Rap1a regulates CUMS-induced neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction and emotional abnormalities in mice.

Rap1a is a member of the Ras family of proteins and first came into view as an immune modulator of cells, playing roles in both innate and adaptive immunity. It is widely distributed in various tissue cells and is closely related to multiple biological functions of cells, including immunity, proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, and angiogenesis. Homocysteine (HCY) is a sulfur-containing non-essential amino acid that does not participate in protein synthesis.

Ultrasound-activated miR-195-5p/shikonin nanobubbles remodel immunosuppressive microenvironment immunogenic cell death to potentiate PD-1/PD-L1 blockade in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Despite the transformative clinical impact of programmed cell death ligand 1/programmed death 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) blockade in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), therapeutic efficacy remains limited by the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIME), with objective response rates persistently below 20 %. To address this critical clinical challenge, we engineered ultrasound (US)-responsive lipid nanobubbles (NBs) co-encapsulating microRNA (miR)-195-5p and shikonin (SK) (designated miR-195-5p/SK-NBs), a dual-functional platform designed to synergize PD-L1 suppression with immunogenic cell death (ICD). The NBs exhibited tumor-selective accumulation through passive and active targeting mechanisms while maintaining biosafety.

L-Theanine Alleviates High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity by Enhancing Hepatic Oxidative Phosphorylation and Remodeling Gut Microbiota to Augment Butyrate-Producing.

Obesity represents a significant global health challenge, necessitating innovative therapeutic approaches. L-theanine, a bioactive component in tea, possesses diverse biological activities. This study investigates the anti-obesity mechanisms of L-theanine, focusing on its effects on lipid metabolism, energy expenditure, and gut microbiota using both in vitro and in vivo models.

Insights into heterogenetic mechanism in physicochemical driving factors, microbial community and volatile metabolites during high-temperature Daqu fermentation by traditional stacking and shelf stacking.

Background: Research on shelf-stacking fermentation is growing, with the aim of reducing labor and improving Daqu stability, but it still falls short compared to traditional stacking fermentation, especially for high-temperature Daqu (HTD). The heterogenetic mechanisms underlying+ these two Daqu remain unclear.

Results: The improved micro-oxygen environment in shelf-stacking fermentation significantly reduced acidity and increased liquefaction and esterification activities compared to traditionally stacked HTD (HTD-T).

Atrioventricular Coupling Index: A Novel Approach to Risk-Stratification for Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Patients With ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Left atrioventricular coupling index (LACI) has prognostic value in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients, while the role of right atrioventricular coupling index (RACI) remains unclear.

Purpose: To explore the prognostic value of LACI and RACI in AMI patients.

Study Type: Retrospective.

Rural-Urban differentials in the factors associated with modern contraceptive usage among married reproductive-aged women in Hubei province, China.

Background: China's fast development is markedly impacting on migration, which has brought tremendous pressure and severe challenges to family planning services. Moreover, family planning (FP) is mostly regarded as women's responsibility by some Chinese cultures and societies. Several female contraceptives are easily accessible but only a few are known and widely used.

Flexible Photovoltaic Neurostimulator for Analgesia.

Chronic neuropathic pain remains a significant clinical challenge, often requiring prolonged opioid use and exposing patients to associated complications. Current nerve electrical stimulation (ES) techniques show promise for analgesia but are constrained by their invasive nature and the potential risk of iatrogenic nerve injury. In this study, a novel approach is introduced to managing chronic pain through the development of a fully implantable, wireless, and self-adaptive photovoltaic neurostimulator (PVNS).

SIRT6 Lysine-Demyristoylates ATF2 to Ameliorate Vascular Injury via PRKCD/VE-Cadherin Pathway Regulating Vascular Endothelial Barrier.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) progression is significantly modulated by epigenetic mechanisms, particularly through Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6), a key NAD⁺-dependent deacetylase in the sirtuin family. Though essential for cardiovascular homeostasis, the effects of SIRT6-mediated lysine myristoylation on CVDs progression remain largely unexplored due to detection limitations. This study developes an innovative lysine-myristoylated peptide enrichment technique, identifying mutant SIRT6 (H133Y) with high myristoyl affinity but deficient demyristoylase activity.

Risk Factors for Acute Exacerbation in Patients with COPD Group E in Ningbo: Risk Analysis of Irregular Review, Cardiovascular Complications, and Lung Function Decline.

