Acupuncture for generalized anxiety disorder: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, there was a sharp increase in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Acupuncture therapy has the advantages of accurate clinical efficacy, safety and reliability, few adverse reactions, and no dependence, and is gradually becoming one of the emerging therapies for treating GAD. We present a study protocol for a randomized clinical trial with the aim of exploring the mechanism of brain plasticity in patients with GAD and evaluate the effectiveness and reliability of acupuncture treatment. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) will be used to assess cortical excitability in GAD patients and healthy people. Sixty-six GAD patients meeting the inclusion criteria will be randomly divided into two groups: TA group, (treatment with acupuncture and basic western medicine treatment) and SA group (sham acupuncture and basic western medicine treatment). Twenty healthy people will be recruited as the control group (HC). The parameters that will be evaluated are amplitude of motor evoked potentials (MEPs), cortical resting period (CSP), resting motor threshold (RMT), and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) score. Secondary results will include blood analysis of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (Glu), glutamine (Gln), serotonin (5-HT), and brain-derived nerve growth factor (BDNF). Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and after the intervention (week 8). This study protocol is the first clinical trial designed to detect differences in cerebral cortical excitability between healthy subjects and patients with GAD, and the comparison of clinical efficacy and reliability before and after acupuncture intervention is also one of the main contents of the protocol. We hope to find a suitable non-pharmacological alternative treatment for patients with GAD.

Efficient Catalytic Elimination of Toxic Volatile Organic Compounds via Advanced Oxidation Process Wet Scrubbing with Bifunctional Cobalt Sulfide/Activated Carbon Catalysts.

Advanced oxidation process (AOP) wet scrubber is a powerful and clean technology for organic pollutant treatment but still presents great challenges in removing the highly toxic and hydrophobic volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Herein, we elaborately designed a bifunctional cobalt sulfide (CoS2)/activated carbon (AC) catalyst to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for efficient toxic VOC removal in an AOP wet scrubber. By combining the excellent VOC adsorption capacity of AC with the highly efficient PMS activation activity of CoS2, CoS2/AC can rapidly capture VOCs from the gas phase to proceed with the SO4•- and HO• radical-induced oxidation reaction. More than 90% of aromatic VOCs were removed over a wide pH range (3-11) with low Co ion leaching (0.19 mg/L). The electron-rich sulfur vacancies and low-valence Co species were the main active sites for PMS activation. SO4•- was mainly responsible for the initial oxidation of VOCs, while HO• and O2 acted in the subsequent ring-opening and mineralization processes of intermediates. No gaseous intermediates from VOC oxidation were detected, and the highly toxic liquid intermediates like benzene were also greatly decreased, thus effectively reducing the health toxicity associated with byproduct emissions. This work provided a comprehensive understanding of the deep oxidation of VOCs via AOP wet scrubber, significantly accelerating its application in environmental remediation.

Applying the Wake-Up-like Effect to Enhance the Capabilities of Two-Dimensional Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistors.

For traditional ferroelectric field-effect transistors (FeFETs), enhancing the polarization domain of bulk ferroelectric materials is essential to improve device performance. However, there has been limited investigation into the enhancement of polarization field in two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric material such as CuInP2S6 (CIPS). In this study, similar to bulk ferroelectric materials, CIPS exhibited enhanced polarization field upon application of external cyclic voltage. Moreover, unlike traditional ferroelectric materials, the polarization enhancement of CIPS is not due to redistribution of the defect but rather originates from a mechanism: the long-distance migration of Cu ions. We termed this mechanism the "wake-up-like effect". After incorporating the wake-up-like effect into the graphene/CIPS/WSe2 FeFET device, we successfully increased the hysteresis window and enhanced the current on/off ratio by 4 orders of magnitude. Moreover, the FeFET yielded remarkable achievements, such as multilevel nonvolatile memory with 21 distinct conductance levels, a high on/off ratio exceeding 106, a long retention time exceeding 103 s, and neuromorphic computing with 93% accuracy at recognizing handwritten digits. Introducing the wake-up-like effect to 2D CIPS may pave the way for innovative approaches to achieve advanced multilevel nonvolatile memory and neuromorphic computing capabilities for next-generation micro-nanoelectronic devices.

Role of MIC levels and 23S rRNA mutation sites to clarithromycin in 14-day clarithromycin bismuth quadruple therapy for Helicobacter pylori eradication: A prospective trial in Beijing.

