methods: Two hundred and eleven girls with ICPP were divided according to their weight status at diagnosis into three groups: normal weight, overweight, and obese. The serum levels of total procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP), N-terminal midfragment of osteocalcin, ß-C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen, and some biochemical indicators were measured. Associations between variables were evaluated by multiple regression analysis. Results: Serum P1NP concentrations were significantly different among groups (p < 0.001). No other significant differences were noted in N-terminal midfragment of osteocalcin and ß-C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen. BMI was associated with estradiol (r = 0.155, p < 0.05) and inversely associated with P1NP (r = -0.251, p < 0.01), luteinizing hormone peak (r = -0.334, p < 0.01), follicle-stimulating hormone peak (r = -0.215, p < 0.01), and luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone peak (r = -0.284, p < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis of factors associated with BMI showed that it was correlated with P1NP, follicle-stimulating hormone base, and luteinizing hormone peak in the overweight group and the obese group. Conclusions: Our findings showed that BMI was associated with P1NP, revealing the reduction of bone formation in overweight and obese girls with ICPP. During the diagnosis and treatment of girls with ICPP, attention should be paid to body weight and bone metabolism.

Biallelic variants in KCTD19 associated with male factor infertility and oligoasthenoteratozoospermia.

STUDY QUESTION: Can whole-exome sequencing (WES) reveal new genetic factors responsible for male infertility characterized by oligozoospermia? SUMMARY ANSWER: We identified biallelic missense variants in the Potassium Channel Tetramerization Domain Containing 19 gene (KCTD19) and confirmed it to be a novel pathogenic gene for male infertility. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: KCTD19 is a key transcriptional regulator that plays an indispensable role in male fertility by regulating meiotic progression. Kctd19 gene-disrupted male mice exhibit infertility due to meiotic arrest. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: We recruited a cohort of 536 individuals with idiopathic oligozoospermia from 2014 to 2022 and focused on five infertile males from three unrelated families. Semen analysis data and ICSI outcomes were collected. WES and homozygosity mapping were performed to identify potential pathogenic variants. The pathogenicity of the identified variants was investigated in silico and in vitro. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Male patients diagnosed with primary infertility were recruited from the Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya. Genomic DNA extracted from affected individuals was used for WES and Sanger sequencing. Sperm phenotype, sperm nuclear maturity, chromosome aneuploidy, and sperm ultrastructure were assessed using hematoxylin and eosin staining and toluidine blue staining, FISH and transmission electron microscopy. The functional effects of the identified variants in HEK293T cells were investigated via western blotting and immunofluorescence. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: We identified three homozygous missense variants (NM_001100915, c.G628A:p.E210K, c.C893T:p.P298L, and c.G2309A:p.G770D) in KCTD19 in five infertile males from three unrelated families. Abnormal morphology of the sperm heads with immature nuclei and/or nuclear aneuploidy were frequently observed in individuals with biallelic KCTD19 variants, and ICSI was unable to rescue these deficiencies. These variants reduced the abundance of KCTD19 due to increased ubiquitination and impaired its nuclear colocalization with its functional partner, zinc finger protein 541 (ZFP541), in HEK293T cells. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The exact pathogenic mechanism remains unclear, and warrants further studies using knock-in mice that mimic the missense mutations found in individuals with biallelic KCTD19 variants. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Our study is the first to report a likely causal relationship between KCTD19 deficiency and male infertility, confirming the critical role of KCTD19 in human reproduction. Additionally, this study provided evidence for the poor ICSI clinical outcomes in individuals with biallelic KCTD19 variants, which may guide clinical treatment strategies. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This work was supported by the National Key Research and Developmental Program of China (2022YFC2702604 to Y.-Q.T.), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (81971447 and 82171608 to Y.-Q.T., 82101961 to C.T.), a key grant from the Prevention and Treatment of Birth Defects from Hunan Province (2019SK1012 to Y.-Q.T.), a Hunan Provincial Grant for Innovative Province Construction (2019SK4012), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2022M721124 to W.W.). The authors declare no conflicts of interest. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A.

Analysis and improvement of dynamic range in a time-division-multiplexing interferometric fiber-optic sensor array.

