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Neurological disorders refer to the pathological changes of the nervous system involving multiple pathological mechanisms characterized by complex pathogenesis and poor prognosis. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that is a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily. PPAR has attracted considerable attention in the past decades as one of the potential targets for the treatment of neurological disorders. Several in vivo and in vitro studies have confirmed that PPARs play a neuroprotective role by regulating multiple pathological mechanisms. Several selective PPAR ligands, such as thiazolidinediones and fibrates, have been approved as pharmacological agonists. Nevertheless, PPAR agonists cause a variety of adverse effects. Some natural PPAR agonists, including wogonin, bergenin, jujuboside A, asperosaponin VI, monascin, and magnolol, have been introduced as safe agonists, as evidenced by clinical or preclinical experiments. This review summarizes the effects of phytochemicals on PPAR receptors in treating various neurological disorders. Further, it summarizes recent advances in phytochemicals as potential, safe, and promising PPAR agonists to provide insights into understanding the PPAR-dependent and independent cascades mediated by phytochemicals. The phytochemicals exhibited potential for treating neurological disorders by inhibiting neuroinflammation, exerting anti-oxidative stress and anti-apoptotic activities, promoting autophagy, preventing demyelination, and reducing brain edema and neurotoxicity. This review presents data that will help clarify the potential mechanisms by which phytochemicals act as pharmacological agonists of PPARs in the treatment of neurological disorders. It also provides insights into developing new drugs, highlighting phytochemicals as potential, safe, and promising PPAR agonists. Additionally, this review aims to enhance understanding of both PPAR-dependent and independent pathways mediated by phytochemicals., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To identify the associations between gestational cholesterol levels and the risk of postpartum hypercholesterolemia, and to establish trimester-specific reference values., Methods: Serum lipids at gestational weeks 6-8, 16, 24, and 36, and 42 days postpartum were derived from 905 pregnant women of a prospective cohort. The major outcome was postpartum hypercholesterolemia. Logistic regression and restricted cubic splines were conducted to estimate the associations between cholesterol levels at specific gestational ages and postpartum hypercholesterolemia. Associations of the trend of changes in cholesterol levels during pregnancy with postpartum hypercholesterolemia were evaluated by linear mixed-effect model and linear or logistic regression. Reference values were computed by the receiver operating characteristic curves., Results: Serum concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and the ratios of TC/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C all increased during pregnancy and decreased at 42 days postpartum. The elevated levels of TC and LDL-C, decreased levels of HDL-C in pregnancy, and their rapid change rates were positively associated with higher risks of postpartum hypercholesterolemia. The established reference values from the first to the third trimester were below 5.47, 6.35, and 7.22 mmol/L for TC; below 2.83, 3.82, and 4.21 mmol/L for LDL-C; and more than 1.50, 1.55, and 1.50 mmol/L for HDL-C, respectively., Conclusion: Maternal cholesterol levels and their trend of change during pregnancy were predictors of postpartum hypercholesterolemia. Trimester-specific reference values were established in a Chinese population., (© 2024 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

A photocatalytic dearomative hydrosilylation reaction of indole derivatives with silanes has been accomplished for the synthesis of valuable indolinyl silanes through a carbon-silyl radical coupling process with the cooperation of photoredox and hydrogen atom transfer catalytic systems composed of 3DPA2FBN (2,4,6-tris(diphenylamino)-3,5-difluorobenzonitrile), (i-Pr) 3 SiSH, and base additives. This protocol is featured by a broad substrate scope, transition metal-free conditions, high diastereoselectivities and applications in natural product derivatives.

Background: After the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, no studies on bacterial and atypical pathogens were conducted in primary care. We aimed to describe the etiological composition of acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) presenting to primary care with limited resources after the pandemic., Methods: 1958 adult patients with ARTIs from 17 primary care clinics were recruited prospectively from January 2024 to March 2024. 17 and 62 pathogens in throat swab samples were tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS), respectively. We analyzed the pathogen spectrum and co-infectious pattern of viral, bacterial or atypical pathogens. Then, the associations between clinical characteristics and pathogens were investigated., Results: In PCR test, the positive rate of any pathogens was 80.3%, consisting of 60.2% for viruses, 41.8% for bacteria and 21.7% for viral-bacterial co-infection. In tNGS test, the positive rate was 89.1%, consisting of 64.7% for viruses, 55.2% for bacteria and 30.9% for viral-bacterial co-infection. Influenza virus B (18.2%), influenza virus A (16.8%) and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (14.1%) were the three leading viral pathogens, and H. influenzae (36.1%), S. anginosus (15.7%) and S. pneumoniae (8.4%) were the three leading bacterial pathogens. Few M. pneumoniae (1.6%) were detected. The mixed bacterial or mixed viral-bacterial co-infections were the most common co-infectious patterns. The mixed bacterial or mixed viral-bacterial co-infections were the most common co-infectious patterns. Overall, patients with viral infection or viral-bacterial co-infection had more clinical symptoms, and patients with bacterial infection had higher inflammatory indicators., Conclusions: After the COVID-19 pandemic, the main viral pathogens of ARTIs were unevenly distributed, and less bacterial and atypical pathogens were detected in primary care. The microbiological evidences can optimize the precision diagnosis and treatment of ARTIs in primary care with limited resources., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Ethical Review Committee at Shenzhen People’s Hospital (LL-KY-2024127-02). At recruitment, all participants gave informed consent to participate. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Clinical trial number: Not applicable., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Objectives: To explore the synthesis of high-quality CT (sCT) from cone-beam CT (CBCT) using PE-CycleGAN for adaptive radiotherapy (ART) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma., Methods: A perception-enhanced CycleGAN model "PE-CycleGAN" was proposed, introducing dual-contrast discriminator loss, multi-perceptual generator loss, and improved U-Net structure. CBCT and CT data from 80 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients were used as the training set, with 7 cases as the test set. By quantifying the mean absolute error (MAE), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), structural similarity index (SSIM), as well as the dose gamma pass rate and the relative dose deviations of the target area and organs at risk (OAR) between sCT and reference CT, the image quality and dose calculation accuracy of sCT were evaluated., Results: The MAE of sCT generated by PE-CycleGAN compared to the reference CT was (56.89±13.84) HU, approximately 30% lower than CBCT's (81.06±15.86) HU ( P <0.001). PE-CycleGAN's PSNR and SSIM were 26.69±2.41dB and 0.92±0.02 respectively, significantly higher than CBCT's 21.54±2.37dB and 0.86±0.05 ( P <0.001), indicating substantial improvements in image quality and structural similarity. In gamma analysis, under the 2 mm/2% criterion, PE-CycleGAN's sCT achieved a pass rate of (90.13±3.75)%, significantly higher than CBCT's (81.65±3.92)% ( P <0.001) and CycleGAN's (87.69±3.50)% ( P <0.05). Under the 3 mm/3% criterion, PE-CycleGAN's sCT pass rate of (90.13±3.75)% was also significantly superior to CBCT's (86.92±3.51)% ( P <0.001) and CycleGAN's (94.58±2.23)% ( P <0.01). The mean relative dose deviation of the target area and OAR between sCT and planned CT was within ±3% for all regions, except for the Lens Dmax (Gy), which had a deviation of 3.38% ( P =0.09). The mean relative dose deviations for PTVnx HI, PTVnd HI, PTVnd CI, PTV1 HI, PRV&#95;SC, PRV&#95;BS, Parotid, Larynx, Oral, Mandible, and PRV&#95;ON were all less than ±1% ( P >0.05)., Conclusions: PE-CycleGAN demonstrates the ability to rapidly synthesize high-quality sCT from CBCT, offering a promising approach for CBCT-guided adaptive radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

SPT5 exhibits versatile functions in RNA Pol II promoter proximal pausing, pause release, and elongation in metazoans. However, the mechanism underlying the functional switch of SPT5 during early elongation has not been fully understood. Here, we report that the phosphorylation site-rich domain (PRD)/CTR1 and the prion-like domain (PLD)/CTR2, which are situated adjacent to each other within the C-terminal repeat (CTR) in SPT5, play pivotal roles in Pol II pausing and elongation, respectively. Our study demonstrates that LEDGF/p75 is highly enriched at promoters, especially paused promoters, and prevents the phosphorylation of SPT5 PRD by the super elongation complex (SEC). Furthermore, deletion of LEDGF IBD leads to increased SEC occupancies and SPT5 PRD phosphorylation at promoters and also increased pause release. In sum, our study reveals that LEDGF and SEC function cooperatively on SPT5 distinct domains to ensure proper transcriptional transition from pausing to elongation.

