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Introduction: High concentrations of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) is the key of characteristic of fatty liver in dairy cows. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of high concentration of NEFA on lipid metabolism in hepatocytes through the lipidomic approach and molecular biology techniques. Methods: Stimulate AML-12 cells with different concentrations of NEFA, observe the cellular lipid accumulation, and select 0.6 mM NEFA stimulation concentration for subsequent experiments. Collect cells for lipidomics analysis. Results: High concentration of NEFA (0.6-2.4mM) significantly reduced the cell viability in a concentration-dependentmanner, indicating that high concentrations of NEFA have lipotoxicity on hepatocytes. In addition, NEFA promoted triglycerides (TAG) accumulation, increased the mRNA expression of the lipogenic molecules SREBP1c and FASN, and decreased the mRNA expression of lipolytic molecules CPT1A and HSL in hepatocytes.Mechanistically, high concentration of NEFA induced lipid metabolism disorders in hepatocytes by regulating metabolic pathways such as glycerol phospholipid metabolism, glycosyl phosphatidylinositol anchored biosynthesis, triglyceride metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and inositol phosphate metabolism. Discussion: High concentration of NEFA is lipotoxic to cells, promoting lipid accumulation. LPE (18:2), LPE (18:3), LPE (18:1) via glycerophospholipid metabolism, glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor biosynthesis, glycerolipid metabolism, sphingolipid metabolism, and inositol phosphate metabolism, indicating their potential regulation role in the pathogenesis of fatty liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incongruity between atmospheric oxidizing capacity and NOx emissions during the COVID-19 pandemic remains puzzling. Here, we show evidence from field observations of ten sites in China that there was a noticeable increase in NH3 concentrations during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the meteorological conditions, the significant decrease in sulfate and nitrate concentrations enhanced the portioning of NH4+ to NH3 Such conditions enable enhanced particle pH values, which in turn accelerate the redox reactions between NO2 and SO2 to form HONO. This mechanism partly explains the enhanced atmospheric oxidizing capacity during the pandemic and highlights the importance of coordinating the control of SO2, NOx, and NH3 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: The heterogeneity of pulmonary fibroblasts, a critical aspect of both murine and human models under physiological and pathological conditions, is well-documented. Yet, consensus remains elusive on the subtypes, lineage, biological attributes, signal transduction pathways, and plasticity of these fibroblasts. This ambiguity significantly impedes our understanding of the fibrotic processes that transpire in lung tissue during aging. This study aims to elucidate the transcriptional profiles, differentiation pathways, and potential roles of fibroblasts within aging pulmonary tissue. Methods: We employed single-cell transcriptomic sequencing via the 10x Genomics platform. The downstream data were processed and analyzed using R packages, including Seurat. Trajectory and stemness of differentiation analyses were conducted using the Monocle2 and CytoTRACE R packages, respectively. Cell interactions were deciphered using the CellChat R package, and the formation of collagen and muscle fibers was identified through Masson and Van Geison staining techniques. Results: Our analysis captured a total of 22,826 cells, leading to the identification of fibroblasts and various immune cells. We observed a shift in fibroblasts from lipogenic and immune-competent to fibrotic and myofibroblast-like phenotype during the aging process. In the aged stage, fibroblasts exhibited a diminished capacity to express chemokines for immune cells. Experimental validation confirmed an increase of collagen and muscle fiber in the aged compared to young lung tissues. Furthermore, we showed that TGFp treatment induced a fibrotic, immunodeficient and lipodystrophic transcriptional phenotype in young pulmonary fibroblasts. Conclusion: We present a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic landscape of lung tissue from aging mice at various stages, revealing the differentiation trajectory of fibroblasts during aging. Our findings underscore the pivotal role of fibroblasts in the regulation of immune cells, and provide insights into why age increases the risk of pulmonary fibrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building indoor dangerous behavior recognition is a specific application in the field of abnormal human recognition. A human dangerous behavior recognition method based on LSTM-GCN with attention mechanism (GLA) model was proposed aiming at the problem that the existing human skeleton-based action recognition methods cannot fully extract the temporal and spatial features. The network connects GCN and LSTM network in series, and inputs the skeleton sequence extracted by GCN that contains spatial information into the LSTM layer for time sequence feature extraction, which fully excavates the temporal and spatial features of the skeleton sequence. Finally, an attention layer is designed to enhance the features of key bone points, and Softmax is used to classify and identify dangerous behaviors. The dangerous behavior datasets are derived from NTU-RGB+D and Kinetics data sets. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively identify some dangerous behaviors in the building, and its accuracy is higher than those of other similar methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Small colony variant (SCV) is a bacterial phenotype closely related to persistent and recurrent infections. SCVs are mutations that occur within bacterial populations, resulting in a change in bacterial morphology and the formation of small colonies. This morphological change may enhance bacterial resistance to antibiotics and contribute to persistent and recurrent infections. Methods: We isolated Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPN) and its SCV from a child with recurrent respiratory tract infections. KPN and SCV were treated with subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics. growth curves, serum resistance experiments, macrophage phagocytosis experiments and whole genome sequencing were used to characterize KPN and SCV. Results: After treating KPN and SCV with subinhibitory concentrations of antibiotics, we found that ciprofloxacin induced the SCV transition to the mucoid phenotype. We found that the growth of mucoid Klebsiella pneumoniae was significantly slower than maternal strain and SCV though growth curves. Serum resistance experiments showed that mucoid strains had significantly higher serum resistance compared to maternal strain and SCV. Macrophage phagocytosis experiments revealed that SCV had significantly higher intracellular survival rates compared to maternal strain and mucoid strains. Differential gene analysis of three strains revealed that the mucoid strain contained DNA polymerase V subunit UmuC gene on the plasmid, while the SCV strain had an additional IcmK family IV secretion protein on its plasmid. Discussion: Our study showed the SCV of KPN changed to a mucoid colony when exposed to subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin. The higher resistance of serum of mucoid colonies was possibly related to the UmuC gene, while the increased intracellular survival of SCV may be related to the IcmK family type IV secretion proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interaction between retinal vascular endothelial cells and neurons plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR). This study aims to compare an in vitro model over a monoculture model to simulate the neurovascular coupling under the hyperglycemic microenvironment of diabetes. Methods: Rat retinal vascular endothelial cells (RRMECs) and ganglion cells (RGCs) were seeded mono- or co-cultured in a normal (NG, 5.5 mM) and high (HG, 75 mM) glucose concentrations culture medium. Cell viability was detected by the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. The ability of migration and lumen formation of RRMECs were determined by scratch wound, transwell migration, and lumen formation assays. The apoptosis index of cells was calculated and detected by propidium iodide (PI)/Hoechst staining. Quantitative and morphological analysis of RGCs was performed through the labeling of RGCs by brain-specific homeobox/POU domain protein 3A (BRN3A) and anti-beta-III tubulin (TUJ1). The gene and protein expression levels of occludin (OCLN) and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) were evaluated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The viability, migration, and lumen formation abilities of RRMECs in the HG group significantly increased (P<0.05) in both mono- and co-culture models. Migration and lumen formation abilities of RRMECs in the co-culture with HG were lower than that in the monoculture group (P<0.05). The viability of RGCs cells with HG significantly decreased in both mono- and co-culture models (Pmono<0.001, Pco<0.001), the apoptosis index of RGCs in the co-culture with HG was higher than that in the monoculture (P=0.010). The protein and gene expression of OCLN, and ZO-1 in RRMECs significantly decreased with HG culture medium in both culture models (P<0.05). In the HG group, the protein and gene expression level of the ZO-1 and OCLN of RRMECs significantly decreased in the co-culture model than that in the monoculture model (P<0.05). Conclusion: Compared with mono cell culture, the established co-culture in vitro system for diabetic neurovascular dysfunction can better stimulate the micro-environment of the retinal neurovascular unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser debonding is a promising removal method in prosthodontics. This study aimed to assess Er:YAG laser energy transmission through novel zirconia ceramics. Five types of ceramic samples: lithium disilicate ceramic (LDC), self-glazed zirconia (SGZ), 3 mol% yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (3Y-TZP), 4Y-TZP and 5Y-TZP with 5 thicknesses (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 mm) and 2 shades (A1, A3), 50 specimens total, were made. Fourier transformation infrared absorption spectra were obtained for each ceramic type, and Er:YAG laser energy transmission tests were conducted for each specimen. The novel zirconia ceramic (SGZ, 4Y-TZP, 5Y-TZP) transmission ranged from 40%-60%. The transmitted laser energy decreased with increasing ceramic thickness, and the differences between different shades were significant (p<0.05). The novel zirconias had a higher translucency than 3Y-TZP at any given thickness and shade, and when the thickness was >1.5 mm, the novel zirconias had a higher translucency than LDC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The healthy human cornea is a uniquely transparent sensory tissue where immune responses are tightly controlled to preserve vision. The cornea contains immune cells that are widely presumed to be intraepithelial dendritic cells (DCs). Corneal immune cells have diverse cellular morphologies and morphological alterations