Potential role of 4-hydroxyisoleucine in enhancing fertility in male mice with diet-induced obesity.

Background: Obesity is associated with hormonal imbalance, increased oxidative stress, and inflammation in the testis. These conditions adversely affect sperm quality, leading to impaired male fertility. Therefore, therapeutic interventions to counteract the adverse effects of obesity are crucial.

Positioning nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics within the framework of male infertility exploration.

Male infertility, a complex result of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors, has gained significant focus in contemporary medical research. The intricate interplay between genetics, nutrition, and male fertility is crucial for understanding the complex mechanisms that underlie male reproductive health. The twenty-first century has seen a paradigm shift in medicine, where holistic personalized medical care is posited to be ideal and effective.

Potent Inhibition of Human Betacoronaviruses by a Short Double-Stapled Peptide Mimicking the HR2 Core Region in Viral Spike Protein.

A small hexameric coiled-coil fusion complex formed by the interaction between α-helical motif of heptad repeat 2 (HR2) and HR1 core site (HR1) in human betacoronavirus spike protein plays a crucial role in facilitating membrane fusion. Formation of the six-helix bundle involves the evolutionary conservation of key residues in the HR1 region. Therefore, to recapitulate the native conformation of the HR2 peptide α-helix and the HR1 site conserved residues, we employed hydrocarbon double-stapling.

POSTN-Mediated Interplay of M1 Polarized Macrophage with Tendon-Derived Stem Cells to Drive Traumatic Heterotopic Ossification Formation through PTK7/ATK Signaling?

Tendinous heterotopic ossification can cause pain and restricted joint mobility in affected areas, and it is a common and severe complication following tendon injuries. This condition significantly reduces the postoperative quality of life of patients, and its incidence is increasing year by year. Due to the unclear pathogenesis, there are currently no effective treatment methods.

Distinct effects of three knee-preserving surgeries on hip-knee-ankle alignment in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Background: Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA), high tibial osteotomy (HTO), and distal femoral osteotomy (DFO) are common knee-preserving surgeries for knee osteoarthritis (KOA), yet systematic comparisons of their effects on lower limb biomechanical parameters remain limited.

Objective: To retrospectively evaluate and compare the impacts of UKA, HTO, and DFO on hip-knee-ankle alignment in KOA patients, providing evidence for personalized surgical strategy formulation. We hypothesized that these procedures would exert differential effects on specific alignment parameters.

Association between inflammatory proteins and rotator cuff tears: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

Previous research suggests a link between inflammatory proteins and rotator cuff tears, but the specific protein remains unclear. This two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study used genetic variants from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 14,824 primarily European participants. We analyzed 91 circulating inflammatory proteins using inverse variance weighting (IVW) and validated results with MR-Egger, the weighted median approach, and sensitivity tests.

Critical care, critical gaps: assessment of burnout and behavioral profiles of ICU healthcare workers in China-a multicenter cross-sectional study.

Background: Burnout in intensive care unit (ICU) healthcare workers (HCWs) is a persistent threat to patient safety and workforce stability. While most evidence is derived from crisis settings, the behavioral determinants of burnout in routine, post-pandemic ICUs remain under-explored. This study applies a Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) framework to assess burnout-related KAP and identify its demographic, occupational, and institutional predictors.

Commodity Polymer Functionalization by a Combination of Hydrogen Atom Transfer Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer Polymerization and Pentafluorophenyl-Ester-Ligation Chemistry.

Development of highly efficient and versatile strategies for functionalization of commodity polymers direct from carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds has attracted growing interest due to the ubiquity of C-H bonds in various commodity polymers and the great desire for upcycle of commodity polymers. However, the efficiency of C-H activation is usually low (<20%) and only one (potential) functional unit was introduced into each activated C-H bond. The low content of introduced functional units could be one great hindrance to the improvement of performance of resulting polymers.

DSF-YOLO for weld defect detection in X-ray images with dynamic staged fusion.

