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Abstract Background In facial plastic surgery, patients with nasal deformity are often treated by rib cartilage transplantation. In recent years, cartilage tissue engineering has developed as an alternative to complex surgery for patients with minor nasal defects via injection of nasal filler material. In this study, we prepared an injectable nasal filler material containing poly‐L‐lactic acid (PLLA) porous microspheres (PMs), hyaluronic acid (HA) and adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs). Methods We seeded ADMSCs into as‐prepared PLLA PMs using our newly invented centrifugation perfusion technique. Then, HA was mixed with ADMSC‐incorporated PLLA PMs to form a hydrophilic and injectable cell delivery system (ADMSC‐incorporated PMH). Results We evaluated the biocompatibility of PMH in vitro and in vivo. PMH has good injectability and provides a favorable environment for the proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation of ADMSCs. In vivo experiments, we observed that PMH has good biocompatibility and cartilage regeneration ability. Conclusion In this study, a injectable cell delivery system was successfully constructed. We believe that PMH has potential application in cartilage tissue engineering, especially in nasal cartilage regeneration.

Objective: This study aims to elucidate and quantify the composition of Jiangtang Qingre formula (JQF), delineate the absorbed components in the bloodstream, predict the major biologically active components, and identify potential targets for the treatment of diabetes mellitus (DM). Materials and Methods: The chemical composition and metabolites of JQF were elucidated using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)-linear ion trap quadrupole-orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS). The various components of JQF were concurrently determined using UHPLC-triple–quadrupole MS. Network pharmacological analysis was employed to explore the bioactive components and potential therapeutic targets in DM. Results: A total of 63 compounds were identified and provisionally characterized, with flavones, organic acids, and alkaloids emerging as the major chemical constituents. A robust analytical method that enables the simultaneous quantification of 24 representative components was successfully developed. The contents of 11 batches of samples were assessed. Ten prototype components were identified in rat plasma. The pathways associated with the efficacy of JQF in DM treatment were linked to signal transduction, endocrine and immune systems, lipid metabolism, and amino acid metabolism. Conclusion: This study systematically and comprehensively characterized the major chemical components and patterns in JQF, laying the groundwork for understanding its pharmacodynamic mechanisms and clinical applications.

Abstract Background and objectives Early neurological deterioration (END) post-intravenous thrombolysis significantly impacts the long-term prognosis of stroke patients. This study aimed to establish a rapid risk prediction model for unexplained END following intravenous thrombolysis. Methods This prospective study consecutively enrolled patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator intravenous thrombolysis at the Department of Neurology, Third People’s Hospital of Hubei Province, and Yangluo Hospital District between June 2019 and December 2022. Unexplained END was defined as an increase of ≥ 4 points in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score between admission and 24 h. A nomogram was developed and assessed by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). The calibration was assessed using the Hosmer–Lemeshow test. Results A total of 211 patients (130 males and 110 patients aged

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) can disrupt lipid metabolism, and changes in cord blood fatty acid composition have been observed in small newborns. Emerging evidence suggests that exposure to PFASs during pregnancy is linked to decreased newborn size, although the evidence is not consistent. The modifying effect of fatty acids on the associations of gestational PFAS exposure with newborn size is still unknown. Here we show that the nutritional status of the fetus, as indicated by the level of fatty acids in the cord blood, mitigates the adverse effects of gestational PFAS exposure on the size of the newborn. Our study confirms the adverse developmental effects of PFASs and identifies emerging short-chain PFASs as the primary drivers of reduced newborn size, despite their lower exposure burden compared to legacy PFASs. Additionally, we find the protective role of cord blood fatty acids, suggesting potential strategies for mitigating the detrimental effects of emerging environmental exposures on human health. Our findings provide new evidence of the potential toxicity of emerging PFASs and call for further toxicity evaluations of these pollutants for regulatory purposes. Future studies should consider the complex interaction between exposure and nutrition within the human body, particularly during the first thousand days of life, to promote lifelong health.

The Upper Permian Wujiaping (WJP) Formation in the Yangtze Block (Southern China) has great potential for shale gas exploration. However, the sedimentary characteristics and environmental evolution of the WJP Formation are poorly understood. Based on 260 hand specimen samples obtained from 18 sections and 1 borehole in the eastern Yangtze Block, petrographic observations reveal that the WJP Formation is composed of 11 rock types. Combined with analyses of geochemical compositions, the sedimentary facies belts of the WJP Formation are divided into shoreland, shallow-water shelf, deep-water shelf shoal, restricted platform, and open platform. Bauxite was developed in the shoreland at the bottom of the WJP Formation, which is attributed to the Dongwu movement. The formation of paleo-uplift exerted a significant effect on paleogeomorphology and led to a major change in the sedimentary model from the underlying stratum to the WJP Formation. During the lower WJP Formation sedimentary period, gradual transgression occurred in the eastern Yangtze Block, and the lithology was mainly composed of clastic rocks. Shoreland, shallow-water shelf, and deep-water shelf were developed northeastward in turn. In the period of the upper WJP Formation, due to durative transgression, the area of the shoreland reduced southwestward. The lithology converted from clastic rocks into carbonates, and the restricted platform and open platform were developed northeastward. A few patched shoals formed in the restricted platform.

BackgroundAs global populations age, the suitability of community outdoor spaces for older adult residents has become a critical urban planning concern. However, comprehensive evaluation methods for assessing these spaces are lacking. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the aging-suitability of community outdoor spaces in Zhengzhou, China, and provide optimization suggestions for urban planners and policymakers.MethodsAn evaluation index system was established using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), with aging-suitability as the goal layer. The criteria layer included outdoor behavioral activities, green space configuration, transportation and road systems, and basic service facilities. The semantic differential (SD) method was employed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation among older adult residents in three communities (A, B, and C) in Zhengzhou city.ResultsThe evaluation revealed that older adult residents generally had a favorable assessment of their community spaces’ aging-suitability. Community A received the highest overall rating. Green space configuration and transportation systems emerged as critical factors influencing aging-suitability.ConclusionThe combined AHP-SD approach proved effective in evaluating the aging-suitability of community outdoor spaces. The study identified key areas for improvement in each community, with variations in strengths and weaknesses across the three sites. Implications: Based on the findings, optimization suggestions are proposed in four aspects: enhancing outdoor behavioral activities, improving green space landscapes, refining road transportation systems, and upgrading basic service facilities. These recommendations can guide urban planners and policymakers in creating more age-friendly community environments.

IntroductionOxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The oxidative balance score (OBS) was devised to quantify the overall oxidative state, integrating pro-oxidant and antioxidant influences from both dietary intake and lifestyle practices. The aim of this study was to delve into the relationship between the OBS and CKD within the adult population of the United States.MethodsUtilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2009–2018, we derived the OBS from 16 dietary and four lifestyle factors. We employed weighted multivariate regression to probe the link between OBS and CKD. Additionally, we undertook subgroup analyses and applied Restricted Cubic Spline Regression (RCS) for further data analyses.ResultsThis study encompassed 19,444 participants. Logistic regression analysis consistently demonstrated a protective effect of higher OBS on CKD. In Model 3, each unit increase in OBS was associated with a 2% reduction in the risk of CKD (95% CI: 0.97–0.99, p

Objective To investigate the serological changes of blood type and whether hemolytic reactions occurred in a patient with ABw subtype after type A therapeutic plasma exchange(TPE) retrospectively. Methods The ABO blood group identification and genotyping was carried out by microcolumn gel method, microcolumn glass bead method, saline tube method and absorption-elution test, and the laboratory results before and after TPE were analyzed. Results The patient underwent 2 000 mL type A TPE in other hospitals and was transferred to our hospital. On the second day of hospitalization, the test showed consistency between forward and reverse blood typing. On the third day, the detection showed that Bc was ±~1+ , and discrepancy was found between forward and reverse typing. The presence of B antigen was confirmed through tube method and human anti-B absorption-elution test, and was identified as ABw03 by molecular biological method. After type A TPE, Hb and Plt both temporarily decreased, creatinine slightly increased, ALT and AST continued to decrease, while TBIL, DBIL and IBIL showed a temporary decrease followed by an increase, indicating a slight hemolytic reaction. Conclusion Infusion of large volume of plasma may cause hemolytic reactions when ABO subtype patients contain weak A or B antigens.The blood type should be strictly identified according to the ABO blood type forward and reverse typing standards. Additional laboratory tests combined with molecular biology techniques are required for weak agglutination, which can reduce the missed detection of ABO subtypes and reduce the occurrence of transfusion reactions.

Abstract Cryptococcus neoformans has been designated as critical fungal pathogens by the World Health Organization, mainly due to limited treatment options and the prevalence of antifungal resistance. Consequently, the utilization of novel antifungal agents is crucial for the effective treatment of C. neoformans infections. This study exposed that the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of isobavachalcone (IBC) against C. neoformans H99 was 8 µg/mL, and IBC dispersed 48-h mature biofilms by affecting cell viability at 16 µg/mL. The antifungal efficacy of IBC was further validated through microscopic observations using specific dyes and in vitro assays, which confirmed the disruption of cell wall/membrane integrity. RNA-Seq analysis was employed to decipher the effect of IBC on the C. neoformans H99 transcriptomic profiles. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis was performed to validate the transcriptomic data and identify the differentially expressed genes. The results showed that IBC exhibited various mechanisms to impede the growth, biofilm formation, and virulence of C. neoformans H99 by modulating multiple dysregulated pathways related to cell wall/membrane, drug resistance, apoptosis, and mitochondrial homeostasis. The transcriptomic findings were corroborated by the antioxidant analyses, antifungal drug sensitivity, molecular docking, capsule, and melanin assays. In vivo antifungal activity analysis demonstrated that IBC extended the lifespan of C. neoformans-infected Caenorhabditis elegans. Overall, the current study unveiled that IBC targeted multiple pathways simultaneously to inhibit growth significantly, biofilm formation, and virulence, as well as to disperse mature biofilms of C. neoformans H99 and induce cell death.

Human exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has received considerable attention, particularly in pregnant women because of their dramatic changes in physiological status and dietary patterns. Predicting internal PFAS exposure in pregnant women, based on external and relevant parameters, has not been investigated. Here, machine learning (ML) models were developed to predict the serum concentrations of PFOA and PFOS in a large population of 588 pregnant participants. Dietary exposure characteristics, demographic parameters, and in particular, serum fatty acid (FA) data were used for the model development. The fitting results showed that the inclusion of FAs as covariates significantly improved the performance of the ML models, with the random forest (RF) model having the best predictive performance for PFOA (R2 = 0.33, MAE = 1.51 ng/mL, and RMSE = 1.89 ng/mL) and PFOS (R2 = 0.12, MAE = 2.65 ng/mL, and RMSE = 3.37 ng/mL). The feature importance analysis revealed that serum FAs greatly affected PFOA concentration in the pregnant women, with saturated FAs being associated with decreased PFOA levels and unsaturated FAs with increased levels. Comparison with one-compartment pharmacokinetic model further demonstrated the advantage of the ML models in predicting PFAS exposure in pregnant women. Our models correlate for the first time blood chemical concentrations with human FA status using ML, introducing a novel perspective on predicting PFAS levels in pregnant women. This study provides valuable insights concerning internal exposure of PFASs generated from external exposure, and contributes to risk assessment and management in pregnant populations.

Under international advocacy for a low-carbon and healthy lifestyle, ambient PM2.5 pollution poses a dilemma for urban residents who wish to engage in outdoor exercise and adopt active low-carbon commuting. In this study, an Urban Air Health Navigation System (UAHNS) was designed and proposed to assist users by recommending routes with the least PM2.5 exposure and dynamically issuing early risk warnings based on topologized digital maps, an application programming interface (API), an eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model, and two-step spatial interpolation. A test of the UAHNS’s functions and applications was carried out in Wuhan city. The results showed that, compared with trained random forest (RF), LightGBM, Adaboost models, etc., the XGBoost model performed better, with an R2 exceeding 0.90 and an RMSE of approximately 15.74 μg/m3, based on data from national air and meteorological monitoring stations. Further, the two-step spatial interpolation model was adopted to dynamically generate pollution distribution at a spatial resolution of 300 m*300 m. Then, an exposure comparison was performed under randomly selected commuting routes and times in Wuhan, showing the recommended routes for lower PM2.5 exposure made effectively help. And the route difference ratios of about 14.9 % and 16.9 % for riding and walking, respectively. Finally, the UAHNS platform was integrally realized for Wuhan, consisting of a real-time PM2.5 query, a one-hour PM2.5 prediction function at any location, health navigation on city map, and a personalized health information query.