Objective: To understand the high-risk factors for disease progression in patients in the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) group E in Ningbo, and to explore the impact of and treatment on the prognosis of these patients.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 101 COPD patients in terms of general demographics, physical baseline data, lung function, disease treatment, and prognosis and used crosstab analysis and logistic regression analysis to understand the characteristics of the population of patients at high risk of acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) and the associated risk factors.

Results: Univariate analysis demonstrated that frequent acute exacerbation (AE) in the COPD group E population was significantly associated with more severe airflow limitation, a lower FEF75%, higher mMRC scores, and irregular disease management (P<0.

Reliable, efficient, and scalable photonic inverse design empowered by physics-inspired deep learning.

On-chip computing metasystems composed of multilayer metamaterials have the potential to become the next-generation computing hardware endowed with light-speed processing ability and low power consumption but are hindered by current design paradigms. To date, neither numerical nor analytical methods can balance efficiency and accuracy of the design process. To address the issue, a physics-inspired deep learning architecture termed electromagnetic neural network (EMNN) is proposed to enable an efficient, reliable, and flexible paradigm of inverse design.

Dual 500-μs wide pulse neuromuscular electrical stimulation enhancing sensorimotor cortical excitability.

Background: Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is an effective tool to improve motor activation of patients with motor dysfunction. However, to enhance the cortical activities induced by NMES, the corresponding strategies should be carefully designed with optimal stimulation parameters. The aim of the present study is to investigate whether the pulse assignment with wide-pulse-based Variable Frequency Trains improves sensorimotor cortical excitability.

Analysis of the Diagnostic Value of Combined Urinary Dry Chemistry Analysis and Urinary Sediment Analysis for Urinary Tract Infections.

Objective: Urinary dry chemistry and urinary sediment microscopy have gradually become important auxiliary methods for the diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI). This study aimed to explore the application value of the combination of the two in diagnosing UTI.

Methods: Patients with suspected UTI who were admitted to our hospital from October 2022 to October 2024 were retrospectively collected.

Ultrasound targeted microbubbles for theranostic applications in liver diseases: from molecular imaging to targeted therapy.

Liver diseases, particularly chronic conditions leading to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, represent a major global health burden with high mortality rates, necessitating innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) technology has emerged as a promising theranostic platform, combining enhanced contrast imaging with targeted drug/gene delivery capabilities. When activated by ultrasound, these microbubbles exhibit unique biophysical behaviors that significantly improve drug penetration, tissue perfusion, and site-specific delivery.

Large-Scale Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing of Flexible, Hydrophobic, and Fire-Resistant Mica/SiO Nanofiber Aerogel Paper.

Oxide ceramic aerogels offer exceptional thermal insulation and chemical stability but face limitations due to brittleness, moisture sensitivity, and costly, complex manufacturing. Here, we present a roll-to-roll method for producing flexible, hydrophobic, and fire-resistant silica/mica hybrid aerogel paper. The process bypasses the need for expensive polymer sacrificial templates and high temperature sintering, instead forming aerogels directly through electrospinning stabilized tetraethyl orthosilicate and a synthetic fluorophlogopite sol.

Distribution and extended triage of high-risk human papillomavirus genotyping based on vaginal self-sampling.

Background: To investigate the overall and type-specific prevalence of high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection in China across different age groups and regions and to evaluate the triage of HPV-positive cases.

Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study recruited a total of 20 103 women aged 30-59 years from 13 provinces in China. Self-collected vaginal samples were tested for 14 HR-HPV types using next-generation sequencing or multiplex real-time PCR assays.

The application of artificial intelligence-generated content in ophthalmology education.

With the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology, AI has played a significant role in ophthalmology clinical applications, and AI-generated content (AIGC) has shown great potential in ophthalmology education. Specifically, AIGC plays an important role in lesson plan generation, simulated cases, and disease diagnosis, but its application also faces challenges related to the invasion of patient privacy and the accuracy of generated content. To better enable AIGC and promote the development of ophthalmology education, this article provides an overview of AI and ophthalmology and the application, challenges, and development prospects of AIGC in ophthalmology education.

Potential profiles of social isolation in elderly stroke patients: A cross-sectional study.

Aim: Social isolation is a psychological state resulting from insufficient interpersonal interaction, marked by loneliness, helplessness, and unmet social needs following voluntary or involuntary social withdrawal. It may negatively impact the quality of life in elderly stroke patients. Due to its subtle nature and the varying clinical presentations and intervention needs across demographic groups, exploring its characteristics and influencing factors in this population holds important clinical value.

