A mini-review on cathelicidin in fish: Gene expression, immune function, and evolutionary insights.

Cathelicidins are a family of cationic antimicrobial peptides that play a critical role in innate immune defense. Like other antimicrobial peptides, cathelicidins can effectively kill pathogens while minimizing the risk of promoting antimicrobial resistance, a growing concern in the aquaculture. Although cathelicidins are widely distributed across vertebrates, from basal vertebrate species such as hagfish and lampreys to mammals, the number of identified cathelicidin sequences in fish remains relatively limited.

Spatially Coupling Electronic-Ionic Transport in Organic Mixed Conductors as Cathodes for Efficient Zn-V Batteries.

In conventional electrodes, concentration polarization by unbalanced charge transport and solid-state diffusion resistance result in sluggish reaction kinetics, hindering the practical application of zinc-ion batteries. Here, we propose an integrated mixed electronic-ionic conductor by spatially coupling charge transport pathways, which could achieve redistribution and fast transport of charge (Zn/e). Operando electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed the charge transport mechanisms and intrinsic conducting characteristics at timescale.

Safety and Effectiveness of Electroacupuncture During Colon Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Endoscopic treatment of early colon neoplasms has evolved as a valid and less traumatic alternative to surgical resection. It can usually be performed with sedation on an outpatient basis. The present study was performed to determine the safety and effectiveness of electroacupuncture (EA) versus propofol sedation during endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early colon neoplasm.

Synthesis of Hierarchically Supported TS-2 Zeolites and Catalytic Application in the Epoxidation of Allyl Chloride.

Construction of hierarchical pore structure in supported titanium silicalites was an effective strategy to enhance catalytic performance and avoid the separation process in industrial applications. Herein, the hierarchical TS-2 zeolites were successfully prepared on the TiO-modified α-AlO pellets by "bottom-up" method, which had good and stable catalytic performance for the allyl chloride epoxidation. TritonX-100 could construct a mesopore structure, restrain nucleation, and affect titanium coordination of the zeolites, which was beneficial for preparing large size, much hexa-coordination titanium content, and hierarchically supported TS-2 zeolites in this work.

Preparation and Modification of Silicalite-2 Membranes.

Silicalite-2 membranes were successfully prepared on tubular α-AlO supports by secondary hydrothermal synthesis, and the pervaporation performance of the membrane was evaluated by separation of a 5 wt% ethanol/HO mixture at 60 °C. The effects of templating agent content, water-silicon ratio and crystallization time on the separation performance of Silicalite-2 membranes were investigated. When the TBAOH/SiO and HO/SiO molar ratios of the precursor synthesis solution were 0.

Work function-activated proton intercalation chemistry assists ultra-stable aqueous zinc ion batteries.

Manganese oxide (MnO) cathodes with a Zn/H co-intercalation mixing mechanism have exhibited great potential for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) owing to their high energy density and optimal electrolyte suitability. However, the strong electrostatic interactions and slow kinetics between the high charge density zinc ions and the fixed lattice in conventional cathodes have hindered the development of AZIBs. Hence, selecting H with a smaller ionic radius and reduced electrostatic repulsion as carriers was a feasible strategy.

An interactive dual energy storage mechanism boosts high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Organic materials are promising cathodes for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) due to their cost-effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and tunable structures. However, the energy density of AZIBs remains limited by the inherently low capacity and output voltage of organic cathode materials. To address this challenge, we develop a Mn ion-doped polyaniline (PAM) by harnessing the joint merits of the highly reversible doping process of the conjugated backbone and the unique dissolution-deposition behavior of Mn in ZnSO electrolyte.

Antitumor Effect of Peptide-Camptothecin Conjugate Targeting CD133 Protein.

The peptide-drug conjugate (PDC) has emerged as one of the new approaches for cancer therapy, which has the advantages of improved drug target ability and reduced adverse effects compared with the traditional chemotherapy. CD133 is a surface antigen specific to cancer stem cells, which are thought to be responsible for the self-renewal, proliferation, metastasis, and chemoresistance of cancer cells. A PDC for CD133 was designed by us, and it consists of CD133 targeting peptide LS-7 (amino acid sequence LQNAPRS), a pH-sensitive linker (succinyl), and a cytotoxic payload, the cytotoxic molecule camptothecin (CPT) with potent toxicity in vivo and in vitro.

The Lipliner Sign: Potential Cause of a False Positive Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST) Examination.

Background: The focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST) examination plays an essential role in diagnosing hemoperitoneum in trauma patients to guide prompt operative management. The FAST examination is highly specific for hemoperitoneum in trauma patients, and has been adopted in nontrauma patients to identify intraperitoneal fluid as a cause of abdominal pain or distension. However, causes of false positive FAST examinations have been described and require prompt recognition to avoid diagnostic uncertainty and inappropriate procedures.

Benzoquinone-Lubricated Intercalation in Manganese Oxide for High-Capacity and High-Rate Aqueous Aluminum-Ion Battery.

Aqueous aluminum-ion batteries are attractive post-lithium battery technologies for large-scale energy storage in virtue of abundant and low-cost Al metal anode offering ultrahigh capacity via a three-electron redox reaction. However, state-of-the-art cathode materials are of low practical capacity, poor rate capability, and inadequate cycle life, substantially impeding their practical use. Here layered manganese oxide that is pre-intercalated with benzoquinone-coordinated aluminum ions (BQ-AlMnO) as a high-performance cathode material of rechargeable aqueous aluminum-ion batteries is reported.

An integrated Mg battery-powered iontophoresis patch for efficient and controllable transdermal drug delivery.

