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The liver has multiple functions such as detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage. Folate is a water-soluble vitamin B9, which participates in one-carbon transfer reactions, maintains methylation capacity and improves oxidative stress. Folic acid is a synthetic form commonly used as a dietary supplement. The liver is the main organ for storing and metabolising folate/folic acid, and the role of folate/folic acid in liver diseases has been widely studied. Deficiency of folate results in methylation capacity dysfunction and can induce liver disorders. However, adverse effects of excessive use of folic acid on the liver have also been reported. This review aims to explore the mechanism of folate/folic acid in different liver diseases, promote further research on folate/folic acid and contribute to its rational clinical application.

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) in patients undergoing hepatectomy and to compare it to established biomarkers including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR). Medical records were retrospectively analyzed for 652 HCC patients undergoing hepatectomy at the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and the First People’s Hospital of Changde between April 2004 to April 2012. The correlation between the LMR and clinical variables were analyzed in Kaplan-Meier log-rank survival analysis and then multivariate Cox regression models trying to find relation with disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of the LMR(AUC:0.627) for predicting long-term survival was greater than that of the NLR(AUC:0.600) and the PLR(AUC:0.520).Multivariate analysis showed LMR to be an independent risk factor for OS (P = 0.002), and the NLR and PLR were not independently significant. Subgroup analysis also showed that LMR was significantly associated with poor DFS and OS in patients positive for HBsAg or with cirrhosis (both P < 0.001).Elevated preoperative LMR is an independently associated with poor OS and DFS in HCC patients following curative resection and appears to be superior to NLR and PLR.

Pyroptosis, a new pro-inflammatory programmed cell death, is linked to atherosclerosis (AS). Our previous studies suggested that salidroside (SAL) can alleviate AS and exert anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the effect of SAL on atherosclerosis-related pyroptosis has not been studied. Here, we investigated the effect of SAL on pyroptosis to explain the underlying mechanisms of SAL on atherosclerosis-related inflammation. We established an atherosclerosis mouse model via western diet (HFD) to explore the protective effect of SAL. According to our results, administration of SAL for 12 weeks markedly reduced the atherosclerotic plaque in aorta. Meanwhile, SAL also alleviated the pyroptosis, as evidenced by inhibiting caspase-1 activation, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) release, and TUNEL-positive staining, and decreasing the expression of Gasdermin D (GSDMD). Furthermore, SAL also decreased the activation of caspase-1 and inhibited the release of IL-1β induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVECs). Our data indicate that SAL inhibit NLRP3-related pyroptosis, which might be the underlying mechanism of SAL anti-inflammatory in atherosclerosis.

Three‐terminal synaptic transistor has drawn significant research interests for neuromorphic computation due to its advantage of facile device integrability. Lately, bulk‐heterojunction‐based synaptic transistors with bipolar modulation are proposed to exempt the use of an additional floating gate. However, the actual correlation between the channel's ambipolarity, memory characteristic, and synaptic behavior for a floating‐gate free transistor has not been investigated yet. Herein, by studying five diketopyrrolopyrrole–benzotriazole dual‐acceptor random conjugated polymers, a clear correlation among the hole/electron ratio, the memory retention characteristic, and the synaptic behavior for the polymer channel layer in a floating‐gate free transistor is described. It reveals that the polymers with balanced ambipolarity possess better charge trapping capabilities and larger memory windows; however, the high ambipolarity results in higher volatility of the memory characteristics, namely poor memory retention capability. In contrast, the polymer with a reduced ambipolarity possesses an enhanced memory retention capability despite showing a reduced memory window. It is further manifested that this enhanced charge retention capability enables the device to present artificial synaptic characteristics. The results highlight the importance of the channel's ambipolarity of floating‐gate free transistors on the resultant volatile memory characteristics and synaptic behaviors. A clear correlation among the hole/electron mobility (µh/µe) ratio, the memory retention characteristic, and the synaptic behavior for the polymer channel layer in a floating‐gate free transistor is demonstrated. It shows that, compared to the device with a high ambipolarity (µh/µe ratio: 1), the device with a low ambipolarity (µh/µe ratio: 10) can exhibit an enhanced charge retention capability but possessing a reduced memory window. However, such enhanced charge retention capability enables the device to present the artificial synaptic characteristics.

