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This study looks into how core competence which focuses on shared vision, cooperation, and empowerment affects competitive advantage in the food service business, which is facing pressures from disruptive competition and growing consumer demand for sustainable and better food options. The study measures competitive advantage through business flexibility and responsiveness. It employs a descriptive-correlational research design and a purposive sampling technique, intentionally selecting fifty employees from various food service establishments, including fast-food chains, restaurants, and cafes, as respondents. Data was gathered using a modified version of an existing questionnaire, which included sections on demographics, core competence, and competitive advantage. A five-point Likert scale was used to collect the responses. The study reveals that there was a high degree of core competence in the food service industry, in general. It also discovered that businesses in the food service sector frequently have a very high degree of competitive advantage. Further, the findings show a significant positive relationship between competitive advantage and core competency, underscoring the significance of empowerment, collaboration, and shared vision in fostering flexibility and responsiveness, consequently gaining a competitive advantage in the marketplace. These results suggest that for businesses in the food service sector to obtain a competitive edge, they should prioritize strengthening and expanding their core competencies. The study is important for workers, managers, owners of businesses, consumers, academic institutions, and upcoming researchers. However, this study may have certain limitations regarding its scope and objectives, as it was conducted within a specific context and time frame which may not encompass all possible scenarios or changes over an extended period. Thus, the result of this research should be interpreted within these limitations, and future research is recommended to validate and expand upon these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, our focus is to construct (quasi-)copulas with a given opposite track section. Three different ways for constructing (quasi-)copulas with a given opposite track section are proposed and the best-possible bounds for all those (quasi-)copulas sharing a common opposite track section are also discussed. Drawing inspiration from the opposite diagonal splicing operation, we propose the curved splicing operation. We obtain that the curved splicing of any two quasi-copulas with a common opposite track section must be a quasi-copula. We also show several sufficient conditions for the curved splicing of any two copulas sharing a common opposite track section to be a copula. Furthermore, we discuss the characteristics of a copula constructed by the curved splicing operation. Finally, we construct two novel types of semilinear copulas, and by applying the curved splicing operation we obtain two additional types of semilinear copulas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen gas generated through water electrolysis can replace fossil fuels. Thus, developing cost-effective and efficient water-splitting electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction is highly important. Herein, biomass-porous-carbon-supported sulphur-doped flower-like NiFe-based alloy composites are prepared using an in situ impregnation-heat treatment technology. The spherical flower (diameter - 1 μm, petal thickness - 20 nm) main components are Ni0.5Fe0.5 and Fe9Ni9S16. The 800 °C heat-treated catalyst demonstrates outstanding catalytic performance in oxygen evolution reactions. At a current density of 10 mA cm-2, it exhibits a minimal overpotential of 298.62 mV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the performance of a blood nucleic acid testing kit, construct a consistency assessment system, and analyze the influencing factors of the test results. Methods A total of 18 644 samples of voluntary blood donors in our center were collected, and 189 double positive samples of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) by ELISA were eliminated, and the remaining 18 455 samples were tested for HBV DNA in parallel with the test reagent and the control reagent (Roche Company). Samples with inconsistent results were confirmed with third-party reagents (Grifols Company, with the sensitivity of HBV DNA, HCV RNA and HIV RNA of 4.5 IU/mL, 2.4 IU/mL and 17.3 IU/mL by single reagent, which were significantly better than other reagents), and the consistency between the two methods was compared. Results No HCV RNA or HIV RNA positive samples were detected in this study. Among the 18 455 samples in initial test, 12 were positive with consistent results, 18 378 were negative with consistent results, and 65 were with inconsistent results between the test reagent and the control reagent, with positive concordance rate, negative concordance rate and concordance rate of the two reagents at 85.17%, 99.66% and 99.65%, respectively. In order to further clarify the infection of 65 inconsistent samples, five qualitative tests of hepatitis B and single NAT were conducted to comprehensively evaluate the infection. The results showed that there were 60 positive samples with consistent results, 18 371 negative samples with consistent results, and 24 samples with inconsistent results between the test reagent and the control reagent, with positive concordance rate, negative concordance rate and the concordance rate for the two reagents at 86.96%, 99.92% and 99.87%, respectively. The Kappa value was 0.83, and the Youden index was 0.40. The ROC curve was plotted with the false-positive rate (1-specificity) as the horizontal coordinate and the true-positive rate (sensitivity) as the vertical coordinate, and the area under the ROC curve was 0.705. 189 double-positive samples were selected for conformance testing, and the Ct values of the test reagent and the control reagent were analyzed and fitted linearly, with correlation coefficient r=0.972. A Bland-Altman model was constructed with the mean value of the logarithm of the quantitative values of the test reagent and the control reagent as the horizontal coordinate and the difference as the vertical coordinate, and 96.30% of the difference values of the test reagents were within the confidence interval. Conclusion The construction of the consistency evaluation system showed that the test reagent has similar detection efficiency with the control reagent, and is suitable for HBV DNA routine screening, which can effectively ensure the safety and effectiveness of blood screening.

In the process of hydrogen production from water splitting in alkaline environment， FeNi-based composites are one of the most promising catalysts to replace noble metals. Using Ni（CH3COO）2 and FeSO4 as raw materials of metal ions， the molar ratio of Ni2+∶Fe2+ was controlled at 3∶1 and the total concentration of metal ions （Fe2++Ni2+） was 0.6 mol/L. FeNi3/Ni3-xS2/C composite nanomaterials were successfully prepared by in situ reaction of the elements of Ni，Fe，S with electrospinning and atmosphere heat treatment at 1000 ℃. The results show that the diameter of the nanoscale bead-chain is about 200 nm， the surface of the bead-chain is fluffy， and the elements of Fe， Ni， S， C are uniformly distributed in the nanoscale bead-chain matrix. The electrochemical analysis shows that the catalyst prepared from the FeNi3/Ni3-xS2/C composite after heat treatment in 1000 ℃ atmosphere exhibites excellent oxygen evolution reaction （OER） properties in 1 mol/L KOH aqueous solution， and the overpotential is 278.59 mV.

SlCCD1A-OE lines of cherry tomato CI1005 and large-fruited tomato AC were selected to investigate the effect of SlCCD1A on tomato flavor quality. The transgenic plants were identified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the volatile components and major quality traits of the transgenic lines were determined. The results showed that SlCCD1A-OE mainly cleaved lycopene and β-carotene in tomato fruit, and increased the contents of 11 volatile isoprene compounds, including 6-methyl-5-heptene-2-one, compared with the wild type (WT). The total amount of these isoprene compounds was the highest in strain OE-3 from CI1005, which was 5.68 times of that in WT, and it increased 1.88 times in OE-8 from AC compared with WT, significantly enhancing the floral, fruity, and sweet aroma. The soluble solid content, total sugar content, and sugar/acid ratio in strain OE-3 from CI1005 increased to 6.2%, 37.34 mg/g, and 10.37, while the contents of total acid and vitamin C (VC) decreased to 0.36 mg/L and 42.10 mg/L, respectively. The soluble solid content, total sugar content, and sugar/acid ratio in strain OE-7 from AC increased to 4.77%, 20.03 mg/g, and 5.23, while the total acid and VC contents decreased to 0.38 mg/L and 37.10 mg/L, respectively, resulting in high-sweet and low-sour taste. The SlCCD1A gene is beneficial for enhancing the content and richness of carotenoid-derived volatiles in tomato fruit and increasing the contents of soluble solids and total sugars, thereby improving the flavor quality.

Long-wavelength afterglow emitters are crucial for optoelectronics and information security; however, it remains a challenge in achieving high luminescence efficiency due to the lack of effective modulation in electronic coupling and nonradiative transitions of singlet/triplet excitons. Here, we demonstrate an organic-carbon-dot (CD) hybrid system that operates via a space-confined energy transfer strategy to obtain bright afterglow emission centered at 600 nm with near-unity luminescence efficiency. Photophysical characterization and theoretical calculation confirm efficient luminescence can be assigned to the synergistic effect of intermolecular energy transfer from triplet excitons of CDs to singlets of subluminophores and the intense restraint in nonradiative decay losses of singlet/triplet-state excitons via rationally space-confined rigidification and amination modification. By utilizing precursor engineering, yellow and near-infrared afterglow centered at 575 and 680 nm with luminescence efficiencies of 94.4% and 45.9% has been obtained. Lastly, these highly emissive powders enable superior performance in lighting and information security.