The contamination of water by arsenic (As) has emerged as a significant environmental concern due to its well-documented toxicity. Environmentally relevant concentrations of As have been reported to pose a considerable threat to fish. However, previous studies mainly focused on the impacts of As at environmentally relevant concentrations on adult fish, and limited information is available regarding its impacts on fish at early life stage. In this study, zebrafish embryos were employed to evaluate the environmental risks following exposure to different concentrations (0, 25, 50, 75 and 150 μg/L) of pentavalent arsenate (AsV) for 120 hours post fertilization. Our findings indicated that concentrations ≤ 150 μg/L AsV did not exert significant effects on survival or aberration; however, it conspicuously inhibited heart rate of zebrafish larvae. Furthermore, exposure to AsV significantly disrupted mRNA transcription of genes associated with cardiac development, and elongated the distance between the sinus venosus and bulbus arteriosus at 75 μg/L and 150 μg/L treatments. Additionally, AsV exposure enhanced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity at 50, 75 and 150 μg/L treatments, and increased mRNA transcriptional levels of Cu/ZnSOD and MnSOD at 75 and 150 μg/L treatments. Concurrently, AsV suppressed metallothionein1 (MT1) and MT2 mRNA transcriptions while elevating heat shock protein70 mRNA transcription levels in zebrafish larvae resulting in elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. These findings provide novel insights into the toxic effects exerted by low concentrations of AsV on fish at early life stage, thereby contributing to an exploration into the environmental risks associated with environmentally relevant concentrations.

Abstract Background Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was associated with potentially life-threatening complications. Among patients supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), those who underwent HSCT had a worse prognosis than those who did not. Advances in HSCT and critical care management have improved the prognosis of ECMO-supported HSCT patients. Case The patient in the remission stage of lymphoma after 22 months of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, suffered from ARDS, severe neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and long-term COVID-19. We evaluated the benefits and risks of ECMO for the patient, including the possibility of being free from ECMO, the status of malignancy, the interval from HSCT to ARDS, the function of the graft, the amount of organ failure, and the comorbidities. ECMO was ultimately used to save his life. Conclusions We did not advocate for the general use of ECMO in HSCT patients and we believed that highly selected patients, with well-controlled tumors, few comorbidities, and fewer risk factors for death, tended to benefit from ECMO with well ICU management.

Highlights An ultraconformable skin-like integrated wireless charging micro-supercapacitor (IWC-MSC) could be wireless charged to store electricity into high capacitive micro-supercapacitors (11.39 F cm−3), and fits well with human surface. Building blocks of IWC-MSC skin are all evaporated by liquid precursor, and each part of the device attached firmly benefitting from the liquid permeation, forming a compact and all-in-one configuration. The electrode thickness easily regulated varying from 11.7 to 112.5 μm by controlling the volume of electrode solution precursor.

In this study, the fresh leaves of Yun kang 10 with one bud and two or three leaves in spring, summer and autumn were used as raw materials. After anaerobic treatment, white tea was processed by the same process. The quality differences of white tea made from raw materials in three seasons after anaerobic treatment were explored by sensory evaluation, physical and chemical composition determination and UHPLC-MS/MS high-throughput detection technology to detect the content of amino acid components. The results showed that there were significant differences in the quality of white tea in the three seasons. The dry tea of white tea in spring was bright green in color. The aroma was strong, lasting, high and intensive, and had a variety of aroma types such as flowery, honey, tip aroma, medicinal and the fragrance of unique process. The taste was strong, fresh, sweet and brisk. The color of tea soup was bright yellow. Infused leaf was soft and bright. The quality of sensory was the best. The contents of amino acids, soluble sugar, caffeine, water extract and flavonoids of white tea were the highest in spring, and the content of tea polyphenols white tea was the highest in summer. A total of twenty amino acids were detected, of which 18 amino acids were significantly different (P

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic immunological disease leading to the progressive bone and joint destruction. Angiogenesis, accompanied by synovial hyperplasia and inflammation underlies joint destruction. Delaying or even blocking synovial angiogenesis has emerged as an important target of RA treatment. Natural medicines has a long history of treating RA, and numerous reports have suggested that natural medicines have a strong inhibitory activity on synovial angiogenesis, thereby improving the progression of RA. Natural medicines could regulate the following signaling pathways: HIF/VEGF/ANG, PI3K/Akt pathway, MAPKs pathway, NF-κB pathway, PPARγ pathway, JAK2/STAT3 pathway, etc., thereby inhibiting angiogenesis. Tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. (TwHF), sinomenine, and total glucoside of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. Are currently the most representative of all natural products worthy of development and utilization. In this paper, the main factors affecting angiogenesis were discussed and different types of natural medicines that inhibit angiogenesis were systematically summarized. Their specific anti-angiogenesis mechanisms are also reviewed which aiming to provide new perspective and options for the management of RA by targeting angiogenesis.

Isolated effects of single endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on male reproductive health have been studied extensively, but their mixture effect remains unelucidated. Previous research has suggested that consuming diet enriched in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) might be beneficial for reproductive health, whether omega-3 PUFA could moderate the effect of EDCs mixture on semen quality remains to be explored. In this study of 155 male recruited from a reproductive health center in China, we used targeted-exposomics to simultaneously measure 55 EDCs in the urine for exposure burden. Regression analyses were restricted to highly detected EDCs (≥55%, n = 34), and those with consistently elevated risk were further screened and brought into mixture effect models (Bisphenol A, ethyl paraben, methyl paraben [MeP], benzophenone-1 [BP1], benzophenone-3, mono(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate [MCPP]). Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) and quantile-based g-computation (QGC) models demonstrated that co-exposure to top-ranked EDCs was related to reduced sperm total (β = −0.18, 95%CI: −0.29 – −0.07, P = 0.002) and progressive motility (β = −0.27, 95%CI: −0.43 – −0.10, P = 0.002), but not to lower semen volume. BP1, MeP and MCPP were identified as the main effect driver for deteriorated sperm motion parameters using mixture model analyses. Seminal plasma fatty acid profiling showed that high omega-3 PUFA status, notably elevated docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, C22:5n-3) status, moderated the association between MCPP and sperm motion parameters (total motility: β = 0.26, 95%CI: 0.01 – −0.51, Pinteraction = 0.047; progressive motility: β = 0.64, 95%CI: 0.23 – 1.05, Pinteraction = 0.003). Co-exposure to a range of EDCs is mainly associated with deteriorated sperm quality, but to a lesser extent on sperm quantity, high seminal plasma DPA status might be protective against the effect. Our work emphasizes the importance of exposomic approach to assess chemical exposures and highlighted a new possible intervention target for mitigating the potential adverse effect of EDCs on semen quality.