Background Screen time encompasses activities conducted on digital devices, including traditional devices such as televisions and computers, as well as modern devices like smartphones, tablets, and other digital screens. Excessive screen time among children has been linked to a heightened likelihood of engaging in high-risk problem behaviours. This study aimed to quantify the prevalence of excessive screen time and delve into its correlation with problem behaviours among school-aged children in Fujian, thereby gaining insight into the prevalence and trends within this region. Methods From October to November 2022, we used cluster sampling and invited 891 school-age children from Fujian as participants. Parents recorded children’s screen time for a week, taking the average value of seven days, and the unit is minutes. The Child Behaviour Checklist was used to assess their problem behaviours. Correlation analysis, Propensity Score Matching, Single-factor analysis, and Multi-factor analysis were used to explore the influencing factors and correlation. Results Screen exposure time of school-age children was 34.29 (17.14, 55.71) min/day. Then, 17.06% were exposed to excessive video. The total CBCL score of school-age children was 10.00 (3.00, 22.00), and 10.00% had problem behaviours. After matching the propensity score, the total score of problem behaviours in the daily over-exposure group was higher than that in the non-over-exposure group ( Z  = 5.466, p  < 0.001). Generalized linear model analysis showed that after controlling confounding variables, daily video exposure time or daily excessive screening could affect problem behaviours ( p  < 0.05). Conclusions The incidence of problem behaviours among school-age children is low in Fujina. The daily screen time, weekday screen time, and weekend screen time were positively associated with problem behaviours. We suggested family members shift to more serious and cautious attitudes toward children’s screen exposure and adopt appropriate digital-related parenting practices, such as accompanying children when they inevitably need to watch electronic devices, to better understand and manage their screen time.

Metal halide perovskites show promise for next-generation light-emitting diodes, particularly in the near-infrared range, where they outperform organic and quantum-dot counterparts. However, they still fall short of costly III-V semiconductor devices, which achieve external quantum efficiencies above 30% with high brightness. Among several factors, controlling grain growth and nanoscale morphology is crucial for further enhancing device performance. This study presents a grain engineering methodology that combines solvent engineering and heterostructure construction to improve light outcoupling efficiency and defect passivation. Solvent engineering enables precise control over grain size and distribution, increasing light outcoupling to ~40%. Constructing 2D/3D heterostructures with a conjugated cation reduces defect densities and accelerates radiative recombination. The resulting near-infrared perovskite light-emitting diodes achieve a peak external quantum efficiency of 31.4% and demonstrate a maximum brightness of 929 W sr −1 m −2 . These findings indicate that perovskite light-emitting diodes have potential as cost-effective, high-performance near-infrared light sources for practical applications. Baek et al. report the formation of a discrete island–convex dome morphology in perovskite by solvent engineering to improve the outcoupling efficiency in NIR LEDs. 2D/3D heterostructures are constructed to further increase the efficiency to 31.4% with a peak radiance of 929 W sr −1 m −2 at 798 nm.

