Electroacupuncture for hot flashes in early menopause: A randomized sham-controlled trial.

Background: Electroacupuncture (EA) may affect the severity of hot flashes (HFs) associated with natural menopause and provide additional benefits for postmenopausal women. However, the evidence for its effectiveness in the management of early postmenopausal HFs remains inadequately understood.

Objective: We designed this trial to assess the efficacy and safety of EA for relieving early postmenopausal HFs.

Lysyl oxidase-like 2 inhibition alleviates subretinal fibrosis in neovascular age-related macular degeneration model.

Subretinal fibrosis is a significant contributing factor to the irreversible vision loss linked with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Cellular senescence, a process implicated in the development of nAMD, has been suggested to promote fibrosis through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). LOXL2 (Lysyl oxidase-like 2) is associated with a variety of fibrotic conditions.

Universal and highly sensitive detection of influenza A virus and streptococcus pneumoniae using WGA-modified magnetic SERS nanotags-based lateral flow assay.

Infection with influenza A (FluA) virus usually leads to secondary infection with streptococcus pneumoniae (s. pneumoniae). It is urgent to develop rapid, highly sensitive, simultaneous and universal point-of-care testing (POCT) techniques for FluA and s.

Navigating the paradoxes and potential of digital phenotyping for bipolar relapse prediction.

This commentary responds to the important study by Ludwig et al. on using smartphone data and critical slowing down (CSD) to predict bipolar disorder (BD) relapse. While commending the study's methodological rigor, we highlight a key paradoxical finding: a decrease in activity variance preceding manic episodes, which challenges the classic CSD model.

A novel derivative of rhein overcomes temozolomide resistance in glioblastoma by regulating SOX9 through mA methylation.

Temozolomide (TMZ) resistance remains a critical barrier to effective treatment of glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive form of glioma. Fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO), an mA demethylase, has been implicated in tumor progression and chemoresistance. SYSUP007, a novel derivative of the FTO inhibitor rhein, exhibits anti-glioma activity; however, its role in modulating TMZ resistance remains unexplored.

Efficacy and Safety of HSK31679 in Asian Patients with MASLD: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background And Aims: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of the thyroid hormone receptor β agonist HSK31679 in Asian patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

Methods: This was a phase 2a, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study at 26 centers in China. Subjects with a liver fat content (LFC) of ≥ 8% at screening, when assessed by magnetic resonance imaging-proton density fat fraction, were eligible.

Extracellular Electron Transfer in Bioelectrochemical System and Its Role in Denitrification: Mechanisms, Enhancement Strategies, and Application Prospects.

Recent studies on bioelectrochemical system (BES) denitrification focus predominantly on removal efficiency and electrode materials, yet a comprehensive understanding of electron transfer mechanisms and process coupling remains lacking. This research critically reviews the key microbial populations, Shewanella and Geobacter, and their dynamic electron transfer pathways. It reveals how electrodes, electron shuttles, and microbial communities establish three-dimensional extracellular electron transfer (EET) networks via cytochromes, nanowires and redox shuttle molecular.

Spatial frequency as a critical modulator: How oxytocin and facial expressions jointly affect cuteness perception of infant faces.

Cuteness plays a vital role in facilitating parent-child bonding and prosocial behavior. However, few studies have examined cuteness perception from the perspective of visual information processing mechanisms. The current study employed spatial frequency (SF) as an experimental probe to investigate how stimulus-driven factor (infant facial expressions) and perceiver-dependent factors (observers' oxytocin) influence cuteness perception using a subjective rating task.

High CD4⁺ T-cell Responses in Seronegative Individuals Following SARS-CoV-2 Exposure during a Dormitory Outbreak.

Objectives: We studied individuals who remained uninfected by SARS-CoV-2 despite repeated exposures during a May-July 2020 dormitory outbreak in Singapore.

Methods: We compared immune profiles of those with exposed seronegative (ESN) (negative PCR and serology), with non-infected and infected groups. Following the lifting of quarantine, incident infection rates were compared between the ESN and non-infected cohorts.

SPINK1-related chronic pancreatitis: A model that encapsulates the spectrum of variant effects, genetic complexity, and classificatory challenges.

The widely used American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG)/Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) variant classification system is inherently limited by its binary categorization of variants as "pathogenic" or "benign," failing to account for the full spectrum of variant effects within the complex genetic architecture of human disease. Although various refinements have been proposed, a framework that adequately captures this continuum remains to be established. To address this limitation, we conducted an in-depth analysis of SPINK1 variants associated with chronic pancreatitis (CP), a disorder ranging from Mendelian to environmentally influenced forms.

Manipulation of carbon dioxide adsorption and desorption via CO₂-philic fibrous polyethyleneimines under alternating current electric fields by frequency tuning.

When subjected to an alternating current (AC) electric field, the frequency of the field introduces an extra degree of control over electrokinetic phenomena, as well as molecular alignment and structural conformation that facilitate the binding of adsorbate onto the recognition sites to enhance the performance of adsorption. Herein, Nylon-6 fibrous membrane were coated with a CO2-philic layer of molecularly imprinted polyethyleneimines (MIP) for CO capture using coaxial electrospinning. The MIP-coated Nylon6 fibrous membrane (6/MIP) was place in a electric polarization (EP) device consisting of two mesh electrodes.

Automatic generation and risk stratification of carotid plaque in virtual shear wave elastography using a generative adversarial network.

Shear wave elastography (SWE) is an effective ultrasound imaging technique for assessing carotid plaque vulnerability. However, acquiring SWE images typically requires costly specialized equipment and must be performed by experienced radiologists, which limits its accessibility, especially in remote areas. To address these limitations, we propose a workflow involving two neural networks: a U-Transformer-ConvNeXt model for the segmentation of carotid plaque in B-mode ultrasound images, and a generative adversarial network (GAN)-based model for generating virtual SWE (V-SWE) images, which eliminates the need for physical SWE acquisition.