Wearable transdermal iontophoresis eliminating the need for external power sources offers advantages for patient-comfort when deploying epidermal diseases treatments. However, current self-powered iontophoresis based on energy harvesters is limited to support efficient therapeutic administration over the long-term operation, owing to the low and inconsistent energy supply. Here we propose a simplified wearable iontophoresis patch with a built-in Mg battery for efficient and controllable transdermal delivery.

Molecular Characterization of an Gene Revealed Positive Insights into Flavonoid Accumulation and Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Safflower.

Flavonoids with significant therapeutic properties play an essential role in plant growth, development, and adaptation to various environments. The biosynthetic pathway of flavonoids has long been studied in plants; however, its regulatory mechanism in safflower largely remains unclear. Here, we carried out comprehensive genome-wide identification and functional characterization of a putative gene encoding an isoflavone 2'-hydroxylase from safflower.

Interface Reversible Electric Field Regulated by Amphoteric Charged Protein-Based Coating Toward High-Rate and Robust Zn Anode.

Metallic interface engineering is a promising strategy to stabilize Zn anode via promoting Zn uniform deposition. However, strong interactions between the coating and Zn and sluggish transport of Zn lead to high anodic polarization. Here, we present a bio-inspired silk fibroin (SF) coating with amphoteric charges to construct an interface reversible electric field, which manipulates the transfer kinetics of Zn and reduces anodic polarization.

Serial Transthoracic Ultrasonography Studies in Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Patients: A Tool for Early Lung Pathology Detection.

Early detection of pulmonary complications can improve outcomes for patients with hematological malignancy (HM). For detecting lung injuries, lung ultrasound (LUS) images have been found to be of greater sensitivity than radiographic images. Our group performed a pilot study of LUS imaging to enhance early detection of pulmonary complications in HM patients.

Electroacupuncture relieves postoperative cognitive dysfunction in elderly rats via regulating amp-activated protein kinase autophagy signaling.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a common complication after surgery in elderly patients. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been reported to relieve POCD in animal models, but the mechanism remains fully elucidated. The objective of this work was to clarify whether EA could alleviate POCD via regulating autophagy.

Development of a Hemostatic Urinary Catheter for Transurethral Prostatic Surgical Applications.

Objective: To investigate a novel transurethral hemostatic catheter device with an integrated chitosan endoluminal hemostatic dressing (CEHD). Development and implementation of this technology may help address bleeding following surgery such as transurethral resection of prostate (TURP). Bleeding remains the most common complication following TURP, leading to increased morbidity and hospitalization.

Template Removal and Surface Modification of an SSZ-13 Membrane with Heated Sodium Chloride for CO/CH Gas Separation.

Hydrothermal synthesis with an organic template of ,, trimethyl-1-adamantammonium hydroxide (TMAdaOH) is the most commonly used method to prepare an SSZ-13 zeolite membrane. In this paper, the synthesized membrane was treated in heated sodium chloride to remove TMAdaOH instead of calcination in air. The surface of the membrane was modified by the heated NaCl and resulted in an improved CO/CH gas separation selectivity.

Bioinspired Catechol-Grafting PEDOT Cathode for an All-Polymer Aqueous Proton Battery with High Voltage and Outstanding Rate Capacity.

Aqueous all-polymer proton batteries (APPBs) consisting of redox-active polymer electrodes are considered safe and clean renewable energy storage sources. However, there remain formidable challenges for APPBs to withstand a high current rate while maximizing high cell output voltage within a narrow electrochemical window of aqueous electrolytes. Here, a capacitive-type polymer cathode material is designed by grafting poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) with bioinspired redox-active catechol pendants, which delivers high redox potential (0.

The Relationship Between Compulsive Buying and Hoarding in China: A Multicenter Study.

There is no previous research that has explored the correlation between compulsive buying and hoarding in the Chinese population. This study aims to determine the relationship between compulsive buying and hoarding in a sample of the Chinese population comprising participants from mainland China (emerging economy) and Hong Kong (developed economy). Self-reported measures consisting of demographic questions, the Chinese version of the Hoarding Rating Scale (CHRS), and Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale-Traditional Chinese (RCBS-TC) were administered to participants.

Validation of the Mandarin versions of CAP and SIR.

Objectives: The present study aims to develop the Mandarin versions of Categories of Auditory Performance (CAP) and Speech Intelligibility of Rating (SIR), verify their reliability and validity, and establish standardized values of the Mandarin CAP and SIR. In doing that it will provide an effective tool for evaluating the auditory skills and speech production of Mandarin-speaking hearing-impaired children.

Methods: The preliminary Mandarin versions of the CAP and SIR were determined using the back-translation method and then administered to 191 cases aged 0-6 years.

Effects of Seed Crystals on the Growth and Catalytic Performance of TS-1 Zeolite Membranes.

Dense and good catalytic performance TS-1 zeolite membranes were rapidly prepared on porous mullite support by secondary hydrothermal synthesis. The properties of seed crystals were very important for the preparation of high-catalytic performance TS-1 zeolite membranes. Influences of seed crystals (Ti/Si ratios, size, morphology, and zeolites concentration of the seed suspension) on the growth and catalytic property of TS-1 zeolite membranes were investigated in details.

Alpha lipoic acid inhibits oxidative stress-induced apoptosis by modulating of Nrf2 signalling pathway after traumatic brain injury.

Alpha lipoic acid (ALA) is a powerful antioxidant which has been widely used in the treatment of different system diseases, such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. But, there are few studies that refer to protective effects and potential mechanisms on traumatic brain injury (TBI). This study was carried out to investigate the neuroprotective effect following TBI and illuminate the underlying mechanism.