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Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is one of the prodromal symptoms of PD. Studies have shown that brain information transmission is affected in PD patients. Consequently, we hypothesized that brain information transmission is impaired in RBD and PD. To prove our hypothesis, we performed functional connectivity (FC) and functional dynamics analysis of three aspects—based on the whole brain, within the resting-state network (RSN), and the interaction between RSNs—using normal control (NC) (n = 21), RBD (n = 24), and PD (n = 45) resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) data sets. Furthermore, we tested the explanatory power of FC and functional dynamics for the clinical features. Our results found that the global functional dynamics and FC of RBD and PD were impaired. Within RSN, the impairment concentrated in the visual network (VIS) and sensorimotor network (SMN), and the impaired degree of SMN in RBD was higher than that in PD. On the interaction between RSNs, RBD showed a widespread decrease, and PD showed a focal decrease which concentrated in SMN and VIS. Finally, we proved FC and functional dynamics were related to clinical features. These differences confirmed that brain information transmission efficiency and flexibility are impaired in RBD and PD, and these impairments are associated with the clinical features of patients.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have been reported to result in abnormal cross-frequency integration. However, previous studies have failed to consider specific abnormalities in receiving and outputting information among frequency bands during integration. Here, we investigated heterogeneity in receiving and outputting information during cross-frequency integration in patients. The results showed that during cross-frequency integration, information interaction first increased and then decreased, manifesting in the heterogeneous distribution of inter-frequency nodes for receiving information. A possible explanation was that due to damage to some inter-frequency hub nodes, intra-frequency nodes gradually became new inter-frequency nodes, whereas original inter-frequency nodes gradually became new inter-frequency hub nodes. Notably, damage to the brain regions that receive information between layers was often accompanied by a strengthened ability to output information and the emergence of hub nodes for outputting information. Moreover, an important compensatory mechanism assisted in the reception of information in the cingulo-opercular and auditory networks and in the outputting of information in the visual network. This study revealed specific abnormalities in information interaction and compensatory mechanism during cross-frequency integration, providing important evidence for understanding cross-frequency integration in patients with MCI and AD.

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are contaminants that can propagate through a variety of environmental media. They contribute to an increase in the number of antibiotic-resistant microbes and thereby pose a danger to human health. Discharge from hospitals is the most significant contributor of ARGs and antibiotic-resistant bacteria to the natural environment. A comprehensive understanding of the microbiological structure and the distribution of ARGs in hospital wastewater can facilitate appropriate treatment of such wastewater and can improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of several epidemic illnesses. In this work, metagenomics techniques were used to compare the microbial species and ARGs in a control group with those in untreated wastewater from three types of hospitals (a general hospital, a hospital of traditional Chinese medicine, and an oral specialty hospital). The microbiota found in the hospital wastewater represented 6,415 species and 244 phyla. The composition of the bacterial community in the wastewater from the three hospitals was significantly different from that in the control group. The ARGs in the samples were also analyzed using the Antibiotic Resistance Genes Database (ARDB) and Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (CARD). Finally, the link between abundant species and ARGs in the samples was examined. The findings of this study indicate that a connection exists between the microbial species and the ARG composition found in the wastewater samples. A variety of distinct genera of ARGs, each having their own unique correlations, have been found in wastewater from various hospitals. Consequently, the ARGs and microbial species found in the untreated wastewater from various hospitals have unique characteristics. Therefore, more detailed protocols need to be established to treat wastewater from various types of hospitals. Further studies should examine whether a connection exists between the various microbial species found in the wastewater of various types of hospitals and certain illnesses.

