Positive profile of natural small molecule organic matters on emerging antivirus pharmaceutical elimination in advance reduction process: A deep dive into the photosensitive mechanism of triplet excited state compounds.

Natural small molecular organic matter (NSOM), ubiquitous in natural waters and distinct from humic acid or fulvic acid, is a special type of dissolved organic matter (DOM) which is characterized as strong photosensitivity and simple molecular structure. However, little study had been directed on the role of NSOM in eliminating emerging contaminants in advanced reduction process (ARP). This study took three small molecular isomeric organic acids (p-hydroxybenzoic acid, pHBA; salicylic acid, SA; m-hydroxybenzoic acid, mHBA) as the representative substances of NSOM to explore these mechanisms on promoting Ribavirin (RBV, an anti COVID-19 medicine) degradation in ultraviolet activated sulfite (UV/Sulfite) process. The results demonstrated that the observed degradation rate constant of RBV (kobs-RBV) was 7.56 × 10-6 s-1 in UV/Sulfite process, indicating that hydrated electron (eaq-) from UV/Sulfite process could not effectively degrade RBV, while it increased by 178 and 38 times when pHBA and SA were introduced into UV/Sulfite process respectively, suggesting that pHBA and SA strongly promoted RBV degradation while mHBA had no promotion on RBV abatement in UV/Sulfite process. Transient absorption spectra and reactive intermediates scavenging experiment indicated that the triplet excited state pHBA and SA (3pHBA* and 3SA*) contributed to the degradation of RBV through non-radical process. Notably, eaq- played the role of key initiator in transforming pHBA and SA into their triplet states. The difference of kobs-RBV in UV/Sulfite/pHBA and UV/Sulfite/SA process was attributed to different generation pathways of 3pHBA* and 3SA* (high molar absorptivity at the wavelength of 254 nm and photosensitive cycle, respectively) and their second order rate constants towards RBV (kRBV-3pHBA* = 8.60 × 108 M-1 s-1 and kRBV-3SA* = 6.81 × 107 M-1 s-1). mHBA could not degrade RBV for its lack of intramolecular hydrogen bond and low molar absorptivity at 254 nm to abundantly transform into its triplet state. kobs-RBV increased as pH increased from 5.0 to 11.0 in UV/Sulfite/SA process, due to the high yield of eaq- in alkaline condition which promoted the generation of 3SA* and the stable of the absorbance of SA at 254 nm. By contrast, kobs-RBV underwent a process of first increasing and then decreasing in UV/Sulfite/pHBA process as the increase of pH, and its highest value achieved in a neutral condition. This lied in the exposure of eaq- increased as the increase of pH which promoted the generation of 3pHBA*, while the molar absorptivity of pHBA at 254 nm decreased as the increase of pH in an alkaline condition which inhibited the yield of 3pHBA*. The RBV degradation pathways and products toxicity assessment indicated that UV/Sulfite/pHBA had better detoxification performance on RBV than UV/Sulfite/SA process. This study disclosed a novel mechanism of emerging contaminants abatement through non-radical process in NSOM mediated ARP, and provide a wide insight into positive profile of DOM in water treatment process, instead of only taking DOM as a quencher of reactive intermediates.

BAG6 inhibits influenza A virus replication by inducing viral polymerase subunit PB2 degradation and perturbing RdRp complex assembly.

