Inflammatory Biomarkers as Prognostic Indicators for Intracranial Aneurysm Recurrence After Stent-Assisted Coil Embolization.

Background: The reappearance of intracranial aneurysms (IAs) after undergoing stent-assisted coil embolization (SACE) is a significant issue in clinical practice. In this study, we analyzed blood regulatory T-cell counts and plasma cytokine levels to assess the extent of systemic inflammation and investigate their potential association with the recurrence of IAs undergoing SACE.

Methods: A total of 189 individuals with 220 unruptured IAs were included in a retrospective study, with participants categorized into groups of occlusion and recurrence according to the Raymond-Roy Scale.

Recent Advances of Covalent Organic Frameworks-Based Materials for Photocatalytic U(VI) Separation: Structural Modulation and Mechanistic Exploration.

The development of efficient and selective U(VI) extraction from seawater and U(VI)-containing wastewater through photocatalytic technology holds significant importance for nuclear energy advancement and mitigation of radionuclide-related environmental and health risks. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as ideal photocatalytic materials for U(VI) separation due to their inherent porosity, robust frameworks, chemical stability, and exceptional structural regularity. This comprehensive review examines molecular-level structural optimization of COFs to enhance charge carrier separation and transfer, thereby improving photocatalytic U(VI) extraction efficiency.

Early combined conbercept and dexamethasone implant therapy for diabetic macular edema.

Aim: This study evaluated the clinical effectiveness and safety of a combined dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex) with Conbercept injections for diabetic macular edema (DME).

Methods: A prospective case-control clinical trial was conducted on 46 DME patients. Patients were randomly assigned to either the combination group, receiving Conbercept injections followed by Ozurdex (24 patients) using a 2 + 1 + 1 + PRN protocol, or the monotherapy group, receiving only Conbercept injections (22 patients) following a 5 + PRN protocol.

Fully Conjugated Sp Carbon-Linked Covalent Organic Frameworks Enables Accelerated Exciton Process for Superior Singlet Oxygen Photosynthesis for Water Remediation.

Photocatalytic oxygen (O) activation via energy transfer offers a sustainable approach for singlet oxygen (O) synthesis, while its performance suffers from the ultrafast exciton dissociation and sluggish intersystem crossing (ISC) process. Up to date, exciton regulation is still in its infancy. Here, via linkage engineering of covalent organic frameworks (COFs), we propose a fully conjugated sp carbon-linked COFs (spc-Py-Bpy COFs) with strong exciton interaction and fast ISC for boosted O photosynthesis.

Milk peptides alleviate irritable bowel syndrome by suppressing colonic mast cell activation and prostaglandin E2 production in mice.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of milk peptides on irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The mice were intragastrally administered with casein or whey protein hydrolysates at a dose of 1 g/kg body weight/day for 24 days and were subjected to Citrobacter rodentium infection and water avoidance stress from day 7 to 24. Results indicated that casein and whey protein hydrolysates effectively reduced diarrhea, anxiety, and visceral hypersensitivity in IBS mice.

ZDHHC9-mediated CD38 palmitoylation stabilizes CD38 expression and promotes pancreatic cancer growth.

The cluster of differentiation 38 (CD38) is a multifunctional transmembrane protein involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes including aging, neurodegenerative diseases, and tumorigenesis, hence is an attractive drug target. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of CD38 expression remain enigmatic. Herein, we report for the first time that CD38 is palmitoylated at Cys16, and that S-palmitoylation is required to maintain CD38 protein expression in tumor cells.

Enhancement on selenium volatilization for phytoremediation: role of plant and soil microbe interaction.

This study aimed at quantifying the potential effects of plant and soil microbial interaction on selenium (Se) volatilization, with the specific objectives of identifying soil bacteria associated with rabbitfoot grass () and demonstrating the enhancement of Se volatilization in the soil-Indian mustard () system through inoculation of the soil with the identified best Se-volatilizing bacterial strain. Soil bacteria were isolated from topsoil and rhizosphere soils of rabbitfoot grass, and the bacterial colonies were characterized via PCR-DGGE and DGGE band analysis prior to their identification using 16S rDNA sequencing technique. produced over 500-fold more volatile Se in a culture medium treated with 15 µg Se/mL (equal mixture of SeO , SeO and selenomethionine) than any of the other eight identified bacterial strains.

