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Amid the escalating global climatic challenges, hydrological risks significantly influence human settlement patterns, underscoring the imperative for an in-depth comprehension of hydrological change's ramifications on human migration. However, predominant research has been circumscribed to the national level. The study delves into the nonlinear effects of hydrological risks on migration dynamics in 46,776 global subnational units. Meanwhile, leveraging remote sensing, we procured globally consistent metrics of hydrological intrusion exposure, offering a holistic risk assessment encompassing hazard, exposure, and vulnerability dimensions, thus complementing previous work. Here, we show that exposure is the primary migration driver, surpassing socioeconomic factors. Surrounding disparities further intensified exposure's impact. Vulnerable groups, especially the economically disadvantaged and elderly, tend to remain in high-risk areas, with the former predominantly migrating within proximate vicinities. The nonlinear analysis delineates an S-shaped trajectory for hydrological exposure, transitioning from resistance to migration and culminating in entrapment, revealing dependence on settlement resilience and adaptability. Hydrological risks drive migration more than socioeconomic factors. Vulnerable groups often stay in high-risk areas or migrate nearby. The study reveals an S-shaped migration pattern influenced by settlement resilience and adaptability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surrogate-assisted evolutionary algorithms have been widely employed to solve data-driven optimization problems. However, for offline data-driven optimization, it is very challenging to perform evolutionary search efficiently as well as accurately since no new data is available during the optimization process. To mitigate this issue, a multifidelity surrogates-assisted multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MFSa-PSO) algorithm is proposed in this paper. First, two low-fidelity models with convergence and diversity characteristics separately and a high-fidelity model are constructed to assemble multifidelity surrogate models. Second, by adopting the knowledge transfer strategy, the multifidelity surrogates-assisted two-archive multi-objective particle swarm optimization is conducted to search optimal solutions more exactly and effectively. Third, the output solution set is achieved by associating the solutions of two archives with reference vectors. Finally, the proposed MFSa-PSO is compared with some popular surrogate-assisted evolutionary algorithms on benchmark problems to verify its effectiveness and outperformance. Additionally, a real-world application of the municipal solid waste incineration process is carried out to verify the engineering applicability of MFSa-PSO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A living wall, when integrated with a mechanical ventilation system, can effectively improve the indoor thermal environment and reduce indoor CO2 concentration during the transition season. In this study, a control experiment was conducted to analyze the effect of a living wall integrated with mechanical ventilation (LW-V) on indoor air quality. During the experiment, indoor air temperature, relative humidity, indoor air speed, and CO2 concentration were measured, while the skin temperature was monitored and subjective questionnaires were administered to 60 subjects. The results show that the indoor environment was effectively improved by employing the LW-V system, with the average indoor temperature decreasing by 1.45 °C, while relative humidity increased by 19.1%. Due to the plant photosynthesis, CO2 concentrations were reduced by 13.83 ppm. Meanwhile, the mean skin temperature was reduced by 0.18 °C and was closer to the neutral mean skin temperature. Questionnaire analysis reveals the LW-V system improved overall air freshness sensation and thermal comfort level by 1.09 and 0.53, respectively. The LW-V system improved the indoor thermal environment as well as air quality during the transition season significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The morphology of the material has a great influence on its flame retardancy. In order to study the effects of magnesium hydroxide with different morphologies on the flame retardancy of epoxy resin, magnesium chloride and magnesium sulfate were used as raw materials to prepare magnesium hydroxide with rod, flake and flower, and were added to epoxy resin to prepare epoxy resin composite to explore the flame retardancy and the flame retardant mechanism. The results show that the diameter of rod magnesium hydroxide ranges from 250 nm to 500 nm and the length is about 5 μm. The flaky magnesium hydroxide has a hexagonal sheet structure with a size of 100 nm. The size of flower ball magnesium hydroxide is 1~2 μm. When the addition of magnesium hydroxide is 3%, the flame retardancy of epoxy resin is improved as: flake>flower>rod. Compared with pure epoxy resin, the addition of flaky magnesium hydroxide reduceds the TSP by 35.1%, the PHRR by 36.6%, and the PCOP by 39.4%. The research provides the direction for the application of magnesium hydroxide in polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To explore the relationship between the levels of serum 8-hydroxy deoxyguanosine (8 - OHdG) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and cognitive dysfunction in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods From February 2021 to February 2022, 126 patients with PD in The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University were divided into normal cognitive function group (PDN group, n = 41), mild cognitive impairment group (PD-MCI group, n = 47) and Parkinson's disease dementia group (PDD group, n = 38), and 50 healthy subjects were selected as control group. Hoehn-Yahr staging was used to evaluate the severity of patients with PD during the "close" period of anti-PD drugs, and the motor function of patients with PD was evaluated by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale III (UPDRS III). Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to evaluate the severity of cognitive dysfunction at rest and in the "on" period of anti-PD drugs, and the serum 8-OHdG and MDA of PD patients and controls were collected. Pearson and partial correlation analyses were used to analyze the correlation between the levels of serum 8-OHdG and MDA and MoCA score in PD patients. Univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the influencing factors of cognitive dysfunction in PD patients. The efficacy analysis of serum 8-OHdG and MDA levels in predicting the risk of cognitive dysfunction in PD patients was carried out by using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve). Results The results of correlation analysis showed that there was a negative correlation between the MoCA score and the duration (r = - 0.241, P = 0.007), Hoehn-Yahr staging (r = - 0.333, P = 0.007), 8-OHdG (r = - 0.310, P = 0.000) and MDA (r = - 0.291, P = 0.004) in PD patients. The results of Logistic regression analysis showed that the elevated levels of 8-OHdG (OR = 1.335, 95%CI: 1.137-1.568; P = 0.000) and MDA (OR = 2.928, 95%CI: 1.676-5.115; P = 0.000) were risk factors for cognitive dysfunction in PD patients. The results of ROC curve showed the areas under the curve of 8-OHdG, MDA and their combination in predicting cognitive dysfunction in PD patients were 0.831 (95%CI: 0.761-0.902, P = 0.000), 0.846 (95%CI: 0.775-0.916, P = 0.000) and 0.922 (95%CI: 0.878-0.966, P = 0.000), respectively. Conclusions The detection of 8-OHdG and MDA in peripheral blood is expected to be a serum marker to evaluate the severity of cognitive dysfunction in patients with PD, and to predict cognitive dysfunction in patients with PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs), a key electrophysiological technique, is extensively utilized for the clinical evaluation of vestibular function. Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often have vestibular dysfunction, with VEMPs abnormalities being the most common. Based on the brief introduction of VEMPs technique, this review summarizes the features of VEMPs abnormalities, its association with clinical phenotype and underlying pathophysiological basis in patients with PD, so as to provide guidance for clinical research and practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The author proposed a friction plunge micro-welding (FPMW) method and applied it to column grid array packaging to realize the connection of copper columns without precision molds assisted positioning. The purpose of this paper is to study the flow behavior of the solder undergoing frictional thermo-mechanical action during the FPMW and to determine the source of the solders in the micro-zones with different microstructure characteristics near the solder/Cu column friction interface. Design/methodology/approach: Three kinds of Sn58Bi/SAC305 and SAC305/Pb90Sn composite solder samples were designed to study the flow behavior of the solder during FPMW using Bi and Pb as tracer elements. Findings: The results show that most of the solders in the position occupied by the copper column was softened and plasticized during the welding process and was extruded to side of the copper column, flowing axially, circumferentially and radially along a trajectory similar to a conical spiral line. Under the drive of the tangential friction force and the radial hold-tight force, the extruded out visco-plastic solders fully mixed with the visco-plastic solders on the sides of the copper column, and bonded with the solders that deformed plastically on the periphery, so that a stir zone and a dynamic recrystallization zone finally evolved. The outside plastically deformed solders evolved into a thermo-mechanical affected zone. Originality/value: The flow behavior of the solder during the FPMW was determined, as well as the source of the solders in micro-zones with different microstructure characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Productive facades, consisting of photovoltaic shading and vertical farming systems, have been proposed as a means to improve the thermal and visual status of residential buildings while also maintaining energy performance and providing vegetables. However, how to quickly and accurately predict electricity and vegetable output during the numerous influencing architectural and environmental factors is one of the key issues in the early stages of design, and few studies have investigated the impact of such structures on both indoor environmental qualities and production performance. In this paper, we present a novel prediction method that uses experimental data to train and test an artificial neural network (ANN). The results indicated that using the Bipolar Sigmoid activation function to process the experimental data input to the artificial neuron network gives more accurate predicted results both in the yield of photovoltaic shading and vertical farming systems. In addition, this prediction method was applied to a typical high-rise residential building in Singapore to assess the self-sufficiency potential of high-rise residential buildings integrated with productive facades. The results indicated that the upper part of the building can meet 20.0–23.1% of the annual household electricity demand of a family of four in a four-room residential unit in Singapore and almost the entire year's vegetable demand, while the middle part can meet 18.4–21.2% and 89.1%, respectively. The results demonstrated the importance of a productive facade in reducing energy demand, enhancing food security, and improving indoor visual and thermal comfort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Wide local excision (WLE) of the nail unit is widely used in treating in situ and minimally invasive malignant subungual tumours. After WLE, diverse reconstruction methods have been reported. However, the best repair method has yet to be determined. Objective: To compare the repair effects and postoperative morbidity of secondary intention healing (SIH), artificial dermis grafting combined with secondary intention healing (ADGSIH) and full‐thickness skin grafting (FSG) after WLE of the nail unit. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 21 patients who underwent WLE of the nail unit. The re‐epithelializing time, functional and cosmetic outcomes, postoperative complications and patients' satisfaction were assessed from the follow‐up records. Results: The FSG group showed more rapid healing and better functional and cosmetic outcomes than the SIH and ADGSIH groups. The ADGSIH and FSG groups showed significant pain relief compared to the SIH group. No serious early and late postoperative complications were reported. The median follow‐up period was 26 months, and no recurrence was observed. All patients were satisfied with the treatment. Conclusions: FSG after the WLE of the nail unit is a therapeutic option with convenient application, significant pain relief, rapid recovery and satisfying functional and cosmetic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oocyte maturation arrest results in female infertility and the genetic etiology of this phenotype remains largely unknown. Previous studies have proven that cyclins play a significant role in the cell cycle both in meiosis and mitosis. Cyclin B3 (CCNB3) is one of the members of the cyclin family and its function in human oocyte maturation is poorly understood. Methods: 118 infertile patients were recruited and WES was performed for 68 independent females that experienced oocyte maturation arrest. Four mutations in CCNB3 were found and effects of these mutations were validated by Sanger sequencing and in vitro functional analyses. Results: We found these mutations altered the location of cyclin B3 which affected the function of cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) and led to mouse oocyte arrested at germinal vesicle (GV) stage. And then, low CDK1 activity influenced the degradation of cadherin 1 (CDH1) and the accumulation of cell division cycle 20 (CDC20) which are two types of anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) activators and act in different stages of the cell cycle. Finally, APC/C activity was downregulated due to insufficient CDC20 level and resulted in oocyte metaphase I (MI) arrest. Moreover, we also found that the addition of PP1 inhibitor Okadic acid and CDK1 inhibitor Roscovitine at corresponding stages during oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM) significantly improved the maturation rates in CCNB3 mutant cRNAs injected oocytes. The above experiments were performed in mouse oocytes. Conclusion: Here, we report five independent patients in which mutations in CCNB3 may be the cause of oocyte maturation arrest. Our findings shed lights on the critical role of CCNB3 in human oocyte maturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jujube is one of the important members of the Rhamnaceae family, which has high economic and nutritional value. The automatic classification of jujube varieties is of great importance for the development of the jujube industry. The task of jujube variety classification based on image data belongs to fine-grained visual classification, which is relatively more difficult. Recently, some deep learning approaches have been available, but capabilities remain limited. In this paper, we present a fine-grained classification model for jujube varieties, named JLN. It is based on MobileNetV3 and multi-task learning. JLN performs shape classification and fine-grained classification simultaneously through a multitask framework and learn more phenotypic differences among different varieties by mining the relationship between the two tasks. In order to further improve the classification performance of JLN, we let the fine-grained features involved in the task of shape classification but prohibited this process in the model's backward passing stage. Finally, we used Reduce Focal Loss to train the shape classification task and jointly optimize the variety classification