Weld defect detection poses significant challenges including ambiguous boundaries, diverse defect shapes, and the requirement for precise localization. To address these issues, we propose DSF-YOLO, a novel framework specifically designed for pipeline weld defect detection. DSF-YOLO introduces three core innovations.

Crystallization-Driven Self-Assembly of Oligo(-phenylenevinylene) Derivatives toward π-Conjugated Nanostructures: The Effect of Chain Length and Chain End Groups.

Crystallization-driven self-assembly (CDSA) of π-conjugated homopolymers/oligomers has emerged as a versatile strategy to generate various nanostructures without an extra polymer corona layer. However, this field remains in its infancy, with rare reports concerning this topic. To get an in-depth understanding of how the structure of π-conjugated homopolymers/oligomers affects CDSA behavior, in this contribution, a series of oligo(-phenylenevinylene) derivatives (OPV, where the subscript represents the number of repeat units) with different chain lengths ( = 3, 4, or 5) and chain end groups of aldehyde (CHO) and cyano/carboxyl (CN/COOH) were synthesized.

Clinical Pathological Features and Carcinogenic Risk Factors of Colorectal Lateral Spreading Tumors With Skirt Features.

This study aims to investigate the clinical pathological features of colorectal lateral spreading tumors (LSTs) with skirt features and the associated carcinogenic risk factors. A total of 390 cases of colorectal LSTs, treated via endoscopy at the Digestive Endoscopy Center of the 900th Hospital of the People's Liberation Army Joint Logistics Support Force between January 2021 and August 2023, were included. The cases were categorized into a skirt group (30 cases) and a group without a skirt (360 cases) based on the presence of skirt features.

Key indicators for guiding tocilizumab therapy to prevent orbital decompression surgery in hormone-resistant dysthyroid optic neuropathy.

Introduction: Tocilizumab (TCZ) has been demonstrated to be effective in treating thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO); however, its efficacy in hormone-resistant dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON) remains unclear. This study aims to identify baseline and post-treatment indicators that can predict the necessity for surgical intervention following TCZ therapy.

Methods: Thirty-one hormone-resistant DON patients treated with TCZ were categorized into surgery (n=15, 7 males, 8 females) and non-surgery (n=16, 8 males, 8 females) groups based on their post-TCZ surgical status.

Development and validation of a novel modified cancer cachexia index in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy: a multicenter cohort study.

Background: Although the cachexia index(CXI) is a well established prognostic predictor in gastric cancer(GC) patients, its effectiveness in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer(LAGC) who have undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy(NACT) remains unclear.

Methods: This multicenter study included 600 LAGC patients treated with NACT from January 2010 to June 2022. A modified CXI was constructed based on Random Forest model, calculated as (post-NACT subcutaneous adipose tissue area at L3) ×(post-NACT serum albumin)/(post-NACT platelet count).

Snhg12 targets miR-199a-5p to regulate osteogenic differentiation of TDSCs via the Fzd4/Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the formation of bone tissue outside the normal skeletal structure following musculoskeletal injury. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a regulatory role in guiding stem cell differentiation towards osteogenic lineages. Through lncRNA sequencing in this study, we observed an up-regulation of small nucleolar RNA host gene 12 (Snhg12) in HO tissues.

Direct interoceptive input to the insular cortex shapes learned feeding behavior.

The insular cortex (insula) is an interoceptive hub, which senses internal states such as hunger, thirst, pain, and emotions. Previous studies suggest that the insula directly senses internal states, but the mechanisms remain elusive. We identified a population of leptin receptor-positive cells with a unique morphology in the insula (INS).

Effects of Nursing Interventions During Delivery on Pain Relief and Labor Progression in Vaginal Deliveries.

Background The beneficial influence of nursing interventions upon the mother during natural childbirth is profound, though it has, as yet, not been tangibly identified. This is particularly important and of clinical relevance in the regulation of pain levels experienced by the mother in such an important life event. Aims This study aims to evaluate the effects of nursing intervention during delivery on pain relief and labor progression in vaginal delivery women.