are used as a marker of inflammation and injury. Based on our imaging of corneal T cells in mice, we hypothesized that many human corneal immune cells commonly defined as DCs are intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs). To investigate this, we developed functional in vivo confocal microscopy (Fun-IVCM) to investigate cell dynamics in the human corneal epithelium and stroma. We show that many immune cells resident in the healthy human cornea are T cells. These corneal IELs are characterized by rapid, persistent motility and interact with corneal DCs and sensory nerves. Imaging deeper into the corneal stroma, we show that crawling macrophages and rare motile T cells patrol the tissue. Furthermore, we identify altered immune cell behaviors in response to short-term contact lens wear (acute inflammatory stimulus), as well as in individuals with allergy (chronic inflammatory stimulus) that was modulated by therapeutic intervention. These findings redefine current understanding of immune cell subsets in the human cornea and reveal how resident corneal immune cells respond and adapt to chronic and acute stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is a pregnancy-specific liver disease associated with a significant risk of fetal complications including pre-term delivery and fetal death. Typically, it was diagnosed in the third trimester of pregnancy. This study utilized characteristics from routine maternal examinations in the first 20 weeks’ gestation to predict ICP in pregnant women. Methods This is a retrospective case-control study. 13,329 medical records were collected on pregnant women presenting to the West China Second University Hospital between December 2017 and December 2018. After screening according to strict criteria, a total of 487 patients, 250 intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy cases, and 237 controls were selected for this study. We collected seven maternal characteristics indices for analysis and forty-three routine blood examination indices were obtained from routine hepatic, renal, and coagulation function examinations. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression was applied for variable selection. Classification and regression trees, logistic regression, random forests, and light gradient boosting machines were fit for predictive modeling. We randomly divided 25% of the original data as testing set to conduct internal validation of the performance of the prediction model. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) was used to compare methods. Results Eight variables were selected out as potentially significant predictors that could reliably predict ICP. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and AUC of the final prediction model obtained by light gradient boosting machines were 72.41, 79.69, 76.23, and 79.77%, respectively. Significantly higher platelet large cell ratio, alanine aminotransferase, glutamyl transpeptidase, and fibrinogen levels were found in cases as compared to healthy controls, while activated partial thromboplastin time and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration levels were significantly lower (p < .001). Conclusions The combination of alanine aminotransferase, glutamyl transpeptidase, fibrinogen, platelet large cell ratio, activated partial thromboplastin time, lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration levels can effectively predict ICP in the first 20 weeks of gestation. These could help provide direction for earlier detection and prevention of ICP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lily (Lilium spp.) is one of the most famous ornamental flowers globally. Lily basal rot (also known as root rot or stem rot) and lily gray mold have seriously affected the yield and quality of lily, resulting in huge economic losses. In this study, bacterial strain E was isolated from a continuous lily cropping field. Strain E displayed high control efficiency against lily basal rot and gray mold, caused by Fusarium oxysporum and Botrytis cinerea respectively, and promoted the occurrence of scale bulblets. Strain E displayed strong inhibitory effects against several other plant pathogenic fungi and two pathogenic bacteria in dual culture and disc diffusion assays, respectively. Whole genome sequencing revealed that strain E contained a 3,929,247 bp circular chromosome with 4,056 protein-coding genes and an average GC content of 47.32%. Strain E was classified as Bacillus velezensis using genomebased phylogenetic analysis and average nucleotide identity and digital DNA-DNA hybridization analyses. A total of 86 genes and 13 secondary metabolite biosynthetic gene clusters involved in antifungal and antibacterial activity, plant growth promotion, colonization, nutrient uptake and availability were identified in the genome of strain E. In vitro biochemical assays showed that strain E produced siderophores, proteases, cellulases, biofilms, antifungal and antibacterial substances, and exhibited organic phosphate solubilization and swimming and swarming motility, which were consistent with the results of the genome analysis. Colonization analysis showed that strain E could colonize the root of the lily, but not the leaf. Overall, these results demonstrate that B. velezensis strain E can be used as a potential biofertilizer and biocontrol agent for lily production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This longitudinal study explored the changed patterns of structural brain network after radiotherapy (RT) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were gathered from 35 patients with NPC at four time points: before RT (baseline), 0-3 (acute), 6 (early delayed), and 12 