The interaction between influenza A virus (IAV) and host proteins is an important process that greatly influences viral replication and pathogenicity. PB2 protein is a subunit of viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) complex playing distinct roles in viral transcription and replication. BAG6 (BCL2-associated athanogene 6) as a multifunctional host protein participates in physiological and pathological processes. Here, we identify BAG6 as a new restriction factor for IAV replication through targeting PB2. For both avian and human influenza viruses, overexpression of BAG6 reduced viral protein expression and virus titers, whereas deletion of BAG6 significantly enhanced virus replication. Moreover, BAG6-knockdown mice developed more severe clinical symptoms and higher viral loads upon IAV infection. Mechanistically, BAG6 restricted IAV transcription and replication by inhibiting the activity of viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). The co-immunoprecipitation assays showed BAG6 specifically interacted with the N-terminus of PB2 and competed with PB1 for RdRp complex assembly. The ubiquitination assay indicated that BAG6 promoted PB2 ubiquitination at K189 residue and targeted PB2 for K48-linked ubiquitination degradation. The antiviral effect of BAG6 necessitated its N-terminal region containing a ubiquitin-like (UBL) domain (17-92aa) and a PB2-binding domain (124-186aa), which are synergistically responsible for viral polymerase subunit PB2 degradation and perturbing RdRp complex assembly. These findings unravel a novel antiviral mechanism via the interaction of viral PB2 and host protein BAG6 during avian or human influenza virus infection and highlight a potential application of BAG6 for antiviral drug development.

Neurological manifestations and risk factors associated with poor prognosis in hospitalized children with Omicron variant infection.

There are increasing reports of neurological manifestation in children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the frequency and clinical outcomes of in hospitalized children infected with the Omicron variant are unknown. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics, neurological manifestations, and risk factor associated with poor prognosis of hospitalized children suffering from COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant. Participants included children older than 28 days and younger than 18 years. Patients were recruited from December 10, 2022 through January 5, 2023. They were followed up for 30 days. A total of 509 pediatric patients hospitalized with the Omicron variant infection were recruited into the study. Among them, 167 (32.81%) patients had neurological manifestations. The most common manifestations were febrile convulsions (n = 90, 53.89%), viral encephalitis (n = 34, 20.36%), epilepsy (n = 23, 13.77%), hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (n = 9, 5.39%), and acute necrotizing encephalopathy (n = 6, 3.59%). At discharge, 92.81% of patients had a good prognosis according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale (scores ≥ 4). However, 7.19% had a poor prognosis. Eight patients died during the follow-up period with a cumulative 30-day mortality rate of 4.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5-8.1). Multivariate analysis revealed that albumin (odds ratio 0.711, 95% CI 0.556-0.910) and creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) levels (odds ratio 1.033, 95% CI 1.004-1.063) were independent risk factors of poor prognosis due to neurological manifestations. The area under the curve for the prediction of poor prognosis with albumin and CK-MB was 0.915 (95%CI 0.799-1.000), indicating that these factors can accurately predict a poor prognosis.          Conclusion: In this study, 32.8% of hospitalized children suffering from COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant infection experienced neurological manifestations. Baseline albumin and CK-MB levels could accurately predict poor prognosis in this patient population. What is Known: • Neurological injury has been reported in SARS-CoV-2 infection; compared with other strains, the Omicron strain is more likely to cause neurological manifestations in adults. • Neurologic injury in adults such as cerebral hemorrhage and epilepsy has been reported in patients with Omicron variant infection. What is New: • One-third hospitalized children with Omicron infection experience neurological manifestations, including central nervous system manifestations and peripheral nervous system manifestations. • Albumin and CK-MB combined can accurately predict poor prognosis (AUC 0.915), and the 30-day mortality rate of children with Omicron variant infection and neurological manifestations was 4.8%.

Targeted Ultrasound Nanobubbles Therapy for Prostate Cancer via Immuno-Sonodynamic Effect.

