How sediment dredging alters phosphorus dynamics in a lowland rural river?

China's lowland rural rivers are facing severe eutrophication problems due to excessive phosphorus (P) from anthropogenic activities. However, quantifying P dynamics in a lowland rural river is challenging due to its complex interaction with surrounding areas. A P dynamic model (River-P) was specifically designed for lowland rural rivers to address this challenge. This model was coupled with the Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) and the Phosphorus Dynamic Model for lowland Polder systems (PDP) to characterize P dynamics under the impact of dredging in a lowland rural river. Based on a two-year (2020-2021) dataset from a representative lowland rural river in the Lake Taihu Basin, China, the coupled model was calibrated and achieved a model performance (R2>0.59, RMSE<0.04 mg/L) for total P (TP) concentrations. Our research in the study river revealed that (1) the time scale for the effectiveness of sediment dredging for P control was ∼300 days, with an increase in P retention capacity by 74.8 kg/year and a decrease in TP concentrations of 23% after dredging. (2) Dredging significantly reduced P release from sediment by 98%, while increased P resuspension and settling capacities by 16% and 46%, respectively. (3) The sediment-water interface (SWI) plays a critical role in P transfer within the river, as resuspension accounts for 16% of TP imports, and settling accounts for 47% of TP exports. Given the large P retention capacity of lowland rural rivers, drainage ditches and ponds with macrophytes are promising approaches to enhance P retention capacity. Our study provides valuable insights for local environmental departments, allowing a comprehensive understanding of P dynamics in lowland rural rivers. This enable the evaluation of the efficacy of sediment dredging in P control and the implementation of corresponding P control measures.

Is it feasible to develop a supervised learning algorithm incorporating spinopelvic mobility to predict impingement in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty?

Aims: Precise implant positioning, tailored to individual spinopelvic biomechanics and phenotype, is paramount for stability in total hip arthroplasty (THA). Despite a few studies on instability prediction, there is a notable gap in research utilizing artificial intelligence (AI). The objective of our pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility of developing an AI algorithm tailored to individual spinopelvic mechanics and patient phenotype for predicting impingement. Methods: This international, multicentre prospective cohort study across two centres encompassed 157 adults undergoing primary robotic arm-assisted THA. Impingement during specific flexion and extension stances was identified using the virtual range of motion (ROM) tool of the robotic software. The primary AI model, the Light Gradient-Boosting Machine (LGBM), used tabular data to predict impingement presence, direction (flexion or extension), and type. A secondary model integrating tabular data with plain anteroposterior pelvis radiographs was evaluated to assess for any potential enhancement in prediction accuracy. Results: We identified nine predictors from an analysis of baseline spinopelvic characteristics and surgical planning parameters. Using fivefold cross-validation, the LGBM achieved 70.2% impingement prediction accuracy. With impingement data, the LGBM estimated direction with 85% accuracy, while the support vector machine (SVM) determined impingement type with 72.9% accuracy. After integrating imaging data with a multilayer perceptron (tabular) and a convolutional neural network (radiograph), the LGBM's prediction was 68.1%. Both combined and LGBM-only had similar impingement direction prediction rates (around 84.5%). Conclusion: This study is a pioneering effort in leveraging AI for impingement prediction in THA, utilizing a comprehensive, real-world clinical dataset. Our machine-learning algorithm demonstrated promising accuracy in predicting impingement, its type, and direction. While the addition of imaging data to our deep-learning algorithm did not boost accuracy, the potential for refined annotations, such as landmark markings, offers avenues for future enhancement. Prior to clinical integration, external validation and larger-scale testing of this algorithm are essential.

Smartphone as an alternative to measure chlorophyll-a concentration in small waterbodies.

