Soluble expression of hMYDGF was improved by strain engineering and optimizations of fermentation strategies in Escherichia coli.

Myeloid-derived growth factor (MYDGF) is a cytokine that exhibits a variety of biological functions. This study focused on utilizing BL21(DE3) strain engineering and fermentation strategies to achieve high-level expression of soluble human MYDGF (hMYDGF) in Escherichia coli. Initially, the E. coli expressing strain BL21(DE3) was engineered by deleting the IpxM gene and inserting the GROEL/S and Trigger factor genes. The engineered E. coli strain BL21(TG)/pT-MYDGF accumulated 3557.3 ± 185.6 µg/g and 45.7 ± 6.7 mg/L of soluble hMYDGF in shake flask fermentation, representing a 15.6-fold increase compared to the control strain BL21(DE3)/pT-MYDGF. Furthermore, the yield of hMYDGF was significantly enhanced by optimizing the fermentation conditions. Under optimized conditions, the 5L bioreactor yielded up to 2665.8 ± 164.3 µg/g and 407.6 ± 42.9 mg/L of soluble hMYDGF. The results indicate that the implementation of these optimization strategies could enhance the ratio and yield of soluble proteins expressed by E.coli, thereby meeting the demands of industrial production. This study employed sophisticated strategies to lay a solid foundation for the industrial application of hMYDGF.

A Rare Case of Abducens Nerve Palsy Caused by Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Middle Ear.

Abducens nerve palsy is the most common ocular motor nerve palsy, and its possible aetiologies are numerous and diverse. Primary malignancy rarely occurs in the middle ear, with most cases associated with long-standing ear discharge and peak age of presentation in the sixties. We report a rare case of a 64-year-old male who presented with right abducens nerve palsy, which led to the diagnosis of primary squamous cell carcinoma of the right middle ear, and to our knowledge, this has not been reported previously in English literature.

Local hydroxide ion enrichment at the inner surface of lacunaris perovskite nanotubes facilitates the oxygen evolution reaction.

Numerous strategies have been devised to optimize the intrinsic activity of perovskite oxides for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, conventional synthetic routes typically yield limited numbers of active sites and low mass activities. More critically, the sluggish mass transfer poses a huge challenge, particularly under high polarization conditions, which impedes the overall reaction kinetics. Herein, lacunaris La0.5Pr0.25Ba0.25Co0.8Ni0.2O3-δ nanotubes (LPBCN-NTs) were prepared via electrospinning and post-annealing, which exhibited a small overpotential of 358.8 mV at 10 mA cm-2 and a lower Tafel slope of 71.46 mV dec-1, superior to the values for the same stoichiometric LPBCN nanoparticles and solid nanofibers, state-of-the-art counterparts and commercial IrO2. Density functional theory calculations revealed that the surface oxygen vacancies in LPBCN-NTs significantly lowered the OH- adsorption energy, while finite element analysis indicated that the precisely constructed lacunaris NT structure enriched the OH- concentration at its inner surface by an order of magnitude, both of which collectively resulted in accelerated OER kinetics. This study clarifies the underlying mechanism of how the lacunaris nanotubular architecture and the surface oxygen vacancies of perovskite oxides affect heterocatalysis, which undoubtedly paves the way to handling the long-standing issues of sluggish mass transfer rates and poor intrinsic catalytic activity.

[Corrigendum] DJ­1 is involved in the peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer through activation of the Akt signaling pathway.

Subsequently to the publication of the above paper, an interested reader drew to the authors' attention that the western blot data shown for the MMP­9 experiment in Fig. 4 on p. 1493 were strikingly similar to the western blots shown for the total­Akt experiments in Fig. 6 on p. 1494. After having re­examined their original data files, the authors realized that Fig. 6 had been inadvertently assembled incorrectly. The revised version of Fig. 6, containing the correct data for the total­Akt experiments, is shown below. Note that the corrections made to this figure do not affect the overall conclusions reported in the paper. The authors are grateful to the Editor of Oncology Reports for allowing them the opportunity to publish this Corrigendum, and apologize to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Oncology Reports 31: 1489­1497, 2014; DOI: 10.3892/or.2013.2961].

A novel intervention of molecular hydrogen on the unbalance of the gut microbiome in opioid addiction: Experimental and human studies.

