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Abstract Background As the social economy has developed and population mobility has increased, differences in the Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) genotype distribution among men who have sex with men (MSM) have become apparent in the provinces and cities across China. The high variability and drug resistance characteristics of HIV‐1 can lead to the widespread spread of resistant strains, which may also result in antiretroviral therapy failure and an increase in the mortality rate. Objective The genotypic drug resistance characteristics and HIV‐1 transmission risks among HIV‐1‐infected MSM in Guiyang, Guizhou Province were analyzed in the current study. The aim of the study was to provide a scientific basis for preventing the spread of HIV‐1 strains among MSM and develop intervention measures. Method A cross‐sectional study was conducted at the Guiyang Public Health Clinical Center. A total of 181 HIV‐1‐infected MSM who not received treatment at the center between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2022 were selected. The HIV‐1 pol region gene fragment, including the protease and reverse transcriptase regions, was amplified by nested PCR and RT‐PCR. The maximum likelihood method was used to construct a phylogenetic tree for analyzing the HIV‐1 genotypes in MSM. HIV‐1 genotypic resistance was evaluated using the Stanford University HIV drug resistance database. A molecular transmission network of HIV was constructed and the risk of HIV‐1 transmission was determined. Results We successfully amplified 173 pol gene sequences from blood samples obtained from 181 patients. The main subtype was CRF07_BC (60.69% [105/173]), followed by CRF01_AE (26.59% [46/173]), CRF08_BC (4.05% [7/173]), CRF55_01B (4.62% [8/173]), B (3.47% [6/173]), and C (0.58% [1/173]). The distribution of HIV‐1 genotypes in MSM showed that there was a significant difference in the genotype composition of HIV‐1‐infected MSM according to registered residences and ages (p 30 years of age. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of risk factors for drug resistance in HIV‐1‐infected MSM showed that the overall prevalence of pretreatment drug‐resistant species was 12.72% (22/173), and age >30 years, CRF55_01B subtype, and CD4+ T lymphocyte count >350 cells/mm3 were risk factors for drug resistance in MSM HIV‐1 strains. Among the pretreatment drug‐resistant species, non‐nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors with ≥1 drug resistant‐species accounted for 9.25% (16/173), followed by protease inhibitors at 4.05% (7/173) and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors at 1.73% (3/173). Non‐nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors resistant to the CRF07_BC and CRF01_AE genotypes were predominant. The CRF55_01B genotype was shown to be most likely to carry the V179E mutation. The molecular network included CRF07_BC and B genotypes. The results of multi‐factor logistic regression analysis on the factors affecting the rate of joining the network showed that individuals >30 years of age were less likely to join the network compared to those individuals

Abstract Bladder cancer (BC) is the fourth and tenth most common malignancy in men and women worldwide, respectively. The complexity of the molecular biological mechanism behind BC is a major contributor to the lack of effective treatment management of the disease. The development and genesis of BC are influenced by mitochondrial retrograde control and mitochondria-nuclear cross-talk. However, the role of mitochondrial-related genes in BC remains unclear. In this study, we analyzed TCGA datasets and identified 752 DE-MRGs in BC samples, including 313 down-regulated MRGs and 439 up-regulated MRGs. Then, the results of machine-learning screened four critical diagnostic genes, including GLRX2, NMT1, PPP2R2B and TRAF3IP3. Moreover, we analyzed their prognostic value and confirmed that only PPP2R2B was associated with clinical prognosis of BC patients and Cox regression assays validated that PPP2R2B expression was a distinct predictor of overall survival in BC patients. Them, we performed RT-PCR and found that PPP2R2B expression was distinctly decreased in BC specimens and cell lines. Functional experiments revealed that overexpression of PPP2R2B distinctly suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of BC cells via Wnt signaling pathway. In summary, these research findings offer potential molecular markers for the diagnosis and prognosis of BC, with the discovery of PPP2R2B particularly holding significant biological and clinical significance. This study provides valuable clues for future in-depth investigations into the molecular mechanisms of BC, as well as the development of new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets.