Background: Rising clarithromycin resistance undermines Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) treatment efficacy. We aimed to determine clarithromycin's minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) levels and identify specific mutation sites in the 23S ribosomal subunit (23S rRNA) that predict treatment outcomes in a 14-day regimen of clarithromycin bismuth quadruple therapy (amoxicillin 1g, clarithromycin 500 mg, rabeprazole 10 mg, and colloidal bismuth pectin 200 mg). Materials and methods: We included adult H. pylori patients who hadn't previously undergone clarithromycin-based treatment, either as initial or rescue therapy. Exclusions were made for penicillin allergy, recent use of related medications, severe illnesses, or inability to cooperate. Patients underwent a 14-day clarithromycin bismuth quadruple therapy. Gastric mucosa specimens were obtained during endoscopy before eradication. MIC against amoxicillin and clarithromycin was determined using the E-test method. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve helped to find the optimal clarithromycin resistance MIC breakpoint. Genetic sequences of H. pylori 23S rRNA were identified through Sanger Sequencing. (ChiCTR2200061476). Results: Out of 196 patients recruited, 92 met the inclusion criteria for the per-protocol (PP) population. The overall intention-to-treat (ITT) eradication rate was 80.00 % (84/105), while the modified intention-to-treat (MITT) and PP eradication rates were 90.32 % (84/93) and 91.30 % (84/92) respectively. No amoxicillin resistance was observed, but clarithromycin resistance rates were 36.19 % (38/105), 35.48 % (33/93), and 34.78 % (33/92) in the ITT, MITT, and PP populations respectively. Compared with the traditional clarithromycin resistance breakpoint of 0.25 µg/mL, a MIC threshold of 12 µg/mL predicted better eradication. Among 173 mutations on 152 sites in the 23S rRNA gene, only the 2143A > G mutation could predict eradication outcomes (p < 0.000). Conclusions: Interpretation of elevated MIC values is crucial in susceptibility testing, rather than a binary "susceptible" or "resistant" classification. The 2143A > G mutation has limited specificity in predicting eradication outcomes, necessitating further investigation into additional mutation sites associated with clarithromycin resistance.

Sex Differences in Prognosis of Childhood Arterial Ischemic Stroke: Results From Chinese Pediatric Ischemic Stroke Registry Multicenter Registry.

BACKGROUND: Current studies on the impact of sex in the prognosis of childhood arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) are limited. We aimed to explore the sex differences in outcomes in patients with childhood AIS. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted using the prospective data from the Chinese Pediatric Ischemic Stroke Registry. Baseline characteristics between sexes were compared in the total population cohort, propensity score (PS)-matched cohort, and inverse probability of treatment weighting cohort. Multivariate logistic regression and ordinal regression were used to analyze the association of sex with outcomes. Mixed-effects regression model was applied to further analyze the improvement in pediatric modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores between sexes from 90 days to one year. Survival analysis was used to estimate the recurrence rates during the follow-up period. RESULTS: A total of 468 patients were finally included. Multivariate logistic regression showed that there were no significant differences between females and males in achieving favorable outcome (odds ratio [OR] 1.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63 to 1.72), functional independence (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.63), or shift to worse pediatric mRS scores (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.59 to 1.17) at 90-day. Mixed-effects regression and survival analysis indicated that females and males exhibited comparable functional recovery from 90 days to one year and had similar recurrent risk during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: This nationally-representative observational study indicated that both male and female pediatric patients with AIS exhibited comparable similar clinical outcomes at 90 days, as well as similar improvements and risks of recurrence during the follow-up period.

Semantic Guidance Fusion Network for Cross-Modal Semantic Segmentation.

Leveraging data from various modalities to enhance multimodal segmentation tasks is a well-regarded approach. Recently, efforts have been made to incorporate an array of modalities, including depth and thermal imaging. Nevertheless, the effective amalgamation of cross-modal interactions remains a challenge, given the unique traits each modality presents. In our current research, we introduce the semantic guidance fusion network (SGFN), which is an innovative cross-modal fusion network adept at integrating a diverse set of modalities. Particularly, the SGFN features a semantic guidance module (SGM) engineered to boost bi-modal feature extraction. It encompasses a learnable semantic guidance convolution (SGC) designed to merge intensity and gradient data from disparate modalities. Comprehensive experiments carried out on the NYU Depth V2, SUN-RGBD, Cityscapes, MFNet, and ZJU datasets underscore both the superior performance and generalization ability of the SGFN compared to the current leading models. Moreover, when tested on the DELIVER dataset, the efficiency of our bi-modal SGFN displayed a mIoU that is comparable to the hitherto leading model, CMNEXT.