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) poses a significant global health threaten. Immunotherapy has emerged as a novel strategy to augment the inhibition of tumor proliferation. However, the sole use of anti-PD-L1 Ab for PCa has not yielded improvements, mirroring outcomes observed in other tumor types. Methods: This study employed the thin film hydration method to develop lipid nanobubbles (NBs) encapsulating chlorin e6 (Ce6) and anti-PD-L1 Ab (Ce6@aPD-L1 NBs). Our experimental approach included cellular assays and mouse immunization, providing a comprehensive evaluation of Ce6@aPD-L1 NBs' impact. Results: The Ce6@aPD-L1 NBs effectively induced reactive oxygen species generation, leading to tumor cells death. In mice, they demonstrated a remarkable enhancement of immune responses compared to control groups. These immune responses encompassed immunogenic cell death induced by sonodynamic therapy and PD-1/PD-L1 blockade, activating dendritic cells maturation and effectively stimulating CD8+T cells. Conclusion: Ce6@aPD-L1 NBs facilitate tumor-targeted delivery, activating anti-tumor effects through direct sonodynamic therapy action and immune system reactivation in the tumor microenvironment. Ce6@aPD-L1 NBs exhibit substantial potential for achieving synergistic anti-cancer effects in PCa.

Advances in traditional Chinese herbal medicine and their pharmacodynamic mechanisms in cancer immunoregulation: a narrative review.

Background and Objective: The cancer-immunity cycle (CIC) is defined as a series of progressive events that cause an anticancer immune response leading to the killing of the cancer cell. The concept of CIC has important guiding significance for the clinical and basic tumor immunotherapy research. As one of the methods of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has shown unique advantages in multitarget and multipathway immune regulation. However, the tumor immune circulation targeted by CHM is generally unclear at present. To provide reference for future clinical and basic research, we systematically reviewed the existing literature on CHM (including CHM monomers, CHM compounds, and CHM patent medicines) and the mechanisms related to its efficacy. Methods: We searched the PubMed and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases for relevant Chinese-language and English-language literature published from January 1988 to October 2022. The literature was screened manually at three levels: title, abstract, and full text, to identify articles related to CHM and their mechanism of regulating tumor immunity. Key Content and Findings: By further classifying the CIC, it was confirmed that CHM can regulate the activation of dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages and promote the presentation of tumor antigens. Meanwhile, CHM can also reverse tumor-immune escape by enhancing T-cell proliferation and infiltration. In addition, CHM can also enhance the antitumor ability of the body by regulating the killing process of tumor cells. Conclusions: The theory of a CIC is of guiding significance to regulating tumor immunity via CHM.

Genetic and Biological Characteristics of Duck-Origin H4N6 Avian Influenza Virus Isolated in China in 2022.

The interaction between migratory birds and domestic waterfowl facilitates viral co-infections, leading to viral reassortment and the emergence of novel viruses. In 2022, samples were collected from duck farms around Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province, China, which is located within the East Asia-Australasia flyway. Three strains of H4N6 avian influenza virus (AIV) were isolated. Genetic and phylogenetic analyses showed that the isolated H4N6 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) belonged to new genotypes, G23 and G24. All isolated strains demonstrated dual receptor binding properties. Additionally, the isolated strains were able to replicate efficiently not only in avian cells but also in mammalian cells. Furthermore, the H4N6 AIV isolates could infect chickens, with viral replication detected in the lungs and extrapulmonary organs, and could transmit within chicken flocks through contact, with viral shedding detected only in oropharyngeal swabs from chickens in the contact group. Notably, the H4N6 AIV could infect mice without prior adaptation and replicate in the lungs with high viral titers, suggesting that it is a potential threat to humans. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insight into the characteristics of H4N6 strains currently circulating in China.

Current situation and influence factors of scientific integrity in China: A multicenter survey.

Objective: Cases of scientific misconduct have occurred frequently, especially in the field of medical research. We collected electronic questionnaires from 1257 medical staff in 43 cities and obtained a cross-sectional data set of their understanding of scientific integrity in research. This study aims to propose recommendations for establishing a mature oversight system for research integrity. Methods: The study employed multiple regression analysis to explore the effect of different factors on the perception of four types of research integrity. Results: Female participants had a higher understanding of project application integrity than men (P < â€‹ 0.001). Participants in clinical departments had a lower understanding of project application integrity than those in nursing departments (clinical vs. nursing, P â€‹= 0.046). Participants with a junior college degree or below had a lower understanding than those who had a postgraduate degree and doctoral degree (junior college or below vs. postgraduate degree, P â€‹< â€‹0.001; junior college or below vs. doctoral degree, P â€‹< â€‹0.001). Conclusions: We found that female, medical technology department, advanced education background, and advanced professional titles were significantly associated with a higher understanding of scientific integrity in research in China.

