Chelerythrine alleviates inflammation and angiogenesis in a mouse rosacea model via suppressing the NF-κB/p38 MAPK/STAT3 pathways.

Introduction: Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin condition marked by excessive M1 macrophage polarization and angiogenesis, resulting in erythema and tissue inflammation. Despite available treatments, many patients experience recurrent flare-ups. This study explores chelerythrine, a bioactive component of Phellodendri Chinensis Cortex, for its therapeutic potential in rosacea through modulation of NF-κB, p38 MAPK and STAT3 signaling, inflammation, and vascular regulation.

Synthesis of Amphiphilic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles to Stabilize Pickering Emulsions for Enhanced Oil Recovery.

Pickering emulsions stabilized by nanoparticles offer significant potential for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Nanoparticle morphology critically governs emulsion stability. This study successfully synthesized novel amphiphilic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) modified with alkyl chains (propyl, hexyl, octyl; denoted MSNs-Cn, = 3, 6, 8) via a two-step method and systematically investigated their structure-performance relationship in stabilizing Pickering emulsions for EOR.

Roles and Prospective Applications of Ferroptosis Suppressor Protein 1 (FSP1) in Malignant Tumor Treatment.

Ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1) has emerged as a critical regulator of ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of programmed cell death with significant therapeutic potential in cancer treatment. Despite rapidly expanding research, current knowledge on FSP1 remains fragmented across various tumor types and experimental contexts. The aim of this review is to systematically integrate the latest evidence regarding the molecular structure, biological functions, and regulatory mechanisms controlling FSP1 expression, emphasizing its involvement in tumor progression and resistance to therapy.

The genetic diversity and populational specificity of the human gut virome at single-nucleotide resolution.

Background: Large-scale characterization of gut viral genomes provides strain-resolved insights into host-microbe interactions. However, existing viral genomes are mainly derived from Western populations, limiting our understanding of global gut viral diversity and functional variations necessary for personalized medicine and addressing regional health disparities.

Results: Here, we introduce the Chinese Gut Viral Reference (CGVR) set, consisting of 120,568 viral genomes from 3234 deeply sequenced fecal samples collected nationwide, covering 72,751 viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs), nearly 90% of which are likely absent from current databases.

Molecular Insights into the Concentration-Dependent Antagonistic Effect between Asparagine and NaCl on CO Hydrate Growth.

Gas hydrates are considered to be a promising medium for CO sequestration in marine environments. Additionally, salinity and amino acids in marine environments can significantly affect the growth of hydrates. This study employs molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the influence of asparagine (Asn) on CO hydrate growth within simulated seawater (NaCl 3.

Curcumin Ameliorates DSS-Induced Colitis in Mice Through Modulation of Gut Microbiota and Metabolites.

In this study, we established a mouse colitis model using DSS to investigate the impact of curcumin on gut injury, the intestinal microbiota, and fecal metabolites. The findings indicated that curcumin effectively mitigated weight loss and colon shortening caused by colitis, enhanced the expression of anti-inflammatory factor mRNA ( < 0.05), and suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory factors (, , and mRNA; < 0.

Vericiguat as a novel PPARα ligand alleviates pressure-overload-induced heart failure.

Heart failure (HF) remains a critical global health challenge with limited therapeutic options. Vericiguat, a novel soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, has demonstrated clinical potential in HF management. This study aimed to investigate the cardioprotective effects of vericiguat and its underlying mechanism in pressure-overload-induced HF.

Ultra-High Friction and Adhesion in Hydrogel Layer Driven by Wet-to-Dry Transition Dynamics.

Hydrogels are well-known for their antifriction and lubricating properties, particularly in hydrated environments, where their water-rich polymer networks enable effective friction reduction. However, during the wet-to-dry transition, a critical phase is identified during which the microstructures of a polyacrylamide hydrogel layer undergo volumetric shrinkage, leading to extensive interfacial contact and enhanced intermolecular interactions at solid interfaces. This process leads to a sharp increase in friction and adhesion forces.