task through Arcface and Softmax Loss. To further facilitate the study, we established an image dataset of 20 jujube varieties and divided them into 7 categories according to their shapes under the advice of experts. The proposed method achieves 91.79% accuracy on the jujube variety data, and the number of model parameters is only 3.56 M, which is better than the other four models. The experimental results show that the method is more suitable for jujube variety classification tasks in the natural environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We theoretically study the topological optical properties in one-dimensional zigzag chains composed of metal nanoparticles. The topological phase transition in the system is realized by controlling the polarization of the external optical field, which is feasible in experiments in contrast with changing the structural parameters. The dipole responses of the system with different bond angles to the external field of arbitrary linear polarization are calculated. It is found that a wide domain of polarization angles is available for a given zigzag chain to observe the polarization-induced topological transition. Different topological phases in the system are checked, which further proves the effectiveness of polarization modulation. The system, an easily implemented platform to study phenomena in topological photonics, might have novel applications in nanoscale optical devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice steam processed product of Rehmanniae Radix (RSRR), one of the processed products of Rehmanniae Radix (RR), is popular as an herbal medicine and food. However, the health‐promoting effects and mechanisms of RSRR are still unclear. In this study, 10‐week‐old Sprague–Dawley female rats were treated with different processed products of RR. No organ coefficient differences were observed between RSRR and the control group, indicating that RSRR did not cause damage to the rats. Compared with other RR products, superoxide dismutase, glutathione, and catalase levels were significantly higher and malondialdehyde levels were significantly lower in the RSRR group, indicating that RSRR exerted a better antioxidant effect. Gene expression analysis showed that hemoglobin genes (Hba‐a1, Hba‐a2, Hbb‐bs, Hbb, Hbq1b, Hbb‐b1, and LOC103694857) may be potential biomarkers to evaluate the antioxidant effect of RSRR. Antioxidation‐related signaling pathways in GO annotation, including cellular oxidant detoxification, hydrogen peroxide metabolic process, hemoglobin complex, and oxygen binding signaling pathways were significantly enriched, indicating these pathways may represent the antioxidant mechanism of RSRR. To explore the main active compounds primarily responsible for the antioxidant activity of RSRR, UPLC‐Q‐TOF‐MS was used and six components (catalpol, rehmannioside A, rehmannioside D, melittoside, ajugol, and verbascoside) were identified in rat serum. Catalpol and rehmannioside A were predicted to be the major active components by network pharmacology. These results suggested that RSRR exhibits antioxidant activity and has health‐promoting properties. This study provides a scientific basis for the antioxidant mechanism and clinical use of RSRR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oocyte maturation arrest results in female infertility and the genetic etiology of this phenotype remains largely unknown. Previous studies have proven that cyclins play a significant role in the cell cycle both in meiosis and mitosis. Cyclin B3 (CCNB3) is one of the members of the cyclin family and its function in human oocyte maturation is poorly understood. Methods: 118 infertile patients were recruited and WES was performed for 68 independent females that experienced oocyte maturation arrest. Four mutations in CCNB3 were found and effects of these mutations were validated by Sanger sequencing and in vitro functional analyses. Results: We found these mutations altered the location of cyclin B3 which affected the function of cyclin dependent kinase 1 (CDK1) and led to mouse oocyte arrested at germinal vesicle (GV) stage. And then, low CDK1 activity influenced the degradation of cadherin 1 (CDH1) and the accumulation of cell division cycle 20 (CDC20) which are two types of anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) activators and act in different stages of the cell cycle. Finally, APC/C activity was downregulated due to insufficient CDC20 level and resulted in oocyte metaphase I (MI) arrest. Moreover, we also found that the addition of PP1 inhibitor Okadic acid and CDK1 inhibitor Roscovitine at corresponding stages during oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM) significantly improved the maturation rates in CCNB3 mutant cRNAs injected oocytes. The above experiments were performed in mouse oocytes. Conclusion: Here, we report five independent patients in which mutations in CCNB3 may be the cause of oocyte maturation arrest. Our findings shed lights on the critical role of CCNB3 in human oocyte maturation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with gynecologic cancers experience side effects of chemotherapy cardiotoxicity. We aimed to quantify cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) markers of myocardial fibrosis in patients with gynecologic cancer and low cardiovascular risk who undergo chemotherapy. Methods: This study is part of a registered clinical research. CMR T1 mapping was performed in patients with gynecologic cancer and low cardiovascular risk undergoing chemotherapy. The results were compared with those of agematched healthy control subjects. Results: 68 patients (median age = 50 years) and 30 control subjects were included. The median number of chemotherapy cycles of patients was 9.0 (interquartile range [IQR] 3.3-17.0). Extracellular volume fraction (ECV) (27.2% ± 2.7% vs. 24.5% ± 1.7%, P < 0.001) and global longitudinal strain (-16.2% ± 2.8% vs. -17.4%± 2.0%, P = 0.040)were higher in patients comparedwith controls. Patients with higher chemotherapy cycles (>6 cycles) (n=41) had significantly lower intracellular mass indexed (ICMi) compared with both patients with lower chemotherapy cycles (≤6 cycles) (n=27) (median 27.44 g/m2 [IQR 24.03--31.15 g/m²] vs. median 34.30 g/m2 [IQR 29.93-39.79 g/m²]; P = 0.002) and the control group (median 27.44 g/m² [IQR 24.03-31.15 g/m²] vs. median 32.79 g/m² [IQR 27.74-35.76 g/m²]; P = 0.002). Patientswith two or more chemotherapy regimens had significantly lower ICMi compared with both patients with one chemotherapy regimen (27.45 ± 5.16 g/m² vs. 33.32 ± 6.42 g/m²; P < 0.001) and the control group (27.45 ± 5.16 g/m² vs. 33.02 ± 5.52 g/m²; P < 0.001). The number of chemotherapy cycles was associated with an increase in the ECV (Standard regression coefficient [b] = 0.383, P = 0.014) and a decrease in the ICMi (b = -0.349, P = 0.009). Conclusion: Patients with gynecologic cancer and low cardiovascular risk who undergo chemotherapy have diffuse extracellular volume expansion, which is obvious with the increase of chemotherapy cycles. Myocyte loss may be part of the mechanism in patients with a higher chemotherapy load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has been the most famous differentiation induction therapy during which the expression of PU.1, a key transcription factor (TF) for myeloid lineage determination in normal hematopoiesis is restored. In our previous studies, we found a stress-inducible H3K27 demethylase, JMJD3, to directly upregulate PU.1 expression to promote myeloid commitment during normal myelopoiesis. In addition, JMJD3 acts as an oncorepressor and plays a critical regulatory role in the initiation and progression of malignant hematopoiesis. In this study, we further resolved the relationship between JMJD3 and PU.1 in APL therein JMJD3 exerts oncorepressor activity via promoting PU.1 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dictyophora indusiata is one of the most famous edible mushrooms in China. D. indusiata polysaccharide (DP) has attracted increasing attention because of its multiple beneficial