Basic leucine zipper (bZIP) proteins play important roles in responding to biotic and abiotic stresses in plants. However, the molecular mechanisms of plant resistance to pathogens remain largely unclear in poplar. The present study isolated a TGACG-binding (TGA) transcription factor, PeTGA1, from Populus euphratica. PeTGA1 belongs to subgroup D of the bZIP family and was localized to the nucleus. To study the role PeTGA1 plays in response to Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, transgenic triploid white poplars overexpressing PeTGA1 were generated. Results showed that poplars with overexpressed PeTGA1 showed a higher effective defense response to C. gloeosporioides than the wild-type plants. A yeast one-hybrid assay and an electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed that PeTGA1 could directly bind to the PeSARD1 (P. euphratica SYSTEMIC ACQUIRED RESISTANCE DEFICIENT 1) promoter, an important regulator for salicylic acid biosynthesis. The transactivation assays indicated that PeTGA1 activated the expression of PeSARD1, and PR1 (PATHOGENESIS-RELATED 1), a SA marker gene involved in SA signaling. Subsequently, we observed that the PeTGA1 overexpression lines showed elevated SA levels, thereby resulting in the increased resistance to C. gloeosporioides. Taken together, our results indicated that PeTGA1 may exert a key role in plant immunity not only by targeting PeSARD1 thus participating in the SA biosynthesis pathway but also by involving in SA signaling via activating the expression of PR1.

Introduction: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains a major clinical challenge for patients in intensive care units. Determining the differential mechanisms underlying ARDS with different etiologies is a key goal to improve the effectiveness of ARDS therapy. Despite growing evidence that different immune cell types are involved in ARDS, the role of altered immune cell subpopulations in disease progression is unelucidated.Methods: In this study, we combined scRNA-seq and bulk-level sequencing to analyze the transcriptomes of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy volunteers and patients with septic ARDS (sep-ARDS) and pneumonic ARDS (PNE-ARDS).Results: Our data revealed differential alterations at the cellular and molecular levels and within biological signaling pathways in ARDS with different etiologies. The dynamics of neutrophils, macrophages (Macs), classical dendritic cells (cDCs), myeloid-derived suppressive cells (MDSCs), and CD8+ T cells varied significantly among groups of different samples, with neutrophils and cDCs at higher, and Macs at significantly lower, amounts in the patients with sep-ARDS. Furthermore, MDSCs were highly enriched only in the sep-ARDS patients, whereas a higher abundance of CD8+ T cells was observed in patients with PNE-ARDS. In addition, these cell subpopulations were found to be significantly involved in apoptosis, inflammatory, and immune-related pathways. In particular, a significant enhancement of the oxidative stress response was observed in the neutrophil subpopulation.Conclusion: Our study shows that the composition of cells involved in the main peripheral circulation differs in patients with ARDS with different etiologies. Studying the role and mechanism of action of these cells during ARDS will provide new opportunities for the treatment of this condition.

The human brain is a complex system of interconnected brain regions that form functional networks with differing roles in cognition and behavior. However, the trajectories of these functional networks across development are unclear and designing a metric to track the complex trajectory of these characteristics throughout the lifespan is challenging. Here, permutation entropy (PE) was used to examine age-related variations in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in healthy subjects aged 6-85 from global, network, and nodal perspectives. The global PE followed an inverted U-shaped trajectory that peaked at approximately age 40. The trajectory of the motor and somatosensory functional network was more consistent with a linear model and increased with age; other functional networks showed inverted U-shaped trajectories that peaked between 25 and 52 years of age. All nodes showed inverted U-shaped trajectories. Using cluster analysis, the peak ages of nodes were grouped into three clusters (at 24, 38, and 51 years). Overall, we characterized four aging trajectories: networks with a linear increase, early peak age, intermediate peak age, and older peak age. These findings suggest possible complexity in trajectories at critical age points regarding changes in related functional brain networks.