During the transition from embryonic to adult life, the sites of hematopoiesis undergo dynamic shifts across various tissues. In adults, while bone marrow becomes the primary site for definitive hematopoiesis, the establishment of the bone marrow niche for accommodating hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) remains incompletely understood. Here, we reveal that perinatal bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) exhibit highly activated insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R) signaling compared to adult BMSCs. Deletion of Igf1r in perinatal BMSCs hinders the transition of HSCs from the fetal liver to the bone marrow in perinatal mice and disrupts hematopoiesis in adult individuals. Conversely, the deletion of Igf1r in adult BMSCs, adipocytes, osteoblasts, or endothelial cells does not affect HSCs in the bone marrow. Mechanistically, IGF1R signaling activates the transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells c1 (NFATc1) in perinatal BMSCs, which upregulates CXCL12 and other niche factors for HSC retention. Overall, IGF1R signaling in perinatal BMSCs regulates the development of the bone marrow niche for hematopoiesis., (Copyright © 2024 American Society of Hematology.)

This paper provides an overview of the study of optical resonant cavity stability, focusing on the relevant principles, key technological advances, and applications of optical resonant cavities in a variety of high-precision measurement techniques and modern science and technology. Firstly, the vibration characteristics, thermal noise, and temperature characteristics of the reference cavity are presented. Subsequently, the report extensively discusses the advances in key technologies such as mechanical vibration isolation, thermal noise control, and resistance to temperature fluctuations. These advances not only contribute to the development of theory but also provide innovative solutions for practical applications. Typical applications of optical cavities in areas such as laser gyroscopes, high-precision measurements, and gravitational wave detection are also discussed. Future research directions are envisioned, emphasising the importance of novel material applications, advanced vibration isolation technologies, intelligent temperature control systems, multifunctional integrated optical resonator design, and deepening theoretical models and numerical simulations.

Crocins are bioactive natural products that rarely exist in plants. High costs and resource shortage severely limit its development and application. Synthetic biology studies on crocins are of considerable global interest. However, the lack of high-efficiency genetic tools and complex cascade biocatalytic systems have substantially hindered progress in crocin biosynthesis-related research. Based on mutagenesis, a high-efficiency GjCCD4a mutant (N212m) was constructed with a catalytic efficiency that was 25.08-fold higher than that of the wild-type. Solubilized GjCCD4a was expressed via fusion with an MBP tag. Moreover, N212m and ten other genes were introduced into Escherichia coli for the de novo biosynthesis of five crocins. The engineered E57 strain produced crocins III and V with a total yield of 11.50 mg/L, and the E579 strain produced crocins I-V with a total output of 8.43 mg/L at shake-flask level. This study identified a marvelous genetic element (N212m) for crocin biosynthesis and achieved its de novo biosynthesis in E. coli using glucose. This study provides a reference for the large-scale production of five crocins using E. coli cell factories., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Alcohol-related cognitive impairment (ARCI) is highly prevalent among patients with alcohol abuse and dependence. The pathophysiology of ARCI, pivotal for refined therapeutic approaches, is not fully elucidated, posing a risk of progression to severe neurological sequelae such as Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) and Alcohol-Related Dementia (ARD). This study ventures into the underlying mechanisms of chronic alcohol-induced neurotoxicity, notably glutamate excitotoxicity and cytoskeletal disruption, and explores the therapeutic potential of Memantine, a non-competitive antagonist of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor known for its neuroprotective effect against excitotoxicity. Our investigation centers on the efficacy of Memantine in mitigating chronic alcohol-induced cognitive and hippocampal damages in vivo. Male C57BL/6J mice were subjected to 30 % (v/v, 6.0 g/kg) ethanol via intragastric administration alongside Memantine co-treatment (10 mg/kg/day, intraperitoneally) for six weeks. The assessment involved Y maze, Morris water maze, and novel object recognition tests to evaluate spatial and recognition memory deficits. Histopathological evaluations of the hippocampus were conducted to examine the extent of alcohol-induced morphological changes and the potential protective effect of Memantine. The findings reveal that Memantine significantly improves chronic alcohol-compromised cognitive functions and mitigates hippocampal pathological changes, implicating a moderating effect on the disassembly of actin cytoskeleton and microtubules in the hippocampus, induced by chronic alcohol exposure. Our results underscore Memantine's capability to attenuate chronic alcohol-induced cognitive and hippocampal morphological harm may partly through regulating cytoskeleton dynamics, offering valuable insights into innovative therapeutic strategies for ARCI., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The continuous and stable monitoring by sensors is crucial for ensuring the safe utilization of hydrogen due to its inherent high explosiveness. Currently, catalyst aging and oxygen dependence often limit the lifetime of most sensors, which stems from the sensing materials and catalytic reaction in comparison to thermal conductivity sensors. Thermal conductivity sensors possess superior sensing characteristics such as lowpower consumption and exceptional stability attributed to their free-catalysts or free-oxygen nature. Herein, we present an ultralow-power hydrogen-thermal conductivity sensor based on suspended bare platinum nanowires. This sensor incorporates two suspended independent working elements (serpentine/bridge), each of which is thermally decoupled from the substrate. Also, the bridge element operates at significantly lower power levels (the lowest ∼3.32 μW) compared to existing direct-current hydrogen-thermal conductivity sensors. Furthermore, it demonstrates a 99.99% linearity between hydrogen concentration and response under various operating powers. Finally, our sensor shows remarkable stability through a repeatability test (>30,000 cycles). This developed platform provides an optimal structure scheme for integrated sensors with ultralow-power, extremely stable, highly linear-response sensing characteristics, which is expected to be widely used for hydrogen detection and leakage warning under various pipeline distribution systems.

Main Conclusion: The leaf color asymmetry found in the reciprocal hybrids C. hystrix × C. sativus (HC) and C. sativus × C. hystrix (CH) could be influenced by the CsPPR gene (CsaV3_1G038250.1). Most angiosperm organelles are maternally inherited; thus, the reciprocal hybrids usually exhibit asymmetric phenotypes that are associated with the maternal parent. However, there are two sets of organelle genomes in the plant cytoplasm, and the mechanism of reciprocal differences are more complex and largely unknown, because the chloroplast genes are involved besides mitochondrial genes. Cucumis spp. contains the species, i.e., cucumber and melon, which chloroplasts and mitochondria are maternally inherited and paternally inherited, respectively, serving as good materials for the study of reciprocal differences. In this study, leaf color asymmetry was observed in the reciprocal hybrids (HC and CH) derived from C. sativus (2n = 14, CC) and C. hystrix (2n = 24, HH), where the leaves of HC were found to have reduced chlorophyll content, abnormal chloroplast structure and lower photosynthetic capacity. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the chloroplast development-related genes were differentially expressed in leaf color asymmetry. Genetic analysis showed that leaf color asymmetry was caused by the maternal chloroplast genome. Comparative analysis of chloroplast genomes revealed that there was no mutation in the chloroplast genome during interspecific hybridization. Moreover, a PPR gene (CsaV3_1G038250.1) with RNA-editing function was found to be involved in the regulation of leaf color asymmetry. These findings provide new insights into the regulatory mechanisms of asymmetric phenotypes in plant reciprocal crosses., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The construction of simple, stable, low-cost and reproducible enzyme-free electrochemical biosensors can effectively avoid the problem of signal attenuation caused by enzyme inactivation. Hererin, we prepared a novel nanoenzymes PdPtCu mesoporous nanocubes (MNCs) to construct a label-free sandwich electrochemical immunosensor for the highly sensitivity detection of HIV-p24. PdPtCu MNCs have excellent peroxidase activity against hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) due to their synergistic ternary composition, large surface area and ability to penetrate mesoporous channels. Moreover, highly conductive and biocompatible gold nanoparticles@graphene oxide (AuNPs@GO) was introduced as a substrate to modify a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Owing to the excellent electrochemical performance of the PdPtCu MNCs and AuNPs@GO, the developed immunosensors exhibited a good linear response from 0.04 pg/mL to 100 ng/mL with a low detection limit of 20 fg/mL. In addition, the established method exhibited excellent practical performance in human serum. This novel strategy provides a promising platform for ultrasensitive detection of the HIV-p24 in the field of clinical diagnostics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To investigate the association between hemoglobin (Hb) levels and incident diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes., Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 1,657 patients with diabetes, without DKD at baseline, recruited from six clinics affiliated with Lee's United Clinic in Taiwan. Demographic data and laboratory results were collected and analyzed. Participants were stratified into quartiles based on their baseline Hb levels. A subgroup analysis was conducted specifically for patients with normal Hb levels (men: Hb ≥ 120 g/l, women: Hb ≥ 110 g/l). Cox regression analysis assessed the relation between Hb levels and incident DKD, adjusting for relevant covariates., Results: Among the initial cohort, 93 (5.6 %) had anemia at baseline. Over an average follow-up period of 5.7 ± 2.6 years, 594 patients (35.8 %) developed DKD. Cox regression analysis revealed that, after adjusting for multiple variables, compared with patients in the highest quartile of baseline Hb levels (Q4: Hb ≥ 154 g/l), the hazard of DKD was 1.6 times higher in the lowest quartile (Q1: Hb ≤ 130 g/l) HR [95 % CI] 1.58 [1.19;2.21] P < 0.001. In patients with normal Hb levels, Cox regression analysis also revealed that compared to the highest quartile (Q'4, Hb ≥ 154 g/l) the hazard of developing DKD was 1.3 times higher in the lowest quartile (Q'1, Hb ≤ 132 g/l) HR [95 % CI ] 1.29 [1.08;1.72] P = 0.042., Conclusions: Lower Hb is associated with incident DKD, even in patients with normal Hb levels, independent of other risk factors., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. We certify that all authors have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the appropriateness of the study design and method, collection, analysis, interpretation of the data and the manuscript drafting and revision. Qingqing Lou conceived and designed the study. Yetong Wang, Fangli Tang, Huanhuan Liu and Yau-Jiunn Lee collected the epidemiological and clinical data. Qingqing Lou, Wenjun Wang, Yetong Wang, Fangli Tang contributed to analysis and interpretation of data. Qingqing Lou, WenjunWang and Yetong Wang drafted the manuscript. Qingqing Lou contributed to critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content. All authors read, revised, and approved the final draft. Qingqing Lou are the guarantor of this work and, as such, had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. All investigators are independent from funders., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)

