Insights into the pH-dependent mechanism of peracetic acid activation by biochar-supported zero-valent iron/cobalt bimetallic nanoparticles: The shift of reactive sites and the dual role of hydrogen peroxide.

The peracetic acid (PAA)-based water purification process is often controlled by the solution pH. Herein, we explored the usage of biochar (BC) supported zero-valent iron/cobalt nanoparticles (Fe/Co@BC) for triggering PAA oxidation of sulfamethazine (SMT), and discovered the PAA activation mechanisms at different pHs. Fe/Co@BC exhibited extraordinary PAA activation efficiency over the pH range of 3.0-8.2, effectively broadening the working pH of the zero-valent iron nanoparticles (NZVI)-PAA process. Specifically, the SMT removal efficiency increased by 8.3 times in Fe/Co@BC-PAA system compared to the NZVI-PAA system at pH 8.2. Besides, the leaching and recycling experiments indicated the improved stability and reusability of the materials. For the mechanism study, the main reactive species was •OH under acidic conditions and R-O•/Fe(IV) under neutral/alkaline conditions. More interestingly, the reactive sites on Fe/Co@BC shifted from Fe species to Co species as pH increased, and the role of H2O2 in this reaction system also shifted from a radical precursor to a radical scavenger with increasing pH. This study highlights the distinct mechanism of PAA activation by bimetallic composites under different pH conditions and provides a new efficient approach for PAA activation to degrade organic contaminants.

High-resolution non-confocal non-line-of-sight imaging based on spherical-slice transform from spatial and temporal frequency to space and time.

Current non-confocal non-line-of-sight (NLOS) imaging faces the problems of low resolution and limited scene adaptability. We propose a non-confocal NLOS imaging method based on spherical-slice transform from spatial and temporal frequency to space and time. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method has high-resolution reconstruction without artifact interference, shape distortion, and position offset. Furthermore, it has strong scene adaptability. After GPU acceleration, the reconstruction time of the proposed method can be reduced to several hundred milliseconds for the PF32 photon array camera with 32 × 32 detection units. In the future, the proposed method has great potential for application in real-time NLOS imaging systems.

A fatty acid elongase complex regulates cell membrane integrity and septin-dependent host infection by the rice blast fungus.

Very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) regulate biophysical properties of cell membranes to determine growth and development of eukaryotes, such as the pathogenesis of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. The fatty acid elongase Elo1 regulates pathogenesis of M. oryzae by modulating VLCFA biosynthesis. However, it remains unknown whether and how Elo1 associates with other factors to regulate VLCFA biosynthesis in fungal pathogens. Here, we identified Ifa38, Phs1 and Tsc13 as interacting proteins of Elo1 by proximity labelling in M. oryzae. Elo1 associated with Ifa38, Phs1 and Tsc13 on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane to control VLCFA biosynthesis. Targeted gene deletion mutants Δifa38, Δphs1 and Δtsc13 were all similarly impaired as Δelo1 in vegetative growth, conidial morphology, stress responses in ER, cell wall and membrane. These deletion mutants also displayed severe damage in cell membrane integrity and failed to organize the septin ring that is essential for penetration peg formation and pathogenicity. Our study demonstrates that M. oryzae employs a fatty acid elongase complex to regulate VLCFAs for maintaining or remodelling cell membrane structure, which is important for septin-mediated host penetration.

Increased combined anteversion is associated with larger posterior acetabular rim ossification in patients with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome.