This paper describes some useful information on the ultrasonic-assisted hydrothermal fabrication of selenium nanorods (abbreviated as SeNRs) and their potential anticancer activity. The synthesis of SeNRs was confirmed and their selective anticancer activity against DU-145 cells as a standard prostate cancer cell line and human prostate normal cell line, RWPE-1 were assessed. The result of the FTIR study revealed the bending and stretching vibration of the Se-O bond. UV–vis spectroscopy data displayed a sharp maximum absorption (λmax) peak at 298 nm and the TEM image demonstrated that Se nanostructures had a rod-shaped morphology with lengths ranging from 50 to 100 nm and a diameter of around 10 nm. DLS data displayed that SeNRs had an average size of 204.68 nm and a zeta potential value of – 37.29 mV. Then, IC50 concentration of SeNRs against DU-145 and RWPE-1 cell lines were calculated to be about 15 µg/mL and 50.06 µg/mL, respectively, at 24 h. Also, it was deduced that SeNRs triggered their anticancer activity through the induction of membrane leakage, oxidative stress, apoptosis by overexpression of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-9,-8, -3, and downexpression of AKT, PI3K, and mTOR mRNA and proteins, which was further verified by pre-incubation of cells with PI3K inhibitor, LY294002. Thus, the synthesized SeNRs can be used and developed as an effective nanostructure for the treatment of prostate cancer in future studies.

Background: The evolutionary and epidemiological history and the regional differences of various hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes are complex. Our aim was to better understand the molecular epidemiology and evolutionary dynamics of HCV among HIV/HCV co-infected individuals in Guizhou Province. This information could contribute to improve HCV prevention and control strategies in Guizhou and surrounding provinces.Methods: The HCV RNA was extracted from the serum of HIV/HCV co-infected patients, and reverse transcription/nested PCR was performed to amplify nucleotide sequences of the C-E1 region. Then, the successfully amplified sequences were selected for phylogenetic analysis. The available C-E1 region reference sequences from the surrounding provinces of Guizhou (Guangxi, Yunnan, Hunan, and Sichuan) were retrieved in GenBank, and the evolutionary analysis by Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm was performed using BEAST software to reconstruct a phylogeographic tree in order to explore their migration patterns. Finally, the epidemiological history of HCV in the Guizhou region was retraced by reconstructing Bayesian skyline plots (BSPs) after excluding sequences from surrounding provinces.Results: Among 186 HIV/HCV co-infected patients, the C-E1 region sequence was successfully amplified in 177 cases. Phylogenetic analysis classified these sequences into six subtypes: 1a, 1b, 3a, 3b, 6a, and 6n. Among them, subtype 6a was the most dominant strain (n = 70), followed by 3b (n = 55), 1b (n = 31), 3a (n = 11), 1a (n = 8), and 6n (n = 2). By reconstructing the phylogeographic tree, we estimated that the 6a strain in Guizhou mainly originated from Yunnan and Guangxi, while the 3b strain emerged due to transmission from the IDU network in Yunnan. Subtypes 1b, 3a, 3b, and 6a, as the major subtypes of HCV in HIV/HCV co-infected individuals in Guizhou, emerged and later grew more rapidly than the national average. Notably, BSPs of the currently prevalent HCV predominant strain subtype 6a in Guizhou have shown a rapid population growth since 2004. Although the growth rate slowed down around 2010, this growth has continued to date.Conclusion: Overall, despite the improvement and implementation of a series of HCV prevention and control policies and measures, a delayed growth pattern may indicate a unique history of the spread of 6a in Guizhou. Its trend as the dominant strain in Guizhou in recent years may continue to increase slowly over subsequent years.