The gut-brain axis mediates the interaction pathway between microbiota and opioid addiction. In recent years, many studies have shown that molecular hydrogen has therapeutic and preventive effects on various diseases. This study aimed to investigate whether molecular hydrogen could serve as pharmacological intervention agent to reduce risks of reinstatement of opioid seeking and explore the mechanism of gut microbiota base on animal experiments and human studies. Morphine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) was constructed to establish acquisition, extinction, and reinstatement stage, and the potential impact of H2 on the behaviors related to morphine-induced drug extinction was determined using both free accessible and confined CPP extinction paradigms. The effects of morphine on microbial diversity and composition of microbiota, as well as the subsequent changes after H2 intervention, were assessed using 16 S rRNA gene sequencing. Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs) in mice serum were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Meanwhile, we also conducted molecular hydrogen intervention and gut microbiota testing in opioid-addicted individuals. Our results revealed that molecular hydrogen could enhance the extinction of morphine-related behavior, reducing morphine reinstatement. Gut microbes may be a potential mechanism behind the therapeutic effects of molecular hydrogen on morphine addiction. Additionally, molecular hydrogen improved symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as gut microbial features, in individuals with opioid addiction. This study supports molecular hydrogen as a novel and effective intervention for morphine-induced addiction and reveals the mechanism of gut microbiota.

B Cells Infiltration Potentially Responded Better to Systemic Corticoids in Oral Lichen Planus and Oral Lichenoid Lesions.

Oral lichen planus (OLP) and oral lichenoid lesion (OLL) are chronic inflammatory diseases involving the oral mucosa. B cells infiltration in OLP and OLL, however, little is known about these cells in OLP and OLL. To analyze the function and infiltrating features of B lymphocytes in OLP and OLL, and to preliminarily evaluate their correlation with clinical outcomes. Tissue samples were collected from OLP, OLL, and healthy mucosa. The phenotypes and amounts of B cells in tissues were analyzed by single-cell sequencing. Their proportion and infiltrating features in tissues were examined by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. With the systemic medication of corticoids, the correlation between B cells infiltrating characteristics and the clinical outcomes were evaluated. A quantified proportion increase of B cells was shown in both OLP and OLL. B cells in OLP demonstrated heightened activation and enhanced regulation in immune response. A cohort of 100 patients with OLP/OLL and 13 healthy controls were examined to investigate the B cells infiltration pattern. B cells were distributed in the superficial layer of lamina propria in 92.9% and 41.9% of OLP and OLL, respectively(P < 0.01); focally distributed in 25.0% and 62.9% of OLP and OLL, respectively(P < 0.01). With the systemic medication of corticoids, the cases with B cell infiltration (B+) in OLP and OLL groups showed a statistically significant reduction in REU scores before and after treatment (P < 0.01). B cells are widely present in OLP and OLL, and B cell infiltration in OLP and OLL are related to the better therapeutic effect of oral corticoids.

Enhancing Localized Electron Density over Pd1.4Cu Decorated Oxygen Defective TiO2-x Nanoarray for Electrocatalytic Nitrite Reduction to Ammonia.

Electrocatalytic nitrite (NO2 -) reduction to ammonia (NH3) is a promising method for reducing pollution and aiding industrial production. However, progress is limited by the lack of efficient selective catalysts and ambiguous catalytic mechanisms. This study explores the loading of PdCu alloy onto oxygen defective TiO2-x, resulting in a significant increase in NH3 yield (from 70.6 to 366.4 µmol cm-2 h-1 at -0.6 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode) by modulating localized electron density. In situ and operando studies illustrate that the reduction of NO2 - to NH3 involves gradual deoxygenation and hydrogenation. The process also demonstrated excellent selectivity and stability, with long-term durability in cycling and 50 h stability tests. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidate that the introduction of PdCu alloys further amplified electron density at oxygen vacancies (Ovs). Additionally, the Ti─O bond is strengthened as the d-band center of the Ti 3d rising after PdCu loading, facilitating the adsorption and activation of *NO2. Moreover, the presence of Ovs and PdCu alloy lowers the energy barriers for deoxygenation and hydrogenation, leading to high yield and selectivity of NH3. This insight of controlling localized electron density offers valuable insights for advancing sustainable NH3 synthesis methods.

Immune-regulating effect of oxytocin and its association with the hypothalamic-pituitary axes.

