Quantitative correlation between small airway morphology with respiratory function during disease progression in COPD: CFD analysis of human airways based on CT and OCT imaging.

Background And Objective: The quantitative knowledge of the influence of the small airway disease on the functional changes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients has been severely limited.

Methods: This study presents an innovative patient-specific computational framework that integrates CT and OCT imaging data with multiscale computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. A three-dimensional tracheobronchial tree is reconstructed from CT scans of a mild COPD patient, spanning from the central airway to the 4th generation bronchial bifurcations.

Regression Modeling of Cumulative Incidence Function for Left-Truncated Right-Censored Competing Risks Data: A Modified Pseudo-observation Approach.

Statistical methods have been developed for regression modeling of the cumulative incidence function (CIF) given left-truncated right-censored competing risks data. Nevertheless, existing methods typically involve complicated weighted estimating equations or nonparametric conditional likelihood function and often require a restrictive assumption that censoring and/or truncation times are independent of failure time. The pseudo-observation (PO) approach has been used in regression modeling of CIF for right-censored competing risks data under covariate-independent censoring or covariate-dependent censoring.

Van der Waals β-GaO thin films on polycrystalline diamond substrates.

The self-heating effect in wide bandgap semiconductor devices makes epitaxial GaO on diamond substrates crucial for thermal management. However, the lack of wafer-scale single-crystal diamond and severe lattice mismatch limit its industrial application. This study presents van der Waals β-GaO (VdW-β-GaO) grown on high-thermal-conductivity polycrystalline diamond.

Pollution characteristics, pollution sources and driving factors of hexavalent chromium in groundwater: A case study in Xianyang region, China.

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) is a recognized carcinogen that poses significant risks to public health. The Xianyang area in China is characterized by groundwater Cr(VI) pollution. In this study, a coupled framework was developed by incorporating hydrochemical method, geo-statistical analysis, correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), positive matrix factorization (PMF) and the geo-detector model to identify pollution characteristics, pollution sources and associated driving factor of Cr(VI) in groundwater.

Disease-specific and overall survival for patients with lacrimal gland adenoid cystic carcinoma in recent decades.

Purpose: To evaluate the presenting symptoms, and the overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) in patients with lacrimal gland adenoid cystic carcinoma (LGACC).

Methods: This retrospective single-centre cohort study included all consecutive patients with LGACC treated by the primary author from November 1998 through August 2024. Demographic data, presenting symptoms, the histological subtype of LGACC, type of surgical treatment, adjuvant radiotherapy or chemotherapy, T category at presentation and survival data were reviewed.

Accounting for Competing Risks in the Assessment of Prognostic Biomarkers' Discriminative Accuracy.

The discriminative performance of biomarkers often changes over time and exhibits heterogeneity across subgroups defined by patient characteristics. Assessing how this performance varies with these factors is crucial for a comprehensive evaluation of biomarkers and to identify areas for improvement in sub-populations with poor performance. Additionally, the presence of competing risks complicates the assessment of discriminative performance.

Efficacy and safety of cAMP-biased GLP-1 receptor agonist ecnoglutide versus dulaglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes and elevated glucose concentrations on metformin monotherapy (EECOH-2): a 52-week, multicentre, open-label, non-inferiority, randomised, phase 3 trial.

Background: Ecnoglutide is a novel biased GLP-1 receptor agonist that preferentially activates the cAMP pathway over β-arrestin recruitment. We aimed to assess both non-inferiority and superiority of ecnoglutide versus dulaglutide, also a GLP-1 receptor agonist, in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: We conducted a 52-week, open-label, active-controlled, phase 3 trial at 52 hospitals in China.

Dynamic Long-Term Prediction With Intermediate Event Information: A Flexible Model With Bivariate Time-Varying Coefficients.

The integration of time-to-intermediate event data and the evolving characteristics of patients to enhance long-term prediction has garnered significant interest, driven by the wealth of data generated from longitudinal cohorts. In this paper, we propose sequential/dynamic prediction rules by using regression models with time-varying coefficients. We introduce a class of dynamic models that not only incorporates intermediate event information but also leverages information across different landmark times.