Apicomplexan parasites possess several specialized structures to invade their host cells and replicate successfully. One of these is the inner membrane complex (IMC), a peripheral membrane-cytoskeletal system underneath the plasma membrane. It is composed of a series of flattened, membrane-bound vesicles and a cytoskeletal subpellicular network (SPN) comprised of intermediate filament-like proteins called alveolins. While the alveolin proteins are conserved throughout the Apicomplexa and the broader Alveolata, their precise functions and interactions remain poorly understood. Here, we describe the function of one of these alveolin proteins in Toxoplasma, IMC6. Disruption of IMC6 resulted in striking morphological defects that led to aberrant invasion and replication but surprisingly minor effects on motility. Deletion analyses revealed that the alveolin domain alone is largely sufficient to restore localization and partially sufficient for function. As this highlights the importance of the IMC6 alveolin domain, we implemented unnatural amino acid photoreactive crosslinking to the alveolin domain and identified multiple binding interfaces between IMC6 and 2 other cytoskeletal IMC proteins-IMC3 and ILP1. This provides direct evidence of protein-protein interactions in the alveolin domain and supports the long-held hypothesis that the alveolin domain is responsible for filament formation. Collectively, our study features the conserved alveolin proteins as critical components that maintain the parasite's structural integrity and highlights the alveolin domain as a key mediator of SPN architecture., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Back et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Superselective adrenal artery embolization (SAAE) offers a novel approach for treating primary aldosteronism (PA). In this study, we aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of SAAE for the treatment of PA based on the lateralization results obtained from adrenal vein sampling (AVS).In this prospective study, we enrolled 40 patients with PA who underwent SAAE. The patients were categorized into two groups, unilateral PA and bilateral PA, based on AVS results. Clinical parameters and biochemical markers were assessed at 3 and 12 months postoperatively. The primary outcomes were changes in blood pressure and defined daily dose (DDD) of antihypertensive medications compared to baseline. Thirty-eight patients achieved technical success, with favorable clinical and biochemical efficacy rates. At three months postoperatively, the clinical efficacy rates were 79.2% and 78.6% for the UPA and BPA groups, respectively. At 12 months, the rates were 83.3% and 71.4%, respectively. Both groups exhibited a significant decrease in average blood pressure at 3 and 12 months compared with baseline (P < 0.001), and there was also a notable reduction in DDD (P < 0.05). At three months, the biochemical efficacy rates were 61.9% and 58.3% in the UPA and BPA groups, respectively. Due to loss to follow-up, biochemical indicators were not assessed at 12 months postoperatively. No severe adverse reactions occurred during or after SAAE. Patients with both UPA and BPA can benefit from SAAE. The superiority of bilateral adrenal artery embolization in the treatment of BPA over unilateral adrenal artery embolization requires further investigation., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Japanese Society of Hypertension.)

To explore whether rs2073244 at PAX9 increased susceptibility for full-term low birth weight infants and whether indoors passive smoking exposure has a combined effect with rs2073244 on newborn low birth weight (LBW), a 1:2 paired case-control study of LBW newborns was conducted at Xiamen University Affiliated Women and Children's Hospital from March 2010 to October 2013. The rate of indoor passive smoking exposure in the LBW group was higher than it in the NBW group ( p  = 0.019). GG of PAX9 rs2073244 decreased the risk of LBW [OR = 0.38, 95% CI: (0.15-0.98)] and smaller HC [OR = 0.44, 95% CI:(0.20-0.98)]. The relative excess risk for LBW contributed by the additive interaction between the rs2073244 risk genotypes AG/AA and mother pregnancy passive smoking exposure was 10.679 (95%CI 1.728-65.975). Our study suggested that the AG/AA genotype of PAX9 rs2073244 might be a risk factor for LBW of full-term newborns, especially in maternal passive smoking.

Introduction: Identifying the origin of nonpulmonary vein atrial fibrillation (AF) triggers (NPVTs) after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) can be challenging. We aimed to determine if noninvasive electrocardiographic imaging (ECGi) could localize pacing from common NPVT sites. ECGi combines measured body surface potentials with heart-torso geometry acquired from computed tomography (CT) to generate an activation map., Methods: In 12 patients with AF undergoing first time ablation, the ECGi vest was fitted for preprocedural CT scan and worn during the procedure. After PVI, we performed steady-state pacing from 15 typical anatomic NPVT sites at a cycle length of 700-800 ms. We co-registered the invasive anatomic map with the CT-based ECGi epicardial activation map to compare ECGi predicted to true pacing origin., Results: In the study cohort (67% male, 58% persistent AF, and 67% with left atrial dilation), 148 (82%) pacing sites had both capture and adequate anatomy acquired from the three-dimensional mapping system to co-register with ECGi activation map. Median distance between true pacing sites and point of earliest epicardial activation derived from the ECGi maps for all sites was 17 mm (interquartile range, 10-22 mm). Assuming paced sites treated as regions with a radius of 2.5 cm, the earliest activation site on ECGi map falls within the region with 94% accuracy., Conclusion: ECGi can approximate the origin of paced beats from common NPVT sites to within a median distance of 17 mm. A rapidly identified region may then be the focus of more detailed catheter-based mapping techniques to facilitate successful localization and ablation of NPVTs., (© 2024 The Author(s). Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: To compare the therapeutic efficacy of immediate versus delayed renal replacement therapy (RRT) in septic patients undergoing continuous RRT., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 98 septic patients who received continuous RRT between August 2021 and January 2023. Patients were divided into two groups: RRT group (n=50, immediate RRT) and delayed RRT group (n=48), where RRT was delayed by 48 hours in the absence of renal function recovery. Demographic data, comorbidities, vital signs, laboratory results, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scores, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores, and follow-up details were compared between the two groups., Results: The RRT group showed significantly lower serum interleukin-6 and creatinine levels at 1, 3, and 5 days of treatment (P=0.006, P=0.021, P=0.007; P=0.016, P=0.006, P=0.021, respectively) compared with the delayed RRT group. Additionally, the RRT group had shorter ICU stays, reduced duration of mechanical ventilation, and lower total treatment costs (P=0.016, P=0.003, P=0.029). Post-treatment, the RRT group exhibited significantly lower APACHE II and SOFA scores (P=0.031, P=0.018), a shorter average ICU stay (P=0.009), and a lower mortality rate (P=0.018) than the delayed RRT group., Conclusion: Immediate RRT in septic patients undergoing continuous RRT significantly reduces inflammatory markers, accelerates patient outcome, and decreases short-term mortality compared to delayed treatment., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2024.)

