Compact TM-pass polarizer based on a slot-assisted hollow hybrid plasmonic waveguide.

Addressing the urgent demand for high-performance polarization control in silicon photonics, this work presents a compact TM-pass polarizer based on a synergistic vertical air slot and hollow hybrid plasmonic waveguide (HPW). The hollow HPW provides strong light-field localization, while the vertical air slot enables polarization-selective modulation. The hollow HPW enables strong TM mode localization, while the air slot selectively suppresses the TE mode through polarization-dependent cutoff.

Extracellular vesicles from antler blastema progenitor cells reverse bone loss and mitigate aging-related phenotypes in mice and macaques.

Antler blastema progenitor cells (ABPCs) are a distinct population of skeletal mesenchymal stem cells found in regenerating deer antlers, with strong stemness and renewal capacity in vitro. Stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as potential therapeutic candidates that can mediate donor cells' beneficial effects. Here, we tested the effects of ABPC-derived EVs (EVs) on aging in mice and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Neonatal-Inspired Reprogramming of Microglial Pan-Programmed Cell Death Enhances Regeneration in Adult Spinal Cord Injury.

In adult mammals, programmed cell death (PCD) facilitates tissue remodeling and regeneration in spinal cord injury (SCI), but excessive activation impedes SCI repair. However, no comprehensive pan-PCD atlas exists that encompasses diverse cell death patterns to fully elucidate PCD in adult SCI and develop strategies for modulating the excessive PCD response. Here, we identified neonatal mice with balanced PCD post-SCI as an ideal model for adult SCI.

Novel perspectives on trunk-to-peripheral fat ratio in hospitalized patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Malnutrition plays a considerable role in the deterioration of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Nevertheless, current research indicates body mass index may not fully capture alterations in nutritional status. Trunk-to-peripheral fat ratio, measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) offers a more precise approach.

Low total protein predicts adverse outcomes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Purpose: Total protein (TP), comprising albumin and globulin, is a common and readily available indicator. This study aimed to assess the correlation between total protein and disease severity as well as exercise tolerance in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods: A total of 84 patients with COPD were recruited in this study.

Oligosaccharides Protect Against LPS-Induced Uterine Damage and Endometrial Inflammation in Mice and Bovine Endometrial Epithelial Cells.

Endometritis poses a significant challenge to the dairy industry, impairing bovine reproductive performance and causing substantial economic losses. Although oligosaccharides (MOO) exhibit anti-inflammatory properties, their therapeutic potential against endometritis remains unclear. This study investigated MOO's protective effects against LPS-induced uterine injury in mice and inflammation in bovine endometrial epithelial cells (BENDs), and explored the underlying mechanisms.

Effects of sleep deprivation on sports performance and perceived exertion in athletes and non-athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Sleep deprivation can significantly affect sports performance and the perception of fatigue. However, the impact of sleep deprivation on sports performance remains a subject of ongoing debate across different populations.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effects of sleep deprivation on sports performance and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) in different groups, as well as how different types of sleep deprivation affect these aspects.

Red cell distribution width related to the severity of the disease in patients with AECOPD.

Aims: This research aims to elucidate the association between red cell distribution width (RDW) and the severity of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD).

Patients & Methods: This retrospective study enrolled patients with AECOPD and healthy controls. A comprehensive meta-analysis was further conducted by systematically searching PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library up to 27 April 2023.

Metabolic Reprogramming of Neural Stem Cells by Chiral Nanofiber for Spinal Cord Injury.

Exogenous neural stem cells (NSCs) have great potential to reconstitute damage spinal neural circuitry. However, regulating the metabolic reprogramming of NSCs for reliable nerve regeneration has been challenging. This report discusses the biomimetic dextral hydrogel (DH) with right-handed nanofibers that specifically reprograms the lipid metabolism of NSCs, promoting their neural differentiation and rapid regeneration of damaged axons.

Engineered Extracellular Vesicles from Antler Blastema Progenitor Cells: A Therapeutic Choice for Spinal Cord Injury.

Deer antler blastema progenitor cells (ABPCs) are promising for regenerative medicine due to their role in annual antler regeneration, the only case of complete organ regeneration in mammals. ABPC-derived signals show great potential for promoting regeneration in tissues with limited natural regenerative ability. Our findings demonstrate the capability of extracellular vesicles from ABPCs (EVs) to repair spinal cord injury (SCI), a condition with low regenerative capacity.

Amantadine modulates novel macrophage phenotypes to enhance neural repair following spinal cord injury.

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers a complex inflammatory response that impedes neural repair and functional recovery. The modulation of macrophage phenotypes is thus considered a promising therapeutic strategy to mitigate inflammation and promote regeneration.

Methods: We employed microarray and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to investigate gene expression changes and immune cell dynamics in mice following crush injury at 3 and 7 days post-injury (dpi).

A Novel Deer Antler-Inspired Bone Graft Triggers Rapid Bone Regeneration.