Monitoring chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl-a, µg·L-1) in aquatic ecosystems has attracted much attention due to its direct link to harmful algal blooms. However, there has been a lack of a cost-effective method for measuring Chl-a in small waterbodies. Inspired by the increase of smartphone photography, a Smartphone-based convolutional neural networks (CNN) framework (SCCA) was developed to estimate Chl-a in Aquatic ecosystem. To evaluate the performance of SCCA, 238 paired records (a smartphone image with a 12-color background and a measured Chl-a value) were collected from diverse aquatic ecosystems (e.g., rivers, lakes and ponds) across China in 2023. Our performance-evaluation results revealed a NS and R2 value of 0.90 and 0.94 in Chl-a estimation, demonstrating a satisfactory (NS = 0.84, R2 = 0.86) model fit in lower Chl-a (<30 µg L-1) conditions. SCCA had involved a realtime-update method with hyperparameter optimization technology. In comparison with the existing methods of measuring Chl-a, SCCA provides a useful screening tool for cost-effective measurement of Chl-a and has the potential for being an algal bloom screening means in small waterbodies, using Huajin River as a case study, especially under limited resources for water measurement. Overall, we highlight that the SCCA can be potentially integrated into a smartphone application in the future to diverse waterbodies in environmental management.

Portable smartphone-assisted amperometric immunosensor based on CoCe-layered double hydroxide for rapidly immunosensing erythromycin.

Herein, we have manufactured a newly designed bifunctional impedimetric and amperometric immunosensor for rapidly detecting erythromycin (ERY) in complicated environments and food stuffs. For this, bimetallic cobalt/cerium-layered double hydroxide nanosheets (CoCe-LDH NSs), which was derived from Co-based zeolite imidazole framework via the structure conversion, was simultaneously utilized as the bioplatform for anchoring the ERY-targeted antibody and for modifying the gold and screen printed electrode. Basic characterizations revealed that CoCe-LDH NSs was composed of mixed metal valences, enrich redox, and abundant oxygen vacancies, facilitating the adhesion on the electrode, the antibody adsorption, and the electron transfers. The manufactured impedimetric and amperometric immunosensor based on CoCe-LDH has showed the comparable sensing performance, having a wide linear detection range from 1.0 fg mL-1 to 1.0 ng mL-1 with the ultralow detection limit toward ERY. Also, the portable, visualized, and efficient analysis of ERY was then attained at the smartphone-assisted CoCe-LDH-based SPE.

Two-stage solid-state fermentation to increase the nutrient value of corn processing waste and explore its efficacy as a feed protein source.

Corn gluten meal-corn husk mixes (CCM) are an inexpensive and readily available agricultural by-product. This study explores a novel technique by converting CCM into high-value livestock feed protein sources through fermentation with Aspergillus niger AAX and Lactobacillus fermentum LLS, aiming to sustainably meet future global protein needs. The process of fermentation significantly altered the structural composition of high molecular weight proteins, zein, and dietary fibers. This transformation resulted in a marked elevation in the concentrations of peptides, free amino acids, and polyphenols. The acidic environment produced during fermentation prevented lipid oxidation in CCM, thereby extending its storability. After fermentation, the content of anti-nutritional factors decreased, while its antioxidant capacity increased. In vitro simulated digestion suggested that fermentation improved the digestibility of CCM protein. In vivo animal experiments showed that fermented CCM (FCCM) promoted growth and gut health in chicks. This study provides new insights into the utilization of CCM.

Effects of long-time and short-time heat stress on the meat quality of geese.

This investigation sought to reveal the effects of heat stress on the meat quality of geese. Wuzong geese were subjected to heat stress at 35°C for 25 d or 4 h to examine different heat stress time on meat quality. Short-time heat stress reduced muscle drip loss and meat color L* value while increasing pH value and meat color a* and b* values. Long-time heat stress decreased body weight and increased leg muscle pH value and meat color b* value. Amino acid profile of geese breast muscle revealed that both LHS and SHS can induce L-Cystine but reduced L-Cystathionine, which were positive correlated with cooking loss and meat color lightness, respectively. Lipidome analysis indicated that heat stress would alter the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, and the difference between LHS and SHS on lipids mainly focused on Hex1Cer and TG. Non-target metabolome analysis indicated effects of heat stress on Glycerolipid metabolism, Arachidonic acid metabolism, and Pyrimidine metabolism. Proteome analysis showed that heat stress mainly affects cellular respiration metabolism and immune response. These findings highlight the diverse effects of heat stress on meat quality, amino acid composition, lipidome, metabolome, and proteome in geese.

Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty for Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Disease: success rate and Complications among Different Patient Populations.