PURPOSE: (1) To determine the prevalence, magnitude and distribution pattern of acetabular rim ossification in patients with femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) and (2) to determine the association between acetabular rim ossification and rotational abnormalities of the hip. METHODS: Patients underwent hip arthroscopic surgery for FAIS at our institute between January 2021 and May 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were included if preoperative computed tomography (CT) images of the operated hip and ipsilateral distal femur were available for the measurement of femoral and acetabular anteversion. The presence and size of acetabular rim ossification were evaluated on coronal CT sections for the superior half of the acetabulum on each clockface location. The associations between acetabular rim ossification and radiographic parameters of hip rotational morphology were examined. RESULTS: A total of 214 hips were included. Acetabular rim ossification was found in 167 hips (78%) and the most common locations were 10 and 11 o'clock. Patients presenting with acetabular rim ossification had a mean size of 4.6 ± 1.6 mm. It was the largest at 9 o'clock position (4.9 ± 2.2 mm), with a decreasing trend in size from posterior to anterior. Logistics regression analysis found age was associated with the occurrence of posterior ossification (p = 0.002). Linear regression analysis found age (p = 0.049) and male sex (p < 0.001) were significantly correlated with the size of ossification. Patients with increased cranial combined anteversion had larger posterior ossification than patients with normal and decreased cranial combined anteversion (4.2 ± 2.9 vs. 3.1 ± 2.5 mm, p = 0.016; 4.2 ± 2.9 vs. 2.5 ± 2.4 mm, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Increased combined anteversion is associated with greater posterior acetabular rim ossification. The presence and size of acetabular rim ossification are positively associated with older age and male sex. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Metabolic activity of gut microbial enrichment cultures from different marine species and their transformation abilities to plastic additives.

The role of the gut microbiota in host physiology has been previously elucidated for some marine organisms, but little information is available on their metabolic activity involved in transformation of environmental pollutants. This study assessed the metabolic profiles of the gut microbial cultures from grouper (Epinephelus coioides), green mussel (Perna viridis) and giant tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) and investigated their transformation mechanisms to typical plastic additives. Community-level physiological profiling analysis confirmed the utilization profiles of the microbial cultures including carbon sources of carbohydrates, amines, carboxylic acids, phenolic compounds, polymers and amino acids, and the plastic additives of organophosphate flame retardants, tetrabromobisphenol A derivates and bisphenols. Using in vitro incubation, triphenyl phosphate (TPHP) was found to be rapidly metabolized into diphenyl phosphate by the gut microbiota as a representative ester-containing plastic additive, whereas the transformation of BPA (a representative phenol) was relatively slower. Interestingly, all three kinds of microbial cultures efficiently transformed the hepatic metabolite of BPA (BPA-G) back to BPA, thereby increasing its bioavailability in the body. The specific enzyme analysis confirmed the ability of the gut microbiota to perform the metabolic reactions. The results of 16S rRNA sequencing and network analysis revealed that the genera Escherichia-Shigella, Citrobacter, and Anaerospora were functional microbes, and their collaboration with fermentative microbes played pivotal roles in the transformation of the plastic additives. The structure-specific transformations by the gut microbiota and their distinct bioavailability deserve more attention in the future.