months (late-delayed) after RT. The graph theory was used to characterize the dynamic topological properties after RT and the significant changes were detected over time at the global, regional and modular levels. Significantly altered regional metrics (nodal efficiency and degree centrality) were distributed in the prefrontal, temporal, parietal, frontal, and subcortical regions. The module, that exhibited a significantly altered within-module connectivity, had a high overlap with the default mode network (DMN). In addition, the global, regional and modular metrics showed a tendency of progressive decrease at the acute and early delayed stages, and a partial/full recovery at the late-delayed stage. This changed pattern illustrated that the radiation-induced brain damage began at the acute reaction stage and were aggravated at the early-delayed stage, and then partially recovered at the late-delayed stage. Furthermore, the spearman's correlations between the abnormal nodal metrics and temporal dose were calculated and high correlations were found at the temporal (MTG.R and HES.L), subcortical (INS.R), prefrontal (ORBinf.L and ACG.L), and parietal (IPL.R) indicating that these regions were more sensitive to dose and should be mainly considered in radiotherapy treatment plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the world with high morbidity and mortality. Identifying an effective marker for predicting the prognosis and therapeutic response is extremely meaningful. Angiogenesis-related genes (ARGs) play important roles in the tumor progression and immune-suppressive microenvironment formation. Methods: The differential expressed ARGs associated with the prognosis of HCC were identified in the TCGA dataset. Univariate Cox and least absolute shrinkage selection operator (LASSO) regression were applied to construct a ARGs Scoring model. The prognostic value of the ARGs Scoring model was assessed by Cox regression, Kaplan-Meier (KM) and ROC curve analyses. Then the model was further validated in an external dataset, ICGC dataset. The patients were split into two groups based on the ARGs Score and the clinical features were compared. TIMER, CIBERSORT and xCell algorithms were utilized to analyze the correlation between the ARGs Score and tumor immune microenvironment (TIME). Furthermore, we analyzed the efficacy of the model in predicting the therapeutic response for immunotherapy, targeted therapy and TACE treatment in different cohorts. Results: A total of 97 differential expressed ARGs were identified relating to the prognosis of HCC patients from the TCGA dataset. Then the ARGs Scoring model based on a 9-gene signature was constructed using the Cox and LASSO regression analyses. Higher ARGs Score had a poor clinical outcome and was considered to be an independent prognostic predictor for HCC in the multivariate Cox analysis. The ARGs Score was related to the enrichment of various immune cells, such as CD4+ T cells, Treg, macrophage, neutrophil and dendritic cells, exhibiting a more immunosuppressive phenotype. Higher ARGs Score was correlated with higher expression of immune checkpoint genes and poor response to immunotherapy. Furthermore, higher ARGs Score indicated poor therapeutic response in the sorafenib and TACE treatment cohorts, individually. Conclusions: The ARGs Scoring model exhibited robust predictive value for the prognosis and TIME for HCC patients. Higher ARGs Score indicated poor therapeutic response of the immunotherapy, sorafenib and TACE treatment. The ARGs Scoring model could be used as a biomarker to help physicians to develop more individualized treatment for HCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cortical activation patterns in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) may be influenced by postural strategies, but the underlying neural mechanisms remain unclear. Our aim is to examine the role of the fronto-parietal lobes in patients with PD adopting different postural strategies and the effect of dual task (DT) on fronto-parietal activation. Methods: Two groups of patients with PD adopting either the posture first strategy (PD-PF) or the posture second strategy (PD-PS) were examined respectively when in the "OFF" state while single-walking task (SW) and DT. Frontal and parietal lobe activity was assessed by functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and measuring gait parameters. Linear mixed models were used for analyses. Results: Patients with PD who adopted PS had greater cortical activation than those who adopted PF, and there was no difference between PF and PS in the behavioral parameters. For oxyhemoglobin levels, the task condition (SW vs. DT) had a main effect in fronto-parietal lobes. Postural strategy (PD-PF vs. PD-PS) a main effect in the left prefrontal cortex (LPFC), left parietal lobe (LPL), and right parietal lobe (RPL) regions. In the task of walking with and without the cognitive task, patients with PD adopting PS had higher activation in the LPL than those adopting PF. In DT, only PD patients who adopted PS had elevated oxyhemoglobin levels in the LPFC, right prefrontal cortex (RPFC), and LPL compared with the SW, whereas patients with PD who adopted PF showed no differences in any region. Conclusion: Different patterns of fronto-parietal activation exist between PD-PF and PD-PS. This may be because PD-PS require greater cortical functional compensation than those adopting PF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent studies have shown that the fibrinogen to albumin ratio (FAR) is closely related to the prognosis of various cancers. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the prognostic value of FAR in malignancies based on the available evidence. Method: To systematically search the Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Google Scholar, Baidu scholars, CNKI and VIP databases for relevant studies published before April 1, 2022, and to evaluate the fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) and survival of patients with malignant tumors through a meta-analysis relationship between the results. Results. This meta-analysis included 19 eligible studies involving 5926 cancer patients. We found that high FAR was associated with poor overall survival (HR=2.25, 95%CI 1.86-2.74, p<0.001), recurrence-free survival (HR=2.29, 95%CI 1.91-2.76, P<0.001), progressionfree survival (HR: 2.10, 95%CI 1.58-2.79, p<0.001), disease-free survival (HR=1.52, 95%CI 1.17-1.96, p=0.001), and time to recurrence (HR: 1.555, 95% CI 1.031-2.346, P=0.035) was significantly correlated. Conclusions: High FAR is significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes in cancer, suggesting that it may be an important predictor of prognosis in patients with malignancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc transporter 3 (ZnT3) has been implicated in the aetiopathology of schizophrenia. In this pilot study, we tested the hypothesis that the presence of a minor allele of two variants in the gene encoding ZnT3 (SLC30A3) affects brain glutamate and cognitive activity in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder. Fifteen patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), 15 with bipolar affective disorder type 2 (BD), and 14 healthy volunteers (HV) were genotyped for two SLC30A3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs11126936 and rs11126929). They also underwent structural and functional MRI (n-back) imaging as well as static (PRESS) and functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy (n-back) on a 3 Tesla MRI system. SCZ with at least one copy of the minor allele showed reductions in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex glutamate during the n-back task, whereas SCZ without the minor allele showed an increase in glutamate. BD with the minor allele had reduced glutamate in the anterior cingulate cortex (p < 0.05). There was no effect of SLC30A3 genotype on BOLD activation during n-back or on cortical brain volume. This study supports the further investigation of SLC30A3 and its role in glutamatergic neurotransmission and in the neuropathology of mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab has been proved to have promising antitumor activity and tolerable safety in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) also demonstrated high response rates and favorable survival for patients with advanced HCC. This study aimed to explore the preliminary clinical efficacy and safety of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab combined with HAIC for patients with treatment-naive advanced HCC. Methods: Between October 2020 and September 2021, patients with advanced HCC who initially received atezolizumab plus bevacizumab combined with HAIC of oxaliplatin, fluorouracil, and leucovorin (FOLFOX) from three hospitals in China were reviewed for eligibility. The efficacy was evaluated by tumor response rate and survival, and the safety was evaluated by the frequency of key adverse events (AEs). Results: In total, 52 eligible patients with advanced HCC who received triple therapy were included in this study. The objective response rates (ORRs) based on mRECIST and RECIST1.1 criteria were 67.3% and 44.2%, respectively. The median progression-free survival (PFS) of patients was 10.6 months (95% CI, 8.37–13.8), and the overall survival (OS) was not reached. Extrahepatic metastasis was an independent risk factor associated with PFS. All AEs were controlled and no treatment-related deaths occurred. Conclusion: Atezolizumab plus bevacizumab combined with HAIC-FOLFOX had a significant therapeutic effect and manageable AEs in patients with advanced HCC, which may be a potential treatment option for advanced HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Apolipoproteins are amphipathic molecules and the major components of plasma lipoproteins. This study aims to investigate the effects of dysregulated apolipoprotein (apo) profiles and their ratios on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) further to test the hypothesis that altered serum level of apolipoproteins is strong biomarkers for DR. Research. Design and Methods: This case-control study consists of 157 patients with T2DM including DM without DR, non-proliferative DR (NPDR), and proliferative DR (PDR). Fifty-eight age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were enrolled as normal controls. Blood biochemistry profile including serum levels of glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid profile [total cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TG), high and low-density lipoprotein (HDL-C and LDL-C)] was estimated. Apolipoproteins (apos, A-I, A-II, B, C-II, C-III, and E) was evaluated by protein chips (Luminex technology). Apolipoprotein ratios and arteriosclerosis-associated plasma indices were calculated. The Kruskal-Wallis test, independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, and multivariate regression analysis were performed to investigate the association of serum lipid biomarkers and the DR severity. Results: Serum level of apoA-I was negatively correlated with TC-(HDL-C)/HDL-C (p < 0.001), fasting glucose (p < 0.001), HbA1c (p < 0.001), and (p<0.001), while apoE, apoCII/apoC-III, apoA-II/apoA-I were positively correlated with above traditional biomarkers (p < 0.001). Single variable logistic analysis results showed that body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.023), DM