High-Pressure Induced Continuous Structural Evolution of Kagome Antiferromagnet MgMn3(OH)6Cl2: A Structural Analogue to Quantum Spin Liquid Herbertsmithite.

MgMn3(OH)6Cl2 serves readily as the classical Heisenberg kagome antiferromagnet lattice spin frustration material, due to its similarity to herbertsmithite in composition and crystal structure. In this work, nanosheets of MgMn3(OH)6Cl2 are synthesized through a solid-phase reaction. Low-temperature magnetic measurements revealed two antiferromagnetic transitions, occurring at ∼8 and 55 K, respectively. Utilizing high-pressure synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction techniques, the topological structural evolution of MgMn3(OH)6Cl2 under pressures up to 24.8 GPa was investigated. The sample undergoes a second-order structural phase transition from the rhombohedral phase to the monoclinic phase at pressures exceeding 7.8 GPa. Accompanying the disappearance of the Fano-like line shape in the high-pressure Raman spectra were the emergence of new Raman active modes and discontinuities in the variations of Raman shifts in the high-frequency region. The phase transition to a structure with lower symmetry was attributed to the pressure-induced enhancement of cooperative Jahn-Teller distortion, which is caused by the mutual substitution of Mn2+ ions from the kagome layer and Mg2+ ions from the triangular interlayer. High-pressure ultraviolet-visible absorption measurements support the structural evolution. This research provides a robust experimental approach and physical insights for further exploration of classical geometrical frustration materials with kagome lattice.

Model of predicting fear of cancer recurrence in patients with digestive tract cancer: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: To investigate the incidence of fear of cancer recurrence in patients with digestive tract cancers analyse its influencing factors, and further establish a visual risk prediction model. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 570 patients with digestive tract tumours admitted to a local hospital, from May 2023 to December 2023 by convenient sampling method. Univariate analysis and logistic analysis were performed on the influencing factors, and the risk prediction nomogram model of fear of cancer recurrence in patients with digestive tract cancer was constructed by using R 4.1.3 software. ROC curve was used to evaluate the differentiation of the nomogram model. The calibration curve and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test were used to evaluate the consistency of the model. This study was reported using the TRIPOD checklist. RESULTS: In this study, 272 (47.7%) patients developed fear of recurrence. The risk prediction model of recurrence fear column chart for digestive tract cancer patients incorporated six variables of gender, therapy, alimentary tract haemorrhage, pain, depression and social support. The C-statistic was (.976), and the calibration curve showed that the predicted probability was more in line with the actual probability of occurrence, and the decision curve showed that the predictive model had better practicality. CONCLUSION: The column-line diagram prediction model constructed in this study is effective and facilitates timely intervention and management by healthcare professionals based on their risk factors. IMPACT: Nomogram is helpful to calculate the risk probability of FCR in patients with digestive tract cancer, identify FCR patients in time, and formulate comprehensive and personalized countermeasures, to provide a good quality of life and prolong the survival cycle of patients with digestive tract cancer. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Participants were hospitalized patients or patients with digestive tract cancer undergoing follow-up. First of all, before the investigation and research, a team is formed to discuss the concept, research purpose, method, significance, etc., and determine the research tools. Second, by reasonably explaining the study to patients to seek informed consent from the patient and sign it, patients filled in the questionnaire independently. For patients with low education levels who could not fill in the questionnaire, the team members made objective explanations to help them choose reasonable options.

Citric Acid Promotes Immune Function by Modulating the Intestinal Barrier.

Amidst increasing concern about antibiotic resistance resulting from the overuse of antibiotics, there is a growing interest in exploring alternative agents. One such agent is citric acid, an organic compound commonly used for various applications. Our research findings indicate that the inclusion of citric acid can have several beneficial effects on the tight junctions found in the mouse intestine. Firstly, the study suggests that citric acid may contribute to weight gain by stimulating the growth of intestinal epithelial cells (IE-6). Citric acid enhances the small intestinal villus-crypt ratio in mice, thereby promoting intestinal structural morphology. Additionally, citric acid has been found to increase the population of beneficial intestinal microorganisms, including Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. It also promotes the expression of important protein genes such as occludin, ZO-1, and claudin-1, which play crucial roles in maintaining the integrity of the tight junction barrier in the intestines. Furthermore, in infected IEC-6 cells with H9N2 avian influenza virus, citric acid augmented the expression of genes closely associated with the influenza virus infection. Moreover, it reduces the inflammatory response caused by the viral infection and thwarted influenza virus replication. These findings suggest that citric acid fortifies the intestinal tight junction barrier, inhibits the replication of influenza viruses targeting the intestinal tract, and boosts intestinal immune function.