Oxytocin can regulate immunological activity directly or indirectly; however, immunological functions and mechanisms of oxytocin actions under chronic stress like cesarean delivery (CD) are poorly understood. Our study found that abnormal oxytocin production and secretion in CD rats caused atrophy of thymic tissues. Neurotoxin kainic acid microinjected into the dorsolateral supraoptic nucleus in male rats selectively reduced hypothalamic oxytocin levels, increased corticotrophin-releasing hormone and plasma interleukin-1ß while reducing plasma oxytocin, thyroxine and testosterone levels and causing atrophy of immune tissues. Thus, plasma oxytocin is essential for immunological homeostasis, which involves oxytocin facilitation of thyroid hormone and sex steroid secretion.

The Relationship Between Religious Beliefs and Related Factors and Psychiatric Symptoms in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Secondary Analysis of Data From NIPHEAC, 2020.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the psychiatric symptoms and associated risk and protective factors among religious adolescents after 2-month home confinement against coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) in China. METHODS: 11,603 Chinese adolescents in grades 7-9 were recruited in this survey. An online survey was designed to collect the data. Participants were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale. RESULTS: Religious adolescents showed significantly more severe depressive and anxiety symptoms compared to non-religious. 249 (2.2%) reported COVID-19 exposure. Logistic regression analysis revealed that religiosity was a risk factor for the symptoms of depression (p=0.001) and anxiety (p<0.001). Moreover, among those adolescents with religious beliefs, psychological resilience was protective in preventing depressive and anxiety symptoms. At the same time, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and a poor parent-child relationship were risk factors. CONCLUSION: Our finding indicates that religious adolescents easily develop depressive and anxiety symptoms, compared to non-religious adolescents. Moreover, those with emotional abuse, emotional abuse, and poor parent-child relationships are more likely to suffer from mental distress and should pay more attention to cope with their mental health.

Inverted Sandwich-Type e-LCR Aided by Lambda Exonuclease-RecJf Combination Enables Ultrasensitive Detection of Low-Frequency EGFR-L858R Mutation in NSCLC.

Highly sensitive detection of low-frequency EGFR-L858R mutation is particularly important in guiding targeted therapy of nonsmall-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). To this end, a ligase chain reaction (LCR)-based electrochemical biosensor (e-LCR) with an inverted sandwich-type architecture was provided by combining a cooperation of lambda exonuclease-RecJf exonuclease (λ-RecJf exo). In this work, by designing a knife-like DNA substrate (an overhang ssDNA part referred to the "knife arm") and introducing the λ-RecJf exo, the unreacted DNA probes in the LCR were specially degraded while only the ligated products were preserved, after which the ligated knife-like DNA products were hybridized with capture probes on the gold electrode surface through the "knife arms", forming the inverted sandwich-type DNA structure and bringing the methylene blue-label close to the electrode surface to engender the electrical signal. Finally, the sensitivity of the e-LCR could be improved by 3 orders of magnitude with the help of the λ-RecJf exo, and due to the mutation recognizing in the ligation site of the employed ligase, this method could detect EGFR-L858R mutation down to 0.01%, along with a linear range of 1 fM-10 pM and a limit detection of 0.8 fM. Further, the developed method could distinguish between L858R positive and negative mutations in cultured cell samples, tumor tissue samples, and plasma samples, whose accuracy was verified by the droplet digital PCR, holding a huge potential in liquid biopsy for precisely guiding individualized-treatment of NSCLC patients with advantages of high sensitivity, low cost, and adaptability to point-of-care testing.

Strong effect-correlated electrochemical CO2 reduction.

Electrochemical CO2 reduction (ECR) holds great potential to alleviate the greenhouse effect and our dependence on fossil fuels by integrating renewable energy for the electrosynthesis of high-value fuels from CO2. However, the high thermodynamic energy barrier, sluggish reaction kinetics, inadequate CO2 conversion rate, poor selectivity for the target product, and rapid electrocatalyst degradation severely limit its further industrial-scale application. Although numerous strategies have been proposed to enhance ECR performances from various perspectives, scattered studies fail to comprehensively elucidate the underlying effect-performance relationships toward ECR. Thus, this review presents a comparative summary and a deep discussion with respect to the effects strongly-correlated with ECR, including intrinsic effects of materials caused by various sizes, shapes, compositions, defects, interfaces, and ligands; structure-induced effects derived from diverse confinements, strains, and fields; electrolyte effects introduced by different solutes, solvents, cations, and anions; and environment effects induced by distinct ionomers, pressures, temperatures, gas impurities, and flow rates, with an emphasis on elaborating how these effects shape ECR electrocatalytic activities and selectivity and the underlying mechanisms. In addition, the challenges and prospects behind different effects resulting from various factors are suggested to inspire more attention towards high-throughput theoretical calculations and in situ/operando techniques to unlock the essence of enhanced ECR performance and realize its ultimate application.