Contrast sensitivity and comfort levels with different types of polarised glasses under steady glare.

The influence of various polarised glasses on visual performance is crucial due to their widespread. This study measured the visual contrast sensitivity (CS) of dominant eyes by quick contrast sensitivity function (qCSF) procedure at 10 spatial frequencies and 3 noise levels under nonglare, steady glare, steady glare with night lenses, and steady glare with day&night lenses, respectively. Later, the second experiment measured the subjects' subjective feelings under these four viewing conditions. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the CS between the two conditions with polarised glasses and the steady glare. However, the subjects reported greater comfort with glasses than without them. These results suggest that there was an underlying bias when people rated the polarised glasses, and the qCSF procedure was a useful tool for evaluating visual performance.

Whether polarised glasses can relieve the impairment of steady glare on contrast sensitivity over multi-spatial frequency and external noise levels is unaddressed. Using the quick CSF method, we revealed that CS declines with steady glare but polarised lenses don't significantly relieve it. However, subjects reported increased comfort, suggesting a perceptual bias.

Factors influencing depressive symptoms in Chinese female breast cancer patients: a meta-analysis.

Objective: To systematically evaluate and explore the factors influencing depressive symptoms in female breast cancer patients in China through meta-analysis. Methods: Relevant data were retrieved from cross-sectional studies or cohort studies on depressive symptoms of Chinese breast cancer within the following databases: PubMed, Embase, Cohrane Library, Web of 105 Science, Database of Medical Literature (CBM), Wan Fang Data, CNKI, and VIP databases. The literature screening, data extraction and literature quality evaluation were performed by two researchers by carefully reading the title, abstract and full text, and meta-analysis was performed using Stata 1.5 software after extracting relevant data. Results: Fourteen papers were finally included, with a cumulative total of 3,071 people surveyed, and a total of 1,298 breast cancer patients were detected with depression, with a detection rate of depressive symptoms of 42.26%; meta analysis showed that age less than 40 years old, unmarried, less than undergraduate education, monthly income <5,000 yuan, advanced breast cancer, radical breast cancer surgery, family history, living in rural areas, underlying disease stage and chemotherapy were associated with an increased incidence of depression in breast cancer patients. Conclusion: The detection rate of depressive symptoms in female breast cancer patients is high, and there is a need to strengthen depression-related psychological screening of breast cancer patients and provide them with individualized interventions to reduce the incidence of depression in breast cancer patients and to lower the level of depression already present in the patients.

Artificial Funnel Nanochannel Device Emulates Synaptic Behavior.

Creating artificial synapses that can interact with biological neural systems is critical for developing advanced intelligent systems. However, there are still many difficulties, including device morphology and fluid selection. Based on Micro-Electro-Mechanical System technologies, we utilized two immiscible electrolytes to form a liquid/liquid interface at the tip of a funnel nanochannel, effectively enabling a wafer-level fabrication, interactions between multiple information carriers, and electron-to-chemical signal transitions. The distinctive ionic transport properties successfully achieved a hysteresis in ionic transport, resulting in adjustable multistage conductance gradient and synaptic functions. Notably, the device is similar to biological systems in terms of structure and signal carriers, especially for the low operating voltage (200 mV), which matches the biological neural potential (∼110 mV). This work lays the foundation for realizing the function of iontronics neuromorphic computing at ultralow operating voltages and in-memory computing, which can break the limits of information barriers for brain-machine interfaces.

ASCOD phenotyping of acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion treated by mechanical thrombectomy: insight from the PERSIST registry.

