Ultrasensitive Paper-Based Photoelectrochemical Biosensor for Acetamiprid Detection Enabled by Spin-State Manipulation and Polarity-Switching.

Efficient carrier separation is vitally crucial to improving the detection sensitivity of photoelectrochemical (PEC) biosensors. Here, we developed a facile strategy to efficiently regulate the carrier separation efficiency of the photoactive matrix BiOI and In2S3 signal label functionalized paper chip by manipulation of electrons spin-state and rational design of electron transport pathways. The spin-dependent electronic structures of BiOI and In2S3 were regulated via enhanced electron-spin parallel alignment induced by an external magnetic field, markedly retarding carrier recombination and extending their lifetime. Simultaneously, with the progress of the target-induced catalytic hairpin assembly process, the transfer path of photogenerated carriers was changed, leading to a switch in photocurrent polarity from cathode to anode. This reversed electron transport pathway not only boosted the separation ability of photogenerated electrons but also eliminated false-positive and false-negative signals, thereby further improving the detection sensitivity. As a proof of concept, the well-designed magnetic field-stimulated paper-based PEC biosensor showed highly selectivity and sensitivity for acetamiprid assay with a wide linear range of 1 fM to 20 nM and an ultralow detection limit of 0.73 fM. This work develops a universal strategy for improving the sensitivity of biosensors and exhibits enormous potential in the fields of bioanalysis and clinical diagnosis.

A nomogram for predicting the risk of cancer-related cognitive impairment in breast cancer patients based on a scientific symptom model.

Cancer-related cognitive impairment is a significant clinical challenge observed in patients with breast cancer, manifesting during or after treatment. This impairment leads to deteriorations in memory, processing speed, attention, and executive functioning, which profoundly impact patients' occupational performance, daily living activities, and overall quality of life. Grounded in the Symptom Science Model 2.0, this study investigates the contributing factors to Cancer-related cognitive impairment in breast cancer patients and develops a predictive nomogram for this demographic. Employing both univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, this investigation delineates the predictive factors influencing outcomes in breast cancer patients. A nomogram was constructed leveraging these identified predictive factors, accompanied by internal validation through bootstrap resampling methodology (1000 bootstrap samples). The efficacy of the predictive model was assessed by employing the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test and calibration curves. The prevalence of cognitive impairment in breast cancer patients was identified to be 45.83%.Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified the independent predictors of Cancer-related cognitive impairment in breast cancer patients as place of residence, educational level, chemotherapy, benefit finding, post-traumatic growth, anxiety, fear of cancer progression, and fasting blood glucose levels. these factors were integrated into the nomogram. The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test demonstrated that the prediction model was appropriately calibrated (χ2 = 11.520, P = 0.174). Furthermore, the model exhibited an area under the curve of 0.955 (95% CI 0.939 to 0.971) and a sensitivity of 0.906, evidencing its robust discriminative capacity and accuracy. Utilizing the Symptom Science Model 2.0 as a framework, this study comprehensively examines the multifaceted factors influencing Cancer-related cognitive impairment in breast cancer patients, spanning five critical domains: complex symptoms, phenotypic characterization, biobehavioral factors, social determinants of health, and patient-centered experiences. A predictive nomogram model was established, demonstrating satisfactory predictive accuracy and capability. This model is capable of identifying breast cancer patients with cognitive impairments with high precision. The findings furnish empirical evidence in support of the early detection, diagnosis, and intervention strategies for high-risk breast cancer patients afflicted with Cancer-related cognitive impairment.

Pose2Gaze: Eye-Body Coordination During Daily Activities for Gaze Prediction From Full-Body Poses.