Fluid and electrolyte pathophysiology in common febrile illness in children and the implications for clinical management.

Achieving fluid homeostasis and the management of fluid and electrolyte complications are constants in the treatment of seriously ill children worldwide. Consensus on the most appropriate fluid strategy for unwell children has been difficult to achieve and has evolved over the last two decades, most notably in high-income countries where adverse events relating to poor fluid management were identified more readily, and official robust inquiries were possible. However, this has not been the situation in many low-income settings where fluids that are prohibited from use in high-income countries may be all that are available, local guidelines and processes to recognise adverse events are not developed, and there has been limited training on safe fluid management for front-line healthcare workers. This narrative review outlines the fluid and electrolyte pathophysiology of common febrile illnesses in children, describes the evolution of this field and concludes with implications and principles of a fluid management strategy for seriously ill children. This review was prepared as a physiological background paper to support evidence presented to the WHO Guideline Development Group for Fluid Guidelines in Children, Geneva, March 2024.

Clinical Predictors of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Lung Disease and Coisolates of Potential Pathogenic Microorganisms in Noncystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis.

Background: In bronchiectasis, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung disease (NTM-LD) is a well-known coexisting infection. However, microorganism coisolates and clinical NTM-LD predictors are poorly studied. Methods: Patients with bronchiectasis diagnosed by means of computed tomography between January 2017 and June 2020 were screened, using the date of computed tomography as the index date. Those with a major bronchiectasis diagnosis in ≥2 follow-up visits after the index date were enrolled in the study, and NTM-LD occurrence and its association with pneumonia and hospitalization within 1 year were analyzed. Results: Of the 2717 participants, 79 (2.9%) had NTM-LD diagnosed. The factors associated with NTM-LD included hemoptysis, postinfectious bronchiectasis, a tree-in-bud score ≥2, a modified Reiff score ≥4, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (adjusted odds ratios, 1.80, 2.36, 1.78, 2.95, and 0.51, respectively). Compared with patients in the non-NTM group, those with NTM-LD had higher rates of hospitalization (15.9% vs 32.9%; P < .001) and pneumonia (9.8% vs 20.3%; P = .003). Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common microorganism in those with NTM-LD and those in the non-NTM group (10.1% vs 7.8%; P = .40). However, compared with those in the non-NTM group, Acinetobacter baumannii and Escherichia coli were more prevalent in patients with NTM-LD (0.7% vs 3.8% [P = .03%] and 1.0% vs 3.8% [P = .05], respectively). Conclusions: Postinfectious bronchiectasis with hemoptysis, higher radiological involvement, and a tree-in-bud pattern were associated with NTM-LD risk. The rate of A baumannii and E coli coisolation was higher in bronchiectasis populations with NTM-LD.

Bouncing of Leidenfrost steel balls on water surface.

A steel ball with a density higher than that of water can bounce on a water surface when heated to a temperature well above the Leidenfrost point. In this letter, an experiment is conducted where heated steel balls are released onto a water surface. The heated steel ball descends into the liquid, thus causing the liquid to evaporate and form a vapor cushion with an upward force that lifts the steel ball. Subsequently, the steel ball bounces off the water surface, like a solid ball bouncing off an elastic surface without sinking into the water. This phenomenon is known as the inverse Leidenfrost effect. In this letter, we evaluate the various motion behaviors of spheres at different Reynolds numbers and temperatures. Additionally, we analyze the bouncing behavior of solid spheres on a free liquid surface and examine the various force components.

Protein Corona-Directed Cellular Recognition and Uptake of Polyethylene Nanoplastics by Macrophages.

The widespread use of plastic products in daily life has raised concerns about the health hazards associated with nanoplastics (NPs). When exposed, NPs are likely to infiltrate the bloodstream, interact with plasma proteins, and trigger macrophage recognition and clearance. In this study, we focused on establishing a correlation between the unique protein coronal signatures of high-density (HDPE) and low-density (LDPE) polyethylene (PE) NPs with their ultimate impact on macrophage recognition and cytotoxicity. We observed that low-density and high-density lipoprotein receptors (LDLR and SR-B1), facilitated by apolipoproteins, played an essential role in PE-NP recognition. Consequently, PE-NPs activated the caspase-3/GSDME pathway and ultimately led to pyroptosis. Advanced imaging techniques, including label-free scattered light confocal imaging and cryo-soft X-ray transmission microscopy with 3D-tomographic reconstruction (nano-CT), provided powerful insights into visualizing NPs-cell interactions. These findings underscore the potential risks of NPs to macrophages and introduce analytical methods for studying the behavior of NPs in biological systems.