OBJECTIVE: Determining the underlying etiology of acute vertebrobasilar artery occlusion (VBAO) is crucial for selecting an appropriate treatment approach. The authors aimed to investigate the distribution of etiology and the association with functional outcomes in patients with acute VBAO who underwent endovascular treatment in which atherosclerosis, small-vessel disease, cardiac pathology, other causes, and dissection (ASCOD) phenotyping was used. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted at 21 centers in China, involving patients with VBAO who received endovascular treatment within 24 hours of the estimated occlusion time. In the ASCOD phenotyping, each phenotype is graded based on the following categories: 1, likely to be causal; 2, uncertain if causal; and 3, unlikely to be causal. The authors defined a single possible cause as a cause graded 1 in a single domain, and multiple possible causes were graded 1 or 2 regardless of overlap. The primary outcome was unfavorable outcome (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score of 3-6) at 90 days. The secondary outcomes included shift of mRS score at 90 days, 90-day mortality, successful reperfusion, and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at 24 hours. Multivariable regression analysis was used to assess the association between etiological subtypes and functional outcomes. Multivariate competing-risk regression analysis was performed to analyze the association between etiological subtypes and the risk of recurrent stroke. RESULTS: A total of 577 patients were included in this study. Of these, 521 (90%) had a single possible cause. The most common etiology was A1 (382 cases, 73%), followed by C1 (111 cases, 21%) and O1 (28 cases, 5%-in this study the other causes and dissection subtypes were categorized under the umbrella term of "O" causes). Similar patterns were observed in the multiple possible causes. In the baseline characteristics of the cohort, as rescue therapy, stenting was more frequently used in patients in the A1 group than in the C1 group (53.2% vs 41.7%; p < 0.01). The proportion of atherosclerosis-type etiology increased when the occlusion was located more proximally (p < 0.01). Compared to the A1 group, patients in the C1 group had a lower incidence of unfavorable outcome (OR 0.42, 95% CI 0.24-0.73), which was less likely to shift to a worse mRS score (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.39-0.91). The O1 subtype was not associated with unfavorable outcome (OR 1.35, 95% CI 0.46-4.01), whereas patients with the O1 subtype were more likely to shift to worse mRS score (OR 2.39, 95% CI 1.09-5.25) and to have a higher 90-day mortality rate (OR 2.60, 95% CI 1.07-6.31). Furthermore, there was no significant association between single etiological subtypes and stroke recurrence within 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: The most common etiology in patients with VBAO was atherosclerosis, followed by cardiac pathology and other. Compared to the A1 subgroup, the C1 subgroup showed better functional outcomes, whereas the O1 subgroup showed worse outcomes. Additionally, there was no statistically significant difference in the recurrence risk.

Shell thickness-induced thermal dependence: highly sensitive core-shell CdSe/ZnS/POSS-based temperature probes.

Fluorescence nanothermometry based on quantum dots is a current research hotspot for novel non-contact temperature monitoring, and is of vital significance for the modulation and design of the sensing properties of sensors. Herein, a design strategy to modulate the temperature-sensing characteristics of quantum dots based on the thickness of a shell is proposed. In this study, CdSe/ZnS quantum dot/POSS-based temperature probe films with varying fluorescence characteristics were developed, and the influence of the ZnS shell on temperature sensing was examined by varying the thickness of the ZnS shell. The temperature dependency, linearity, range of applications, and reversibility of quantum dot thin film probes were all considerably regulated by the ZnS shell, according to research on quantum dot/POSS-based films coated with various shell thicknesses. The CdSe/ZnS temperature probe with 4 monolayers (MLs) stood out among the rest due to its strong thermal stability (at least 5 cycles), large usable temperature range (20-80 °C), and excellent temperature sensitivity (R2 > 0.994). The results demonstrated that the temperature sensing performance of quantum dots was the consequence of the combined effect of multiple temperature response properties induced by the thickness of the shell, and the shell control of quantum dots to optimize the temperature sensing performance was an essential approach for the design of temperature probes. This work demonstrates the great potential of the shell in tuning the temperature sensing performance of quantum dots and provides a viable approach for the design of quantum dot temperature probes.

IGCNSDA: unraveling disease-associated snoRNAs with an interpretable graph convolutional network.

Accurately delineating the connection between short nucleolar RNA (snoRNA) and disease is crucial for advancing disease detection and treatment. While traditional biological experimental methods are effective, they are labor-intensive, costly and lack scalability. With the ongoing progress in computer technology, an increasing number of deep learning techniques are being employed to predict snoRNA-disease associations. Nevertheless, the majority of these methods are black-box models, lacking interpretability and the capability to elucidate the snoRNA-disease association mechanism. In this study, we introduce IGCNSDA, an innovative and interpretable graph convolutional network (GCN) approach tailored for the efficient inference of snoRNA-disease associations. IGCNSDA leverages the GCN framework to extract node feature representations of snoRNAs and diseases from the bipartite snoRNA-disease graph. SnoRNAs with high similarity are more likely to be linked to analogous diseases, and vice versa. To facilitate this process, we introduce a subgraph generation algorithm that effectively groups similar snoRNAs and their associated diseases into cohesive subgraphs. Subsequently, we aggregate information from neighboring nodes within these subgraphs, iteratively updating the embeddings of snoRNAs and diseases. The experimental results demonstrate that IGCNSDA outperforms the most recent, highly relevant methods. Additionally, our interpretability analysis provides compelling evidence that IGCNSDA adeptly captures the underlying similarity between snoRNAs and diseases, thus affording researchers enhanced insights into the snoRNA-disease association mechanism. Furthermore, we present illustrative case studies that demonstrate the utility of IGCNSDA as a valuable tool for efficiently predicting potential snoRNA-disease associations. The dataset and source code for IGCNSDA are openly accessible at: https://github.com/altriavin/IGCNSDA.