INTRODUCTION: Balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) is an effective intervention for patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary disease (CTEPD). We aim to identify the patient group with a low success rate or high complication rate of BPA, which is still unclear. METHODS: Both CTEPD patients with or without pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH and NoPH-CTEPD) were included. CTEPH patients were divided into groups with or without pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA-CTEPH and NoPEA-CTEPH). The efficacy and safety of BPA were compared among the groups. RESULTS: There were 450, 66, and 41 sessions in the NoPEA-CTEPH, PEA-CTEPH, and NoPH-CTEPD groups, respectively. The success rate (≥ 1 degree improvement in flow grade) in the PEA-CTEPH group was 94.5%, significantly lower than that in the NoPEA-CTEPH (97.1%) and NoPH-CTEPD (98.4%) groups (P=0.014). The percentage of complete flow recovery in treated vessels was also lower in PEA-CTEPH group. BPA-related complication rate in NoPEA-CTEPH, PEA-CTEPH, and NoPH-CTEPD patients was 6.1%, 6.0%, and 0.0%, respectively (P=0.309). One BPA-related death occurred (solely in NoPEA-CTEPH). Mean pulmonary artery pressure ≥ 41.5 mmHg was a predictor of BPA-related complications. NoPEA-CTEPH patients had more improvement in 6-minute-walk-distance (6MWD, 87±93 m -NoPEA-CTEPH vs 40±43 m -PEA-CTEPH vs 18±20 m -NoPH-CTEPD, P=0.012). CONCLUSIONS: BPA was safe and effective for all CTEPD groups with less improvement for the PEA-CTEPH and NoPH-CTEPD groups. The success rate of BPA was lower in the PEA-CTEPH group and the complication rate was lower in the NoPH-CTEPD group. Pre-BPA treatment to lower pulmonary artery pressure should not be overlooked in CTEPD patients.

Lanthanide-Induced Ligand Effect to Regulate the Electronic Structure of Platinum-Lanthanide Nanoalloys for Efficient Methanol Oxidation.

The ligand effect in alloy catalysts is one of the decisive parameters of the catalytic performance. However, the strong interrelation between the ligand effect and the geometric effect of the active atom and its neighbors as well as the systematic alteration of the microenvironment of the active site makes the active mechanism unclear. Herein, Pt3Tm, Pt3Yb, and Pt3Lu with a cubic crystal system (Pm-3m) were selected. With the difference of Pt-Pt interatomic distance within 0.02 Å, we minimize the geometric effect to realize the disentanglement of the system. Through precise characterization, due to the low electronegativity of Ln (Ln = Tm, Yb, and Lu) and the ligand effect in the alloy, the electronic structure of Pt is continuously optimized, which improves the electrochemical methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) performance. The Ln electronegativity has a linear relationship with the MOR performance, and Pt3Yb/C achieves a high mass activity of up to 11.61 A mgPt-1, which is the highest value reported so far in Pt-based electrocatalysts. The results obtained in this study provide fundamental insights into the mechanism of ligand effects on the enhancement of electrochemical activity in rare-earth nanoalloys.

Modelling energy partition patterns of growing pigs fed diets with different net energy levels based on machine learning.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the energy partition patterns of growing pigs fed diets with different net energy (NE) levels based on machine learning methods, and to develop prediction models for the NE requirement of growing pigs. Twenty-four Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire crossbred barrows with an initial body weight of 24.90 ± 0.46 kg were randomly assigned to 3 dietary treatments, including the low NE group (2,325 kcal/kg), the medium NE group (2,475 kcal/kg), and the high NE group (2,625 kcal/kg). The total feces and urine produced from each pig during each period were collected, to calculate the NE intake, NE retained as protein (NEp), and NE retained as lipid (NEl). A total of 240 sets of data on the energy partition patterns of each pig were collected, 75% of the data in the dataset was randomly selected as the training dataset, and the remaining 25% was set as the testing dataset. Prediction models for the NE requirement of growing pigs were developed using algorithms including multiple linear regression (MR), artificial neural networks (ANN), k-nearest neighbor (K-NN), and random forest (RF), and the prediction performance of these models was compared on the testing dataset. The results showed pigs in the low NE group showed a lower average daily gain, lower average daily feed intake, lower NE intake, but greater feed conversion ratio compared to pigs in the high NE group in most growth stages. In addition, pigs in the three treatment groups did not show a significant difference in NEp in all growth stages, while pigs in the medium and high NE groups showed greater NEl compared to pig in the low NE group in growth stages from 25 to 55 kg (P < 0.05). Among the developed prediction models for NE intake, NEp, and NEl, the ANN models demonstrated the most optimal prediction performance with the smallest root mean square error (RMSE) and the largest R2, while the RF models had the worst prediction performance with the largest RMSE and the smallest R2. In conclusion, diets with varied NE concentrations within a certain range did not affect the NEp of growing pigs, and the models developed with the ANN algorithm could accurately achieve the NE requirement prediction in growing pigs.