duration (p < 0.001), apoE (p < 0.001), apoC-II/apo C-III (p < 0.001), apoE/apoC-II (p < 0.001), atherogenic index (p = 0.013), fasting glucose (p < 0.001), HbA1c (p < 0.001), LPA (p = 0.001), and LDL-C/HDL-C (p = 0.031) were risk factors for the occurrence and severity of DR. Multivariate logistic regression mode showed that apoC-II/apoC-III and apoB/non-HDL-C (p < 0.001) as well as apoE/apoC-II (p = 0.001) were the independent risk factors for the occurrence and severity of DR--apopA-I and apoA-II are protective factors for DR--after controlling for the duration of DM, HbA1c, fasting glucose, and LPA. Conclusions: apoE, apoC-II/apoC-III, apoE/apoC-II, and apoB/non-HDL-C could be used as novel biomarkers for occurrence and severity of DR, whereas apoA-I and apoA-II resulted as protective factors for DR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lipid dyshomeostasis has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various retinal and choroidal vascular diseases. This study aims to investigate whether apolipoprotein (apo) mediated differential regulation of lipid metabolism contributes to the phenotypes of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). This study involved 148 subjects including 53 patients with PCV, 44 patients with nAMD, and 51 age-, sex-matched subjects with normal fundus controls. Routine blood biochemistry profile was evaluated. Apolipoproteins was estimated by Luminex technology. After controlling for age, gender, body mass index, duration of hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus, apoB/non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p=0.015) was an independent risk factor for nAMD, apoB was an independent risk factor for PCV(p=0.011), compared with control. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) was significantly higher in patients with PCV when compared with nAMD (p=0.037). Furthermore, apoB/non-HDL, LDL-C, triglycerides and were significantly correlated with the pathogenesis of subgroups of PCV and nAMD. We concluded that lipid profiles and apos are differential regulated in PCV, nAMD and their subtypes, indicating different pathogenicity contributed to the different phenotypes of PCV and nAMD. Non-pachy PCV shares pathological similarities with nAMD, which is highly correlated with age-related atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advantage of self-relocation of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) can eliminate heavy searching-for-parking traffic in areas with limited parking availability. However, the floating trips will exacerbate local traffic congestion and parking competition if relocated CAVs are not well distributed in the network. To address these issues, this paper proposes a centralized dispatching-for-parking system to dynamically dispatch CAVs between different regions to optimize parking resource utilization and traffic distribution. A macroscopic modeling approach is presented with the consideration of mixed traffic flows of human-driven vehicles (HDVs) and CAVs. The system dynamics are modeled with the representation of the macroscopic fundamental diagram (MFD) in a multiregion road network. The objective of the system is to minimize the total network delay, which is formulated by the framework of model predictive control (MPC). Results of the numerical experiments in a two-region network show that the approach improves the performance of system operation and alleviates traffic congestion and imbalance between parking supply and demand in downtown areas. The sensitivity analysis on the level of CAV penetration reveals that the total network delay gradually decreases with the penetration increase, and HDVs benefit more from the MPC controller. The study demonstrates the applicability and implication of the dispatching-for-parking system in an era of CAVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Our study aimed to explore the prognostic value of the aspartate aminotransferase–platelet ratio index (APRI) and to develop a new nomogram for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who experience late recurrence after radiofrequency ablation (RFA). To date, no study has explored the value of APRI for assessing the late recurrence of HCC after RFA. Materials and Methods: The prognostic value of APRI was evaluated and validated in our multicenter retrospective analysis. A total of 466 HCC patients undergoing RFA were reviewed as a training cohort, and 234 HCC patients were included in the external validation cohort. The nomogram was built based on significant prognostic factors in a multivariate analysis and validated in the external validation cohort. Results: The cutoff APRI score was 0.78, and it appropriately discriminated between low- and high-risk groups for late recurrence in HCC patients. The cumulative recurrence-free survival rates of the lowrisk group were significantly higher than those of the high-risk group (p < 0.001), according to the Kaplan–Meier curves. Late recurrence in HCC patients after RFA was associated with APRI, sex and multiple tumors. The nomogram based on potential risk factors (APRI score, sex and multiple tumors) as indicated by multivariate Cox regression analysis showed good discrimination and calibration in the training and external verification groups. Conclusions: The APRI score is a feasible independent prognostic factor for the late recurrence of HCC after RFA. The proposed nomogram could aid clinicians in following disease progression and providing tailored therapy for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birefringent crystals with strong anisotropy are important components in modern optical devices. The newly