TGF‐β1 plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of vascular fibrotic diseases. Chalcones are reportedly cancer chemo‐preventive food components that are rich in fruits and vegetables. In this study, flavokawain A (FKA, 2‐30 μM), a naturally occurring chalcone in kava extracts, was evaluated for its anti‐fibrotic and antioxidant properties in TGF‐β1‐stimulated vascular smooth muscle (A7r5) cells, as well as its underlying molecular mechanism of action. Immunofluorescence data showed down‐regulated F‐actin expression with FKA treatment in TGF‐β1‐stimulated A7r5 cells. Western blotting demonstrated that FKA treatment suppressed the expression of α‐SMA and fibronectin proteins under TGF‐β1 stimulation. Findings from wound‐healing and invasion experiments showed that FKA inhibits TGF‐β1‐mediated migration and invasion. Western blotting demonstrated that treatment with FKA down‐regulated MMP‐9 and MMP‐2 and up‐regulated TIMP‐1 expression. Further evidence showed that FKA decreased TGF‐β1‐mediated phosphorylation and the transcriptional activity of Smad3. TGF‐β1‐induced excessive ROS production was remarkably reversed by FKA treatment in A7r5 cells, and inhibition by FKA or N‐acetylcysteine (NAC) substantially diminished TGF‐β1‐induced p‐Smad3 activation and wound‐healing migration. Interestingly, FKA‐mediated antioxidant properties were associated with increased nuclear translocation of Nrf2 and elevated antioxidant response element (ARE) luciferase activity. Activation of Nrf2/ARE signaling was accompanied by the induction of HO‐1, NQO‐1 and γ‐GCLC genes in FKA‐treated A7r5 cells. Notably, silencing of Nrf2 (siRNA transfection) significantly diminished the FKA‐mediated antioxidant effects, indicating that FKA may inhibit TGF‐β1‐induced fibrosis through suppressing ROS generation in A7r5 cells. Our results suggested that anti‐fibrotic and antioxidant activities of the chalcone flavokawain A may contribute to the development of food‐based chemo‐preventive drugs for fibrotic diseases.

•This is the first serosurvey of anti-HBc in immunized Chinese children.•The were similar 3 stages in hepatitis serological markers.•HBV breakthrough infection occurred in vaccinated children >9-year-old. After nearly 30 years of immunization, there is little known about the prevalence of hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) in Chinese children. The clinical significance of anti-HBc would be more and more important. In this study, we had tried to analyse the prevalence of anti-HBc in vaccinated Chinese children, exploring the post-immunization status based on a large sample sized investigation. Proportions of anti-HBc were analysed among 215,627 hospitalized Chinese children immunized with HBV vaccination in this study. The proportions of anti-HBc were divided into 3 stages: 36.6% in 0-year-old group, followed by 1- to 10-year-old which stayed relatively stable (5.69 ± 0.40%, [4.86–6.28%]), and significant increasing within 11- to 16-year-old (7.80 ± 1.24%, [6.62–9.74%]), meanwhile, similar changes of HBsAg were showed in the corresponding ages, and significantly increased in children older than 9-year (1.40%, [1.00–2.04%]), comparing with 0.30% in 0-year-old, 0.55 ± 0.13% (0.30–0.64%) in 1- to 9-year-old. The average level of anti-HBc maintains 5.99% in children aged 1- to 16-year with 0.63% for HBsAg. This is the first study of the prevalence of anti-HBc in vaccinated Chinese children: 36.6% of anti-HBc-positivity was found in 0-year-old group, which could be maternal in origin. Relatively high prevalence of anti-HBc may not be ignored in children aged 1- to 16-year-old. Strangely, our data also showed that HBV breakthrough infection would occur in immunized Chinese children older than 9-year-old, and more attention is needed on those children.