The impact of body mass index on colorectal surgery: A short-term outcome and cost analysis in an Asian cohort of 3169 patients.

Background: Extremes of body weight may be associated with poorer outcomes after colorectal surgery (CRS). We aimed to compare perioperative results and healthcare costs across the full range of body mass index (BMI) categories in an Asian cohort following CRS.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study was conducted using the American College of Surgeons - National Surgical Quality Improvement Programme (ACS-NSQIP) Participant Use Data File to identify patients ≥18 years old who underwent major elective CRS between January 2018 and December 2023.

Titanium ions promote tomato growth and increase stress resistance.

Background: Titanium ions can significantly promote plant growth and increase crop yield, yet the underlying mechanism remains an enigma. This study investigated the effect of titanium ions on tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) by foliar spraying and root irrigation with titanium ion solution (8 mg/L) in both pot and field trials.

Results: Pot and field trials showed that exogenous titanium ions significantly stimulated plant growth and root system development, enhanced antioxidant capacity, alleviated Blossom end rot and saline-alkali stress.

Targeting N-methyladenosine demethylase FTO overcomes osimertinib resistance by inducing G0/G1 phase arrest in an mA-dependent manner in lung adenocarcinoma.

Resistance to osimertinib, a third-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), is a significant challenge for patients with advanced EGFR-mutant lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO), an N-methyladenosine (mA) demethylase, plays a critical role in the occurrence, metastasis, and drug resistance of various tumors. We found that high FTO expression was significantly associated with resistance to osimertinib in advanced LUAD patients harboring EGFR mutations.

Artificial Electric Synapse of CuI-Based Memristor for Neuromorphic Emotion Recognition and Neural Networks.

Emotion classification is pivotal for advancing human-computer interaction, where it necessitates efficiently decoding complex dynamic signals. Traditional approaches, however, struggle to capture the temporal dependencies and nonlinear patterns intrinsic to emotional expressions. Herein, a novel CuI-based synaptic memristor is proposed, featuring reliable analog resistive switching and diverse biosynaptic plasticity, including EPSC, PPF, STM/LTM, LTP/LTD, and SRDP.

Electrochemical and Kinetic Performance of Low-Cobalt and Cobalt-Free Rare-Earth AB-Type Hydrogen Storage Alloys.

To address the high cost of cobalt in rare-earth hydrogen storage alloys, this study developed cost-effective low-cobalt and cobalt-free AB-type alloys. The results demonstrate that all synthesized alloys displayed a single-phase LaNi structure possessing a homogeneous elemental distribution. Low-cobalt (La, Ce) (Ni, Co, Mn, Al) alloy 4SC and cobalt-free (La, Ce) (Ni, Mn, Al) alloy 7D exhibited similarly excellent electrochemical performance, including high discharge capacity, long cycle life, and superior high-rate discharge () capability.

Role of BMPR2 Mutation in Lung Organoid Differentiation.

: The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling pathway is essential for lung development. BMP4, a key regulator, binds to type I (BMPR1) and type II (BMPR2) receptors to initiate downstream signaling. While the inactivation of and leads to tracheoesophageal fistulae, the role of mutations in lung epithelial development remains unclear.

The function and application potential of L-theanine: From biotechnological production, biosynthesis, bioactivity to food industry.

L-theanine (γ-glutamylethylamide), a unique amino acid predominantly biosynthesized in tea plants (Camellia sinensis), exhibits multifaceted roles in human health and food innovation. This review elucidates its biosynthesis regulated by nitrogen availability and epigenetic mechanisms, alongside sustainable biotechnological production strategies, including extraction technologies to biotransformation. Mechanistically, L-theanine modulates glutamate receptors to enhance neuroprotection (BDNF upregulation, cortisol reduction), activates AMPK for anti-obesity effects (lipid oxidation, adiponectin secretion), and activates of γδ T cells to bolster immunomodulation.

The Impact of Perfluoroalkyl Substances on the Clinical Manifestations of Primary Sjögren Syndrome.

Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease that may be triggered by environmental factors. While the impact of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) on the human immune system has been investigated, their specific effect on Sjogren's syndrome remains unreported. We conducted this study to evaluate the association between PFAS exposure and clinical manifestations of pSS.