Aim To investigate the effectiveness of de-escalation of ticagrelor (from ticagrelor 90 mg to clopidogrel 75 mg or ticagrelor 60 mg) on the prognosis of patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after 3 months of oral dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). Methods From March 2017 to August 2021, 1056 patients with STEMI in a single centre, through retrospective investigation and analysis, were divided into intensive (ticagrelor 90 mg), standard (clopidogrel 75 mg after PCI) and de-escalation groups (clopidogrel 75 mg or ticagrelor 60 mg after 3 months of treatment with 90 mg ticagrelor) based on the type and dose of P2Y12 inhibitor 3 months after PCI, and the patients had a ≥ 12-month history of oral DAPT. The primary end point was major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) during the 12-month follow-up period, including composite end points of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, ischaemia-driven revascularization and stroke. The major safety endpoint was bleeding events. Results The results showed that during the follow-up period, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of MACCEs between the intensive and de-escalation groups (P > 0.05). The incidence of MACCEs in the standard treatment group was higher than that in the intensive treatment group (P = 0.014), but the incidence of bleeding events in the de-escalation group was significantly lower than that in the standard group (9.3% vs. 18.4%, χ²=7.191, P = 0.027). The Cox regression analysis showed that increases in haemoglobin (HGB) (HR = 0.986) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (HR = 0.983) could reduce the incidence of MACCEs, while old myocardial infarction (OMI) (P = 0.023) and hypertension (P = 0.013) were independent predictors of MACCEs. Conclusion For STEMI patients undergoing PCI, the de-escalation scheme of ticagrelor to clopidogrel 75 mg or ticagrelor 60 mg at 3 months after PCI was related to the reduction of bleeding events, especially minor bleeding events, without an increase in ischaemic events.

Objective. Pretreatment with hydrocortisone (prehydrocortisone) has been used to protect against adverse drug reactions (ADRs) following antivenom administration after snakebite. However, controversial results have been reported in studies evaluating its efficacy. Herein, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of prehydrocortisone on the risk of ADRs. Methods. We conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane for relevant studies on the literature published up to December 6, 2020, with no language restrictions. Premedications, including hydrocortisone with or without other drugs, were compared with placebo or no premedication. Our primary end point was the risk of ADRs, which was reported as the number of patients who developed ADRs divided by the total number of snakebite patients administered with antivenom separately for the prehydrocortisone and control groups for each study. We evaluated pooled data using of a random-effects model. Results. Among 831 identified studies, 4 were eligible and included in our analysis (N = 1348 participants). Upon combining all eight comparisons from the four selected studies, the overall pooled odds ratio (OR) for ADRs was 0.47 (95% CI 0.19, 1.17; p = 0.11 ; I2 = 68%). When the analysis was restricted to only articles using hydrocortisone with other drugs, the pooled OR was 0.19 (95% CI 0.05, 0.75; p = 0.02 ; I2 = 55%). The result was not statistically significant when the analysis was restricted to studies using prehydrocortisone alone, or randomized controlled designs, or cohorts. Our study was limited by heterogeneity, quality, and a paucity of data. Conclusions. The findings in this study revealed that prehydrocortisone alone was ineffective. However, the substantial beneficial effect of prehydrocortisone combinations with premedications (injectable antihistamines or adrenaline) used against ADRs cannot be excluded. Therefore, the use of prehydrocortisone combinations with premedications (injectable antihistamines or adrenaline) as a prophylaxis may reduce the ADRs to antivenom.

Melatonin has been proven to reduce myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (MI/R) injury. However, in most studies, melatonin was administered before MI/R, thus, the results lack clinical significance in patients with acute myocardial infarction. We hypothesize that melatonin posttreatment at different times has different curative effects. Administered of Melatonin (150 μM) at different times after the onset of reoxygenation (t = -15, 0, 5, 10, 15, and 30 min). Cellular apoptosis, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial function were assessed. Mitophagy-related protein levels, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) activity were also measured. A/R injury upregulated mitophagy, which was associated with increased cellular apoptosis, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Melatonin posttreatment (t = -15, 0, 5, 10, 15, and 30 min) significantly inhibited excessive mitophagy after A/R injury, reduced cellular apoptosis and oxidative stress, restored mitochondrial function and MMP, and restrained mPTP opening. The therapeutic time window in which melatonin posttreatment protected H9c2 cells against A/R injury was large (from -15 to 30 min after the onset of reperfusion), but the earlier the melatonin administration was, the better its protective effect was. This mechanism is likely due to a reduction in mPTP activity and MMP collapse, which lead to the inhibition of mitophagy.

