Astragaloside IV Binds with RhoA, Inhibits EndMT and Ameliorates Myocardial Fibrosis in Mice.

Astragaloside IV (ASIV), the main active component of the traditional Chinese medicine HuangQi, exhibits ameliorating effects on myocardial fibrosis through unclear mechanisms. To investigate the effects of ASIV on Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) in myocardial fibrosis, 10 ng/mL TGF-β1 was used to induce EndMT in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and a 5 mg/kg/d subcutaneous injection of Isoproterenol (ISO) was used to induce myocardial fibrosis in mice . The drug affinity-responsive target stability (DARTS) was used to identify the target proteins of ASIV in endothelial cells.

Free L- and D-amino acids in PM in a megacity in central China, from the perspectives of pollution characteristics, atmospheric processes and sources.

The central region of China faces ongoing challenges in improving and meeting PM standards. While significant progress has been made in controlling anthropogenic sources, natural sources such as amino acids and bioaerosols, which are important components of PM, also require more attention. This study examines the concentrations, seasonal variations, sources, and atmospheric interactions of 15 pairs of free L- and D-amino acids in PM.

Association between gestational diabetes mellitus and risk of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a prevalent metabolic complication during pregnancy, has a global prevalence of approximately 14%. Its onset is closely associated with insulin resistance, insufficient compensatory function of β - cells, and abnormal placental function. Epidemiological studies have indicated that type 2 diabetes is an independent risk factor for breast cancer.

Significant Enhancement of Dynamic SERS Signals Achieved Using Alloy Superatoms as Substrates.

Due to the strong charge transferability brought by delocalized superatomic molecular orbitals, coinage metal (CM) superatoms exhibit significant potential in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). However, the scarcity of metal elements in the coinage family restricts further improvement. To address this, we propose the idea of using different types of CMs to form alloyed superatoms.

Conductance of metal superatom-based molecular wires influenced by nanoscale effects.

High-conductance molecular wires are critical for advancing molecular-scale electronics, yet their performance typically diminishes exponentially with length. Here, we reveal an unconventional phenomenon where nanoscale molecular wires constructed from metal superatoms demonstrate enhanced conductance as their length increases. Through first-principles calculations, we find that quasi-one-dimensional assemblies of W@Cu superatoms, below 2.

Sources and temporal trends of chlorinated paraffins in PM in a megacity in central China.

The widespread use of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) poses significant ecological and health risks. However, existing studies on CPs are generally short, and studies on their regional sources are limited. Herein, we continuously monitored the concentrations of short-chain CPs (SCCPs) and medium-chain CPs (MCCPs) in PM in a megacity near industrial areas to investigate their sources, seasonal and annual variations, and potential health risks.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells: recent developments and future perspectives.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have demonstrated significant potential as environmentally friendly energy alternatives. Innovations in the affordability and durability of fuel cell catalysts have facilitated the large-scale commercialization of clean electric power. This review article introduces the working principle and key components of PEMFCs, as well as their application in transportation, electricity generation, industry, heat and power supply, and portable power sources.

High resolution residential emission inventory and relationships between urban residential emissions and incomes in megacity Zhengzhou, China.

Residential emissions significantly affect indoor air quality and human health; a high-resolution emissions inventory of air pollutants is necessary for conducting accurate exposure assessments and developing effective mitigation strategies. In this study, an income-stratified residential emission inventory was constructed for Zhengzhou, a megacity in China. In 2019, the total emissions from urban residences in Zhengzhou were as follows (in tons): nitrogen oxides (NO, 1039.

Pollution levels, distribution characteristics and risk assessment of heavy metals (HMs) in road dust in major cities of China.

Trace metals in road dust are crucial risk factors for human health. However, comprehensive study on a large spatial scale is scarce, resulting in risk assessments that lack representativeness. This study conducts a comprehensive investigation on the pollution characteristics of 18 heavy metals (HMs) in road dust collected from 47 megacities in China.

An anti-cosmic β-γ coincidence system for radioxenon measurement.

A β-γ coincidence system for radioxenon measurement with high detection sensitivity has been developed in Beijing Radionuclide Laboratory by using a broad energy germanium γ-detector and a plastic scintillator β-detector. In order to further improve the performance of the system, a cosmic-ray veto detector system has been implemented to reduce the background induced by cosmic-ray muon. This paper reports on the setup and commissioning of the anti-cosmic β-γ coincidence system.

The potential of TAOK1 as a new therapeutic target for the treatment of cancer cachexia-associated muscle atrophy.

Cancer cachexia, a multifactorial metabolic syndrome impacts 50-80 % cancer patients, is mainly characterized by skeletal muscle atrophy. In this study, we demonstrated that the thousand-and-one amino acid kinase 1 (TAOK1) was activated in both C2C12 myotubes treated with simulated cancer cachexia injuries as well as in muscle tissues of mice inoculated with various types of tumor cells. Results of phosphoproteomic analysis also showed the increase in phosphorylation of TAOK1 in myotubes induced by simulated cancer cachexia injuries.

Extracting critical paths for synergistic control of carbon emissions and air pollution: Case of Henan Province.

Synergistic reduction of carbon emissions and air pollution is the core means to address the two major strategic tasks of fundamentally improving the ecological environment and the 'Dual-carbon target'. The issue of synergistic reduction at the provincial level needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Taking Henan Province, the largest economy in central China, as an example, this study uses environmentally extended input-output analysis and structural path analysis to identify the key sectors that contribute to CO, SO, and total particulate matter (TPM) emissions, and to sort out key emission pathways (e.

