Effect of short-term exposure to fine particulate matter components on respiratory mortality - evidence from a study of inland cities in China.

There is a lack of research on the association between fine particulate matter (PM) fractions and respiratory disease mortality. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how short-term exposure to fine particulate matter components affects the mortality risk of patients with respiratory diseases.We collected data on the number of respiratory deaths and fine particulate matter components, including sulfate (SO), nitrate (NO), ammonium (NH), organic matters (OM), and black carbon (BC), in Hefei, Anhui Province, between 2017 and 2020.

DNA nanostructures: From molecular folding assembly to target subcellular delivery.

The structure and composition of subcellular organelles are closely linked to the state of cells and even entire organisms. The ability to deliver functional molecules to specific tissues and cells at the subcellular level holds significant importance. The biocompatibility, programmability, ease of modification, and addressability of DNA nanostructures enable the integration of organelle-targeting molecules, sensing modules, and drugs into a single structure, facilitating precise control of their fate in cells, thereby enhancing diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes.

Engineering single-layered poly(amidoamine) dendrimer microcapsules for enhanced cellular uptake.

Microcapsules are considered as one of the most promising drug carriers due to their exceptional characteristics. The cellular uptake of microcapsules is determined by physicochemical properties, yet comprehensive studies on thickness and shape effects are limited. In this study, we developed single-layered poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer microcapsules with tunable thicknesses and morphologies to systematically investigate their cellular internalization.

Orthogonal signal-transducing electrochemical dual-aptasensor for ultrasensitive parallel detection of GP73 and AFP in serum.

Background: Golgi protein 73 (GP73) has emerged as a promising serological biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with its combination with alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) substantially improving diagnostic precision in early-stage HCC detection. To address this clinical need, we constructed an electrochemical dual-aptasensor for parallel quantification of GP73&AFP.

Results: GP73 aptamer (GP73) functionalized with reduced graphene oxide-ferrocene-polyaniline (rGO-Fc-PANi) nanocomposites and AFP aptamer (AFP) conjugated with nitrogen-doped reduced graphene oxide-cuprous oxide (NrGO-CuO) nanostructures were employed as the dual-signal probes.

Optimal Management of Isolated Left Vertebral Artery in Total Arch Replacement With Frozen Elephant Trunk for Aortic Dissection.

Background: The presence of an isolated left vertebral artery (ILVA) in patients with aortic dissection is a rare and challenging condition. This study aims to determine the optimal management of ILVA in patients with aortic dissection undergoing total arch replacement with frozen elephant trunk.

Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 94 patients with ILVA and aortic dissection who underwent total arch replacement with frozen elephant trunk.

Postoperative radiotherapy enhances survival in NSCLC patients with moderate lymph node metastases following surgery: A SEER-based population cohort study.

The role of postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still debated. A nonlinear relationship may exist between the number of positive lymph nodes (PLN) and the benefits of PORT. Our study seeks to identify patient subgroups that could benefit from PORT by stratifying them based on PLN counts.

A retrospective real-world single-arm study evaluating the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with selected limited-stage small-cell lung cancer.

Background: With the advancement of surgical techniques and the introduction of neoadjuvant therapies, the risk of recurrence or distant metastases has been significantly decreased for non-small-cell lung cancer (non-SCLC) after surgery. In recent years, the application of these advanced techniques and therapies in SCLC has also shown promise. This study aims to explore the efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with surgery in selected limited-stage SCLC (LS-SCLC).

Association of NLRC4 inflammasome targeting Caspase1 to regulate monocyte pyroptosis involved in ankylosing spondylitis pathogenesis.

Background: While the NLRC4 inflammasome has been associated with multiple autoimmune pathologies, its role in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) remains undefined. This study aimed to investigate the mechanistic involvement of NLRC4-regulated pyroptosis in the pathogenesis of AS.

