Kirkendall Effect-Driven Interface Engineering Facilitates Water Dissociation for Dual-Site HO Electrosynthesis Simultaneously at the Anode and Cathode.

The direct integration of renewable energy into HO electrosynthesis systems offers a promising strategy to minimize energy losses and costs. Due to the intermittency of renewable energy, the dual-site catalysts must efficiently enable both the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (2e ORR) and water oxidation reaction (2e WOR). The Kirkendall effect was employed to engineer interfaces and construct a NiZnO─C catalyst with exposed (100) facets.

Bifidobacterium boosts anti-PD-1 effectiveness through JAK pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent and deadly cancer. Gut microbiota affect tumor immunity and immunotherapy efficacy, but the exact mechanisms are unclear. A study compared gut microbiota in HCC patients and healthy controls (HC) using 16S rDNA analysis and metabolomics.

Associations Between Gut Microbiota Composition and Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson's Disease.

Impulse control disorders (ICDs) are a debilitating non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), often associated with dopaminergic therapy. However, their occurrence in some patients but not others suggests additional biological mechanisms, including the gut microbiome. In this study, we analyzed 191 PD patients (14 with ICDs, 177 without) using 16S rRNA gene sequencing to explore the association between gut microbiota and ICDs.

Anxiety-related gut microbiota alterations in Parkinson's disease: distinct associations compared to healthy individuals.

Background And Objectives: Anxiety affects 25-49% of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, exacerbating non-motor symptoms and significantly reducing quality of life. Growing evidence suggests that gut microbiota plays a role in anxiety, but whether its impact differs between PD and non-PD populations remains unclear. This study explores the heterogeneity of gut microbiota-associated anxiety in PD and non-PD individuals.

Augmented phototransformation of brominated disinfection by-products via surface water introduction during sunlit reclaimed water storage.

Ozonation is widely used for reclaimed water disinfection; however, it inevitably produces harmful brominated disinfection by-products (Br-DBPs). When reclaimed water is replenished into surface water, one of its primary applications, Br-DBPs undergo complex phototransformation due to the interaction between surface water and reclaimed water matrices, which remains poorly understood. This study observed that mixing with surface water significantly enhanced both the photolysis rates of Br-DBPs and the detoxification efficiency of reclaimed water.

Artificial Intelligence in Breast US Diagnosis and Report Generation.

Purpose To develop and evaluate an artificial intelligence (AI) system for generating breast US reports. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 104 364 cases from three hospitals (January 2020-December 2022). The AI system was trained on 82 896 cases, validated on 10 385 cases, and tested on an internal set (10 383 cases) and two external sets (300 and 400 cases).

Definition and Interpretation of Separable Path-specific Effects With Multiple Ordered Mediators.

Causal mediation analysis examines the mechanism by which exposure affects outcome via mediators. In contrast to single-mediator scenarios, the presence of multiple ordered mediators introduces complex pathways and corresponding path-specific effects, which are difficult to interpret due to the cross-world counterfactual definition. Path-specific effects also require convoluted and unverifiable assumptions for identification.

Dynamics of two distinct memory interactions during water seeking in .

Forming and forgetting memories shape our self-awareness and help us face future challenges. Therefore, understanding how memories are formed and how different memories interact in the brain is important. Previous studies have shown that thirsty flies sense humidity through ionotropic receptors, which help them locate water sources.

Metal Ion-Enhanced ZIC-cHILIC StageTip for N-Glycoproteomic and Phosphoproteomic Profiling in EGFR-Mutated Lung Cancer Cells.

Surface glycosylation and intracellular phosphorylation regulates the cell-cell communication and signaling cascades. Due to complex glycosylation and dynamic phosphorylation, exploring their interplay remains technically challenging. In this study, we reported a tandem ZIC-cHILIC StageTip strategy for streamlined and simultaneous (sialo)glycoproteomic and phosphoproteomic profiling.

Long-Term Risk of Incident Arrhythmias Associated With Early Repolarization Pattern - The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study.

Background: The early repolarization pattern (ERP) is associated with cardiovascular death, but its connection with arrhythmias remains unknown. This study evaluated relationships between ERP and incident arrhythmias, including ventricular arrhythmias, bradyarrhythmias, and atrial fibrillation (AF)/flutter (Afl).

Methods And Results: We analyzed 14,679 middle-aged (45-64 years) participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities cohort, a prospective population-based study in the US.

Enhancing in-car interface efficiency: The influence of menu configuration on cognitive load and visuospatial memory.

The study examines the impacts of different menu types on touchscreen operations under varying visuospatial working memory (VSWM) loads through an in-vehicle information/infotainment system (IVIS). Using eye-tracking, EEG data, and the NASA-TLX questionnaire, it assesses the effects of menu types and VSWM loads on task performance, visual search efficiency, and mental workload. The 36 participants were divided into hierarchical and grouping menu groups, demonstrating that grouping menus exhibit better task performance and visual search efficiency.

Unveiling MiR-3085-3p as a modulator of cartilage degeneration in facet joint osteoarthritis: A novel therapeutic target.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is generally caused by lumbar degeneration without effective treatment. Lumbar degeneration is influenced by aberrant axial mechanical stress (MS), with facet joint osteoarthritis (FJOA) representing one of its primary pathological manifestations. MicroRNA (miRNA), functioning as an early intermediate in the transcription process, has frequently been demonstrated to serve as a critical mediator linking mechanical stress perception with cellular processes such as growth, development, aging, and apoptosis.