Physical protection by soil aggregates drives carbon gains in mangrove restoration: Evidence from coastal aquaculture ponds.

Mangrove wetlands are vital carbon sinks, yet their area has sharply declined due to aquaculture. To evaluate soil carbon stock recovery, we analyzed six pond-to-mangrove restoration sites along China's southeastern coast, assessing changes in carbon components and their drivers. Restoration increased soil water content, salinity, and total nitrogen while reducing pH and bulk density.

Letter to the editor: comment on "primary visual cortex impairment due to trans-synaptic degeneration after optic neuritis: a systematic review of neuroimaging studies".

This letter addresses the systematic review by Hsiao et al. on trans-synaptic degeneration (TSD) in optic neuritis (ON), highlighting several areas for further exploration to optimize clinical management. A significant gap identified is the lack of individualized brain anatomical analysis in evaluating TSD.

Impact of Perceived Unfairness, Uncertainty, and Life Stress on Urban Residents' Health in China: Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The prevalence of stress factors in urban settings has increased, with significant potential impact on health outcomes.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the effect of perceived unfairness, uncertainty, and life stress on self-reported health status, short-term illness, and noncommunicable chronic diseases (NCDs).

Methods: A cross-sectional study using multistage stratified sampling was carried out in Xi'an, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Guiyang in China in July 2021, and 2851 participants were included in data analysis.

Early use of albumin may increase the risk of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury in sepsis patients: a target trial emulation.

Background: Most sepsis patients develop sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI), which poses a significant threat to survival and lacks specific treatment. To date, there are no published randomized controlled trials that have established a link between albumin use and SA-AKI development in sepsis. Therefore, it is unclear whether albumin use may influence the risk of SA-AKI.

The prevalence and risk factors of hyperuricemia in patients with Newly-diagnosed coronary artery disease from 2017 to 2021.

Backgrounds: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and determinants of hyperuricemia in patients with newly-diagnosed coronary artery disease (CAD) after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Methods: Hyperuricemia was defined as a serum urate level of > 5.6 mg/dl.

Exploration of autophagy-related molecular mechanisms underlying epilepsy using multiple datasets.

ObjectiveTo elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying epilepsy, we investigated autophagy-related differentially expressed genes in epilepsy patients.MethodsWe analyzed GSE143272 and GSE4290 microarray datasets from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus database, which is established based on evaluations of peripheral blood samples. Using a bioinformatics approach, autophagy-related differentially expressed genes between epilepsy patients and healthy controls were identified.

LncRNA SNHG5 modulates cell proliferation and migration through the miR-92a-3p/BTG2 axis in gastric cancer by the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Background: Gastric cancer (GC) is a widespread malignancy and associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality worldwide.

Aim: To examine the functional role of long non-coding RNAs small nucleolar RNA host gene 5 (SNHG5) and its regulation of miR-92a-3p and B-cell translocation gene 2 (BTG2) in GC progression.

Methods: Quantitative reverse transcription PCR and western blot analysis determined the expression of SNHG5, miR-92a-3p, and BTG2 in GC and adjacent non-neoplastic mucosa.

Characterization of Ginger Polysaccharide and Amelioration of High-Fat-Induced Obesity by Regulating the Energy Intake and Expenditure.

Ginger polysaccharide (GP) was obtained with a yield of 5.18%, and its main fraction GP-F1 (Mw = 109.24 kDa) was purified for structural characterization.

Changes in Gray Matter Morphology and White Matter Microstructure Across the Adult Lifespan in People With Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

Background And Objectives: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is commonly associated with mesiotemporal pathology and widespread alterations of gray and white matter structures. Evidence supports a progressive condition, although the temporal evolution of TLE is poorly defined. In this ENIGMA-Epilepsy study, we aim to investigate structural alterations in gray and white matter across the adult lifespan in patients with TLE by charting both gray and white matter changes and explore the covariance of age-related alterations in both compartments.

Atomistic Insights into Fluorinated/Chlorinated Ether-Based LHCEs on Lithium Metal: Decomposition Mechanisms via Multiscale Simulations.

The interfacial stability of localized high-concentration electrolytes (LHCEs) with fluorinated (F2DEE) or chlorinated (Cl2DEE) ether solvents critically controls lithium metal battery performance. However, atomistic mechanisms driving their solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation remain unclear. We systematically compare the decomposition pathways of 1LiFSI-1.

Giant Panda Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Promote Dermal Fibroblast Proliferation and Wound Healing.

Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (UC-MSC-Exos) represent a potential therapeutic solution for captive giant pandas. The aim of this study was elucidating the proteomic and microRNA (miRNA) profiles and discerning their functional roles constitutes an essential step towards comprehending their therapeutic mechanisms and optimizing their application in giant pandas. UC-MSC-Exos, isolated from the culture supernatant of giant panda umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) using classic ultracentrifugation, were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), and western blotting (WB).

A Sparse-Integrated Filtering Residual Spiking Neural Network for High-Accuracy Spike Sorting and Co-optimization on Memristor Platforms.

Brain-computer interfaces rely on precise decoding of neural signals, where spike sorting is a critical step to extract individual neuronal activities from complex neural data. This works presents a spiking neural network (SNN) framework for efficient spike sorting, named SIFT-RSNN. In the SIFT-RSNN, raw neural signals are encoded into spike trains using a threshold-based temporal encoding strategy, then a sparse-integrated filtering module refines misfiring spikes, enhancing data sparsity for pattern learning.