In this work, Mackinawite (FeSm) was synthesized by homogeneous precipitation method, and flower-like nanoparticles formed by the aggregation of nanosheets with a preferred orientation along the (001) plane. The heterogeneous Fenton-like degradation performance of FeSm on rhodamine B (RhB) was investigated, results illustrated that RhB degradation was the synergistic effect of adsorption, Fenton, and a heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction. In repeated experiments, the reduction of reactivity was attributed to the oxidation of FeSm into lepidocrocite, whereas lepidocrocite has relatively low hydroxyl radicals (•OH) production reactivity. Thus, it showed excellent degradation effects in long-time degradation of RhB. Photoluminescence technology and free radical capture experiments demonstrated that •OH produced on the surface of catalyst was the main active species to remove RhB. In addition, the Fe species on the surface of FeSm was the main active center for surface-mediated reactions. A total organic carbon test revealed that the degradation was not complete and degradation intermediates were formed. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry technology was used to identify the degradation intermediates. On this basis, possible degradation pathways were proposed. HIGHLIGHTS Flower-like Mackinawite (FeSm) nanoparticles were synthesized using an homogeneous precipitation method.; FeSm was used as an heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst to degrade RhB.; The reduction of FeSm reuse activity was mainly attributed to the formation of lepidocrocite with lower activity.; •OH surface-bounded of FeSm was the main active species for RhB degradation.; The possible degradation pathway of RhB was speculated.

To explore the clinical characteristics and genetic basis of two Chinese pedigrees affected with Joubert syndrome.Clinical data of the two pedigrees was collected. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and subjected to high-throughput sequencing. Candidate variants were verified by Sanger sequencing. Prenatal diagnosis was carried out for a high-risk fetus from pedigree 2.The proband of pedigree 1 was a fetus at 23The compound heterozygous variants of the INPP5E and ARMC9 genes probably underlay the disease in the two pedigrees. Above finding has expanded the spectrum of pathogenic variants underlying Joubert syndrome and provided a basis for genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis.

Purpose This study aims to complement existing studies by investigating the impact of different corporate social responsibility (CSR) information disclosed by peer listed stars (i.e. governance information [GI] and output information [OI]) on focal firms’ responsive CSR (RCSR) and strategic CSR (SCSR) practices. The authors also investigate the influence of different boundary conditions (i.e. founders’ social status [SS] and industry pollution intensity). Design/methodology/approach Based on the listed stars of 16 industries and their 4,096 private peers in China, the authors use the least squares method and logistic regression models to analyze the data set. Findings The results indicate that the GI of peer listed stars can only positively affect firms’ RCSR behavior. The OI of peer listed stars has a positive effect on firms’ SCSR behavior while negatively affecting firms’ RCSR behavior. The SS of focal firms’ founders and their interaction with the industry’s pollution level strengthen the abovementioned positive relationships while weakening the negative ones. Practical implications This study provides insights into the role of listed stars in influencing peer firms’ CSR activities, offering important practical implications for both policymakers and managers. Originality/value This study extends the recent discussion on peer effects of CSR by elucidating the peer star effect on CSR and confirms that firms may adopt heterogeneous CSR practices to achieve sustainable growth by investigating peer firms’ different responses to their listed stars’ different CSR information. Moreover, by introducing the SS of founders and the pollution intensity of the industry as boundary conditions, this study enriches the research context on CSR activities.