Dynamic range, the ratio of maximum detectable amplitude, and the noise level, are of great importance in characterizing the performance of an interferometric fiber-optic sensor (IFOS). Here we analyze the dependence of dynamic range on carrier frequency and repetition frequency in a time-division-multiplexing (TDM) IFOS array using a heterodyne detection scheme. A novel, to the best of our knowledge, demodulation method with higher carrier frequency and an upgraded algorithm is proposed to improve the dynamic range. In the simulation and experiment, the carrier frequency was increased from 50 kHz to 20 MHz, and the demodulation method was adjusted correspondingly. The maximum detectable phase amplitude is elevated by more than 6 dB as the theoretical expectation, and the demodulated noise floor is proven to be barely influenced, holding at ∼-100 dB ref rad/H z. Experimental results demonstrate that the average dynamic range over 10 Hz to 20 kHz is enhanced by approximately 10.5 dB. The analysis and optimization presented here provide an effective solution to improve the dynamic range of TDM IFOS without any hardware change, which is promising in various applications.

Ultrasensitive deafness gene DNA hybridization detection employing a fiber optic Mach-Zehnder interferometer: Enabled by a black phosphorus nanointerface.

The rapid and efficient detection of deafness gene DNA plays an important role in the clinical diagnosis of deafness diseases. This study demonstrates the ultrasensitive detection of complementary DNA (cDNA) by employing a nanointerface-sensitized fiber optic biosensor. The sensor consists of SMF-TNCF-MMF-SMF (abbreviated as STMS) structure with lateral offset. Besides, it is functionalized with a nanointerface of black phosphorus (BP) to enhance the light-matter interaction and eventually improve the sensing performances. Relying on this nanointerface-sensitized sensor, we successfully realize the in-situ detection of cDNA at concentrations ranging from 1 pM to 1 µM, with a sensitivity of 0.719 nm/lgM. The limit of detection (LOD) is as low as 0.24 pM, which is at least two orders of magnitude lower than those of existing methods. The sensor exhibits the advantages of simple operation, fast response, label-free measurement, excellent repeatability, and high selectivity. Our contribution suggests a convenient approach for deafness gene DNA detection and can be extended for general ultra-low concentration DNA detection applications.

Effects of total saponins from Trillium tschonoskii maxim on cognition impairment and mitochondrial autophagy in aging rats induced by D-Gal / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effects of total saponins from Trillium tschonoskii maxim(TST)on cognitive impairment and mitochondrial autophagy in aging rats induced by D-galactose(D-gal). Methods Male SD rats were randomly divided into normal control group,model group(D-gal,subcutaneous injection),intervention group(TST,low,medium and high dose groups by intragastric administration),with 10 rats in each group,and administered for 6 weeks. Morris water maze was used to evaluate the cognitive function. HE and Nissl staining were used to test the hippocampal and brain cortex morphology. Immunohistochemistry staining was applied to detect the localization expression of Pink1 and Parkin. Western blot was employed to detect the expressions of Pink1,Parkin,LC3-Ⅱ,p62 and Beclin1. Results Compared with the normal control group,the escape latency time was prolonged and the number of crossing platform decreased in D-gal model group(P<0.05). The number of neurons in hippocampus significantly decreased. The positive cells labeled by Pink1 and Parkin staining in hippocampus significantly decreased. The expressions of Pink1,Parkin,LC3-Ⅱ and Beclin1 were markedly reduced,while the expression of p62 was significantly raised(P<0.05). Compared with D-gal model group,the escape latency time of TST dose groups was shortened,the Times of crossing the platform was more,and the time of staying in the platform quadrant increased(P<0.05). The number of neurons in hippocampus significantly increased. The positive cells labeled by Pink1 and Parkin staining in hippocampus significantly increased. The expressions of Pink1,Parkin,LC3-Ⅱ and Beclin1 in hippocampus were apparently up-regulated,while the protein expression of p62 was evidently down-regulated(P<0.05). Conclusions TST has neuroprotective effects on the learning and memory capacities in aging rats induced by D-gal,which may be related to the increasing levels of Pink1,Parkin,LC3-Ⅱ and Beclin1 proteins and the activation of mitochondrial autophagy.

Femtosecond laser written ultra-weak Fabry-Perot array for distributed absolute temperature profile sensing with high spatial resolution.

In this paper, high spatial-resolution distributed temperature sensing has been realized based on a femtosecond laser written ultra-weak Fabry-Perot Array (FPA). 50 identical Fabry-Perot cavities are fabricated in a 10 mm long optical fiber by femtosecond laser point-by-point written technology, and the corresponding spatial resolution is as high as 200 µm. Besides, by employing the total phase demodulation method, the optical path lengths (OPLs) in the ultra-weak FPA are successively demodulated based on the Rayleigh backscattering signal recorded by an optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR), and therefore the absolute temperature values instead of the relative ones can be obtained. When compared with the conventional single mode fiber-based OFDR, the proposed ultra-weak FPA presents both higher spatial resolution and lower temperature sensing uncertainty (0.25 °C) benefiting from the periodically enhanced Rayleigh backscattering. Furthermore, the experiments also confirm that the ultra-weak FPA can be applied for absolute temperature field profile sensing with large temperature gradient, which is particularly suitable for high-resolution temperature measurement of miniature devices.