Revealing the Response Mechanism of Under Acid and Alcohol Stresses via a Combined Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Analysis.

, an important lactic acid bacterium in the brewing of Chinese (liquor), usually encounters environmental stresses including ethanol and lactic acid, which severely impact cellular growth and metabolism. In this study, a combined physiological and omics analysis was employed to elucidate the response mechanisms of under ethanol and lactic acid stress conditions. The results showed that the biomass of cells decreased by about 40% under single-stress conditions and 70% under co-stress conditions.

Hydrogen sulfide alleviates high-salt-stimulated myocardial fibrosis through inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor-1α.

Background: Endogenous hydrogen sulfide (HS) and its key generating enzyme, cystathionine β-synthase (CBS), prevent vascular remodeling and damage to target organs during the advancement of hypertension induced by a high-salt diet.

Objective: The contribution of the HS/CBS pathway to high-salt-induced myocardial fibrosis (MF) was explored, with a focus on the mechanistic involvement of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α).

Methods: We used primary rat cardiac fibroblasts stimulated with high-salt medium and an MF model induced by a high-salt diet in Dahl salt-sensitive rats.

Single-cell transcriptomic insights into endosulfan-induced liver injury: Key pathways and inflammatory responses.

Background And Aims: Environmental pollutants, particularly organochlorine insecticides like endosulfan (ENDO), are increasingly linked to liver toxicity and related diseases. Despite its widespread historical use, the mechanisms underlying ENDO-induced liver damage remain poorly understood. This study aims to elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms of ENDO-induced hepatotoxicity.

Co-hydrolyzed bio-inspired antifouling coatings for functional membranes in oily wastewater treatment.

Hypothesis: The fast and unregulated bio-inspired Schiff base and Michael addition reactions between phenol- and amino-based materials often lead to the formation of uneven coatings with large aggregates, affecting the coating efficiency and various designed functionalities. Therefore, a co-hydrolysis strategy was proposed to modulate the phenol/amino reaction and the self-assembly coating process, achieving uniform and compact phenol/amino-based antifouling coating.

Experiments: A uniform bio-inspired antifouling coating was fabricated by modulating the Schiff base and Michael addition reactions between tannic acid with amino groups within the co-hydrolyzed amino, zwitterionic, and fluorine-containing silane system.

The protective role of Agrin and CAF22 in hypertensive nephropathy.

Background: Hypertensive nephropathy (HN), a major complication of hypertension, is characterized by key pathological features such as renal inflammation and fibrosis. Recent studies have demonstrated that Agrin plays a significant role in tissues such as the heart and skeletal muscle. Its cleavage product, the C-terminal Agrin fragment 22 (CAF22), has been suggested as a potential new biomarker for renal insufficiency.

Interpretable Machine Learning Prediction Model for Predicting Mortality Risk of ICU Patients With Pressure Ulcers Based on the Braden Scale: A Clinical Study Based on MIMIC-IV.

Aims: This study was to create an interpretable machine learning model to predict the risk of mortality within 90 days for ICU patients suffering from pressure ulcers.

Design: We retrospectively analysed 1774 ICU pressure ulcer patients from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV database.

Methods: We used the LASSO regression and the Boruta algorithm for feature selection.

Exploring upstream and downstream causality of inflammatory cytokines in intervertebral disc degeneration: a bidirectional, two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Background And Purpose: Growing evidence indicates that inflammatory cytokines may influence intervertebral disc degeneration both upstream and downstream. To further explore the upstream and downstream direct causality of inflammatory cytokines in intervertebral disc degeneration, we performed a bidirectional, two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study.

Methods And Results: Five MR analysis techniques were used to explore the causal relationship, with a sensitivity analysis validating the results.

m6A methylation modification of RNA plays a significant role in the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common malignant tumor worldwide and ranks second in terms of mortality. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is the most prevalent internal covalent modification in eukaryotic mRNA and is involved in various stages of RNA processing, including splicing, degradation, and export, playing a crucial role in the onset and progression of many diseases. The m6A modification is co-regulated by methyltransferases, demethylases, and methyl-binding proteins, and it has become a hot topic in cancer research.

