Successful treatment of resistant hypertension and severe complications in a 63-year-old man with primary aldosteronism without adrenalectomy: A case report.

Primary aldosteronism (PA), often due to aldosteronoma, commonly causes secondary hypertension and typically requires surgery. We present a case of an elderly man with longstanding hypertension, complicated by cerebral hemorrhage and myocardial infarction. Enhanced CT imaging identified a right-sided aldosteronoma and left adrenal gland fullness.

Ultra-Strong Janus Covalent Organic Framework Membrane with Smart Response to Organic Vapor.

Vapor-driven smart Janus materials have made significant advancements in intelligent monitoring, control, and interaction, etc. Nevertheless, the development of ultrafast response single-layer Janus membrane, along with a deep exploration of the smart response mechanisms, remains a long-term endeavor. Here, the successful synthesis of a high-crystallinity single-layer Covalent organic framework (COF) Janus membrane is reported by morphology control.

Dynamic Insights into the Growth Mechanisms of 2D Covalent Organic Frameworks on Graphene Surfaces.

Producing high-quality two-dimensional (2D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) is crucial for industrial applications. However, this remains significantly challenging with current synthetic techniques. A deep understanding of the intermolecular interactions, reaction temperature, and oligomers is essential to facilitate the growth of highly crystalline COF films.

Ultrastretchable Helical Carbon Nanotube-Woven Film.

Helical carbon nanotube (HCNT) is regarded as one of the most promising nanomaterials due to its excellent tensile strength and superhigh stretchability. Here, a novel HCNT-woven film (HWF) is proposed, and its in-plane and out-of-plane mechanical properties are systematically investigated via molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The MD results show that HWF possesses highly stretchable capability resulting from sliding and straightening of CNT segments, and the maximum tensile strain can reach 2113%.

Modern techniques in addressing facial acne scars: A thorough analysis.

Background: Facial acne scars are a prevalent concern, leading to the development of various treatment modalities.

Objectives: This review aims to explore the latest advancements in the treatment of facial acne scars, focusing on both surgical and non-surgical methods.

Methods: The non-surgical treatments reviewed include topical medications (such as retinoids and alpha hydroxy acids) and non-invasive procedures (like microdermabrasion and chemical peels).

Cathepsin D Attenuates the Proliferation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells Induced by the AGE/RAGE Pathway by Suppressing the ERK Signal.

Background: In this study, we aimed to clarify the role and mechanism by which Cathepsin D (CTSD) mediates the advanced glycation end products (AGEs)-induced proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs).

Methods: We conducted a Western blotting assay and co-immunoprecipitation assay to detect the expression of target proteins and the interaction between different proteins. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and 5- ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) were used to evaluate the proliferation.

High Impact Resistance of 2D MXene with Multiple Fracture Modes.

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides/nitrides (MXenes) are promising nanomaterials due to their remarkable mechanical and electrical properties. However, the out-of-plane mechanical properties of MXene under impact loading remain unclear. Here, particular impact-resistant fracture behaviors and energy dissipation mechanisms of MXene were systemically investigated via molecular dynamics (MD) simulation.

Classification of Citrus Huanglongbing Degree Based on CBAM-MobileNetV2 and Transfer Learning.

Citrus has become a pivotal industry for the rapid development of agriculture and increasing farmers' incomes in the main production areas of southern China. Knowing how to diagnose and control citrus huanglongbing has always been a challenge for fruit farmers. To promptly recognize the diagnosis of citrus huanglongbing, a new classification model of citrus huanglongbing was established based on MobileNetV2 with a convolutional block attention module (CBAM-MobileNetV2) and transfer learning.

Mechanisms underlying pathological scarring by fibroblasts during wound healing.

Pathological scarring is an abnormal outcome of wound healing, which often manifests as excessive proliferation and transdifferentiation of fibroblasts (FBs), and excessive deposition of the extracellular matrix. FBs are the most important effector cells involved in wound healing and scar formation. The factors that promote pathological scar formation often act on the proliferation and function of FB.

Multiple Impact-Resistant 2D Covalent Organic Framework.

Exploring and designing two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials for armor-piercing protection has become a research focus. Here, by molecular dynamics simulation, we revealed that the ultralight monolayer covalent organic framework (COF), one kind of novel 2D crystalline polymer, possesses superior impact-resistant capability under high-velocity impact. The calculated specific penetration energy is much higher than that of other traditional impact-resistant materials, such as steel, poly(methyl methacrylate), Kevlar, etc.

Mechanical and thermal properties of carbon nanotubes in carbon nanotube fibers under tension-torsion loading.

In carbon nanotube fibers (CNFs) fabricated by spinning methods, it is well-known that the mechanical and thermal performances of CNFs are highly dependent on the mechanical and thermal properties of the inherent CNTs. Furthermore, long CNTs are usually preferred to assemble CNFs because the interaction and entanglement between long CNTs are effectively stronger than between short CNTs. However, in CNFs fabricated using long CNTs, the interior carbon nanotubes (CNTs) inevitably undergo both tension and torsion loading when they are stretched, which would influence the mechanical and thermal performances of CNFs.

An improved transformer network for skin cancer classification.

Background: Use of artificial intelligence to identify dermoscopic images has brought major breakthroughs in recent years to the early diagnosis and early treatment of skin cancer, the incidence of which is increasing year by year worldwide and poses a great threat to human health. Achievements have been made in the research of skin cancer image classification by using the deep backbone of the convolutional neural network (CNN). This approach, however, only extracts the features of small objects in the image, and cannot locate the important parts.

