Silver Nanoparticles and Houttuynin Sodium-Based Fibrous Poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide)/Gelatin-Based Dressings for Infectious Wound Healing.

Bacterial infections present debilitating challenges for skin repair, particularly in managing complex microbial colonization and persistent inflammation that delay healing. To address this clinical gap, a dual-functional electrospun dressing (PG@AgH) was developed by incorporating silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and houttuynin sodium (H) into poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide)/gelatin (PG) fibers. Compared to conventional dual-agent systems, PG@AgH achieves spatiotemporally controlled release.

Flexible plasmonic nanodisk arrays as SERS and biosensing platforms.

In this paper, a simple, low-cost, large-scale, and highly sensitive flexible plasmonic nanodisk arrays for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and biosensing platforms is proposed. This structure is fabricated by covering a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate with an array of UV nanodisks and then depositing gold (Au) film of a certain thickness. The flexible plasmonic nanodisk arrays exhibit localized plasmonic modes enhanced by local electric fields, rendering them promising for sensing detection.

Recurrent pathological fractures in chronic kidney disease revealing overlapping neglected primary hyperparathyroidism and GDF5-associated skeletal dysplasia.

Introduction: Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is a common endocrine disorder characterized by the excessive secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH), resulting in significant hypercalcemia and skeletal complications. In the context of chronic kidney disease (CKD), neglected PHPT can progress to a biochemical profile resembling tertiary hyperparathyroidism (THPT), further complicating diagnosis, especially when concomitant genetic skeletal disorders (GSD) exist.

Case Report: We present a rare and complex case of a 63-year-old woman with stage 3 CKD who presented with recurrent pathological fractures, severe hypercalcemia, and extensive osteolytic bone lesions in both femurs.

Hepatic-stellate-cell-targeted delivery of PU.1 decoy ODN by Apt-Tan attenuates liver fibrosis in mice.

Targeted therapeutics for liver fibrosis (LF) are unavailable. PU.1 is a pioneer transcription factor (TF) that promotes hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation and LF.

Longitudinal Study of Changes in Retinal Curvature and its Relationship With Myopia Shift in Chinese Children.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate longitudinal changes in retinal curvature (RC) among Chinese children and its relationship with myopia progression.

Methods: This 12-month longitudinal study included children aged 6 to 16 years, divided into groups based on changes in spherical equivalent refraction (SER) over 1 year: the myopic shift group and the non-myopic shift group. Comprehensive examinations including swept-source optical coherence tomography were performed in each visit.

The Usability and Experience of Artificial Intelligence-Based Conversational Agents in Health Education for Cancer Patients: A Scoping Review.

Background: Artificial intelligence-based conversational agents (CAs) have shown transformative potential in healthcare, yet their application in cancer health education has remained underexplored, particularly regarding usability and patients' experiences. Existing reviews lack a dedicated focus on user perspectives, limiting insights into how CAs can be optimised for patient needs.

Aim: To explore the usability and experience of artificial intelligence-based conversational agents in health education for cancer from the user perspective.

Effects of auriculotherapy on urinary incontinence in men with prostate cancer: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Urinary incontinence is one of the most distressing common symptoms in patients with prostate cancer after surgery. Auriculotherapy has been shown to improve a variety of symptoms effectively and has a certain potential in managing urinary incontinence, but the relevant studies are few and inconclusive. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of auriculotherapy on urinary incontinence in men with prostate cancer.

Host-specific adaptation in correlates with distinct accessory chromosome content in human and plant pathogenic strains.

is a cross-kingdom pathogen. While some strains cause disseminated fusariosis and blinding corneal infections in humans, others are responsible for devastating vascular wilt diseases in plants. To better understand the distinct adaptations of to animal or plant hosts, we conducted a comparative phenotypic and genetic analysis of two strains: MRL8996 (isolated from a keratitis patient) and Fol4287 (isolated from a wilted tomato []).

Development of an evidence-based auriculotherapy program for urinary incontinence in men after radical prostatectomy.