Ultrabright Green-Emissive Nanodots for Precise Biological Visualization.

Developing general methods to fabricate water-dispersible and biocompatible fluorescent probes will promote different biological visualization applications. Herein, we report a metal-facilitated method to fabricate ultrabright green-emissive nanodots via the one-step solvothermal treatment of rose bengal, ethanol, and various metal ions. These metal-doped nanodots show good water dispersity, ultrahigh photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) (e.g., the PLQY of Fe-doped nanodots (FeNDs) was ∼97%), and low phototoxicity. Owing to the coordination effect of metal ions, the FeNDs realize glutathione detection with outstanding properties. Benefiting from the high endoplasmic reticulum (ER) affinity of the chloride group, the FeNDs can act as an ER tracker with long ER imaging capacity (FeNDs: >24 h; commercial ER tracker: ∼1 h) and superb photostability and can achieve tissue visualization in living Caenorhabditis elegans. The metal-doped nanodots represent a general nanodot preparation method and may shed new light on diverse biological visualization uses.

Semi-supervised multi-source transfer learning for cross-subject EEG motor imagery classification.

Electroencephalogram (EEG) motor imagery (MI) classification refers to the use of EEG signals to identify and classify subjects' motor imagery activities; this task has received increasing attention with the development of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). However, the collection of EEG data is usually time-consuming and labor-intensive, which makes it difficult to obtain sufficient labeled data from the new subject to train a new model. Moreover, the EEG signals of different individuals exhibit significant differences, leading to a significant drop in the performance of a model trained on the existing subjects when directly classifying EEG signals acquired from new subjects. Therefore, it is crucial to make full use of the EEG data of the existing subjects and the unlabeled EEG data of the new target subject to improve the MI classification performance achieved for the target subject. This research study proposes a semi-supervised multi-source transfer (SSMT) learning model to address the above problems; the model learns informative and domain-invariant representations to address cross-subject MI-EEG classification tasks. In particular, a dynamic transferred weighting schema is presented to obtain the final predictions by integrating the weighted features derived from multi-source domains. The average accuracies achieved on two publicly available EEG datasets reach 83.57[Formula: see text] and 85.09[Formula: see text], respectively, validating the effectiveness of the SSMT process. The SSMT process reveals the importance of informative and domain-invariant representations in MI classification tasks, as they make full use of the domain-invariant information acquired from each subject.

Sex estimation using maxillary sinus volume for Chinese subjects based on cone-beam computed tomography.

BACKGROUND: Sex estimate is a key stage in forensic science for identifying individuals. Some anatomical structures may be useful for sex estimation since they retain their integrity even after highly severe events. However, few studies are focusing on the Chinese population. Some researchers used teeth for sex estimation, but comparison with maxillary sinus were lack. As a result, the objective of this research is to develop a sex estimation formula for the northwestern Chinese population by the volume of the maxillary sinus and compare with the accuracy of sex estimation based on teeth through cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). METHODS: CBCT images from 349 samples were used to establish and verify the formula. The volume of both the left and right maxillary sinuses was measured and examined for appropriate formula coefficients. To create the formula, we randomly picked 80% of the data as the training set and 20% of the samples as the testing set. Another set of samples, including 20 males and 20 females, were used to compare the accuracy of maxillary sinuses and teeth. RESULTS: Overall, sex estimation accuracy by volume of the left maxillary sinus can reach 78.57%, while by the volume of the right maxillary sinus can reach 74.29%. The accuracy for females, which can reach 91.43% using the left maxillary sinus, was significantly higher than that for males, which was 65.71%. The result also shows that maxillary sinus volume was higher in males. The comparison with the available results using measurements of teeth for sex estimation performed by our group showed that the accuracy of sex estimation using canines volume was higher than the one using maxillary sinus volume, the accuracies based on mesiodistal diameter of canine and first molar were the same or lower than the volume of maxillary sinus. CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates that measurement of maxillary sinus volume based on CBCT scans was an available and alternative method for sex estimation. And we established a method to accurately assess the sex of the northwest Chinese population. The comparison with the results of teeth measurements made the conclusion more reliable.