In December 2022, the United States (US) experienced an extreme cold event. Its duration was 5 days, and it ranked third in intensity (−9.16 °C) during the period from 1979 to 2022. During the Early Stage (12–16 December), the surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly peaked at 2.98 °C. In the Development Stage (17–21 December), cold air moved towards North America (NA). This event reached its peak during the Outbreak Stage (22–26 December), with a minimum SAT anomaly of −9.16 °C. Concurrently, high pressure occurred in Alaska and the Archipelago region, while low-pressure centers occurred in the US. The U-component of wind (U-wind) was in a negative anomaly in the northern part of NA. The negative anomaly of the V-component of wind (V-wind) moved southward. These atmospheric structural changes facilitated the southward movement of cold air from the Arctic to NA. Furthermore, a positive (negative) U-wind anomaly was observed to obstruct (promote) the southward progression of cold air to NA. A linear regression analysis indicated that a negative Arctic Oscillation (AO) correlated with the accumulation of cold air in the Arctic, while a positive Arctic High led to the transport of cold air to NA. In an empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, EOF1 (16.3%) was characterized by a warm Arctic and cold northern part of NA pattern, reflecting the cold air from the Arctic region moving southward into NA, while EOF2 (14.4%) depicted a cold Arctic and cold NA pattern, characterizing the outbreak of cold events in the US. In January 2024, the US experienced another extreme cold event. Its maximum intensity was −9.50 °C, and its duration was 8 days. The course of the two cold events was very similar.

Global warming caused by massive carbon dioxide emissions can lead to a chain of ecological disasters. As one of the main sources of carbon emissions, transportation is of great significance, and the evaluation of its connections with carbon emissions is necessary to achieve “carbon neutrality”. Taking Beijing as an example, this study evaluated traffic efficiency (TE) by utilizing principal component analysis and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation. Using the Tapio decoupling model and coupling coordination degree model, the corresponding relationship between urban low carbon level (LCL) and TE was explored. The results showed the following: (1) The total carbon emission (CE) level exhibited fluctuating variation from increasing to decreasing. The carbon emission intensity (CEI) continued to slow down, and the rapid growth of population density played a key role in low-carbon development. (2) The traffic operations continually showed a positive trend in development. TE increased from a step-like to a slow shape, until it declined in 2020 due to the pandemic. (3) TE and LCL both developed from low coordination to an extreme level of coordination. Per capita carbon emission (CEP) and TE presented an inverted U-shaped curve; meanwhile, with increases in TE, the decline in CEI slowed. In addition, the weak decoupling of TE changed to become strong, due to CE and CEP, and maintained a strong decoupling state from CEI. (4) There is a necessity for the rational planning of land use for transportation infrastructure, the encouragement of a combination of public and private transportation, and the strengthening of the maintenance of the relative infrastructure and the management of traffic behaviors to attain a win–win situation. The results provide a reference for optimizing the traffic structure to achieve “carbon neutrality”.

Traditional radar target detectors, which are model-driven, often suffer remarkable performance degradation in complex clutter environments due to the weakness in modeling the unpredictable clutter. Deep learning (DL) methods, which are data-driven, have been introduced into the field of radar target detection (RTD) since their intrinsic non-linear feature extraction ability can enhance the separability between targets and the clutter. However, existing DL-based detectors are unattractive since they require a large amount of independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) training samples of target tasks and fail to be generalized to the other new tasks. Given this issue, incorporating the strategy of meta-learning, we reformulate the RTD task as a few-shot classification problem and develop the Inter-frame Contrastive Learning-Based Meta Detector (IfCMD) to generalize to the new task efficiently with only a few samples. Moreover, to further separate targets from the clutter, we equip our model with Siamese architecture and introduce the supervised contrastive loss into the proposed model to explore hard negative samples, which have the targets overwhelmed by the clutter in the Doppler domain. Experimental results on simulated data demonstrate competitive detection performance for moving targets and superior generalization ability for new tasks of the proposed method.

Compared with single-radar systems, spatially separated networked radar usually has better detection performance due to its advantages of spatial and frequency diversities. Most of the current fusion detection methods based on networked radar systems only rely on the echo amplitude information of the target without considering the Doppler information that a coherent radar system can obtain to assist detection of targets. Intuitively, the spatial position and radial velocity of a target observed by different radar devices in the networked radar systems should meet certain physical constraints under which the target and false target can be substantially distinguished. Based on this consideration, fusion detection for the networked radar aided by a Doppler information algorithm is proposed in this paper. First, a set of inequalities is constructed based on the coupling between the observation of the same target’s azimuth and Doppler velocity by multiple radar stations. Then, a two-phase method, an algorithm in operational research, is used to judge whether the inequalities have a feasible solution, based on which a judgment is made on whether the target exists. Finally, some simulations are conducted, which show that the proposed algorithm can effectively improve the detection performance of the networked radar system fusion detection. Additionally, the influence of radar station location and target position on the fusion detection performance of the proposed algorithm is analyzed.

Isobavachalcone (IBC) is a natural flavonoid with multiple pharmacological properties. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of IBC against planktonic growth and biofilms of Candida albicans (C. albicans) and the mechanisms underlying its antifungal action. The cell membrane integrity, cell metabolic viability, and cell morphology of C. albicans treated with IBC were evaluated using CLSM and FESEM analyses. Crystal violet staining, CLSM, and FESEM were used to assess the inhibition of biofilm formation, as well as dispersal and killing effects of IBC on mature biofilms. RNA-seq combined with apoptosis and autophagy assays was used to examine the mechanisms underlying the antifungal action of IBC. IBC exhibited excellent antifungal activity with 8 μg/mL of MIC for C. albicans. IBC disrupted the cell membrane integrity, and inhibited biofilm formation. IBC dispersed mature biofilms and damaged biofilm cells of C. albicans at 32 μg/mL. Moreover, IBC induced apoptosis and autophagy-associated cell death of C. albicans. The RNA-seq analysis revealed upregulation or downregulation of key genes involved in cell wall synthesis (Wsc1 and Fks1), ergosterol biosynthesis (Erg3, and Erg11), apoptisis (Hsp90 and Aif1), as well as autophagy pathways (Atg8, Atg13, and Atg17), and so forth, in response to IBC, as evidenced by the experiment-based phenotypic analysis. These results suggest that IBC inhibits C. albicans growth by disrupting the cell wall/membrane, caused by the altered expression of genes associated with β-1,3-glucan and ergosterol biosynthesis. IBC induces apoptosis and autophagy-associated cell death by upregulating the expression of Hsp90, and altering autophagy-related genes involved in the formation of the Atg1 complex and the pre-autophagosomal structure. Together, our findings provide important insights into the potential multifunctional mechanism of action of IBC.