Efficacy and Safety of Corticosteroid in Combination with 5-Fluorouracil in the Treatment of Keloids and Hypertrophic Scars: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Addressing hypertrophic scars and keloids poses a significant challenge in the realm of preventive and curative medicine. Combination corticosteroid with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is presumed to enhance the treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids, although supportive evidence is lacking. This study is aimed at comparing the efficacy and safety profile of a combined corticosteroid and 5-FU regimen in treating hypertrophic scars and keloids. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted for pertinent studies across various databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and Medline. The calculation of weighted mean difference (WMD), risk ratios (RR), odds ratios (OR), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was executed. Additionally, the Cochrane Collaboration's Risk of Bias Tool was utilized to evaluate potential bias risks. RESULTS: A total of 15 studies were involved. The effectiveness based on patient self-assessment and the effectiveness based on observer assessment were significantly higher in the corticosteroid+5-FU group compared to those treated with control. A meta-analysis of scar height showed that the corticosteroid+5-FU group performed better than the control group (WMD = -0.38, 95% CI -0.58 to -0.18). There was no significant difference between the corticosteroid+5-FU group and the control group in improving scar vascularity, pliability and pigmentation. The result revealed that the corticosteroid+5-FU group of patients had less adverse effect of hypopigmentation, skin atrophy and telangiectasia than the control group. CONCLUSION: The combined use of corticosteroids and 5-FU appears to be a more effective strategy for the treatment and prevention of hypertrophic scars and keloids, as evidenced by greater improvements in scar height and overall effectiveness, coupled with a reduced incidence of side effects. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE II: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Babaodan inhibits cell proliferation and metastasis and enhances anti-tumor effects of camrelizumab by inhibiting M2 phenotype macrophages in hepatocellular carcinoma.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Babaodan (BBD) is a unique Chinese medication utilized in traditional Chinese medicine. It can eliminate toxins, induce diuresis, and eliminate yellowish hue. In addition to treating acute and chronic viral hepatitis, cholecystitis, cholangitis, and urinary tract infections, BBD has garnered popularity as a substitution treatment for several malignant cancers, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). AIM OF THE STUDY: To elucidate the efficacy and mechanism of BBD alone and combined with camrelizumab (CLM) for treating HCC. STUDY DESIGN/METHODS: We investigated the effects of BBD on the HCC tumor microenvironment in vivo. Furthermore, we evaluated its effects on tumor growth and metastasis induced by M2 macrophages in vitro. RESULTS: In a mouse model of orthotopic HCC, BBD decreased tumor growth. Furthermore, it increased the M1/M2 macrophage ratio and CD8+ T-cell abundance in mice. In addition, BBD reversed HCC cell proliferation and metastasis induced by M2 macrophages, increased the anti-HCC effect of low-dose CLM, and attenuated organ damage induced by high-dose CLM. Lastly, BBD enhanced the efficacy of CLM via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: BBD increases the antitumor effect of CLM by modulating the tumor immune microenvironment and attenuating its the toxic side effects of CLM.

The application of THz-TDS in the characterization of Bayan Obo magnetite ore composition.

The application of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) in the quantitative analysis of major minerals in Bayan Obo magnetite ore was explored. The positive correlation between the optical parameters of the original ore and its iron content is confirmed. The detections of three main iron containing minerals, including magnetite, pyrite, and hematite, were simulated using corresponding reagents. The random forest algorithm is used for quantitative analysis, and FeS2 is detected with precision of R2 = 0.7686 and MAE = 0.6307% in ternary mixtures. The experimental results demonstrate that THz-TDS can distinguish specific iron containing minerals and reveal the potential application value of this testing method in exploration and mineral processing fields.

Effects of orthokeratology on corneal reshaping and the delaying of axial eye growth in children.

Purpose: To investigate the inhibition of myopia progression and axial elongation in children wearing orthokeratology (OK) lenses, as well as to evaluate the status of corneal reshaping, this study explores the relationship between changes in central corneal curvature (K-value) and e-value induced by OK lenses and axial elongation. Methods: In this study, it is planned to select children aged 8-15 who wear orthokeratology lenses at the Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus Clinic of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University. All children will undergo slit lamp examination, visual acuity assessment, computerized refraction, intraocular pressure measurement, biometry, and corneal topography examination before lens wear and at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after lens wear in the pediatric ophthalmology clinic. Based on age (lower age group (8 < age ≤12 years); higher age group (12 < age ≤15 years)) and baseline equivalent spherical (SE) value (mild myopia group (-1.00 D < SE ≤ -3.25D); moderate myopia group (-3.25 D < SE ≤ -6.00 D)), four groups will be formed by pairing these factors. Suitable data will be selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, and different groups will be included. Data will be organized, and statistical analysis will be performed using SPSS software to obtain the results. The expected results will be discussed and analyzed. Results: After wearing OK lenses, all four groups achieved good visual acuity at follow-up. At 6 months, there were no significant differences in visual acuity among the four groups (P = 0.149, >0.05). There were no significant differences in refractive error among the four groups (P = 0.066, >0.05). Baseline axial length differed significantly among the four groups (P = 0.000, <0.001), with the LM group having longer axial length than the LL group (P < 0.001, paired samples t-test), and the HM group having longer axial length than the HL group (P < 0.001, paired samples t-test). However, there were no significant differences in axial length change compared to baseline among the groups at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months (P 1 = 0.053; P 3 = 0.557; P 6 = 0.329, >0.05). Significant differences were observed in corneal flat K-value change compared to baseline among the four groups at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months (P 1 = 0.001, P 3 = 0.001, P 6 = 0.004, <0.05). There were no significant differences in e-value change among the groups at 1 and 3 months (P 1 = 0.205, P 3 = 0.252, >0.05), but significant differences were found in e-value change compared to baseline at 6 months (P 6 = 0.010, <0.05). Multiple regression analysis with changes in central corneal flat K-value and e-value as independent variables and axial elongation as the dependent variable showed a correlation between e-value change at 6 months and axial elongation (P = 0.004, <0.05), indicating a negative correlation. Conclusion: Orthokeratology (OK) lenses effectively improve myopic children's vision by reshaping the cornea, leading to reduced central corneal curvature and flattening of its anterior surface. The effectiveness of OK lenses is not significantly affected by age or initial myopia severity. Children of varying ages and myopia levels experience similar levels of axial length control with OK lens wear. Changes in corneal shape due to OK lenses affect axial elongation, with greater changes in corneal morphology associated with smaller increases in axial length.