Trends in gynaecologic cancer mortality and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to assess the trend in gynaecologic cancer (GC) mortality in the period from 2010 to 2022 in the United States, with focus on the impact of the pandemic on increased deaths. METHODS: GC mortality data were extracted from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) platform. We analysed mortality trends and evaluated observed vs. predicted mortality for the period from 2020 to 2022 with joinpoint regression and prediction modelling analyses. RESULTS: A total of 334,382 deaths among adults aged 25 years and older with gynaecologic cancer were documented from 2010 to 2022. The overall age-standardised mortality rate (ASMR, per 100,000 persons) for ovarian cancer-related death decreased gradually from 7.189 in 2010 to 5.517 in 2019, yielding an APC (annual percentage change) of -2.8%. However, the decrease in ovarian cancer-related mortality slowed down by more than 4-fold during the pandemic. Cervical cancer -related mortality decreased slightly prior to the pandemic and increased during the pandemic with an APC of 0.6%, resulting in excess mortality of 4.92%, 9.73% and 2.03% in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. For uterine corpus cancer, the ASMR increased from 1.905 in 2010 to 2.787 in 2019, and increased sharply to 3.079 in 2021 and 3.211 in 2022. The ASMR rose steadily between 2013 and 2022, yielding an APC of 6.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, we found that GC-related mortality increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and this increase was not specific to age, race, or ethnicity.

Leafhopper salivary vitellogenin mediates virus transmission to plant phloem.

Salivary effectors of piercing-sucking insects can suppress plant defense to promote insect feeding, but it remains largely elusive how they facilitate plant virus transmission. Leafhopper Nephotettix cincticeps transmits important rice reovirus via virus-packaging exosomes released from salivary glands and then entering the rice phloem. Here, we report that intact salivary vitellogenin of N. cincticeps (NcVg) is associated with the GTPase Rab5 of N. cincticeps (NcRab5) for release from salivary glands. In virus-infected salivary glands, NcVg is upregulated and packaged into exosomes mediated by virus-induced NcRab5, subsequently entering the rice phloem. The released NcVg inherently suppresses H2O2 burst of rice plants by interacting with rice glutathione S-transferase F12, an enzyme catalyzing glutathione-dependent oxidation, thus facilitating leafhoppers feeding. When leafhoppers transmit virus, virus-upregulated NcVg thus promotes leafhoppers feeding and enhances viral transmission. Taken together, the findings provide evidence that viruses exploit insect exosomes to deliver virus-hijacked effectors for efficient transmission.

Microglia-derived exosomes modulate myelin regeneration via miR-615-5p/MYRF axis.

Demyelination and failure of remyelination in the central nervous system (CNS) characterize a number of neurological disorders. Spontaneous remyelination in demyelinating diseases is limited, as oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), which are often present in demyelinated lesions in abundance, mostly fail to differentiate into oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cells in the CNS. In addition to OPCs, the lesions are assembled numbers of activated resident microglia/infiltrated macrophages; however, the mechanisms and potential role of interactions between the microglia/macrophages and OPCs are poorly understood. Here, we generated a transcriptional profile of exosomes from activated microglia, and found that miR-615-5p was elevated. miR-615-5p bound to 3'UTR of myelin regulator factor (MYRF), a crucial myelination transcription factor expressed in oligodendrocyte lineage cells. Mechanistically, exosomes from activated microglia transferred miR-615-5p to OPCs, which directly bound to MYRF and inhibited OPC maturation. Furthermore, an effect of AAV expressing miR-615-5p sponge in microglia was tested in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and cuprizone (CPZ)-induced demyelination model, the classical mouse models of multiple sclerosis. miR-615-5p sponge effectively alleviated disease progression and promoted remyelination. This study identifies miR-615-5p/MYRF as a new target for the therapy of demyelinating diseases.