Berberine has growth-promoting and lipid-lowering effects potentially through the regulation of intestinal microbiota and bile acid profiles. This experiment aimed to investigate the effect of dietary berberine on the intestinal microbiota-bile acid-farnesoid X receptor (FXR) axis in yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco). Fish (initial weight: 1.32 ± 0.26 g) were fed a control diet or a diet supplemented with 100 mg/kg (BBR100) or 400 mg/kg berberine (BBR400) for 60 days. The BBR400 group showed significant improvements in growth performance, hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities, intestinal lysozyme activity, cholic acid, ethylchenodeoxycholic acid, and hydroguinone carboxylic acid contents, along with significantly lower intestinal immunoglobulin M, complement 3, complement 4, serum total cholesterol (TCH), and triglyceride (TG) contents, compared to the control group (P

The four-electron oxidation process of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) highly influences the performance of many green energy storage and conversion devices due to its sluggish kinetics. The fabrication of cost-effective OER electrocatalysts via a facile and green method is, hence, highly desirable. This review summarizes and discusses the recent progress in creating carbon-based materials for alkaline OER. The contents mainly focus on the design, fabrication, and application of carbon-based materials for alkaline OER, including metal-free carbon materials, carbon-based supported composites, and carbon-based material core–shell hybrids. The work presents references and suggestions for the rational design of highly efficient carbon-based OER materials.

Panax quinquefolius L. is an important medicinal plant, and flavonoids are among its main secondary metabolites. The R2R3-MYB transcription factor plays an irreplaceable role in plant growth, development, and secondary metabolism. In our study, we identified 159 R2R3-MYBs and analyzed their physical and chemical properties in P. quinquefolius. The protein length of 159 PqMYBs varied from 107 to 1050 amino acids. The molecular weight ranged from 12.21 to 116.44 kDa. The isoelectric point was between 4.57 and 10.34. We constructed a phylogenetic tree of P. quinquefolius and Arabidopsis thaliana R2R3-MYB family members, and PqMYB members were divided into 33 subgroups. Transcriptome data analysis showed that the expression patterns of PqMYBs in root, leaf, and flower were significantly different. Following the MeJA treatment of seedlings, five candidate PqMYB genes demonstrated a response. A correlation analysis of PqMYBs and candidate flavonoid pathway genes showed that PqMYB2, PqMYB46, and PqMYB72 had correlation coefficients that were higher than 0.8 with PqCHS, PqANS4, and PqCCoAMT10, respectively. Furthermore, a transient expression assay confirmed that the three PqMYBs were localized in the nucleus. We speculated that these three PqMYBs were related to flavonoid biosynthesis in P. quinquefolius. These results provided a theoretical basis and a new perspective for further understanding the R2R3-MYB gene family and the biosynthesis mechanism of secondary metabolites in P. quinquefolius.

This experiment aimed to investigate the protective effects of berberine on copper-induced liver and gill toxicities in freshwater grouper (Acrossocheilus fasciatus). Fish (initial weight 1.56 ± 0.10 g) were randomly distributed into 12 tanks (80 L, 20 fish per tank) and divided into four experimental groups: The control group, exposed to 0.02 mg/L Cu2+ (Cu group), exposed to 0.02 mg/L Cu2+ and fed 100 mg/kg berberine (BBR100 group), and exposed to 0.02 mg/L Cu2+ and fed 400 mg/kg berberine (BBR400 group). After a 30-day experiment, the results showed that berberine significantly increased the activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase in the liver, gills, and serum inhibited by Cu2+ exposure (P

Corydalis bungeana Turcz. (CBT) is frequently used to treat inflammatory illnesses, the mechanisms underlying its use to ulcerative colitis (UC) remain unclear. A dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced UC mice model was established. The disease activity index (DAI), colonic length, histological inspection by hematoxylin-eosin staining, the cytokines levels in the colon, proteomics and intestinal flora in mice were investigated to evaluate the effect of CBT. The results showed that CBT can significantly reduce the DAI, increase the length of colon, improve the pathological injury of colon tissue, decrease the level of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β and increase the level of IL-10 in UC mice. Gut microbe sequencing showed that CBT could enhance the abundance of the intestinal microbiome, decrease possibly harmful bacteria and promote potentially helpful microbes. Proteomics investigation showed that 20 overlapping differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were discovered in the control, model, and CBT administration groups. The DEPs in the CBT administration group were connected to biological procedures mainly involving detoxification. Extracellular matrix (ECM) receptor-associated proteins such as Col6a1 and CD36 may be important targets for CBT treatment of UC. Overall, this integrated methodology identified a comprehensive multi-omics network, composed of a certain set of gut microbiota and proteins, which may be potential targets for CBT treatment with UC.

At present, Named Entity Recognition (NER) is one of the fundamental tasks for extracting knowledge from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) texts. The variability of the length of TCM entities and the characteristics of the language of TCM texts lead to ambiguity of TCM entity boundaries. In addition, better extracting and exploiting local features of text can improve the accuracy of named entity recognition. In this paper, we proposed a TCM NER model with lexicon information and text local feature enhancement of text. In this model, a lexicon is introduced to encode the characters in the text to obtain the context-sensitive global semantic representation of the text. The convolutional neural network (CNN) and gate joined collaborative attention network are used to form a text local feature extraction module to capture the important semantic features of local text. Experiments were conducted on two TCM domain datasets and the F1 values are 91.13% and 90.21% respectively.

The Chinese named entity recognition (NER) is a critical task in natural language processing, aiming at identifying and classifying named entities in text. However, the specificity of domain texts and the lack of large-scale labelled datasets have led to the poor performance of NER methods trained on public domain corpora on domain texts. In this paper, a named entity recognition method incorporating sentence semantic information is proposed, mainly by adaptively incorporating sentence semantic information into character semantic information through an attention mechanism and a gating mechanism to enhance entity feature representation while attenuating the noise generated by irrelevant character information. In addition, to address the lack of large-scale labelled samples, we used data self-augmentation methods to expand the training samples. Furthermore, we introduced a Weighted Strategy considering that the low-quality samples generated by the data self-augmentation process can have a negative impact on the model. Experiments on the TCM prescriptions corpus showed that the F1 values of our method outperformed the comparison methods.