Tensor Network Message Passing.

When studying interacting systems, computing their statistical properties is a fundamental problem in various fields such as physics, applied mathematics, and machine learning. However, this task can be quite challenging due to the exponential growth of the state space as the system size increases. Many standard methods have significant weaknesses. For instance, message-passing algorithms can be inaccurate and even fail to converge due to short loops, while tensor network methods can have exponential computational complexity in large graphs due to long loops. In this Letter, we propose a new method called "tensor network message passing." This approach allows us to compute local observables like marginal probabilities and correlations by combining the strengths of tensor networks in contracting small subgraphs with many short loops and the strengths of message-passing methods in globally sparse graphs, thus addressing the crucial weaknesses of both approaches. Our algorithm is exact for systems that are globally treelike and locally dense-connected when the dense local graphs have a limited tree width. We have conducted numerical experiments on synthetic and real-world graphs to compute magnetizations of Ising models and spin glasses, and have demonstrated the superiority of our approach over standard belief propagation and the recently proposed loopy message-passing algorithm. In addition, we discuss the potential applications of our method in inference problems in networks, combinatorial optimization problems, and decoding problems in quantum error correction.

Psychological impacts of thermal ablation and conventional thyroidectomy in BTN patients: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Thermal ablation and conventional thyroidectomy are effective therapeutic methods for treating benign thyroid nodules (BTNs), but the psychological impacts of these methods in BTN patients are largely unknown. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This survey study prospectively enrolled patients who were admitted to our hospital between July 2021 and July 2022. The four validated scales were applied to quantify psychological distress and sleep quality at five points (the day admitted to the hospital, the day discharged from the hospital, and 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment). Participants who were diagnosed with BTNs and completed the questionnaires were ultimately enrolled and divided into thermal ablation and conventional thyroidectomy groups. A propensity score matching (PSM) cohort was subsequently developed to evaluate longitudinal and cross-sectional changes in psychological-related indicators. RESULTS: Among 548 eligible BTN patients, 460 patients completed all the questionnaires throughout the follow-up (response rate: 83.94%), including 368 (80.00%) patients who underwent thermal ablation and 92 (20.00%) patients who underwent conventional thyroidectomy. After PSM, a total of 342 patients were enrolled (256 patients underwent thermal ablation, and 86 patients underwent conventional thyroidectomy). The psychological-related indicators of patients in the thermal ablation group remained relatively stable during the 6-month follow-up, but patients in the conventional thyroidectomy group may have experienced greater anxiety and sleep quality concerns in the longitudinal assessment. Additionally, in the cross-sectional evaluation, the sleep quality of the thermal ablation group was also better than that of the conventional thyroidectomy group postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Thermal ablation is superior to conventional thyroidectomy for BTN patients in terms of psychological-related indicators.

Chip-based automated equipment for dual-mode point-of-care testing foodborne pathogens.

Foodborne pathogens have a substantial bearing on food safety and environmental health. The development of automated, portable and compact devices is essential for the on-site and rapid point-of-care testing (POCT) of bacteria. Here, this work developed a micro-automated microfluidic device for detecting bacteria, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7, using a seashell-like microfluidic chip (SMC) as an analysis and mixing platform. The automated device integrates a colorimetric/fluorescent system for the metabolism of copper (Cu2+) by E. coli affecting o-phenylenediamine (OPD) for concentration analysis. A smartphone was used to read the RGB data of the chip reaction reservoir to detect colorimetric and fluorescence patterns in the concentration range of 102-106 CFU mL-1. The automated device overcomes the low efficiency and tedious steps of traditional detection and enables high-precision automated detection that can be applied to POCT in the field, providing an ideal solution for broadening the application of E. coli detection.

Active landslide detection using integrated remote sensing technologies for a wide region and multiple stages: A case study in southwestern China.

