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Update on the Pathomechanism, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that involves multiple joints bilaterally. It is characterized by an inflammation of the tendon (tenosynovitis) resulting in both cartilage destruction and bone erosion. While until the 1990s RA frequently resulted in disability, inability to work, and increased mortality, newer treatment options have made RA a manageable disease. Here, great progress has been made in the development of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) which target inflammation and thereby prevent further joint damage. The available DMARDs are subdivided into (1) conventional synthetic DMARDs (methotrexate, hydrochloroquine, and sulfadiazine), (2) targeted synthetic DMARDs (pan-JAK- and JAK1/2-inhibitors), and (3) biologic DMARDs (tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitors, TNF-receptor (R) inhibitors, IL-6 inhibitors, IL-6R inhibitors, B cell depleting antibodies, and inhibitors of co-stimulatory molecules). While DMARDs have repeatedly demonstrated the potential to greatly improve disease symptoms and prevent disease progression in RA patients, they are associated with considerable side-effects and high financial costs. This review summarizes our current understanding of the underlying pathomechanism, diagnosis of RA, as well as the mode of action, clinical benefits, and side-effects of the currently available DMARDs.
Journal Article
Development of Nanomaterials for Energy and Environmental Applications
Globally, although rapid industry and economic growth have brought about remarkable social progress, they are also accompanied by serious environmental problems, such as the accumulation of fly ash, increased carbon dioxide emissions, and nitrogen pollution [...]
Journal Article
Functional Photocatalysts: Material Design, Synthesis and Applications
Rapid industrial and economic growth, experienced on a global scale, has been greatly facilitated by the extensive use and exploitation of traditional energy resources [...].Rapid industrial and economic growth, experienced on a global scale, has been greatly facilitated by the extensive use and exploitation of traditional energy resources [...].
Journal Article
Global incidence and mortality trends of gastric cancer and predicted mortality of gastric cancer by 2035
Objective
To study the historical global incidence and mortality trends of gastric cancer and predicted mortality of gastric cancer by 2035.
Methods
Incidence data were retrieved from the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) volumes I-XI, and mortality data were obtained from the latest update of the World Health Organization (WHO) mortality database. We used join-point regression analysis to examine historical incidence and mortality trends and used the package NORDPRED in R to predict the number of deaths and mortality rates by 2035 by country and sex.
Results
More than 1,089,000 new cases of gastric cancer and 769,000 related deaths were reported in 2020. The average annual percent change (AAPC) in the incidence of gastric cancer from 2003 to 2012 among the male population, South Korea, Japan, Malta, Canada, Cyprus, and Switzerland showed an increasing trend (
P
> 0.05); among the female population, Canada [AAPC, 1.2; (95%Cl, 0.5–2),
P
< 0.05] showed an increasing trend; and South Korea, Ecuador, Thailand, and Cyprus showed an increasing trend (
P
> 0.05). AAPC in the mortality of gastric cancer from 2006 to 2015 among the male population, Thailand [3.5 (95%cl, 1.6–5.4),
P
< 0.05] showed an increasing trend; Malta Island, New Zealand, Turkey, Switzerland, and Cyprus had an increasing trend (
P
> 0.05); among the male population aged 20–44, Thailand [AAPC, 3.4; (95%cl, 1.3–5.4),
P
< 0.05] showed an increasing trend; Norway, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Slovakia, France, Colombia, Lithuania, and the USA showed an increasing trend (
P
> 0.05). It is predicted that the mortality rate in Slovenia and France’s female population will show an increasing trend by 2035. It is predicted that the absolute number of deaths in the Israeli male population and in Chile, France, and Canada female population will increase by 2035.
Conclusion
In the past decade, the incidence and mortality of gastric cancer have shown a decreasing trend; however, there are still some countries showing an increasing trend, especially among populations younger than 45 years. Although mortality in most countries is predicted to decline by 2035, the absolute number of deaths due to gastric cancer may further increase due to population growth.