One of the primary challenges for immune checkpoint blockade (ICB)-based therapy is the limited infiltration of T lymphocytes (T cells) into tumors, often referred to as immunologically "cold" tumors. A promising strategy to enhance the anti-tumor efficacy of ICB is to increase antigen exposure, thereby enhancing T cell activation and converting "cold" tumors into "hot" ones. Herein, we present an innovative all-in-one therapeutic nanoplatform to realize local mild photothermal- and photodynamic-triggered antigen exposure, thereby improving the anti-tumor efficacy of ICB. This nanoplatform involves conjugating programmed death-ligand 1 antibody (aPD-L1) with gadolinium-doped near-infrared (NIR)-emitting carbon dots (aPD-L1@GdCDs), which displays negligible cytotoxicity in the absence of light. But under controlled NIR laser irradiation, the GdCDs produce combined photothermal and photodynamic effects. This not only results in tumor ablation but also induces immunogenic cell death (ICD), facilitating enhanced infiltration of CD8 + T cells in the tumor area. Importantly, the combination of aPD-L1 with photothermal and photodynamic therapies via aPD-L1@GdCDs significantly boosts CD8 + T cell infiltration, reduces tumor size, and improves anti-metastasis effects compared to either GdCDs-based phototherapy or aPD-L1 alone. In addition, the whole treatment process can be monitored by multi-modal fluorescence/photoacoustic/magnetic resonance imaging (FLI/PAI/MRI). Our study highlights a promising nanoplatform for cancer diagnosis and therapy, as well as paves the way to promote the efficacy of ICB therapy through mild photothermal- and photodynamic-triggered immunotherapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: In online mental health communities, the interactions among members can significantly reduce their psychological distress and enhance their mental well-being. The overall quality of support from others varies due to differences in people's capacities to help others. This results in some support seekers' needs being met, while others remain unresolved., Objective: This study aimed to examine which characteristics of the comments posted to provide support can make support seekers feel better (ie, result in cognitive change)., Methods: We used signaling theory to model the factors affecting cognitive change and used consulting strategies from the offline, face-to-face psychological counseling process to construct 6 characteristics: intimacy, emotional polarity, the use of first-person words, the use of future-tense words, specificity, and language style. Through text mining and natural language processing (NLP) technology, we identified linguistic features in online text and conducted an empirical analysis using 12,868 online mental health support reply data items from Zhihu to verify the effectiveness of those features., Results: The findings showed that support comments are more likely to alter support seekers' cognitive processes if those comments have lower intimacy (β intimacy =-1.706, P<.001), higher positive emotional polarity (β emotional&#95;polarity =.890, P<.001), lower specificity (β specificity =-.018, P<.001), more first-person words (β first-person =.120, P<.001), more future- and present-tense words (β future-words =.301, P<.001), and fewer function words (β linguistic&#95;style =-.838, P<.001). The result is consistent with psychotherapists' psychotherapeutic strategy in offline counseling scenarios., Conclusions: Our research contributes to both theory and practice by proposing a model to reveal the factors that make support seekers feel better. The findings have significance for support providers. Additionally, our study offers pointers for managing and designing online communities for mental health., (©Min Li, Dongxiao Gu, Rui Li, Yadi Gu, Hu Liu, Kaixiang Su, Xiaoyu Wang, Gongrang Zhang. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 14.01.2025.)

Background: The ORIENT-15 double-blind randomized controlled trial demonstrated that the addition of sintilimab to chemotherapy for locally advanced or metastatic oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) resulted in better clinical outcomes. In this analysis, we sought to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of sintilimab as a first-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic OSCC from a healthcare system perspective in China., Methods: A partitioned survival model was constructed to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing chemotherapy alone with sintilimab for locally advanced or metastatic OSCC patients. Clinical data were obtained from the ORIENT-15 trial and extrapolated to 10 years. Health state utilities and costs were sourced from the literature and from public healthcare institutions. The primary outcomes included the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs). Two different sensitivity analyses, one-way and probabilistic, were performed to assess model uncertainty., Results: Sintilimab-based chemotherapy was more costly ($31699.21 vs. $20687.42) and more effective (0.74 vs. 0.53) than placebo-based chemotherapy, resulting in an ICER of $51908.19 /QALY, which is greater than the willingness-to-pay (WTP) threshold of China ($38223/QALY). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the PFS and cost of sintilimab were the major influencing factors affecting the results., Conclusions: In patients with locally advanced or metastatic OSCC, sintilimab chemotherapy could improve survival time and health benefits compared with traditional chemotherapy, but the present analysis suggests that sintilimab is not a cost-effective treatment option in China., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease which is characterized by pathological osteogenesis. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification is pivotal in immunity and inflammation. In this study, the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from healthy or AS patients blood samples in Fuyang People's Hospital, which was utilized to clarify the role of m6A modification in AS pathogenesis. The results showed that the autophagy levels showed a decreasing trend; meanwhile, the m6A demethylase ALKBH5 expression was downregulation in AS-PBMCs. The RNA-seq analysis identified 201 significantly altered genes including NRG1, FOS, CAMKK2, NLRC4, and DAPK1; and NRG1 mRNA expression levels showed significant improvement in AS. After ALKBH5 knockdown, the autophagy levels significantly decreased through increasing NRG1 m6A modification and enhancing its mRNA stability, while ALKBH5 overexpression promoted autophagy by reduceing NRG1 mRNA stability. Additionally, the results found that the "reader" IGF2BP3 substantially enhanced NRG1 expression and mRNA stability in AS patients PBMCs. Silencing ALKBH5 increased IGF2BP3 binding to the m6A-enriched NRG1 transcript, and enhancing NRG1 mRNA stability and protein expression. However, ALKBH5 modification site mutation may increase IGF2BP3 binding to NRG1 mRNA. These finding suggested that ALKBH5 downregulation inhibited AS-PBMCs autophagy leves through regulating post-transcriptional m6A modification to upregulate NRG1 protein expression, which provided novel and effective approaches for AS clinical therapy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The pathogenesis of psoriasis involves hyperproliferation of epidermal keratinocytes and abnormal interactions between activated keratinocytes and infiltrating immune cells. Emerging evidence has shown that keratinocytes play essential roles in both the initiation and maintenance of psoriasis, suggesting that exposing keratinocytes to agents with antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory effects may be effective for psoriasis treatment. Guggulsterone (GS), a plant sterol derived from the gum resin of Commiphora wightii, possesses a variety of pharmacological activities. However, the effects of GS on psoriasis and the underlying mechanism have not been elucidated. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic effect of GS on psoriasis using an imiquimod-induced psoriasis mouse model and investigated the effect of GS on human keratinocytes and the underlying mechanism. We found that GS effectively alleviated psoriasis-like skin lesions in imiquimod-induced psoriasis model mice and that GS suppressed the proliferation, migration, and production of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines and antimicrobial peptides in keratinocytes. Transcriptome analysis by RNA-seq revealed that the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by GS in keratinocytes were intricately linked to the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Furthermore, STAT3, a key player in the development and pathogenesis of psoriasis, was identified as a critical downstream mediator of GS in keratinocytes. Mechanistically, GS upregulated the expression of miR-17-5p, which directly binds to the 3'-untranslated regions (3'UTRs) of JAK1 and STAT3, leading to the downregulation of JAK1 and STAT3 expression. Collectively, these findings suggest that GS may serve as an effective natural compound for the treatment of psoriasis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The number of patients with bone defects caused by trauma and diseases has been increasing year by year. The treatment of bone defects remains a major challenge in clinical practice. Bone scaffolds are increasingly favored for repairing bones, with triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) scaffolds emerging as a popular option due to their superior performance. The aim of this review is to highlight the crucial influence of pore structure on the properties of TPMS bone scaffolds, offering important insights for their innovation and production. It briefly examines various elements that influence the properties of TPMS bone scaffolds, such as pore shape, porosity, pore diameter, and curvature. By analyzing these elements, this review serves as a valuable reference for upcoming research and practical implementations in the field of bone tissue engineering., Competing Interests: Compliance with ethical standards. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Background: The intricate anatomical variations in lung structure often perplex thoracic surgeons, and the accurate identification of these variations is closely associated with favorable surgical outcomes., Case Presentation: A 53-year-old female patient who underwent computed tomography (CT) examination due to chest discomfort, revealing the presence of a partial solid nodule highly suspected of early-stage lung cancer, measuring approximately 2.8 × 2.6 cm in the left lower lobe. Consequently, the patient underwent a single direction thoracoscopic left lower lobectomy and lymph node dissection. Intraoperatively, while attempting to dissect and free the left lower lobe vein from surrounding tissues, technical difficulties were encountered. Upon meticulous review of preoperative CT scans during surgery, an anomalous connection between the lingular vein of the left upper lobe and the left lower lobe vein was identified. Once this anatomical variation was confirmed, surgical intervention proceeded uneventfully without any significant complications., Conclusion: Precise recognition of pulmonary anatomical structures before and during surgery is paramount in recognizing rare variations such as this one as it aids in preventing potential intraoperative injuries and minimizing postoperative complications., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Our study was approved by the Ethics Committee for Medical Research and New Medical Technology of Sichuan Cancer Hospital (No. SCCHEC-02-2024-137). Written patient consent for participation was obtained. Consent for publication: Written informed consent has been obtained from the patient and their family members for publication of relevant clinical information by the authors in pertinent medical publications. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2025. The Author(s).)