Dihydroartemisinin restores the immunogenicity and enhances the anticancer immunosurveillance of cisplatin by activating the PERK/eIF2α pathway.

BACKGROUND: Immunosurveillance is pivotal in the effectiveness of anticancer therapies and tumor control. The ineffectiveness of cisplatin in activating the immunosurveillance is attributed to its lack of adjuvanticity resulting from its inability to stimulate endoplasmic reticulum stress. Dihydroartemisinin demonstrates the anti-tumor effects through various mechanisms, including the activation of the endoplasmic reticulum stress. This study aimed to develop a novel strategy to enhance the immunogenicity of dying tumor cells by combining cisplatin with dihydroartemisinin, thereby triggering effective anti-tumor immunosurveillance and improving the efficacy of cisplatin in clinical practice. METHODS: Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) and CT26 colon cancer cell lines and subcutaneous tumor models were used in this study. The importance of immunosurveillance was validated in both immunocompetent and immunodeficient mouse models. The ability of dihydroartemisinin and cisplatin therapy to induce immunogenic cell death and tumor growth control in vivo was validated by prophylactic tumor vaccination and therapeutic tumor models. The underlying mechanism was elucidated through the pharmaceutical or genetic intervention of the PERK/eIF2α pathway in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: Dihydroartemisinin enhanced the generation of reactive oxygen species in cisplatin-treated LLC and CT26 cancer cells. The combination treatment of dihydroartemisinin with cisplatin promoted cell death and ensured an optimal release of damage-associated molecular patterns from dying cancer cells, promoting the phagocytosis of dendritic cells. In the tumor vaccination model, we confirmed that dihydroartemisinin plus cisplatin treatment induced immunogenic cell death. Utilizing immunocompetent and immunodeficient mouse models, we further demonstrated that the combination treatment suppressed the tumor growth of CT26 colon cancer and LLC lung cancer, leading to an improved prognosis through the restoration of cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses and reinstatement of anti-cancer immunosurveillance in vivo. Mechanistically, dihydroartemisinin restored the immunogenicity of cisplatin by activating the adjuvanticity of damage-associated molecular patterns, such as calreticulin exposure, through the PERK/eIF2α pathway. Additionally, the inhibition of eIF2α phosphorylation attenuated the anti-tumor efficiency of C + D in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: We highlighted that dihydroartemisinin acts as an immunogenic cell death rescuer for cisplatin, activating anticancer immunosurveillance in a PERK/eIF2α-dependent manner and offering a strategy to enhance the anti-tumor efficacy of cisplatin in clinical practice.

GDF11 protects against mitochondrial-dysfunction-dependent NLRP3 inflammasome activation to attenuate osteoarthritis.

INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent degenerative disease worldwide, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) is closely associated with its development. Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) has demonstrated anti-injury and anti-aging abilities in certain tissues; however, its regulatory role in OA remains unclear and requires further investigation. OBJECTIVES: To identify whether GDF11 can attenuate osteoarthritis. To exploring the the potential mechanism of GDF11 in alleviating osteoarthritis. METHODS: In this study, we cultured and stimulated mouse primary chondrocytes with or without TNF-α, analyzing the resulting damage phenotype through microarray analysis. Additionally, we employed GDF11 conditional knockout mice OA model to examine the relationship between GDF11 and OA. To investigate the target of GDF11's function, we utilized NLRP3 knockout mice and its inhibitor to verify the potential involvement of the NLRP3 inflammasome. RESULTS: Our in vitro experiments demonstrated that endogenous overexpression of GDF11 significantly inhibited TNF-α-induced cartilage matrix degradation and inflammatory expression in chondrocytes. Furthermore, loss of GDF11 led to NLRP3 inflammasome activation, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction. In an in vivo surgically induced mouse model, intraarticular administration of recombinant human GDF11 alleviated OA pathogenesis, whereas GDF11 conditional knockout reversed this effect. Additionally, findings from the NLRP3-knockout DMM mouse model revealed that GDF11 exerted its protective effect by inhibiting NLRP3. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate the ability of GDF11 to suppress TNF-α-induced inflammation and cartilage degeneration by preventing mitochondrial dysfunction and inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation, suggesting its potential as a promising therapeutic drug for osteoarthritis.