Human eye gaze plays a significant role in many virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) applications, such as gaze-contingent rendering, gaze-based interaction, or eye-based activity recognition. However, prior works on gaze analysis and prediction have only explored eye-head coordination and were limited to human-object interactions. We first report a comprehensive analysis of eye-body coordination in various human-object and human-human interaction activities based on four public datasets collected in real-world (MoGaze), VR (ADT), as well as AR (GIMO and EgoBody) environments. We show that in human-object interactions, e.g. pick and place, eye gaze exhibits strong correlations with full-body motion while in human-human interactions, e.g. chat and teach, a person's gaze direction is correlated with the body orientation towards the interaction partner. Informed by these analyses we then present Pose2Gaze - a novel eye-body coordination model that uses a convolutional neural network and a spatio-temporal graph convolutional neural network to extract features from head direction and full-body poses, respectively, and then uses a convolutional neural network to predict eye gaze. We compare our method with state-of-the-art methods that predict eye gaze only from head movements and show that Pose2Gaze outperforms these baselines with an average improvement of 24.0% on MoGaze, 10.1% on ADT, 21.3% on GIMO, and 28.6% on EgoBody in mean angular error, respectively. We also show that our method significantly outperforms prior methods in the sample downstream task of eye-based activity recognition. These results underline the significant information content available in eye-body coordination during daily activities and open up a new direction for gaze prediction.

SOSTDC1 Nuclear Translocation Facilitates BTIC Maintenance and CHD1-Mediated HR Repair to Promote Tumor Progression and Olaparib Resistance in TNBC.

Breast tumor-initiating cells (BTICs) of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) tissues actively repair DNA and are resistant to treatments including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy. Herein, it is found that a previously reported secreted protein, sclerostin domain containing 1 (SOSTDC1), is abundantly expressed in BTICs of TNBC cells and positively correlated with a poor patient prognosis. SOSTDC1 knockdown impairs homologous recombination (HR) repair, BTIC maintenance, and sensitized bulk cells and BTICs to Olaparib. Mechanistically, following Olaparib treatment, SOSTDC1 translocates to the nucleus in an importin-α dependent manner. Nuclear SOSTDC1 interacts with the N-terminus of the nucleoprotein, chromatin helicase DNA-binding factor (CHD1), to promote HR repair and BTIC maintenance. Furthermore, nuclear SOSTDC1 bound to ß-transducin repeat-containing protein (ß-TrCP) binding motifs of CHD1 is found, thereby blocking the ß-TrCP-CHD1 interaction and inhibiting ß-TrCP-mediated CHD1 ubiquitination and degradation. Collectively, these findings identify a novel nuclear SOSTDC1 pathway in regulating HR repair and BTIC maintenance, providing insight into the TNBC therapeutic strategies.

ARRB1 inhibits extracellular matrix degradation and apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells by promoting autophagy and attenuates intervertebral disc degeneration.

OBJECTIVE: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is the leading cause of lower back pain (LBP). ß-arrestin 1 (ARRB1) is a multifunctional protein that regulates numerous pathological processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of ARRB1 in IVDD. METHODS: The expression of ARRB1 in nucleus pulposus (NP) of rats with IVDD was assayed. Next, rat nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) were infected with lentiviruses containing shArrb1 (LV-shArrb1) and overexpressing Arrb1 (LV-oeArrb1). The roles of Arrb1 in serum-deprived NPCs were investigated by measuring apoptosis, extracellular matrix degradation, and autophagic flux. For experiments in vivo, LV-oeArrb1 lentivirus was injected into the NP tissues of IVDD rats to evaluate the effects of Arrb1 overexpression on NP. RESULTS: In the NP tissues of IVDD rats, ARRB1 and cleaved caspase-3 expression increased, and the ratio of LC3II/LC3I protein expression was upregulated. Arrb1 knockdown aggravated extracellular matrix degradation, cellular apoptosis, and impairment of autophagic flux in rat NPCs under serum-deprived conditions, whereas Arrb1 overexpression significantly reversed these effects. ARRB1 interacted with Beclin 1, and Arrb1 knockdown suppressed the formation of the Beclin1-PIK3C3 core complex. The autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) offset the protective effects of Arrb1 overexpression in serum-deprived NPCs. Furthermore, Arrb1 overexpression inhibited apoptosis and extracellular matrix degradation, promoted autophagy in NP, and delayed the development of IVDD in rats. CONCLUSION: ARRB1 prevents extracellular matrix degradation and apoptosis of NPCs by upregulating autophagy and ameliorating IVDD progression, presenting an innovative strategy for the treatment of IVDD.