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of four intervention methods-traditional Chinese manipulation combined with acupuncture, acupuncture alone, manipulation alone, and traction-for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH)., Methods: A prospective, multi-arm, randomized, parallel-controlled clinical trial was conducted between July 2021 and June 2024. A total of 240 eligible LDH patients were randomized into four groups (60 patients per group) in a 1:1:1:1 ratio: manipulation combined with acupuncture group, manipulation group, acupuncture group, and traction group. Each treatment lasted for 3 weeks. Changes in Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores were recorded before treatment, at 1 and 3 weeks during treatment, and at 1 and 3 months post-treatment. Adverse events were also monitored., Results: A total of 210 patients completed the follow-up. At the 3-week (day 21) and 3-month (day 111) follow-ups, the acupuncture + manipulation group showed the most significant improvements, with VAS scores decreasing by 63.34% and 68.30% and JOA scores increasing by 55.17% and 58.33%. The acupuncture group showed VAS score reductions of 55.04% and 59.29% and JOA score increases of 44.52% and 48.29%. The manipulation group reported VAS score reductions of 51.73% and 55.02% and JOA score increases of 41.16% and 45.27%. The traction group demonstrated the least improvement, with VAS scores decreasing by 43.25% and 45.73% and JOA scores increasing by 30.55% and 33.97%. Statistical analysis indicated that the acupuncture + manipulation group had significantly better improvements in VAS and JOA scores than the other three groups during treatment and follow-up periods ( P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the acupuncture and manipulation groups ( P > 0.05), while the traction group showed significantly less improvement compared to the other groups ( P < 0.05)., Conclusion: This study demonstrates that acupuncture combined with spinal manipulation significantly reduces pain and improves lumbar function in LDH patients compared to other tested interventions. The symptom relief rate was significantly higher in the acupuncture + manipulation group compared to the acupuncture, manipulation, and traction groups., Clinical Trial Registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx, identifier ChiCTR2200058598., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2025 Shi, Wen, Liu, Li, Jin, Liu, Wang, Chen, Feng, Lin and Zhang.)

Background: Tubular injury triggered by hyperglycemia is an important pathological characteristic in diabetic nephropathy (DN). Accumulated advanced glycation end products and their precursor methylglyoxal (MGO), contribute to the development of DN. Carnosine has been shown to prevent the development of DN but the underlying mechanism still needs to be studied in depth. In this study, we explored the potential proteins influenced by MGO and carnosine in tubule epithelial cells., Methods and Results: HK-2 cells were treated with MGO, carnosine, or a combination. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) between different groups were identified by isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation-based mass spectrometry. In the comparison between MGO and control, 29 DEPs were found to be associated with antioxidation and RNA methylation. In the comparison between carnosine and control, 10 DEPs were associated with ubiquitin protein ligase activity and RNA metabolism. In the comparison between MGO + carnosine and MGO, carnosine-induced DEPs in the presence of MGO were mainly related to RNA splicing and mRNA processing. MGO effects on OSTC expression was inversely correlated with that of carnosine. Some DEPs (OSTC, PRDX5, NEDD4L, NOP2, TRMT6, and GEMIN2) were validated by Western blotting. Additional experiments showed the 28 kD particle of Smith antigen was also influenced by MGO and carnosine., Conclusions: Carnosine can influence RNA processing and spliceosome-related proteins, and change MGO's effect on HK-2 cells. This study helps to understand the mechanism by which MGO contributes to the development of DN and promotes further identification of carnosine downstream proteins as therapeutic targets for DN., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethical approval: It is not applicable. Consent to participate: It is not applicable. Consent to publish: It is not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Virus-host protein interaction is critical for successful completion of viral replication cycles. As the largest nonstructural protein (NSP) of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), NSP2 plays multiple and critical roles in viral replication, antiviral immunity, cellular tropism and virulence. An interactome of this protein with host proteins would be instrumental in full understanding of these multifunctional roles. In this study, we report the identification of 120 NSP2-interacting host proteins by co-immunoprecipitation coupled liquid chromatography mass spectrometry, via rescuing and utilizing a recombinant PRRSV expressing an HA-tagged NSP2. By comparing and subtracting with cells infected with parental virus, a comprehensive interactome was constructed. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that these host factors are mainly involved in translation regulation, metabolism, signal transduction and innate immunity signaling pathways. Selection of five host proteins (CtBP1, CtBP2, HSPA2, PPP1CA, SH3KBP1) for further verification and characterization confirmed their interactions with NSP2 and differential effects on PRRSV replication. Intriguingly, interaction of NSP2 and SH3KBP1 led to specific cleavage of SH3KBP1, antagonizing its pro-apoptotic activity. Taken together, this study provides overarching views on the NSP2-host interactome, paving a solid foundation for functional studies of host proteins in PRRSV biology and their potential as targets for novel therapeutics development., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: High microglial heterogeneities hinder the development of microglia-targeted treatment for Alzheimer's disease (AD)., Methods: We integrated 0.7 million single-nuclei RNA-sequencing transcriptomes from human brains using a variational autoencoder. We predicted AD-relevant microglial subtype-specific transition networks for disease-associated microglia (DAM), tau microglia, and neuroinflammation-like microglia (NIM). We prioritized drugs by specifically targeting microglia-specific transition networks and validated drugs using two independent real-world patient databases., Results: We identified putative AD molecular drivers (e.g., SYK, CTSB, and INPP5D) in transition networks of DAM and NIM. Via specifically targeting NIM, we identified that usage of ketorolac was associated with reduced AD incidence in both MarketScan (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.89) and INSIGHT (HR = 0.83) Clinical Research Network databases, mechanistically supported by ketorolac-treated transcriptomic data from AD patient induced pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia., Discussion: This study offers insights into the pathobiology of AD-relevant microglial subtypes and identifies ketorolac as a potential anti-inflammatory treatment for AD., Highlights: An integrative analysis of ≈ 0.7 million single-nuclei RNA-sequencing transcriptomes from human brains identified Alzheimer's disease (AD)-relevant microglia subtypes. Network-based analysis identified putative molecular drivers (e.g., SYK, CTSB, INPP5D) of transition networks between disease-associated microglia (DAM) and neuroinflammation-like microglia (NIM). Via network-based prediction and population-based validation, we identified that usage of ketorolac (a US Food and Drug Administration-approved anti-inflammatory medicine) was associated with reduced AD incidence in two independent patient databases. Mechanistic observation showed that ketorolac treatment downregulated the Type-I interferon signaling in patient induced pluripotent stem cell-derived microglia, mechanistically supporting its protective effects in real-world patient databases., (© 2024 The Author(s). Alzheimer's & Dementia published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Alzheimer's Association.)