Arthroscopic Repair of Acetabular Cartilage Delamination Using Chondral Nail Fixation in Patients With Femoroacetabular Impingement.

Acetabular cartilage delamination is commonly seen in patients with femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), especially ones with the cam deformity. However, the definition and classification of acetabular cartilage injuries caused by FAI to guide clinical treatment remain controversial. Moreover, treatment of acetabular cartilage damage always causes a dilemma for surgeon during surgery. We believe a reliable repair of the acetabular cartilage delamination will lead to a better long-term outcome for patients with FAI. In this Technical Note, we introduce the chondral nail fixation under hip arthroscopy for treating acetabular cartilage delamination in patients with FAI. This technique contributes to eliminating intra-articular unstable factors, preserving native cartilage as much as possible, and restoring cartilage surface intact at best.

The role of NCAPH in cancer treatment.

Many solid tumors frequently overexpress Non-SMC Condensin I Complex Subunit H (NCAPH), and new studies suggest that NCAPH may be a target gene for clinical cancer therapy. Numerous investigations have shown that a variety of transcription factors, including as MYBL2, FOXP3, GATA3, and OTC1, can stimulate the transcription of NCAPH. Additionally, NCAPH stimulates many oncogenic signaling pathways, such as ß-Catenin/PD-L1, PI3K/AKT/SGK3, MEK/ERK, AURKB/AKT/mTOR, PI3K/PDK1/AKT, and Chk1/Chk2. Tumor immune microenvironment modification and tumor growth, apoptosis, metastasis, stemness, and treatment resistance all depend on these signals. NCAPH has the ability to form complexes with other proteins that are involved in glycolysis, DNA damage repair, and chromatin remodeling. This review indicates that NCAPH expression in most malignant tumors is associated with poor prognosis and low recurrence-free survival.

Environmentally responsive hydrogel promotes vascular normalization to enhance STING anti-tumor immunity.

The immunosuppressive microenvironment of malignant tumors severely hampers the effectiveness of anti-tumor therapy. Moreover, abnormal tumor vasculature interacts with immune cells, forming a vicious cycle that further interferes with anti-tumor immunity and promotes tumor progression. Our pre-basic found excellent anti-tumor effects of c-di-AMP and RRx-001, respectively, and we further explored whether they could be combined synergistically for anti-tumor immunotherapy. We chose to load these two drugs on PVA-TSPBA hydrogel scaffolds that expressly release drugs within the tumor microenvironment by in situ injection. Studies have shown that c-di-AMP activates the STING pathway, enhances immune cell infiltration, and reverses tumor immunosuppression. Meanwhile, RRx-001 releases nitric oxide, which increases oxidative stress injury in tumor cells and promotes apoptosis. Moreover, the combination of the two presented more powerful pro-vascular normalization and reversed tumor immunosuppression than the drug alone. This study demonstrates a new design option for anti-tumor combination therapy and the potential of tumor environmentally responsive hydrogel scaffolds in combination with anti-tumor immunotherapy.

Advanced nerve regeneration enabled by neural conformal electronic stimulators enhancing mitochondrial transport.