effects. In this study, the in vitro simulated digestion and microbial fermentation were designed to reveal the potential catabolic property of DP and its impacts on the modulation of gut microbial composition. The results showed that the reducing sugar content, total polysaccharides content, molecular weight, and rheological property of DP were not significantly altered under in vitro simulated digestive conditions. However, the molecular weight, apparent viscosity, and total polysaccharides content of indigestible DP (DPI) significantly decreased during in vitro fecal fermentation, and the reducing sugar content and the release of free monosaccharides notably increased, suggesting that DP could be degraded and used by gut microbiota. Additionally, the relative abundances of several beneficial bacteria, such as Bacteroides, Catenibacterium, Parabacteroides, and Megamonas, increased significantly, indicating that DP can regulate the composition and abundance of gut microbiota. Moreover, DP could also promote the production of SCFAs, thus changing the acid–base environment of the large intestine. The results of this study are beneficial for deeply clarifying the catabolic behavior of DP in the gastrointestinal tract, which can provide a theoretical basis for developing microbiota-directed products based on DP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Aims: We aimed to investigate the comfort, safety, and endoscopic visibility during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) afforded by a modified 4-hour semifluid and 2-hour water (“4+2”) fasting protocol. Methods: In this parallel group, endoscopist-blinded, randomized controlled trial, outpatients undergoing unsedated diagnostic EGD from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM were randomly assigned to either a “4+2” protocol group or a conventional fasting group. The participants’ comfort during the fasting period and procedure was measured using the visual analog scale, and mucosal visibility was measured by endoscopists using the total visibility score. Satisfaction was defined as a visual analog scale score of ≤3. The primary outcome was the participants’ comfort during fasting. Results: One hundred and six and 108 participants were randomized to the “4+2” protocol and control groups, respectively. Participants’ comfort before EGD was significantly higher in the “4+2” protocol group measured by both the proportion of satisfaction (86.8% vs 63.9%, p=0.002) and the visual analog scale score (median [interquartile range]: 1.0 [1.0–2.0] vs 3.0 [1.0–4.0], p<0.001). The proportion of satisfaction during EGD also significantly improved (59.4% vs 45.4%, p=0.039) in the “4+2” protocol group. The total visibility score was unaffected by the fasting protocol (5.0 [4.0–5.0] vs 4.0 [4.0–5.0], p=0.266). No adverse events were observed during the study. Conclusions: The “4+2” protocol was more comfortable and provided equal mucosal visibility and safety compared with conventional fasting for unsedated EGD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the large uncertainty in the municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) process, the furnace temperature of the MSWI process is difficult to control and the controller is updated frequently. To improve the accuracy and reduce the number of controller updates, a novel event-triggered control method based correntropy self-organizing TS fuzzy neural network (ET-CSTSFNN) is proposed. Firstly, the neurons of the rule layer are grown or pruned adaptively based on activation intensity and control error to meet the dynamic change of the actual operating condition. Meanwhile, the performance index is designed based on the correntropy of tracking errors, and the parameters of the controller are adjusted by gradient descent algorithm. Secondly, a fixed threshold event-triggered condition is designed to determine whether the current controller is updated or not. The stability of the control system is proved based on the Lyapunov stability theory. Finally, the furnace temperature control experiments are conducted based on the actual data of a municipal solid waste incineration plant in Beijing. The experimental results show that the proposed ET-CSTSFNN controller shows a better control performance, which can reduce the number of the controller update significantly while achieving accurate furnace temperature control compared with other traditional control methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the development of quantum image steganography, the visual effect of the image has always been the focus of scholars’ research. Based on the classical Gray code algorithm and the least significant bit (LSB) algorithm, a novel quantum image steganography algorithm is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the Arnold scrambling method is used to scramble the information image. In the meantime, the scrambled information image is expanded to the same size as the carrier image by using the quantum expansion method. Secondly, the double-layer Gray code rule is applied to the carrier pixels. This operation can reduce the change rate of LSB of carrier pixels. At the same time, the key image used in the extracting phase is generated. The key image improves the security of the algorithm. The classical Gray code algorithm needs to change 50% bits of the LSB of the carrier pixels when embedding. The proposed algorithm in this paper only needs to change 25% bits of the LSB of the carrier pixels when embedding. The PSNR value of the algorithm proposed in this paper can be around 54dB in the visual effect experiment, which is around 3dB higher than that of the classical Gray code algorithm. The robustness experiment is also better compared with other algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Obesity is highly prevalent in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and believed to influence its phenotype. Purpose: To explore the effects of obesity on left ventricular (LV) remodeling and long‐term clinical course in Chinese patients with HCM. Study Type: Longitudinal. Population: A total of 247 patients with HCM classified according to body mass index (BMI) (normal weight: BMI = 18.0–22.9 kg/m2 [N = 90]; overweight: BMI = 23.0–24.9 kg/m2 [N = 58]; and obese: BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 [N = 99]). Field Strength/Sequence: 3.0 T/Balanced steady‐state free precession sequence and phase‐sensitive inversion recovery late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) sequence. Assessment: LV function and geometry were measured. LV peak strain analysis was performed. The presence and percentage of LGE in the LV were recorded. The endpoints including heart failure, sudden cardiac death, and overall composite outcome were assessed during a median follow‐up of 4.1 years (interquartile range, 3.0–6.2 years). Statistical Tests: One‐way analysis of variance, Kruskal–Wallis test, or chi‐square test; Pearson correlation coefficient (r); multivariable linear regression analysis; Kaplan–Meier survival analysis; and Cox proportional hazards model analysis were conducted. A two‐tailed P‐value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Obese patients exhibited a significant progressive increase in LV mass compared with normal‐weight patients. The magnitude of all LV strain indices gradually and significantly decreased as BMI increased, whereas LV ejection fraction was not significantly different among BMI groups (P = 0.364). Multivariable linear regression analysis showed that obesity had a significant association with impaired strain indices as well as with indexed LV mass. Multivariable Cox model analysis retained obesity as an independent marker for future endpoints, and conveyed a > 3‐fold increase in risk compared with patients with normal weight (hazard ratio, 3.