Microglial-derived nitric oxide regulates amygdala synaptic plasticity to drive chronic pain and depression induced by lumbar disc herniation.

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a major driver of chronic low back pain often accompanied by depression-like behaviors, yet the supraspinal mechanisms that link nociception to affective disturbance remain unclear. Here, we investigated the potential mechanisms by which microglia-derived nitric oxide (NO) modulates synaptic plasticity in the amygdala of a rat model of LDH. Behavioral assessments confirmed the presence of mechanical hyperalgesia and depression-like behaviors in LDH rats.

Development and validation of a deep learning model for early detection and screening of diabetic retinopathy.

Early diagnosis and screening of diabetic retinopathy (DR) are crucial for reducing medical burdens and conserving healthcare resources. This study introduces an advanced AI-assisted recognition system designed to enhance the detection of DR lesions through innovative automatic learning methods. Central to our approach are agnostic text instruction templates, which facilitate zero-shot DR detection by integrating text embeddings with visual information.

Wenyang Xiaozheng decoction modulates macrophage polarization via JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway to reduce renal fibrosis.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Wenyang Xiaozheng Decoction (WYXZ), a traditional Chinese medicine formula based on the principles of "warming Yang and resolving blood stasis," has been clinically shown to improve renal function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the precise mechanisms underlying its therapeutic effects remain to be elucidated.

Aim Of The Study: To investigate whether WYXZ alleviates renal fibrosis by modulating macrophage polarization via JAK2/STAT3 signaling.

The socioeconomic and health system determinants of financial protection indicators: a global systematic review (2008-2023).

Introduction: To ensure financial protection (FP), a key component of achieving Universal Health Coverage, it is important to identify the most vulnerable populations to financial hardship; however, systematic evidence of the determinants of FP is lacking, especially regarding the ability of FP indicators to identify the most vulnerable populations.

Methods: We searched three English (Web of Science, Medline and Embase) and four Chinese (CNKI, Wanfang, VIP and SinoMed) language databases for articles published between 1 January 2008 and 13 September 13, 2023. Eligible studies reported associations between a socioeconomic and/or health system determinant and either catastrophic (CHE) or impoverishing health expenditures (IHE).

Jab1 regulates HRR mRNA stability to modulate PARP inhibitor sensitivity in triple-negative breast cancer.

Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive breast cancer subtype associated with the highest mortality rate among all breast cancer subtypes, primarily due to the absence of actionable therapeutic targets. Although poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) have shown promising therapeutic effects in TNBC patients harboring homologous recombination deficiency (HRD), their clinical benefit remains limited, highlighting an urgent need for novel targets that enhance PARPi efficacy. This study investigates the role of Jab1 in regulating the stability of homologous recombination repair (HRR)-related RNAs and evaluates its potential as a therapeutic target to enhance PARPi sensitivity in TNBC.

Three-dimensional reconstruction based on computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging multimodal image fusion for parotid gland tumor diagnosis and treatment.

This research evaluated a novel computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) fusion-based three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction method for parotid gland tumor diagnosis and treatment. In 11 patients with primary parotid tumors adjacent to the facial nerve, contrast-enhanced CT and 3D multi-echo in steady acquisition MRI images were automatically fused, segmented, and reconstructed to visualize tumors and critical anatomical structures. Preoperative tumor localization and tumor-nerve relationship assessments matched intraoperative findings in 90.

Cost-effective and lightweight FBG demodulation system based on edge AI.

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors are extensively employed for structural health and condition monitoring. However, the high cost and large size of conventional FBG demodulation methods have hindered the widespread adoption of FBG-based sensing technologies. To overcome these challenges, this study proposes what we believe to be a novel demodulation system leveraging a tunable laser.

Cell wall modification contributed to high aluminum retention in root epidermis for red skin root syndrome in Panax ginseng.

Panax ginseng (ginseng) is an important herbal medicine plant; however, successive ginseng cultivation causes intense acidification and active aluminum (Al) dissolution in ginseng bed soil. High Al retention in the root epidermis has been well documented to associate with the occurrence of red skin root syndrome of ginseng. The present study aimed to clarify the origins and effects of this Al accumulation patterns.