Objectives: To examine how the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) affects both short-term and long-term mortality in individuals with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)., Design: A retrospective study., Setting: Critical care unit., Participants: A total of 785 patients with ARDS., Interventions: There were three groups in the NLR study. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) between the NLR and 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year mortality., Measurements and Main Results: The 785 patients included 329 women (41.9%) and 456 men (58.1%), with a mean age of 63.4 ± 16.7 years and a mean NLR of 14.2 ± 9.8. The study population was divided into 3 groups based on NLR value. In the unadjusted model, compared to group 1 (NLR <6.0), group 2 (NLR 6.0-11.3) and group 3 (NLR >11.3) had HR values of 1.12 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83-1.52) and 2.39 (95% CI, 1.87-3.04), respectively, for 30-day all-cause mortality. This association remained significant after adjusting for potential confounding variables (HR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.18-2.02), with a statistically significant trend (p = 0.0004) in group 3 (NLR >11.3). A similar effect was seen on both 90-day and 1-year all-cause mortality. The R 2 value in a 2-piecewise linear regression was 1.25 (95% CI, 1.06-1.48; p < 0.0001) on the left side of the inflection point (NLR 17.1)., Conclusions: In this retrospective single-center study, the NLR was a potential predictor of both short- and long-term mortality in patients with ARDS and may aid risk stratification., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The author declares no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Aim: This study aimed to assess the impact of moderate resistance training on intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) in elderly patients with type 2 diabetes and the independent effect of IMAT reduction on metabolic outcomes., Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 85 patients with type 2 diabetes were assigned to either the resistance training group (42 participants) or the control group (43 participants) for a 6-month intervention. The primary outcome was changes in IMAT measured by computed tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging using the interactive decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least squares qualification sequence. Secondary outcomes included changes in metabolic parameters., Results: Thirty-seven participants in each group completed the study. The IMAT area (measured by a computed tomography scan) in the resistance group decreased from 5.176 ± 1.249 cm 2 to 4.660 ± 1.147 cm 2 , which is a change of -0.512 ± 0.115 cm 2 , representing a 9.89% decrease from the least-squares adjusted mean at baseline, which was significantly different from that of the control group (a change of 0.587 ± 0.115 cm 2 , a 10.34% increase). The normal attenuation muscle area (representing normal muscle density) in the resistance group increased from 82.113 ± 8.776 cm 2 to 83.054 ± 8.761 cm 2 , a change of 1.049 ± 0.416 cm 2 , a 1.3% increase, which was significantly different from that of the control group (a change of -1.113 ± 0.416 cm 2 , a 1.41% decrease). Homeostasis model assessment 2 of beta cell function (HOMA2-β; increased from 52.291 ± 24.765 to 56.368 ± 21.630, a change of 4.135 ± 1.910, a 7.91% increase from baseline) and ratio of insulin increase to blood glucose increase at 30 min after the oral glucose tolerance test (∆I30/∆G30; increased from 4.616 ± 1.653 to 5.302 ± 2.264, a change of 0.715 ± 0.262, a 15.49% increase) in the resistance group were significantly improved compared with those in the control group, which had a change of -3.457 ± 1.910, a 6.05% decrease in HOMA2-β, and a change of -0.195 ± 0.262, a 3.87% decrease in ∆I30/∆G30, respectively. Adjusting for sex, age, diabetes duration, baseline IMAT, and the dependent variable at baseline, linear regression showed that the change in IMAT area was not related to the change in HOMA2 insulin resistance (β = -0.178, p = .402) or the change in HOMA2-β (β = -1.891, p = .197), but was significantly related to the changes in ∆I30/∆G30 (β = -0.439, p = .047), 2-h postprandial glucose (β = 1.321, p = .026), diastolic blood pressure (β = 2.425, p = .018), normal attenuation muscle area (β = -0.907, p = .019) and 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (β = 0.976, p = .002)., Conclusion: Low-level, moderate resistance training reduces IMAT content. Even a small reduction in IMAT may be related to a decrease in risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, but this small reduction may not be sufficient to reduce insulin resistance., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Predicting biomolecular interactions is significant for understanding biological systems. Most existing methods for link prediction are based on graph convolution. Although graph convolution methods are advantageous in extracting structure information of biomolecular interactions, two key challenges still remain. One is how to consider both the immediate and highorder neighbors. Another is how to reduce noise when aggregating high-order neighbors. To address these challenges, we propose a novel method, called mixed high-order graph convolution with filter network via LSTM and channel attention (HGLA), to predict biomolecular interactions. Firstly, the basic and high-order features are extracted respectively through the traditional graph convolutional network (GCN) and the two-layer Higher-Order Graph Convolutional Architectures via Sparsified Neighborhood Mixing (MixHop). Secondly, these features are mixed and input into the filter network composed of LayerNorm, SENet and LSTM to generate filtered features, which are concatenated and used for link prediction. The advantages of HGLA are: 1) HGLA processes high-order features separately, rather than simply concatenating them; 2) HGLA better balances the basic features and high-order features; 3) HGLA effectively filters the noise from high-order neighbors. It outperforms state-ofthe-art networks on four benchmark datasets. The codes are available at https://github.com/zznb123/HGLA.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Astragalus mongholicus Bunge (AMB) is a herb with wide application in traditional Chinese medicine, exerting a wealth of pharmacological effects. AMB has been proven to have an evident therapeutic effect on ischemic cerebrovascular diseases, including cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI). However, the specific mechanism underlying AMB in CIRI remains unclear., Aim of the Study: This study aimed to investigate the potential role of AMB in CIRI through a comprehensive approach of network pharmacology and in vivo experimental research., Methods: The intersection genes of drugs and diseases were obtained through analysis of the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was created through the string website. Meanwhile, the gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis was carried out using R studio, and thereafter the key genes were screened. Then, the molecular docking prediction was made between the main active ingredients and target genes, and hub genes with high binding energy were obtained. In addition, molecular dynamic (MD) simulation was used to validate the result of molecular docking. Based on the results of network pharmacology, we used animal experiments to verify the predicted hub genes. First, the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MACO/R) model was established and the effective dose of AMB in CIRI was determined by behavioral detection and 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Then the target proteins corresponding to the hub genes were measured by Western blot. Moreover, the level of neuronal death was measured using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Nissl staining., Results: Based on the analysis of the TCMSP database and GEO database, a total of 62 intersection target genes of diseases and drugs were obtained. The KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the therapeutic effect of AMB on CIRI might be realized through the advanced glycation endproduct-the receptor of advanced glycation endproduct (AGE-RAGE) signaling pathway in diabetic complications, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway and other pathways. Molecular docking results showed that the active ingredients of AMB had good binding potential with hub genes that included Prkcb, Ikbkb, Gsk3b, Fos and Rela. Animal experiments showed that AWE (60 g/kg) could alleviate CIRI by regulating the phosphorylation of PKCβ, IKKβ, GSK3β, c-Fos and NF-κB p65 proteins., Conclusion: AMB exerts multi-target and multi-pathway effects against CIRI, and the underlying mechanism may be related to anti-apoptosis, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidative stress and inhibiting calcium overload., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Papillary adenomas, known precursors to papillary adenocarcinoma, warrant close monitoring due to their malignant potential. Historically, surgical resection represented the mainstay of treatment for papillary adenomas with intraductal extension. However, recent advancements in endoscopic techniques have facilitated the adoption of endoscopic papillectomy as a minimally invasive alternative in carefully selected cases. We report a case of an 82-year-old woman with a diagnosis of papillary adenoma exhibiting intraductal extension. This was managed with a novel endoscopic technique, balloon catheter-assisted endoscopic resection. Due to the obscured intraductal component of the papillary mass, a balloon occlusion catheter was deployed within the common bile duct and used as traction to facilitate endoscopic visualization of the mass. Endoscopic resection via papillectomy was subsequently performed. Histopathological examination of the resected specimen revealed a villous adenoma with high-grade dysplasia. Serial endoscopic ultrasound examinations with targeted papillary biopsies were performed to monitor for disease recurrence., Competing Interests: None., (© 2024 The Author(s). DEN Open published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.)

