Search

Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) technology has provided an impactful way to capture 3D environmental map. However, consistent mapping in sensing-degenerated and perceptually-limited scenes (e.g. multi-story buildings) or under high dynamic sensor motion (e.g. rotating platform) remains a significant challenge. To this end, an efficient multi-floor indoor mapping system is proposed in this paper utilizing a versatile rotating LiDAR platform. In the front end, measurements from motor, IMU and LiDAR are tightly integrated to track the fast motion state of system, based on iterative Error State Kalman Filter (ESKF). Then linear and planar features are extracted from the point cloud map voxelized with adaptive resolutions. A sliding-window-based batch optimization is performed to simultaneously optimize the states of local frames with reference to the map consistency. In the experiments, we investigated the influence of rotating speed on the mapping performance as well as the superiority of rotating mechanism when compared to standard LiDAR setup. Moreover, comparative studies with one of the SOTA work, FAST-LIO2, have shown the competitive mapping results in multi-floor indoor environments.

Black carbon (BC) in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) region has distinct climate effects that strongly depend on its mixing state. The aging processes of BC in the TP are subject to emissions from various regions, resulting in considerable variability of its mixing state and physicochemical properties. However, the mechanism and magnitude of this effect are not yet clear. In this study, field observations on physicochemical properties of BC-containing particles (PMBC) were conducted in the northeast (Xihai) and southeast (Lulang) regions of the TP to investigate the impacts of transported emissions from lower-altitude areas on BC characteristics in the TP. Large spatial discrepancies were found in the chemical composition of PMBC. Both sites showed higher concentrations of PMBC when they were affected by transported air masses outside the TP but with diverse chemical composition. Source apportionment for organic aerosol (OA) suggested that primary OA in the northeastern TP was attributed to hydrocarbon OA (HOA) from anthropogenic emissions, while it was dominated by biomass burning OA (BBOA) in the southeastern TP. Regarding secondary aerosol, a marked enhancement in nitrate fraction was observed on aged BC coating in Xihai when the air masses were brought by updrafts and easterly winds from lower-altitude areas. With the development of boundary layer, the enhanced turbulent mixing promoted the elevation of anthropogenic pollutants. In contrast to Xihai, the thickly coated BC in Lulang was mainly caused by elevation and transportation of biomass burning plumes from south Asia, showing a large contribution of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). The distinct transported emissions lead to substantial variations of both chemical composition and light absorption ability of BC across the TP. The thicker coating and higher mass absorption cross-section (MAC) of PMBC in air masses elevated from lower-altitude regions reveal the promoted BC aging processes and their impacts on the mixing state and light absorption of BC in the TP. These findings emphasize the vulnerability of plateau regions to influences of elevated emissions, leading to significant changes in BC concentration, mixing states and light absorption across the TP, all of which need to be considered in the evaluation of BC radiative effects for the TP region.

New particle formation (NPF) plays a crucial role in the atmospheric aerosol population and has significant implications on climate dynamics, particularly in climate-sensitive zones such as the Tibetan Plateau (TP). However, our understanding of NPF on the TP is still limited due to a lack of comprehensive measurements and verified model simulations. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted an integrated study combining comprehensive field measurements and chemical transport modeling to investigate NPF events on the southeastern TP during the pre-monsoon season. NPF was observed to occur frequently on clear-sky days on the southeastern TP, contributing significantly to the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) budget in this region. The observational evidence suggests that highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs) from monoterpene oxidation participate in the nucleation on the southeastern TP. After updating the monoterpene oxidation chemistry and nucleation schemes in the meteorology–chemistry model, the model well reproduces observed NPF and reveals an extensive occurrence of NPF across the southeastern TP. The dominant nucleation mechanism is the synergistic nucleation of sulfuric acid, ammonia, and HOMs, driven by the transport of anthropogenic precursors from South Asia and the presence of abundant biogenic gases. By investigating the vertical distribution of NPF, we find a significant influence of vertical transport on the southeastern TP. More specifically, strong nucleation near the surface leads to an intense formation of small particles, which are subsequently transported upward. These particles experience enhanced growth to larger sizes in the upper planetary boundary layer (PBL) due to favorable conditions such as lower temperatures and a reduced condensation sink. As the PBL evolves, the particles in larger sizes are brought back to the ground, resulting in a pronounced increase in near-surface particle concentrations. This study highlights the important roles of anthropogenic–biogenic interactions and meteorological dynamics in NPF on the southeastern TP.

