Interactions between extracellular vesicles and hormones.

This review explores the interaction between extracellular vesicles (EVs) and hormones, highlighting their importance in physiological and pathological conditions. As key messengers of intercellular communication, extracellular vesicles are rich in a variety of bioactive molecules and can play an important role in the in vivo environment. Hormones, as the core mediators of regulating the functions of organisms, affect the production and release of extracellular vesicles through a variety of signaling pathways, and then regulate the function of target cells.

Imaging hypoxia for head and neck cancer: current status, challenges, and prospects.

Hypoxia can substantially impact clinical outcomes in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) by promoting tumor invasion, metastasis, immune escape, and therapy resistance. Given the growing interest in targeting hypoxia for cancer therapy, noninvasive methods are needed to accurately detect hypoxia and evaluate the tumor response to treatment. This review summarizes recent advances in hypoxia-targeted probes and imaging techniques, emphasizing their imaging mechanisms, strengths, and limitations.

The Application of Painting in the Intervention of Children's Psychological Issues in China: A Narrative Review.

This article examines the practices, status, evolution and current challenges of painting therapy, in child psychological interventions in China. Empirical evidence shows that painting therapy significantly reduces symptoms of anxiety, anger, and schizophrenia, lowers depression scores, and enhances life satisfaction. Randomized controlled trials indicate improvements in emotional disorders, ADHD, and social adaptability.

Dichotomous roles of IL-36 and IL-38 in cardiovascular disease.

Members of the interleukin-1 (IL-1) superfamily play crucial roles in orchestrating inflammation and immune responses. Among them, IL-36 and IL-38 have emerged as cytokines with contrasting roles in cardiovascular disease (CVD). IL-36 typically promotes inflammation, contributing to endothelial dysfunction, atherogenesis, and myocardial injury.

Targeting pericytes in the retina: characterization of the inducible NG2-CreERT2 knock-in mouse model.

Pericytes (PCs) are mural cells embedded in a common basement membrane with endothelial cells (ECs) on capillaries. They are key players in the regulation of stability and function of blood vessels and are an essential component of the blood-brain and blood-retinal barrier. In addition, PCs are reported to be involved in wound healing and tissue regeneration and represent a promising target for the modulation of scarring processes.

Quenching Sensitivity Study of New High-Strength Aluminum Alloys Based on an Immersion End-Quenching and Step-Quenching Technique.

Based on end-quenching and step-quenching experiments combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), the quench sensitivity of a novel high-strength aluminum alloy was investigated and compared with that of GB/T 7075 and 7175 alloys; quench factor analysis (QFA) was employed to predict the hardness values of the alloy and investigate the effect of quenching rate on its mechanical properties. The experimental results indicate that when the cooling rate decreases from 402.5 °C/s to 3.

Belimumab-driven reductions in retinal microvascular density assessed by optical coherence tomography angiography: insights from systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN) are associated with retinal microvascular changes that may reflect disease severity. This study aimed to evaluate differences in retinal vascular density (VD) between SLE patients with and without LN and assess the impact of rheumatological treatments on VD.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 54 SLE patients (21 with LN, 33 without LN).

Interleukin-14 Prevents Cytarabine or Irradiation Induced Neutropenia via JAK/STAT3 Signaling.

Background: Severe neutropenia significantly increases the risk of bacterial infections. Recent studies have shown that the cytokine interleukin 14 (IL-14) plays an important role in immune cells, but its potential role in neutropenia induced by cytarabine (ara-c) or irradiation is unclear.

Objective: To investigate the role of IL-14 in ara-c or irradiation-induced neutropenia.

2025 Chinese guideline for the imaging diagnosis and evaluation of Takayasu arteritis.

Background: Takayasu arteritis (TAK) presents as systemic vasculitis. Imaging is crucial for the diagnosis and evaluation of TAK, but the rational selection of imaging methods and interpretation of imaging results are major challenges in clinical practice, which can affect treatment decisions. This guideline aims to establish standardized protocols for selecting imaging modalities (as well as interpreting their findings) in TAK.

Interactive EEG Emotion Recognition with Incremental Gaussian Processes.

Interactivity is crucial for enabling models to adjust and optimize based on user feedback, thereby enhancing overall performance. However, existing electroencephalogram (EEG)-based emotion recognition models rely on static training paradigms, lack interactivity, and struggle to effectively handle uncertainty in predictions. To address this issue, we propose a novel paradigm for interactive emotion recognition based on incremental Gaussian processes (GP).

Substantial spillover burden of rat hepatitis E virus in humans.

The emergence of Rocahepevirus ratti genotype 1 (rat hepatitis E virus; rat HEV) in humans presents an unprecedented threat; however, the risk of rat HEV transmission to humans is not well understood. Here, we report the "Distinguishing Antibody Response Elicitation (DARE)" method, which distinguishes exposure to rat HEV. We use four study sets from China for large-scale population analysis: set 1 (hospital visit) and set 3 (ALT abnormality) from Yunnan province, a biodiversity hotspot, and set 2 (received physical examination) and set 4 (ALT abnormality) from Jiangsu province, a non-hotspot control region.

Protective Effect of Against Alcohol-Induced Acute Liver Injury Via Extracellular Vesicles in Rats.