Phylogenetic relationships and historical biogeography of silkmoths (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) suggest an origin in Southern Gondwana.

Silkmoths (Bombycidae) have a disjunct distribution predominantly in the Southern Hemisphere and Asia. Here we reconstruct the phylogenetic history of the family to test competing hypotheses on their origin and assess how vicariance and long-distance dispersal shaped their current distribution. We sequenced up to 5,074 base pairs from six loci (COI, EF1-α, wgl, CAD, GAPDH, and RpS5) to infer the historical biogeography of Bombycidae. The multilocus dataset covering 20 genera (80 %) of the family, including 17 genera (94 %) of Bombycinae and 3 genera (43 %) of Epiinae, was used to estimate phylogenetic patterns, divergence times and biogeographic reconstruction. Dating estimates extrapolated from secondary calibration sources indicate the Bombycidae stem-group originated approximately 64 Mya. The subfamilies Epiinae (South America) and Bombycinae (Australia, Asia, East Palaearctic, and Africa) were reciprocally monophyletic, diverging at c. 56 Mya (95 % credibility interval: 66-46 Mya). The 'basal' lineage of Bombycinae - Gastridiota + Elachyophtalma - split from the rest of Bombycinae c. 53 Mya (95 % credibility interval: 63-43 Mya). Gastridiota is a monobasic genus with a relictual distribution in subtropical forests of eastern Australia. The Oriental and African genera comprised a monophyletic group: the Oriental region was inferred to have been colonized from a long-distance dispersal event from Australia to South-East Asia c. 53 Mya or possibly later (c. 36-26 Mya); Africa was subsequently colonized by dispersal from Asia c. 16 Mya (95 % credibility interval: 21-12 Mya). Based on the strongly supported phylogenetic relationships and estimates of divergence times, we conclude that Bombycidae had its origin in the fragment of Southern Gondwana consisting of Australia, Antarctica and South America during the Paleocene. The disjunction between South America (Epiinae) and Australia (Bombycinae) is best explained by vicariance in the Eocene, whereas the disjunct distribution in Asia and Africa is best explained by more recent dispersal events.

Profiling Cell-Free DNA from Malignant Pleural Effusion for Oncogenic Driver Mutations in Patients with Treatment-Naive Stage IV Adenocarcinoma: A Multicenter Prospective Study.

INTRODUCTION: Comprehensive next-generation sequencing (NGS) of non-small-cell lung cancer specimens can identify oncogenic driver mutations and their corresponding targeted therapies. Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) genotyping is easy to perform; however, false negatives cannot be overlooked. We explored malignant pleural effusion (MPE), a rich source of cfDNA, as a non-inferior alternative to tumor tissues for genotyping. METHODS: We conducted a prospective trial including 39 patients with newly diagnosed stage IV lung adenocarcinoma who presented with MPE. Tissue tests matching hotspot variants, including EGFR, ALK, and ROS1, were compared with the AlphaLiquid100 of PE-cfDNA. RESULTS: Among the 39 PE-cfDNA samples successfully sequenced, 32 (82.1%) had a PE cell-block tumor content of < 10%. Standard tissue or cell-block testing for EGFR, ALK, and ROS1 identified 20 mutations (51.3%), whereas PE cfDNA identified 25 mutations (64.1%). Five EGFR mutations were observed in PE cfDNA but not in Cobas EGFR owing to coverage or insufficient tumor content issues. The overall rate of oncogenic mutations identified in the PE cfDNA was 92.3%, and the mutation distribution was as follows: even with a very low cfDNA input, high detection rates could be achieved. Otherwise, most patients harbored co-mutations. Comparison of pleural fluid NGS with traditional testing revealed differences in accuracy. We also followed up with patients with EGFR-sensitizing mutations who had a treatment response rate of 97.2% after 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: Genotyping of MPE supernatant cfDNA is feasible in clinical practice, in addition to plasma and tumor testing, to improve diagnostic yield and extend patients' benefit from targeted therapies.