In recent years, interest has been growing in dynamic characteristic of brain signals from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Synchrony and metastability, as neurodynamic indexes, are considered as one of methods for analyzing dynamic characteristics. Although much research has studied the analysis of neurodynamic indices, few have investigated its reliability. In this paper, the datasets from the Human Connectome Project have been used to explore the test–retest reliabilities of synchrony and metastability from multiple angles through intra-class correlation (ICC). The results showed that both of these indexes had fair test–retest reliability, but they are strongly affected by the field strength, the spatial resolution, and scanning interval, less affected by the temporal resolution. Denoising processing can help improve their ICC values. In addition, the reliability of neurodynamic indexes was affected by the node definition strategy, but these effects were not apparent. In particular, by comparing the test–retest reliability of different resting-state networks, we found that synchrony of different networks was basically stable, but the metastability varied considerably. Among these, DMN and LIM had a relatively higher test–retest reliability of metastability than other networks. This paper provides a methodological reference for exploring the brain dynamic neural activity by using synchrony and metastability in fMRI signals.

Previous studies have shown that tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) and pyroptosis are crucial in high-glucose (HG)-induced renal tubular epithelial cell injury and thus contribute to the development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Previous reports have shown that Nrf2 plays an important role in the occurrence of anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects, but it is unclear whether Nrf2 has a common point of action between TIF and pyroptosis. In this study, an immortalized human proximal tubular cell line (human kidney-2 (HK-2) cells) was used in all experiments. The protein levels of Nrf2, Caspase-1, Caspase-1-p10, GSDMD, GSDMD-N, TGF-β1, p-Smad3, α-SMA, and FN were measured using western blotting. The mRNA levels of Nrf2, Caspase-1, GSDMD, α-SMA, and FN were examined using RT-qPCR. Immunofluorescence was performed to detect GSDMD, α-SMA, and Caspase-1 expression. ROS levels in cells and mitochondria were detected using fluorescent probe DCFH-DA staining and Mito Sox Red fluorescent probe staining, respectively. The data showed that in a HG environment, the expression of Caspase-1, Caspase-1-p10, GSDMD, GSDMD-N, α-SMA, and FN increased significantly, which was correlated with the expression of Nrf2. Further study showed that after adding the Nrf2 activator TBHQ and knocking down the Nrf2 gene, ROS increased, and the expression of the above proteins decreased and increased, respectively. In addition, the P38 MAPK or PI3K/AKT signaling pathway may be involved in HG-induced Nrf2 activation. To verify the correlation between Caspase-1 and the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway, the Caspase-1 inhibitor VX-765 was added to significantly reduce the protein levels of TGF-β1 and p-Smad3. These results indicated that Nrf2 attenuates HG-induced TIF and pyroptosis in HK-2 cells by targeting Caspase-1.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are recognized as carcinogens that pose a severe threat to human health. Research on the temporal variation of PAHs was confined to monthly and seasonal investigations, and a longer timescale study remained inadequate until recently. Therefore, this study focuses on the decadal variation of PAHs in environmental media contaminated by a coal gangue dump in the Jiulong Coal Mine, Fengfeng, China. The results show that the total concentrations of PAHs have sharply declined compared to the past. The result of the paired-sample t-test indicates that several individual PAHs have obviously changed in concentration with statistical significance (p < 0.05). Moreover, proportions of medium-molecule weight PAHs increase with statistical significance (p < 0.01) when compared to the past. Various diagnostic ratios suggest that PAHs in previous samples are mainly derived from weathering products of coal gangue and vehicle exhaust, while PAHs in the present samples are dominated by those originating from pyrogenic sources. Calculation of incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCRs) indicates high carcinogenic risk despite a considerable decrease in ILCR values by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude. It shows that recent measurements conducted by the local government do weaken the contamination of coal gangue dumps, but more attention to pyrogenic PAHs is necessary.

This study aimed to systematically review the literature on laboratory researches and statistically determine the influence of mineralizing strategy on the dentin bond stability.The search was cond...