Objective: Previous studies have shown that trimetazidine (TMZ) alleviates diabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction. However, the underlying mechanism for its protective effects on cardiac function remains incompletely understood. Diminished autophagy was found in diabetic hearts, and restoration of autophagy generates cardioprotective effect. This study aims to investigate whether and how TMZ produces protective effect through increasing autophagic activity in the diabetic heart., Method: A high-fat diet and low-dose streptozotocin were applied to induce type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in male C57BL/6 mice, followed by treatment with TMZ for 14 weeks before cardiac function was evaluated. To mimic the diabetic condition, the neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) were exposed to high glucose/palmitic acid (HP) in the presence or absence of TMZ., Results: We found that TMZ treatment promotes autophagic flux in cardiomyocytes, which is impaired in diabetes. We further found that the AMPK and lncRNA H19 played critical roles in mediating TMZ-induced enhancement of autophagy in cardiomyocyte. We showed that TMZ treatment restored the level of H19 and phosphorylated AMPK (p-AMPK T172) in diabetic heart and NRCMs exposed to HP. Of note, the effect of TMZ on autophagy and p-AMPK was abolished by knockdown of H19., Conclusion: These findings indicated that TMZ is able to recover the cardiac autophagic activity which is impaired by T2DM, and the underlying mechanism accounted for this ability is mostly likely attributed to the restored expression of H19 and AMPK activity., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Importance: Radical gastric cancer surgery can cause functional and physiological disorders due to the resection of perigastric vagus nerves. Few studies have used intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring and indocyanine green (ICG) labeling to preserve the perigastric vagus nerve and to evaluate the corresponding effects., Objective: To assess the feasibility and effects of vagus nerve preservation using neurophysiologic monitoring and ICG labeling during laparoscopic distal gastrectomy in patients with early distal gastric cancer., Design, Setting, and Participants: This open-label, prospective randomized clinical trial initially enrolled 285 patients with clinical stage cT1N0M0 distal gastric cancer from May 2022 to May 2023. This trial was conducted at Qilu Hospital of Shandong University in Jinan, China, and enrolled patients aged 18 to 80 years with histologically proven gastric adenocarcinoma scheduled for distal gastrectomy. The final follow-up examination was performed May 1, 2024., Interventions: Eligible participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to vagus nerve preservation distal gastrectomy (VPG) or vagus nerve resection distal gastrectomy (VRG)., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was the incidence of postsurgical gastroparesis. Secondary outcomes included postoperative gallstone formation, quality of life, morbidity, mortality, overall survival, and disease-free survival up to 12 months postoperatively. All analyses were based on both intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses., Results: Of 264 patients included in the intention-to-treat analysis, the median (IQR) patient age was 58.0 (52.0-67.0) years, and 67 patients (25.4%) were female. Both the VPG and VRG groups included 132 patients. Postoperative gastroparesis occurred in 1 patient (0.8%) in the VPG group and in 10 patients (7.6%) in the VRG group. Gallstones developed in 0 patients in the VPG group and in 9 patients (6.8%) in the VRG group. As assessed by mean (SD) score on the 30-item European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, the VRG group experienced more nausea and vomiting at 6 months postsurgery (19.38 [7.62]) than the VPG group (17.15 [9.21]) (P = .03) and had significantly higher rates of persistent appetite loss, reflux symptoms, and eating difficulties at both 6 months and 12 months than the VPG group. Differences in postoperative complications and metastasis were not significant., Conclusions and Relevance: Neurophysiologic monitoring and ICG labeling during distal laparoscopic gastrectomy for vagus nerve preservation in patients with early distal gastric cancer are safe and feasible. Preserving the perigastric vagus nerve may retain the function of the remnant stomach and improve quality of life., Trial Registration: Chictr.org.cn Identifier: ChiCTR2200059489.

Long-lasting persistence within infected cells is a major challenge for viral pathogens, as it necessitates an exact regulation of viral replication to reduce viral cytopathic effects. This is particularly challenging for viruses that persistently infect cells with limited renewal capabilities, such as neurons. Accordingly, neurotropic viruses have evolved various specific mechanisms to promote a long-lasting persistent infection in the host cells without inducing an exacerbated cytopathic effect. Borna disease virus (BDV) and Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are two neurotropic RNA viruses that, in contrast to other RNA viruses, can establish long-lasting intranuclear infections within the nervous system. These viruses interact with different cellular processes such as epigenetic modifications to develop a successful persistence infection. Studies show that cellular epigenetic mechanisms play a significant role in the pathogenesis of BDV and HIV and their neurological disorders. Hence, targeting these mechanisms by epigenetic modulator agents can be regarded as a novel therapeutic strategy to manage BDV- and HIV-associated neurological diseases. This review provides an overview of different epigenetic modulator compounds as a potential therapeutic target for controlling persistent neurotropic intranuclear infections caused by BDV and HIV., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

β-Amyloid (Aβ) peptides are believed as the diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Their complexes with copper ions can catalyze the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to further promote neuronal death. Herein, we suggested that porphyrin-substituted phenylalanine-phenylalanine nanoparticles (TPP-FF NPs) could inhibit the aggregation of Aβ monomers, disassemble the fibrillar Aβ aggregates under light illumination, and depressing the Cu 2+ -induced generation of ROS. Meanwhile, the TPP-FF NPs could be used as the nanocarriers and quenchers of fluorescently-labeled probes for the detection of Aβ oligomer (AβO). Inhibition of Aβ assembly and dissolution of Aβ aggregates were monitored by Thioflavin T (ThT)-based fluorescent assay and characterized by atomic force microscopy. The Aβ/Cu 2+ -induced generation of ROS was limited by TPP-FF NPs. The fluorescein-labeled probe aptamers attached on the surface of TPP-FF NPs emitted low fluorescence. The interaction between AβO and aptamers induced the release of the probes from the surface of TPP-FF NPs, driving the fluorophore far away from the quenchers and turning on the fluorescence. The signal-on strategy can be used for the detection of AβO with a low detection limit. This work should be evaluable for the development of multifunctional candidates for the diagnosis and treatment of AD., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Neuroinflammation and autoimmunity are pivotal in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Complement activation and involvement of astrocyte-neuron C3/C3aR pathway have been observed, yet the mechanisms influencing α-synuclein (α-syn) pathology and neurodegeneration remain unclear. In this study, elevated levels of complement C3 were detected in the plasma of α-syn PFF-induced mice and the substantia nigra of A53T transgenic mice. Colocalization of complement C3 with astrocytes was also observed. Overexpression of complement C3 exacerbated motor dysfunction, dopaminergic neuron loss, and phosphorylated α-syn expression in mice injected with α-syn preformed fibrils (α-syn PFFs). Conversely, downregulation of complement C3 protected α-syn PFF-induced mice. Molecular investigations revealed that inhibition of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) or NF-κB reduced complement C3 expression in primary astrocytes following α-syn PFF treatment. Astrocyte-neuron communication via the C3/C3aR pathway influenced α-syn PFF-induced neuronal apoptosis and α-syn pathology, potentially through modulation of GSK3β. These findings underscore the critical role of astrocyte-neuron communication via the C3/C3aR pathway in PD pathogenesis, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: This study aimed to measure the changes in refraction difference value (RDV) in different parts of the retina before and after implantable collamer lenses (ICL) surgery., Design: Prospective study., Methods: This study included 40 eyes of 40 patients who underwent ICL implantation for myopia. RDV measurements were taken across several ranges: 0°-15°, 15°-30°, 30°-45°, and 45°-53°, and categorized into four sectors: superior (RDV-S), inferior (RDV-I), temporal (RDV-T), and nasal (RDV-N), along with total RDV (TRDV). Measurements were taken preoperatively, and at one week and one month postoperatively., Results: TRDV, RDV beyond 15° eccentricity, and RDV-S, RDV-I, RDV-T, and RDV-N were significantly increased postoperatively. The one-week and one-month follow-up of RDVs had no significant differences. Significant differences in the increments were observed among RDV-15, RDV-15-30, RDV-30-45, and RDV-45-53 both at one-week and one-month follow-up. Similarly, there were significant differences in the increments among RDV-S, RDV-I, RDV-T, and RDV-N both at one-week and one-month follow-up. TRDV, RDV-30-45, RDV-45-53, RDV-S, RDV-T, and RDV-N showed significant differences in the variation preoperatively and postoperatively between the high (SE > -9.00 D) and ultra-high (SE ≤ -9.00 D) myopia groups., Conclusions: Peripheral refraction showed a hyperopic defocused state that can stabilize in the early postoperative period after ICL implantation. The variation in the hyperopic defocused shift in peripheral refraction increased more in the regions farther from the central retina. The temporal regions exhibited the most changes., Key Messages: WHAT IS KNOWN : Myopia is generally believed to stabilize after adulthood, but some individuals continue to experience myopia progression, accompanied by axial length elongation. Traditional spectacle lenses correct myopia by focusing light on the fovea but may introduce peripheral hyperopic defocus, which is thought to contribute to myopia progression. ICL surgery effectively corrects high degrees of myopia and astigmatism. Previous studies have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of ICL in addressing central refractive errors, but peripheral refraction changes post-surgery have not been well-explored., What Is New: ICL surgery increased peripheral hyperopic defocus while correcting central refractive error, with significant changes in peripheral refraction observed from the preoperative to postoperative one-week and one-month.. After ICL implantation, a hyperopic shift was observed in peripheral areas, with RDV values within 15° of the central retina appearing emmetropic and increasing hyperopic defocus noted moving away from the posterior pole. Peripheral refraction stabilized approximately one week after ICL surgery, with no significant differences observed between the one-week and one-month follow-ups, indicating that stability in peripheral refraction is typically achieved within this timeframe., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Ethical Committee Review Board of Fudan University Eye and ENT Hospital (2021018). Consent for publication: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this paper. Conflict of interest: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

This study evaluated disease activity in people with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) who received immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) compared to PwMS not treated with ICIs. There were 108 PwMS included (27 PwMS+ICIs and 81 PwMS controls), matched on age, sex, disease duration, DMTs, and MS disease course. Of 27 PwMS+ICIs, one (4%) had a relapse and four (15%) developed new MRI lesions without clinical symptoms. Time to relapse and MRI activity were compared using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression models. There was no significant difference for either time to relapse (p = 0.34) or MRI activity (p = 0.15) in PwMS+ICIs compared to controls., (© 2024 The Author(s). Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Neurological Association.)