The SnO 2 electron transport layer (ETL) has been recognized as one of the most effective protocols for achieving high-efficiency perovskite solar cells (PSCs). To date, most research has primarily focused on the modification of the upper surface of SnO 2 ETL films. The lower surface of the SnO 2 film, which directly influences the film formation of solution-processed SnO 2 , is equally important but receives relatively less attention. Herein, we present a synergetic optimization approach involving the deposition of aluminum oxide (AlO x ) via atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a buffer layer and the incorporation of rubidium acetate (RbAc) as an upper surface passivation additive. This process leads to a conformal coating of SnO 2 nanoparticles, improved electrical performance, and higher-quality perovskite crystals. As a result, with this composite ETL film, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) reached 22.41 from 20.77%. Further modification with p -butyl iodide (BAI) on the perovskite upper surface increased the champion PCE to 23.32%, with a voltage loss of 0.41 V, ranking among the lowest values for the triple-cation mixed-halide perovskite absorber (1.58 eV). Importantly, the perovskite solar cells remained 87.30% of its initial performance after 14 days of aging and exhibited photostability under long-term UV (254 nm) illumination.

Background and Aim: This study aims to determine whether endoscopic papillectomy (EP) is a safe and effective treatment for early duodenal papillary carcinoma with long-term follow-up., Methods: From June 2012 to September 2022, 48 patients with early duodenal papilloma carcinoma who received endoscopic treatment were included. The histological types, percentage of complete resections, postoperative residuals, adverse events, and recurrences were evaluated., Results: EP was successful in all patients; 46 were lumped, and two were fragmented, with a 95.8% intact removal rate (46/48). The preoperative biopsy pathological positive rate was 70.8% (34/48). The incidence of early postoperative adverse events (within 1 month after EP) were 16.7% (8/48), including four cases of acute pancreatitis, three cases of delayed bleeding, and one case of acute cholangitis. In addition, 4.2% (2/48) of the late adverse events were bile duct stenosis. After 6 months, the postoperative residual rate was 0%. The median time to recurrence was 17.5 months, and the postoperative recurrence rate was 16.7% (8/48) in patients treated with radiofrequency ablation. The median progression-free survival was 18.6 months (95% CI, 12.1-25.1), and the median overall survival was 121.5 months (95% CI, 105.6-120.9)., Conclusions: EP is a safe and efficient alternative therapy for early duodenal papillary carcinoma. Endoscopic follow-up and treatment are essential because of the potential for recurrence., (© 2024 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

An epidemic of sleep loss currently affects modern societies worldwide and is implicated in numerous physiological disorders, including pain sensitization, although few studies have explored the brain pathways affected by active sleep deprivation (ASD; e.g., due to recreation). Here, we describe a neural circuit responsible for pain sensitization in mice treated with 9-h non-stress ASD. Using a combination of advanced neuroscience methods, we found that ASD stimulates noradrenergic inputs from locus coeruleus (LC NA ) to glutamatergic neurons of the hindlimb primary somatosensory cortex (S1HL Glu ). Moreover, artificial inhibition of this LC NA →S1HL Glu pathway alleviates ASD-induced pain sensitization in mice, while chemogenetic activation of this pathway recapitulates the pain sensitization observed following ASD. Our study thus implicates activation of the LC NA →S1HL Glu pathway in ASD-induced pain sensitization, expanding our fundamental understanding of the multisystem interplay involved in pain processing., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study investigates the sensitivity of stock returns to changes in oil prices and tax returns in net-oil exporting economies, focusing on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from March 30, 2003 to March 30, 2022. The problem statement addresses the challenge of understanding the interplay between oil price fluctuations, tax policies, and stock market dynamics in these economies, which are heavily reliant on oil revenues. The aim of the study is to provide insights into how variations in oil prices and tax returns impact the cross-section of stock returns in the GCC region. The objectives include analyzing the econometric relationships between oil prices, tax policies, and stock market performance using an appropriate econometric model. The results reveal a significant sensitivity of stock returns to changes in oil prices and tax returns in the GCC countries during the specified period. The econometric model employed indicates strong correlations between fluctuations in oil prices, tax policies, and stock market movements, highlighting the intricate connections between these variables. Moreover, the study identifies specific sectors within the stock market that are particularly sensitive to oil price changes and tax policy adjustments. Policymakers in the GCC countries can use these insights to design more effective fiscal and economic policies aimed at enhancing market stability and investor confidence amidst dynamic oil market conditions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Previous research has underscored the correlation between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and erectile dysfunction (ED). However, due to inherent limitations of observational studies, the causative relationship remains inconclusive., Methods: Utilizing publicly available data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) summary statistics, this study probed the potential causal association between AD and ED using univariate Mendelian randomization (MR). Further, the multivariable MR assessed the confounding effects of six cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The primary approach employed was inverse variance weighted (IVW), supplemented by three additional methods. A series of sensitivity analyses were conducted to ensure the robustness of the results., Results: In the forward MR analysis, the IVW method revealed causal evidence of genetically predicted AD being a risk factor for ED (OR = 1.077, 95% CI 1.007∼1.152, P = 0.031). Reverse analysis did not demonstrate any causal evidence linking ED to AD (OR = 1.018, 95% CI 0.974∼1.063, P = 0.430). Multivariable MR analysis showed that after adjusting for coronary heart disease (OR = 1.082, 95% CI 0.009∼1.160, P = 0.027), myocardial infarction (OR = 1.085, 95% CI 1.012∼1.163, P = 0.022), atrial fibrillation (OR = 1.076, 95% CI 1.002∼1.154, P = 0.043), heart failure (OR = 1.103, 95% CI 1.024∼1.188, P = 0.010), ischemic stroke (OR = 1.079, 95% CI 1.009∼1.154, P = 0.027), hypertension (OR = 1.092, 95% CI 1.011∼1.180, P = 0.025), and all models (OR = 1.115, 95% CI 1.024∼1.214, P = 0.012), the causal association between AD and ED persisted. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the absence of pleiotropy, heterogeneity, and outliers, validating the robustness of our results (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: This MR study consistently evidences a causal effect of genetically predicted AD on the risk of ED, independent of certain CVDs, yet offers no evidence for a reverse effect from ED., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Liao, Lou. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Diagnostic features in near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) are the foundation of knowledge-based approach of petroleum hydrocarbon determination. However, a significant challenge arises when analyzing samples with low levels of petroleum hydrocarbon pollution, as they often lack distinctive diagnostic features in their sample NIRS spectra, limiting the effectiveness of this approach. To address this issue, we have developed a technical workflow for diagnostic spectrum construction and parameterization based on spectral subtraction. This method was applied on a set of NIRS spectra from soil samples that were contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons (ranged between 178 and 1716 mg/kg of total petroleum hydrocarbon). Then two diagnostic features for low-level petroleum hydrocarbon pollution were found: (1) An overall downward concave emerged on diagnostic spectrum within both 2290-2370 nm and 1700-1780 nm for all low pollution levels even below 200 mg/kg; (2) An indicative pattern of asymmetric "W-shaped" double absorption valley occurred for those exceeding 1000 mg/kg, and its valleys located near 2310 nm, 2348 nm or 1727 nm, 1762 nm stably. These two features on diagnostic spectrum could be parameterized to detect, and the detection limit was at least about 10-50 times lower than that based on sample spectrum. These findings update our understanding on the detectability of spectral response from low petroleum hydrocarbon pollution, and widely extend the application of knowledge-based NIRS approach in either field detection or remote sensing identification for environmental management., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Cornus officinalis var. koreana Kitam (Cornus officinalis) is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine and has a good clinical efficacy in kidney and liver diseases. Recent years, a number of studies reported the significant effects of Cornus officinalis on renal fibrosis. However, it is still unclear about the underlying specific mechanism, the bioactive ingredients, and the target gene regulatory network., Aim of the Study: We investigated the impact of Cornus officinalis extract on cadmium-induced renal fibrosis, screened the bioactive ingredients of Cornus officinalis using a pharmacological sub-network analysis, and explored the regulatory effects of Cornus officinalis extracts on target gene matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9)., Methods: Male C57BL/6N mice were treated with single or combinatorial agents such as saline, cadmium chloride, Cornus officinalis, Isoginkgetin and FSL-1. Isoginkgetin is a compound with anti-MMP9 activity. FSL-1 can induce MMP9 expression. Masson staining and Western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses were used for assessing renal fibrosis. In addition, wound healing model was established using BUMPT (Boston university mouse proximal tubular) cells to investigate how Cornus officinalis affected cadmium-induced cell migration. The main Cornus officinalis bioactive compounds were identified by UHPLC-MS (Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry). The MMP9 target for Cornus officinalis active ingredients were confirmed through a pharmacological sub-network analysis., Results: Aqueous extracts of Cornus officinalis protected from renal dysfunction and kidney fibrosis induced by cadmium chloride in mice. In vitro experiments validated that Cornus officinalis extracts inhibited cell migration ability especially in cadmium chloride condition. The sub-network analysis and chemical components profiling technique revealed the active compounds of Cornus officinalis. Cellular thermal shift assay verified the binding abilities of three active components Daidzein, N-Acetyl-L-tyrosine or Swertisin with matrix metalloproteinase-9. Gelatin zymography assay revealed that the activity of MMP9 was inhibited by the three active components. We further confirmed that MMP9 was involved in the process of Cornus officinalis extracts reducing renal fibrosis. Cornus officinalis attenuated the cadmium-induced renal fibrosis was correlated with decreased expression of MMP9, collagen I, α-SMA (alpha-smooth muscle actin) and vimentin., Conclusions: This study demonstrated that Cornus officinalis extracts could alleviate the cadmium chloride-induced renal fibrosis by targeting MMP9, and might provide new insights into the mechanism of treating renal fibrosis by Cornus officinalis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Centromeres in eukaryotes mediate the accurate segregation of chromosomes during cell division. They serve as essential functional units of chromosomes and play a core role in the process of genome evolution. Centromeres are composed of satellite repeats and highly repetitive centromeric retrotransposons (CRs), which vary greatly even among closely related species. Cucumber ( Cucumis sativus ) is a globally cultivated and economically important vegetable and the only species in the Cucumis genus with seven pairs of chromosomes. Therefore, studying the centromeres of the Cucumis subgenus may yield valuable insights into its genome structure and evolution. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) techniques, we isolated centromeric DNA from cucumber reference line 9930. Our investigation into cucumber centromeres uncovered the centromeric satellite sequence, designated as CentCs, and the prevalence of Ty1/ Copia long terminal repeat retrotransposons. In addition, active genes were identified in the CsCENH3 nucleosome regions with low transcription levels. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that characterization of centromeres has been achieved in cucumber. Meanwhile, our results on the distribution of CentCs and CsCRs in the subgenus Cucumis indicate that the content of centromeric repeats in the wild variants was significantly reduced compared with the cultivated cucumber. The results provide evidence for centromeric DNA amplification that occurred during the domestication process from wild to cultivated cucumber. Furthermore, these findings may offer new information for enhancing our understanding of phylogenetic relationships in the Cucumis genus., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nanjing Agricultural University.)