With the widely used fingerprints to identify criminals, the influence of fingerprint deformation arouses attention in forensic science. To date, many approaches have been proposed to rectify distorted fingerprints. However, the performance in handling low-quality fingerprints extracted at a crime scene is less high quality than expected. This paper presents a combined method to rectify the latent fingerprints extracted at a crime scene. The method is a coarse-to-fine approach, combining the robustness of traditional pattern recognition and the accuracy of deep learning networks. We conducted several experiments to compare our approach with other approaches, including the nearest-neighbor search and network methods. The results show a remarkable improvement in fingerprint matching, especially in low-quality latent fingerprints. The top 25 cumulative match rate improves from 0.65 (original) to 1 (proposed method), whereas other approaches improve the result to 0.85 at best.

ABSTRACTIn this study, a (Ti + graphite)-Ni composite powder serving as a coating material was deposited on H13 steel to fabricate an in-situ TiC-reinforced Ni-based composite coating by a new type of ESD process, which was named ultrasonic-assisted electrospark powder deposition (UEPD). The composite coating has an average thickness of approximately 45.5 μm and metallurgically bonds with the substrate. The ultrasonic vibration exerted on the UEPD electrode can effectively improve the forming quality of the composite coating, which produces better compactness and thickness uniformity as well as few defects. The microstructure mainly consisted of submicron dendrites due to the rapid solidification of the molten pool. TiC particles as reinforcements were successfully synthesized in the coating via an in-situ reaction due to their low Gibbs free energy and high melting point. The formation of refined grains and in-situ reinforcements prompts the average hardness of the coating to reach 1400.5 HV0.05, which is approximately 2.5 times that of the substrate. The tribological properties of the composite coating are greatly improved in comparison with those of the substrate. The wear rate and friction coefficient of the composite coating decrease by two orders of magnitude and 46.2%, respectively.

Based on the deforming technique of severe plastic deformation (SPD), the grain refinement of a Mg-9Gd-3Y-2Zn-0.5Zr alloy treated with decreasing temperature reciprocating upsetting-extrusion (RUE) and its influence on the mechanical properties and wear behavior of the alloy were studied. The RUE process was carried out for 4 passes in total, starting at 0 °C and decreasing by 10 °C for each pass. The results showed that as the number of RUE passes increased, the grain refinement effect was obvious, and the second phase in the alloy was evenly distributed. Room temperature tensile properties of the alloy and the deepening of the RUE degree showed a positive correlation trend, which was due to the grain refinement, uniform distribution of the second phase and texture weakening. And the microhardness of the alloy showed that the microhardness of RUE is the largest in 2 passes. The change in microhardness was the result of dynamic competition between the softening effect of DRX and the work hardening effect. In addition, the wear resistance of the alloy showed a positive correlation with the degree of RUE under low load conditions. When the applied load was higher, the wear resistance of the alloy treated with RUE decreased compared to the initial state alloy. This phenomenon was mainly due to the presence of oxidative wear on the surface of the alloy, which could balance the positive contribution of severe plastic deformation to wear resistance to a certain extent.

Filtering capacitors are essential to smooth high voltage alternating current lines but are typically limited to hundreds of volts. Here, the authors demonstrate an aqueous hybrid electrochemical capacitor that can exhibit an operating voltage of 1,000 V when assembled into a device of 670 units.

Microencapsulated linseed oil (MLO) has been used in diets to enhance the omega-3 fatty acid concentration of meat in beef cattle without negatively affecting ruminal microbials and digestion; however, the growth performance, meat quality, intramuscular fatty acid profile, and rumen characteristics in response to MLO have not been examined in sheep. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of microencapsulated or conventional linseed oil supplement on growth performance, meat quality, intramuscular fatty acid profile, rumen characteristics and serum parameters in Small-tailed Han sheep. Eighteen 5-months-old male sheep (25.31 ± 1.31 kg) were allocated to three groups. After seven days of adaptation to a basal diet, fed for 80 days, the treatments allocated were (1) basal diet (CON); (2) basal diet with added 2% linseed oil (LO); (3) basal diet with added 4% MLO. The results showed that treatments had no effects on growth performance (P ≥ 0.10). Compared to CON and MLO group, the pH24 h of the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle in LO group was lower (P = 0.07), while the shear force was higher (P = 0.01). Compared to CON group, the addition of linseed oil increased proportions of C17:1, C18:2 n-6c, total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), PUFA/saturated fatty acids and total n-6, while it decreased the proportion of C17:0, C16:1 and C18:1 c-9 in LD muscle (P < 0.10). The lambs in LO and MLO group had higher proportions of C20:1, C18:3 n-3 and total n-3 in LD muscle than those in CON group (P < 0.10). Compared to CON group, the ruminal pH value of MLO group and the ruminal NH3-N content of LO group were lower (P < 0.10). The total volatile fatty acid, proportion of acetate, and acetate/propionate were deceased in LO and MLO groups (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the two supplements significantly increased the proportions of propionate, butyrate and isovalerate (P < 0.05). Circulating cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations were increased by linseed oil supplementation (P = 0.04). In conclusion, these results indicate that microencapsulated linseed oil did not exhibit any superior effects on muscle fatty acid composition and rumen fermentation of lambs.

Background: Using epigenetic markers and fragmentomics of cell-free DNA for cancer detection has been proven applicable. Methods: We further investigated the diagnostic potential of combining two features (epigenetic markers and fragmentomic information) of cell-free DNA for detecting various types of cancers. To do this, we extracted cfDNA fragmentomic features from 191 whole-genome sequencing data and studied them in 396 low-pass 5hmC sequencing data, which included four common cancer types and control samples. Results: In our analysis of 5hmC sequencing data from cancer samples, we observed aberrant ultra-long fragments (220–500 bp) that differed from normal samples in terms of both size and coverage profile. These fragments played a significant role in predicting cancer. Leveraging the ability to detect cfDNA hydroxymethylation and fragmentomic markers simultaneously in low-pass 5hmC sequencing data, we developed an integrated model that incorporated 63 features representing both fragmentomic features and hydroxymethylation signatures. This model achieved high sensitivity and specificity for pan-cancer detection (88.52% and 82.35%, respectively). Conclusion: We showed that fragmentomic information in 5hmC sequencing data is an ideal marker for cancer detection and that it shows high performance in low-pass sequencing data.

