Restricted mean survival time approach versus time-varying coefficient Cox model for quantifying treatment effect when hazards are non-proportional.

Background: Although the Cox time-varying coefficient (TVC) model has been developed to address non-proportional hazard (PH), its use remains underexplored. Instead, the restricted mean survival time (RMST) has been widely used in non-PH settings to quantify treatment effects using life expectancy ratio (LER) and life expectancy difference (LED).

Methods: This study explores a novel extension of the Cox TVC model under non-PH to generate LER and LED to enable a direct comparison with RMST based on flexible parametric survival model (FPM).

CircFUNDC1 interacts with CDK9 to promote mitophagy in nucleus pulposus cells under oxidative stress and ameliorates intervertebral disc degeneration.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a leading cause of low back pain, with limited effective treatments due to an incomplete understanding of disease mechanisms. In this study, we report that circFUNDC1, a nuclear circular RNA, is markedly downregulated in nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) from patients with end-stage IVDD. CircFUNDC1 is derived from the gene encoding the FUN14 domain-containing 1 (FUNDC1) protein, which is essential for mitophagy and cell survival.

Exercise ameliorates osteopenia in mice via intestinal microbial-mediated bile acid metabolism pathway.

Physical exercise is essential for skeletal integrity and bone health. The gut microbiome, as a pivotal modulator of overall physiologic states, is closely associated with skeletal homeostasis and bone metabolism. However, the potential role of intestinal microbiota in the exercise-mediated bone gain remains unclear.

Aucubin Promotes BMSCs Proliferation and Differentiation of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis Patients by Regulating Ferroptosis and BMP2 Signalling.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) is a chronic systemic bone metabolism disorder. Promotion in the patterns of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) differentiation towards osteoblasts contributes to alleviating osteoporosis. Aucubin, a natural compound isolated from the well-known herbal medicine Eucommia, was previously shown to possess various pharmacological effects.

Biomimetic Bone-Like Composite Hydrogel Scaffolds Composed of Collagen Fibrils and Natural Hydroxyapatite for Promoting Bone Repair.

Bone is a complex organic-inorganic composite tissue composed of ∼30% organics and ∼70% hydroxyapatite (HAp). Inspired by this, we used 30% collagen and 70% HAp extracted from natural bone using the calcination method to generate a biomimetic bone composite hydrogel scaffold (BBCHS). In one respect, BBCHS, with a fixed proportion of inorganic and organic components similar to natural bone, exhibits good physical properties.

Molasses-based in situ bio-sequestration of Cr(VI) in groundwater under flow condition.

The in situ biosequestration of Cr(VI) in groundwater with molasses as the carbon source was studied based on column experiments and model simulation in this study. Compared with biological reduction, molasses-based chemical reduction did not cause significant Cr(VI) removal at molasses concentration as high as 1.14 g L.

The transformation of multifunctional bio-patch to hydrogel on skin wounds for efficient scarless wound healing.

Hydrogels have been widely used in various biomedical applications, including skin regeneration and tissue repair. However, the capability of certain hydrogels to absorb exudate or blood from surrounding wounds, coupled with the challenge in their long-term storage to prevent bacterial growth, can pose limitations to their efficacy in biological applications. To address these challenges, the development of a multifunctional aloin-arginine-alginate (short for 3A) bio-patch capable of transforming into a hydrogel upon absorbing exudate or blood from neighboring wounds for cutaneous regeneration is proposed.

An inducible long noncoding RNA, LncZFHX2, facilitates DNA repair to mediate osteoarthritis pathology.

Cartilage homeostasis is essential for chondrocytes to maintain proper phenotype and metabolism. Because adult articular cartilage is avascular, chondrocytes must survive in low oxygen conditions, and changing oxygen tension can significantly affect metabolism and proteoglycan synthesis in these cells. However, whether long noncoding RNA participate in cartilage homeostasis under hypoxia has not been reported yet.

A nano-conductive osteogenic hydrogel to locally promote calcium influx for electro-inspired bone defect regeneration.

Conductive nano-materials and electrical stimulation (ES) have been recognized as a synergetic therapy for ordinary excitable tissue repair. It is worth noting that hard tissues, such as bone tissue, possess bioelectrical properties as well. However, insufficient attention is paid to the synergetic therapy for bone defect regeneration via conductive biomaterials with ES.

CircGNB1 drives osteoarthritis pathogenesis by inducing oxidative stress in chondrocytes.

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have risen to prominence as important regulators of biological processes. This study investigated whether circGNB1 functions as a competitive endogenous RNA to regulate the pathological process of oxidative stress in age-related osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: The relationship between circGNB1 expression and oxidative stress/OA severity was determined in cartilages from OA patients at different ages.