MicroRNA (miRNA) is broadly manifested in eukaryotes and serves as a critical function in biological development and disease occurrence. With the rapid advancement of experimental research tools, researchers have discovered functional correlations among different miRNA isoforms and clusters within the same miRNA family. As a highly conserved member in the miR-23-27-24 cluster, miR-23 exhibits different isoforms and participates in various essential development. Although the miR-23-27-24 cluster has overlapping target sites, their differential expression can demonstrate independent biological functions. Furthermore, the untapped effects of miR-23 on organisms, whether as a functional cluster or a single regulator, has not been systematically elucidated yet. In this review article, we analyze the genomic location of miR-23 and its sequence variances among its isoforms or family members while summarizing its regulatory functions in metabolic diseases, immune responses, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, organ development as well as nervous system function. This review highlights the significant role of miR-23 as a biomarker for disease diagnosis and a key regulatory factor in pathogenesis, which can help us comprehend the diverse functions of miRNAs and provide a theoretical reference for the functional differences among miRNA isoforms., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Objectives: Although total hip arthroplasty (THA) effectively alleviates pain and restores joint function in the end-stage hip disease, challenges remain in achieving precise osteotomy and minimizing subjective dependency on prosthesis positioning. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of preoperative virtual planning and navigation templates compared to conventional techniques, providing new methods to enhance the precision and personalization of THA., Methods: During the period from 2022 to 2023, we conducted a retrospective case-control study on 74 patients who underwent THA surgery at our hospital, based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The study included 42 patients in the traditional method group, who underwent preoperative planning and surgical procedures according to traditional methods; and 32 patients in the digital assistance group, who used computer-assisted virtual preoperative planning and three-dimensional printed personalized navigation templates to assist in the surgery. The main parameters of the two groups were compared, including surgical time, blood loss, postoperative femoral anteversion, neck-shaft angle, anatomical-mechanical femoral axis angle (aMFA), leg length discrepancy (LLD), and the angle of hip prosthesis placement. The Harris hip score was recorded both preoperatively and at the final follow-up to assess the accuracy of the prosthesis placement and the prognosis of the patients., Results: There were no significant differences in femoral anteversion, neck-shaft angle, aMFA, or LLD between the two groups. However, the digital group showed smaller deviations between the planned and actual acetabular prosthesis angles compared to the conventional group, with shorter operative times and reduced blood loss. Follow-up Harris hip scores were significantly higher in the digital group (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: Digital technology enhances the accuracy and reproducibility of prosthesis placement in THA, reduces operative time and blood loss, and shows a promising potential for broader application., (© 2024 The Author(s). Orthopaedic Surgery published by Tianjin Hospital and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Background: Maintaining a healthy diet during pregnancy is vital for reducing the risk of adverse birth outcomes. However, conventional methods of assessing the dietary behavior of pregnant women, such as the FFQ, are often time-consuming. This study aims to develop a concise nutritional screening questionnaire tailored for pregnant women, empowering prenatal healthcare providers to quickly identify key adverse dietary behaviors and provide targeted guidance., Methods: To validate the Pregnancy Nutrition Checklist, we enrolled 208 women in early pregnancy and 200 women were included to analysis (with an average age of 31.54 ± 4.24 years). Spearman rank correlation analysis was used to assess the relative reliability of the Pregnancy Nutrition Checklist compared with the FFQ scale. Exploratory factor analysis was used to test the structural validity of the scale. A generalized linear model was used to analyze the correlation between dietary behavior and birth weight., Results: The pregnancy nutrition checklist includes 15 dietary items and 3 other lifestyle habit items. Compared with traditional FFQ questionnaires, the correlation analysis of corresponding items in the pregnancy nutrition checklist revealed statistical significance (p < 0.05), except for fat intake. EFA identified three underlying factors, namely, "high-fat foods," "moderate-fat foods," and "low-fat foods," indicating that the questionnaire has good construct validity. Insufficient consumption of vegetables by pregnant women(OR = 2.64, 95% CI: 1.08-6.46, p = 0.033) was associated with a significantly greater risk of developing LGA fetuses. Pregnant women whose sugar, coffee, or tea intake did not exceed the classification criteria had significantly greater fetal birth weights than those whose intake exceeded the classification criteria (OR = 3.38, 95% CI: 1.18-9.68, p = 0.023). In contrast, consuming fewer highly palatable snacks can reduce the incidence of LGA babies (OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.11-0.74, p = 0.010)., Conclusions: This tool has great potential for identifying unhealthy dietary behaviors, potentially leading to improved pregnancy outcomes., Trial Registration: This study was preregistered on May 5, 2023, at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2300071126)., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was approved by the ethical approval from the Capital Medical University Ethics Committee (Z2022SY077, Z2023SY137). All pregnant women started answering questions after reading the electronic version of the informed consent form and confirming their consent after oral explanation. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons, abnormal accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn), and microglial activation. Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) regulates multiple functions of microglia in the brain, and several studies have shown that TREM2 variant R47H is a risk factor for PD. However, the regulation of microglia by TREM2 in PD remains poorly understood., Methods: We constructed PD cell and animal models using α-syn preformed fibrils. siRNA knockdown and lentiviral overexpression were used to perturb TREM2 levels in cells, and TREM2 knockout mice and lentiviral overexpression was used in animal models to investigate the effects of TREM2 on microglial function, α-syn-related pathology, and dopaminergic neuron degeneration., Results: Microglia phagocytosed α-syn preformed fibrils in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, with some capacity to degrade α-syn aggregates. TREM2 expression increased in PD. In the context of PD, TREM2 knockout mice exhibited worsened pathological α-syn spread, decreased microglial reactivity, and increased loss of TH-positive neurons in the substantia nigra compared to wild-type mice. TREM2 overexpression enhanced reactive microglial aggregation towards the pathological site. Cellular experiments revealed that reduced TREM2 impaired microglial phagocytosis and proliferation, but enhanced autophagy via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway., Conclusion: TREM2 signaling in PD maintains microglial phagocytosis, proliferation, and reactivity, stabilizing autophagy and proliferation via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Regulating TREM2 levels may be beneficial in PD treatment., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study isolated a myosmine-degrading bacterial strain J-6 from tobacco-growing soil. The identification of this strain revealed it to be a new species within the genus Sphingopyxis. Analysis of the myosmine degradation products by HPLC, preparative HPLC, and UHPLC-MS/MS identified 8 metabolites, among which 3-pyridylacetic acid (3-PAA), 5-(3-pyridyl)tetrahydrofuranone-2 (PTHF), and 4-hydroxy-4-(3-pyridyl)butanoic acid (HPBA) were three novel metabolites that were not previously found in microbial degradation of tobacco alkaloids. Interestingly, these metabolites have been observed in the nicotine metabolic pathways of humans and animals. In addition, 3-PAA, which is believed to be the major end product of nicotine metabolism in humans, is also found to be an end product of myosmine degradation in strain J-6. Based on the identified metabolites and genomic analysis, a previously unreported bacterial degradation pathway for tobacco alkaloids was proposed. The downstream part of this pathway for converting SP to 3-PAA resembles the pathway for mammalian metabolism of SP to 3-PAA. Overall, the findings in this study offer novel insights into the degradation pathways and mechanisms of myosmine, which will deepen our understanding on the fate of myosmine both in the environment and within the human body., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Pyroptosis is linked to the development of acute lung injury (ALI), and circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a role in ALI-related inflammation. However, the mechanisms by which circRNAs contribute to macrophage pyroptosis in ALI remain unclear. This study constructed an in vitro ALI model by inducing THP-1 cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The expression and potential mechanism of circ-CARD8 in macrophage pyroptosis were then investigated. The interaction between circ-CARD8, hsa-miR-580-3p, and caspase recruitment domain family member 8 (CARD8) was confirmed through luciferase reporter assays and RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation. Our data showed that circ-CARD8 was expressed at low levels. Meanwhile, the pyroptotic proteins caspase-1 and GSDMD, along with the secretion of chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 18 and interleukin 1 beta, were upregulated in the ALI cell model. Overexpression of circ-CARD8 reversed macrophage pyroptosis, whereas inhibition of circ-CARD8 promoted it. Furthermore, the expression of miR-580-3p, a downstream microRNA that binds to circ-CARD8, was reduced upon circ-CARD8 overexpression and increased following its inhibition. Additionally, overexpression of miR-580-3p suppressed the expression of CARD8, a downstream target of miR-580-3p, thereby promoting macrophage pyroptosis. The inhibition of miR-580-3p reversed the effect of circ-CARD8 silencing on macrophage pyroptosis and CARD8 expression. Therefore, our study confirms that the low expression of circ-CARD8 reduces the sponge adsorption of miR-580-3p, increasing its expression, which in turn targets and inhibits CARD8, ultimately promoting macrophage pyroptosis induced by LPS in THP-1 cells., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright: © 2024 Chen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

