Application of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio and red blood cell distribution width in diabetes mellitus complicated with heart failure

BACKGROUND Accumulating clinical evidence has shown that diabetes mellitus(DM)is a serious risk factor for cardiovascular disorders and an important factor for adverse cardiovascular events.AIM To explore the value of the combined determination of the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio(NLR)and red blood cell distribution width(RDW)in the early diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of DM complicated with heart failure(HF).METHODS We retrospectively analyzed clinical data on 65 patients with type 2 DM(T2DM)complicated with HF(research group,Res)and 60 concurrent patients with uncomplicated T2DM(control group,Con)diagnosed at Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital between January 2019 and December 2021.The NLR and RDW values were determined and comparatively analyzed,and their levels in T2DM+HF patients with different cardiac function grades were recorded.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were plotted to determine the NLR and RDW values(alone and in combination)for the early diagnosis of HF.The correlation between NLR and RDW with the presence or absence of cardiac events was also investigated.RESULTS Higher NLR and RDW levels were identified in the Res vs the Con groups(P<0.05).The NLR and RDW increased gradually and synchronously with the deterioration of cardiac function in the Res group,with marked differences in their levels among patients with grade II,III,and IV HF(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis revealed that NLR combined with RDW detection had an area under the curve of 0.915,a sensitivity of 76.9%,and a specificity of 100%for the early diagnosis of HF.Furthermore,HF patients with cardiac events showed higher NLR and RDW values compared with HF patients without cardiac events.CONCLUSION NLR and RDW were useful laboratory indicators for the early diagnosis of DM complicated with HF,and their joint detection was beneficial for improving diagnostic efficiency.Additionally,NLR and RDW values were directly proportional to patient outcomes.

Reaction behaviors of Pb and Zn sulfates during reduction roasting of Zn leaching residue and flotation of artificial sulfide minerals

To evaluate the feasibility of recovering Pb and Zn sulfides and Ag-containing minerals from Zn leaching residue by the process of reduction roasting followed by flotation,the reaction behaviors of Pb and Zn sulfates during this process were investigated.Chemical analysis showed that the transformation ratios of PbSO4 and ZnSO4 could reach 65.51%and 52.12%,respectively,after reduction roasting,and the introduction of a sulfidation agent could improve the transformation ratios of these sulfates.scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy(SEM-EDS)revealed that temperature obviously affects the particle size,crystal growth,and morphology of the artificial Pb and Zn sulfide minerals.Particle size analysis demonstrated that the particle size of the materials increases after roasting.Flotation tests revealed that a flotation concentrate composed of 12.01wt%Pb,27.78wt%Zn,and 6.975×10^(−2)wt%Ag with recoveries of 60.54%,29.24%,and 57.64%,respectively,could be obtained after roasting.

Electrospun gelatin/chitosan nanofibers containing curcumin for multifunctional food packaging

Recently,food grade nanofiber-based materials have received growing attentions in food packaging.In this work,novel active and intelligent packaging nanofibers based on gelatin/chitosan with curcumin(GA/CS/CUR)were developed via electrospinning technique.Effects of the incorporation of CUR content(0.1%-0.3%,m/m)on the microstructure and functional properties of the electrospun nanofibers were investigated.Morphological studies using scanning electron microscopy indicated that loading CUR can affect the average diameter of nanofiber mats,which remained around 160-180 nm.The addition of an appropriate level CUR(0.2%,m/m)led to a stronger intermolecular interaction,and thus enhanced the thermal stability and tensile strength of the obtained nanofibers.Meanwhile,the incorporation of CUR significantly improved antioxidant activity and the antimicrobial activity of GA/CS/CUR nanofibers.Moreover,the sensitivity of nanofibers to ammonia results indicated that GA/CS nanofibers containing 0.2%CUR(GA/CS/CURⅡ)presented high sensitivity of colorimetric behavior to ammonia(within 3 min).These results suggest GA/CS/CURⅡnanofibers has great potential as a multifunctional packaging to protect and monitor the freshness of proteinrich animal foods,such as meat and seafood.