Objective: Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC, ccRCC) is the most common type of renal cancer with high recurrence and mortality. It has long been recognized that Antizyme inhibitor 1 (AZIN1) serves as a pro‐oncogenic molecule in multiple cancers. However, the clinicopathological features of AZIN1 in KIRC remain unexplored. Materials and Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA, TIMER, and GEPIA) were employed for pan‐cancer expression and survival analysis of AZIN1, indicating the unique anti‐tumor role of AZIN1 in KIRC. The expression and clinical characteristics of AZIN1 in KIRC were further proven via Human Protein Atlas and TCGA. single‐sample GSEA was employed to investigate the immune infiltration of AZIN1. Then the downstream pathways were illustrated via the LinkedOmics, Metascape, and Cytoscape databases. The possible upper regulating noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) were analyzed from five programs‐TargetScan, StarBase, miRanda, PITA, and miRmap. Results: AZIN1 is downregulated in KIRC patients. Lower levels of AZIN1 were linked with unfavorable outcomes in KIRC patients. The AZIN1 expression was positively related to immune cell infiltration in KIRC. We also elucidated a possible upstream regulatory ncRNA of AZIN1 in KIRC namely STK4‐AS1/AC068338.2‐miR‐106b‐5p‐AZIN1 axis as well as the downstream signaling pathways. Conclusion: This study illustrated the unique anti‐tumor role of AZIN1 in KIRC and provided potential value for guiding immunotherapy and targeted therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants possess the remarkable ability to integrate the circadian clock with various signalling pathways, enabling them to quickly detect and react to both external and internal stress signals. However, the interplay between the circadian clock and biological processes in orchestrating responses to environmental stresses remains poorly understood. TOC1, a core component of the plant circadian clock, plays a vital role in maintaining circadian rhythmicity and participating in plant defences. Here, our study reveals a direct interaction between TOC1 and the promoter region of MYB44, a key gene involved in plant defence. TOC1 rhythmically represses MYB44 expression, thereby ensuring elevated MYB44 expression at dawn to help the plant in coping with lowest temperatures during diurnal cycles. Additionally, both TOC1 and MYB44 can be induced by cold stress in an Abscisic acid (ABA)‐dependent and independent manner. TOC1 demonstrates a rapid induction in response to lower temperatures compared to ABA treatment, suggesting timely flexible regulation of TOC1‐MYB44 regulatory module by the circadian clock in ensuring a proper response to diverse stresses and maintaining a balance between normal physiological processes and energy‐consuming stress responses. Our study elucidates the role of TOC1 in effectively modulating expression of MYB44, providing insights into the regulatory network connecting the circadian clock, ABA signalling, and stress‐responsive genes. Summary statement: We present initial evidence that MYB44, a key player in the ABA signalling pathway, is directly targeted by the circadian clock. Additionally, our findings offer a comprehensive understanding of the TOC1‐MYB44 module, elucidating its crucial role under both ABA‐dependent and ABA‐independent conditions during cold stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann (LB) models have been applied to simulate flow boiling heat transfer in recent years. Outlet boundary condition is one of the main challenges to carry out the flow boiling LB simulations. In order to clarify the issues involved in the outlet boundary implementation for flow boiling simulations, the numerical performances of two LB outlet boundary schemes are investigated. One is the convective boundary scheme, and the other is the pressure boundary scheme. Numerical results show that the convective boundary does not control the pressure at the outlet, leading to the continuously rising of the system pressure, while the pressure boundary does not allow bubbles to flow out. Hence, a novel artificial condensation zone is designed before the pressure outlet boundary to avoid two-phase outflow. The effective artificial condensation of vapor is achieved by tuning the equation of state and the latent heat source term in the zone. By employing pressure boundary condition along with the novel artificial condensation zone, the pressure in flow boiling simulation is successfully controlled, and the two-phase flow can be simulated continuously. Finally, simulation of flow boiling in a microchannel is implemented using the proposed outlet boundary treatment. Flow regime transition from the bubbly flow to the slug flow is well captured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the structural effects on transport properties in carbon gels, an improved method has been introduced to regenerate their nanostructure and numerically illustrate the adjustability of their porous characteristics with the variation of synthesis parameters. Two lattice Boltzmann equations are applied to investigate the permeation and diffusion in the gel structures at the pore scale, and the apparent permeability is formulated to describe the total mass flux using the dusty gas model. The structural properties of the reconstructed models and calculated apparent permeabilities have been fully validated by various experiments. A decoupled analysis of the impact of structural