Characteristic trends and source shifts of n-alkanes in a multi-year study: Insights from gas-particle partitioning in a central Chinese city.

Understanding the carbon distribution and source shifts of n-alkanes, which have considerable environmental and public health implications, is vital for assessing the long-term atmospheric behaviour of organic compounds. Here, we combined seasonal data of PM bounded n-alkanes (C-C) collected in a Chinese city across three time periods (2014-2015, 2019, 2022) to investigate their characteristics and source proportions over time. The annual average concentration of particulate n-alkanes in 2022 was 118 ng m⁻³ , showing a 41 % decline from 2019 and a 50 % reduction from 2014 to 2015.

Appropriateness and inappropriate medication predictors of stress ulcer prophylaxis in the intensive care unit.

Introduction: Preventive drugs for stress ulcers are widely and unreasonably used in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This study aims to examine the appropriate utilization of medications for stress ulcer prophylaxis (SUP) and identify factors that contribute to the inappropriate use of these medications in the ICU of the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University.

Methods: Patient cases admitted to the ICU during the period from May 2022 to May 2023 were extracted from the hospital's information management system.

Polymerization Improvement of Graphitic Carbon Nitride Films Derived from Melamine and Thiourea.

Deposition of low-cost, efficient, and environmentally friendly graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) films as photoanodes is a crucial step for constructing photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells and exploring their PEC performance. Currently, the improvement of the photocurrent density of g-CN films is badly needed for their practical applications in PEC water splitting. Enhancing the g-CN crystallinity by optimizing their synthesis conditions only through screening appropriate reactant precursors is insufficient for this purpose.

The involvement and possible targeting of cardiolipins degradation and disturbed linoleic acid metabolism in cardiac atrophy under cancer cachexia.

Cardiac atrophy is one of the critical characteristics of cancer cachexia though its mechanisms had not been fully clarified. In the present study, to study the mechanisms of cardiac atrophy in cancer cachexia and search for possible drug targets, cancer cachexia mice bearing C26 colon tumor cells and cultured H9c2 cardiomyocytes induced with simulated cancer cachexia injuries were used as in vivo and in vitro model, respectively. Results of both spatial metabolomics and LC-MS non-targeted metabolomics analysis of heart tissues suggested the disturbance of glycerophospholipid and fatty acid metabolism in the cancer cachexia hearts.

P-phenylenediamines (PPDs) and 6PPD-quinone in tunnel PM: From the perspective of characterization, emission factors, and health risks.

P-phenylenediamines (PPDs) and a quinone derivative (6PPD-Q), as antioxidants added to tires, can inevitably enter into the environment during tire wear emission, posing potential health and ecological risks. However, investigation on their pollution characteristics in PM is still lacking, especially for high-pollution scenarios, such as tunnels. Herein, we investigated the pollution characteristics and emission factors, as well as the correlation analysis and daily intakes of PM-bound PPDs and 6PPD-Q in tunnel.

Field-Applicable Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification for the Detection of Seven Common Human Papillomavirus Subtypes.

Persistent HPV infection is a major risk factor for the subsequent development of cervical cancer. LAMP is simple and suitable for field detection in the resource-limited settings. In this study, hydroxy naphthol blue (HNB)-based visual LAMP and evagreen-based fluorescent LAMP coupled with a microfluidic chip (LAMP-chip) were established for the field detection of seven subtypes of HPV.

Occurrence and fate of atmospheric short/medium chain chlorinated paraffins: Size distribution and inhalation exposure.

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are intricate industrial compounds synthesized through alkane chlorination. Researches on the size distribution of short-chain (SCCPs) and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) in atmospheric particulate matter (PM) are limited. Here, we conducted a thorough investigation on the size-dependent distribution characteristics, deposition behavior in respiratory tract, and health risks associated with CPs in atmospheric PM.

Enhancing protein-ligand binding affinity prediction through sequential fusion of graph and convolutional neural networks.

Predicting protein-ligand binding affinity is a crucial and challenging task in structure-based drug discovery. With the accumulation of complex structures and binding affinity data, various machine-learning scoring functions, particularly those based on deep learning, have been developed for this task, exhibiting superiority over their traditional counterparts. A fusion model sequentially connecting a graph neural network (GNN) and a convolutional neural network (CNN) to predict protein-ligand binding affinity is proposed in this work.

Exploring the HONO source during the COVID-19 pandemic in a megacity in China.

HONO is a critical precursor of •OH, but its sources are controversial due to its complex formation mechanism. This study conducted comprehensive observations in Zhengzhou from April 26 to May 11, 2022. Low NO concentrations were observed during the Covid epidemic period (EP) (10.

Establishment and verification of anthropogenic speciated VOCs emission inventory of Central China.

Improving the accuracy of anthropogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emission inventory is crucial for reducing atmospheric pollution and formulating control policy of air pollution. In this study, an anthropogenic speciated VOCs emission inventory was established for Central China represented by Henan Province at a 3 km × 3 km spatial resolution based on the emission factor method. The 2019 VOCs emission in Henan Province was 1003.

The oxidative potential of fine ambient particulate matter in Xinxiang, North China: Pollution characteristics, source identification and regional transport.

Atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM) can trigger the production of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can trigger or exacerbate oxidative stress and pulmonary inflammation. We collected 111 daily (∼24 h) ambient PM samples within an urban region of North China during four seasons of 2019-2020. PM samples were examined for carbonaceous components, water-soluble ions, and elements, together with their oxidative potential (represent ROS-producing ability) by DTT assay.