Oroxylin A (OA), a natural compound extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis, demonstrates preventive potential against ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), the most prevalent cancer worldwide with increasing incidence. Utilizing SKH-1 hairless mice exposed to UVB, this study showed that OA delayed NMSC onset and alleviated acute skin damage. Mechanistic investigations revealed its dual action: inhibiting inflammation and enhancing nucleotide excision repair (NER) by stabilizing XPA, a crucial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) repair protein. This stabilization occurred through OA's interaction with glucose-regulated protein 94 (GRP94), which disrupted murine double minute 2 (MDM2)-mediated XPA ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. By maintaining XPA levels, OA expedited photoproduct clearance and diminished genomic instability, ultimately impeding NMSC development. These findings suggest OA as a promising chemopreventive agent targeting the GRP94/MDM2-XPA axis to counteract UVB-induced carcinogenesis.
Animals ; Ultraviolet Rays/adverse effects* ; Skin Neoplasms/prevention & control* ; Flavonoids/pharmacology* ; Mice ; Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group A Protein/genetics* ; Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-mdm2/genetics* ; DNA Repair/drug effects* ; Scutellaria baicalensis/chemistry* ; Mice, Hairless ; Skin/radiation effects*

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the clinical effect of low-energy semiconductor laser treatment on the promotion of wound healing after maxillofacial fracture surgery. METHODS: A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. Patients with maxillofacial fractures who were hospitalized in the Department of Trauma and Plastic Surgery, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, from August 2021 to June 2023 were selected as the study subjects and randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group was treated with a low-energy semiconductor laser once a day for six consecutive days after daily routine dressing change on the first day after surgery. The control group only underwent routine dressing change treatment and did not receive low-energy semiconductor laser treatment. Wound healing times, wound healing conditions, modified Stony Brook scar evaluation scale (mSBSES) scores, pain indices, and wound infection rates were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: A total of 211 patients were included in this study. A total of 104 and 107 cases comprised the experimental and control groups, respectively. A total of 128 males and 83 females were included. After low-energy semiconductor laser treatment, the facial skin wound healing time of the experimental group was found to be significantly shorter than that of the control group (P<0.05). Moreover, the wound grade A healing rate of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group on the seventh day after surgery (P<0.05). Among postoperative facial skin wound evaluation indices, the mSBSES scores of the experimental group at all observation points were higher than those of the control group (P<0.05), and the scores of the experimental group were higher than those of the control group in terms of wound width reduction, height reduction, color lightening, and incision line loss (P<0.05). In postoperative wound pain evaluation, the pain index of the experimental group after low-energy semiconductor laser treatment was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). No significant difference in wound infection rates was found between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS For facial skin wounds in maxillofacial fracture surgery, low-energy semiconductor laser treatment can effectively promote wound healing, improve wound healing quality, fade scars, and relieve wound pain.
Humans ; Wound Healing/radiation effects* ; Male ; Female ; Lasers, Semiconductor/therapeutic use* ; Prospective Studies ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Low-Level Light Therapy ; Maxillofacial Injuries/surgery* ; Young Adult

Microbial denitrification is a major pathway for nitrogen removal from water bodies. However, denitrification is often difficult to continue when there is a lack of microbially available organic matter in the water body to serve as electron donors. In recent years, studies have shown that some denitrifying bacteria can directly utilize photoelectrons generated by sunlight-excited semiconductor minerals or natural organic matter for denitrification without the need for bioavailable organic matter as electron donors. This process is defined as microbial photoelectrotrophic denitrification. The discovery of microbial photoelectrotrophic denitrification phenomenon reshapes the previous knowledge about the chemoheterotrophic mode of denitrifying bacteria and broadens the pathway of nitrogen removal by the new photoelectrotrophic metabolism, which is of great significance to our understanding and exploration of sunlight-driven nitrogen cycling process. In this paper, we comprehensively sort out the existing research reports in the field of microbial photoelectrotrophic denitrification, systematically summarize the principle and the current research progress of microbial photoelectrotrophic denitrification, deeply analyze the problems and challenges faced by this technology, and make an outlook on the future research directions and application prospects of this technology, providing a reference for the further research and application of this technology.
Denitrification/physiology* ; Nitrogen/isolation & purification* ; Bacteria/metabolism* ; Sunlight ; Phototrophic Processes

The fungal bioluminescence pathway (FBP) catalyzes the oxidation of endogenous caffeic acid to produce green bioluminescence through an enzymatic cascade. Genetic engineering of FBP into plants creates autoluminescent specimens that circumvent the substrate limitations of conventional reporter systems. These transgenic plants serve dual functions as aesthetic displays and versatile biosensing platforms, enabling applications in real-time gene expression monitoring, continuous environmental surveillance, and non-invasive bioimaging, offering novel opportunities for horticultural production, environmental conservation, and bioengineering applications. This review synthesizes current advances in plant FBP engineering and explores how machine learning approaches can optimize autoluminescent phenotypes, thereby accelerating innovation in agricultural biotechnology, environmental sensing, and synthetic biology applications.
Fungi/genetics* ; Plants, Genetically Modified/metabolism* ; Genetic Engineering ; Biosensing Techniques ; Luminescent Measurements ; Caffeic Acids/metabolism* ; Luminescence

OBJECTIVE

To compare the frequency and severity of color vision defects between diabetes mellitus (DM) patients without retinopathy and those with mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), and to evaluate the relationship between these color vision defects and capillary blood glucose (CBG) levels.