Amino acid promoted oxidation of atrazine by Fe3O4/persulfate.

In the present study, we demonstrated that the presence of cysteine could remarkably enhance the degradation of atrazine by Fe3O4/persulfate system. The results of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra confirmed the combination of cysteine and Fe3O4 exhibited much higher activity on activation of persulfate to generate more SO4•- and •OH than Fe3O4 alone. At pH of 3.0, SO4•- and •OH contributed to about 58.2 % and 41.8 % of atrazine removal respectively, while •OH gradually dominated the oxidation of atrazine from neutral condition to alkaline condition. The co-existing Cl- and HCO3- could quench SO4•-, resulting in the inhibition of atrazine degradation. The presence of low natural organic matters (NOM) concentration (0-2 mg L-1) could enhance the atrazine removal, and high concentration (>5 mg L-1) of NOM restrained the atrazine degradation. During the Cysteine/Fe3O4/Persulfate process, cysteine served as a complexing reagent and reductant. Through acidolysis and complexation, Fe3O4 could release dissolved and surface bound Fe2+, both of which contributed to the activation of persulfate together. Meanwhile, cysteine was not rapidly consumed due to a regeneration process, which was beneficial for maintaining Fe2+/Fe3+ cycle and constantly accelerating the activation of persulfate for atrazine degradation. The reused Fe3O4 and cysteine in the Cysteine/Fe3O4/Persulfate process exhibited high stability for the atrazine degradation after three cycles. The degradation pathway of atrazine included alkylic-oxidation, dealkylation, dechlorination-hydroxylation processes. The present study indicates the novel Cysteine/Fe3O4/Persulfate process might be a high potential for treatment of organic polluted water.

[Distribution Characteristics of Arsenic in Drinking Water in China and Its Health Risk Based on Disability-adjusted Life Years].

Long-term exposure to arsenic can lead to functional damage to many organs and can be life-threatening. It is of great significance to analyze the distribution characteristics of arsenic in water and evaluate its potential risk for preventing and controlling human health hazards caused by water-derived arsenic. Based on the published data from 2000 to 2022, the geographical distribution characteristics of arsenic in drinking water across China were systematically analyzed in detail, and the health risk of arsenic in drinking water was quantitatively assessed using disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which represent the burden of disease. The results showed that the average concentration of arsenic in drinking water in China was (2.88 ±0.33) µg·L-1, which was lower than the limit of 10 µg·L-1 set by the standard for drinking water quality (GB 5749-2022). Nevertheless, the arsenic in drinking water in some provinces, including Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Ningxia, was still higher than the limit. The arsenic concentration in drinking water in northern China was higher than that in southern China, and that in rural areas was higher than that in cities. The estimated health risk of arsenic in drinking water (1.63×10-6 DALYs per person-year) was higher than the acceptable risk level of waterborne exposure of 1.0×10-6 DALYs per person-year set by the World Health Organization. The personal health risks related to arsenic in drinking water in the six geographical regions were ranked as follows:North China > Northeast China > Central South China > Northwest China > Southwest China > East China. Almost all (99.4%) of the health burden associated with water arsenic was attributable to skin and lung cancer, which caused 2 905.25 and 1 513.96 DALYs per year, respectively. Most (78.0%) of the health burden was borne by people aged 45 years or older. In addition, given the proportion of each age group in the total population, older persons over the age of 60 bear a higher drinking-water-associated arsenic burden at the individual level than others, and attention should be consequently paid to them when controlling the risk of arsenic in water.

Identification of diverse sesquiterpenoids with anti-fibrotic potential from Inula japonica Thunb.

