Early Detection of Neurovascular Alterations and the Impact of Medication Treatment on the Retina in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study and Mendelian Randomization Analysis.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate early retinal structural and microvascular changes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to assess the impact of treatment on these alterations.

Methods: This study used optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to compare the retinal microstructure between patients with SLE and healthy controls. SLE patients were stratified into subgroups based on the treatment regimen they received: the hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)-glucocorticoid (GC) subgroup, the HCQ subgroup, and the GC subgroup.

Carbon-based nanostructured materials incorporating carbon dots for supercapacitors: a review.

Carbon dots (CDs) exhibit unique quantum confinement effects and edge characteristics, in addition to their exceptional stability, large specific surface area and electrical conductivity. One research direction for CDs is to prepare these materials at a low cost and with a high quantum yield. Specifically, CDs encompass CQDs, GQDs, CNDs, and CPDs.

Molecular Mechanism of Haustorium Specialization Inferences from Transcriptome and Metabolome Analysis.

Background: is a parasitic herbaceous plant that obtains nutrients by forming specialized structures called haustoria to invade host plants.

Methods: In this study, we elucidated the differences in the gene expression regulation and metabolic characteristics between and ( (L.) ) through comprehensive transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses.

Multistage Template-Oriented Design and Tailoring of the Hierarchical Porous Biocarbon Materials for High-Performance Supercapacitors.

Interfacial regulation is crucial for the enhancement of the specific surface area and supercapacitive performance in porous carbon materials. However, traditional porous carbon obtained through potassium hydroxide activation is confronted with a complicated preparation process. Herein, hierarchical porous biocarbons (HPBC) were facilely prepared by using the multiscale template method and wheat flour as a precursor without any activation.

Holding the product of visual working memory integration: The role of attention.

The involuntary integration of discrete fragments into meaningful units (e.g., Gestalt) within visual working memory (VWM) is a crucial process in mind.

EjWRKY6 Is Involved in the ABA-Induced Carotenoid Biosynthesis in Loquat Fruit during Ripening.

The yellow-fleshed loquat is abundant in carotenoids, which determine the fruit's color, provide vitamin A, and offer anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer health benefits. In this research, the impact of abscisic acid (ABA), a plant hormone, on carotenoid metabolism and flesh pigmentation in ripening loquat fruits was determined. Results revealed that ABA treatment enhanced the overall content of carotenoids in loquat fruit, including major components like -cryptoxanthin, lutein, and -carotene, linked to the upregulation of most genes in the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway.

Association between choroidal thickness and diabetic macular edema: a meta-analysis.

Aims: To evaluate the association between subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) and diabetic macular edema (DME).

Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: A retrospective or prospective study comparing SFCT in diabetic retinopathy (DR) patients with and without DME was included.

Gut microbiota deficiency aggravates arsenic-induced toxicity by affecting bioaccumulation and biotransformation in C57BL/6J mice.

Gut microbiome can influence the arsenic metabolism in mammals. Confusingly, gut microbiome was found to both mitigate and exacerbate arsenic toxicity. In this study, the role of gut microbiota in arsenic bioaccumulation, biotransformation, and organ toxicity in C57BL/6J mice was investigated.

Associations of arsenic exposure and arsenic metabolism with the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Growing evidences supported that arsenic exposure contributes to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) risk, but findings were still inconsistent. Additionally, once absorbed, arsenic is methylated into monomethyl and dimethyl arsenicals. However, no studies investigated the association of arsenic metabolism with NAFLD.

Epigenome-wide perspective of cadmium-associated DNA methylation and its mediation role in the associations of cadmium with lipid levels and dyslipidemia risk.

Background: Studies demonstrated the associations of cadmium (Cd) with lipid levels and dyslipidemia risk, but the mechanisms involved need further exploration.

Objectives: We aimed to explore the role of DNA methylation (DNAM) in the relationship of Cd with lipid levels and dyslipidemia risk.

Methods: Urinary cadmium levels (UCd) were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL), total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein were measured with kits, and DNAM was measured using the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip.

High-Altitude Exposure and Diabetic Retinopathy: Unveiling the Impact and Mechanisms of Alleviation.

Background: High altitude (HA) is an extremely challenging environment for millions of people who either travel to HA regions or inhabit there permanently.

Summary: Significant progress has been made over the past decades in the understanding of physiological adaptations in HA conditions, and recently, more studies regarding its influence on metabolic disease have been published. However, the effect of HA on diabetic retinopathy (DR), the leading cause of blindness, remains unclear.

Urinary arsenic metabolism, genetic susceptibility, and their interaction on type 2 diabetes.

Growing studies investigated the association of arsenic metabolism with type 2 diabetes (T2D), however, the epidemiological evidence is inconsistent. In addition, the interaction of arsenic metabolism-related genetic risk score (GRS)-arsenic on T2D risk was unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the association of arsenic metabolism efficiency [inorganic arsenic (iAs)%, monomethylarsonic acid (MMA)%, and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA%)] with T2D risk.

Association of urinary arsenic metabolism with type 2 diabetes and glucose homeostasis: Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations.