A ZnO-nanorod/PEDOT:PSS nanocomposite functionalized bridge-like membrane type nanomechanical sensing device for ultrasensitive blood lead detection.

Lead (Pb) ion detection poses a critical problem, particularly in environmental monitoring, industrial operations, and public health, especially for young children and expecting women. Determining lead levels in blood early on is essential to minimizing the long-term consequences of lead exposure. Several sophisticated detection instruments, such as mass spectrometers which perform with high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy, but require a lab-based setting, multi-step sample preparation, expensive payment and professional operation.

Association between oxidative balance scores and all-cause and cardiovascular disease-related mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes: data from the national health and nutrition examination survey (2007-2018).

Background: Oxidative Balance Scores (OBS) is composite measures that assess the balance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant factors in an individual's diet and lifestyle. Evidence on OBS and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in diabetic patients is scarce. This study investigates the potential association between OBS and CVD-prevalence and all-cause and CVD-related mortality in adult diabetic patients.

Ultrasomics in liver cancer: Developing a radiomics model for differentiating intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma from hepatocellular carcinoma using contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) represent the predominant histological types of primary liver cancer, comprising over 99% of cases. Given their differing biological behaviors, prognoses, and treatment strategies, accurately differentiating between HCC and ICC is crucial for effective clinical management. Radiomics, an emerging image processing technology, can automatically extract various quantitative image features that may elude the human eye.

Robust inference for causal mediation analysis of recurrent event data.

Recurrent events, including cardiovascular events, are commonly observed in biomedical studies. Understanding the effects of various treatments on recurrent events and investigating the underlying mediation mechanisms by which treatments may reduce the frequency of recurrent events are crucial tasks for researchers. Although causal inference methods for recurrent event data have been proposed, they cannot be used to assess mediation.

Albumin and C-reactive protein as diagnostic markers for neonatal sepsis: a retrospective study.

Objective: To assess the applicability of albumin (ALB) and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations in the diagnosis of sepsis in neonates on the day of admission, and to help with early identification and intervention in the development of sepsis.

Methods: This retrospective study included all neonates who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit from January 2020 to June 2023. We studied 160 full-term neonates, including 80 with sepsis and 80 healthy controls.

Delayed Commissuroplasty Increases Interincisal Distance in Buccogingival Cancer Patients Treated with Free Flap Reconstruction of the Oral Commissure.

Background:  Oral cavity cancers requiring excision of the oral commissure and free flap reconstruction often requires commissuroplasty to manage oral incontinence. We aimed to evaluate the implications of primary versus delayed commissuroplasty on drooling, and interincisal distance outcomes in this cohort.

Methods:  A retrospective query of head and neck cancer patients operated by a single surgeon from 2017 to 2020 was performed.

Unravelling the mechanisms of underweight in Parkinson's disease by investigating into the role of gut microbiome.

Approximately half of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) suffer from unintentional weight loss and are underweight, complicating the clinical course of PD patients. Gut microbiota alteration has been proven to be associated with PD, and recent studies have shown that gut microbiota could lead to muscle wasting, implying a possible role of gut microbiota in underweight PD. In this study, we aimed to (1) investigate the mechanism underlying underweight in PD patients with respect to gut microbiota and (2) estimate the extent to which gut microbiota may mediate PD-related underweight through mediation analysis.

Analyzing COVID-19 and Air Pollution Effects on Pediatric Asthma Emergency Room Visits in Taiwan.

(1) Background: An asthma exacerbation that is not relieved with medication typically requires an emergency room visit (ERV). The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic began in Taiwan in January of 2020. The influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on pediatric ERVs in Taiwan was limited.

Lysine acetyltransferase 6A maintains CD4 T cell response via epigenetic reprogramming of glucose metabolism in autoimmunity.

Augmented CD4 T cell response in autoimmunity is characterized by extensive metabolic reprogramming. However, the epigenetic molecule that drives the metabolic adaptation of CD4 T cells remains largely unknown. Here, we show that lysine acetyltransferase 6A (KAT6A), an epigenetic modulator that is clinically associated with autoimmunity, orchestrates the metabolic reprogramming of glucose in CD4 T cells.

Alleviate Periodontitis and Its Comorbidity Hypertension using a Nanoparticle-Embedded Functional Hydrogel System.

Periodontitis and hypertension often occur as comorbidities, which need to be treated at the same time. To resolve this issue, a controlled-release composite hydrogel approach is proposed with dual antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities as a resolution to achieve the goal of co-treatment of comorbidities. Specifically, chitosan (CS) with inherent antibacterial properties is cross-linked with antimicrobial peptide (AMP)-modified polyethylene glycol (PEG) to form a dual antibacterial hydrogel (CS-PA).

Bone-targeting delivery of platelet lysate exosomes ameliorates glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis by enhancing bone-vessel coupling.

Background: Glucocorticoids (GCs) overuse is associated with decreased bone mass and osseous vasculature destruction, leading to severe osteoporosis. Platelet lysates (PL) as a pool of growth factors (GFs) were widely used in local bone repair by its potent pro-regeneration and pro-angiogenesis. However, it is still seldom applied for treating systemic osteopathia due to the lack of a suitable delivery strategy.