Elevated Cutaneous Interleukin-21 Links Eczematous Eruption to Interleukin-17A Inhibitor Treatment in Psoriasis.

Background: Eczematous eruption (EE) is an adverse effect observed in psoriasis patients undergoing interleukin (IL)-17A inhibitor therapy, with reported incidence rates ranging from 2.2% to 12.1%.

Patterns of Benzodiazepines and Hypnotic Drugs Dispensing After Hip Fracture Among Older US Adults Previously on the Drugs.

Background: Benzodiazepines (BZD) and nonbenzodiazepine receptor agonist hypnotics (Z-drugs) strongly increase the risk for hip fractures and should be avoided among older adults with a fall or fracture history. We assessed BZD and Z-drugs refill patterns after discharge for hip fracture among older US adults and explored factors associated with refilling.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of US Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries (20% random sample) aged ≥ 66 years, hospitalized for hip fracture, and discharged home or to a skilled nursing facility.

Integrating multi-modal transcriptomics identifies cellular subtypes with distinct roles in PDAC progression.

Purpose: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the deadliest malignancies, largely due to its highly immunosuppressive and fibrotic tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the spatial and functional organization of its cellular components remains poorly understood.

Methods: We present an integrated transcriptomic atlas of the PDAC TME by combining single-cell RNA sequencing (n = 88; 187,520 cells), Visium spatial transcriptomics (n = 20; 67,933 spots), bulk RNA sequencing (n = 1,383), and high-resolution Xenium spatial transcriptomics (n = 2; 307,679 cells).

Association between vitamin B6 status and liver fibrosis: evidence from NHANES 2005-2010.

Introduction: Liver fibrosis (LF) is a chronic liver disease with an increasing global prevalence, caused by various underlying factors. Vitamin B6 is significantly altered during inflammation and has been associated with diabetes and hypertension. To date, no study has explored the association between vitamin B6 and LF.

Identification of novel drug targets for primary open angle glaucoma and its potential side-effects by human plasma proteome.

Aim: To explore whether plasma proteins serve as potential therapeutic targets for primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) based on a Mendelian randomization (MR) study.

Methods: Large-scale protein quantitative trait loci (pQTLs) data from the Icelandic deCODE database and two large POAG Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) summary datasets were used in this study. Causal associations between plasma proteins and POAG were identified using summary-data-based MR (SMR) analysis and the heterogeneity in dependent instruments (HEIDI) test.

Influencing Factors of Hexavalent Chromium Speciation Transformation in Soil from a Northern China Chromium Slag Site.

Chromium slag sites pose severe environmental risks due to hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) contamination, characterized by high mobility and toxicity. This study focused on chromium-contaminated soil from a historical chromium slag site in North China, where long-term accumulation of chromate production residues has led to serious Cr(VI) pollution, with Cr(VI) accounting for 13-22% of total chromium and far exceeding national soil risk control standards. To elucidate Cr(VI) transformation mechanisms and elemental linkages, a combined approach of macro-scale condition experiments and micro-scale analysis was employed.

Research Progress on Biomaterials with Immunomodulatory Effects in Bone Regeneration.

The immune system plays a pivotal role in bone regeneration, and biomaterials engineered to modulate immune responses present a promising strategy for the treatment of extensive bone defects and osteolytic conditions. This review critically evaluates recent advancements in immunomodulatory biomaterials for bone repair, integrating perspectives from both immunology and materials science. It offers a comprehensive analysis of key design strategies and the underlying principles guiding the development of these biomaterials, with a particular focus on their physical and chemical properties, bioactive molecule delivery systems, cell transplantation techniques, and responses to external stimuli.

Mechanical effects in aging of the musculoskeletal system: Molecular signaling and spatial scale alterations.

Unlabelled: The musculoskeletal system, the primary load-bearing structure of the human body, plays a crucial role in mechanotransduction, a process comprising mechanosensation, mechanotransduction, and mechanical effect. Aging leads to loss of ability of mechanosensitive cells to sense mechanical stimuli, disruption of transduction pathways, SASP and adiposity accumulation. At the mesoscopic level, bone, cartilage, and muscle differentiation decline, while adipogenesis increases, leading to extracellular matrix and structural aging, ultimately manifesting as macroscopic musculoskeletal degeneration.

Immunotherapy for pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid.

Pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid (BP) are both autoimmune bullous diseases (AIBD), but their clinical features and treatment strategies are different. Pemphigus is characterized by intraepidermal blisters mediated by antibodies against desmosomes, while BP is characterized by subepidermal blisters mediated by antibodies against epidermal-dermal junctions. Traditional therapy for pemphigus and BP is mainly composed of systemic glucocorticoid and immunosuppressant.

Novel compound heterozygous mutation associated with retinal cone dystrophy.

Retinal cone dystrophy (COD) is an inherited retinal disease characterized by reduced central vision, color vision defects and photophobia, resulting from the degeneration of photoreceptors in cone cells, and commonly occurs due to mutations in cyclic nucleotide-gated channel subunit α 3 (). mutations are associated exclusively with autosomal recessive retinal disorders, requiring homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations for pathogenicity. In the present study, whole-exome sequencing was performed on a 9-year-old girl diagnosed with COD and her parents, which identified a compound heterozygous mutation in the proband.

New targets for the treatment of ulcerative colitis: Gut microbiota and its metabolites.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the most common and difficult-to-treat inflammatory diseases Currently, the standard of care includes immunological modulation and anti-inflammatory medication to alleviate symptoms; however, these treatments are associated with several side effects. As a result, developing novel, safe, and effective treatment strategies is crucial. The gut microbiota and its influence on the onset and progression of UC through their regulation of immunity, barrier integrity, and homeostasis, serves as a promising target for UC therapy.