Background: Semi-supervised learning has gained popularity in medical image segmentation due to its ability to reduce reliance on image annotation. A typical approach in semi-supervised learning is to select reliable predictions as pseudo-labels and eliminate unreliable predictions. Contrastive learning helps prevent the insufficient utilization of unreliable predictions, but neglecting the anatomical structure of medical images can lead to suboptimal optimization results., Purpose: We propose a novel approach for semi-supervised liver segmentation using contrastive learning, which leverages unlabeled data and enhances the suitability of contrastive learning for liver segmentation., Method and Materials: Contrastive learning helps prevent the inappropriate utilization of unreliable predictions, but neglecting the anatomical structure of medical images can lead to suboptimal optimization results. Therefore, we propose a semi-supervised contrastive learning method with local regions self-supervision (LRS 2 ). On one side, we employ Shannon entropy to distinguish between reliable and unreliable predictions and reduce the dissimilarity between their representations within regional artificial units. Within each unit of the liver image, we strongly encourage unreliable predictions to acquire valuable information pertaining to the correct category by leveraging the representations of reliable predictions in their vicinity. On the other side, we introduce a dynamic reliability threshold based on the Shannon entropy of each prediction, gradually evaluating the confidence threshold of reliable predictions as predictive accuracy improves. After selecting reliable predictions, we sequentially apply erosion and dilation to refine them for better selection of qualified positive and negative samples. We evaluate our proposed method on abdominal CT images, including 131 images (train data: 77, validation data: 26, and testing data: 28) from 2017 ISBI Liver Tumors Segmentation Challenge., Results: Our method obtains satisfactory performance in different proportion by exploiting the unreliable predictions. Compared with the result of VNet only under supervised settings (with 10, 30, 50, 70% and full labeled data), LRS 2 , respectively, brings an improvement of Dice coefficient by +6.11, +3.55, +4.43, and +2.25%, achieving Dice coefficients of 93.44, 93.31, 94.85, and 95.12%, respectively., Conclusion: In this study, we carefully select appropriate positive and negative samples from reliable regions, ensuring that anchor pixels within unreliable regions are correctly assigned to their respective categories. With a consideration of the anatomical structure present in CT images, we partition the image representations into regional units, enabling anchor pixels to capture more precise sample information. Extensive experiments confirm the effectiveness of our method., (© 2023 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.)

Natural and synthetic environmental estrogens (EEs) are widespread and have received extensive attention. Our previous studies demonstrated that depletion of the cytochrome P450 17a1 gene (cyp17a1) leads to all-testis differentiation phenotype in zebrafish and common carp. In the present study, cyp17a1-deficient zebrafish with defective estrogen biosynthesis were used for the evaluation of EEs, as assessed by monitoring vitellogenin (vtg) expression. A rapid and sensitive assessment procedure was established with the 3-day administration of estradiol (E2), followed by examination of the transcriptional expression of vtgs in our cyp17a1-deficient fish. Compared with the control fish, a higher E2-mediated vtg upregulation observed in cyp17a1-deficient zebrafish exposed to 0.1 μg/L E2 is known to be estrogen receptor-dependent and likely due to impaired in vivo estrogen biosynthesis. The more responsive vtg expression in cyp17a1-deficient zebrafish was observed when exposed to 200 and 2000 μg/L bisphenol A (BPA) and perfluoro-1-octanesulfonate (PFOS). The estrogenic potentials of E2, BPA, and PFOS were compared and assessed by the feminization effect on ovarian differentiation in cyp17a1-deficient zebrafish from 18 to 50 days postfertilization, based on which a higher sensitivity of E2 in ovarian differentiation than BPA and PFOS was concluded. Collectively, through the higher sensitivity to EEs and the capacity to distinguish chemicals with different estrogenic potentials exhibited by the all-male cyp17a1-deficient zebrafish with impaired estrogen biosynthesis, we demonstrated that they can be used as an excellent in vivo model for the evaluation of EEs. Environ Toxicol Chem 2024;43:1062-1074. © 2024 SETAC., (© 2024 SETAC.)

Ionic liquid salts (ILs) are generally recognized as additives in perovskite precursor solutions to enhance the efficiency and stability of solar cells. However, the success of ILs incorporation as additives is highly dependent on the precursor formulation and perovskite crystallization process, posing challenges for industrial-scale implementation. In this study, a room-temperature spin-coated IL, n-butylamine acetate (BAAc), is identified as an ideal passivation agent for formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI 3 ) films. Compared with other passivation methods, the room-temperature BAAc capping layer (BAAc RT) demonstrates more uniform and thorough passivation of surface defects in the FAPbI 3 perovskite. Additionally, it provides better energy level alignment for hole extraction. As a result, the champion n-i-p perovskite solar cell with a BAAc capping layer exhibits a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 24.76%, with an open-circuit voltage (Voc) of 1.19 V, and a Voc loss of ≈330 mV. The PCE of the perovskite mini-module with BAAc RT reaches 20.47%, showcasing the effectiveness and viability of this method for manufacturing large-area perovskite solar cells. Moreover, the BAAc passivation layer also improves the long-term stability of unencapsulated FAPbI 3 perovskite solar cells, enabling a T80 lifetime of  3500 h when stored at 35% relative humidity at room temperature in an air atmosphere., (© 2024 The Authors. Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