Background: Previous researches have assessed the relationships of urinary arsenic metabolism with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and glucose-insulin homeostasis, but the results were controversial, and potential mechanisms remain largely unclear.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of urinary arsenic metabolism with T2D prevalence and glucose changes in relatively higher arsenic exposure, and further to evaluate the underlying roles of oxidative damage in these relationships.

Methods: We included 796 participants at baseline, among them 509 participants were followed up after 2 years.

Changes in the choroid detected by ultrawide-field optical coherence tomography angiography in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients without diabetic retinopathy.

Aim: The study objective was to investigate the choroidal changes in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients without diabetic retinopathy (DR).

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Controls without diabetes and T2DM patients without DR (NDR) were included.

Hydrogen-rich water treatment increased several phytohormones and prolonged the shelf life in postharvest okras.

Hydrogen-rich water (HRW) treatment has been reported to delay the softening and senescence of postharvest okras, but its regulatory mechanism remains unclear. In this paper, we investigated the effects of HRW treatment on the metabolism of several phytohormones in postharvest okras, which act as regulatory molecules in fruit ripening and senescence processes. The results showed that HRW treatment delayed okra senescence and maintained fruit quality during storage.

Discovery and Characterization of the Key Constituents in Leaf Extract With Potent Inhibitory Effects on Human UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase 1A1.

Human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (hUGT1A1) is one of the most essential phase II enzymes in humans. Dysfunction or strong inhibition of hUGT1A1 may result in hyperbilirubinaemia and clinically relevant drug/herb-drug interactions (DDIs/HDIs). Recently, a high-throughput fluorescence-based assay was constructed by us to find the compounds/herbal extracts with strong inhibition against intracellular hUGT1A1.

Cu-Doped Boron Nitride Nanosheets for Solid-Phase Extraction and Determination of Rhodamine B in Foods Matrix.

Cu-doped boron nitride nanosheets (Cu-BNNS) were first reported as promising adsorbents for the solid-phase extraction and determination of rhodamine B (RhB) dye in a food matrix. Different characterizations, including XRD, FTIR, XPS, SEM, and TEM, were performed to confirm the formation of the adsorbent. Then, the adsorption performance of Cu-BNNS was investigated by adsorption kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics.

Stock prediction based on bidirectional gated recurrent unit with convolutional neural network and feature selection.

With the development of recent years, the field of deep learning has made great progress. Compared with the traditional machine learning algorithm, deep learning can better find the rules in the data and achieve better fitting effect. In this paper, we propose a hybrid stock forecasting model based on Feature Selection, Convolutional Neural Network and Bidirectional Gated Recurrent Unit (FS-CNN-BGRU).

Methylophiopogonanone A is a naturally occurring broad-spectrum inhibitor against human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases: Inhibition behaviours and implication in herb-drug interactions.

Methylophiopogonanone A (MOA) is an abundant homoisoflavonoid in the Chinese herb Ophiopogonis Radix. Recent investigations revealed that MOA inhibited several human cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) and stimulated OATP1B1. However, the inhibitory effects of MOA on phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes, such as human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (hUGTs), have not been well investigated.

A broad-spectrum substrate for the human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases and its use for investigating glucuronidation inhibitors.

Strong inhibition of the human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase enzymes (UGTs) may lead to undesirable effects, including hyperbilirubinaemia and drug/herb-drug interactions. Currently, there is no good way to examine the inhibitory effects and specificities of compounds toward all the important human UGTs, side-by-side and under identical conditions. Herein, we report a new, broad-spectrum substrate for human UGTs and its uses in screening and characterizing of UGT inhibitors.

A fluorescence-based microplate assay for high-throughput screening and evaluation of human UGT inhibitors.

Human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase enzymes (hUGTs), one of the most important classes of conjugative enzymes, are responsible for the glucuronidation and detoxification of a variety of endogenous substances and xenobiotics. Inhibition of hUGTs may cause undesirable effects or adverse drug-drug interactions (DDI) via modulating the glucuronidation rates of endogenous toxins or the drugs that are primarily conjugated by the inhibited hUGTs. Herein, to screen hUGTs inhibitors in a more efficient way, a novel fluorescence-based microplate assay has been developed by utilizing a fluorogenic substrate.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel chalcone-like compounds as potent and reversible pancreatic lipase inhibitors.

Pancreatic lipase (PL), a crucial enzyme responsible for hydrolysis of dietary lipids, has been validated as a key therapeutic target to prevent and treat obesity-associated metabolic disorders. Herein, we report the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of a series of chalcone-like compounds as potent and reversible PL inhibitors. Following two rounds of structural modifications at both A and B rings of a chalcone-like skeleton, structure-PL inhibition relationships of the chalcone-like compounds were studied, while the key substituents that would be beneficial for PL inhibition were revealed.

ICT-modulated NIR water-soluble fluorescent probe with large Stokes shift for selective detection of cysteine in living cells and zebrafish.

The fluorescent probes with good water-solubility, long-wavelength emission and large Stokes shift are greatly desirable for in vivo detection. Herein, we designed a novel 1,8-naphthalimide-based near-infrared (NIR) optical and fluorescent probe (NTC) for sensing cysteine (Cys). Using acrylate as the recognition site, the probe demonstrated high selectivity and sensitivity for Cys with a low detection limit (0.