Ratiometric Fluorescent Sensor Based on Tb(III) Functionalized Metal-Organic Framework for Formic Acid.

Formic acid is a common chemical raw material, the effective detection of which is of importance to food safety and environmental quality. In this work, the lanthanide functionalized dual-emission metal-organic framework (TH25) was prepared as a ratiometric fluorescent sensor for formic acid. This ratiometric sensor has a good detection performance with high selectivity, sensitivity, and reproducibility. Together with a low limit of detection of 2.1 ppm, these characters promise the ability to sense at low levels as well as a practical detection ability. This work provides ideas for the design and synthesis of effective chemical sensors for organic acids.

Schwann cells-derived exosomal miR-21 participates in high glucose regulation of neurite outgrowth.

As a common complication of diabetes, the pathogenesis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is closely related to high glucose but has not been clarified. Exosomes can mediate crosstalk between Schwann cells (SC) and neurons in the peripheral nerve. Herein, we found that miR-21 in serum exosomes from DPN rats was decreased. SC proliferation was inhibited, cell apoptosis was increased, and the expression of miR-21 in cells and exosomes was downregulated when cultured in high glucose. Increasing miR-21 expression reversed these changes, while knockdown of miR-21 led to the opposite results. When co-cultured with exosomes derived from SC exposed to high glucose, neurite outgrowth was inhibited. On the contrary, neurite outgrowth was accelerated when incubated with exosomes rich in miR-21. We further demonstrated that the SC-derived exosomal miR-21 participates in neurite outgrowth probably through the AKT signaling pathway. Thus, SC-derived exosomal miR-21 contributes to high glucose regulation of neurite outgrowth.

Indirect charging of carbon by aqueous redox mediators contributes to the enhanced desalination performance in flow-electrode CDI.

Reversible electrochemical separation based on flow electrodes (e.g., flow-electrode capacitive deionization (FCDI)) is promising to desalinate brackish water, a reliable alternative source of freshwater. The deployment of redox mediators (RMs) in FCDI offers an energy-efficient means to improve the process performance, but the nature of the RMs-mediated charge transfer remains poorly understand. We therefore systematically investigated commonly-used RMs including sodium anthraquinone-2-sulfonate (AQS), 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl (TEMPO), hydroquinone (HQ) and ferricyanide ([Fe(CN)6]3-). Results showed that the desalination rate could be increased by over 260% with the addition of 10 mM [Fe(CN)6]3-. The lowest efficiency of AQS among the RMs should be ascribed to its reduction potential of -0.84 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) exceeding the potential (-0.48 V) of the negatively charged current collector at 1.2 V. While aqueous TEMPO and HQ could facilitate salt removal, their loss of efficiencies upon sorption onto the carbon surface indicated the insignificant pseudocapacitive contribution to ion migration. In-situ cyclic voltammetry measurements demonstrated the crucial role of the indirect charging of the flowable carbon materials to enhance the desalination performance in RMs-mediated FCDI. To sum up, results of this work pave a way to understand the RMs-mediated charge transfer and ion migration in FCDI, which would serve the purpose of design and optimization of the flow electrode systems for wider environmental applications.

MultiR-Net: A Novel Joint Learning Network for COVID-19 segmentation and classification.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused a severe shortage of healthcare resources. Ground Glass Opacity (GGO) and consolidation of chest CT scans have been an essential basis for imaging diagnosis since 2020. The similarity of imaging features between COVID-19 and other pneumonia makes it challenging to distinguish between them and affects radiologists' diagnosis. Recently, deep learning in COVID-19 has been mainly divided into disease classification and lesion segmentation, yet little work has focused on the feature correlation between the two tasks. To address these issues, in this study, we propose MultiR-Net, a 3D deep learning model for combined COVID-19 classification and lesion segmentation, to achieve real-time and interpretable COVID-19 chest CT diagnosis. Precisely, the proposed network consists of two subnets: a multi-scale feature fusion UNet-like subnet for lesion segmentation and a classification subnet for disease diagnosis. The features between the two subnets are fused by the reverse attention mechanism and the iterable training strategy. Meanwhile, we proposed a loss function to enhance the interaction between the two subnets. Individual metrics can not wholly reflect network effectiveness. Thus we quantify the segmentation results with various evaluation metrics such as average surface distance, volume Dice, and test on the dataset. We employ a dataset containing 275 3D CT scans for classifying COVID-19, Community-acquired Pneumonia (CAP), and healthy people and segmented lesions in pneumonia patients. We split the dataset into 70% and 30% for training and testing. Extensive experiments showed that our multi-task model framework obtained an average recall of 93.323%, an average precision of 94.005% on the classification test set, and a 69.95% Volume Dice score on the segmentation test set of our dataset.