discovered planar π-conjugated cyanurate group (HxC3N3O3)x-3 (x = 0-3) has been demonstrated as an effective functional motif for improving birefringence in the ultraviolet region. Here, single co-crystals of alkali halide cyanurates, RbBr·(H3C3N3O3) (I), RbI·(H3C3N3O3) (II), and CsBr·(H3C3N3O3) (III) were synthesized by the ethanol solution method, and NaBr·(H3C3N3O3) (IV) was obtained via the solvent-drop grinding method. These four co-crystals feature a planar (H3C3N3O3) arrangement and exhibit wide band gaps (> 4.90 eV), tunable birefringence (Δnexp ~ 0.124-0.256), and high thermal stability (156 °C-349 °C). In addition, first principles calculations were also carried out to evaluate the relationship between molecule density, spatial arrangement and optical birefringence, and suggested a great tailoring effect of the alkali metal and halogen species on regulating the optical anisotropy of co-crystal cyanurates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Birefringent crystals are very important optical materials, which are widely used in the fields of optics and communication. In this work, we reported a new iodate, NaGaI3O9F, synthesized by mild hydrothermal method. NaGaI3O9F crystallized in the monoclinic space group P21/c (No. 14) and it featured a novel ∞[Ga2(IO3F)2(IO3)4]2- layer stacked with Na+ cations located in the void maintaining charge balance. Notably, IO3- and IO3F2- anionic units appeared in the same time in the A-Ga-I-O/F (A = alkali metal) system. According to the experimental characterization and theoretical calculations, NaGaI3O9F showed a wide bandgap (4.27 eV) and large birefringence (Δnexp ~ 0.203, Δncal = 0.197 at 1064 nm), indicating its potential use as a birefringent material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To improve counseling in women at risk of refractory and/or de novo urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) following sling placement at time of prolapse repair, we created an outcome model to characterize changes in storage dysfunction. Materials and Methods: We identified 139 women who underwent urodynamics followed by sling or no sling placement at the time of prolapse repair over a 6-year period. Our primary outcome was the presence of UUI following sling placement. Data were analyzed in SAS using chi-square, Fisher's exact, Student's t-test, and Kaplan-Meier methods. Results: At baseline, the sling group had significantly higher subjective (62/81 [76.5%] vs. 18/58 [31.0%]; p<0.001), objective (62/81 [76.5%] vs. 6/58 [10.3%]; p<0.001), and occult (41/81 [50.6%] vs. 6/58 [10.3%]; p<0.001) stress urinary incontinence (SUI); and rates of subjective and objective UUI were similar to the no sling group prior to surgery. After surgery (mean follow-up 859 days) there was no difference with or without sling, in the rate of SUI (subjective, objective) and further SUI treatments (bulking agent, repeat sling). Higher rates of de novo (13/81 [16.0%] vs. 6/58 [10.3%]; p=0.454) and refractory (31/81 [38.3%] vs. 14/58 [24.1%]; p=0.048) UUI were noted in the sling group following surgery. On Kaplan-Meier analysis, a greater proportion of women in the no sling group did not report UUI at longest follow-up (hazard ratio 0.63; 95% confidence interval 0.37-1.06; p=0.081). Conclusions: Women should be counseled on the risk of de novo and refractory UUI following sling placement at time of prolapse repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrophysiological mapping of chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) at high throughput and high resolution is critical for understanding its underlying mechanism and guiding definitive treatment such as cardiac ablation, but current electrophysiological tools are limited by either low spatial resolution or electromechanical uncoupling of the beating heart. To overcome this limitation, we herein introduce a scalable method for fabricating a tissue-like, highdensity, fully elastic electrode (elastrode) array capable of achieving real-time, stable, cellular level-resolution electrophysiological mapping in vivo. Testing with acute rabbit and porcine models, the device is proven to have robust and intimate tissue coupling while maintaining its chemical, mechanical, and electrical properties during the cardiac cycle. The elastrode array records epicardial atrial signals with comparable efficacy to currently available endocardial-mapping techniques but with 2 times higher atrial-to-ventricular signal ratio and >100 times higher spatial resolution and can reliably identify electrical local heterogeneity within an area of simultaneously identified rotor-like electrical patterns in a porcine model of chronic AF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published a chest X-ray image database named "ChestX-ray8", which contains 108,948 X-ray images that are labeled with eight types of diseases. Identifying the pathologies from the clinical images is a challenging task even for human experts, and to develop computer-aided diagnosis systems to help humans identify the pathologies from images is an urgent need. In this study, we applied the deep learning methods to identify the cardiomegaly from the X-ray images. We tested our algorithms on a dataset containing 600 images, and obtained the best performance with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.87 using the transfer learning method. This result indicates the feasibility of developing computer-aided diagnosis systems for different pathologies from X-rays using deep learning techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published a chest X-ray image database named "ChestX-ray8", which contains 108,948 X-ray images that are labeled with eight types