Efficacy and safety of immunosuppressive therapy combined with eltrombopag for severe aplastic anemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Immunosuppressive therapy (IST) is the first choice for severe aplastic anemia (SAA) patients with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) limitation, and the main factor limiting its efficacy is too few residual hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC). Eltrombopag (EPAG), as a small molecule thrombopoietin receptor agonist, can stimulate the proliferation of residual HSPC and restore the bone marrow hematopoietic function of patients. In recent years, many studies have observed the efficacy and safety of IST combined with EPAG in the treatment of SAA, but the results are still controversial. The aim of this study is to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of IST combined with or without EPGA in the treatment of SAA. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of all relevant literature published up to January 19, 2024. Pooled odds ratio (OR) was calculated to compare the rates, along with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and p value to assess whether the results were statistically significant by Review Manager 5.4.1. The p values for the interactions between each subgroup were calculated by Stata 15.1. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and the Cochrane bias risk assessment tools were respectively used to evaluate the quality of the literature with cohort studies and randomized controlled trials. The Review Manager 5.4.1 and Stata 15.1 were used to assess bias risk and perform the meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 16 studies involving 2148 patients were included. The IST combined with the EPAG group had higher overall response rate (ORR) than the IST group at 3 months (pooled OR = 2.10, 95% CI 1.58-2.79, p < 0.00001) and 6 months (pooled OR = 2.13, 95% CI 1.60-2.83, p < 0.00001), but the difference between the two groups became statistically insignificant at 12 months (pooled OR = 1.13, 95% CI 0.75-1.72, p = 0.55). The results of complete response rate (CRR) (pooled OR at 3 months = 2.73, 95% CI 1.83-4.09, p < 0.00001, 6 months = 2.76, 95% CI 2.08-3.67, p < 0.00001 and 12 months = 1.38, 95% CI 0.85-2.23, p = 0.19) were similar to ORR. Compared with the IST group, the IST combined with the EPAG group had better overall survival rate (OSR) (pooled OR = 1.70, 95% CI 1.15-2.51, p = 0.008), but there were no statistically significant differences in event-free survival rate (EFSR) (pooled OR = 1.40, 95% CI 0.93-2.13, p = 0.11), clonal evolution rate (pooled OR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.46-1.00, p = 0.05) and other adverse events between the two groups. The results of subgroup analysis showed that different ages were a source of heterogeneity, but different study types and different follow-up times were not. Moreover, all p-values for the interactions were greater than 0.05, suggesting that the treatment effect was not influenced by subgroup characteristics. CONCLUSION: EPAG added to IST enables patients to achieve earlier and faster hematologic responses with a higher rate of complete response. Although it had no effect on overall EFSR, it improved OSR and did not increase the incidence of clonal evolution and other adverse events.

Renal Protective Effect of Boeravinone B against Diabetic Nephropathy Rats via Inhibition of The Inflammatory and JAK2/STAT3 Signalling Pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic inflammation is a common feature in diabetes, especially when blood sugar levels are poorly controlled. This chronic low-grade inflammation can affect various organs, including the kidneys. Podocyte damage play a key role in the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). The aim of the study was to evaluate the nephroprotective effect of Boeravinone B (BB) against streptozotocin (STZ) induced DN in rats and explore the underlying mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this experimental study, the rats received intraperitoneal injections of STZ (60 mg/kg) to induce DN. Various doses of BB (2.5, 5, and 7.5 mg/kg) were administered orally. Glucose levels, body weights, and organ weights (hepatic and renal) were assessed. Renal, histomorphological, antioxidant, hepatic, and cytokine levels were determined, as were the mRNA expression levels of JAK2 and STAT3. At end of the experimental study, the rats were sacrificed and their renal tissues were removed for histopathological assessment. RESULTS: BB treatment decreased glucose levels and increased body weights. This treatment suppressed hepatic weights, increased renal tissue weights, and also decreased renal parameters like uric acid, urea, bilirubin, creatinine (Cr) and, albumin. There was a decrease (P<0.001) in histomorphological parameters such as kidney hypertrophy index (KHI), mean glomerular volume (MGV), foot process fusion ratio (FPFR), and glomerular basement membrane thickness (GBMT) after treatment with BB. In addition, this treatment improved the levels of renal podocin, renal CD2- associated protein (CD2AP) and suppressed hepatic parameter levels. BB treatment (P<0.001) altered antioxidant parameters and cytokine levels, and suppressed mRNA expressions of JAK2, STAT3, RAGE, KIM-1, NAGL, and S100A8. CONCLUSION: Administration of BB showed renal protective effects against STZ-induced DN in rats via the reduction of oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions.