Time-Resolved Small-Angle X-Ray Studies of Spherical Micelle Formation and Growth During Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly in Polar Solvents.

Self-assembled poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate)-poly(2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMA-PDPA) diblock copolymer nanoparticles are widely employed in biological applications, driving the need for a robust and scalable production method. Although polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA) enables efficient nanoparticle synthesis at high solids content, its research and application to PDMA-PDPA are limited, likely due to kinetic trapping. Leveraging our recently developed generic time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering (TR-SAXS) approach for PISA in non-polar media, a reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer-mediated PDMA-PDPA PISA process in polar solvent that produces spherical micelles is examined.

Size-Dependent Restructuring of Supported Platinum Cluster Catalysts.

Supported metal clusters have reactivities that depend on their nuclearity and structure. Herein, we present a strategy for precisely controlling the nuclearity of platinum clusters and demonstrate their size-dependent restructuring behavior and catalytic properties. The clusters are located on isolated CeO nanoislands on high-area SiO, and the isolation facilitates control of the migration of the platinum.

Molten-Salt-Assisted Synthesis of Bismuth Catalysts with Rich Grain Boundaries for Efficient CO Conversion to High-Purity Formic Acid.

Electrochemical CO reduction to formic acid, powered by renewable electricity, enables a sustainable carbon cycle by providing a versatile chemical feedstock and energy carrier. Bismuth-based catalysts are known for their high formate selectivity but face challenges in balancing selectivity and stability at industrial current densities. In this study, we present a two-step approach that combines molten-salt synthesis with in situ reduction to fabricate polycrystalline bismuth catalysts with rich exposed grain boundaries (GB-Bi).

Conversion therapy of tislelizumab plus lenvatinib and GEMOX in unresectable locally advanced biliary tract cancer (ZSAB-TransGOLP): a multicentre, prospective, phase 2 study.

Background: The optimal conversion regimen that allows more patients with unresectable biliary tract cancer to access surgery remains unclear; there is currently no standard conversion therapy for biliary tract cancer in China, with commonly used regimens including immunotherapy-based combinations and local therapy. The ZSAB-TransGOLP study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of tislelizumab plus lenvatinib and GEMOX (gemcitabine plus oxaliplatin) chemotherapy (GOLP) in patients with this disease.

Methods: This single-arm, phase 2 study was conducted at two centres in China.

A retrospective study on LDL-C goal attainment in readmitted hypertriglyceridemia patients: risk factor analysis.

Objective: Despite positive impacts of lipid-lowering therapies (LLTs), the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) target attainment remains suboptimal. This study aimed to investigate LDL-C goal achievement per the 2023 China guideline for lipid management among rehospitalized hypertriglyceridemia patients, who had higher chances to access the knowledge associated with lipid management and treatment, and evaluate the risk factors for LDL-C.

Methods: This retrospective study was performed among rehospitalized hypertriglyceridemia patients between July 2020 and May 2023.

Graft PD-L1 as a predictive marker for rejection in PD-1 inhibitor therapy for recurrent liver tumors post-transplant: A prospective pilot trial.

The safety of immunotherapy in transplant patients remains unclear due to rejection risks. This study assessed the safety and efficacy of programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors in post liver-transplantation patients with recurrent tumors, emphasizing the value of using graft programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression as a predictor of rejection to guide patient selection. This single-center, open-label, prospective, single-arm study was conducted from July 2019 to May 2024 at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University (Shanghai, China).

AIE functionality ratiometric fluorescent probe based on quinoline-malononitrile for detection of ONOO and its application in bioimaging.

Peroxynitrite (ONOO), a highly reactive endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS), plays pivotal roles in diverse physiological and pathological processes, the development of sensitive and reliable strategy for efficiently detecting ONOO is helpful to understand its biological functions in biological systems. Here, a novel AIEgen fluorescent probe QM-NP was developed by utilizing quinoline-malononitrile fluorophore as the light-emitting core and aryl borate moiety as the specific ONOO recognition group. Upon reaction with ONOO, QM-NP exhibits remarkable ratiometric fluorescence response with a distinct emission shift from red (630 nm) to green (540 nm), with higher specificity for ONOO compared to other analytes (ROS and RNS), rapid response (<10 s) and high sensitivity (LOD = 1.

A comparative analysis of the microbiome of cigars produced in the Caribbean and China.

Fermentation of cigar tobacco leaves involves intense microbial activity, and hence, microorganisms have a significant impact on the quality and flavour of cigars. However, research on the correlation between microbial communities and the sensory quality of cigars remains inconclusive. In this study, a comparative analysis of the microbial profiles of five Caribbean- and five Chinese-produced cigar products was conducted to reveal significant differences in the microbiome of cigars from two origins, potentially accounting for the variance in their quality and flavour.

Comparison of TACE alone versus TACE combined with synchronous ablation for neuroendocrine neoplasms with liver metastases.

Objective: To compare the efficacy and safety between thermal ablation combined with synchronous TACE and TACE in patients with liver metastasis of neuroendocrine tumors of different pathologic grades and different primary sites.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with liver metastases of neuroendocrine tumors in this study. The patients were divided into simultaneous ablation group and TACE group according to treatment mode and subgroups.

Optimized Tangential Flow Filtration for Efficient Isolation of Highly Pure and Bioactive sEVs.

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) have demonstrated significant therapeutic potential. However, the lack of efficient and scalable methods for sEV separation remains a critical barrier to their large-scale production as therapeutic agents. Tangential flow filtration (TFF) has emerged as a promising technique for large-scale sEV separation, but the absence of comprehensive and systematic studies makes it challenging to determine optimal TFF parameters for sEV isolation.

Decision-making of artificial nutrition and hydration in hospice care: A qualitative study of Chinese patients and family caregivers.

Objective: Decision-making of artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) is a complex ethical and emotional decision in hospice care, significantly impacting patients' comfort and quality of life at the end of life. This study explored behaviors about decision-making of ANH in hospice patients and their family caregivers, aiming to identify the trajectory and influencing factors of the decision.

Methods: This study employed constructivist grounded theory.

Effectiveness of electroacupuncture for the treatment of refractory overactive bladder disease in women: study protocol for a randomised controlled clinical trial.

Introduction: Overactive bladder (OAB) is a common condition, affecting approximately one-fifth to one-sixth of the world's population. The American Urological Association and the Society of Urodynamics, Female Pelvic Medicine and Genitourinary Reconstruction guidelines recommend sacral neuromodulation (SNM) as third-line treatment. Although SNM can relieve the symptoms of refractory OAB, several factors, including high cost and the high incidence of adverse effects, limit its large-scale clinical use.

Preparation of liquid metal microrobots with an asymmetric core-shell structure for thermal gradient navigation.

Soft microrobots capable of sensing and responding to localized physical stimuli offer a fuel-free route to autonomous propulsion, opening new opportunities for targeted therapeutic applications in biomedicine. Herein, we propose a thermo-responsive microrobot featuring an asymmetric core-shell structure composed of an eccentric liquid metal (LM) core and a polyacrylic acid (PAA) shell. The combination of asymmetric structure and the contrasting thermal conductivities of the LM core (high) and PAA shell (low) enables thermophoretic capability, which achieves directional motion under localized thermal gradients without the need for chemical fuels.

Intracardiac echocardiography improves lesion quality and ablation efficiency of pulmonary vein isolation in atrial fibrillation patients: a propensity score-matched analysis.

Background: Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is a cornerstone of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF). Intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) offers real-time imaging that may enhance procedural outcomes compared to traditional x-ray guidance. This study evaluates the impact of ICE on PVI lesion quality and efficiency using a novel Ablation Index Functional Validation (AIFV) system.

CT features predict tumour invasion of adrenal pheochromocytoma: a retrospective observational study.

Objective: To investigate the predictive value of the CT features of adrenal pheochromocytoma (PCC) for invasive behaviour.

Methods: From November 2009 to December 2021 at Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated with Fudan University, the clinical and CT data of 148 patients with 163 lesions confirmed by surgery and pathology were retrospectively analysed. The cases were divided into an invasive group and a noninvasive group on the basis of the surgical and pathological results; 27 lesions in 26 patients were classified into the invasive group, whereas 136 lesions in 122 patients were classified into the noninvasive group.

Forming Kinetically-Trapped Liquid Crystalline Spherical Nanoparticles During Polymerization-Induced Self-Assembly.

Liquid crystalline nanoparticles (LC NPs) have attracted considerable attention due to their anisotropic structures. However, the fabrication of LC NPs has typically been constrained by challenges in mass production and precise morphology and size distribution controls. Polymerization-induced self-assembly (PISA), a scalable and efficient technique, enables nanoparticle synthesis with diverse morphologies at high solids.

Molecular Diagnosis of Thyroid Nodules Using Next-Generation Sequencing in the Chinese Population.

Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology remains a challenge in the diagnosis of indeterminate thyroid nodules. Molecular testing can bridge the gap left by FNA cytology and improve the diagnostic accuracy of FNA. 786 FNA samples and 40 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens from thyroid nodules were enrolled in next-generation sequencing (NGS) molecular testing, which included gene mutation and gene fusion analysis.

Concurrent or subsequent lymphomatous effusion in large B-cell lymphoma portends a dismal prognosis: A multi-institutional study.

Objective: Rare large B-cell lymphomas (LBCLs) present with concurrent or subsequent lymphomatous effusion (solid-effusion LBCL, SE-LBCL), which may have an inferior prognosis compared with their noneffusion counterpart. In addition, the relationship between SE-LBCL and human herpesvirus 8-negative effusion-based LBCL (EB-LBCL) remains unclear.

Methods: We collected 141 cases of SE-LBCL and a control cohort of 101 cases of stage IV solid-only LBCL.

Efficacy and safety of ongericimab in Chinese statin-intolerant patients with primary hypercholesterolemia or mixed dyslipidemia: a randomized, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial.

Background And Aims: Several protein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors have been shown to significantly reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels in statin-intolerant patients, but none have been verified in Chinese patients. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ongericimab, a novel PCSK9 monoclonal antibody, in Chinese statin-intolerant patients with primary hypercholesterolemia or mixed dyslipidemia.

Methods: This was a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study designed to enroll 120 statin-intolerant adult patients.

A pH-responsive PEG coating strategy for enhancing the enrichment of small extracellular vesicles towards disease regions with acidic microenvironment.

The clinical translation of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) as nanocarriers and therapeutic agents is severely hindered by their rapid clearance, leading to significant off-target effects. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating of sEVs provides a straightforward approach to address this challenge, yet it compromises their cellular internalization. To overcome this issue, we developed an acid-responsive PEG coating strategy for sEVs using 2,5-dihydroxy-4-methyl-2,5-dioxo-3-furanpropanoic acid (CDM)-modified methoxy PEG (mPEG-CDM).

An immune-related seven-gene signature for predicting lymph node metastasis in breast cancer.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the leading malignant tumors among females worldwide, which serves as a common chronic disease with several acute postoperative complications, including upper limb edema, hemorrhage, flap necrosis, effusion and so on. A majority of BC patients have lymph node metastasis, suffering from a poor prognosis. The immune system has been reported to participate in regulating BC lymph node metastasis.

C-Reactive Protein-Albumin-Lymphocyte (CALLY) Index as an Independent Risk Factor for Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after catheter ablation remains a clinical challenge despite guideline-recommended efficacy. Emerging evidence implicates inflammatory biomarkers in predicting arrhythmia recurrence. This study investigated the novel CALLY index, a composite inflammatory marker, as a prognostic indicator for postablation AF recurrence.