Exosome-Mediated miR-21 Was Involved in the Promotion of Structural and Functional Recovery Effect Produced by Electroacupuncture in Sciatic Nerve Injury.

PURPOSE: Our study is aimed at investigating the mechanism by which electroacupuncture (EA) promoted nerve regeneration by regulating the release of exosomes and exosome-mediated miRNA-21 (miR-21) transmission. Furthermore, the effects of Schwann cells- (SC-) derived exosomes on the overexpression of miR-21 for the treatment of PNI were investigated. METHODS: A sciatic nerve injury model of rat was constructed, and the expression of miR-21 in serum exosomes and damaged local nerves was detected using RT-qPCR after EA treatment. The exosomes were identified under a transmission electron microscope and using western blotting analysis. Then, the exosome release inhibitor, GW4869, and the miR-21-5p-sponge used for the knockdown of miR-21 were used to clarify the effects of exosomal miR-21 on nerve regeneration promoted by EA. The nerve conduction velocity recovery rate, sciatic nerve function index, and wet weight ratio of gastrocnemius muscle were determined to evaluate sciatic nerve function recovery. SC proliferation and the level of neurotrophic factors were assessed using immunofluorescence staining, and the expression levels of SPRY2 and miR-21 were detected using RT-qPCR analysis. Subsequently, the transmission of exosomal miR-21 from SC to the axon was verified in vitro. Finally, the exosomes derived from the SC infected with the miR-21 overexpression lentivirus were collected and used to treat the rat SNI model to explore the therapeutic role of SC-derived exosomes overexpressing miR-21. RESULTS: We found that EA inhibited the release of serum exosomal miR-21 in a PNI model of rats during the early stage of PNI, while it promoted its release during later stages. EA enhanced the accumulation of miR-21 in the injured nerve and effectively promoted the recovery of nerve function after PNI. The treatment effect of EA was attenuated when the release of circulating exosomes was inhibited or when miR-21 was downregulated in local injury tissue via the miR-21-5p-sponge. Normal exosomes secreted by SC exhibited the ability to promote the recovery of nerve function, while the overexpression of miR-21 enhanced the effects of the exosomes. In addition, exosomal miR-21 secreted by SC could promote neurite outgrowth in vitro. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated the mechanism of EA on PNI from the perspective of exosome-mediated miR-21 transport and provided a theoretical basis for the use of exosomal miR-21 as a novel strategy for the treatment of PNI.

Online risky behavior and sleep quality among Chinese college students: The chain mediating role of rumination and anxiety.

This study explored the chain mediating effects of rumination and anxiety in the relationship between online risky behavior and sleep quality among Chinese college students. A sample of 1039 Chinese college students (Mage = 19.49, SD = 1.14, 53.32% males) were investigated with Online Risky Behavior Scale (ORBS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scale (PSQI), Ruminative Responses Scale (RRS) and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). The results showed that: (1) There is a significant positive correlation among online risky behavior, sleep quality, rumination and anxiety, and (2) Online risky behavior could not directly affect sleep quality, but it can affect sleep quality through the mediation of rumination and anxiety. The chain mediating effects includes three paths: The mediating role of rumination, the mediating role of anxiety, and the chain mediating role of rumination and anxiety after controlling for gender, grade, major, and network usage time. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of how online risky behavior affects sleep quality and provide important practical guidance for improving sleep quality.

Ti3CN MXene-based ultra-sensitive optical fiber salinity sensor.

A Ti3CN MXene enabled ultra-sensitive optical fiber sensor is proposed, and a salinity measurement is conducted to evaluate its sensing performance in a low-concentration target molecule detection environment. Owing to the abundance of hydrophilic functional groups (-O, -F, and -OH), large specific surface, and broad-spectrum absorption characteristics of the MXene layers, the sensing performance of the MXene-incorporated sensor is greatly improved and an ultra-high salinity sensitivity of -5.34 nm/‰ is achieved (equivalent to a refractive index sensitivity of -33429 nm/RIU). Such an excellent sensing performance is 137.33% higher than that of the bare fiber sensor and is significantly enhanced over previously reported fiber sensors. Furthermore, the sensing performance of the sensor is improved without damaging the fiber structure, which is a huge advantage when compared with the traditional fiber post-processing techniques. Finally, because the refractive index is commonly used to characterize the detection ability of biosensors, our contribution suggests the integration of MXene as a potential approach to develop high-performance optical fiber biosensors.