Preparation of Polypyrrole/Montmorillonite/Polypropylene Composite Membranes and Investigation of Their Adsorption Performance for Methyl Orange and Pb.

This study investigates the efficient and recyclable use of polymer-based membrane materials in wastewater treatment, focusing on calcium-based montmorillonite (Ca-MMT), pyrrole (Py), and polypropylene (PP). Through sodium activation, organic modification, pyrrole intercalation, and in situ polymerization, polypyrrole/montmorillonite (PPy/MMT) was synthesized. A polypyrrole/montmorillonite/polypropylene composite membrane (PPy/MMT/PP) was then fabricated using melt compression and coating techniques for pollutant adsorption.

Paradoxical effects of adiposity and inflammation on immunotherapy efficacy in gastric cancer: novel insights from real-world data.

Background: Emerging studies suggest obesity may improve PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor efficacy, correlating with prolonged survival, known as the 'obesity paradox'. However, the impact of this paradox and obesity-related chronic inflammation on immunotherapy for advanced gastric cancer (AGC) has not received sufficient research.

Methods: Between January 2018 and December 2021, patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy were categorized into two groups: combined immunotherapy (ICIs, n = 173) and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC, n = 126).

The relationship between physical activity and overactive bladder among American adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANES 2007-2018.

This study aimed to explore the association between physical activity (PA) and the risk of Overactive Bladder (OAB) in American adults. This analysis comprises a cross-sectional study of comprehensive population data collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys spanning the years 2007 to 2018. Adults were categorized into four PA patterns (inactive, insufficiently active, weekend warrior, and regularly active) based on self-reported PA levels.

Timing of postoperative chemotherapy and prognosis in neoadjuvant-treated gastric cancer patients: a multicenter real-world cohort study.

Background: The optimal time to chemotherapy (TTC) in locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NLAGC) remains unclear.

Methods: Consecutive 524 patients with NLAGC between Jan. 2010 and Dec.

Risk Factors of Catheter-Related Thrombosis in Elderly Patients with Lung Cancer Based on Thromboelastography: A Retrospective, Case-Control Study.

Catheter-related thrombosis (CRT) poses serious risks for cancer patients. Identifying risk factors and implementing targeted interventions can prevent CRT. To explore thromboelastogram parameters and clinical risk factors for CRT in elderly lung cancer patients.

Metal-centred planar [15]annulenes.

The discovery of ferrocene heralded the advent of modern organometallic chemistry. Characterized by the π-coordination of a metal by one or two planar annulene anions, ferrocenes and their analogues exemplify the archetype of out-of-plane annulene metal complexes. By contrast, the integration of metal within the annulene core to form in-plane annulene metal complexes featuring metal-carbon σ bonds has been obstructed not only by the synthetic difficulty and the non-planarity of annulenes with appropriate internal dimensions, but also by the difficulty of embedding the metal.

Tailoring Self-Organized Growth of Biomimetic Inorganic-Organic Multilayers with a Permeable Microcompartment.

Organisms such as marine glass sponges, molluscan animals, crustaceans, and mammals develop inorganic-organic multilayers in ambient conditions. This structural motif of inorganic-organic multilayers has a central function in reconciling strength and toughness, nacre being a well-studied example. Although biomimetic multilayers have been successfully processed through particle assembly and multistep deposition, the development of a self-organized approach to transforming molecular subunits into this macroscopic architecture remains a challenging task.

Ankle alignment before and after total knee arthroplasty in patients with valgus knee deformity.

Background: The impact of Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) on the biomechanics of bilateral ankle joints with valgus knees remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate how unilateral TKA affects bilateral ankle tilt, limb alignment, and biomechanics in knee valgus.

Methods: Among 105 patients with end-stage knee osteoarthritis and mild-to-moderate valgus deformity who underwent TKA between January 2021 and June 2023, 86 were included in the study retrospectively.