This paper aims to detect the antigens in porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) vaccines by high-performance size-exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) coupled with multi-angle laser light scattering (MALLS). With purified inactivated PCV2 and PCV2 virus-like particles (VLP) as references, two inactivated vaccines (a and b) and two VLP vaccines (c and d) for PCV2 from four manufacturers were analyzed by HPSEC-MALLS after demulsification. The antigen peaks in HPSEC-MALLS were identified by PCV2 antigen test strips, Western blotting and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The repeatability and linearity of the method were investigated. The results showed the virus antigens in the two inactivated vaccines were eluted at about 13.3 min in HPSEC. The molecular weight of these antigens was 2.61×10

The role of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in the treatment of Graves' orbitopathy (GO) has attracted much attention. This study is to evaluate the benefit and safety of MMF in moderate-to-severe GO. A meta-analysis of clinical control trials comparing MMF (with or without glucocorticoid (GC)) for the treatment of GO with GC was conducted. We searched the databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Wanfang, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), for articles published up to 15 June 2022. The primary outcome is referred to the improvement in overall response, and secondary outcomes included the change in clinical activity score (CAS) and adverse events (AEs). Of the 289 articles initially searched, 6 studies were finally eligible for inclusion. The results showed that MMF (with or without GC) was superior to GC in the treatment of GO (OR 3.34, 95% CI 2.17-5.14

Antibodies are fundamental effectors of humoral immunity, and have become a highly successful class of therapeutics. There is increasing evidence that antibodies utilize transient homotypic interactions to enhance function, and elucidation of such interactions can provide insights into their biology and new opportunities for their optimization as drugs. Yet the transitory nature of weak interactions makes them difficult to investigate. Capitalizing on their rich structural data and high conservation, we have characterized all the ways that antibody fragment antigen-binding (Fab) regions interact crystallographically. This approach led to the discovery of previously unrealized interfaces between antibodies. While diverse interactions exist, β-sheet dimers and variable-constant elbow dimers are recurrent motifs. Disulfide engineering enabled interactions to be trapped and investigated structurally and functionally, providing experimental validation of the interfaces and illustrating their potential for optimization. This work provides first insight into previously undiscovered oligomeric interactions between antibodies, and enables new opportunities for their biotherapeutic optimization.

Acute liver inflammatory reactions contribute to many health problems; thus, it is critical to understand the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of acute hepatitis. In this study, an experimental in vivo model of concanavalin A (ConA)-induced hepatitis was used.C57BL/6 (wild-type, WT) or inducible nitric oxide synthase-deficient (iNOSiNOSiNOS may contribute to ConA-induced inflammation by promoting the activation of proinflammatory macrophages.

The utilization of avidity to drive and tune functional responses is fundamental to antibody biology and often underlies the mechanisms of action of monoclonal antibody drugs. There is increasing evidence that antibodies leverage homotypic interactions to enhance avidity, often through weak transient interfaces whereby self-association is coupled with target binding. Here, we comprehensively map the Fab–Fab interfaces of antibodies targeting DR5 and 4-1BB that utilize homotypic interaction to promote receptor activation and demonstrate that both antibodies have similar self-association determinants primarily encoded within a germline light chain complementarity determining region 2 (CDRL2). We further show that these determinants can be grafted onto antibodies of distinct target specificity to substantially enhance their activity. An expanded characterization of all unique germline CDRL2 sequences reveals additional self-association sequence determinants encoded in the human germline repertoire. Our results suggest that this phenomenon is unique to CDRL2, and is correlated with the less frequent antigen interaction and lower somatic hypermutation associated with this loop. This work reveals a previously unknown avidity mechanism in antibody native biology that can be exploited for the engineering of biotherapeutics.

