Glycolysis to lactylation: Unraveling the metabolic and epigenetic landscape in tissue fibrosis (Review).

Tissue fibrosis represents a pathological condition characterized by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) components. Although historically considered a byproduct of glycolysis, lactate has emerged as a key signaling molecule influencing diverse physiological and pathological processes, including fibrosis. Roles have emerged for lactate metabolism and lactylation, a novel post‑translational modification, in regulating fibroblast activation, ECM deposition and fibrotic progression.

Role of the TGF‑β/Smad signaling pathway in the transition from acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease (Review).

The progression from acute kidney injury (AKI) to chronic kidney disease (CKD) has become a focal point of investigation, with the TGF‑β/Smad signaling pathway emerging as a key mediator in this process. The present review assesses how TGF‑β/Smad contributes to renal fibrosis and the subsequent deterioration of kidney function following AKI. Drawing on recent experimental and clinical findings, this study explores how pathway activation promotes tubular cell injury, inflammation and interstitial fibrosis.

Time-Frequency Characteristics of Vehicle-Bridge Interaction System for Structural Damage Detection Using Multi-Synchrosqueezing Transform.

Structural damage in bridges is typically a local phenomenon. When a vehicle passes over the damage location, it induces a local response, which is highly sensitive to the damage. The interaction between the bridge and moving vehicle is a non-stationary time-varying process.

Emp3 promotes the progression of renal fibrosis in mice with unilateral ureteral obstruction by activating TGF-β/Smad3 signaling pathway.

Background: Epithelial membrane protein 3 (Emp3), an N-glycosylated tetraspanin, is known to regulate tumor progression; however, its role in renal fibrosis (RF) remains unclear. This study aims to elucidate the function of Emp3 in RF.

Methods: To evaluate Emp3's role, we utilized electroporation to deliver the Emp3-targeting RfxCas13d knockdown plasmid into the kidney cells of C57BL/6 mice, followed by the well-established unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) model.

Polarity-Tuned Lipid Droplet-Specific Probe for Heart Failure Imaging.

Heart failure (HF) is the ultimate development trend of most cardiovascular diseases, and a poor prognosis would result in serious consequences. Lately, the involvement of lipid droplets (LDs) in cardiovascular pathogenesis has garnered growing scientific recognition. Aberrant polarity alterations of LDs may destroy the balance of lipid metabolism, which is mechanistically linked to the occurrence and development of HF.

The Role of Cuproptosis in Hyperoxia-Induced Lung Injury and Its Potential for Treatment.

Background: Oxygen supplementation is essential for patients with a multitude of diseases but can cause severe hyperoxia-induced lung injury (HLI), necessitating the identification of therapeutic targets to improve clinical outcomes. Cuproptosis, a novel copper-dependent form of cell death characterized by proteotoxic stress resulting from lipoylated protein aggregation and loss of iron-sulfur cluster proteins, is distinct from other forms of cell death. However, the role of cuproptosis in HLI remains unclear.

Innovative ag-AgCl@TiO@cellulose nanofiber porous composites with Z-scheme heterojunction for enhanced adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of formaldehyde.

Photocatalysis has emerged as one of the most promising technologies for formaldehyde purification owing to its green, safe, and cost-effective properties. However, most photocatalysts exhibit poor light absorption properties and exist as powders, limiting their large-scale application. To address this challenge, Ag-AgCl@TiO@cellulose nanofiber porous composites were prepared by integrating the photocatalysts into a cellulose matrix through physical/chemical dual crosslinking, photoreduction, and freeze-drying.

Visual Diagnosis of Drug-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis Based on a Mitochondrial Viscosity-Activated Red Fluorescent Probe.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, and irreversible fatal disease, the prevalence of which has been increasing in recent years. Nonradiographic and noninvasive early diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis could improve prognosis but is a formidable challenge. As one of the fundamental microenvironmental parameters, viscosity is relevant to various pathological states, such as acute inflammation.

Efficacy and safety of different dosages of rituximab for myasthenia gravis: a single-arm meta-analysis.

Background: Rituximab (RTX) is one of the treatment options for refractory myasthenia gravis (MG), yet the optimal dosing schedule remains undetermined. Our study aims to explore this issue and offer a valuable reference for clinical dosing.

Methods: This is a single-arm meta-analysis.

Real-world efficacy and safety of azvudine in hospitalized older patients with COVID-19 during the omicron wave in China: A retrospective cohort study.

Debates persist regarding the efficacy and safety of azvudine, particularly its real-world outcomes. This study involved patients aged ≥60 years who were admitted to 25 hospitals in mainland China with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between December 1, 2022, and February 28, 2023. Efficacy outcomes were all-cause mortality during hospitalization, the proportion of patients discharged with recovery, time to nucleic acid-negative conversion ( ), time to symptom improvement ( ), and time of hospital stay ( ).

Prescribing rate, healthcare utilization, and expenditure of older adults using potentially inappropriate medications in China: A nationwide cross-sectional study.