Diacetylene-bridged covalent organic framework as crystalline graphdiyne analogue for photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Graphdiyne (GDY) alone as a photocatalyst is unsatisfactory because of its low crystallinity, limited regulation of the band gap, weak photogenerated charge separation, , and heterojunctioning with other materials is necessary to activate the photocatalytic activity of GDY. Through elaborate design, a diacetylene-rich linker (S2) was prepared and employed to construct a crystalline and structurally well-defined GDY-like covalent organic framework (COF, namely S2-TP COF) which merges the merits of both COF and GDY to boost the photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). By theoretical prediction on the donor-acceptor (D-A) pair, two other monoacetylene-bridged COFs (S1-TP COF and S3-TP COF) were prepared for comparison.

Effect of micronutrients on the risk of Graves' disease: a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Micronutrient research on Graves' disease (GD) is limited and controversial. Therefore, in order to explore possible correlations between genetically predicted amounts of six micronutrients [Copper (Cu), Iron (Ir), Zinc (Zn), Calcium (Ca), Vitamin C (VC), and Vitamin D (VD)] and GD risk, we carried out Mendelian randomization research (MR).

Methods: We conducted an MR analysis using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) from people of European ancestry and aggregated information from UK Biobank to provide insight into the relationships between micronutrients and GD.

Exploring the application of FNA-Tg for the diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis in PTC.

Background: Currently, fine-needle aspiration washout thyroglobulin (FNA-Tg) are mainly utilized to assist in the detection of lateral lymph node metastasis (LLNM) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, there is currently no clear definition of the method, procedure, and diagnostic value of FNA-Tg testing.

Methods: Prospectively collected data from 215 PTC patients who underwent lateral neck LNs dissection in the 900th hospital from 2022 to 2024.

Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization for Nonacute Subdural Hematoma.

Background: The effect of embolization of the middle meningeal artery in patients with subacute or chronic subdural hematoma is uncertain.

Methods: We performed a multicenter, open-label, randomized trial in China, involving patients with symptomatic nonacute subdural hematoma with mass effect. Patients were assigned to undergo burr-hole drainage or receive nonsurgical treatment at the surgeon's discretion, and patients in each group were then randomly assigned, in a 1:1 ratio, to undergo middle meningeal artery embolization with liquid embolic material or to receive usual care.

Melanin-Like Nanomedicine Functions as a Novel RPE Ferroptosis Inhibitor to Ameliorate Retinal Degeneration and Visual Impairment in Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Ferrous ion accumulation and lethal oxidative stress mediate irreversible retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell ferroptosis and subsequent photoreceptor degeneration, a potential key pathogenic factor in the onset of dry age-related macular degeneration (dAMD), causing irreversible vision loss in the global elderly population. However, currently, no effective interventional treatment strategy exists in clinical practice. Herein, lesion site-targeted melanin-like nanoparticles, named ConA-MelNPs, are designed as a novel ferroptosis inhibitor for retinal degenerative diseases.

Multifunctional nano-in-micro delivery systems for targeted therapy in fundus neovascularization diseases.

Fundus neovascularization diseases are a series of blinding eye diseases that seriously impair vision worldwide. Currently, the means of treating these diseases in clinical practice are continuously evolving and have rapidly revolutionized treatment opinions. However, key issues such as inadequate treatment effectiveness, high rates of recurrence, and poor patient compliance still need to be urgently addressed.

Effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the reduction of arsenic accumulation in plants: a meta-analysis.

Arsenic (As) accumulation in plants is a global concern. Although the application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) has been suggested as a potential solution to decrease As concentration in plants, there is currently a gap in a comprehensive, quantitative assessment of the abiotic and biotic factors influencing As accumulation. A meta-analysis was performed to quantitatively investigate the findings of 76 publications on the impacts of AMF, plant properties, and soil on As accumulation in plants.

Self-Charging Aqueous Zn//COF Battery with UltraHigh Self-Charging Efficiency and Rate.

Self-charging zinc batteries that combine energy harvesting technology with batteries are candidates for reliable self-charging power systems. However, the lack of rational materials design results in unsatisfactory self-charging performance. Here, a covalent organic framework containing pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone groups (COF-PTO) is reported as a cathode material for aqueous self-charging zinc batteries.