The beneficial effects of probiotics on alcohol-induced liver injury have been studied, but the mechanisms by which regulates liver function are still under investigation. In this study, we examined (Efm) and -derived extracellular vesicles (EfmEVs) to provide a protective effect against ethanol-induced liver injury in rats. We evaluated the impact of EfmEVs on liver histological lesions, antioxidative function, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities, and serum ALT, AST, blood alcohol concentration.

Lag-Net: Lag correction for cone-beam CT via a convolutional neural network.

Background And Objective: Due to the presence of charge traps in amorphous silicon flat-panel detectors, lag signals are generated in consecutively captured projections. These signals lead to ghosting in projection images and severe lag artifacts in cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) reconstructions. Traditional Linear Time-Invariant (LTI) correction need to measure lag correction factors (LCF) and may leave residual lag artifacts.

Predicting complications and morbidities in PAD patients through lower extremity compositions with dual-energy CT and material decomposition: a 2-year follow-up observational study.

Background: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is associated with various morbidities. This study aims to investigate the correlation between different lower extremity compositions and development of morbidities in PAD patients.

Methods: Between January 2018 and December 2020, 108 subjects diagnosed of PAD were enrolled (mean age of 64.

Harnessing RNA therapeutics: novel approaches and emerging strategies for cardiovascular disease management.

RNA therapeutics are emerging as a promising approach for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) management, offering targeted gene regulation through modalities like mRNA, siRNA, and miRNA. In recent years, researchers have conducted a lot of research on the application of RNA therapeutics technology in the treatment of CVDs. Despite hurdles in off-target effects and immune responses, the clinical trial outcomes are encouraging.

Engineering strategies for the construction of oriented and functional skeletal muscle tissues.

The growth and formation of tissues, such as skeletal muscle, involve a complex interplay of spatiotemporal events, including cell migration, orientation, proliferation, and differentiation. With the continuous advancement ofconstruction techniques, many studies have contributed to skeletal muscle tissue engineering (STME). This review summarizes recent advances in the ordered construction of skeletal muscle tissues, and evaluates the impact of engineering strategies on cell behavior and maturation, including biomaterials, manufacturing methods and training means.

Synthetic Multidimensional Aharonov-Bohm Cages in Fock State Lattices.

Fock-state lattices, composed of photon number states with infinite Hilbert space, have emerged as a promising platform for simulating high-dimensional physics due to their potential to extend into arbitrarily high dimensions. Here, we demonstrate the construction of multidimensional Fock-state lattices using superconducting quantum circuits. By controlling artificial gauge fields within their internal structures, we investigate flux-induced extreme localization dynamics, such as Aharonov-Bohm caging, extending from 2D to 3D.

The neutrophil-to-C3 ratio: unveiling diagnostic efficacy for lupus nephritis and association with reduced retinal vascular density in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: Lupus nephritis (LN) frequently manifests as a significant complication in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, with emerging research indicating a plausible correlation between subclinical retinal involvement and renal manifestations. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the neutrophil-to-C3 ratio (NC3R) and both LN as well as retinal microvasculature damage among SLE patients.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a cohort of 220 participants (78 LN and 142 non-LN) was recruited.

Hybrid-Prediction Integrated Planning for Autonomous Driving.

Autonomous driving systems require a comprehensive understanding and accurate prediction of the surrounding environment to facilitate informed decision-making in complex scenarios. Recent advances in learning-based systems have highlighted the importance of integrating prediction and planning. However, this integration poses significant alignment challenges through consistency between prediction patterns, to interaction between future prediction and planning.

β-elemene inhibits tumor-promoting in small cell lung cancer by affecting M2 macrophages and TGF-β.

Objective: M2 macrophages have been implicated in promoting tumor growth and metastasis in various cancers, including small cell lung cancer (SCLC). This study investigated the role of M2 macrophages in SCLC progression and explored the therapeutic potential of β-elemene, a natural compound, in modulating M2 macrophage-mediated tumor promotion.

Methods: We differentiated THP-1 monocytes into M2 macrophages using PMA (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate), IL-4 (interleukin-4), and IL-13 (interleukin-13).

Remnant cholesterol and risk of aortic aneurysm and dissection: a prospective cohort Study from the UK biobank study and mendelian randomization analysis.

Aim: This study aimed to examine the relationships between remnant cholesterol (RC) and the risk of aortic aneurysm and dissection (AAD).

Methods: This prospective cohort study included 368,139 European adults from the UK Biobank. Additionally, the causal relationship between RC and AAD was investigated using Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses.

Micheliolide attenuates sepsis-induced acute lung injury by suppressing mitochondrial oxidative stress and PFKFB3-driven glycolysis.

Background: Sepsis is a potentially fatal condition with a significant risk of death. Acute lung injury (ALI) is a life-threatening complication of sepsis, and the inflammatory response plays a critical role in sepsis-induced ALI. The protective effects of micheliolide (MCL) against renal fibrosis and leukemia have been demonstrated, but the precise underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells facilitate neuronal lysosome release.

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) shape brain function through many non-canonical regulatory mechanisms beyond myelination. Here we show that OPCs form contacts with their processes on neuronal somata in a neuronal activity-dependent manner. These contacts facilitate exocytosis of neuronal lysosomes.