The analysis of resting-state fMRI signals usually focuses on the low-frequency range/band (0.01–0.1 Hz), which does not cover all aspects of brain activity. Studies have shown that distinct frequency bands can capture unique fluctuations in brain activity, with high-frequency signals (>0.1 Hz) providing valuable information for the diagnosis of schizophrenia. We hypothesized that it is meaningful to study the dynamic reconfiguration of schizophrenia through different frequencies. Therefore, this study used resting-state functional magnetic resonance (RS-fMRI) data from 42 schizophrenia and 40 normal controls to investigate dynamic network reconfiguration in multiple frequency bands (0.01–0.25 Hz, 0.01–0.027 Hz, 0.027–0.073 Hz, 0.073–0.198 Hz, 0.198–0.25 Hz). Based on the time-varying dynamic network constructed for each frequency band, we compared the dynamic reconfiguration of schizophrenia and normal controls by calculating the recruitment and integration. The experimental results showed that the differences between schizophrenia and normal controls are observed in the full frequency, which is more significant in slow3. In addition, as visual network, attention network, and default mode network differ a lot from each other, they can show a high degree of connectivity, which indicates that the functional network of schizophrenia is affected by the abnormal brain state in these areas. These shreds of evidence provide a new perspective and promote the current understanding of the characteristics of dynamic brain networks in schizophrenia.

Autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (APAP) is a rare lung disease that may be associated with surfactant overaccumulation. To assess the function of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in APAP, we performed microarray analyses to identify differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and mRNAs between peripheral blood samples from five APAP patients and five healthy volunteers. In total, 12459 DE lncRNAs and 9331 DE mRNAs were identified in APAP patient samples. A qRT-PCR validation of 20 DE lncRNAs and 20 mRNAs indicated that 12 DE lncRNAs may be involved in the pathogenesis of APAP. Coding and noncoding co-expression (CNC) and competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory networks were constructed with these 12 DE lncRNAs. Gene Ontology analysis of the downregulated mRNAs and the CNC network revealed that "ubiquitin-like protein transferase activity" was suppressed in APAP patient samples. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis demonstrated that the "MAPK signaling pathway" was enriched in the ceRNA network. Gene Ontology analysis also indicated that mRNAs involved in many transmembrane ion transport processes were upregulated in APAP patients. The DE lncRNAs and mRNAs discovered in this study have elucidated the pathogenesis of APAP, and the CNC and ceRNA networks have provided novel insights for future functional research.

BACKGROUND Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread around the globe. On February 28, 2020, the World Health Organization adjusted the risk of spread and impact of COVID-19 to “very high” at the global level. Studies have mainly focused on the etiology, epidemiology, and treatment of COVID-19 to limit further spread and the negative impact of the disease, while less attention has been devoted to the follow-up and reexamination of patients who recovered from COVID-19 or were released from quarantine. CASE SUMMARY This study reports two cases where patients who had negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results and met the criteria for discharge subsequently had positive RT-PCR test results. The clinical manifestations and computed tomography (CT) findings of these patients were examined. The conversion of RT-PCR test results in these two patients may be related to false-negative and false-positive outcomes of the test. CT images helped track improvement of pulmonary lesions. CONCLUSION The timing of discharge of COVID-19 patients should be determined by comprehensive analysis of CT images and RT-PCR test results.

Generalization ability is known as an important performance index of artificial neural networks (ANNs). The generalization ability of an ANN usually refers to its ability to recognize untrained samples, but it lacks quantitative analysis. A method is designed by using frequency-domain signals to observe the generalization ability of deep feedforward neural networks (DFFNNs) which are popular ANN models. This method allows us to observe that the generalization ability of DFFNNs is limited to a small neighborhood around the trained samples. Then, the relationship between sample similarity and the DFFNN’s generalization performance is further analyzed. The analysis results show that the correlation coefficient between samples has a certain positive correlation with the DFFNN’s generalization performance. Based on this new understanding, an algorithm in which shadows of the trained samples are added into the training set is proposed to improve the generalization ability of DFFNNs. The proposed algorithm is tested with some simulated signals and some real-world data. The tests show that the proposed method can indeed improve the DFFNN’s generalization ability by only changing the training sample set.