Objective: This study aims to develop an evidence-based auriculotherapy program for reducing urinary incontinence in men after radical prostatectomy.

Methods: The Medical Research Council Framework for Developing and Evaluating Complex Interventions was used to guide the intervention development process, which consisted of four stages: (1) establishing the research team; (2) identifying existing evidence; (3) identifying relevant theories; and (4) refining and modeling the program via an expert panel.

Results: An initial auriculotherapy program was developed based on available evidence from three practice standards, eight books, nine reviews, and two clinical trials.

Fluid biomarkers of vascular cognitive Impairment: From vascular pathophysiology to potential clinical applications.

Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) refers to cognitive decline resulting from cerebrovascular pathology, affecting one or more cognitive domains. Chronic vascular risk factors and acute cerebrovascular events contribute significantly to this condition. Identifying fluid biomarkers indicative of vascular injury is crucial for early prevention, accurate diagnosis, and assessing treatment efficacy in VCI.

Multi-Factor Optimization of Nickel Foam Flow Fields: Insights into Structural and Surface Modifications for High-Performance PEMFCs.

The performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) can be significantly influenced by the physical properties of the flow field design. In this study, nickel foam with varying physical parameters-compression (porosity), pore size, hydrophobicity, and anti-corrosion surface treatments-are systematically investigated to evaluate their influence on PEMFC electrochemical performance, water management, and corrosion resistance. The results reveal that moderate compression (67%), corresponding to a porosity of 85%, offers the optimal balance between electrical conductivity and mass transport, achieving the highest power density of 0.

Vascular depression: A comprehensive exploration of the definition, mechanisms, and clinical challenges.

Vascular depression (VaDep), which was proposed over two decades ago, is a distinct subtype of depression primarily observed in patients with stroke and cerebral small-vessel disease and is characterized by white matter hyperintensities; however, the lack of standardized diagnostic criteria and consensus limits its clinical application. This review explores the pathological conditions and vascular risk factors that may precipitate VaDep, particularly in relation to stroke and cerebral small-vessel disease. VaDep is distinguished by unique pathophysiological mechanisms and treatment responses.

Targeting AMPK as a potential treatment for hepatic fibrosis in MASLD.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common chronic liver disease, and often progresses to hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver failure. Despite its increasing prevalence, effective pharmacological treatments for MASLD-related fibrosis remain limited. Recent research has highlighted AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) as a key regulator of the processes that promote fibrogenesis, and AMPK activation shows potential in mitigating fibrosis.

Factors influencing fear of cancer recurrence among prostate cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To identify and quantify the influence factors of fear of cancer recurrence among prostate cancer patients through meta-analysis.

Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis followed by the PRISMA2020 checklist.

Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI, CMAPH, VIP, and Wanfang databases, along with manual retrieval, to identify relevant studies published from 1981 to November 2023.

Effect of Short-Term Exposure to Ambient Temperatures on Parkinson's Diseases Mortality Among Elderly Aged 60 Years and Above in China, 2013-2020.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder with significant negative health and economic implications for individuals, families and society. This study utilized an individual-level time-stratified case-crossover study design to investigate the relationship between ambient temperatures and PD mortality among the elderly in China. A combination of conditional logistic regression and distributed lag non-linear model was employed to analyze the data, and the mortality burden attributed to ambient temperatures was quantified.

Tetraptycene derivatives: synthesis, structure and their self-assemblies in solid state.

As iptycenes of arenes are fused to a bicyclo[2.2.2]octatriene bridgehead system, there are only odd-sequenced iptycene family members, such as triptycene, pentiptycene and heptiptycene.

A natural biological adhesive from slug mucus for wound repair.

Slugs could secrete mucus with multifunctional characteristics, such as reversible gelation, mucoadhesiveness, and viscoelasticity, which can be harnessed for multifaceted biotechnological and healthcare applications. The dried mucus (DM) was prepared using slug, which can be adhered to the tissue surface through different types of interactions (lap-shear force, 1.1 N for DM-3 group).