Background: The use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) is a major concern for medication safety as it may entail more harm than potential benefits for older adults. This study aimed to explore the prescribing rate, healthcare utilization, and expenditure of older adults using PIMs in China.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using a national representative database of all medical insurance beneficiaries across China, extracting ambulatory visit records of adults aged 65 years and above between 2015 and 2017.

Iron-Quercetin complex enhances mesenchymal stem cell-mediated HGF secretion and c-Met activation to ameliorate acute kidney injury through the prevention of tubular cell apoptosis.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a life-threatening clinical syndrome with no effective treatment currently available. This study aims to investigate whether Iron-Quercetin complex (IronQ) pretreatment can enhance the therapeutic efficacy of Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in AKI and explore the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: A cisplatin-induced AKI model was established in male C57BL/6 mice, followed by the intravenous administration of 1x10ˆ6 MSCs or IronQ-pretreated MSCs (MSC).

Ultrasound localization microscopy in the diagnosis of breast tumors and prediction of relevant histologic biomarkers associated with prognosis in humans: the protocol for a prospective, multicenter study.

Background: Benign and malignant breast tumors differ in their microvasculature morphology and distribution. Histologic biomarkers of malignant breast tumors are also correlated with the microvasculature. There is a lack of imaging technology for evaluating the microvasculature.

A red turn-on fluorescent probe reveals elevated HO in cell anesthesia.

Cognitive dysfunction has become an important central nervous system (CNS)-related adverse reaction of intravenous anesthetics. Therefore, to further understand the role of HO, a potential marker of cognitive dysfunction, we constructed a fluorescent probe (LJ-1), which could specifically enable real-time detection of HO in cells during anesthesia.

Resveratrol liposomes reverse sorafenib resistance in renal cell carcinoma models by modulating PI3K-AKT-mTOR and VHL-HIF signaling pathways.

RCC is a malignant tumor arising from the urothelium of renal parenchyma that remains challenging to be treated. In this study, we assessed the anti-tumor effects of Resveratrol liposomes (RES-lips) combined with sorafenib on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and explored the potential mechanisms underlying the improvement of sorafenib resistance models. Tumor growth and survival following treatment with sorafenib alone or in combination with RES-lips was evaluated in a RCC xenograft mouse model.

Retrospective Analysis of Risk Factors for Cefoperazone/Sulbactam-Induced Thrombocytopenia in Adult Chinese Patients: A Six-Year Real-World Study.

Background: Drug-induced thrombocytopenia is a rare adverse reaction of drug therapy and usually underdiagnosed. Cefoperazone/sulbactam is a compound preparation composed of the third generation of cephalosporin and β-lactamase inhibitor, of which thrombocytopenia is an uncommon but serious adverse reaction. However, the existing literature on cefoperazone/sulbactam-induced thrombocytopenia remains limited, and the specific risk factors associated with this adverse effect have not been thoroughly elucidated.

Evaluation of compressive damage in concrete using ultrasonic nonlinear coda wave interferometry.

This study investigates the feasibility of nonlinear coda wave interferometry (NCWI) for evaluating compressive damage in concrete, with a particular focus on the interference caused by the compressive stress-induced slow dynamics. Slow dynamics refers to a phenomenon in which the stiffness of concrete immediately decreases after moderate mechanical conditioning and then logarithmically evolves back to its initial value over time. A series of experiments were conducted to validate this concept.

TGF‑β/Smad signaling in chronic kidney disease: Exploring post‑translational regulatory perspectives (Review).

The TGF‑β/Smad signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in the onset of glomerular and tubulointerstitial fibrosis in chronic kidney disease (CKD). The present review delves into the intricate post‑translational modulation of this pathway and its implications in CKD. Specifically, the impact of the TGF‑β/Smad pathway on various biological processes was investigated, encompassing not only renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis, inflammation, myofibroblast activation and cellular aging, but also its role in autophagy.

Calycosin inhibited MIF-mediated inflammatory chemotaxis of macrophages to ameliorate ischemia reperfusion-induced acute kidney injury.

Background: Inflammatory macrophage infiltration plays a critical role in acute kidney disease induced by ischemia-reperfusion (IRI-AKI). Calycosin is a natural flavone with multiple bioactivities. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic role of calycosin in IRI-AKI and its underlying mechanism.

Hederagenin improves renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy by regulating Smad3/NOX4/SLC7A11 signaling-mediated tubular cell ferroptosis.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a common complication of diabetes, characterized by renal fibrosis and poor patient prognosis. Hederagenin (HDG) has shown promising improvement in chronic kidney disease (CKD) kidney fibrosis, but its mechanism in DN-induced kidney fibrosis remains unclear. In this study, a model of diabetic nephropathy (DN) in mice was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozocin (50 mg/kg), while in vitro, high glucose (25 mM) was used to induce HK2 cell damage, simulating tubular injury in DN kidneys.

Mincle as a potential intervention target for the prevention of inflammation and fibrosis (Review).

Macrophage‑inducible C‑type lectin receptor (Mincle) is predominantly found on antigen‑presenting cells. It can recognize specific ligands when stimulated by certain pathogens such as fungi and . This recognition triggers the activation of the nuclear factor‑κB pathway, leading to the production of inflammatory factors and contributing to the innate immune response of the host.