Biopharmaceuticals, such as proteins, peptides, nucleic acids and vaccines, bring about great hopes for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, but the industrialization of these products still faces challenges such as structural instability, inefficient bioactivity and low bioavailability. Ionic liquids (ILs), the marvelous solvent media with inimitable and tunable properties, may provide alternative solutions to overcome the above problems of biopharmaceutical industry. Progress has gradually been made through studies by combination of ILs with biomacromolecules. The applications involved the stabilization, protection, and delivery of biopharmaceuticals. Recent trends are being forwarded to using ILs in vaccines and nucleic acid drugs. However, challenges remain on the toxicity and safety issues. Besides, the cost of adding ILs to the benefits of biopharmaceuticals need to be considered.

Aiming at the problem of energy supplements for ocean buoys, an energy supplement system for ocean buoys is designed. The buoy shakes under the action of waves, and the energy supplement system located in the buoy collects ocean kinetic energy and converts it into stable electric energy for buoy power supplement or storage. The working principle, design schemes, and structural composition of the ocean buoy energy supplement system are determined. According to the motion principle of the shaking pendulum, the system torque equation is established. AQWA is used to simulate the motion characteristics of the floater under the first level of regular and irregular waves, and the roll angle displacement of the floater is taken as the input of the simulation model. The joint simulation of Adams and AMESim is used to build the electromechanical coupling simulation model of the system, which verifies the rationality of the design scheme. The results show that 3.3 V and 1 A DC can be generated under the action of first-order regular wave and irregular wave, and stable power output can be achieved to supplement the buoy or charge the battery.

In order to achieve an efficient collection of wave energy and stable power output, a two-float oscillating flapping-wing wave energy converter is proposed. Based on the hydraulic conversion system of the multi-chamber cylinder, a hydraulic conversion and merging system of the multi-chamber cylinder is created. The composition and working principle of the system, as well as the parameters of the acquisition mechanism, hydraulic conversion and merging system, are determined. AQWA is used to simulate the flapping-wing angular displacement response, and AMESim is used to build the simulation model of the acquisition mechanism, the hydraulic conversion and merging of multi-chamber cylinders, and the power conversion and energy storage system. The research results show that the system can work stably under level 3 and 4 sea conditions, and the input power of the battery is stable at about 46.5kW and 56.5kW, respectively. The rationality and feasibility of the two-float oscillating flapping-wing wave energy converter are verified by simulation.

Fatigue failure of a composite conveyor belt occurs frequently, which will finally lead to an accident. An adaptive segmentation model is established to identify the rubber surface?s fatigue failure and to evaluate the belt fatigue level by using the machine vision technology and the artificial bee colony algorithm. The results show that the damage rate of rubber surface can be correctly calculated and the fatigue failure state can be objectively evaluated.

Background Thrombosis is one of the main complications leading to the failure of autologous arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for patients with renal failure. Thrombectomy is one of the major therapies to remove thrombi to salvage the AVF and prolong its patency. Materials and methods Fifty-six patients with AVF thrombosis at the anastomosis were recruited for this study and underwent thrombectomy procedures. Their clinical variables were collected. The vasculature was accessed at the site of the aneurysmal dilatation. Under ultrasound guidance, a scoop thrombectomy procedure was performed by anterograde and retrograde scooping to remove the thrombus using forceps. Then, a sheath was placed in the direct vertical direction. Angioplasty was performed with a balloon to treat the underlying primary arteriovenous stenosis. Patients were followed up for 12 months after surgery. The procedural success, primary and secondary patency rates, and incidence of procedure-related complications were analyzed. Results There were 2 minor (3.6%) and no major complications. Clinical success was achieved in 55 of the 56 procedures (98.2%). No symptomatic pulmonary embolism or arterial embolization was noted. The primary patency rates at 3, 6, and 12 months were 92.9, 83.8, and 73.3%%, respectively, according to the Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. Conclusion Scoop thrombectomy is a safe procedure with high technical success and a low complication rate, and it is an effective method for patients to receive hemodialysis immediately.