parameters on transport properties demonstrates that increasing porosity and pore size, while decreasing geometric tortuosity, leads to more pronounced changes in intrinsic permeability compared to gas diffusivity. By utilizing a database that encompasses 240 reconstructed gels, a structural–functional relationship for transport properties in carbon gels could be proposed. Concerning the intrinsic permeability, a near quadratic relationship with the porosity and mean pore size, independent of particle size, could be concluded. For the nondimensional effective diffusivity, a power exponent of 1.85 associated with porosity is proposed, and its independence of pore size could be revealed. In addition, for gels with porosities under 0.65 and mean pore sizes less than 133 nm, diffusion supersedes permeation as the dominant term in total mass transfer, indicating that particle sizes have a more pronounced influence on the apparent permeability. The predictive model offers guidance for tailoring the transfer properties of carbon gels at the stage of preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precipitation and transformation of carbides in steel are gaining more interest since they are closely related to the properties of steel. Herein, the precipitation and transformation of carbides during tempering of the 7Cr14 martensitic stainless steel subjected to high‐temperature solution treatment (HTST) are investigated. The results indicate that the precipitation of M3C (300–333 °C) and M23C6 (612–645 °C) carbides occurs during tempering of the HTST steel. The effective precipitation activation energies of M3C and M23C6 carbides are 120 ± 7 and 272 ± 13 kJ mol−1, respectively. The precipitation processes of M3C and M23C6 carbides are dominated by C and Cr atomic diffusion, respectively. Moreover, it is found that two transformation processes occur during tempering with increasing temperature, namely, M3C carbides dissolve in the matrix and then M23C6 carbides precipitate along the boundaries of martensitic laths, and the plate‐like M3C carbides decompose into several globular or rod‐like M23C6 carbides that arrange in a chain‐like morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the transient heat transfer characteristics of nanoporous aerogel insulating composites, solving the inverse heat transfer problem would be crucial for identifying the temperature-dependent thermal properties of composites. In this study, with constructed a forward model to numerically investigate the heat transfer in composites, a deep neural network (DNN) model and a particle swarm optimized deep neural network (PSO-DNN) model are conducted to rapidly estimate the effective temperature-dependent thermal conductivity of the desiccated and moist composites from the temperature response measurements. With the DNN model, the retrieved thermal conductivities for desiccated composites possess low deviation to experimental measurements (<3.2%) and constantly low errors (<5.2%) from 280 K to 1080 K. The precision of the DNN solver could be enhanced by adjusting the hyperparameters of the neural networks using PSO. The retrieved thermal conductivities possess low deviation from experiments (<2.5%) and low relative errors within 1.5%. Furthermore, the robustness of the PSO-DNN solver is discussed when commercial thermocouple measurement errors are considered, within retrieving the thermal properties of desiccated and moist aerogel composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sepsis is a serious complication of liver cirrhosis. This study aimed to develop a risk prediction model for sepsis among patients with liver cirrhosis. A total of 3130 patients with liver cirrhosis were enrolled from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV database, and randomly assigned into training and validation cohorts in a 7:3 ratio. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to filter variables and select predictor variables. Multivariate logistic regression was used to establish the prediction model. Based on LASSO and multivariate logistic regression, gender, base excess, bicarbonate, white blood cells, potassium, fibrinogen, systolic blood pressure, mechanical ventilation, and vasopressor use were identified as independent risk variables, and then a nomogram was constructed and validated. The consistency index (C‐index), receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to measure the predictive performance of the nomogram. As a result of the nomogram, good discrimination was achieved, with C‐indexes of 0.814 and 0.828 for the training and validation cohorts, respectively, and an area under the curve of 0.849 in the training cohort and 0.821 in the validation cohort. The calibration curves demonstrated good agreement between the predictions and observations. The DCA curves showed the nomogram had significant clinical value. We developed and validated a risk‐prediction model for sepsis in patients with liver cirrhosis. This model can assist clinicians in the early detection and prevention of sepsis in patients with liver cirrhosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combining the 'time-delay distance' (D Δ t ) measurements from galaxy lenses and other distance indicators provides model-independent determinations of the Hubble constant (H 0) and spatial curvature (Ω K , 0), only based on the validity of the Friedmann–Lemaître–Robertson–Walker (FLRW) metric and geometrical optics. To take the full merit of combining D Δ t measurements in