In this paper, we propose the design of extending collimators aimed at reducing the radiation dose received by patients with normal tissues and protecting organs at risk in Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). Three types of extended collimators are studied: Type 1, which is a traditional design; Type 2, which is built upon Type 1 by incorporating additional polyethylene material containing lithium fluoride (PE(LiF)); Type 3, which adds lead (Pb) to Type 1. We evaluated the dose distribution characteristics of the above-extended collimators using Monte Carlo methods simulations under different configurations: in air, in a homogeneous phantom, and a humanoid phantom model. Firstly, the neutron and gamma-ray fluxes at the collimator outlet of the three designs showed no significant changes, thus it can be expected that their therapeutic effects on tumors will be similar. Then, the dose distribution outside the irradiation field was studied. The results showed that, compared with Type 1, Type 2 has a maximum reduction of 57.14% in neutron leakage dose, and Type 3 has a maximum reduction of 21.88% in gamma-ray leakage dose. This will help to reduce the radiation dose to the local skin. Finally, the doses of different organs were simulated. The results showed that the neutron dose of Type 2 was relatively low, especially for the skin, thyroid, spinal cord, and left lung, with the neutron dose reduced by approximately 20.34%, 16.18%, 26.05%, and 18.91% respectively compared to Type 1. Type 3 collimator benefits in reducing gamma-ray dose for the thyroid, esophagus, and left lung organs, with gamma-ray dose reductions of around 10.81%, 9.45%, and 10.42% respectively. This indicates that attaching PE(LiF) or Pb materials to a standard collimator can suppress the dose distribution of patient organs, which can provide valuable insights for the design of extended collimators in BNCT., (© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved.)

Genetic transformation is a pivotal approach in plant genetic engineering. Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important oil and cash crop, but the stable genetic transformation of peanut is still difficult and inefficient. Recently, the pollen tube injection pathway has been shown to be effective for the genetic transformation of peanut. However, the poor reproducibility of this pathway is still controversial. In this study, the appropriate time and location of injection, along with transgenic screening, were systematically investigated in the pollen tube mediated peanut genetic transformation. Our findings revealed that Agrobacterium injections could be conducted within a time window of two to three hours preceding and succeeding the blooming process. Among the various selective markers evaluated, the Basta screening emerged as the most expedient, followed closely by the DsRed visual screening. According to resistance screening and molecular identification, the average transformation efficiency was 2.6% in the heritable transgenic progenies, which was more likely affected by individual operation by style cavity injection. Furthermore, the use of synergistic FT artificially regulated the blooming of peanuts under indoor conditions, facilitating operations involving keel petal injection and ultimately enhancing the genetic transformation efficiency. Thus, our study systematically validated the feasibility of peanut genetic transformation through an optimized pollen-tube injection technique without tissue culture, potentially guiding future advancements in peanut engineering and molecular breeding programs., Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: All authors agree with the submission of this manuscript to Plant Methods. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Structural variations in the duck genome significantly impact the environmental adaptability and phenotypic diversity of duck populations. Characterizing these SVs in local domestic duck breeds from Shandong province offers valuable insights for breed selection and the development of new breeds. This study aimed to profile the genomic SVs in three local duck breeds (Matahu duck, Weishan partridge duck, and Wendeng black duck) and explore their differential distributions. A total of 21,673 SVs were detected using LUMPY (v0.2.13) and DELLY (v1.0.3) software, with 46% located in intergenic regions, 33% in intronic regions, and frameshift deletions being the most prevalent in exonic regions (3%). SVs distribution showed a decreasing trend with shorter chromosome lengths. Population structure analysis revealed distinct genetic profiles, with Matahu and Weishan partridge ducks showing closer affinities and the Wendeng black duck having a more homogeneous genetic background, likely due to geographic isolation. Functional annotation identified genes related to nervous system development, mitosis, spindle assembly, and energy metabolism. Notable genes included PLXNA4 , NRP2 , SEMA3A , PTEN , MYBL2 , ADK , and COX4I1 . Additionally, genes such as PRKG1 , GABRA2 , and FSHR were linked to energy metabolism and reproductive activity. The study provides a comprehensive analysis of SVs, revealing significant genetic differentiation and identifying genes associated with economically important traits, offering valuable resources for the genetic improvement and breeding of local duck breeds.

Physical neural networks (PNN) using physical materials and devices to mimic synapses and neurons offer an energy-efficient way to implement artificial neural networks. Yet, training PNN is difficult and heavily relies on external computing resources. An emerging concept to solve this issue is called physical self-learning that uses intrinsic physical parameters as trainable weights. Under external inputs (i.e., training data), training is achieved by the natural evolution of physical parameters that intrinsically adapt modern learning rules via an autonomous physical process, eliminating the requirements on external computation resources. Here, we demonstrate a real spintronic system that mimics Hopfield neural networks (HNN), and unsupervised learning is intrinsically performed via the evolution of the physical process. Using magnetic texture-defined conductance matrix as trainable weights, we illustrate that under external voltage inputs, the conductance matrix naturally evolves and adapts Oja's learning algorithm in a gradient descent manner. The self-learning HNN is scalable and can achieve associative memories on patterns with high similarities. The fast spin dynamics and reconfigurability of magnetic textures offer an advantageous platform toward efficient autonomous training directly in materials., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

Introduction: With the development of the medical system and the diversification of patient needs, nurse practitioners (NPs) play an increasingly important role in medical practice, assuming more responsibilities and powers, including the right to prescribe. However, in the process of exercising the right to prescribe, NPs may face various obstacles, and there are also some promoting factors. Therefore, this study aims to deeply explore the obstacles and promoting factors in the prescription process of NPs through a qualitative meta-analysis and comprehensive method, so as to provide a basis for improving the prescription practice of NPs, improving nursing quality and patient satisfaction., Methods and Analysis: This study will adhere to the Joanna Briggs Institute framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols. A comprehensive literature search and analysis of studies on nurse are prescribed via PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library. Two independent reviewers will select articles, extract data and appraise study quality. Content analysis will be used to synthesise outcomes, and methodological quality and evidence quality will be assessed. The quality of the articles will be assessed using the 10-item Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research., Ethics and Dissemination: Ethical approval will not be required for this study, as it solely encompasses data derived from previously published research. The findings will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal. In addition, the results will be actively shared at major academic conferences focused on nursing research and healthcare policy to ensure that the study's outcomes reach key stakeholders, including healthcare practitioners, policymakers and researchers. This targeted dissemination strategy aims to promote the integration of the findings into practice and future research. This protocol is registered with the PROSPERO prospective database of systematic review., Prospero Registration Number: CRD42023398567., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ Group.)

Nanomaterials have attracted significant attention as signal reporters for immunoassays. They can directly generate detectable signals or release a large number of signaling elements for readout. Among various nanolabels, nanomaterials composed of multiple signaling molecules have shown great potential in immunoassays. Generally, signaling molecules can be entrapped in nanocontainers or self-assemble into nanostructures for signal amplification. In this review, we summarize the advances of signaling molecules-entrapped or assembled nanomaterials for colorimetric and fluorescence immunoassays. The nanocontainers cover liposomes, polymers, mesoporous silica, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), various nanosheets, nanoflowers or nanocages, etc. Signaling molecules mainly refer to visible and/or fluorescent organic dyes. The design and application of immunoassays are emphasized from the perspective of nanocontainers, analytes, and analytical performances. In addition, the future challenges and research trends for the preparation of signaling molecules-entrapped or assembled nanolabels are briefly discussed.