Plasmodium vivax serological exposure markers: PvMSP1-42-induced humoral and memory B-cell response generates long-lived antibodies.

Plasmodium vivax serological exposure markers (SEMs) have emerged as promising tools for the actionable surveillance and implementation of targeted interventions to accelerate malaria elimination. To determine the dynamic profiles of SEMs in current and past P. vivax infections, we screened and selected 11 P. vivax proteins from 210 putative proteins using protein arrays, with a set of serum samples obtained from patients with acute P. vivax and documented past P. vivax infections. Then we used a murine protein immune model to initially investigate the humoral and memory B cell response involved in the generation of long-lived antibodies. We show that of the 11 proteins, especially C-terminal 42-kDa region of P. vivax merozoite surface protein 1 (PvMSP1-42) induced longer-lasting long-lived antibodies, as these antibodies were detected in individuals infected with P. vivax in the 1960-1970s who were not re-infected until 2012. In addition, we provide a potential mechanism for the maintenance of long-lived antibodies after the induction of PvMSP1-42. The results indicate that PvMSP1-42 induces more CD73+CD80+ memory B cells (MBCs) compared to P. vivax GPI-anchored micronemal antigen (PvGAMA), allowing IgG anti-PvMSP1-42 antibodies to be maintained for a long time.

Photo-thermal Catalytic Hydrogenation of Halogenated Nitrobenzenes over Ni/P25 Catalyst.

As haloanilines (HANs) are important organic intermediates and fine chemicals, their preparation over non-noble-metal-based catalysts by catalytic hydrogenation has attracted wide attention. However, the reaction suffers from relatively harsh conditions. Herein, we found that a 3.5%Ni/P25 catalyst exhibited superior photo-thermal catalytic activity with a TOFs of 5207 h-1 for hydrogenation of p-chloronitrobenzene (p-CNB) to p-chloroaniline under a 300 W full spectrum, which was much higher than that of photo- and thermal catalysis alone. Moreover, the 3.5%Ni/P25 catalyst could be recycled 4 times and was effective for the hydrogenation of various halonitrobenzenes (HNBs) with superior selectivity. Furthermore, the kinetic research showed that the excellent catalytic performance could be attributed to the better activation and dissociation of H2 by photo-thermal catalysis and the hydrogenation of p-CNB obeyed the condensation routine by ionic hydrogenation over 3.5%Ni/P25.

Impact of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases Mortality on Life Expectancy in Tianjin, 2004 and 2020.

This study aims to analyze the impact of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs) mortality on Tianjin's life expectancy (LE) in 2004 compared with 2020 using Arriaga's decomposition method. The LE increment for Tianjin residents due to the decrease in CCVDs mortality was 1.54 years (38.7%). Males, females, urban residents, and rural residents contributed 1.29 years (36.83%), 1.76 years (40.25%), 2.11 years (44.41%), and 0.71 years (25.06%), respectively. A total of 38.2% of the LE increment was attributed to deaths from CCVDs in people aged ≥65 years. Cerebral infarction, intracerebral hemorrhage, acute myocardial infarction, and other heart diseases contributed positively to the increase in LE (24.8%, 22.68%, 16.66%, and 11.3%). Sequelae of cerebrovascular disease and other coronary heart diseases contributed negatively to the increase in LE (-25.2% and -17.92%). Therefore, we need to control the risk factors of the elderly, males, rural residents, sequelae of cerebrovascular disease, and other coronary heart diseases.