Methods: This study collected peripheral blood samples and epidemiological data from 50 AS patients and 50 matched controls, with quantification of NLRC4/CASP1/GSDMD-N mRNA expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and inflammatory cytokine levels in plasma.

A Multi-Context Emotional EEG Dataset for Cross-Context Emotion Decoding.

EEG-based emotion decoding is essential for unveiling neural mechanisms of emotion and has applications in mental health and human-machine interaction. However, existing datasets for EEG-based emotion decoding are limited to a single context of emotion elicitation. The ability of emotion decoding methods to generalize across different contexts remains underexplored.

Association of short-term exposure to air pollutants with mortality from respiratory diseases: a case-crossover study of individual cases based in Hefei, China.

Background: Although short-term exposure to air pollutants has been linked to heightened hospital admissions for respiratory diseases (RDs), evidence regarding its association with the risk of mortality from such diseases remains scarce. We aimed to examine the impact of short-term exposure to air pollutants on RD-related mortality.

Methods: We employed a time-stratified case-crossover design to explore the impact of short-term exposure to various air pollutants (fine particulate matter (PM), coarse particulate matter (PM), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O)) on mortality due to RDs.

Electrolyte engineering enables high-energy Li‖CF battery operation at ultralow temperatures.

A lithium metal‖carbon fluoride (Li‖CF) primary battery offers high energy density and long shelf-life but suffers from poor performance at low temperatures. We report a linear ester-based electrolyte comprising ethyl acetate (EA) and ethyl trifluoroacetate (ET) with LiBF salt to address this challenge. EA served as the primary solvent, while ET acted as an anti-solvent, weakening Li coordination due to its strong electron-withdrawing fluorine atoms.

Overcoming the Cathode-Derived LiCO Product by Incorporation of CO Capture to Boost Li-CO Battery Performance.

The development of highly efficient catalysts is critical for the lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO) battery. However, the random deposition of lithium carbonate (LiCO) on cathodic active sites leads to catalyst poisoning and severely restricts the discharge capacity. Here, we introduce tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA), an amine-rich redox mediator integrated into the electrolyte, to mediate the CO reduction and evolution reactions (CORR/COER) through a coupled cation-electron transfer mechanism.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the snapping shrimp, De Haan, 1844 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Alpheidae).

The snapping shrimp is the genus with most species in the Alpheidae family. In this study, the mitochondrial genome of De Haan, 1844 has been sequenced and analyzed. The circular mitogenome was 15,705 bp in length with an A+T content of 62.

Investigating the efficacy of a photoacoustic probe in liver function assessment for diabetic mellitus.

γ-Glutamyltransferase (GGT, EC number: 2.3.2.

Efficacy and safety of distinct regimens for individuals with advanced EGFR-mutated non-small-cell lung cancer who progressed on EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitors: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Targeted therapy with EGFR tyrosine-kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is the preferred first-line treatment for EGFR-mutated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but acquired resistance inevitably occurs in almost all responding individuals.

Objectives: We aimed to comprehensively review the literature to investigate the efficacy and safety of distinct regimens in the subsequent-line setting, thereby identifying the optimal regimen for these TKI-resistant NSCLC patients.

Design: A systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) using a Bayesian framework.

Antioxidant capacity of the iron-sulfur cluster assembly protein IscU2 is mediated by aspartate metabolism to promote tumor survival.

Environmental nutrient levels affect cancer cell metabolism, activating adaptive mechanisms in cancer cells to deal with nutrient stress. However, it remains unclear how tumor cells sustain survival under nutrient-stress circumstances through metabolic reprogramming. Our study focused on nutrient deficiency-induced oxidative damage, revealing that increased expression of the iron-sulfur cluster assembly protein, IscU2, is essential for the survival of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells in glucose-deficient conditions.

Perioperative and long-term outcomes of surgical treatment for penetrating aortic ulcer in the aortic arch: A retrospective cohort analysis.

Objective: This study was designed to evaluate the perioperative and long-term outcomes of surgical treatment, including open and hybrid repairs, for patients with penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU) in the aortic arch.