Journal Article
Efficacy of heat-treated Lacticaseibacillus paracasei PS23 for individuals with long coronavirus disease-19 syndrome: a double-blinded randomized control pilot study
Long coronavirus disease (long COVID) refers to symptoms that persist beyond the acute phase of SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study applied the World Health Organization (WHO) definition, which identifies post-COVID-19 condition as symptoms lasting at least two months and beginning around three months after confirmed infection. Given limited evidence on probiotic use for long COVID, we conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the effects of heat-treated
Lacticaseibacillus paracasei
PS23 (HT-PS23) in individuals with confirmed COVID-19 and self-reported prolonged symptoms. Thirty-nine eligible participants were randomly assigned to receive either the heat-treated
Lacticaseibacillus paracasei
PS23 (HT-PS23) or placebo for six weeks. Assessments included validated neuropsychological tests (including executive function and working memory using Color Trails 1&2 and Digit Span and Coding), self-reported symptom scales of depression, anxiety, and quality of life, and blood biomarkers related to inflammation, immune response, and stress (e.g. cortisol, IFN-γ zonulin). After the six-week trial, HT-PS23 group showed notable improvements in cortisol level (
p
= 0.006), a reduction in errors of CTT2 (
p
= 0.018), and symptom severity related to breathing difficulties (
p
= 0.016) and appetite loss (
p
= 0.030) compared to the placebo group. HT-PS23 may be a feasible and well-tolerated intervention for relieving cognitive or physical symptoms associated with long COVID. Further studies with larger samples are warranted.
Journal Article
Controllable CO2 electrocatalytic reduction via ferroelectric switching on single atom anchored In2Se3 monolayer
Efficient and selective CO
2
electroreduction into chemical fuels promises to alleviate environmental pollution and energy crisis, but it relies on catalysts with controllable product selectivity and reaction path. Here, by means of first-principles calculations, we identify six ferroelectric catalysts comprising transition-metal atoms anchored on In
2
Se
3
monolayer, whose catalytic performance can be controlled by ferroelectric switching based on adjusted
d
-band center and occupation of supported metal atoms. The polarization dependent activation allows effective control of the limiting potential of CO
2
reduction on TM@In
2
Se
3
(TM = Ni, Pd, Rh, Nb, and Re) as well as the reaction paths and final products on Nb@In
2
Se
3
and Re@In
2
Se
3
. Interestingly, the ferroelectric switching can even reactivate the stuck catalytic CO
2
reduction on Zr@In
2
Se
3
. The fairly low limiting potential and the unique ferroelectric controllable CO
2
catalytic performance on atomically dispersed transition-metals on In
2
Se
3
clearly distinguish them from traditional single atom catalysts, and open an avenue toward improving catalytic activity and selectivity for efficient and controllable electrochemical CO
2
reduction reaction.
Electroreduction of CO
2
into chemical fuels holds promise for mitigating environmental pollution and energy crisis. This work presents a distinct design of ferroelectric catalysts with high catalytic activity and selectivity for efficient and controllable electrochemical CO
2
reduction reaction.
Journal Article
An IoT Real-Time Potable Water Quality Monitoring and Prediction Model Based on Cloud Computing Architecture
In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), it is imperative to ensure the safety of drinking water. The characteristics of each drinkable water, encompassing taste, aroma, and appearance, are unique. Inadequate water infrastructure and treatment can affect these features and may also threaten public health. This study utilizes the Internet of Things (IoT) in developing a monitoring system, particularly for water quality, to reduce the risk of contracting diseases. Water quality components data, such as water temperature, alkalinity or acidity, and contaminants, were obtained through a series of linked sensors. An Arduino microcontroller board acquired all the data and the Narrow Band-IoT (NB-IoT) transmitted them to the web server. Due to limited human resources to observe the water quality physically, the monitoring was complemented by real-time notifications alerts via a telephone text messaging application. The water quality data were monitored using Grafana in web mode, and the binary classifiers of machine learning techniques were applied to predict whether the water was drinkable or not based on the data collected, which were stored in a database. The non-decision tree, as well as the decision tree, were evaluated based on the improvements of the artificial intelligence framework. With a ratio of 60% for data training: at 20% for data validation, and 10% for data testing, the performance of the decision tree (DT) model was more prominent in comparison with the Gradient Boosting (GB), Random Forest (RF), Neural Network (NN), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) modeling approaches. Through the monitoring and prediction of results, the authorities can sample the water sources every two weeks.