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.07–6.57). Data Conclusion: Obesity is an important environmental modifier that is associated with adverse LV remodeling and is independently associated with future clinical outcomes in Chinese patients with HCM. Level of Evidence: 3 Technical Efficacy: Stage 2 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: China has a low incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM); however, based on the large population, the absolute numbers are high. Our aim was to assess the incidence of childhood T1DM in Beijing during 2011–2020, predicted incidence for 2025–2035, and to determine the incidence of diabetic ketosis or diabetic ketoacidosis (DK/DKA) in this population. Methods: Data on patients aged less than 15 years of age with newly diagnosed T1DM between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2020 was obtained from five tertiary hospitals in Beijing and retrospectively analyzed. Results: In all, 636 children aged less than 15 years were diagnosed with T1DM during 2011–2020. The incidence of T1DM was 3.11–5.46 per 100,000 per year, with an average increase of 5.10% per year. The age-specific incidence for ages 0–4 years, 5–9 years, and 10–14 years was 2.97, 4.69, and 4.68 per 100,000 per year, respectively. The highest average annual increase (7.07%) in incidence was for the youngest age group. DK or DKA was present at the time of diagnosis of T1DM in 84.6% of patients. The age-specific incidence of T1DM among children aged less than 15 years was predicted to be 7.32, 11.4, and 11.52 per 100,000 in 2035 for ages 0–4 years, 5–9 years, and 10–14 years, respectively. Conclusions: The was a gentle increase in the incidence of childhood T1DM during 2011–2020 in Beijing. This increase is expected to continue for the next 15 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the effects of Lactobacillus fermentation on the nutrient content and hypoglycemic ability of chickpea milk were studied. Specifically, the fermentation of Lactobacillus acidophilus ATCC 4356 (LA) and Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum CICC 20279 (LP) reduced the contents of soluble sugar and protein in chickpea milk. But both single bacteria fermentation (SBF, LA or LP) and mixed bacteria fermentation (MBF, LA and LP) significantly increased the contents of some bioactive substances, such as dietary fiber, free amino acids, total polyphenols and total flavonoids. Moreover, LA fermented chickpea milk showed the best inhibition of α-glucosidase (highest inhibition rate up to 92.91%) and the MBF samples showed the best inhibition of α-amylase (highest inhibition rate up to 33.33%). In addition, free phenolics, conjugated phenolics, and total phenolics were all remarkably increased in chickpea milk after LA fermentation. The three types of phenolic compounds (free, conjugated, and bound) showed greater inhibition of α-glucosidase than α-amylase, and the conjugated phenolics exhibited the best inhibitory effects on both enzymes. From the results, Lactobacillus fermentation process may effectively improve the nutritional values and potential hypoglycemic activity of chickpea milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding protein 1 (CHD1) deletion is among the most common mutations in prostate cancer (PCa), but its role remains unclear. In this study, RNA sequencing was conducted in PCa cells after clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)-based CHD1 knockout. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) indicated upregulation of hypoxia-related pathways. A subsequent study confirmed that CHD1 deletion significantly upregulated hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α) expression. Mechanistic investigation revealed that CHD1 deletion upregulated HIF1α by transcriptionally downregulating prolyl hydroxylase domain protein 2 (PHD2), a prolyl hydroxylase catalyzing the hydroxylation of HIF1α and thus promoting its degradation by the E3 ligase von Hippel–Lindau tumor suppressor (VHL). Functional analysis showed that CHD1 deletion promoted angiogenesis and glycolysis, possibly through HIF1α target genes. Taken together, these findings indicate that CHD1 deletion enhances HIF1α expression through PHD2 downregulation and therefore promotes angiogenesis and metabolic reprogramming in PCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim of the Review. This study aims to summarize the therapeutic effect of luteolin on the pathogenesis of viral pneumonia, explore its absorption and metabolism in the human body, evaluate the possibility of luteolin as a drug to treat viral pneumonia, and provide a reference for future research. Materials and Methods. We searched MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Google Scholar and collected research on luteolin in the treatment of viral pneumonia and related diseases since 2003. Then, we summarized the efficacy and potential of luteolin in directly inhibiting viral activity, limiting inflammatory storms, reducing pulmonary inflammation, and treating pneumonia complications. Results and Conclusion. Luteolin has the potential to treat viral pneumonia in multiple ways. Luteolin has a direct inhibitory effect on coronavirus, influenza virus, and respiratory syncytial virus. Luteolin can alleviate the inflammatory factor storm induced by multiple factors by inhibiting the function of macrophages or mast cells. Luteolin can reduce pulmonary inflammation, pulmonary edema, or pulmonary fibrosis induced by multiple factors. In addition, viral pneumonia may cause multisystem complications, while luteolin has extensive protective effects on the gastrointestinal system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system. However, due to the first-pass metabolism mediated by phase II enzymes, the bioavailability of oral luteolin is low. The bioavailability of luteolin can be improved, and its potential value can be further developed by changing the dosage form or route of administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Ingrown nails are a type of nonspecific inflammation of nail folds. Intralesional injection is a rarely reported nonsurgical therapy for ingrown nails. Objective. To observe the efficacy of treating ingrown nails with intralesional injection, and to evaluate at which stage ingrown nails are applicable for this therapy. Methods. Ingrown nails were randomly divided into treatment (n = 87) and control (n = 37) groups. The treatment group received local injections combined with basic nursing, whereas the control group was only treated with basic nursing. Patients were followed up at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after the first treatment. Results. A statistically significant difference of the efficacy rates was observed between the two groups (P < 0.05). The overall satisfaction rate was 83.91% in the treatment group and 64.86% in the control group (P = 0.019). Conclusion. Intralesional injection is an effective therapy for ingrown nails, especially in the short term. This therapy is more applicable for Martinez-Nova stage I and IIA ingrown nails and can be used as a symptomatic treatment to relieve the acute inflammation of ingrown nails at stages IIB, III, and IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both vegetation coverage rates and arrangement patterns have important influences on erosion. Very little previous research focuses on the impacts of spatial vegetation distribution patterns on erosion. The slope-gully system was taken as the research object, which is composed of a 5.0 m long hillslope with a slope gradient of 20° and a 3.0 m long gully slope with a gradient of 50°. A series of scouring experiments with two inflow discharges (3.2 L min−1, 5.2 L min−1) was carried out. The effects of the flow discharges, spatial grass arrangement patterns (US, MS, and DS represent the presence of grass covering on up-hillslope, middle-hillslope, and down-hillslope, respectively) and grass coverage rates (0%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 90%) on runoff and sediment were studied in this paper. The results indicated that either runoff or sediment yielding was significantly decreased with the grass coverage rates increasing and with the variation of grass arrangement patterns on a hillslope. While grass coverage had more