Methods: A single-center retrospective analysis from China was conducted on 72 patients with PAU in the aortic arch who underwent surgical treatment including open and hybrid repairs between January 2010 and December 2022. The study included 10 patients in the urgent repair group and 62 patients in the elective repair group.

Association of air pollution and green space with endometriosis among women undergoing assisted reproductive technology: a cross-sectional study in Anhui, China.

Air pollution has reproductive toxicity, while green space could lessen such harmful consequences. However, the current research on the link between air pollution/green space, and endometriosis remains scarce. Therefore, we investigated the separate and interactive relationships between air pollution, green space and endometriosis-related infertility.

Transmembrane thiol isomerase TMX1 inhibits fibrin formation by down-regulation of platelet phosphatidylserine exposure.

Objective: Membrane exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) on platelets is critical for the binding of coagulation factors leading to coagulation activation, however, the mechanism controlling PS exposure remains largely unknown. Using genetically modified mouse models, we previously reported that a transmembrane disulfide isomerase TMX1 inhibited integrin αIIbβ3 outside-in signaling which is important for PS exposure on platelets. In this study, we investigated the role of TMX1 in PS exposure and coagulation.

Transglutaminase 2 promotes breast cancer cell autophagy by targeting p53/ mTOR axis.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor among women. There is a pressing demand to develop new therapeutic strategies for advanced BC. In this report, we investigated whether Transglutaminase 2 (TGM2) is involved in BC growth.

A high-sensitivity label-free electrochemical aptasensor for point-of-care measurements of low-density lipoprotein in plasma based on aptamer and MXene-CMCS-Hemin nanocomposites.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a significant worldwide health challenge, with mortality rates rising rapidly. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a crucial serum biomarker for the early diagnosis of CVD, which can significantly improve outcomes and reduce mortality. Herein, a label-free electrochemical aptasensor for rapid detection of LDL was developed based on the titanium carbide-carboxymethyl chitosan-hemin (MXene-CMCS-Hemin) nanocomposites as the electrochemical signal probe.

Tuning the tropism and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particles for mRNA delivery.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus-like particles (VLPs) are ∼100-nm-sized bioinspired mimetics of the authentic virus. We undertook molecular engineering to optimize the VLP platform for messenger RNA (mRNA) delivery. Cloning the nucleocapsid protein upstream of M-IRES-E resulted in a three-plasmid (3P) VLP system that displayed ∼7-fold higher viral entry efficiency compared with VLPs formed by co-transfection with four plasmids.

Formation mechanisms of hydraulic circulation and its effects on the nitrobenzene migration in homogeneous aquifers with different medium sizes during air sparging remediation.

Porewater flow is known to introduce uncertainty in the effectiveness and extent of remediation in aquifers during air sparging (AS). In this study, the hydraulic circulation migration behavior, influencing factors, and its effects on nitrobenzene transport in AS process were investigated using light transmission visualization technology. Experimental results showed that when the air injection rate (Q) exceeded a critical threshold (Qc), porewater flow induced hydraulic circulation in homogeneous aquifers with different medium sizes.

Contribution and expression of renal drug transporters in renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a common substantive tumor. According to incomplete statistics, RCC incidence accounts for approximately 90% of renal malignant tumors, and is the second most prevalent major malignant tumor in the genitourinary system, following bladder cancer. Only 10%-15% of chemotherapy regimens for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) are effective, and mRCC has a high mortality.

Examining the Impact of Microglia on Ischemic Stroke With an Emphasis on the Metabolism of Immune Cells.

Background: Ischemic stroke, a major cause of disability and the second leading cause of death, poses a significant public health challenge. Post-stroke inflammation can harm the blood-brain barrier and worsen neurological deficits, which are key factors in neuronal damage in patients with ischemic stroke. Microglia are crucial in the central nervous system, involved in inflammation, neuronal damage, and repair after cerebral ischemia.