Addressing peripheral nerve defects remains a significant challenge in regenerative neurobiology. Autografts emerged as the gold-standard management, however, are hindered by limited availability and potential neuroma formation. Numerous recent studies report the potential of wireless electronic system for nerve defects repair. Unfortunately, few has met clinical needs for inadequate electrode precision, poor nerve entrapment and insufficient bioactivity of the matrix material. Herein, we present an advanced wireless electrical nerve stimulator, based on water-responsive self-curling silk membrane with excellent bioabsorbable and biocompatible properties. We constructed a unique bilayer structure with an oriented pre-stretched inner layer and a general silk membrane as outer layer. After wetting, the simultaneous contraction of inner layer and expansion of outer layer achieved controllable super-contraction from 2D flat surface to 3D structural reconfiguration. It enables shape-adaptive wrapping to cover around nerves, overcomes the technical obstacle of preparing electrodes on the inner wall of the conduit, and prevents electrode breakage caused by material expansion in water. The use of fork capacitor-like metal interface increases the contact points between the metal and the regenerating nerve, solving the challenge of inefficient and rough electrical stimulation methods in the past. Newly developed electronic stimulator is effective in restoring 10 mm rat sciatic nerve defects comparable to autologous grafts. The underlying mechanism involves that electric stimulation enhances anterograde mitochondrial transport to match energy demands. This newly introduced device thereby demonstrated the potential as a viable and efficacious alternative to autografts for enhancing peripheral nerve repair and functional recovery.

Harbinger transposon insertion in ethylene signaling gene leads to emergence of new sexual forms in cucurbits.

In flowering plants, the predominant sexual morph is hermaphroditism, and the emergence of unisexuality is poorly understood. Using Cucumis melo (melon) as a model system, we explore the mechanisms driving sexual forms. We identify a spontaneous mutant exhibiting a transition from bisexual to unisexual male flower, and identify the causal mutation as a Harbinger transposon impairing the expression of Ethylene Insensitive 2 (CmEIN2) gene. Genetics and transcriptomic analysis reveal a dual role of CmEIN2 in both sex determination and fruit shape formation. Upon expression of CmACS11, EIN2 is recruited to repress the expression of the carpel inhibitor, CmWIP1. Subsequently, EIN2 is recruited to mediate stamina inhibition. Following the sex determination phase, EIN2 promotes fruit shape elongation. Genome-wide analysis reveals that Harbinger transposon mobilization is triggered by environmental cues, and integrates preferentially in active chromatin, particularly within promoter regions. Characterization of a large collection of melon germplasm points to active transpositions in the wild, compared to cultivated accessions. Our study underscores the association between chromatin dynamics and the temporal aspects of mobile genetic element insertions, providing valuable insights into plant adaptation and crop genome evolution.

Quantitative assessment whole-rock iron content in magnetite protolith based on terahertz time-domain spectroscopy: publisher's note.

This publisher's note serves to correct errors in Appl. Opt.63, 2528 (2024)APOPAI0003-693510.1364/AO.517400.

Identification and Functional Analysis of KH Family Genes Associated with Salt Stress in Rice.

Salinity stress has a great impact on crop growth and productivity and is one of the major factors responsible for crop yield losses. The K-homologous (KH) family proteins play vital roles in regulating plant development and responding to abiotic stress in plants. However, the systematic characterization of the KH family in rice is still lacking. In this study, we performed genome-wide identification and functional analysis of KH family genes and identified a total of 31 KH genes in rice. According to the homologs of KH genes in Arabidopsis thaliana, we constructed a phylogenetic tree with 61 KH genes containing 31 KH genes in Oryza sativa and 30 KH genes in Arabidopsis thaliana and separated them into three major groups. In silico tissue expression analysis showed that the OsKH genes are constitutively expressed. The qRT-PCR results revealed that eight OsKH genes responded strongly to salt stresses, and OsKH12 exhibited the strongest decrease in expression level, which was selected for further study. We generated the Oskh12-knockout mutant via the CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing method. Further stress treatment and biochemical assays confirmed that Oskh12 mutant was more salt-sensitive than Nip and the expression of several key salt-tolerant genes in Oskh12 was significantly reduced. Taken together, our results shed light on the understanding of the KH family and provide a theoretical basis for future abiotic stress studies in rice.