constraining H 0, we use gamma-ray burst (GRB) distances to extend the redshift coverage of lensing systems much higher than that of Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) and even higher than quasars, whilst the general cosmography with a curvature component is implemented for the GRB distance parametrizations. Combining Lensing + GRB yields |$H_0=71.5^{+4.4}_{-3.0}$| km s−1 Mpc−1 and |$\Omega _{K,0} = -0.07^{+0.13}_{-0.06}$| (1σ). A flat-universe prior gives slightly an improved |$H_0 = 70.9^{+4.2}_{-2.9}$| km s−1Mpc−1. When combining Lensing+GRB + SN Ia, the error bar Δ H 0 falls by 25 per cent, whereas Ω K , 0 is not improved due to the degeneracy between SN Ia absolute magnitude, MB , and H 0 along with the mismatch between the SN Ia and GRB Hubble diagrams at z ≳ 1.4. Future increment of GRB observations can help to moderately eliminate the MB – H 0 degeneracy in SN Ia distances and ameliorate the restrictions on cosmographic parameters along with Ω K , 0 when combining Lensing+SN Ia + GRB. We conclude that there is no evidence of significant deviation from a (an) flat (accelerating) universe and H 0 is currently determined at 3 per cent precision. The measurements show great potential to arbitrate the H 0 tension between the local distance ladder and cosmic microwave background measurements and provide a relevant consistency test of the FLRW metric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study is to investigate the regulatory roles of the miR-17-5p/RRM2 axis in A549/G+ cells' gemcitabine resistance. The cell viability was determined using CCK8 and clonogenic assays. Gene expression level analysis by RT-qPCR and Western blotting. Cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry. The dual luciferase activity assay was used to verify the target gene of miR-17-5p. In gemcitabine-resistant cell line A549G+, the drug resistance decreased after up-regulation of MiR-17-5p expression. The proportion of cell cycle G1 phase increased, and the S phase decreased. The expression level of cell cycle-related proteins CCNE1, CCNA2, and P21 decreased. The opposite results emerged after the down-regulation of MiR-17-5p expression in gemcitabine-sensitive cell line A549G–. The expression levels of PTEN and PIK3 in A549G+ cells were higher than in A549G-cells, but p-PTEN was lower than that in A549G–. After up-regulating the expression of MiR-17-5p in A549G+, the expression levels of p-PTEN increased, and the expression level of p-AKT decreased. After down-regulating miR-17-5p expression, the opposite results emerged. The dual-luciferase reporter assay and restorative experiments proved that RRM2 is one of the target genes for MiR-17-5p. Our results suggested that the miR-17-5p/RRM2 axis could adjust gemcitabine resistance in A549 cells, and the p-PTEN/PI3K/AKT signal pathway might be involved in this regulatory mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved degradation pathway in eukaryotes; it plays a critical role in nutritional stress tolerance. The circadian clock is an endogenous timekeeping system that generates biological rhythms to adapt to daily changes in the environment. Accumulating evidence indicates that the circadian clock and autophagy are intimately interwoven in animals. However, the role of the circadian clock in regulating autophagy has been poorly elucidated in plants. Here, we show that autophagy exhibits a robust circadian rhythm in both light/dark cycle (LD) and in constant light (LL) in Arabidopsis. However, autophagy rhythm showed a different pattern with a phase‐advance shift and a lower amplitude in LL compared to LD. Moreover, mutation of the transcription factor LUX ARRHYTHMO (LUX) removed autophagy rhythm in LL and led to an enhanced amplitude in LD. LUX represses expression of the core autophagy genes ATG2, ATG8a, and ATG11 by directly binding to their promoters. Phenotypic analysis revealed that LUX is responsible for improved resistance of plants to carbon starvation, which is dependent on moderate autophagy activity. Comprehensive transcriptomic analysis revealed that the autophagy rhythm is ubiquitous in plants. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that the LUX‐mediated circadian clock regulates plant autophagy rhythms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metasurfaces consisting of an array of planar sub-wavelength structures have shown great potentials in controlling thermal infrared radiation, including intensity, coherence, and polarization. These capabilities together with the two-dimensional nature make thermal metasurfaces an ultracompact multifunctional platform for infrared light manipulation. Integrating the functionalities, such as amplitude, phase (spectrum and directionality), and polarization, on a single metasurface offers fascinating device responses. However, it remains a significant challenge to concurrently optimize the optical, electrical, and thermal responses of a thermal metasurface in a small footprint. In this work, we develop a center-contacted electrode line design for a thermal infrared metasurface based on a gold nanorod array, which allows local Joule heating to electrically excite the emission without undermining the localized surface plasmonic resonance. The narrowband emission of thermal metasurfaces and their robustness against temperature nonuniformity demonstrated in this work have important implications for the applications in infrared imaging, sensing, and energy harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]