The impact of WeChat online education and care on the mental distress of caregivers and satisfaction of elderly postoperative colorectal cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: WeChat-based nursing interventions alleviate mental distress. This study intended to investigate the effect of WeChat online education and care (WOEC) on the mental health of caregivers and the satisfaction of elderly postoperative colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. METHODS: In total, 92 elderly postoperative CRC patients and 92 caregivers were randomly separated into the WOEC group (46 patients and 46 caregivers) and the control care group (46 patients and 46 caregivers). Caregivers received corresponding intervention for 8 weeks. Beck depression inventory (BDI) and beck anxiety inventory (BAI) of caregivers, and self-report satisfaction (SRS) of patients were assessed. RESULTS: In caregivers, BDI scores at 8 weeks after enrollment (W8) (P = 0.024) and BAI score at W8 (P = 0.009), depression severity at W8 (P = 0.036), as well as anxiety severity at 4 weeks after enrollment (W4) (P = 0.028) and W8 (P = 0.047) were declined in the WOEC group versus the control care group. Regarding patients, SRS scores at W4 (P = 0.044) and W8 (P = 0.025), the satisfaction degree at W4 (P = 0.033) and W8 (P = 0.034), as well as the satisfied and very satisfied rates at W4 (P = 0.031) and W8 (P = 0.029) were elevated in the WOEC group versus the control care group. By subgroup analyses, WOEC exhibited favorable effects on reducing mental stress in caregivers of patients with eastern cooperative oncology group performance status at enrollment <3, and in caregivers with an education level of high school & university and above. CONCLUSION: WOEC effectively relieves mental stress in caregivers of elderly postoperative CRC patients, and also elevates satisfaction in these patients.

IL1R2 Blockade Alleviates Immunosuppression and Potentiates Anti-PD-1 Efficacy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer with limited therapeutic options. IL1 receptor type 2 (IL1R2) promotes breast tumor-initiating cell (BTIC) self-renewal and tumor growth in TNBC, indicating that targeting it could improve patient treatment. In this study, we observed that IL1R2 blockade strongly attenuated macrophage recruitment and the polarization of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) to inhibit BTIC self-renewal and CD8+ T-cell exhaustion, which resulted in reduced tumor burden and prolonged survival in TNBC mouse models. IL1R2 activation by TAM-derived IL1ß increased PD-L1 expression by interacting with the transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) and inducing YY1 ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation in both TAMs and TNBC cells. Loss of YY1 alleviated the transcriptional repression of c-Fos, which is a transcriptional activator of PDL-1. Combined treatment with an IL1R2-neutralizing antibodies and anti-PD-1 led to enhanced antitumor efficacy and reduced TAMs, BTICs, and exhausted CD8+ T cells. These results suggest that IL1R2 blockade might be a strategy to potentiate immune checkpoint blockade efficacy in TNBC to improve patient outcomes. Significance: IL1R2 in both macrophages and breast cancer cells orchestrates an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment by upregulating PD-L1 expression and can be targeted to enhance the efficacy of anti-PD-1 in triple-negative breast cancer.

Confining single Er3+ ions in sub-3 nm NaYF4 nanoparticles to induce slow relaxation of the magnetisation.

Molecular systems known as single-molecule magnets (SMMs) exhibit magnet-like behaviour of slow relaxation of the magnetisation and magnetic hysteresis and have potential application in high-density memory storage or quantum computing. Often, their intrinsic magnetic properties are plagued by low-energy molecular vibrations that lead to phonon-induced relaxation processes, however, there is no straightforward synthetic approach for molecular systems that would lead to a small amount of low-energy vibrations and low phonon density of states at the spin-resonance energies. In this work, we apply knowledge accumulated over the last decade in molecular magnetism to nanoparticles, incorporating Er3+ ions in an ultrasmall sub-3 nm diamagnetic NaYF4 nanoparticle (NP) and probing the slow relaxation dynamics intrinsic to the Er3+ ion. Furthermore, by increasing the doping concentration, we also investigate the role of intraparticle interactions within the NP. The knowledge gained from this study is anticipated to enable better design of magnetically high-performance molecular and bulk magnets for a wide variety of applications, such as molecular electronics.

The effect of weighted blankets on sleep and related disorders: a brief review.