Population genomic analysis unravels the repeated trait evolution after the centric origin of African cultivated rice.

The origin of African cultivated rice (Oryza glaberrima) has been debated for over half a century, with many aspects of its domestication process remaining unclear. Through an extensive population analysis of 494 accessions, we found that African cultivated rice was initially domesticated from a subgroup of wild rice in Mali, supporting a centric model of origin. The genetic divergence between the cultivated rice and its wild progenitor was estimated to have occurred approximately 3,000 to 3,500 years BP, followed by a wide geographical expansion between 1,500 and 2,100 years BP.

Facet Engineering and Fe─N─Co Bridged Heterojunction Enable FeO@C@ZIF67 as High-Performance Photocatalyst for Ammonia Synthesis.

Ammonia synthesis is vital for global fertilizer production but traditionally relies on the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process, a major contributor to CO emissions. Photocatalytic nitrogen reduction reaction (PNRR) offers a sustainable alternative by harnessing solar energy under ambient conditions. However, challenges such as low nitrogen adsorption, poor conductivity, and high electron-hole recombination of the photocatalysts limit their efficiency.

Analysis of the positive influence of Qianlie Shutong capsule combined with tamsulosin on prostate health of patients with prostatitis.

Chronic prostatitis (CP) is one of the most common health issues in the male urinary system. In this study, we included 110 patients with CP as research subjects and divided them into a research group receiving Qianlie Shutong Capsule (QLSTC) combined with tamsulosin and a control group receiving tamsulosin monotherapy. Comparing their clinical efficacy, we found that the total effective rate of treatment in the research group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.

Efficacy and safety of commercially available cosmetic perioperative skincare products for non-invasive energy-based device treatment: a single-centre, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Photoelectric therapies (or non-invasive energy-based device treatment), especially picosecond lasers and intense pulsed light (IPL) treatments, are widely used to manage various cutaneous conditions, including pigmentation, inflammation, and signs of aging. However, these treatments can also impair the integrity of the skin barrier, making post-treatment repair of skin barrier function essential to maintain perioperative curative effects. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of Eucerin® UltraSensitive Soothing Care Gel (GEL) and co-use of GEL and Eucerin® UltraSensitive Repair Intensive Source Serum (CO-USE) during the perioperative procedure.

Experimental insights into iron and manganese transformation in soil during groundwater fluctuations.

Iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) are key redox-sensitive elements in soil-groundwater systems, and their primary environmental risk lies in their ability to influence the mobilization and release of co-occurring hazardous contaminants, such as arsenic. Previous studies have primarily focused on variations in aqueous-phase concentrations of Fe/Mn. However, under fluctuating groundwater conditions, the dynamic transformation mechanisms of different forms of Fe/Mn in soil remain underexplored.

Fabrication of Piezo1 protein encapsulated pressure-sensitive multifunctional hydrogel in modulating cellular response and wound healing in pressure ulcer conditions.

Pressure ulcers (PUs) are prevalent skin lesions characterized by significant morbidity, susceptibility to infection, and a complex healing process. This study aims at the synthesis of piezo1 protein-encapsulated, pressure-sensitive multifunctional hydrogel to modulate cellular response and promote wound healing in PUW conditions. The hydrogel synthesized from carboxyl methyl cellulose hydrogel exhibits the optimal swelling ratio and is found to have a high storage modulus (G').

Comprehensive network pharmacology and experimental study to investigate the effects and mechanisms of Lophatherum gracile Brongn. for glioma treatment.

Background: Gliomas are challenging to treat due to their invasive nature and resistance to conventional therapies. Recent study has revealed that Lophatherum gracile Brongn. extract has anti-cancer properties on fibrosarcoma cell.

Van Der Waals Integration of 4-Inch Single-Crystalline III-Nitride Semiconductors.