effectiveness in controlling erosion compared with runoff reduction, and DS can control erosion more effectively than US and MS erosion controlling. For the gully slope, erosion significantly increased with the grass coverage rates increasing no matter how the grass arrangement patterns on the hillslope. Therefore, both different grass coverage and different grass arrangement patterns have an influence on erosion processes; any research that only takes care of the single factor mentioned above is not enough to reveal the effects of grass on erosion. In the process of erosion control in the Loess Plateau, taking effective measures both on the hillslope and gully slope will be effective methods of reducing soil erosion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical investigation on the medicinal fungus Ganoderma australe led to the identification of ten new nor-lanostane triterpenes, namely two hexa-nor ones, ganoaustratetraenones A (1) and B (2), five penta-nor ones, ganoaustraldehydes A–E (3–7), and three tetra-nor ones ganoaustrenoic acids A–C (8–10). The chemical structures along with the absolute configurations were determined by extensive spectroscopic analysis of 1D & 2D NMR and HRESIMS data. The postulated biosynthesis pathways of these compounds were proposed. Ganoaustraldehydes A (3) and B (4) showed moderate inhibition against nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 macrophage cells with the respective IC50 values of 32.5, 34.2 µM (the IC50 of positive control pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate was 20.0 µM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Reliable electrophysiological indicators are urgently needed in the precise evaluation of Parkinson's disease (PD). It is still elusive whether oculomotor performance is impaired or has clinical value in early PD. This study aims to explore oculomotor performance in newly diagnosed, drugnaïve PD and its correlation with clinical phenotype. Methods: Seventy-five patients with de novo PD, 75 patients with essential tremor (ET), and 46 gender-and age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were included in this cross-sectional study. All subjects underwent oculomotor test via videonystagmography. Visually guided saccade latency, saccadic accuracy and gain in smooth pursuit eye movement (SPEM) at three frequencies of the horizontal axis were compared among the three groups. Patients with PD also received detailed motor and non-motor evaluation by serial scales. The association between key oculomotor parameters and clinical phenotypes were explored in PD patients. Results: Both de novo PD and ET patients showed prolonged saccadic latency and decreased saccadic accuracy relative to HCs. SPEM gain in PD was uniformly reduced at each frequency. SPEM gain at 0.4 Hz was also decreased in ET compared with HCs. However, there was no significant difference of oculomotor parameters between de novo PD and ET patients. Furthermore, prolonged saccadic latency was correlated with long disease duration, whereas decreased SPEM gain was associated with severe motor symptoms in de novo PD patients. Conclusion: Ocular movements are impaired in de novo, drug naïve PD patients; these changes could be indicators for disease progression in PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abnormal neovascularization is an important cause of blindness in many ocular diseases, for which the etiology and pathogenic mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Recent studies have revealed the diverse roles of noncoding RNAs in various biological processes and facilitated the research and development of the clinical application of numerous RNA drugs, including microRNAs. Here, we report the antiangiogenic activity of microRNA-29a (miR-29a) in three animal models of ocular neovascularization. The miR-29a knockout (KO) mice displayed enhanced vessel pruning, resulting in a decreased vascularized area during retinal development. In contrast, miR-29a deletion in adult mice accelerated angiogenesis in preclinical disease models, including corneal neovascularization, oxygen-induced retinopathy, and choroidal neovascularization, while the administration of agomir-29a ameliorated pathological neovascularization. Furthermore, miR-29a exerted inhibitory effects on endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and tube formation capacities. RNA sequencing analysis of retinas from miR-29a KO mice and RNA interference experiments identified platelet derived growth factor C and several extracellular matrix genes as downstream targets of miR-29a involved in regulating ocular angiogenesis. Our data suggest that miR-29a may be a promising clinical candidate for the treatment of neovascular diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nail apparatus is the largest and most complex skin appendage. Defects in this unit can result in significant functional insufficiency and cosmetic disfigurement. Common nail deformities include split nail, short nail, onycholysis, nail malalignment, hooked nail, and absent nail. Currently, surgical repair is the primary treatment for such deformities. Based on the etiological and anatomical classifications, one or more appropriate operations can be selected to repair nail unit deformities. These include autologous fat grafting, longitudinal cicatrectomy, Z‐plasties, nail bed elongation, split‐thickness sterile matrix grafting, volar V‐Y advanced flap reconstruction, sterile matrix particle grafting, germinal matrix flaps, and germinal matrix grafting. This review discusses the fundamental classification of nail unit deformities, common reconstructive surgical techniques, and their features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants have the potential to reduce CO2 concentration, but their photosynthesis is directly influenced by the indoor lighting environment. As a result, the efficiency of indoor plants is limited by indoor lighting environment. In order to explore the effect of lighting environments on the reduction of indoor CO2 concentration by indoor plants, three representative lighting environments were constructed, including a natural lighting environment, a poor lighting environment and an all-day lighting environment, while five common plants were selected to be planted in five transparent sealed chambers. Experimental results show that the lighting environment affected the CO2 concentration largely in transparent sealed chambers. Compared to the transparent sealed chamber without plants, the highest and average CO2 concentrations were increased by from 47.9% to 160.9% and from 21.6% to 132.4% in the poor lighting environment, respectively, while they decreased by from 60.4% to 84.6% and from 71.4% to 89.7% in the all-day lighting environment. This indicated that plants did not purify the indoor air consistently. Among the selected plants, the most suitable houseplant was Scindapsus aureus, followed by Chlorophytum comosum and Bambusa multiplex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Myocardial edema is an early manifestation of chemotherapy- related myocardial injury. In this study, we used cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) T2 mapping to assess myocardial edema and its changes during chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies. Methods: We enrolled 73 patients receiving chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies, whose the latest cycle was within one month before the beginning of this study, and 41 healthy volunteers. All participants underwent CMR imaging. Of the 73 patients, 35 completed CMR follow-up after a median interval of 6 (3.3 to 9.6) months. The CMR sequences included cardiac cine, T2 mapping, and late gadolinium enhancement. Results: Myocardial T2 was elevated in patients who were treated with chemotherapy compared with healthy volunteers [41ms (40ms to 43ms) vs. 41ms (39ms to 41ms), P = 0.030]. During follow-up, myocardial T2 rose further [40ms (39ms to 42ms) vs. 42.70 ± 2.92ms, P < 0.001]. Multivariate analysis showed that the number of chemotherapy cycles was