Background: Sleep disorders such as insomnia can lead to a range of health problems. The high risk of side effects and drug abuse of traditional pharmacotherapy calls for a safer non-pharmacotherapy. Aims: To examine the use and efficacy of weighted blankets in improving sleep and related disorders in different populations and explore the possible mechanisms. Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library and CNKI databases. Eligible studies included an intervention with weighted blankets and outcomes covering sleep and/or related disorders (behavioral disturbance, negative emotions and daytime symptoms). Studies using other deep pressure, compression, or exercise-related interventions were excluded. Conclusions: Most of the included studies showed that weighted blankets could effectively improve sleep quality and alleviate negative emotions and daytime symptoms in patients with sleep disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and other related disorders, with a possible mechanism of deep pressure touch. Recommendations: Weighted blankets might be a promising tool for sleep interventions among individuals with sleep disorders in clinical settings. More high-quality and large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to further validate the safety and efficacy of weighted blankets and explore precise mechanisms.

Ultrathin Al2O3film modification on waterborne epoxy coatings by atomic layer deposition for augmenting the corrosion resistance.

The polar channels formed by the curing of waterborne anticorrosive coatings compromise their water resistance, leading to coating degradation and metal corrosion. To enhance the anticorrosive performance of waterborne coatings, this study proposed a novel method of depositing ultrathin Al2O3films on the surface of waterborne epoxy coatings by atomic layer deposition, a technique that can modify the surface properties of polymer materials by depositing functional films. The Al2O3-modified coatings exhibited improved sealing and barrier properties by closing the polar channels and surface defects and cracks. The surface structure and morphology of the modified coatings were characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The hydrophilicity and corrosion resistance of the modified coatings were evaluated by water contact angle measurement, Tafel polarization curve, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results indicated that the water contact angle of the Al2O3-modified coating increased by 48° compared to the unmodified coating, and the protection efficiency of the modified coating reached 99.81%. The Al2O3-modified coating demonstrated high anticorrosive efficiency and potential applications for metal anticorrosion in harsh marine environments.

Compensatory upregulation of MT2A alleviates neurogenic intermittent claudication through inhibiting activated p38 MAPK-mediated neuronal apoptosis.

Neurogenic intermittent claudication (NIC), a classic symptom of lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), is associated with neuronal apoptosis. To explore the novel therapeutic target of NIC treatment, we constructed the rat model of NIC by cauda equina compression (CEC) method and collected dorsal root ganglion (DRG) tissues, a region responsible for sensory and motor function, for mRNA sequencing. Bioinformatic analysis of mRNA sequencing indicated that upregulated metallothionein 2A (MT2A), an apoptosis-regulating gene belonging to the metallothionein family, might participate in NIC progression. Activated p38 MAPK mediated motor dysfunction following LSS and it was also found in DRG tissues of rats with NIC. Therefore, we supposed that MT2A might affect NIC progression by regulating p38 MAPK pathway. Then the rat model of NIC was used to explore the exact role of MT2A. Rats at day 7 post-CEC exhibited poorer motor function and had two-fold MT2A expression in DRG tissues compared with rats with sham operation. Co-localization analysis showed that MT2A was highly expressed in neurons, but not in microglia or astrocytes. Subsequently, neurons isolated from DRG tissues of rats were exposed to hypoxia condition (3% O2, 92% N2, 5% CO2) to induce cell damage. Gain of MT2A function in neurons was performed by lentivirus-mediated overexpression. MT2A overexpression inhibited apoptosis by inactivating p38 MAPK in hypoxia-exposed neurons. Our findings indicated that high MT2A expression was related to NIC progression, and MT2A overexpression protected against NIC through inhibiting activated p38 MAPK-mediated neuronal apoptosis in DRG tissues.

Activation of polyimide by oxygen plasma for atomic layer deposition of highly compact titanium oxide coating.