Journal Article
Recent Progress of Ion-Modified TiO2 for Enhanced Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production
Harnessing solar energy to produce hydrogen through semiconductor-mediated photocatalytic water splitting is a promising avenue to address the challenges of energy scarcity and environmental degradation. Ever since Fujishima and Honda’s groundbreaking work in photocatalytic water splitting, titanium dioxide (TiO2) has garnered significant interest as a semiconductor photocatalyst, prized for its non-toxicity, affordability, superior photocatalytic activity, and robust chemical stability. Nonetheless, the efficacy of solar energy conversion is hampered by TiO2’s wide bandgap and the swift recombination of photogenerated carriers. In pursuit of enhancing TiO2’s photocatalytic prowess, a panoply of modification techniques has been explored over recent years. This work provides an extensive review of the strategies employed to augment TiO2’s performance in photocatalytic hydrogen production, with a special emphasis on foreign dopant incorporation. Firstly, we delve into metal doping as a key tactic to boost TiO2’s capacity for efficient hydrogen generation via water splitting. We elaborate on the premise that metal doping introduces discrete energy states within TiO2’s bandgap, thereby elevating its visible light photocatalytic activity. Following that, we evaluate the role of metal nanoparticles in modifying TiO2, hailed as one of the most effective strategies. Metal nanoparticles, serving as both photosensitizers and co-catalysts, display a pronounced affinity for visible light absorption and enhance the segregation and conveyance of photogenerated charge carriers, leading to remarkable photocatalytic outcomes. Furthermore, we consolidate perspectives on the nonmetal doping of TiO2, which tailors the material to harness visible light more efficiently and bolsters the separation and transfer of photogenerated carriers. The incorporation of various anions is summarized for their potential to propel TiO2’s photocatalytic capabilities. This review aspires to compile contemporary insights on ion-doped TiO2, propelling the efficacy of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution and anticipating forthcoming advancements. Our work aims to furnish an informative scaffold for crafting advanced TiO2-based photocatalysts tailored for water-splitting applications.
Journal Article
Novel adjuvants in allergen-specific immunotherapy: where do we stand?
Type I hypersensitivity, or so-called type I allergy, is caused by Th2-mediated immune responses directed against otherwise harmless environmental antigens. Currently, allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is the only disease-modifying treatment with the potential to re-establish clinical tolerance towards the corresponding allergen(s). However, conventional AIT has certain drawbacks, including long treatment durations, the risk of inducing allergic side effects, and the fact that allergens by themselves have a rather low immunogenicity. To improve AIT, adjuvants can be a powerful tool not only to increase the immunogenicity of co-applied allergens but also to induce the desired immune activation, such as promoting allergen-specific Th1- or regulatory responses. This review summarizes the knowledge on adjuvants currently approved for use in human AIT: aluminum hydroxide, calcium phosphate, microcrystalline tyrosine, and MPLA, as well as novel adjuvants that have been studied in recent years: oil-in-water emulsions, virus-like particles, viral components, carbohydrate-based adjuvants (QS-21, glucans, and mannan) and TLR-ligands (flagellin and CpG-ODN). The investigated adjuvants show distinct properties, such as prolonging allergen release at the injection site, inducing allergen-specific IgG production while also reducing IgE levels, as well as promoting differentiation and activation of different immune cells. In the future, better understanding of the immunological mechanisms underlying the effects of these adjuvants in clinical settings may help us to improve AIT.
Journal Article