Re-Understanding Silk Aggregates as Bioactive Agents.

Bioactive agents play a pivotal role in determining the function and performance of biomedical products and devices across tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and cosmetic applications. Silk fibroin (SF) is an extensively used structural biomaterial, yet its inherent bioactive potential remains unexplored for material design. In this study, we developed β-sheet-rich silk nanofiber aggregates (BSNFs) with controlled diameters at ∼20 nm through structural bioinspiration from native silk fibers.

Bilateral Papilledema in a Child with Spinal Myxopapillary Ependymoma: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND Myxopapillary ependymomas, a subtype of spinal ependymomas, are relatively rare in children and adolescents, primarily affecting the lower spinal region; however, they can also metastasize along the spinal axis, as well as intracranially. The clinical presentation typically involves signs and symptoms of conus medullaris or cauda equina dysfunction, including paralysis and sensory loss, accompanied by lower back pain. Ocular complications are not commonly seen in myxopapillary ependymomas.

Retina-Brain Homology: The Correlation Between Ophthalmic or Retinal Artery Occlusion and Ischemic Stroke.

The retina's similar structure and function to the brain make it a unique visual "window" for studying cerebral disorders. Ophthalmic artery occlusion (OAO) or retinal artery occlusion (RAO) is a severe ophthalmic emergency that significantly affects visual acuity. Studies have demonstrated that patients with OAO or RAO face a notably higher risk of future acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Multiomics analysis of canine myocardium after circumferential pulmonary vein ablation: Effect of neuropeptide Y on long-term reinduction of atrial fibrillation.

Catheter ablation (CA) is an essential method for the interventional treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), and it is very important to reduce long-term recurrence after CA. The mechanism of recurrence after CA is still unclear. We established a long-term model of beagle canines after circumferential pulmonary vein ablation (CPVA).

lncRNA-056298 Regulates GAP43 and Promotes Cardiac Intrinsic Autonomic Nerve Remodelling in a Canine Model of Atrial Fibrillation Induction after Ganglionated Plexus Ablation.

Background: Cardiac intrinsic autonomic nerve remodelling has been reported to play an important role in the recurrence of atrial fibrillation after radiofrequency ablation, which significantly affects the long-term efficacy of this procedure. lncRNAs have been shown to interact in the pathological processes underlying heart diseases. However, the roles and mechanisms of lncRNAs in cardiac intrinsic autonomic nerve remodelling during atrial fibrillation reduction after ganglionated plexus ablation remain unknown.

Experimental full-domain mapping of quantum correlation in Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt scenarios.

Quantum correlation between two parties serves as an important resource in the surging applications of quantum information. The Bell nonlocality and quantum steering have been proposed to describe non-classical correlations against local-hidden-variable and local-hidden-state theories, respectively. To characterize the two types of non-classical correlations, various nonlocality and steering inequalities have been established, and the amount of inequality violation serves as an important indicator for many entanglement-based tasks.

High-fat stimulation induces atrial neural remodeling by reducing NO production via the CRIF1/eNOS/P21 axi.

Background: Autonomic remodeling of the atria plays a pivotal role in the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) and exerts a substantial influence on the progression of this condition. Hyperlipidemia is a predisposing factor for AF, but its effect on atrial nerve remodeling is unclear. The primary goal of this study was to explore the possible mechanisms through which the consumption of a high-fat diet (HFD) induces remodeling of atrial nerves, and to identify novel targets for clinical intervention.

Mechanism of myocardial fibrosis regulation by IGF-1R in atrial fibrillation through the PI3K/Akt/FoxO3a pathway.

Atrial structural remodeling takes on a critical significance to the occurrence and maintenance of atrial fibrillation (AF). As revealed by recent data, insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) plays a certain role in tissue fibrosis. In this study, the mechanism of IGF-1R in atrial structural remodeling was examined based on in vivo and in vitro experiments.

Deep multiple instance learning for predicting chemotherapy response in non-small cell lung cancer using pretreatment CT images.

The individual prognosis of chemotherapy is quite different in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). There is an urgent need to precisely predict and assess the treatment response. To develop a deep multiple-instance learning (DMIL) based model for predicting chemotherapy response in NSCLC in pretreatment CT images.

Functional Brain Connections Identify Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Predict the Outcome of Cochlear Implantation.

Identification of congenital sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and early intervention, especially by cochlear implantation (CI), are crucial for restoring hearing in patients. However, high accuracy diagnostics of SNHL and prognostic prediction of CI are lacking to date. To diagnose SNHL and predict the outcome of CI, we propose a method combining functional connections (FCs) measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and machine learning.

Analysis of lung biopsies using the 2015 WHO criteria and detection of sensitizing mutations--a single-institution experience of 5032 cases.

Background: A specialized classification for small biopsies was added to the 2015 WHO classification of lung tumors. The purpose of this study is to explore and summarize the experience of applying the newly proposed classifications and criteria to clinical practice.

Methods: We used the 2015 WHO criteria to sort out 5032 small lung biopsies from a group of Chinese patients, and demonstrated their clinicopathological features, mutational status and the relationship between these factors.

Molecular epidemiological survey of bacterial and parasitic pathogens in hard ticks from eastern China.

Ticks are able to transmit various pathogens-viruses, bacteria, and parasites-to their host during feeding. Several molecular epidemiological surveys have been performed to evaluate the risk of tick-borne pathogens in China, but little is known about pathogens circulating in ticks from eastern China. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the presence of bacteria and parasites in ticks collected from Xuzhou, a 11258km region in eastern China.

Two-dimensional spatiotemporal focusing of femtosecond pulses and its applications in microscopy.

We demonstrate and theoretically analyze the two-dimensional spatiotemporal focusing of femtosecond pulses by utilizing a two-dimensional spectral disperser. Compared with spatiotemporal focusing with a diffraction grating, it can achieve widefield illumination with better sectioning ability for a multiphoton excitation process. By utilizing paraxial approximation, our analytical method improves the axial confinement ability and identifies that the free spectra range (FSR) of the two-dimensional spectral disperser affects the out-of-focus multiphoton excitation intensity due to the temporal self-imaging effect.

Enhancement of lateral resolution and optical sectioning capability of two-photon fluorescence microscopy by combining temporal-focusing with structured illumination.

We demonstrate super-resolution imaging with background fluorescence rejection by interferometric temporal focusing microscopy, in which temporal focusing is combined with structured illumination. The lateral resolution and the optical sectioning capability are simultaneously improved by factors of 1.6 and 1.