Microbial interactions between infectious agents severely interfere with the disinfection process, and current disinfection methods are unable to effectively inactivate intracellular pathogens, posing a new threat to drinking water safety. In this study, we first reported the high efficiency of piezocatalysis in inactivating amoebae and their intracellular bacteria. Results showed that the inactivation rates of the MoS 2 /rGO piezocatalytic system for amoebic spores and their intracellular bacteria were 4.18 and 5.02-log, respectively, within 180 min. Based on scavenger studies and ESR tests, the efficient inactivation of pathogens can be attributed to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and different pathogens exhibit varying tolerances to distinct ROS. Moreover, TEM analysis revealed that the sharp edge of MoS 2 /rGO was conducive to the physical cutting of amoeba's cell wall and membrane, promoting the attack of ROS and ensuring a more thorough deactivation. Additionally, the intracellular ROS produced by amoebae is not only conducive to the inactivation of amoebae but also the main reason for the inactivation of bacteria in spores. This study provides a new solution for the inactivation of amoeba spores and their intracellular bacteria and emphasizes the high efficiency of the synergistic effect of physical damage and chemical oxidation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aptamer-based biosensors with a low cost and high specificity have been widely applied in diagnostics, food safety, and environmental monitoring. However, aptamer-based biosensors still suffer from insufficient specificity or affinity owing to the inherent constraints of the thermodynamic and kinetic binding properties of aptamers. Therefore, optimization technologies for various aptamers have been proposed to obtain high-affinity aptamers for constructing high-performance biosensors. In this review, emerging technologies for aptamer screening are summarized, followed by a focus on analyzing methods for aptamer optimization, including ligand truncation, mutation, splitting, elongation, chemical modification, and potential mechanisms. Portable aptamer-integrated optical and electrochemical devices applied to food safety point-of-care testing (POCT) platforms are reviewed to provide a reference for addressing the lack of convenience faced by aptasensors. Finally, future challenges and directions of aptamer optimization technology are discussed for further research and development in food safety detection.

The landscape plant, Cinnamomum camphora, is a broad-spectrum insect-repelling tree species, mainly due to a diversity of terpenoids, such as camphor. Despite its formidable chemical defenses, C. camphora is easily attacked and invaded by a monophagous weevil pest, Pagiophloeus tsushimanus. Deciphering the key olfactory signal components regulating host preference could facilitate monitoring and control strategies for this pest. Herein, two host volatiles, camphor and ocimene, induced GC-EAD/EAG reactions in both male and female adult antennae. Correspondingly, Y-tube olfactometer assays showed that the two compounds were attractive to both male and female adults. In field assays, a self-made trap device baited with 5 mg dose d(+)-camphor captured significantly more P. tsushimanus adults than isopropanol solvent controls without sexual bias. The trunk gluing trap device baited with bait can capture adults, but the number was significantly less than that of the self-made trap device and adults often fell after struggling. The cross baffle trap device never trapped adults. Neither ocimene nor isopropanol solvent control captured adults. When used in combination, ocimene did not enhance the attraction of d(+)-camphor to both female and male adults. These results indicate that d(+)-camphor is a key active compound of P. tsushimanus adults for host location. The combination of the host-volatile lure based on d(+)-camphor and the self-made trapping device is promising to monitor and provide an eco-friendly control strategy for this novel pest P. tsushimanus in C. camphora plantations., Competing Interests: Declarations. Consent for Publication: We consent to publication. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: Large vessel occlusion-acute ischemic stroke (LVO-AIS) is infrequent in young adults and exhibits distinct stroke mechanisms compared to older adults. This study sought to evaluate the impact of varying stroke etiologies on treatment-related outcomes in young adults with LVO-AIS, an aspect that remains unclear., Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients aged 18-50 presenting with AIS from January 2017 to December 2021 within our multi-center stroke network. Patients with LVO on CTA/MRA at presentation were included. We assessed demographics, stroke etiology (TOAST classification), and treatment-related outcomes. Based on intervention received, patients were divided into 5 groups [IV-thrombolysis (IVT) only, Mechanical Thrombectomy (MT) only, IVT+MT, no treatment, unsuccessful MT]., Results: Among 1210 AIS patients, 220 with LVO were included. The median age was 42 (36, 46). 75 (34.1 %) patients underwent successful MT (46.7 % received IVT+MT). 26 (11.8 %) received IVT only, 110 (50 %) received neither intervention, and 9 (4.1 %) underwent unsuccessful MT. Per TOAST, 17.4 % had large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), 19.2 % cardio-embolism, 28.6 % stroke of other etiology, and 34.7 % had undetermined etiology. Favorable thrombectomy outcomes (TICI 2b/2c/3) were observed in 87.2 %. Discharge NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores improved for patients with IVT+MT in all TOAST categories except LAA., Conclusions: Young adults with LVO-AIS had good outcomes irrespective of stroke etiology, except LAA, which was associated with a higher discharge NIHSS. Moreover, 50 % of young adults in our study received no intervention, a quarter of those owing to delayed presentation. Further studies are needed to identify barriers in seeking acute treatment in young adults with LVO-AIS., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest M. Shazam Hussain serves as a Core Lab Principal Investigator for ADVANCE, ELEVATE and INSPIRE trials for which funding is received. He also serves on the following advisory boards for Cerenovus, Stryker Neurovascular, Rapid Medical, and Kaneka. G. Abbas Kharal serves on the advisory board for Bayer. No disclosures for other authors., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Although the incidence of malaria is increased in women in endemic areas after delivery compared to non-pregnant women, no studies have assessed the benefit of presumptive antimalarial treatment given postpartum., Methods: A randomised controlled trial investigating the efficacy of antimalarial treatment in preventing postpartum malaria was performed in healthy Papua New Guinea mothers immediately following delivery. Participants were randomised 1:1 to no treatment (n = 90) or artemisinin combination therapy (ACT), with further 1:1 ACT randomisation to artemether-lumefantrine (AL; n = 45) or dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP; n = 45). Standardised reviews were conducted monthly for 6 months, including clinical assessment, malaria screening and haemoglobin measurement. The primary endpoint was incidence of slide-positive malaria within 6 months of delivery., Results: Of 183 recruited participants, 151 completed study procedures and were included in per-protocol analyses (no treatment n = 71, AL n = 40, DP, n = 40). Those allocated to ACT were significantly less likely to develop slide-positive malaria during the 6-month follow-up period compared to those who were untreated (n = 17 (21%) vs n = 27 (38%); P = 0.016; hazard ratio 0.49 (95% confidence intervals 0.27-0.90). There was no significant difference in malaria incidence between the two ACT groups., Conclusion: A treatment course of ACT at time of delivery halved the incidence of malaria infection during the first 6-month postpartum., Competing Interests: Declarations of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