While existing research has identified diverse fall risk factors in adults aged 60 and older across various areas, comprehensively examining the interrelationships between all factors can enhance our knowledge of complex mechanisms and ultimately prevent falls. This study employs a novel approach-a mixed undirected graphical model (MUGM)-to unravel the interplay between sociodemographics, mental well-being, body composition, self-assessed and performance-based fall risk assessments, and physical activity patterns. Using a parameterized joint probability density, MUGMs specify the higher-order dependence structure and reveals the underlying graphical structure of heterogeneous variables. The MUGM consisting of mixed types of variables (continuous and categorical) has versatile applications that provide innovative and practical insights, as it is equipped to transcend the limitations of traditional correlation analysis and uncover sophisticated interactions within a high-dimensional data set. Our study included 120 elders from central Florida whose 37 fall risk factors were analyzed using an MUGM. Among the identified features, 34 exhibited pairwise relationships, while COVID-19-related factors and housing composition remained conditionally independent from all others. The results from our study serve as a foundational exploration, and future research investigating the longitudinal aspects of these features plays a pivotal role in enhancing our knowledge of the dynamics contributing to fall prevention in this population., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent degenerative joint disease reported worldwide. Conventional treatment strategies mainly focus on medication and involve surgical joint replacement. The use of these therapies is limited by gastrointestinal complications and the lifespan of joint prostheses. Hence, safe and efficacious drugs are urgently needed to impede the osteoarthritis progression. Urolithin B, a metabolite of ellagic acid in the gut, exhibits anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties; however, its role in osteoarthritis remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that urolithin B efficiently inhibits the inflammatory factor-induced production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP3 and MMP13) in vitro and upregulates the expression of type II collagen and aggrecan. Urolithin B alleviates cartilage erosion and osteophyte formation induced by anterior cruciate ligament transections. Moreover, urolithin B inhibits the activation of the NF-κB pathway by reducing the phosphorylation of Iκb-α and the nuclear translocation of P65. In summary, urolithin B significantly inhibits inflammation and alleviates osteoarthritis. Hence, urolithin B can be considered a potential agent suitable for the effective treatment of osteoarthritis in the future.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a primary liver malignancy with high mortality rates and poor prognosis. Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatic technologies have greatly enhanced the understanding of the genetic and epigenetic changes in liver cancer. Among these changes, RNA methylation, the most prevalent internal RNA modification, has emerged as a significant contributor of the development and progression of HCC. Growing evidence has reported significantly abnormal levels of RNA methylation and dysregulation of RNA-methylation-related enzymes in HCC tissues and cell lines. These alterations in RNA methylation play a crucial role in the regulation of various genes and signaling pathways involved in HCC, thereby promoting tumor progression. Understanding the pathogenesis of RNA methylation in HCC would help in developing prognostic biomarkers and targeted therapies for HCC. Targeting RNA-methylation-related molecules has shown promising potential in the management of HCC, in terms of developing novel prognostic biomarkers and therapies for HCC. Exploring the clinical application of targeted RNA methylation may provide new insights and approaches for the management of HCC. Further research in this field is warranted to fully understand the functional roles and underlying mechanisms of RNA methylation in HCC. In this review, we described the multifaceted functional roles and potential mechanisms of RNA methylation in HCC. Moreover, the prospects of clinical application of targeted RNA methylation for HCC management are discussed, which may provide the basis for subsequent in-depth research on RNA methylation in HCC., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To evaluate the link between obesity and mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)., Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of a large clinical database. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and mortality. The primary endpoint was 30-day death rate and the secondary endpoints were 90-day and 1‑year mortality., Results: Overall, 418 patients with ARDS were enrolled in the study, including 185 women and 233 men (age: 70.7 ± 44.1 years; BMI: 28.7 ± 8.1 kg/m 2 ). Compared with patients with normal weight, obese patients were younger (60.1 ± 13.7, p = 0.003) and a higher percentage of these patients were women (51.3% vs. 49.0%, p = 0.001). The HRs (95% CI) of 30-day mortality in the underweight, overweight, and obese populations were 1.82 (0.85, 3.90), 0.59 (0.29, 1.20), and 3.85 (1.73, 8.57), respectively, after adjustment for other confounding factors. A similar pattern was also seen for death after 90 days and after 1 year. A U-shaped association between BMI and 30-day mortality was discovered by curve fitting., Conclusion: Obesity had a significant impact on the short- and long-term mortality in patients with ARDS. There was a U-shaped relationship between BMI and mortality, while a higher BMI was associated with an increased risk of death in patients with ARDS., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Coral reefs worldwide have faced extensive damage due to natural catastrophes and anthropogenic disturbances.The decline can cause their widespread collapse and an inability to recover from natural disturbances, highlighting the urgent need for their protection. This study conducted an extensive ecological condition assessment of seven coral reef regions in China's offshore. Our findings revealed the presence of 204 species of scleractinian corals belonging to 16 families. Massive corals were the predominant reef-building corals in all regions. The degradation of coral reef ecosystems was apparent in the present compared to historical reef conditions. The ecosystem suffered varying degrees of damage in surveyed regions according to a novel assessment approach, impling more effective measures should be taken to mitigate the local pressures. Our research establishes a baseline for understanding the status of coral reefs that can be used in future and provides a crucial foundation to designate protective zones for their conservation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Yihua Lyu reports financial support was provided by National Key Research and Development Project. Yihua Lyu reports financial support was provided by Young Talent Program of MNS. Yihua Lyu reports financial support was provided by National Investigation on Coral Reefs Ecology. Zhenxiong Yang reports financial support was provided by Science and Techology Plan Projects of Guangdong Province., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

It remains a challenge to obtain biocompatible afterglow materials with long emission wavelengths, durable lifetimes, and good water solubility. Herein we develop a photooxidation strategy to construct near-infrared afterglow carbon nanodots with an extra-long lifetime of up to 5.9 h, comparable to that of the well-known rare-earth or organic long-persistent luminescent materials. Intriguingly, size-dependent afterglow lifetime evolution from 3.4 to 5.9 h has been observed from the carbon nanodots systems in aqueous solution. With structural/ultrafast dynamics analysis and density functional theory simulations, we reveal that the persistent luminescence in carbon nanodots is activated by a photooxidation-induced dioxetane intermediate, which can slowly release and convert energy into luminous emission via the steric hindrance effect of nanoparticles. With the persistent near-infrared luminescence, tissue penetration depth of 20 mm can be achieved. Thanks to the high signal-to-background ratio, biological safety and cancer-specific targeting ability of carbon nanodots, ultralong-afterglow guided surgery has been successfully performed on mice model to remove tumor tissues accurately, demonstrating potential clinical applications. These results may facilitate the development of long-lasting luminescent materials for precision tumor resection., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between different indexes of weight variability and the risk of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods: A retrospective cohort study. The clinical data of 2 180 T2DM patients without DKD who underwent case management at Lee's United Clinic in Taiwan, China from 2002 to 2018 were retrospectively analyzed, including 1 103 females and 1 077 males, with an average age of (64.8±12.4) years. Regular follow-up was conducted for patients for at least 2 years, and their metabolic indexes were monitored annually. BMI variability independent of the mean (BMI-VIM), average yearly mean square successive difference (BMI-ASV), coefficient of variation (BMI-CV) and standard deviation (BMI-SD) were calculated,based on the body mass index (BMI) recorded annually by the patients. Patients were divided into four groups ( Q 1 - Q 4 ) based on the quartiles of the four weight variability indexes. DKD group and non-DKN group(NDKD group) were defined based on the occurrence of DKD at the end of the follow-up. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to analyze the relationship between the four weight variability indicators and the incidence of DKD. Subgroup analysis was performed by categorizing patients into non-obesity (BMI<28 kg/m 2 ) and obesity groups (BMI≥28 kg/m 2 ) to investigate the impact of the four weight variability indicators on the risk of DKD. Results: After a follow-up of (4.55±2.13) years, 904 patients developed DKD. Compared with the NDKD group, patients in the DKD group had a higher proportion of females, older age, longer duration of diabetes, more insulin users, higher waist-to-hip ratio, higher levels of BMI-VIM, BMI-ASV, BMI-CV, BMI-SD, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and urine albumin - creatinine ratio, a lower proportion of hypoglycemic drugs, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, with statistically significant differences between the two groups(all P <0.05). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis results revealed that the risk of DKD in T2DM patients increased with the increase in BMI-SD, BMI-CV, BMI-VIM, and BMI-ASV after correcting a series of influencing factors. In the BMI-VIM subgroup, compared with the Q 1 group, the risk of DKD in the Q 4 group increased by 22.4% [ HR =1.224 (95% CI :1.008-1.487), P =0.041]. In the BMI-ASV group, compared with the Q 1 group, the risk of DKD in the Q 4 group increased by 51.1% [ HR =1.511 (95% CI :1.240-1.841), P <0.01]. In the BMI-CV group, compared with the Q 1 group, the risk of DKD in the Q 4 group increased by 22.2% [ HR =1.222 (95% CI :1.006-1.485), P =0.044]. In the BMI-SD subgroup, compared with the Q 1 group, the risk of DKD in the Q 4 group increased by 22.2% [ HR =1.222 (95% CI :1.002-1.490), P =0.048]. Sub-group analysis showed that when the non-obesity group was grouped by BMI-ASV, after correcting a series of influencing factors, compared with the Q 1 group, the highest risk of DKD occurred in the Q 4 group [ HR =1.551 (95% CI :1.228-1.958), P <0.001];when the obesity group was grouped by BMI-ASV, after correcting a series of influencing factors, compared with the Q 1 group, the highest risk of DKD occurred in the Q 4 group [ HR =1.703 (95% CI :1.168-2.485), P =0.006]. Conclusion: Increases in BMI-VIM, BMI-ASV, BMI-CV, and BMI-SD are associated with an increased risk of DKD in T2DM patients.