Titanium oxide (TiO2) coated polyimide has broad application prospects under extreme conditions. In order to obtain a high-quality ultra-thin TiO2coating on polyimide by atomic layer deposition (ALD), the polyimide was activated byin situoxygen plasma. It was found that a large number of polar oxygen functional groups, such as carboxyl, were generated on the surface of the activated polyimide, which can significantly promote the preparation of TiO2coating by ALD. The nucleation and growth of TiO2were studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy monitoring and scanning electron microscopy observation. On the polyimide activated by oxygen plasma, the size of TiO2nuclei decreased and the quantity of TiO2nuclei increased, resulting in the growth of a highly uniform and dense TiO2coating. This coating exhibited excellent resistance to atomic oxygen. When exposed to 3.5 × 1021atom cm-2atomic oxygen flux, the erosion yield of the polyimide coated with 100 ALD cycles of TiO2was as low as 3.0 × 10-25cm3/atom, which is one order less than that of the standard POLYIMIDE-ref Kapton®film.

Effects of donor age and reproductive history on developmental potential of ovum pickup oocytes in Japanese Black cattle (Wagyu).

The objectives of this study were to analyze the (1) effects of donor age and multiparity on development of in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos after ovum pickup (OPU), (2) effects of repeated and consecutive OPU-IVF procedures on embryo development, and (3) embryo production from OPU-IVF in donors with differing embryo yields after multiple ovulation and embryo transfer technology (MOET) in Japanese Black cattle (Wagyu). Donors were pre-treated with low-dosage follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH; 200 IU total), and oocytes were collected via OPU and fertilized by IVF to generate blastocysts. The number of oocytes collected per OPU session per donor was lower in heifers (2-4 years old, 5.3 oocytes) than in primiparous and pluriparous cows (2-10 years old, 13.6-19.1 oocytes; P < 0.05). Rates of blastocyst development for oocytes from heifers (33.1%) were lower than for those from cows (2-10 years old, 44.1-54.3%; P < 0.05), and average blastocyst yield/OPU/animal was lower in heifers (3.7) than in 5-6 years old cows (10.1; P < 0.05). Donors undergoing five consecutive OPU-IVF sessions after low-dosage FSH showed similar oocyte retrieval (12.2-15.1 oocytes per OPU/animal), blastocyst development rates (35.6-45.0%), and embryo yield/OPU/animal (4.8-5.8; P > 0.05) across sessions. Additionally, embryo yield from OPU-IVF was significantly improved in animals with previous low embryo yield from MOET (5.9 vs. 2.6, respectively, P < 0.05). These results indicate that Wagyu cows with previous births can be more productive as OPU-IVF donors than heifers, and oocytes from donors undergoing to five consecutive OPU-IVF cycles are competent for embryo development without loss of embryo yield/OPU/animal. Moreover, OPU-IVF can be used for embryo production and breeding from all elite Japanese Black cattle, regardless of previous low embryo yield in routine MOET.

Thermal-Induced Microstructure Deterioration of Egyptian Granodiorite and Associated Physico-Mechanical Responses.

Mineral transformations often induce microstructural deteriorations during temperature variations. Hence, it is crucial to understand why and how this microstructure weakens due to mineral alteration with temperature and the correlated physical and mechanical responses. Therefore, in this study, physical, chemical, thermal, petrographic, and mechanical analyses were carried out to comprehend better the thermal behaviors of Egyptian granodiorite exposed to temperatures as high as 800 °C. The experimental results indicate that the examined attributes change in three distinct temperature phases. Strength zone (up to 200 °C): During this phase, the temperature only slightly impacts the granodiorite mass loss and porosity, and the P-wave velocity and E slightly decrease. However, the rock structure was densified, which resulted in a minor increase in strength. After that, the transition zone (200-400 °C) was distinguished by the stability of most studied parameters. For instance, mass and porosity did not significantly alter, and the uniaxial compressive strength steadily increased with an axial failure mode. When the temperature rises, transgranular cracks cause the P-wave velocity and elastic modulus to decrease moderately. The decay zone started after 400 °C and continued to 800 °C. This zone is characterized by complicated factors that worsen the granodiorite properties, lead to color shift, and produce a shear failure mode. The properties of granodiorite became worse because of chemical reactions, structural and crystal water evaporation, rising thermal expansion coefficient variation, and quartz inversion at 575 °C (α to ß, according to the differential thermal analysis). Thermal damage greatly affected granodiorite's physical and mechanical properties and microstructure at 800 °C. As a result, UCS measurements were extremely small with a complex failure pattern, making Vp and E unattainable.