A Signature of Genes Featuring Revealed Aberrant Fibroblast Activation and Immune Infiltration Properties in Keloid Tissue.

Keloid is a fibroproliferative disorder in the skin, which manifested with extensive deposition of collagen and extracellular matrix. Its etiology remains a mystery and its recurrence rate remains high despite combinative treatment regimens. Current hypotheses of its pathogenesis centered on the role of inflammatory processes as well as immune infiltration in the microenvironment.

Value of a Signature of Immune-Related Genes in Predicting the Prognosis of Melanoma and Its Responses to Immune Checkpoint Blocker Therapies.

Melanoma is becoming increasingly common worldwide, with high rates of transformation into malignancy compared to other skin lesions. The prognosis of patients with melanoma at an advanced stage is highly unsatisfying despite the development of immunotherapy, target therapy, or combinative therapy. The major barrier to exploiting immune checkpoint therapies and achieving the best benefits clinically is resistance that can easily develop if regimens are not selected appropriately.

Effect of different alcohol consumption levels on the left atrial size: A cross-sectional study in rural China.

Objective: Previous studies have investigated the relationship between alcohol and ventricular structure; however, few studies have evaluated the relation between alcohol consumption and the atrium size. In this study, we aimed to test the association between alcohol consumption and left atrium (LA) size in the general population.

Methods: A population-based sample of 10,211 subjects aged ≥35 years and free from hypertension at baseline were followed from January 2012 to August 2013.

Thermal transport properties of graphite carbon nitride.

Graphite carbon nitride (GCN), which can be regarded as a nitrogen heteroatom-substituted graphite framework, has attracted great attention as a new 2D layered structure material with semiconductor electronic characteristics. Using molecular dynamics simulations, the in-plane thermal conductivity and cross-plane thermal resistance of two GCN structures (i.e.

Effect of strain and defects on the thermal conductance of the graphene/hexagonal boron nitride interface.

In-plane heterojunctions, obtained by seamlessly joining two or more nanoribbon edges of isolated two-dimensional atomic crystals such as graphene and hexagonal boron nitride, are emerging as nanomaterials for the development of future multifunctional devices. The thermal transport behavior at the interface of these heterojunctions plays a pivotal role in determining their functional performance. Using molecular dynamics simulations, the interfacial thermal conductance of graphene/hexagonal boron nitride (GE/BN) in-plane heterojunctions was investigated.

Thermal conductivity of two-dimensional BC: a comparative study with two-dimensional CN.

The thermal conductivities of single-layer BC (SLBC) sheets and their responses to environmental temperature, vacancy defects and external strain have been studied and compared with those of single-layer CN (SLCN) sheets by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We found that SLBC and SLCN are isotropic in the basal plane and that their predicted thermal conductivities for infinite length sheets are 488.54 W m K and 799.

The promoting effect of enteric materials on the oral absorption of larotaxel-loaded polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles.

Enteric polymers have been found with absorption promotion effect on nanoparticles. To study the role of enteric polymers played in the process of oral nanoparticle delivery, Eudragit L100-55 (EU) and sodium alginate (SA) were selected as model enteric polymers and larotaxel (LTX) as model drug. Suspensions composed of LTX-loaded nanoparticles, HPMC and different enteric polymers (EU and SA) were prepared (NP@EU, NP@SA).

Effect of supersaturation on the oral bioavailability of paclitaxel/polymer amorphous solid dispersion.

The aim of the present investigation was to evaluate the effect of supersaturation on the oral absorption of paclitaxel (PTX) in vivo. To achieve this, a PTX amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) was prepared by the solvent cast method. Among the enteric polymers tested, hypromellose acetate succinate (HPMCAS) MF was found to be the most suitable polymer for maintaining PTX supersaturation and inhibiting crystallization in vitro.

Disulfiram-loaded mixed nanoparticles with high drug-loading and plasma stability by reducing the core crystallinity for intravenous delivery.

To develop an injectable formulation and improve the stability of disulfiram (DSF), DSF was encapsulated into mixed nanoparticles (DSF-NPs) through a high-pressure homogenization method. The Flory-Huggins interaction parameters (χ) were calculated to predict the miscibility between DSF and the hydrophobic core, resulting in PCL selected as the hydrophobic block to encapsulate the DSF, as PCL had a lower χ 3.39 and the drug loading of the nanoparticles prepared by mPEG-PCL was relatively higher.

Biopharmaceutical characters and bioavailability improving strategies of ginsenosides.

Deglycosylation is the most important gastrointestinal metabolism in which ginsenosides are split off from glycosyl moieties by the enzymes secreted from intestinal microflora, and two possible metabolic pathways of protopanaxdiol-type ginsenosides (PPD-type ginsenosides) and protopanaxtriol-type ginsenosides (PPT-type ginsenosides) have been concluded. The former is deglycosylated at C-3 and/or C-20, and transformed to protopanaxdiol (PPD). By comparison, the latter is deglycosylated at C-6 and/or C-20, and eventually transformed to protopanaxtriol (PPT) instead.

mPEG- b-PLGA/PCL/MCT Mixed Micelles as Carriers of Disulfiram for Improving Plasma Stability and Antitumor Effect in Vivo.

The clinical application of disulfiram (DSF) in cancer treatments is hindered by its rapid degradation in the blood circulation. In this study, methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)- b-poly(lactide- co-glycolide)/poly(ε-caprolactone) (mPEG- b-PLGA/PCL) micelles were developed for encapsulation of DSF by using the emulsification-solvent diffusion method. Medium chain triglyceride (MCT) was incorporated into the mixed polymeric micelles to improve drug loading by reducing the core crystallinity.