The regulatory mechanism of gonadal sex differentiation, which is complex and regulated by multiple factors, remains poorly understood in teleosts. Recently, we have shown that compromised androgen and estrogen synthesis with increased progestin leads to all-male differentiation with proper testis development and spermatogenesis in cytochrome P450 17a1 (cyp17a1)-/- zebrafish. In the present study, the phenotypes of female-biased sex ratio were positively correlated with higher Fanconi anemia complementation group L (fancl) expression in the gonads of doublesex and mab-3 related transcription factor 1 (dmrt1)-/- and cyp17a1-/-;dmrt1-/- fish. The additional depletion of fancl in cyp17a1-/-;dmrt1-/- zebrafish reversed the gonadal sex differentiation from all-ovary to all-testis (in cyp17a1-/-;dmrt1-/-;fancl-/- fish). Luciferase assay revealed a synergistic inhibitory effect of Dmrt1 and androgen signaling on fancl transcription. Furthermore, an interaction between Fancl and the apoptotic factor Tumour protein p53 (Tp53) was found in vitro. The interaction between Fancl and Tp53 was observed via the WD repeat domain (WDR) and C-terminal domain (CTD) of Fancl and the DNA binding domain (DBD) of Tp53, leading to the K48-linked polyubiquitination degradation of Tp53 activated by the ubiquitin ligase, Fancl. Our results show that testis fate in cyp17a1-/- fish is determined by Dmrt1, which is thought to stabilize Tp53 by inhibiting fancl transcription during the critical stage of sexual fate determination in zebrafish., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Ruan et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Fungal identification is a cornerstone of fungal research, yet traditional molecular methods struggle with rapid and accurate onsite identification, especially for closely related species. To tackle this challenge, we introduce a universal identification method called Analysis of whole GEnome (AGE). AGE includes two key steps: bioinformatics analysis and experimental practice. Bioinformatics analysis screens candidate target sequences named Targets within the genome of the fungal species and determines specific Targets by comparing them with the genomes of other species. Then, experimental practice using sequencing or non-sequencing technologies would confirm the results of bioinformatics analysis. Accordingly, AGE obtained more than 1,000,000 qualified Targets for each of the 13 fungal species within the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Next, the sequencing and genome editing system validated the ultra-specific performance of the specific Targets; especially noteworthy is the first-time demonstration of the identification potential of sequences from unannotated genomic regions. Furthermore, by combining rapid isothermal amplification and phosphorothioate-modified primers with the option of an instrument-free visual fluorescence method, AGE can achieve qualitative species identification within 30 min using a single-tube test. More importantly, AGE holds significant potential for identifying closely related species and differentiating traditional Chinese medicines from their adulterants, especially in the precise detection of contaminants. In summary, AGE opens the door for the development of whole-genome-based fungal species identification while also providing guidance for its application in plant and animal kingdoms., Competing Interests: The authors disclose an International Patent Application (PCT/CN2022/083950) relating to the aspects of this work has been filed under Patent Cooperation Treaty., (Copyright © 2024 Qi, Hao, Xin, Gan, Lou, Xu and Song.)

The existing T cell-centered immune checkpoint blockade therapies have been successful in treating some but not all patients with cancer. Immunosuppressive myeloid cells, including myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), that inhibit antitumor immunity and support multiple steps of tumor development are recognized as one of the major obstacles in cancer treatment. Leukocyte Ig-like receptor subfamily B3 (LILRB3), an immune inhibitory receptor containing tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs (ITIM), is expressed solely on myeloid cells. However, it is unknown whether LILRB3 is a critical checkpoint receptor in regulating the activity of immunosuppressive myeloid cells, and whether LILRB3 signaling can be blocked to activate the immune system to treat solid tumors. Here, we report that galectin-4 and galectin-7 induce activation of LILRB3 and that LILRB3 is functionally expressed on immunosuppressive myeloid cells. In some samples from patients with solid cancers, blockade of LILRB3 signaling by an antagonistic antibody inhibited the activity of immunosuppressive myeloid cells. Anti-LILRB3 also impeded tumor development in myeloid-specific LILRB3 transgenic mice through a T cell-dependent manner. LILRB3 blockade may prove to be a novel approach for immunotherapy of solid cancers., (©2023 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Survival crises stalk many animals, especially endangered and rare animals. Accurate species identification plays a pivotal role in animal resource conservation. In this study, we developed an animal species identification method called Analysis of whole-GEnome (AGE), which identifies species by finding species-specific sequences through bioinformatics analysis of the whole genome and subsequently recognizing these sequences using experimental technologies. To clearly demonstrate the AGE method, Cervus nippon , a well-known endangered species, and a closely related species, Cervus elaphus , were set as model species, without and with published genomes, respectively. By analyzing the whole genomes of C. nippon and C. elaphus , which were obtained through next-generation sequencing and online databases, we built specific sequence databases containing 7,670,140 and 570,981 sequences, respectively. Then, the species specificities of the sequences were confirmed experimentally using Sanger sequencing and the CRISPR-Cas12a system. Moreover, for 11 fresh animal samples and 35 commercially available products, our results were in complete agreement with those of other authoritative identification methods, demonstrating AGE's precision and potential application. Notably, AGE found a mixture in the 35 commercially available products and successfully identified it. This study broadens the horizons of species identification using the whole genome and sheds light on the potential of AGE for conserving animal resources.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of temporary insulin pump use during hospitalization on glycemia, postoperative complications, and cost/utilization in perioperative patients with diabetes., Methods: Patients (n=159) with type 2 diabetes and hospitalized for elective surgery were recruited from three hospitals. Subjects were categorized into the insulin pump group and the multiple daily subcutaneous insulin injection group according to their treatment therapy. Data were collected at admission, discharge, and 3 months post-discharge., Results: Subjects in the CSII group who were still on insulin therapy transitioned from CSII to MDII; however, their daily insulin dosages were lower than those in the MDII group (15.31±10.98 U/d vs. 23.48±17.02 U/d, P=0.015) after discharge. In terms of medical costs, the CSII group had significantly higher hospitalization costs than the MDII group (112.36±103.43 thousand RMB vs. 82.65±77.98 thousand RMB, P=0.043). After 3 months, the CSII group had significantly lower outpatient costs than the MDII group (3.17±0.94 thousand RMB vs. 3.98±1.76 thousand RMB, P ˂ 0.001). In the MDII group, 10 patients reported severe postoperative complications requiring re-hospitalization; there were no similar reports in the CSII group., Conclusion: Temporary use of insulin pump therapy for perioperative patients with diabetes results in a reduction in blood glucose and blood glucose fluctuation during hospitalization, HbA1c, and the risk of postoperative complication and readmission, thus significantly decreasing costs in this complex patient cohort. Further work is needed to better understand indications for utilizing pump therapy based on diabetes phenotype and the complexity of planned surgical intervention., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Thieme. All rights reserved.)