Heterotopic mesenteric ossification caused by trauma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Heterotopic mesenteric ossification (HMO) is a clinically rare condition characterized by the formation of bone tissue in the mesentery. The worldwide reporting of such cases is limited to just over 70 instances in the medical literature. The etiology of HMO remains unclear, but the disease is possibly induced by mechanical trauma, ischemia, or intra-left lower quadrant abdominal infection, leading to the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts. Here, we present a rare case of HMO that occurred in a 34-year-old male, who presented with left lower quadrant abdominal pain. CASE SUMMARY: We report the case of a 34-year-old male patient who presented with left lower abdominal pain following trauma to the left lower abdomen. He subsequently underwent surgical treatment, and the postoperative pathological diagnosis was HMO. CONCLUSION: We believe that although there is limited literature and research on HMO, when patients with a history of trauma or surgery to the left lower abdomen present with corresponding imaging findings, clinicians should be vigilant in distinguishing this condition and promptly selecting appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

Energetic and Kinetic Competition on the Stability of Pd13 Clusters: Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Material stability is the focus on both experiments and calculations, which includes the energetic stability at the static state and the thermodynamic stability at the kinetic state. To show whether energetics or kinetics dominates on material stability, this study focuses on the Pd13 clusters, because of their observable magnetic moment in experiment. Energetically, the CALYPSO searching method and first-principles calculations find that Pd13(C2) is the ground state at 0 K while the static frequency calculations demonstrate that the icosahedron Pd13(Ih) becomes more favorable on free energy as temperature increases. However, their magnetic moments (8 µB) are not in agreement with the experimental value (<5.2 µB). Kinetically, ab initio molecular dynamics simulations reveal that Pd13(C3v) (6 µB) has supreme isomerization temperature and the other 11 low-lying isomers transform to Pd13(C3v) directly or indirectly, demonstrating that Pd13(C3v) has the maximum probability to be observed in experiment. The magnetic moment difference between experiment (<5.2 µB) and this calculation (6 µB) may be due to the spin multiplicities. Our result suggests that the magnetic moment disparity between theory and experiment (in Pd13 clusters) originates from the kinetic stability.

Facet-Controlled Synthesis of Unconventional-Phase Metal Alloys for Highly Efficient Hydrogen Oxidation.

Facet control and phase engineering of metal nanomaterials are both important strategies to regulate their physicochemical properties and improve their applications. However, it is still a challenge to tune the exposed facets of metal nanomaterials with unconventional crystal phases, hindering the exploration of the facet effects on their properties and functions. In this work, by using Pd nanoparticles with unconventional hexagonal close-packed (hcp, 2H type) phase, referred to as 2H-Pd, as seeds, a selective epitaxial growth method is developed to tune the predominant growth directions of secondary materials on 2H-Pd, forming Pd@NiRh nanoplates (NPLs) and nanorods (NRs) with 2H phase, referred to as 2H-Pd@2H-NiRh NPLs and NRs, respectively. The 2H-Pd@2H-NiRh NRs expose more (100)h and (101)h facets on the 2H-NiRh shells compared to the 2H-Pd@2H-NiRh NPLs. Impressively, when used as electrocatalysts toward hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR), the 2H-Pd@2H-NiRh NRs show superior activity compared to the NiRh alloy with conventional face-centered cubic (fcc) phase (fcc-NiRh) and the 2H-Pd@2H-NiRh NPLs, revealing the crucial role of facet control in enhancing the catalytic performance of unconventional-phase metal nanomaterials. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further unravel that the excellent HOR activity of 2H-Pd@2H-NiRh NRs can be attributed to the more exposed (100)h and (101)h facets on the 2H-NiRh shells, which possess high electron transfer efficiency, optimized H* binding energy, enhanced OH* binding energy, and a low energy barrier for the rate-determining step during the HOR process.