Selenium Removal from Wastewater by Microbial Transformation and Volatilization.

Selenium (Se) is a naturally occurring trace element that is nutritionally essential for humans and animals, but becomes toxic at high concentrations. This laboratory study explored the role of microbes in Se removal from contaminated wastewater via biological transformation and volatilization processes. Microbes could immobilize water-soluble selenate (SeO) and selenite (SeO) to water-insoluble elemental Se (Se) and transform Se into volatile Se compounds found in the atmosphere.

Minimalist Design for Solar Energy Conversion: Revamping the π-Grid of an Organic Framework into Open-Shell Superabsorbers.

We apply a versatile reaction to a versatile solid: the former involves the electron-deficient alkene tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) as the guest reactant; the latter consists of stacked 2D honeycomb covalent networks based on the electron-rich β-ketoenamine hinges that also activate the conjugated, connecting alkyne units. The TCNE/alkyne reaction is a [2 + 2] cycloaddition-retroelectrocyclization () that forms strong push-pull units directly into the backbone of the framework-, using only the minimalist "bare-bones" scaffold, without the need for additional side groups of alkynes or other functions. The ability of the stacked alkyne units (, as part of the honeycomb mass) to undergo such extensive rearrangement highlights the structural flexibility of these covalent organic framework (COF) hosts.

Palmitoyl transferases act as novel drug targets for pancreatic cancer.

Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is one of the most leading causes of cancer-related death across the world with the limited efficiency and response rate of immunotherapy. Protein S-palmitoylation, a powerful post-translational lipid modification, is well-known to regulate the stability and cellular distribution of cancer-related proteins, which is mediated by a family of 23 palmitoyl transferases, namely zinc finger Asp-His-His-Cys-type (ZDHHC). However, whether palmitoyl transferases can determine tumor progression and the efficacy of immunotherapy in PAAD remains unknown.

Lateral septum adenosine A receptors control stress-induced depressive-like behaviors via signaling to the hypothalamus and habenula.

Major depressive disorder ranks as a major burden of disease worldwide, yet the current antidepressant medications are limited by frequent non-responsiveness and significant side effects. The lateral septum (LS) is thought to control of depression, however, the cellular and circuit substrates are largely unknown. Here, we identified a subpopulation of LS GABAergic adenosine A receptors (AR)-positive neurons mediating depressive symptoms via direct projects to the lateral habenula (LHb) and the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH).

Scale Effect of Surface Asperities on Stick-Slip Behavior of Zinc-Coated Steel.

Stick-slip behavior between friction pairs causes severe vibration problems such as abrasion and noise pollution, leading to material loss and deterioration in human health. This phenomenon is extremely complex because the surfaces of friction pairs have various asperities with different sizes. Therefore, it is of importance to understand the scale effect of asperities on the stick-slip behavior.

Targeting ZDHHC9 potentiates anti-programmed death-ligand 1 immunotherapy of pancreatic cancer by modifying the tumor microenvironment.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy targeting the programmed death 1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) axis has achieved considerable success in treating a wide range of cancers. However, most patients with pancreatic cancer remain resistant to ICB. Moreover, there is a lack of optimal biomarkers for the prediction of response to this therapy.

The use of selenium for controlling plant fungal diseases and insect pests.

The selenium (Se) applications in biomedicine, agriculture, and environmental health have become great research interest in recent decades. As an essential nutrient for humans and animals, beneficial effects of Se on human health have been well documented. Although Se is not an essential element for plants, it does play important roles in improving plants' resistances to a broad of biotic and abiotic stresses.

MMP9-Responsive Graphene Oxide Quantum Dot-Based Nano-in-Micro Drug Delivery System for Combinatorial Therapy of Choroidal Neovascularization.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), especially wet AMD with choroidal neovascularization (CNV), commonly causes blindness in older patients and disruption of the choroid followed by second-wave injuries, including chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and excessive matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) expression. Increased macrophage infiltrate in parallel with microglial activation and MMP9 overexpression on CNV lesions is shown to contribute to the inflammatory process and then enhance pathological ocular angiogenesis. Graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs), as natural antioxidants, exert anti-inflammatory effects and minocycline is a specific macrophage/microglial inhibitor that can suppress both macrophage/microglial activation and MMP9 activity.