Comparative assessment of the Sikun 2000 sequencing platform for whole genome sequencing.

DNA sequencing technology has significantly advanced over the past five decades, particularly with the introduction of next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms like Illumina's NovaSeq. In October 2023, Sikun introduced the Sikun 2000, a desktop NGS platform designed for rapid, cost-effective sequencing with up to 200 Gb of data per run. This study is the first to evaluate the performance of the Sikun 2000 in whole genome sequencing (WGS) and compares it with the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 and NovaSeq X platforms using five well-characterized human Genomes in a Bottle dataset.

Testosterone Delays Bone Microstructural Destruction via Osteoblast-Androgen Receptor-Mediated Upregulation of Tenascin-C.

Bone loss and microstructural destruction in elderly men are associated with fractures and high mortality. While testosterone (Tes) is considered to be possibly protective, its regulatory mechanism in bone remodeling remains unclear. Here, bone microarchitectural analysis indicates that elderly men exhibit reduced cortical and trabecular thickness with elevated cortical porosity, particularly at the superior femoral head near the medial acetabulum.

Safety and efficacy of the selective TYK2/JAK1 inhibitor TLL-018 in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis: A phase 1b, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Background: Psoriasis treatments that provide rapid and extensive itch relief, lesion clearance are inadequate.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the tyrosine kinase 2/Janus kinase 1 inhibitor TLL-018 in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

Methods: This phase 1b, double-blind, placebo-controlled study randomized participants to receive TLL-018 (2:2:2:1) 10:20:30 mg:placebo (12 weeks) twice daily (BID) orally (NCT05342428).

Experience-dependent plasticity of multiple receptive field properties in lateral geniculate binocular neurons during the critical period.

The visual thalamus serves as a critical hub for feature preprocessing in visual processing pathways. Emerging evidence demonstrates that experience-dependent plasticity can be revealed by monocular deprivation (MD) in the dorsolateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN) of the thalamus. However, whether and how this thalamic plasticity induces changes in multiple receptive field properties and the potential mechanisms remain unclear.

Guyuan Jiannao decoction improves neurovascular unit dysfunction by regulating PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway in cerebral small vessel disease rats.

Ethnopharmcological Relevance: Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a series of clinical, imaging, and pathological syndromes caused by brain microvascular damage and treated as a major contributing factor in many neurological diseases. Guyuan Jiannao Decoction (GYJND), a traditional Chinese formular, is clinically used for treating CSVD. However, the fundamental mechanism is nevertheless unknown.

Concentrations and characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenols and chlorobenzenes in deep seawater near South China Sea.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other aromatic hydrocarbons are persistent environmental contaminants with diverse origins, posing significant risks to marine ecosystems. This study investigates the concentrations, vertical distribution, and sources of these pollutants in the South China Sea near the Xisha Islands, a region with distinct oceanographic conditions and anthropogenic influences. A total of 23 aromatic hydrocarbon compounds were analyzed, including 17 PAHs, 3 phenols, and 3 chlorobenzenes.

Exome and transcriptome analysis link calcium channel pathway aberrations to botulinum toxin A resistance in Hailey-Hailey disease.

Background: The effectiveness of botulinum toxin A (BoNTA) in the treatment of Hailey-Hailey disease (HHD) has shown heterogeneity in recent studies. However, there is currently no research investigating the underlying mechanism behind the variability in patient response.

Objectives: To identify potential biomarkers and elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the heterogeneity in efficacy of BoNTA treatment for HHD.

A dissolving microneedle patch enables minimally invasive riboflavin delivery and enhances corneal crosslinking in keratoconus therapy.

Corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) is an effective surgical approach to halt the progression of keratoconus. A key challenge lies in maintaining epithelial integrity while achieving sufficient stromal riboflavin (RF) concentration to ensure CXL efficacy. Additionally, the efficacy of CXL under RF-mediated cross-linking still has room for improvement.

Interleukin (IL)-34 promotes the inflammatory role of IL-1β-producing myeloid cells in pemphigus lesions.

Background: Pemphigus is a life-threatening autoimmune disease mediated by anti-desmoglein (Dsg) autoantibodies. Ectopic lymphoid-like structures (ELS) are frequently found in chronic skin lesions and are thought to contribute to local autoantibody production. However, the mechanisms driving ELS formation at lesion sites remain unclear.

Construction of a flexible polymer rechargeable battery based on covalent organic frameworks coated carbon nanotubes anode with six-electron redox activity.

Entire polymer rechargeable batteries (EPRBs), which utilize organic polymer materials for both electrodes and electrolytes, are garnering increasing attention due to their numerous appealing attributes, such as high-power density and flexible fabrication, among others. As the core of EPRBs, redox-active polymer electrode with high capacity and electronic conductivity are still lacking. Additionally, the compatibility between polymer cathodes and anodes, as well as between electrodes and polymer electrolytes, requires careful optimization.

Aging aggravates cognitive dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats by inducing cerebral microvascular endothelial dysfunction.

Hypertension in the elderly can seriously lead to cerebral microvascular damage and promote the development of vascular cognitive impairment. While endothelial function is crucial in cerebral microvascular protection, it is unclear whether aging exacerbates hypertension-induced cognitive dysfunction through endothelial dysfunction. In this study, we injected D-galactose (D-gal) into 24 spontaneous hypertension rats (SHR) and 24 Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) for 12 weeks to induce aging.