RNA modification has emerged as an important epigenetic mechanism that controls abnormal metabolism and growth in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). However, the roles of RNA N 4 -acetylcytidine (ac4C) modification in AML remain elusive. Here, we report that ac4C and its catalytic enzyme NAT10 drive leukaemogenesis and sustain self-renewal of leukaemic stem cells/leukaemia-initiating cells through reprogramming serine metabolism. Mechanistically, NAT10 facilitates exogenous serine uptake and de novo biosynthesis through ac4C-mediated translation enhancement of the serine transporter SLC1A4 and the transcription regulators HOXA9 and MENIN that activate transcription of serine synthesis pathway genes. We further characterize fludarabine as an inhibitor of NAT10 and demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of NAT10 targets serine metabolic vulnerability, triggering substantial anti-leukaemia effects both in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our study demonstrates the functional importance of ac4C and NAT10 in metabolism control and leukaemogenesis, providing insights into the potential of targeting NAT10 for AML therapy., Competing Interests: Competing interests: A patent (no. 202411410870.6) has been filed in China, with H.H., H.W., Subo Zhang, F.H., and Y. Long as inventors., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This study aims to establish phantom-solution systems suitable for estimating doses in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). The phantom containing three typical solutions, H 3 BO 3 , LiOH, and Gd(NO₃)₃·6H₂O with different concentrations and nuclide abundances have been studied since the nuclides 10 B, 6 Li, and 157 Gd are capable of absorbing thermal neutrons. The results indicate that all three phantom-solution systems, with suitable concentrations and nuclide abundances, effectively distinguish between the nitrogen dose and the hydrogen dose for dose measurement in BNCT., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors of this study are responsible for its content. All authors declare that they have no competing interests. This systematic review involved only the extraction of data from other published studies, thus, there is no need for patients’ consent and ethics committee approval was not necessary., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Fe 3 O 4 is a cost-effective and strong magnetic core, meanwhile polymerizable deep eutectic solvents (PDESs) are considered to have excellent performance and biocompatibility in separation and material fields. Therefore, the aim was to prepare magnetic microspheres (P(DES-co-St)@Fe 3 O 4 ) with Fe 3 O 4 as the core and PDESs (choline chloride/acrylic acid, 1:2; choline chloride/itaconic acid, 1:1)-styrene (St) copolymer as the shell for binding of target protein. The resulting microspheres exhibited ideal magnetic responsiveness (14.14 emu·g -1 ), stability, dispersion and uniformity (average diameter of 1.04 μm). The acidic PDESs endowed the surface structure of magnetic microspheres with numerous carboxyl groups (3.71 mmol·g -1 ), providing multiple active sites to capture allergenic proteins (ovomucoid, ovotransferrin, ovalbumin) from foods. Under current conditions, the binding capacity of ovomucoid was determined to be 155.3 mg·mL -1 . Kinetic and thermodynamic studies, along with fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular simulations, indicated that the magnetic microspheres bind with ovomucoid through a combination of monolayer multiple interactions with selectivity., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Intracellular redox homeostasis and the type of exogenous Fenton reagent play crucial roles in determining the efficacy of chemodynamic therapy (CDT). Herein, we succeeded for the first time in preparing ultrasmall copper sulfide (CuS) nanodots (1-2 nm)-embedded hollow mesoporous organosilica nanoparticle (HMON), which served as an ideal nanocarrier to load both 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (3-AT) and disulfiram (DSF) after folate-polyethylene glycol-silane (FA-PEG-Silane) modification. The as-prepared nanoplatform (3-AT/DSF@CuS/HMON-FA, denoted as ADCuSi-FA) was found to regulate intracellular redox homeostasis once internalized by 4T1 cells, showing rapid glutathione (GSH)-responsive 3-AT, DSF and Cu + ions release. Specifically, 3-AT restrained the endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) consumption by suppressing catalase (CAT) activity, thereby augmenting hydroxyl radical (OH) generation via Cu + -based Fenton-like reaction. DSF, upon complexation with Cu 2+ , exhibited enhanced chemotherapeutic efficacy, while the by-product Cu + ions further boosted the efficacy of CDT. Additionally, CuS nanodots enabled near-infrared-II (NIR-II) photothermal therapy (PTT) and facilitated photoacoustic (PA) imaging, with the ensuing hyperthermia expediting the CDT process. As expected, the tumor growth was dramatically inhibited with PTT/chemotherapy co-synergized CDT. This work offers an innovative paradigm for cooperative cancer treatment as well as new insights into the fabrication of biodegradable inorganic/organic hybrid materials., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The present study aimed to improve the dose distribution of radiotherapy planning for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) by comparing the effects of various minimum monitor units (MUs) per dynamic control point (MMCP) values on the quality and execution efficiency of dynamic intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) planning. Thirty-four clinically implemented dynamic IMRT plans for patients with NPC were retrospectively selected. In total, 170 plans were obtained by modifying only the MMCP values (set as 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9) in the treatment planning system's (TPS) optimization parameters. These plans were divided into 5 groups. Analyzing the effects of MMCP on the target and organ dose at risk (OAR), also the execution efficiency of the treatment plan in each group and using a quality score system, we conducted an objective quantitative study of the dose distribution and execution efficiency. The target dose evaluation indicators (target coverage (TC), homogeneity index (HI), and conformity index (CI)) of all IMRT plans showed a trend of variation with an increase in MMCP values, and the difference was statistically significant when MMCP values were 5, 7, 9, and 1 (p < 0.05). With an increase in MMCP, the dose to OAR slightly increased, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). With an increase in MMCP, the average number of MUs per segment significantly increased (p < 0.01). The groups based on MMCP values of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 received quality score system of 1.188, 1.180, 1.171, 0.987, and 1.184, respectively, with the MMCP7 group achieving the lowest score, indicating that this plan had the highest overall quality. The MMCP value for dynamic IMRT planning in the Monaco TPS for patients with NPC should be set to 7 to achieve fewer segments, the best execution efficiency without significantly deteriorating the target and OAR dose., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 American Association of Medical Dosimetrists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Esotropia is a common pediatric ophthalmologic disorder that, if left untreated, can have a significant impact on the binocular visual function and appearance of the child. Binasal occlusion (BNO) is a non-surgical measure to alleviate the impact of esotropia. But there is no consistent theoretical basis for BNO and its therapeutic efficacy has been controversial. This study aimed to investigate the effect of BNO in the treatment of children with esotropia., Methods: We performed a retrospective review of children with multiple types of esotropia who still had symptoms of obvious esotropia or the presence of visual diplopia after full refraction correction at the Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University Hospital from October 2022 to September 2023. All the children were given BNO. Vision function and strabismic degree were examined before and after 3 months of BNO. The data were analyzed by Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Fisher's exact test., Results: The mean value of the strabismus before BNO was significantly different from the mean value of the strabismus after BNO for 3 months, including near strabismus [25.22±18.25 vs. 9.63±11.92 prism diopters (PD); P<0.001], and distance strabismus (23.65±17.45 vs. 9.27±12.47 PD; P<0.001). Twenty-six cases were markedly corrected, 6 cases were effectively corrected, 9 cases were invalid. There was no significant difference in the efficacy of BNO between the various types of esotropia (F=8.333; P=0.15). Fifteen children had diplopia before, and 14 children reported the disappearance of diplopia after 3 months, with an effective rate of 93.33%., Conclusions: BNO is an effective non-surgical treatment measure, which can effectively reduce the strabismus degree of many types of esotropia and improve the visual double-image situation, providing a good basis for the establishment of the subsequent visual function., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tp.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/tp-24-340/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2024 AME Publishing Company. All rights reserved.)

The generation and structural characteristics of random speckle patterns impact the implementation and imaging quality of computational ghost imaging. Their modulation is limited by traditional electronic hardware. We aim to address this limitation using the features of an all-optical neural network. This work proposes a real-time target recognition system based on an all-optical diffraction deep neural network for ghost imaging. We use a trained neural network to perform pure phase modulation on visible light, and directly complete the target recognition task by detecting the maximum value of light intensity signals at different positions. We optimized the system by simulating the effects of parameters, such as the number of layers of the network, photosensitive pixel, unit area etc., on the final recognition performance, and the accuracy of target recognition reached 91.73%. The trained neural network is materialised by 3D printing technology and experiments confirmed that the system successfully performs real-time target recognition at a low sampling rate of 1.25 % . It also verified the feasibility and noise resistance of the system in practical application scenarios.

Background: Artificial intelligence has been proposed for brain metastasis (BM) segmentation but it has not been fully clinically validated. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a system for BM segmentation., Methods: A deep-learning-based BM segmentation system (BMSS) was developed using contrast-enhanced MR images from 488 patients with 10338 brain metastases. A randomized crossover, multi-reader study was then conducted to evaluate the performance of the BMSS for BM segmentation using data prospectively collected from 50 patients with 203 metastases at 5 centers. Five radiology residents and 5 attending radiologists were randomly assigned to contour the same prospective set in assisted and unassisted modes. Aided and unaided Dice similarity coefficients (DSCs) and contouring times per lesion were compared., Results: The BMSS alone yielded a median DSC of 0.91 (95% confidence interval, 0.90-0.92) in the multi-center set and showed comparable performance between the internal and external sets (P = .67). With BMSS assistance, the readers increased the median DSC from 0.87 (0.87-0.88) to 0.92 (0.92-0.92) (P < .001) with a median time saving of 42% (40-45%) per lesion. Resident readers showed a greater improvement than attending readers in contouring accuracy (improved median DSC, 0.05 [0.05-0.05] vs 0.03 [0.03-0.03]; P < .001), but a similar time reduction (reduced median time, 44% [40-47%] vs 40% [37-44%]; P = .92) with BMSS assistance., Conclusions: The BMSS can be optimally applied to improve the efficiency of brain metastasis delineation in clinical practice., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology.)

Atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) can trigger the production of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can trigger or exacerbate oxidative stress and pulmonary inflammation. We collected 111 daily (∼24 h) ambient PM 2.5 samples within an urban region of North China during four seasons of 2019-2020. PM 2.5 samples were examined for carbonaceous components, water-soluble ions, and elements, together with their oxidative potential (represent ROS-producing ability) by DTT assay. The seasonal peak DTTv was recorded in winter (2.86 ± 1.26 nmol min -1 m -3 ), whereas the DTTm was the highest in summer (40.6 ± 8.7 pmol min -1 μg -1 ). WSOC displayed the highest correlation with DTT activity (r = 0.84, p < 0.0001), but the influence of WSOC on the elevation of DTTv was extremely negligible. Combustion source exhibited the most significant and robust correlation with the elevation of DTTv according to the linear mixed-effects model result. Source identification investigation using positive matrix factorization displayed that combustion source (36.2%), traffic source (30.7%), secondary aerosol (15.7%), and dust (14.1%) were driving the DTTv, which were similar to the results from the multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis. Backward trajectory analysis revealed that the major air masses originate from local and regional transportation, but PM 2.5 OP was more susceptible to the influence of short-distance transport clusters. Discerning the influence of chemicals on health-pertinent attributes of PM 2.5 , such as OP, could facilitate a deep understanding of the cause-and-effect relationship between PM 2.5 and impacts., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)