Heteroepitaxy III-nitride semiconductors on 2D materials, characterized by a van der Waals (vdW) interface, enables strain relaxation, reduction in dislocation density, and facile release from substrate. However, the limited wettability of 2D materials and weak interfacial interactions pose significant challenges in achieving ordered crystallographic orientation of III-nitride semiconductors at the wafer scale. Here, this study has been successfully developed a polarization-engineered vdW integration strategy (PEVIS) for the growth of wafer-scale single-crystalline III-nitride semiconductors.

Efficacy and safety of a biased GLP-1 receptor agonist ecnoglutide in adults with overweight or obesity: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial.

Background: Ecnoglutide is a novel cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-biased GLP-1 receptor agonist currently in development for weight management. We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of once weekly ecnoglutide versus placebo for the treatment of overweight or obesity in Chinese adults.

Methods: This randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial was done at 36 medical centres across China.

Triglyceride-glucose index and its related factors may be predictors for cardiovascular disease among Chinese postmenopausal women: a 12-year cohort study.

Background: This study investigated and compared the abilities of the triglyceride glucose index (TyG) and its correlated factors involving TyG-body mass index (TyG-BMI), TyG-waist-to-height ratio (TyG-WHtR), and TyG-waist circumference (TyG-WC) to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Chinese postmenopausal women. This topic has not been adequately explored in the existing literature.

Methods: This prospective study included 1110 Chinese postmenopausal women, stratified into the CVD group and the non-CVD group.

TROP2 is highly expressed in cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas and a subset of adnexal carcinomas: A potential therapeutic target with TROP2-directed antibody drug conjugates.

Trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (TROP2) has emerged as a promising therapeutic target in oncology. TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are now approved for treating advanced malignancies such as breast carcinomas by the Food and Drug Administration. However, the expression patterns and potential therapeutic relevance of TROP2 in cutaneous neoplasms remain largely unexplored.

Luteolin improves precancerous conditions of the gastric mucosa by binding STAT3 and inhibiting LCN2 expression.

Inhibition of malignant transformation from the precancerous stage has important clinical value for the prevention of gastric cancer. Here, we report a strategy to inhibit precancerous gastric conditions by Luteolin (Lut). Lut treatment resulted in remarkable resistance to oxyntic atrophy, spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia (SPEM), and gastric mucosal injury in tamoxifen (TAM)-treated mice, chenodeoxycholic acid-treated rats, and human organoids.

INSM1: A highly sensitive marker for primary and metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma, superior to SOX11, pancytokeratin, and CK20.

Detection of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) micrometastases in sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) often necessitates immunohistochemical studies like pancytokeratin (panCK) or CK20. However, panCK can label non-epithelial cells, particularly dendritic reticulum cells, complicating interpretation, while CK20 is absent in up to 24 % of MCCs, leading to potential false negatives. Recent evidence suggests SOX11 and INSM1 as sensitive nuclear neuroendocrine markers, though their comparative performance in this setting remains unclear.

Groundwater nitrate contamination around a municipal landfill: hydrogeochemical insights, source identification, and health risk assessment.

This study intended to investigate the hydrochemical characteristics and sources of nitrate (NO-N) in groundwater, and to evaluate the potential health risks in the vicinity of the Jiangcungou landfill in Northwest China. To fulfill these purposes, a total of 41 groundwater sourced primarily from the phreatic aquifer were collected and analyzed. The study found that NO-N concentrations in the area varied between 0.

A module involving SEED SHATTERING 1 facilitates seed shattering by suppressing lignin biosynthesis in rice.

Reduced seed shattering is a key goal in crop domestication and improvement. Seed shattering 1 (Sh1) was parallel selected during the domestication of the Poaceae family. Investigating the regulatory network of OsSh1 in controlling seed shattering in rice (Oryza sativa L.

Cmtm4 Deficiency Inhibits Helicobacter pylori-Induced Gastric Carcinogenesis.

Helicobacter pylori is the main pathogenic factor in gastric cancer (GC), and the interleukin (IL)-17-mediated inflammatory response plays a crucial role in both H. pylori infection and gastric carcinogenesis. CMTM4, a subunit of the IL-17 receptor (IL-17R), has been implicated in immune responses, but its role in GC development remains unclear.