Marine-tolerant bioadhesive gel with hydrophobic microdomain-multicrosslinked network for seawater-immersed wound management.

Current gel dressings face significant challenges in seawater-immersed wound management due to their marine-intolerance, poor bioadhesion and non-antibacterial properties. Herein, we develop a multifunctional gel that integrates marine-tolerance, wet adhesion, non-invasive detachment, good antibacterial properties to resist bleeding and promote wound healing in marine environments. Our design strategy employs solvent-exchange-induced self-assembly of hydrophobic segments to engineer hydrophobic microdomains, coupled with the synergistic effects of hydrogen/ionic/coordination bonds as multicrosslinked networks, resulting in a marine-tolerant hydrogel with a "hydrophobic microdomain-multicrosslinked" network structure.

FABP7-mediated lipid-laden macrophages drive the formation of pre-metastatic niche and liver metastasis.

Abnormal metabolism processes play a crucial role in the establishment of the pre-metastatic niche (PMN) and the subsequent metastasis to distant organs. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the lipid metabolic reprogramming of macrophages within the liver PMN remain elusive. In this study, we observed an upregulation of fatty acid-binding protein 7 (FABP7) in liver macrophages, which resulted in the accumulation of lipid droplets (LDs) within the PMN of colorectal cancer and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

The transcriptomic-based disease network reveals synergistic therapeutic effect of total alkaloids from Coptis chinensis and total ginsenosides from Panax ginseng on type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Coptis chinensis Franch. and Panax ginseng C. A.

Dual-Anchoring Fluorescent Probes Enable Facile Recognition of Pyroptosis through Dynamic Tracking of Plasma Membrane.

Pyroptosis is a pro-inflammatory form of programmed cell death mediated by the gasdermin protein family, often leading to potentially fatal systemic inflammation and associated with severe diseases like cancer. However, there remains a lack of simple yet effective tools for identifying and monitoring pyroptosis in real time. Herein, we report dual-anchoring fluorescent probes (SPD-R) designed for long-term tracking of the plasma membrane and demonstrate their utility in the identification and real-time monitoring of pyroptosis over hours.

Polydopamine immobilized icariin on 3D printed porous polylact-glycolic acid/calcium sulfate scaffold to improve osteogenesis.

Bone defects resulting from fractures, bone tumor resections, and non-unions are common clinical challenges. 3D-printed bone scaffolds offer enhanced customization and adaptability. however, their existing limitations in biological activity need to be addressed.

DNA methylation regulates the extinction of fear memory.

Background: Fear-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), significantly impact patients and families. Exposure therapy is a common treatment, but improving its effectiveness remains a key challenge. Fear conditioning and extinction in animal models offer insights into its mechanisms.

Voltage-Gated Nanofluidic Synapse with Cation-π Interactions Enabled Ultra-Long-Term Memory.

Voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels are crucial for neural information transmission and processing, inspiring ionic emulation via ion dynamics. Here, we report a voltage-gated nanofluidic synapse based on atomic-scale graphene channels that exhibit both short- and long-term plasticity. Short-term plasticity originates from transient ionic adsorption at the channel entrance.

Inhibiting inter-layer gliding in transition metal layered oxides through interphase engineering for sodium-ion batteries.

Inter-layer gliding induced phase transitions are widely recognized as the predominant cause of performance degradation in layered oxide positive electrode materials utilized in Na/Li-ion batteries. However, effectively restraining these phase transitions at a fundamental level poses a significant challenge. In this study, we elucidate that gliding at the X2/Y3 (X, Y = P or O) interphase layer can be thermodynamically inhibited through an energetically driven gliding-inhibition mechanism, by systematic structural analysis and correlated energy calculations.

Wavelength selection methods for NIR calibration in petrochemicals: Status, characteristics, and scenarios analysis.