Understanding the extent to which species can adjust their ranges in response to climate change and track areas of suitable climatic conditions is vital for conservation efforts. Nonetheless, the observed changes in species distribution may also result from inadequate field data. This is particularly relevant for epiphyllous liverworts, which exhibit a poikilohydric lifestyle that makes them more vulnerable to climatic fluctuations than many other higher plants. Furthermore, their small plant size increases the chances of under‐detection in epiphyllous liverworts compared to other plant groups. To enhance our understanding of how species distribution is influenced by climate change, establishing long‐term monitoring plots is essential. In this study, we utilize the BEST platform (Biodiversity along Elevational Gradients: Shifts and Transitions) to furnish empirical evidence regarding the habitat shifts of epiphyllous liverworts along the elevational gradient of Mt. Tianmu. To identify the specific microclimatic conditions vital for the growth and development of epiphyllous liverworts, we conducted a transplant experiment. Our systematic observations from the permanent monitoring plots (2018–2022) led to the discovery of a new population of epiphyllous liverworts located at an elevation of 1130 m. By analyzing in situ microclimatic data on air temperature and moisture, collected consistently over 5 years (2017–2022), we characterized the mean, minimum, and variability of the microclimatic conditions essential for epiphyllous liverwort growth. Additionally, results from elevation transplantation experiments underscore the importance of incorporating dispersal constraints when modeling the species distribution of epiphyllous liverworts for precise predictive outcomes. Our results highlight the importance of long‐term monitoring permanent plots in predicting the effects of global changes on species habitat shifts, and underscore the necessity for comprehensive investigations of the distribution of epiphyllous liverworts at the northern boundary of subtropical evergreen broad‐leaved forests in China. Our observations from the permanent monitoring plots indicate a rapid expansion in the distribution range of epiphyllous liverworts under the influence of climate change. We have identified the specific microclimate conditions necessary for the growth of epiphyllous liverworts. The results from elevation transplantation experiments emphasize the significance of considering dispersal limitations when modeling the species distribution of epiphyllous liverworts for accurate predictive outcomes.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationships among intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, flow, cognitive attitudes, perceived satisfaction, and purchase intention of consumers’ online shopping from a cognitive attitudes perspective. This study collected data from consumers having bought goods on the e-shopping platform. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopted online questionnaire through my3q (www.my3q.com) for data collection. This research collected and analyzed 866 samples by using the structural equation modeling for validation of the proposed model. Findings – The results indicated that hedonic value, utilitarian value, security, and privacy significantly affected cognitive attitudes (i.e. cognitive trust and perceived risk). Cognitive attitudes significantly affected perceived satisfaction and purchase intention, respectively. Flow significantly and positively influenced cognitive trust and purchase intentions, respectively. Cognitive trust is the mediators between motivations/flow and perceived satisfaction/purchase intention. Research limitations/implications – Both of intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation can reflect the cognitive and conscious plan of an individual for a particular task. The cognitive trust and perceived risk are partial mediator and full mediator in the model, respectively. Hedonic value, utilitarian value, security, privacy, and flow all affect the individual’s perceived satisfaction and purchase intention through cognitive trust and perceived risk in the context of online shopping. Cognitive trust is a full mediator of the effects of privacy on purchase intention. It indicates that consumers must fully trust the website to ensure that the information provided by consumers in the transaction will not spread out for the protection of personal privacy. Practical implications – This study aimed to assist the marketing personnel of the EC industry to examine the key influential factors of consumers’ purchase satisfactions and purchase intentions. The results of this study indicated that cognitive trust is the foundation for gaining and retaining customers. The classification of consumer motivations facilitates the understanding of consumers’ demands and accurate interpretation of consumers’ needs. The main influential factor of cognitive trust is utilitarian value. Therefore, this study states that the primary intrinsic motivation of online shopping for most consumers is utilitarian value (e.g. saving time, the cost of searching for the appropriate products, and increasing purchasing efficiency). Social implications – Websites should strengthen the quality and quantity of product information. In addition, websites should provide a dynamic presentation of the product by presenting in various forms (multimedia and text description) about product-related information in order to increase consumers’ hedonic value. For the aspects of security and privacy, websites should provide consumers with reliable safety features, such as secure socket layer or digital signature, smooth communication channel (specific phone services and e-mail address), and consumer’s privacy statements. Finally, web design should meet with the consumer experience model in order to make the website easy to use and order the purchase from the website directly. Websites should also increase the fluency and positive experience of consumers and improve the interaction of a website. Meanwhile, websites need to feedback the consumer problem instantly and provide customized information in order to increase the chance of interaction between the consumers and the website. Originality/value – Relevant studies have explored online shopping from various perspectives, but few studies have examined consumers’ cognitive attitudes toward websites from the consumer motivation perspective. Thus, this study focussed on the influences of consumers’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivations (e.g. hedonic value, utilitarian value, security, and privacy) on their cognitive attitudes toward websites. In addition, with the rapid development of the internet in recent years, internet users’ online flow experiences have gained increased attention. The creation of attractive consumption conditions is vital for website managers to provide consumers with flow experiences. Therefore, this study included consumers’ flow in the proposed model.