The total biosynthesis route of rosmarinic acid in Sarcandra glabra based on transcriptome sequencing.

Sarcandra glabra is a widely distributed and valuable plant in food and daily chemical industries, and is also a common-used medicinal plant for treating inflammatory diseases and tumors. Rosmarinic acid (RA) with significant pharmacological activity is an abundant and important constituent in S. glabra, however, little information about key enzymes involving the biosynthesis of RA in S. glabra is available and the underlying biosynthesis mechanisms of RA in S. glabra remain undeciphered. Therefore, in this study, by full-length transcriptome sequencing analyses of S. glabra, we screened the RA biosynthesis candidate genes based on sequence similarity and conducted enzymatic function characterization in vitro and in vivo. As a result, a complete set of 7 kinds of enzymes (SgPALs, SgC4H, Sg4CL, SgTATs, SgHPPRs, SgRAS and SgC3H) involving the biosynthesis route of RA from phenylalanine and tyrosine, were identified and fully characterized. This research systematically revealed the complete biosynthesis route of RA in S. glabra, which helps us better understand the process of RA synthesis and accumulation, especially the substrate promiscuities of SgRAS and SgC3H provide the molecular biological basis for the efficient biosynthesis of specific and abundant RA in S. glabra. The 7 kinds of key enzymes revealed in this study can be utilized as tool enzymes for production of RA by synthetic biology methods.

Quaternized oxidized sodium alginate injectable hydrogel with high antimicrobial and hemostatic efficacy promotes diabetic wound healing.

In this paper, a hydrogel material with efficient antibacterial, hemostatic, self-healing, and injectable properties was designed for the treatment of diabetic wounds. Firstly, quaternary ammonium salts were grafted with oxidized sodium alginate, and quaternized oxidized sodium alginate (QOSA) was synthesized. Due to the introduction of quaternary ammonium group it has antibacterial and hemostatic effects, at the same time, due to the presence of aldehyde group it can be reacted with carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) to form a hydrogel through the Schiff base reaction. Furthermore, deer antler blood polypeptide (DABP) was loaded into the hydrogel (QOSA&CMCS&DABP), showing good swelling ratio and bacteriostatic effect. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that the hydrogel not only quickly inhibited hepatic hemorrhage in mice and reduced coagulation index and clotting time in vitro, but also significantly enhanced collagen deposition at the wound site, accelerating wound healing. This demonstrates that the multifunctional hydrogel materials (QOSA&CMCS&DABP) have promising applications in the acceleration of skin wound healing and antibacterial promotion.

Young apple polyphenols confer excellent physical and oxidative stabilities to soy protein emulsions for effective ß-carotene encapsulation and delivery.

Protein emulsions' poor physical and oxidative stabilities restrict their use in functional foods. Soy protein isolate (SPI) emulsions' physical stability was enhanced by adding young apple polyphenols (YAP) in this study, but decreased when YAP was 0.12%. YAP binding prefolded SPI's structure, which promotes efficient SPI stacking at the interface. YAP also improved SPI emulsions' oxidation resistance in a dose-dependent manner. SPI-YAP interaction promoted more YAP adsorption (>80%) at the interface, which increased emulsions' antioxidant capacities twofold. Furthermore, over 90% of unsaturated fatty acids were preserved, and the oxidation of lipid-SPI-ß-carotene appeared to be reduced as YAP increased. In addition, SPI-YAP emulsions were effective in encapsulating and safeguarding ß-carotene during emulsion storage and in vitro digestion, leading to a delayed and maximum release of ß-carotene. This study improves the understanding of polyphenols inhibition on lipid-protein oxidation through interface strengthening and broadens the potential applications of YAP and SPI in functional foods.

Intravenous injectable metformin-Cu(II)-EGCG coordination polymer nanoparticles for electrothermally enhanced dual-drug synergistic tumor therapy.