Formation of composite hydrogel of carboxymethyl konjac glucomannan/gelatin for sustained release of EGCG

Development of functional bioinspired hydrogels that have good releases control character is necessary for the application of these materials in biomedical engineering.Herein,we report a composite hydrogel prepared from several biocompatible carboxymethyl konjac glucomannan(CKGM)/gelatin(G)/tannic acid(TA)functional nano-hydroxyapatite(TA@n-HA),which has good biodegradability and pH sensitivity.The mechanism of interaction between hydrogels was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,X-ray diffraction,Scanning electron microscopy and Thermogravimetric analysis.The physico-chemical properties of CKGM/G hydrogels have been significantly improved through the incorporation of TA@n-HA within the matrix.Studies in the sustained release of epigallocatechin gallate(EGCG)demonstrated that the TA@n-HA/CKGM/G hydrogels exhibit not only better pH sensitive properties,but also enhanced biocompatibility and encapsulation in comparison to the matrix devoid of TA@n-HA.Consequently,TA@n-HA/CKGM/G hydrogels using EGCG as a drug release model show the potential for drug delivery.

Structural basis of negative regulation of CRISPR-Cas7-11 by TPR-CHAT

CRISPR‒Cas7-11 is a Type Ⅲ-E CRISPR-associated nuclease that functions as a potent RNA editing tool.Tetratrico-peptide repeat fused with Cas/HEF1-associated signal transducer(TPR-CHAT)acts as a regulatory protein that interacts with CRISPR RNA(crRNA)-bound Cas7-11 to form a CRISPR-guided caspase complex(Craspase).However,the precise modulation of Cas7-11’s nuclease activity by TPR-CHAT to enhance its utility requires further study.Here,we report cryo-electron microscopy(cryo-EM)structures of Desulfonema ishimotonii(Di)Cas7-11-crRNA,complexed with or without the full length or the N-terminus of TPR-CHAT.These structures unveil the molecular features of the Craspase complex.Structural analysis,combined with in vitro nuclease assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay,reveals that DiTPR-CHAT negatively regulates the activity of DiCas7-11 by preventing target RNA from binding through the N-terminal 65 amino acids of DiTPR-CHAT(DiTPR-CHAT_(NTD)).Our work demonstrates that DiTPRCHAT_(NTD) can function as a small unit of DiCas7-11 regulator,potentially enabling safe applications to prevent overcutting and offtarget effects of the CRISPR‒Cas7-11 system.

Robust Alcohol Soluble Polyurethane/Chitosan/Silk Sericin(APU/CS/SS)Nanofiber Scaffolds Toward Artificial Skin Extracellular Matrices via Microfluidic Blow‑Spinning

Skin regeneration is a matter of high concern since many individuals suffer from skin damage.To date,the concept of protein-based artificial skin scaffolds have been successfully applied and proven in skin regeneration.However,realizing a skin tissue scaffold with a skin-like extracellular matrix(ECM)that combines low price,good biocompatibility,excellent antibacterial properties,good cell adhesion,and strong mechanical properties is still a major challenge.In this study,inexpensive silk sericin(SS)protein-based artificial skin nanofiber scaffolds(NFSs)with excellent biological activity,no immune rejection,and high mechanical strength were fabricated via microfluidic blow-spinning(MBS).In particular,the as-prepared NFS was transformed from a random coil structure to aβ-sheet structure by using the MBS in high-speed shear chips to improve its stability and mechanical strength.Additionally,through in vitro and in vivo studies,it was shown that SS protein-based artificial skin NFSs possessed excellent antibacterial effects and degradability properties,as well as accelerated tissue granu-lation growth,effectively promoting full skin wound healing and skin regeneration for medical problems worldwide.Thus,this skin ECM-inspired NFS offers new perspectives for accelerating wound healing and tissue regeneration and provides potential applications for clinical medicine.

Antenna Enhanced Infrared Photoinduced Force Imaging in Aqueous Environment with Super-Resolution and Hypersensitivity

Tip-enhanced infrared(IR)spectra and imaging have been widely used in cutting-edge studies for the in-depth understanding of the composition,structure,and function of interfaces at the nanoscale.However,molecular monolayer sensitivity has only been demonstrated at solid/gas interfaces.In an aqueous environment,reduced sensitivity limits the practical applications of tip-enhanced IR nanospectroscopy.Here,we present an approach to hypersensitive nanoscale IR spectra and imaging in an aqueous environment with a combination of photoinduced force(PiF)microscopy and resonant antennas.