In the chemical investigation of Inula japonica, a total of 29 sesquiterpenoids (1-29) were obtained, including pseudoguaine-, xanthane-, eudesmane-, and 1,10-secoeudesmane-type compounds, as well as their dimers. Among them, six new dimeric sesquiterpenoids, bisinulains A-F (1-5, 7), characterized by a [4 + 2] biogenetic pathway between different sesquiterpenoid monomers were identified. Additionally, three new monomers named inulaterins A-C (13, 18 and 21) were discovered. The structures of these compounds were determined through analysis of spectroscopic data, X-ray crystallographic data, and ECD experiments. To assess their potential anti-inflammatory activities, the sesquiterpenoid dimers were tested for their ability to inhibit NO production in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Furthermore, the compounds that exhibited anti-inflammatory effects underwent evaluation for their anti-fibrotic potential using a TGF-ß-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition model in A549 cells. As a result, bisinulain B (2) was screened out to significantly inhibit the production of cytokines involved in pulmonary fibrosis such as NO, α-SMA, collagen I and fibronectin.

Ionic Liquid/Water Binary Solvent Anti-Freezing Hydrogel for Strain and Temperature Sensors.

Hydrogels are widely applied in the flexible wearable electronic devices field owing to their skin-like stretchability, superb biocompatibility, and high conductivity retention under mechanical deformations. Nevertheless, hydrogels are prone to freezing at low temperatures and losing water at high temperatures, which seriously limits their practical applications. Herein, a binary solvent system of ionic liquid (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride) and water was prepared to endow the ionic hydrogel high ionic conductivity (0.28 S m-1 at 25 °C), high transparency (94.26%), and superior freezing tolerance (-50 °C). The multiple hydrogen bonds formed among polymer chains, water, and ionic liquids significantly improved the mechanical properties of the ionic hydrogel, enabling excellent tensile properties (strain >1800%) and durability (1000 times at 100% strain). Moreover, the ionic hydrogel was further assembled into a dual-response sensor, which exhibited satisfactory sensitivity to both tension (gauge factor = 2.15 at 200% strain) and temperature (temperature coefficient of resistance = -1.845%/°C) and can be applied for human motion and body temperature monitoring. This study provides a versatile method for preparing multifunctional hydrogels with a wide range of applications and lays the groundwork for human movement detection and smart health care.

Association between sarcopenia and hepatic encephalopathy after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt in patients with cirrhosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: The association between the presence of sarcopenia in patients with cirrhosis and the onset of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is yet to be established. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide a thorough summary of the available evidence on this association. METHODS: A thorough search of the literature was performed in the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases. The protocol was duly registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023398856). The hazard ratio (HR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the occurrence of HE after TIPS were extracted from studies comparing cirrhotic patients with and without sarcopenia. These data were then combined using a random-effect model. RESULTS: A total of 1135 patients from seven cohort studies that met our eligibility criteria were included in the meta-analysis. Our findings indicate a significantly higher risk of post-TIPS HE among cirrhotic patients with sarcopenia compared to those without sarcopenia (HR, 2.35; 95% CIs 1.32-4.19; p = 0.004; I2 = 75%). The findings remained consistent across subgroups stratified by liver disease etiology, study location, and severity of hepatic dysfunction. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that sarcopenia was strongly linked to an increased likelihood post-TIPS HE among cirrhotic patients.

Flow-diverter stents in intracranial aneurysm treatment: impact on covered cerebral artery branches.