Afterglow Nanoprobe-Enabled Quantitative Lateral Flow Immunoassay by a Palm-Size Device for Household Healthcare.

Lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA), a classical point-of-care testing (POCT) technique, plays an important role in disease screening and healthcare monitoring. However, traditional LFIA is either designed for qualitative analysis or requires expensive equipment for quantification, limiting its use in household diagnosis. In this study, we proposed a new generation of LFIA for household health monitoring by using ultralong organic phosphorescence (UOP) nanomaterials as afterglow nanoprobes with a self-developed palm-size sensing device. The UOP nanoprobes exhibit a phosphorescence signal with a second-level lifetime, which completely avoids the interference from excitation light and biological background fluorescence. Therefore, an ultraminiaturized and low-cost UOP nanosensor was successfully designed by eliminating the complex optical path and filtering systems. We chose an inflammatory factor, C-reactive protein (CRP), for household POCT validation. The whole analysis was completed within 9 min. A limit of detection (LOD) of 0.54 ng/mL of CRP antigen was achieved with high stability and good specificity, which is comparable to laboratory instruments and fully satisfying the clinical diagnosis requirement.

Mechanisms of probiotic modulation of ovarian sex hormone production and metabolism: a review.

Sex hormones play a pivotal role in the growth and development of the skeletal, neurological, and reproductive systems. In women, the dysregulation of sex hormones can result in various health complications such as acne, hirsutism, and irregular menstruation. One of the most prevalent diseases associated with excess androgens is polycystic ovary syndrome with a hyperandrogenic phenotype. Probiotics have shown the potential to enhance the secretion of ovarian sex hormones. However, the underlying mechanism of action remains unclear. Furthermore, comprehensive reviews detailing how probiotics modulate ovarian sex hormones are scarce. This review seeks to shed light on the potential mechanisms through which probiotics influence the production of ovarian sex hormones. The role of probiotics across various biological axes, including the gut-ovarian, gut-brain-ovarian, gut-liver-ovarian, gut-pancreas-ovarian, and gut-fat-ovarian axes, with a focus on the direct impact of probiotics on the ovaries via the gut and their effects on brain gonadotropins is discussed. It is also proposed herein that probiotics can significantly influence the onset, progression, and complications of ovarian sex hormone abnormalities. In addition, this review provides a theoretical basis for the therapeutic application of probiotics in managing sex hormone-related health conditions.

Feasible CT features to distinguish incidental rib enhancement from sclerotic metastasis in patients with malignancies.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the CT features of incidental rib enhancement (RE) and to summarize the CT characteristics for distinguishing the RE from sclerotic metastasis (SM) in patients with malignancies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective observational study enrolled 79 patients with RE (involved 133 ribs) during October 2014 and December 2021. Another 53 patients with SM (160 SM) in the same period were selected randomly for comparison. The location, enhancement patterns of RE were reviewed. The CT values of RE regions and SM were measured and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Most REs (70 patients, 88.6%) were in the 1st to 6th ribs. 50 patients had solitary RE and 29 with multiple REs in a regional distribution. All the REs were closely connected to the intercostal venous plexus (ICVP) ipsilateral to the injection site. No visible abnormalities on unenhanced scans were detected in all REs. One hundred and twenty REs (90.2%) had nodular/patchy enhancement. The CT value of RE regions in the venous phase was lower than that in the arterial phase (589.8 ± 344.2 HU versus 1188.5 ± 325.3 HU, p < 0.001). During the venous phase, most REs (125, 94.0%) shrank or disappeared. SM appeared similar on both contrast-enhanced and unenhanced scans in terms of shape and CT values. CONCLUSION: The RE demonstrated characteristic CT features. The manifestations of nodular/patchy enhancement in the arterial phase, decreased density and shrinkage or disappearance during the venous phase, and no abnormality on unenhanced scans, as well as a close connection with the ICVP, may help differentiate RE from SM.