Mussel-Inspired Molecular Strategies for Fabricating Functional Materials With Underwater Adhesion and Self-Healing Properties.

The exceptional underwater adhesion and self-healing capabilities of mussels have fascinated researchers for over two decades. Extensive studies have shown that these remarkable properties arise from a series of reversible and dynamic molecular interactions involving mussel foot proteins. Inspired by these molecular interaction strategies, numerous functional materials exhibiting strong underwater adhesion and self-healing performance have been successfully developed.

Association between atherogenic index of plasma and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease among individuals with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) are common chronic liver diseases worldwide, both of which are closely associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), as a biomarker of dyslipidemia, may predict CVD risk and mortality in these patients, but its specific role in patients with NAFLD and MASLD has not been studied in detail. This study adopted a cohort design, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES, 1988-1994) database, which was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Association between atherogenic index of plasma with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in individuals with Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic syndrome.

Background: Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome, as a new clinical concept, emphasizes the multifaceted interaction between metabolic disorders, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Some evidence suggests atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) is strongly linked to cardiovascular mortality. However, data on its association with mortality across CKM syndrome remain scarce.

Semantic Consistency Network with Edge Learner and Connectivity Enhancer for Cervical Tumor Segmentation from Histopathology Images.

Accurate tumor grading and regional identification of cervical tumors are important for diagnosis and prognosis. Traditional manual microscopy methods suffer from time-consuming, labor-intensive, and subjective bias problems, so tumor segmentation methods based on deep learning are gradually becoming a hotspot in current research. Cervical tumors have diverse morphologies, which leads to low similarity between the mask edge and ground-truth edge of existing semantic segmentation models.

The lactylation modification of proteins plays a critical role in tumor progression.

Lactylation modifications have been shown to be a novel type of protein post-translational modifications (PTMs), providing a new perspective for understanding the interaction between cellular metabolic reprogramming and epigenetic regulation. Studies have shown that lactylation plays an important role in the occurrence, development, angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis of tumors. It can not only regulate the phenotypic expression and functional polarization of immune cells, but also participate in the formation of tumor drug resistance through a variety of molecular mechanisms.

Müller Glial-Derived Small Extracellular Vesicles Mitigate RGC Degeneration by Suppressing Microglial Activation via Cx3cl1-Cx3cr1 Signaling.

Retinal ganglion cell (RGC) degeneration leads to irreversible blindness. Müller glia (MG) play pivotal roles in retinal homeostasis and disease through paracrine signaling. Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are bioactive nanomaterials derived from all types of live cells and are recognized as a potential strategy for neuroprotective therapy.

Systematic transcriptome-wide analysis and validation of tributyltin-induced differential changes in the liver with sex-specific effects.

Background: Tributyltin (TBT), a prevalent environmental antiseptic, contaminates seafood, fish, and drinking water, posing health risks. While TBT's hepatic toxicity is well-known, its sex-specific effects on liver function remain poorly understood.

Methods: To address this gap, a comprehensive analysis was conducted utilizing the Toxicant Exposures and Responses by Genomic and Epigenomic Regulators of Transcription (TaRGET) dataset.

Hydrogel-Coated Polydimethylsiloxane with Reversible Transparency for Advanced Optical Switching.

Functional soft materials that swell in water often exhibit surface wrinkling, similar to the ridges formed on human skin after prolonged immersion, typically leading to reduced optical transmittance. Surprisingly, there is a scarcity of materials that are transparent underwater yet opaque in air, despite their vast potential in applications such as smart windows, periscopes, and information encryption. Herein, we report a hydrogel-based system comprising a polyacrylamide layer on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), demonstrating a reversible transition between opacity in air and high transparency in water or wet conditions.