Oxygen Vacancy-Driven Heterointerface Breaks the Linear-Scaling Relationship of Intermediates toward Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction.

Smart metal-metal oxide heterointerface construction holds promising potentials to endow an efficient electron redistribution for electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). However, inhibited by the intrinsic linear-scaling relationship, the binding energies of competitive intermediates will simultaneously change due to the shifts of electronic energy level, making it difficult to exclusively tailor the binding energies to target intermediates and the final CO2RR performance. Nonetheless, creating specific adsorption sites selective for target intermediates probably breaks the linear-scaling relationship. To verify it, Ag nanoclusters were anchored onto oxygen vacancy-rich CeO2 nanorods (Ag/OV-CeO2) for CO2RR, and it was found that the oxygen vacancy-driven heterointerface could effectively promote CO2RR to CO across the entire potential window, where a maximum CO Faraday efficiency (FE) of 96.3% at -0.9 V and an impressively high CO FE of over 62.3% were achieved at a low overpotential of 390 mV within a flow cell. The experimental and computational results collectively suggested that the oxygen vacancy-driven heterointerfacial charge spillover conferred an optimal electronic structure of Ag and introduced additional adsorption sites exclusively recognizable for *COOH, which, beyond the linear-scaling relationship, enhanced the binding energy to *COOH without hindering *CO desorption, thus resulting in the efficient CO2RR to CO.

The processed Euphorbia lathyris L. alleviates the inflammatory injury via regulating LXRα/ABCA1 expression and TLR4 positioning to lipid rafts.

Euphorbia lathyris L. (EL) is a traditional poisonous herbal medicine used to treat dropsy, ascites, amenorrhea, anuria and constipation. Processing to reduce toxicity of EL is essential for its safe and effective application. However, there is little known regarding the molecular mechanism of reducing toxicity after EL processing. This research aimed to screen the differential markers for EL and PEL, explore the differential mechanisms of inflammatory injury induced by EL and processed EL (PEL) to expound the mechanism of alleviating toxicity after EL processing. The results showed that 15 potential biomarkers, mainly belonging to diterpenoids, were screened to distinguish EL from PEL. EL promoted the expressions of TLR4, NLRP3, NF-κB p65, IL-1ß and TNF-α, increased lipid rafts abundance and promoted TLR4 positioning to lipid rafts. Meanwhile, EL decreased LXRα and ABCA1 expression, and reduced cholesterol efflux. In contrast to EL, the effects of PEL on these indicators were markedly weakened. In addition, Euphorbia factors L1, L2, and L3 affected LXRα, ABCA1, TLR4, NLRP3, NF-κB p65, TNF-α and IL-1ß expression, influenced cholesterol efflux and lipid rafts abundance, and interfered with the colocalization of TLR4 and lipid rafts. The inflammatory injury caused by processed EL was significantly weaker than that caused by crude EL, and reduction of Euphorbia factors L1, L2, and L3 as well as attenuation of inflammatory injury participated in processing-based detoxification of EL. Our results provide valuable insights into the attenuated mechanism of EL processing and will guide future research on the processing mechanism of toxic traditional Chinese medicine.

Relationship between dyadic communication and body image among women with breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Dyadic communication positively affects marital relationships, good relationships help restore body image, and this study explores the relationship between dyadic communication and body image of breast cancer patients. METHODS: Cross-sectional correlation design with convenience sampling was used to recruit participants from two outpatient medical centers. Demographic information, medical records, and two questionnaires, dyadic communicative resilience scale (DCRS) and body image scale (BIS), were administered. Participants comprised women with breast cancer and their partners. Multiple regression analysis was performed to control related factors to understand the association between the DCRS of the women with breast cancer and their partners and the women's body image. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to analyze between three categories of couple's communication status (consistent and good, consistent and poor, and inconsistent) and body image of women with breast cancer. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 162 women with breast cancer and 90 partners. The study found (1) significant correlation between the women's perception of their communication and body image, (2) humor in partner's perception of their communication was significantly associated with women's body image, and (3) dyadic communication that both patients and partners were consistent and good in the domain of keeping pre-cancer routines and attractiveness was associated with women's body image. CONCLUSION: The correlation between dyadic communication and the body image of women with breast cancer is significant. Improving communication specific on keeping pre-cancer routines and attractiveness between women with breast cancer and their partners could enhance the women's body image.