Microbial extracellular polymeric substances alleviate cadmium toxicity in rice (Oryza sativa L.) by regulating cadmium uptake, subcellular distribution and triggering the expression of stress-related genes.

Cadmium (Cd) accumulation in crops causes potential risks to human health. Microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are a complex mixture of biopolymers that can bind various heavy metals. The present work examined the alleviating effects of EPS on Cd toxicity in rice and its detoxification mechanism.

Synergistic Effect of Magneto-Mechanical Bioengineered Stem Cells and Magnetic Field to Alleviate Osteoporosis.

Therapeutic bioengineering based on stem cell therapy holds great promise in biomedical applications. However, the application of this treatment is limited in orthopedics because of their poor survival, weak localization, and low cell retention. In this work, magneto-mechanical bioengineered cells consisting of magnetic silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are prepared to alleviate osteoporosis.

Long non-coding RNA AL137789.1 promoted malignant biological behaviors and immune escape of pancreatic carcinoma cells.

Our pre-investigation has revealed that long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) AL137789.1 has the potential to predict the survival of patients with pancreatic carcinoma (PCa). Accordingly, the mechanism underlying the implication of AL137789.

Meta-Analysis of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Left Main Narrowing.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with drug-eluting stents and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for patients with left main coronary artery disease (LMCAD) have reported conflicting results. We performed a systematic review up to May 23, 2021, and 1-stage reconstructed individual patient data meta-analysis (IPDMA) to compare outcomes between both groups. The primary outcome was 10-year all-cause mortality.

Aerobic and anaerobic biodegradation of BDE-47 by bacteria isolated from an e-waste-contaminated site and the effect of various additives.

Degradation experiments are conducted to specifically compare the degradation of 2,2',4,4'-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) by aerobic and anaerobic strains isolated from real e-waste sites contaminated by BDE-47. The effect of carbon sources, inducers and surfactants on the degradation was examined to strengthen such a comparison. An aerobic strain, B.

Extracellular proteins of Desulfovibrio vulgaris as adsorbents and redox shuttles promote biomineralization of antimony.

Biomineralization is the key process governing the biogeochemical cycling of multivalent metals in the environment. Although some sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are recently recognized to respire metal ions, the role of their extracellular proteins in the immobilization and redox transformation of antimony (Sb) remains elusive. Here, a model strain Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough (DvH) was used to study microbial extracellular proteins of functions and possible mechanisms in Sb(V) biomineralization.

Laparoscopic versus open resection for rectal cancer: An individual patient data meta analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background And Aims: The role of laparoscopic rectal cancer resection remains controversial. Thus, we aimed to conduct a one-stage meta-analysis with reconstructed patient-level data using randomized trial data to compare long-term oncologic efficacy of laparoscopic and open surgical resection for rectal cancer.

Methods: Medline, EMBASE and Scopus were searched for articles comparing laparoscopic with open surgery for rectal cancer.

Complete genome sequencing and comparative genomic analyses of Bacillus sp. S3, a novel hyper Sb(III)-oxidizing bacterium.

Background: Antimonite [Sb(III)]-oxidizing bacterium has great potential in the environmental bioremediation of Sb-polluted sites. Bacillus sp. S3 that was previously isolated from antimony-contaminated soil displayed high Sb(III) resistance and Sb(III) oxidation efficiency.

Increased chalcopyrite bioleaching capabilities of extremely thermoacidophilic Metallosphaera sedula inocula by mixotrophic propagation.

Extremely thermoacidophilic Crenarchaeota belonging to the order Sulfolobales, such as Metallosphaera sedula, are metabolically versatile and of great relevance in bioleaching. However, the impacts of extreme thermoacidophiles propagated with different energy substrates on subsequent bioleaching of refractory chalcopyrite remain unknown. Transcriptional responses underlying their different bioleaching potentials are still elusive.

Sweet preference modified by early experience in mice and the related molecular modulations on the peripheral pathway.

The sweet taste is of immense interest to scientists and has been intensively studied during the last two decades. However, the sweet preference modification and the related mechanisms are still unclear. In this study, we try to establish a mice model with manipulated sweet taste preference and explore the involved possible molecular mechanisms.

Effects of early intraoral acesulfame-K stimulation to mice on the adult's sweet preference and the expression of α-gustducin in fungiform papilla.

Exposure to artificial sweetener acesulfame-K (AK) at early development stages may influence the adult sweet preference and the periphery gustatory system. We observed that the intraoral AK stimulation to mice from postnatal day 4 (P4) to weaning decreased the preference thresholds for AK and sucrose solutions in adulthood, with the preference pattern unchanged. The preference scores were increased in the exposure group significantly when compared with the control group at a range of concentrations for AK or sucrose solution.