Barriers and facilitators for patients' acceptance and adherence to auriculotherapy: A qualitative systematic review using the theoretical domains framework.

Background: Auriculotherapy has become a promising complementary therapy and is widely used to manage various symptoms and diseases. However, little is known about patients' knowledge and attitudes. This study aimed to identify and synthesize the factors that influence acceptance and adherence related to auriculotherapy from patients' perspectives.

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) used to assess sexual functioning in prostate cancer patients: a systematic review of psychometric properties.

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) significantly impacts patients' sexual functioning and quality of life. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are essential for accurately assessing these issues, yet a comprehensive evaluation of their psychometric properties in PCa patients is lacking.

Aims: This systematic review aimed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of all generic and specific PROMs used to assess sexual functioning in PCa patients and make recommendations the application of PROMs in this patient group.

A Novel Strategy for the Detection of Semicarbazide in Crustaceans by Modified QuEChERS Coupled with Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Semicarbazide (SEM), a metabolite of nitrofurazone (NFZ), is widely used to detect the illegal application of NFZ in crustaceans. The conventional detection method involves chemical derivatization combined with reversed-phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (RPLC-MS/MS), which is both complex and time-consuming. To address this limitation, a more efficient approach was developed for SEM detection.

Blinking characteristics analyzed by a deep learning model and the relationship with tear film stability in children with long-term use of orthokeratology.

Purpose: Using deep learning model to observe the blinking characteristics and evaluate the changes and their correlation with tear film characteristics in children with long-term use of orthokeratology (ortho-K).

Methods: 31 children (58 eyes) who had used ortho-K for more than 1 year and 31 age and gender-matched controls were selected for follow-up in our ophthalmology clinic from 2021/09 to 2023/10 in this retrospective case-control study. Both groups underwent comprehensive ophthalmological examinations, including Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scoring, Keratograph 5M, and LipiView.

Superior High-Rate Ni-Rich Lithium Batteries Based on Fast Ion-Desolvation and Stable Solid-Electrolyte Interphase.

The fast charging-discharging performance of power batteries has very practical significance. In terms of electrochemistry, this requires fast and stable kinetics for electrochemical reaction processes. Despite the great complexity of kinetics, it is clear that lithium-ion desolvation and a subsequent step of crossing through cathode-electrolyte interphase (CEI) are crucial to high-rate performance, in which the two key steps depend heavily on the working electrolyte formula.

Dual-mode SPR/SERS optical fiber sensor for ultra-trace mercury ions detection.

The detection of mercury ions (Hg) is crucial due to its harmful effects on health and environment. In this article, what we believe to be a novel dual-mode optical fiber sensor incorporating surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is proposed for ultra-trace Hg detection. The sensing probe comprises gold (Au)/graphene oxide (GO) composite membrane structure and Au nanospheres (AuNPs), which are connected via double-stranded DNA.

Dielectric-metal hybrid structured LSPR sensor based on graphene oxide amplification for lead ion detection.

The detection of lead ions (Pb) is crucial due to its harmful effects on health and the environment. In this article, what we believe to be a novel dielectric-metal hybrid structure localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor for ultra-trace detection of Pb is proposed, featuring a zinc sulfide layer, silver nanodisks (Ag-disks), and graphene oxide (GO) covering the Ag-disks. The sensor works by detecting the variation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on its surface when Pb cleaves a substrate strand linked to a DNAzyme, causing the AuNPs modified on the substrate strand to disperse.

Experience of post-traumatic growth among parents of children with biliary atresia undergoing living-related liver transplantation: a descriptive phenomenological study.

To explore the experience of post-traumatic growth among parents of children with biliary atresia undergoing living-related liver transplantation.: Participants were recruited within 2 weeks of their child's transplant surgery using purposive sampling. Transcripts were analyzed using Colaizzi's descriptive analysis framework, with collaborative analysis conducted using NVivo 12 software and a post-traumatic growth model.