This was a cross-sectional, hospital-based study conducted over a seven-month period at the Ophthalmology Outpatient Department of Cardinal Santos Medical Center. Thirty-five (35) DM patients (70 eyes) aged 50 to 75 years with best-corrected visual acuity of ≥20/50 and no more than mild NPDR were included. Patients with moderate or severe NPDR, macular edema, optic nerve pathology, or significant cataracts were excluded. All participants underwent visual acuity testing, fundus examination, and color vision assessment using the Ishihara pseudoisochromatic plates and Farnsworth D-15 tests conducted under standardized lighting conditions. CBG was measured using the finger-prick method. Main outcome measures included the proportion and type of color vision defects, their association with DR classification, and CBG levels. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, the Fisher exact test, the Mann-Whitney U test for the Farnsworth D-15 Color Confusion Index (CCI), and Spearman correlation between CBG and CCI.

Tritan-type defects were the most common, accounting for 36.2%. Color vision defects were observed in 91.3% (64 eyes) of patients with no DR, while defects were seen in all eyes (100%) with mild NPDR (5 eyes). However, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 1.000). There was no significant correlation between CBG levels and color vision scores. Mean CCI scores were similar between groups (p = 0.394), indicating no substantial difference in defect severity.

Color vision defects may be more prevalent in early NPDR compared to no DR, but this difference was not significant in this sample. No correlation was found between CBG levels and color vision performance. Color vision testing may serve as a useful adjunctive screening tool for early diabetic retinal changes; however, further studies with larger sample sizes are necessary.

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze the clinical characteristics, prognosis and prognostic factors of patients with light-chain (AL) amyloidosis, so as to provide reference for the diagnosis and treatment of AL amyloidosis. METHODS: Clinical data of 52 patients diagnosed with AL amyloidosis at two hospitals from January 2017 to November 2022 were collected. The clinical characteristics, differences in clinical indexes between the deceased group and the survival group were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier curves were used for overall survival (OS) analysis, and Cox regression models were used to analyze the factors affecting the prognosis. RESULTS: The median age of the 52 patients at diagnosis was 61(41-81) years old, and 63.5% of the patients were male. Heart (69.2%) and kidney (67.3%) were the most involved organs, and 67.3% of the patients had two or more organs involved. Most patients (71.2%) received chemotherapy regimens containing bortezomib, including 5 patients (9.6%) who received treatment with daratumumab in combination with bortezomib. The proportion of male patients (81.0%), the proportion of patients with cardiac involvement (95.2%), and the proportion of patients with Mayo 2012 stage ≥III (95.2%), as well as the levels of hs-cTnI and NT-proBNP in the deceased group were significantly higher than those in the survival group ( P < 0.05). The median OS time of the enrolled patients was 33.4(2.6-60.2) months, with 1-year, 2-year, 3-year and 5-year OS rates of 83.7%, 79.3%, 58.9% and 32.7%, respectively. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis revealed that patients with male gender (P =0.040), NT-proBNP ≥3 600 ng/L ( P < 0.001), Mayo 2012 stage ≥III ( P < 0.001), and cardiac involvement (P =0.008) had poor prognosis and shorter overall survival (OS) time. The multivariate regression analysis showed that Mayo 2012 stage ≥III was an independent risk factor for prognosis. CONCLUSION In recent years, the survival rate of patients with AL amyloidosis has improved significantly, but the 5-year survival rate is still relatively low. Cardiac biomarkers (NT-proBNP and hs-cTnI) and Mayo 2012 stage at diagnosis continue to provide important prognostic information. Bortezomib-based regimens were used as the primary treatment in most patients, and the addition of daratumumab is becoming increasingly common.
Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Prognosis ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Immunoglobulin Light-chain Amyloidosis/diagnosis* ; Adult ; Aged, 80 and over ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate

The balance between growth and defense in response to nearby or canopy shading in heliotropic plants has been deeply understood. However, the adaptive traits developed by shade-tolerant plants through long-term evolution remain unclear. In this study, the typical shade-tolerant medicinal plant Anoectochilus roxburghii was used as the experimental material.(1) Different planting densities were set, including 8 cm(row spacing) × 8 cm(plant spacing), 6 cm × 6 cm, 4 cm × 4 cm, and 2 cm × 2 cm, to monitor the individual plant responses to nearby shading.(2) Different light environments, including blue light∶red light=3∶2(B3R2), blue light∶red light∶far-red light=3∶2∶1(B3R2FR1), blue light∶red light∶far-red light=3∶2∶2(B3R2FR2), and blue light∶red light∶far-red light=3∶2∶4(B3R2FR4), were set to monitor the morphological and physiological changes in plants in response to actual shading conditions. The results showed that:(1) Moderate increases in planting density helped optimize morphological traits such as stem diameter and leaf area. This not only slightly increased biomass but also significantly improved SOD activity in both leaves and stems, as well as lignin content in stems, thereby enhancing the plant's defense capabilities.(2) Increasing the far-red light in the light environment negatively regulated the plant height of A. roxburghii, which was contrary to the typical shade-avoidance response observed in heliotropic plants. However, it significantly enhanced SOD and POD activity in both stems and leaves, as well as lignin content in stems. Furthermore, it reduced the incidence and disease index of stalk rot, effectively defending against biotic stress. Therefore, the shade-tolerant plant A. roxburghii has specific adaptive strategies for shading conditions. Reasonable dense planting or light environment modulation can synergistically improve yield, medicinal quality, and resistance of A. roxburghii. This study provides a theoretical foundation and technical support for optimizing the regional deployment and cultivation strategies of ecological planting for Chinese medicinal materials.
Orchidaceae/genetics* ; Light ; Plant Leaves/physiology* ; Sunlight ; Adaptation, Physiological/radiation effects* ; Plant Proteins/genetics*

Riboflavin-ultraviolet A (UVA) collagen cross-linking has not only achieved good clinical efficacy in the treatment of corneal diseases such as dilatation keratopathy, bullae keratopathy, infectious keratopathy, and in the combined treatment of corneal refractive surgeries, but also its efficacy and safety in scleral collagen cross-linking have been initially confirmed. To better promote the application of cross-linking in the clinical treatment of corneal and scleral diseases, exploring controllability and predictability of the surgical efficacy are both important for evaluating the surgical efficacy and personalized precision treatment. In this paper, the progress on the cross-linking depth of riboflavin-UVA collagen cross-linking, and its relationship with the cross-linking effect will be reviewed. It will provide the reference for further application of this procedure in ophthalmology clinics.
Riboflavin/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Collagen/radiation effects* ; Ultraviolet Rays ; Cross-Linking Reagents ; Corneal Diseases/drug therapy* ; Photosensitizing Agents/therapeutic use*

This study analyzes the global patents development and clinical applications of photon counting CT (PCCT) technology in the past 20 years, including the trends of global patent application, the patent portfolio planning, key innovations and technological evolution of top medical device companies. The study utilizes patent retrievals in incoPat database, and then carries out patent navigation analysis. At the same time, with reports of clinical trials and research, the advantages and prospects of PCCT in clinical diagnosis are sorted out. With the rapid growth of the number of patent applications for PCCT, the technologies and clinical trials are becoming increasingly mature. It is expected that in the next few years, more PCCT products will be launched to the market, bringing a more accurate and safe diagnostic experience to radiologists and patients.
Patents as Topic ; Photons ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: To explore the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of Dendrobium officinale (Tiepi Shihu) extract (DOE) on insomnia. METHODS: Forty-two male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=7 per group): normal control, model control, melatonin (MT, 40 mg/kg), and 3-dose DOE (0.25, 0.50, and 1.00 g/kg) groups. Rats were raised in a strong-light (10,000 LUX) and -noise (>80 db) environment (12 h/d) for 16 weeks to induce insomnia, and from week 10 to week 16, MT and DOE were correspondingly administered to rats. The behavior tests including sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep experiment, sucrose preference test, and autonomous activity test were used to evaluate changes in sleep and emotions of rats. The metabolic-related indicators such as blood pressure, blood viscosity, blood glucose, and uric acid in rats were measured. The pathological changes in the cornu ammonis 1 (CA1) region of rat brain were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin staining and Nissl staining. Additionally, the sleep-related factors gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (GA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Finally, we screened potential sleep-improving receptors of DOE using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array and validated the results with quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: DOE significantly improved rats' sleep and mood, increased the sodium pentobarbital-induced sleep time and sucrose preference index, and reduced autonomic activity times (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE also had a good effect on metabolic abnormalities, significantly reducing triglyceride, blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood viscosity indicators (P<0.05 or P<0.01). DOE significantly increased the GABA content in hippocampus and reduced the GA/GABA ratio and IL-6 level (P<0.05 or P<0.01). In addition, DOE improved the pathological changes such as the disorder of cell arrangement in the hippocampus and the decrease of Nissel bodies. Seven differential genes were screened by PCR array, and the GABA_A receptors (Gabra5, Gabra6, Gabrq) were selected for verification. The results showed that DOE could up-regulate their expressions (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION DOE demonstrated remarkable potential for improving insomnia, which may be through regulating GABA_A receptors expressions and GA/GABA ratio.
Animals ; Dendrobium/chemistry* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/blood* ; Plant Extracts/therapeutic use* ; Receptors, GABA-A/metabolism* ; Noise/adverse effects* ; Light/adverse effects* ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid/metabolism* ; Sleep/drug effects* ; Rats ; Receptors, GABA/metabolism*