OBJECTIVE: Flow diverter stents (FDSs) have attracted interest for intracranial aneurysm (IA) treatment; however, occlusion of side branches and related complications have been reported. This study aimed to investigate the effects of FDSs in IA management when different branches of intracranial arteries are covered. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted using PUBMED, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases to include randomized or nonrandomized comparative-designed studies from January 2000 to August 2022 which reported outcomes of occlusion/narrowing of branches after IA treatment using FDSs. The PRISMA guidelines were used for our report. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted to pool the outcomes, which included incidence rates of occlusion/narrowing of FDS-covered branches, branch occlusion-related symptoms, obliteration of IAs, and ideal clinical outcomes (modified Rankin Scale score ≤2). RESULTS: The authors identified 57 studies involving 3789 patients with IA managed by FDSs covering different branches. During the median imaging follow-up at 12 months, the IA obliteration rate was satisfactory (>70%) when covering the ophthalmic artery (OA), posterior communicating artery (PComA), anterior choroidal artery (AChoA) or anterior cerebral artery (ACA), but not the middle cerebral artery-M2 segment (MCA-M2; 69.5%; 95% CI: 60.8-77.5%) and posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA; 59.1%, 13/22). The overall ideal clinical outcome was observed in 97.4% of patients (95% CI: 95.5-98.9%). Higher rates of occlusion/narrowing of branches were identified when FDSs covered the ACA (66.6%; 95% CI: 45.1-85.3%), PComA (44.3%; 95% CI: 34.2-54.6%), or MCA-M2 (39.2%; 95% CI: 24.5-54.7%); the risks were lower when covering the OA (11.8%; 95% CI: 8.8-15.1%), PICA (6.8%; 95% CI: 1.5-14.5%), and AchoA (0.5%; 95% CI: 0.0-2.9%). The risk of branch occlusion-related complications was low (incidence rate <5%) for each of the six evaluated branches. CONCLUSIONS: Acceptable outcomes were identified following treatment of IAs when FDSs were placed across each of the six studied cerebral arteries. Treatment decisions regarding FDS placement across branch arteries should be made with the risk of complications from branch occlusion in mind.

Noninvasive prediction of insufficient biochemical response after ursodeoxycholic acid treatment in patients with primary biliary cholangitis based on pretreatment nonenhanced MRI.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the feasibility of pretreatment nonenhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting insufficient biochemical response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). METHODS: From January 2009 to April 2022, consecutive PBC patients who were treated with UDCA and underwent nonenhanced MRI within 30 days before treatment were retrospectively enrolled. All MR images were independently evaluated by two blinded radiologists. Uni- and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to develop a predictive model for 12-month insufficient biochemical response. Model performances were evaluated by computing the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS: A total of 74 patients (50.6 ± 11.9 years; 62 females) were included. Three pretreatment MRI features, including hepatomegaly (odds ratio [OR]: 4.580; p = 0.011), periportal hyperintensity on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) (OR: 4.795, p = 0.008), and narrowing of the bile ducts (OR: 3.491; p = 0.027) were associated with 12-month insufficient biochemical response in the multivariable analysis. A predictive model based on the above indicators had an AUC of 0.781, sensitivity of 85.4%, and specificity of 61.5% for predicting insufficient biochemical response. CONCLUSIONS: A noninvasive model based on three pretreatment MRI features could accurately predict 12-month insufficient biochemical response to UDCA in patients with PBC. Early identification of PBC patients at increased risk for insufficient response can facilitate the timely initiation of additional treatment. CLINICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: A noninvasive predictive model constructed by incorporating three pretreatment MRI features may help identify patients with primary biliary cholangitis at high risk of insufficient biochemical response to ursodeoxycholic acid and facilitate the timely initiation of additional treatment. KEY POINTS: • Noninvasive imaging features based on nonenhanced pretreatment MRI may predict an insufficient biochemical response to UDCA in PBC patients. • A combined model based on three MRI features (hepatomegaly, periportal hyperintensity on T2-weighted imaging, and narrowing of the bile ducts) further improved the predictive efficacy for an insufficient biochemical response to UDCA in PBC patients, with high sensitivity and specificity. • The nomogram of the combined model showed good calibration and predictive efficacy for an insufficient biochemical response to UDCA in PBC patients. In particular, the calibration curve visualised the clinical applicability of the prediction model.