Perfluorohexyl sulfonate (PFHxS) is the third most abundant per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and its developmental toxicity remains very poorly understood. Here, pregnant mice exposed to PFHxS at human relevant dose showed increased fetal death incidence in the high-dose PFHxS-H group (P

BackgroundCognitive impairment has been reported to be associated with falls in older adults. However, the complex relationship among falls, cognitive impairment and its associated factors, which could be targeted with specific interventions, remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to examine the direct effects of cognitive impairment on falls, to identify the factors associated with cognitive impairment and to explore the mediation role of cognitive impairment in the association of fall with cognition related factors.MethodsThis 1-year follow-up cohort study enrolled old adults aged 60 years or over. Information about demographic and anthropometric characteristics, fall outcomes, function and nutritional status were collected through face-to-face interview. Cognitive function was evaluated by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Multivariable regression analyses were used to test the association between cognitive impairment and falls and to identify the factors related to cognitive impairment. Additionally, we conduct causal mediation analyses to estimate the mediation effects of cognitive impairment in the pathways of fall occurrence.ResultsOf the 569 participants included in this study, 366 (64.32%) had cognitive impairment, 96 (16.87%) had fall history in the past 1 year, 81 (14.24%) experienced fall and 47 (8.26%) received treatment because of falling during the 1-year follow-up. The association between cognitive impairment and 1-year fall risk was confirmed after adjusting for multiple covariates [odds ratio (OR):2.03, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13–3.80]. IADL disability, depression and low grip strength were associated with a higher prevalence of cognitive impairment. While overweight, higher education and higher income level were found to be related to a lower risk of cognitive impairment. Among these associated factors, cognitive impairment mediated the positive association of falling with IADL ability and depression, and a negative relationship with education and income level.ConclusionOur study not only confirmed the direct influence of cognitive impairment on fall risk in older adults, but also suggested a mediating role that cognitive impairment played in the pathways of fall occurrence. Our finding could help develop more specific interventions for fall prevention.

Chinese cities contributes a large amount of CO2 emissions. Reducing CO2 emissions through urban governance is an important issue. Despite the increasing attention paid on the CO2 emission prediction, few studies consider the collective and complex influence of governance element system. To predict and regulate CO2 emissions through comprehensive urban governance elements, this paper use the random forest model through the data from 1903 Chinese county-level cities in 2010, 2012 and 2015, and establish a CO2 forecasting platform based on the effects of urban governance elements. The results are as follows: (1) The municipal utility facilities element, the economic development & industrial structure element, and the city size &structure and road traffic facilities elements are crucial for residential, industrial and transportation CO2 emissions, respectively; (2) Governance elements have nonlinear relationship with CO2 emissions and most of the relations present obvious threshold effects; (3) Random forest can be used to predict CO2 emissions more accurately than can other predictive models. These findings can be used to conducts the CO2 scenario simulation and help government formulate active governance measurements.

B0 field inhomogeneity is a long-lasting issue for Cardiac MRI (CMR) in high-field (3T and above) scanners. The inhomogeneous B0 fields can lead to corrupted image quality, prolonged scan time, and false diagnosis. B0 shimming is the most straightforward way to improve the B0 homogeneity. However, today’s standard cardiac shimming protocol requires manual selection of a shim volume, which often falsely includes regions with large B0 deviation (e.g., liver, fat, and chest wall). The flawed shim field compromises the reliability of high-field CMR protocols, which significantly reduces the scan efficiency and hinders its wider clinical adoption. This study aims to develop a dual-channel deep learning model that can reliably contour the cardiac region for B0 shim without human interaction and under variable imaging protocols. By utilizing both the magnitude and phase information, the model achieved a high segmentation accuracy in the B0 field maps compared to the conventional single-channel methods (Dice score: 2D-mag = 0.866, 3D-mag = 0.907, and 3D-mag-phase = 0.938, all p < 0.05). Furthermore, it shows better generalizability against the common variations in MRI imaging parameters and enables significantly improved B0 shim compared to the standard method (SD(B0Shim): Proposed = 15 ± 11% vs. Standard = 6 ± 12%, p < 0.05). The proposed autonomous model can boost the reliability of cardiac shimming at 3T and serve as the foundation for more reliable and efficient high-field CMR imaging in clinical routines.

An extreme cold event outbreaks in Eastern China (EC) in December 16–22, 2023. Its maximum intensity (−8.30 °C) and duration (7 days) are in the second place in December during 1980–2023. In Early Stage (December 6–10), surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies reach the highest at 6.77 °C, exceeding mean value by two standard deviations. The variation of SAT anomalies (differences of SAT anomalies between the last day and the first day for a given period) is 0.60 °C. In Development Stage (December 11–15), SAT anomalies begin to decline but remain positive. In Outbreak Stage (December 16–22), the variation of SAT anomalies reaches a minimum of −3.17 °C, reflecting the cooling of EC. From December 1, cold air gradually gathers in Siberia under the influence of Arctic high moving southward. Cold air is locked in Siberia due to negative anomalies of geopotiential height (GH) and the westerlies anomalies between 40°–50°N. On December 11, these negative GH anomalies begin to move southeastward, and the westerlies anomalies weaken to a easterlies. From December 16–22, EC experiences an extreme cold event due to the southward of Arctic high and the eastward of Ural and Okhotsk high. On the basis of the zonal wind index (ZI) phase changes from negative to positive and the jet stream moves southeastward, the strong (weak) jet stream is spotted to block (promote) the southward of cold air. Linear regression shows that negative Arctic Oscillation (AO) conducts to the concentration of cold air in Siberia. Positive Siberia High (SH) pushes cold air to EC. SAT anomalies decrease by 2.29 °C in EC with the increase of 1 unit for SH. In empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, EOF1 (28.07%) is characterized by warm Arctic and cold Siberia (WA-CS), which reflects the effect of SH on the occurrence of extreme cold events.

We aim to improve the product quality of GABA raw Pu-erh tea during development and processing. In this study, headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography–mass spectrometry technology combined with relative odor activity evaluations was used to compare the volatile compounds of GABA sun-dried green tea and GABA raw Pu-erh tea. Sensory evaluation showed a higher aroma score of GABA raw Pu-erh tea than that of GABA sun-dried green tea, with significant differences in aroma type and purity. A total of 147 volatile compounds of 13 categories were detected, which differed in composition and quantity between the two teas. 2-Buten-1-one,1-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadien-1-yl)-,(E)- and beta.-myrcene largely contributed to the aroma formation of both teas. Five volatile compounds were screened as potential markers for tea aroma. Metabolic pathway analysis showed that monoterpenoid biosynthesis may be beneficial to the formation of flowery and fruity aromas in the teas. We suggest that the findings of this study may provide important guidance for the processing and optimization of GABA tea.