Advances in the treatment of atherosclerosis with ligand-modified nanocarriers.

Atherosclerosis, a chronic disease associated with metabolism, poses a significant risk to human well-being. Currently, existing treatments for atherosclerosis lack sufficient efficiency, while the utilization of surface-modified nanoparticles holds the potential to deliver highly effective therapeutic outcomes. These nanoparticles can target and bind to specific receptors that are abnormally over-expressed in atherosclerotic conditions. This paper reviews recent research (2018-present) advances in various ligand-modified nanoparticle systems targeting atherosclerosis by specifically targeting signature molecules in the hope of precise treatment at the molecular level and concludes with a discussion of the challenges and prospects in this field. The intention of this review is to inspire novel concepts for the design and advancement of targeted nanomedicines tailored specifically for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

The changes in ocular torsion after unilateral lateral rectus recession-medial rectus resection for intermittent exotropia.

We aim to explore the alterations of objective ocular torsion after unilateral lateral rectus recession-medial rectus resection (R&R) for intermittent exotropia (IXT). Seventy-two IXT patients undergoing R&R between March and June 2023 were enrolled. Ophthalmological examinations were performed before surgery and at 1 week and 1 month after surgery, mainly including prism and alternate cover test and optical coherence tomography. The mean disc-foveal angle of eyes showing intorsion significantly increased from - 1.5 ± 0.9° preoperatively to 2.0 ± 2.0° at 1 week (P = 0.0227) and 2.2 ± 1.6° at 1 month postoperatively (P = 0.0054). The mean disc-foveal angle of eyes exhibiting extorsion significantly reduced from 12.8 ± 1.9° preoperatively to 9.8 ± 3.1° at 1 week (P < 0.0001) and 9.7 ± 2.7° at 1 month postoperatively (P < 0.0001). The improvement of ocular extorsion at postoperative 1 month was more pronounced in patients with extorsion in operative eye compared to those with extorsion in inoperative eye (P = 0.0101). The improvement of ocular torsion was observed following R&R for IXT, with a greater effect noted in cases where the surgery was performed on the eye exhibiting extorsion.

A novel low-background nitroreductase fluorescent probe for real-time fluorescence imaging and surgical guidance of thyroid cancer resection.

Thyroid cancer always appears insidiously with few noticeable clinical symptoms. Due to its limitations, conventional ultrasound imaging can lead to missed or misdiagnosed cases. Surgery is still the primary treatment method of thyroid cancer, but removal of surrounding healthy tissues to minimize recurrence leads to overtreatment and added patient suffering. To address this challenge, herein, a nitroreductase (NTR) fluorescent probe, Ox-NTR, has been developed for detecting thyroid cancer and tracking the surgical removal of thyroid tumors by fluorescence imaging. The conjugated structure of oxazine 1 was disrupted, significantly reducing the issue of high background signals, thus effectively achieving low background fluorescence. Under hypoxic conditions, the nitro group of Ox-NTR can be reduced to an amine and subsequently decomposed into oxazine 1, emitting intense red fluorescence. Ox-NTR has a low detection limit of 0.09 µg/mL for NTR with excellent photostability and selectivity. Cellular studies show that Ox-NTR can effectively detect NTR levels in hypoxic thyroid cancer cells. Moreover, the ability of Ox-NTR of rapid response to thyroid cancer in vivo is confirmed by fluorescence imaging in mice, distinguishing tumors from normal tissues due to its superior low background fluorescence. Utilizing this fluorescence imaging method during surgical resection can guide the removal of tumors, preventing both missed tumor tissues and accidental removal of healthy tissue. In summary, the novel Ox-NTR offers precise detection capabilities that provide significant advantages over traditional imaging methods for thyroid cancer diagnosis and treatment, making it a valuable tool to guide tumor removal in surgical procedures.