Intravenous injectable metformin-Cu(II)-EGCG infinite coordination polymer nanoparticles (metformin-Cu(II)-EGCG ICP NPs) have been synthesized, and an efficient strategy for synergistic tumor therapy by utilizing these nanoparticles in conjunction with micro-electrothermal needles (MENs) was proposed. These nanoparticles display exceptional uniformity with a diameter of 117.5 ± 53.3 nm, exhibit an extraordinary drug loading capacity of 90% and allow for precise control over the drug ratio within the range of 1 : 1 to 1 : 20 while maintaining excellent thermal stability. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction were employed to determine their chemical structure and coordination state. The combination index (CI) value of the metformin-Cu(II)-EGCG ICP NPs was calculated to be 0.19, surpassing that of the two individual drugs and metformin mixed with EGCG (0.98). Importantly, upon intravenous injection, metformin in nanoparticles demonstrated exceptional stability in the bloodstream, while both drugs were rapidly released within the acidic tumor microenvironment. Animal experiments showcased an impressive tumor inhibition rate of 100% within a mere 20-day time frame after the synergistic therapy with a lower dosage (5.0 mg kg-1 of nanoparticles), coupled with a minimal tumor recurrence rate of only 18.75% over a 60-day observation period. These findings indicate the promising prospects of these nanoparticles in tumor treatment.

Comprehensive imaging evaluation of the aortic valve and root before aortic root surgery: a study comparing MDCT and TEE.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the accuracy and consistency of MDCT and TEE in the preoperative assessment of aortic root surgery. METHODS: From January 2021 to September 2022, 118 patients who underwent aortic root surgery were included in this study. All patients underwent high-quality preoperative MDCT and TEE examinations, and the examination results were independently measured and assessed by two senior radiologists or ultrasound specialists. Bland-Altman analysis and Pearson correlation testing were employed to assess the correlation and consistency between MDCT and TEE. These analyses were then compared with actual intraoperative measurement data. RESULTS: Among all the patients, 73 (61.86%) had tricuspid aortic valve (TAV), and 45 (38.14%) had bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). A comparison between the TEE and MDCT measurements showed that for the annulus diameter, the area-derived diameter had the best correlation and agreement. For the sinus of Valsalva diameter, the circumference-derived diameter was optimal. However, for the STJ diameter, the minimum cross-sectional diameter showed the best agreement with TEE. In contrast, measurements of geometric height showed a weaker correlation and agreement. CONCLUSION: Contrast-enhanced MDCT can be a valuable tool for perioperative evaluation in aortic root surgery, with good correlation, consistency, and feasibility when compared to TEE. The choice of MDCT measurement methodology, specifically area-derived and circumference-derived diameter, proved to be more accurate than other methods. Further research is required to enhance the understanding of aortic valve repair and associated imaging techniques.

Reconstitution of the Multiple Myeloma Microenvironment Following Lymphodepletion with BCMA CAR-T Therapy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the remodeling of multiple myeloma (MM) microenvironment after BCMA-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) on paired bone marrow specimens (n = 14) from 7 MM patients before (i.e., baseline, 'day -4') and after (i.e., 'day 28') post-lymphodepleted BCMA CAR-T therapy. RESULTS: Our analysis revealed heterogeneity in gene expression profiles among MM cells, even those harboring the same cytogenetic abnormalities. The best overall responses (BORs) of patients over the 15-month follow-up are positively correlated with the abundance and targeted cytotoxic activity of CD8+ effector CAR-T cells on day 28 after CAR-T cell infusion. Additionally, favorable responses are associated with attenuated immunosuppression mediated by regulatory T cells (Tregs), enhanced CD8+ effector T cell cytotoxic activity, and elevated type 1 conventional dendritic cell (cDC1) antigen presentation ability. DC re-clustering inferred intramedullary-originated cDC3s with extramedullary migration. Cell-cell communication network analysis indicated BCMA CAR-T therapy mitigates BAFF/GALECTIN/MK pathway-mediated immunosuppression and activates MIF pathway-mediated anti-MM immunity. CONCLUSIONS: Our study sheds light on MM microenvironment dynamics after BCMA CAR-T therapy, offering clues for predicting treatment responsivity.