Adult mammals are unable to regenerate bulky bone tissues, making large bone defects clinically challenging. Deer antler represents an exception to this rule, exhibiting the fastest bony growth in mammals, offering a unique opportunity to explore novel strategies for rapid bone regeneration. Here, a bone graft exploiting the biochemical, biophysical, and structural characteristics of antlers is constructed.

Unraveling the role of SSH1 in chronic neuropathic pain: A focus on LIMK1 and Cofilin Dephosphorylation in the prefrontal cortex.

Background And Objective: Neuropathic pain, a debilitating condition stemming from nervous system injuries, has profound impacts on quality of life. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) plays a crucial role in the modulation of pain perception and emotional response. This study explores the involvement of Slingshot Homolog 1 (SSH1) protein in neuropathic pain and related emotional and cognitive dysfunctions in a mouse model of spared nerve injury (SNI).

Effects of exercise on sleep quality in general population: Meta-analysis and systematic review.

Purpose: Sleep is the foundation of human physiological health and psychological health, as well as one of the basic needs for human survival. Sleep quality problems are prevalent in the population, and poor sleep quality is often closely related to the occurrence of many diseases, which seriously affects the quality of life and may even result in a shortened lifespan, so that improving sleep health has become a real problem that needs to be solved urgently. Exercise, as an important non-pharmacological tool, has been widely used for sleep quality enhancement, while the efficacy of exercise on subjective and objective sleep with respect to individual sleep quality remains controversial.

Novel self-assembled spirochiral nanofluorescent probe for fipronil detection efficiently by PET mechanism.

A novel spirochiral compound S-SPINOL-Y1 (S-6,6'-bis (thiophen-2-yl)-2,2', 3,3'-tetrahydro-1,1'-spirobis[indinee]-7,7'-diol) was synthesized via a Suzuki reaction and self-assembled into nanospheres in ethanol solution. Nano or micron vesicles could be formed by changing the concentration of ethanol solvent. The resulting nanoprobe demonstrated rapid and effective recognition of fipronil (FIP) through the photoinduced electron transfer effect (PET mechanism), as evidenced by complete fluorescence quenching.

Simultaneous and ultrafast detection of pan-SARS-coronaviruses and influenza A/B viruses by a novel multiplex real-time RT-PCR assay.

Here we report an ultrafast quadruplex RT-qPCR assay with robust diagnostic ability to detect and distinguish pan-SARS-CoVs and influenza A/B viruses within 35 min. This quadruplex RT-qPCR assay comprised of one novel RNA-based internal control targeting human β2-microglobulin (B2M) for process accuracy and three newly-designed primers-probe sets targeting the envelope protein (E) of pan-SARS-CoV, matrix protein (MP) of influenza A virus and non-structural (NS) region of influenza B virus. This quadruplex assay exhibited a sensitivity comparable to its singleplex counterparts and a slightly higher to that of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-recommended SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A/B assays.

A Portable, Integrated, Sample-In Result-Out Nucleic Acid Diagnostic Device for Rapid and Sensitive Chikungunya Virus Detection.

Chikungunya virus, a mosquito-borne virus that causes epidemics, is often misdiagnosed due to symptom similarities with other arboviruses. Here, a portable and integrated nucleic acid-based diagnostic device, which combines reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification and lateral-flow detection, was developed. The device is simple to use, precise, equipment-free, and highly sensitive, enabling rapid chikungunya virus identification.

The role of serum chloride ion in the prognosis of COPD.

Background: As exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are one of the leading causes of hospitalization and are associated with significant mortality, it is particularly important to accurately assess the risk of exacerbations in COPD. Most of the current clinical biomarkers are related to inflammation and few consider how ion levels affect COPD. Chloride ion, the second most abundant serum electrolyte, has been shown to be associated with poor prognoses in several diseases, but their relationship with COPD remains unclear.

Identification of a highly conserved neutralizing epitope within the RBD region of diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants.

The constant emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants continues to impair the efficacy of existing neutralizing antibodies, especially XBB.1.5 and EG.

Protective effects of l-cysteine and N-acetyl-l-cysteine on boar sperm quality during hypothermic liquid storage with bovine serum albumin as a protectant.

Hypothermic liquid storage at 4-5 °C has emerged as a novel approach for preserving boar semen, offering innovative possibilities for semen preservation. However, this method also presents challenges, including cold shock and excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Therefore, reducing oxidative damage induced by low temperatures becomes essential while supplementing appropriate protectants.

Negative regulation of angiogenesis and the MAPK pathway may be a shared biological pathway between IS and epilepsy.

Ischemia stroke and epilepsy are two neurological diseases that have significant patient and societal burden, with similar symptoms of neurological deficits. However, the underlying mechanism of their co-morbidity are still unclear. In this study, we performed a combined analysis of six gene expression profiles (GSE58294, GSE22255, GSE143272, GSE88723, GSE163654, and GSE174574) to reveal the common mechanisms of IS and epilepsy.