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cArtemisinin resistance in Plasmodium falciparum parasites in Southeast Asia is a major concern for malaria control. Its emergence at the China-Myanmar border, where there have been more than 3 decades of artemisinin use, has yet to be investigated. Here, we comprehensively evaluated the potential emergence of artemisinin resistance and antimalarial drug resistance status in P. falciparum using data and parasites from three previous efficacy studies in this region. These efficacy studies of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine combination and artesunate monotherapy of uncomplicated falciparum malaria in 248 P. falciparum patients showed an overall 28-day adequate clinical and parasitological response of >95% and day 3 parasite-positive rates of 6.3 to 23.1%. Comparison of the 57 K13 sequences (24 and 33 from day 3 parasite-positive and -negative cases, respectively) identified nine point mutations in 38 (66.7%) samples, of which F446I (49.1%) and an N-terminal NN insertion (86.0%) were predominant. K13 propeller mutations collectively, the F446I mutation alone, and the NN insertion all were significantly associated with day 3 parasite positivity. Increased ring-stage survival determined using the ring-stage survival assay (RSA) was highly associated with the K13 mutant genotype. Day 3 parasite-positive isolates had ϳ10 times higher ring survival rates than day 3 parasitenegative isolates. Divergent K13 mutations suggested independent evolution of artemisinin resistance. Taken together, this study confirmed multidrug resistance and emergence of artemisinin resistance in P. falciparum at the China-Myanmar border. RSA and K13 mutations are useful phenotypic and molecular markers for monitoring artemisinin resistance.

Hydrogel is a new class of functional polymer materials with a promising potential in the biomedical field. The purpose of this article is to review recent advancements in several types of biomedical hydrogels, including conductive hydrogels, injectable hydrogels, double network hydrogels, responsive hydrogels, nanocomposite hydrogels, and sliding hydrogels. In comparison with traditional hydrogels, these advanced hydrogels exhibit significant advantages in structure, mechanical properties, and applications. The article focuses on different methods used to prepare advanced biomedical hydrogels and their diversified applications as drug delivery systems, wound dressings, biosensors, contact lenses, and tissue replacement. These advances are rapidly overcoming current limitations of hydrogels, and we anticipate that further research will lead to the development of advanced hydrogels with ubiquitous roles in biomedicine and tissue replacement and regeneration.

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Researchers have investigated the role of polysaccharides in disease treatment via gut microbiota regulation but ignore their function in disease prevention and physique enhancement. In this work, a Gynostemma pentaphyllum polysaccharide (GPP) was tested by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and proved to be safe to Caco-2 cells. Animal experiments showed that the administration of GPP for 3 weeks decreased the body weight gain of mice from 15.4 ± 1.7 to 12.2 ± 1.8 g in a concentration-dependent manner. Analysis of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) indicated that GPP increased the levels of acetate, propionate, butyrate, and total SCFAs in the cecum contents of normal mice. Furthermore, GPP improved the species richness and abundance in the gut microbiota but reduced the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio from 0.8021 to 0.3873. This work provides a basis for incorporating GPP into diet to prevent or mitigate the occurrence of obesity via gut microbiota regulation.