While significant progress has been achieved in utilizing remote sensing technologies for landslide investigation in China, there remains a notable gap in consolidating information on applicable conditions, application stages, and workflows across various remote sensing methodologies. This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for active landslide detection, incorporating multiple stages and data sources, successfully implemented in a vast region of southwestern China. Furthermore, detailed discussions are provided on the effects of the geometric distortion, land cover type, and various InSAR methods on the accuracy of active landslide identification results. Additionally, the paper delves into the advantages of integrated remote sensing technology in active landslide investigation, encompassing the assessment of current landslide activity status, precise delineation of boundaries, identification of different deformation stages, and determination of damage patterns. Through comprehensive analysis of multisource data, it enhances understanding of the active landslide process, ultimately contributing to the mitigation of casualties and property damage.

Knockdown of circ-Gatad1 alleviates LPS induced HK2 cell injury via targeting miR-22-3p/TRPM7 axis in septic acute kidney.

BACKGROUND: Sepsis is a life-threatening, systemic inflammatory disease that can lead to a variety of conditions, including septic acute kidney injury (AKI). Recently, multiple circular Rnas (circRNAs) have been implicated in the development of this disease. METHODS: In this study, we aimed to elucidate the role of circ-Gatad1 in sepsis induced AKI and its potential mechanism of action. High-throughput sequencing was used to investigate abnormal expression of circRNA in AKI and healthy volunteer. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporting analysis were used to clarify the interacted relationship among circRNA, miRNA and mRNA. HK2 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to establish septic AKI cell model. HK2 cells were employ to analysis the ROS, inflammatory cytokines expression, proliferation and apoptosis under LPS condition. RESULTS: The result show that the expression of circ-Gatad1 was increased in septic acute kidney patients. Downregulation circ-Gatad1 suppressed LPS-treated induced HK2 cells injury including apoptosis, proliferation ability, ROS and inflammatory cytokines level. Bioinformatics and luciferase report analysis confirmed that both miR-22-3p and TRPM7 were downstream targets of circ-Gatad1. Overexpression of TRPM7 or downregulation of miR-22-3p reversed the protective effect of si-circ-Gatad1 to HK2 after exposure to LPS (5 µg/ml) microenvironment. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, knockdown of circ-Gatad1 alleviates LPS induced HK2 cell injury via targeting miR-22-3p/TRPM7 axis in septic acute kidney.

Comparative Bioequivalence and Food Effect of Two Formulations of 30-mg Nifedipine Controlled-Release Tablets in Healthy Chinese Adults.

Nifedipine is a potent antihypertensive medication classified as a dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker. The objective of this trial was to assess the bioequivalence of a 30-mg nifedipine controlled-release tablet and a reference drug in a cohort of healthy Chinese individuals. Two independent open-label, randomized, single-dose, crossover studies were conducted, 1 under fasting conditions (N = 44, with 1 participant dropping out midway) and the other under fed conditions (N = 44, with 4 participants dropping out midway). Plasma concentrations of nifedipine were determined using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters were calculated using noncompartmental analysis with Phoenix WinNonlin 8.0 software. In both fasting and fed studies, reasonable bioequivalence was observed for the PK parameters of both the test product and the reference drug. A good safety profile was demonstrated for both the test product and reference drug, with no serious adverse events reported, and both were similarly well tolerated. An important observation with food coadministration was that systemic exposure to nifedipine (based on area under the curve, AUC0-∞) was reduced by approximately 12%. The bioequivalence of the test product and reference drug under fasting/fed conditions in healthy subjects in China was demonstrated by the study results.

Advances in zeolitic-imidazolate-framework-based catalysts for photo-/electrocatalytic water splitting, CO2 reduction and N2 reduction applications.

Harnessing electrical or solar energy for the renewable production of value-added fuels and chemicals through catalytic processes (such as photocatalysis and electrocatalysis) is promising to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality. Owing to the large number of highly accessible active sites, highly porous structure, and charge separation/transfer ability, as well as excellent stability against chemical and electrochemical corrosion, zeolite imidazolate framework (ZIF)-based catalysts have attracted significant attention. Strategic construction of heterojunctions, and alteration of the metal node and the organic ligand of the ZIFs effectively regulate the binding energy of intermediates and the reaction energy barriers that allow tunable catalytic activity and selectivity of a product during reaction. Focusing on the currently existing critical issues of insufficient kinetics for electron transport and selective generation of ideal products, this review starts from the characteristics and physiochemical advantages of ZIFs in catalytic applications, then introduces promising regulatory approaches for advancing the kinetic process in emerging CO2 reduction, water splitting and N2 reduction applications, before proposing perspective modification directions.