of diseases. Identifying the pathologies from the clinical images is a challenging task even for human experts, and to develop computer-aided diagnosis systems to help humans identify the pathologies from images is an urgent need. In this study, we applied the deep learning methods to identify the cardiomegaly from the X-ray images. We tested our algorithms on a dataset containing 600 images, and obtained the best performance with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.87 using the transfer learning method. This result indicates the feasibility of developing computer-aided diagnosis systems for different pathologies from X-rays using deep learning techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with the charge recombination loss from the unfavorable defects of the perovskite layer, the inferior charge transport characteristics of the interlayers deteriorate the efficiency in solar cells and slow the response speed in photodetectors. Here, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4-TCNQ) is incorporated into a 4,4′,4′′-tris(3-methylphenylphenylamino)triphenylamine (m-MTDATA) layer to facilitate hole transport by providing deep electron traps. The increased work function and enlarged hole mobility of the composite hole transport layer are beneficial for the photoelectric conversion process of the perovskite photovoltaic devices. Consequently, an enhanced efficiency of 18.35% is achieved for the perovskite solar cells and a shortened decay time of 39.8 ns is obtained for the perovskite photodetectors. This work reveals the limitation of the transport layers on the perovskite solar cells and photodetectors, and provides an effective method to obtain high efficiency solar cells and fast photodetectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Question: Can we create a highly structured (but practical) abstract, which communicates the essential elements demanded by an expert scholarly reader? Motivation: A key aim of this journal is to enable "relevant information exchange and communication". Information overload means that readers are easily lost. Right at the start, poorly designed abstracts can fail to "hook" readers. Lost readers: this is bad for authors, editors and for the journal. What's new? While structured abstracts are not new, the "synergistic" combination of elements, combined with succinct guidance on content, is where the novelty lies. So what? Engaging readers in this way should lead to more journal activity - more readings, cites, submissions - and, ultimately, to an enhanced profile/reputation in the scholarly community. Idea: Building on Faff (2015, 2017) and Faff et al. (2017e) ["reverse engineering" and "pitch sparring"], we adapt the "Pitching Research" [PR] framework to create a structured and engaging abstract. Data: The "experimental" setting involves a sample of six high-performing non-research students, who signed up to an intense 4-week "research scholar" programme over Winter 2017, at the University of Queensland. Tools: The "Winter Scholars" are first taken through an "immersion treatment" on the PR framework. During this process, the students form three teams and each team is assigned an article to "spar" a reverseengineered pitch summary-abstract. There are several iterative rounds of abstract design. Findings: The original pitch is limited to 1,000 words, an initial condensed abstract aims for 400 words and the final version is modified to 350 words. Three examples of the final structured abstract are created in Accounting, Finance and Management, providing "soft" "proof of concept". Contribution: By creating a simple, focused and structured new abstract design adopted by this journal, we enhance the ability of the journal to meet its primary aim of enhancing "relevant information exchange and communication". Over time, with growing use and application in this journal, the reach of this contribution grows too. More generally, we argue that this novel abstract design increases awareness of the broader PR framework, helping readers and especially novice researchers better understand, describe and ultimately design their own scholarly research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) contain spontaneously reported adverse events (AEs) from the public. It has been a major data source for detecting AEs and monitoring vaccine safety. As one major limitation of spontaneous surveillance systems, the VAERS reports by themselves sometimes do not provide enough information to answer certain research questions. For example, patient level demographics are very limited in VAERS due to the protection of patient privacy, such that investigation of differential AE rates across race/ethnicity groups cannot be conducted using VAERS data only. For many vaccines, racial and ethnical difference in immune responses has been found in studies based on racially diverse cohorts. It is of great interest to characterize the differential AE rates by race and ethnicity groups for vaccines. In this study, we propose a novel statistical method to integrate VAERS data with data from other resources for vaccine pharmacovigilance research. Specifically, we integrate VAERS data with CDC survey data of vaccine coverage and U.S. census data of race/ethnicity distribution to quantify differential AE rates by race/ethnicity groups for HPV vaccine. We utilize the difference of race/ethnicity distributions across U.S. states to investigate the association between AE reporting rate and race/ethnicity groups at the population level. We identify 9 AEs with significantly different reporting rates between non-Hispanic White females and other race/ethnicity groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]