Wavelength selection is the crucial step in constructing a near-infrared (NIR) quantitative analysis model, which plays a crucial role in addressing the curse of dimensionality. Effective wavelength selection eliminates redundant and irrelevant wavelengths, significantly improving the speed and efficacy of data analysis. Given the complexity and collinearity of the spectral data from petrochemical products, numerous wavelength selection methods have been proposed to address the issue of dimensionality.

Flow perturbation to accelerate Boltzmann sampling.

Flow-based generative models have been employed for Boltzmann sampling tasks, but their application to high-dimensional systems is hindered by the significant computational cost of obtaining the Jacobian of the flow. We introduce a flow perturbation method that bypasses this bottleneck by injecting stochastic perturbations into the flow, delivering orders-of-magnitude speed-ups. Unlike the Hutchinson estimator, our approach is inherently unbiased in Boltzmann sampling.

[Research and development of an intelligent moxibustion instrument based on electromyography].

Objective: An intelligent moxibustion instrument based on electromyography was designed to evaluate the real-time therapeutic effect of moxibustion.

Methods: Taking Shenshu (BL23) as the subject, surface electromyography (sEMG) at the center and equidistant points of Shenshu (BL23) were collected. The characteristic parameters, integrated electromyography (iEMG) and root mean square (RMS) were calculated before and after moxibustion.

High-Fidelity Tracking of Endocytosis in Cancer Cells under Cellular Stress Using a Long-Term Anchoring Cell Membrane Fluorescent Probe.

Endocytosis plays a critical role in regulating protein dynamics, and cancer cells often exploit this process to enhance their survival capacity. However, the development of reliable tools for high-fidelity visualization of endocytosis under cellular stress remains a significant challenge. In this study, we introduce a fluorescent probe, , based on a dimeric dual-anchoring strategy, to investigate plasma membrane dynamics and endocytosis processes.

The incidence and risk factors of uveitis in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA): a meta -analysis and literature review.

Background: Uveitis is a serious complication of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Despite its seriousness, a comprehensive understanding of its incidence and early risk factors remains elusive. This knowledge gap poses challenges for formulating tailored clinical early identification and prevention strategies.

Glycemic Influences on Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Myocardium: Insights From Cardiac MRI Feature Tracking.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic disorder associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and elevated cardiovascular risk. Emerging evidence suggests glycemic disturbances may exacerbate myocardial injury.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of prediabetes and diabetes on myocardium in patients with HCM using cardiac MRI feature tracking (FT).

Allergic rhinitis in college students at Dongguan: a cross-sectional survey on disease burden, knowledge, and self-management.

This study examined the prevalence, clinical characteristics, disease knowledge, and quality of life impact of allergic rhinitis (AR) among college students in Dongguan, China. Using a customized questionnaire, we surveyed 1,531 participants (response rate: 85.1%) and identified an AR prevalence of 18.

Design of nano charcoal by reshaping inflammatory microenvironment as biofunctional wound nanomedicine.

Hemorrhagic wound management in severe trauma patients remains a vital clinical problem because of uncontrolled bleeding and inflammatory responses. Charcoal drugs have shown great potential for facilitating hemostasis and wound repair for more than two thousand years. Nevertheless, studies on the inherent biological activities of charcoal drugs and their corresponding pharmacological effects are far from satisfactory.

Prenatal Bisphenol B Exposure Induces Adult Male Offspring Reproductive Dysfunction via ERα Inhibition-Triggered MHC I-Mediated Testicular Immunological Responses.

As an emerging endocrine-disrupting agent and structural analog of bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol B (BPB) raises significant concerns due to its potential to induce male reproductive toxicity. Despite its presence in maternal bodily fluids, the effects of BPB exposure on the reproductive system and its mechanisms in adult male offspring are poorly understood. By establishing a maternal BPB exposure model in mice, we found that the exposure reduced the relative weights of seminal vesicles and preputial glands, decreased the thickness of the seminiferous epithelium, enlarged the lumen area of seminiferous tubules, and lowered testosterone concentration and synthesis, as well as sperm count in 10-week-old male offspring.