Objectives: To explore the relationship between acceptance of illness and quality of life (QOL), and factors associated with acceptance of illness among men who have sex with men (MSM) living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Methods: Three hundred and one MSM were recruited from an HIV clinic between August and December 2018. The battery of measurements consisted of the Acceptance of Illness Scale, World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire for HIV brief version, HIV Cognitive Appraisal Scale and a self-designed questionnaire used to collect general information. Pearson correlation test was used to examine the relationship between acceptance of illness and QOL. Univariate and multivariate ordinal logistic regression analyses were used to examine whether the general data (demographic and HIV-related clinical data) and HIV cognitive appraisal were associated with acceptance of illness levels. Results: Descriptive analysis showed the acceptance level among MSM living with HIV was moderate (Mean = 26.29, SD = 5.28). Those with a better acceptance of illness had a better QOL (r = 0.69, P

BackgroundObesity is a common and highly convincing risk factor for many cancers, including liver cancer. Sex disparities in the body composition and regulatory mechanisms involved in energy homeostasis may contribute to the difference in the incidence of cancer. However, evidence on the gender-specific association between body composition and liver cancer incidence is limited. We performed this study to investigate the linear and non-linear associations of body composition with liver cancer risk by gender.Materials and methodsThis prospective analysis included 4,75,659 participants free of cancer, based on the UK Biobank. We used Cox proportional hazard models to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) after adjusting for potential confounders. Restricted cubic spline was performed to investigate the potential non-linear associations.ResultsDuring a median follow-up, 275 cases (174 male patients and 101 female patients) of liver cancer were identified. Male patients in the highest body fat percentage group are more likely to develop liver cancer (HR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.17–3.03) compared with those in the lowest group. The one-unit increase of whole-body fat mass, arm fat mass, and trunk fat mass was associated with 1.03-, 1.14-, and 1.05-fold increased risk of liver cancer in male subjects, respectively. U-shaped associations of body composition with liver cancer risk were observed in the female subjects. Both high and low levels of whole-body fat-free mass, particularly in the arm and trunk, were associated with an increased risk of liver cancer.ConclusionThis study found a gender-specific association between body composition and liver cancer risk and provided evidence for individualized weight management for the prevention of liver cancer.

BackgroundDifferentiating between adrenal Cushing syndrome (adrenal CS) and Cushing disease (CD) can be challenging if there are equivocal or falsely elevated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) values. We aim to investigate the diagnostic value of serum steroid profiles in differentiating adrenal CS from CD.MethodA total of 11 serum steroids in adrenal CS (n = 13) and CD (n = 15) were analyzed by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Age- and gender-specific steroid ratios were generated by dividing the actual steroid concentration by the upper limit of the relevant reference range. A principal component analysis (PCA) and an orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were performed.ResultsThe PCA and OPLS-DA analyses showed distinct serum steroid profiles between adrenal CS and CD. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and androstenedione ratios were identified as biomarkers for discrimination by variable importance in projection (VIP) in combination with t-tests. The sensitivity and specificity of DHEA-S ratios

Objectives: The association between non-genetic risk factors and cervical cancer (CC) remains controversial and unclear. This umbrella review was conducted to evaluate and synthesize previously published systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to non-genetic factors and CC risk.Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE to identify studies investigating the association between extragenetic factors and CC risk. For each article, we calculated the summary effect size and the 95% confidence interval. Specific criteria were used to classify the association into four levels: strong, highly suggestive, suggestive, or weak.Results: A total of 18 meta-analyses of different risk factors for CC were examined; these studies covered risk factors related to diet, lifestyle, reproduction, disease, viral infection, microorganisms, and parasites. Oral contraceptive use and Chlamydia trachomatis infection were shown to increase CC risk, and this was supported by strong evidence. Additionally, there were four risk factors supported by highly suggestive evidence and six risk factors supported by suggestive evidence.Conclusion: In conclusion, there is a strong association between oral contraceptive use, Chlamydia trachomatis infection, and increased CC risk.

Abstract Background Seed dormancy and germination determine wheat resistance to pre-harvest sprouting and thereby affect grain yield and quality. Arabidopsis VQ genes have been shown to influence seed germination; however, the functions of wheat VQ genes have not been characterized. Results We identified 65 TaVQ genes in common wheat and named them TaVQ1–65. We identified 48 paralogous pairs, 37 of which had Ka/Ks values greater than 1, suggesting that most TaVQ genes have experienced positive selection. Chromosome locations, gene structures, promoter element analysis, and gene ontology annotations of the TaVQs showed that their structures determined their functions and that structural changes reflected functional diversity. Transcriptome-based expression analysis of 62 TaVQ genes and microarray analysis of 11 TaVQ genes indicated that they played important roles in diverse biological processes. We compared TaVQ gene expression and seed germination index values among wheat varieties with contrasting seed dormancy and germination phenotypes and identified 21 TaVQ genes that may be involved in seed dormancy and germination. Conclusions Sixty-five TaVQ proteins were identified for the first time in common wheat, and bioinformatics analyses were used to investigate their phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary divergence. qRT-PCR data showed that 21 TaVQ candidate genes were potentially involved in seed dormancy and germination. These findings provide useful information for further cloning and functional analysis of TaVQ genes and introduce useful candidate genes for the improvement of PHS resistance in wheat.

Establishing an immune balance between the mother and fetus during gestation is crucial, with the placenta acting as the epicenter of immune tolerance. The placental transfer of antibodies, mainly immunoglobulin G (IgG), is critical in protecting the developing fetus from infections. This review looks at how immunomodulation of antibody glycosylation occurs during placental transfer and how it affects fetal health. The passage of maternal IgG antibodies through the placental layers, including the syncytiotrophoblast, stroma, and fetal endothelium, is discussed. The effect of IgG subclass, glycosylation, concentration, maternal infections, and antigen specificity on antibody transfer efficiency is investigated. FcRn-mediated IgG transport, influenced by pH-dependent binding, is essential for placental transfer. Additionally, this review delves into the impact of glycosylation patterns on antibody functionality, considering both protective and pathological effects. Factors affecting the transfer of protective antibodies, such as maternal vaccination, are discussed along with reducing harmful antibodies. This in-depth examination of placental antibody transfer and glycosylation provides insights into improving neonatal immunity and mitigating the effects of maternal autoimmune and alloimmune conditions.