associated with myocardial T2 elevation (b = 0.204, P = 0.029). After adjustment for other confounders, myocardial T2 elevation was independently associated with a decrease in left ventricular mass (b = -0.186; P = 0.024). Conclusion: In patients with gynecologic malignancies, myocardial edema developed with chemotherapy cycles increase, and was associated with left ventricular mass decrease. T2 mapping allows the assessment of myocardial edema and monitoring of its change during chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the diagnostic value of dermoscopy in defining the tumor margin of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) for the appropriate surgical margin. A total of 107 BCC patients were enrolled for this study. The tumor boundaries were observed by naked eye and dermoscope respectively, and 5 mm outward was used as surgical margin according to the dermoscopy‐defined margin. Pathological examinations were performed at 2 mm intervals in the direction previously marked and the effect was assessed accordingly. There were still 16.8% of patients whose visual margin was insufficient to the dermoscopy‐detected margin. With 2 mm excision margin from the dermoscopy‐guided tumor margin, excision range in 12 patients (11.2%) proved to be inadequate, but only 18 surgical margins (4.2%) in the whole 428 excision margin specimens proved to be tumor‐positive. While with 4 mm margin, residual lesion was observed in 2 (0.5%) of 107 BCC patients, and positive margin was found in 2 (0.3%) of 428 margin specimen. There has been no recurrence in our study so far. Dermoscopy is superior to visual inspection for defining BCC tumor margin. Under preoperative dermoscopy detection, a 4 mm excision margin of BCC can achieve a radical resection rate of 98.1%, and 92.3% for a 2 mm excision margin of pigmented BCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sweet tea is made from the leaves of Lithocarpus litseifolius (Hance) Chun, which is an herbal tea widely consumed in Chinese folk. In this study, five drying techniques were applied to dry sweet tea leaves, and the structural characteristics, antioxidant activities, α-glucosidase inhibitory activities, and antiglycation activities of sweet tea polysaccharides (STPs) were systematically evaluated. The extraction yields of STPs ranged from 2.37 to 4.09%, and STPs prepared by hot-air drying had the highest extraction yield. The five polysaccharides exhibited the same constituent monosaccharides, similar preliminary structural characteristics, different molecular weights (Mw), and different molar ratios of constituent monosaccharides. Critically, five STPs solutions exhibited non-Newtonian behavior, and STPs obtained by hot-air drying had the highest Mw and apparent viscosity. Compared with other drying technologies, relatively high total phenolic content was measured in the STPs obtained by freeze-drying (31.32 ± 1.77 mg GAE/g) and hot-air drying (29.13 ± 1.36 mg GAE/g). Furthermore, five STPs exhibited excellent biological properties, including antioxidant activities, α-glucosidase inhibitory activities, and antiglycation activities. Ultimately, the heat map analysis found that the bioactivities of STPs were related to their high Mw and high content of total phenolic. All results suggested that STPs, especially polysaccharides prepared by hot-air drying and freeze-drying, had good development prospects and application values as functional ingredients for the antidiabetic functional food development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Cancer chemotherapy potentially increases the risk of myocardial ischemia. This study assessed myocardial microvascular function by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) first-pass perfusion in patients treated with chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies.Methods: A total of 81 patients treated with chemotherapy for gynecologic malignancies and 39 healthy volunteers were prospectively enrolled and underwent CMR imaging. Among the patients, 32 completed CMR follow-up, with a median interval of 6 months. The CMR sequences comprised cardiac cine, rest first-pass perfusion, and late gadolinium enhancement.Results: There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics between the patients and normal controls (all p > 0.05). Compared with the normal controls, the patients had a lower myocardial perfusion index (PI) (13.62 ± 2.01% vs. 12% (11 to 14%), p = 0.001) but demonstrated no significant variation with an increase in the number of chemotherapy cycles at follow-up (11.79 ± 2.36% vs. 11.19 ± 2.19%, p = 0.234). In multivariate analysis with adjustments for clinical confounders, a decrease in the PI was independently associated with chemotherapy treatment (β = - 0.362, p = 0.002) but had no correlation with the number of chemotherapy cycles (r = - 0.177, p = 0.053).Conclusion: Myocardial microvascular dysfunction was associated with chemotherapy treatment in patients with gynecologic malignancies, and can be assessed and monitored by rest CMR first-pass perfusion.Key Points: • Chemotherapy was associated with but did not aggravate myocardial microvascular dysfunction in patients with gynecologic malignancies. • Rest CMR first-pass perfusion is an ideal modality for assessing and monitoring alterations in myocardial microcirculation during chemotherapy treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BMAL1 is a core circadian clock gene that is expressed rhythmically in a variety of tumor cells and is related to cancer cell proliferation and chemoradiotherapy sensitivity. Radiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the rhythmicity of BMAL1 in NPC, as well as its precise role in radiotherapy, remains unclear. We assessed changes in BMAL1 expression over 48 h in NPC cells and normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cells NP69 using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blotting (WB). Then, we induced the overexpression and knocked-down the levels of BMAL1 in NPC cells, and subsequently used Cell Counting Kit-8 assays to assess the proliferation of NPC cells. Xenograft tumour growth was used to evaluate the effect of BMAL1 in vivo. Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression of BMAL1 protein in transplanted tumors. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed to explore the biological signaling pathway. Finally, RT-PCR and WB were used to detect the expressions of BMAL1, p53 and p21. The results showed that the mRNA expression levels of circadian clock gene BMAL1 fluctuated rhythmically with time, and the expression levels of BMAL1 also changed depending on the protein levels in NPC and NP69 cells. Overexpression of BMAL1 inhibited the proliferation of NPC cells, while knockdown BMAL1 had the opposite effects. In a xenograft model, we observed that the upregulation of BMAL1 inhibited tumor growth and enhanced the sensitivity of NPC cells to radiotherapy. Ultimately, the downregulation of BMAL1 promoted tumor growth and decreased radiosensitivity. GSEA analysis suggested that BMAL1 significantly affected the p53 pathway. Overexpression of BMAL1 promoted the expression of p53 and p21, while the knockdown of BMAL1 inhibited the expression of p53 and p21. We speculate that BMAL1 has the potential to be a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for NPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mitral regurgitation (MR) is a comorbidity of myocardial infarction (MI), which may promote the incidence of adverse cardiovascular clinical events. However, it is not yet completely understood how MR in MI patients is associated with impaired myocardial deformation. Purpose: To determine the damaging myocardium effects of MR in MI patients in terms of the global peak strain (PS) and left ventricular (LV) function, and evaluate the independent risk factors impacting LV deformation after MI. Study type: Retrospective. Population: One hundred eighty‐six MI patients (17.7% female) and 84 normal control subjects (27.4% female). Field strength/sequence: 3.0T; late gadolinium enhancement sequence, balanced steady‐state free precession. Assessment: LV function and LV global PS (global radial peak strain [GRPS]; global circumferential peak strain [GCPS]; and global longitudinal peak strain [GLPS]) were compared among normal controls, MI without MR (MR−) and MI with MR (MR+, mild, moderate, severe) patients. Statistical Tests: One‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis test, and multiple linear regressions were used. A P value <0.05 indicated statistically significant difference (two‐tailed). Results: The MI (MR+) patients showed significantly lower LV global PS than both MI (MR−) and control groups in three directions (GRPS 16.66 ± 7.43%; GCPS −11.27 ± 4.27%; GLPS −7.75 ± 3.44%), and significantly higher LV end‐systolic (128.85 [87.91, 188.01] mL) and end‐diastolic volumes (210.29 [164.07, 264.00] mL) and significantly lower LV ejection fraction (38.23 ± 13.02%). Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that MR was independently associated with LV GCPS (β = −0.268) and GLPS (β = −0.320). LV infarct size was an independent indicator of LV GRPS (β = −0.215) and GCPS (β = −0.222). LV end‐diastolic volume was an independent indicator of LV GRPS (β = −0.518), GCPS (β = −0.503), and GLPS (β = −0.331). Data Conclusion: MR may further exacerbate the reduction of LV global peak strains and function. The MR, infarct size, and LV end‐diastolic volume can be used as independent association indicators for LV global PS in MI (MR+) patients. Level of Evidence: 4 Technical Efficacy Stage: 2 TOC Category: Chest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the evolution of the tidal field experienced by massive star clusters using cosmological simulations of Milky Way-sized galaxies. Clusters in our simulations experience the strongest tidal force in the first few hundred Myr after formation, when the maximum eigenvalue of the tidal tensor reaches several times 104 Gyr−2. After about 1 Gyr the tidal field plateaus at a lower value, with the median λm ∼ 3 × 103 Gyr−2. The fraction of time clusters spend in high tidal strength (λm > 3 × 104 Gyr−2) regions also decreases with their age from ∼20 per cent immediately after formation to less than 1 per cent after 1 Gyr. At early ages both the in situ and ex situ clusters experience similar tidal fields, while at older ages the in situ clusters in general experience stronger tidal field due to their lower orbits in host galaxy. This difference is reflected in the survival of clusters: we looked into cluster disruption calculated in simulation runtime and found that ex situ star clusters of the same initial mass typically end up with higher bound fraction at the last available simulation snapshot than the in situ ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myocardial fibrosis predisposes the development of main adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in various cardiac disorders. Native T1 derived from cardiac magnetic resonance allows the quantitative assessment of myocardial fibrosis without the use of contrast media. However, the prognostic value of native T1 in risk stratification remains uncertain. We searched MEDLINE®, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for cohort studies up to July 31, 2021, that reported prognostic data for native T1 in various cardiac disorders; the studies enrolling patients with myocardial iron or amyloid deposition, edema, and inflammation were excluded. A random effects meta-analysis was conducted. Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistic. Nineteen studies with 5,380 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Patients with MACEs had higher native T1 than those without [weighted mean difference: 27.35 (15.55–39.16), I2 = 23.2%]. The increase of native T1 per 1 ms [pooled adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 1.02 (1.00–1.03), I2 = 41.8%] and per ≥ 10 ms [pooled adjusted HR: 1.11 (1.07–1.16), I2 = 28.6%] was both associated with the development of MACEs; the categorical variable derived from native T1 also has the predicative value for MACEs [pooled adjusted HR: 5.97 (3.69–9.68), I2 = 0.0%]. Myocardial native T1 potentially serves as a prognostic biomarker in patients with various cardiac disorders. Different variable definitions of native T1 have different positively predictive value for outcome; the categorical variable derived from native T1 may be more helpful in identifying high-risk patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image self-recovery watermarking is to embed the main content of an image into the image itself, which provides the image with the ability to recover tampered information. In this paper, image self-recovery watermarking is introduced into quantum watermarking, and a novel tamper localization and self-recovery watermarking scheme for quantum images is proposed. The presented scheme takes 2 × 2 sized non-overlapping image block as the basic unit for watermarking generation and embedding, tampering detection, and image recovery. The watermark qubits embedded into the carrier image include authentication qubits for tamper detection and recovery qubits for image recovery. Meanwhile, a two-level tamper detection and localization method is designed, which increases tamper detection accuracy. Based on the result of tamper detection, two separate image recovery models are devised to enhance the quality of recovered images. Dedicated quantum circuits for implementing the proposed quantum watermarking algorithm are given in this paper. The experimental results indicate that the novel scheme is effective and exhibits good image tamper detection and self-recovery performance against multiple malicious attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

P-DM and P-W indicate polysaccharides extracted from sweet tea leaves by microwave-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction and hot water extraction, respectively. P-DM and P-W indicate polysaccharides extracted from sweet tea leaves by microwave-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction and hot water extraction, respectively; Significant differences (p < 0.05) among the positive control, P-DM, and P-W are shown by data bearing different letters (a-c). Keywords: sweet tea; polysaccharide; microwave-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction; physicochemical characteristics; biological activity EN sweet tea polysaccharide microwave-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction physicochemical characteristics biological activity N.PAG N.PAG 20 08/29/22 20220801 NES 220801 1. P-DM and P-W indicate polysaccharides extracted from sweet tea leaves by microwave-assisted deep eutectic solvent extraction and hot water extraction, respectively; Significant differences (p < 0.05) among the positive control, P-DM, and P-W are shown by data bearing different letters (a-c). [Extracted from the article]

Microglia are involved in the inflammatory response and retinal ganglion cell damage in glaucoma. Here, we investigated how microglia proliferate and migrate in a mouse model of chronic ocular hypertension (COH). In COH retinas, the microglial proliferation that occurred was inhibited by the P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) blocker BBG or P2X7R knockout, but not by the P2X4R blocker 5-BDBD. Treatment of primary cultured microglia with BzATP, a P2X7R agonist, mimicked the effects of cell proliferation and migration in COH retinas through the intracellular MEK/ERK signaling pathway. Transwell migration assays showed that the P2X4R agonist CTP induced microglial migration, which was completely blocked by 5-BDBD. In vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that ATP, released from activated Müller cells through connexin43 hemichannels, acted on P2X7R to induce microglial proliferation, and acted on P2X4R/P2X7R (mainly P2X4R) to induce microglial migration. Our results suggest that inhibiting the interaction of Müller cells and microglia may attenuate microglial proliferation and migration in glaucoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]