New particle formation (NPF) is a major source of aerosol particles and cloud condensation nuclei in the troposphere, playing an important role in both air quality and climate. Frequent NPF events have been observed in heavily polluted urban environments, contributing to the aerosol number concentration by a significant amount. The Po Valley region in northern Italy has been characterized as a hotspot for high aerosol loadings and frequent NPF events in southern Europe. However, the mechanisms of NPF and growth in this region are not completely understood. In this study, we conducted a continuous 2-month measurement campaign with state-of-the-art instruments to elucidate the NPF and growth mechanisms in northern Italy. Our results demonstrate that frequent NPF events (66 % of all days during the measurement campaign) are primarily driven by abundant sulfuric acid (8.5×106 cm−3) and basic molecules in this area. In contrast, oxygenated organic molecules from the atmospheric oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) appear to play a minor role in the initial cluster formation but contribute significantly to the consecutive growth process. Regarding alkaline molecules, amines are insufficient to stabilize all sulfuric acid clusters in the Po Valley. Ion cluster measurements and kinetic models suggest that ammonia (10 ppb) must therefore also play a role in the nucleation process. Generally, the high formation rates of sub-2 nm particles (87 cm−3 s−1) and nucleation-mode growth rates (5.1 nm h−1) as well as the relatively low condensational sink (8.9×10-3 s−1) will result in a high survival probability for newly formed particles, making NPF crucial for the springtime aerosol number budget. Our results also indicate that reducing key pollutants, such as SO2, amine and NH3, could help to substantially decrease the particle number concentrations in the Po Valley region.

New particle formation contributes significantly to the number concentration of ultrafine particles (UFPs, d ≤ 100 nm) and has a great impact on human health and global climate. Iodine oxoacids (HIOx, including iodic acid, HIO3, and iodous acid, HIO2) have been observed in pristine regions and proved to dominate new particle formation (NPF) at some sites. However, the knowledge of HIOx in polluted urban areas is rather limited. Here, we conducted a long-term measurements of gaseous iodine oxoacids and sulfuric acid in Beijing from January 2019 to October 2021 and also in Nanjing from March 2019 to February 2020 and investigated the contribution of HIOx to UFP number concentration in both urban environments. HIO3 is highest in summer, up to 2.85 × 106 and 2.78 × 106 cm−3 in Beijing and Nanjing, respectively, and is lowest in winter by 96 % and 75 %, respectively. HIO3 exhibits more prominent variation than H2SO4 in both urban sites. HIO3 concentration shows a clear diurnal pattern at both sites with a daily maximum at around noontime, similar to the atmospheric temperature, solar radiation, and ozone (O3) levels. HIO2 concentration has the same diurnal and seasonal trend as HIO3 but is overall about an order of magnitude lower than HIO3 concentration. Back trajectory analysis suggests that the sources for inland iodine species could be a mix of marine and terrestrial origins, with both having peak iodine emission in warm seasons. While the contribution of HIO2 to particle growth is marginal in Beijing and Nanjing, our results demonstrate that HIO3 enhances the particle survival probability of sub-3 nm particles by about 40 % (median) and occasionally by more than 100 % in NPF events, suggesting HIOx are significant contributor to UFPs in polluted urban areas. As the growth contribution from HIO3 and H2SO4 is similar on a per-molecule basis, we propose that the sum of HIO3 and H2SO4 could be used to estimate sub-3 nm particle growth of inorganic acid origin in polluted atmospheres with a significant amount of HIOx.

Study Design This was a retrospective case-control study using 8 years of data from a nationwide database of surgical outcomes in the United States. Purpose This study aimed to improve our understanding of the risk factors associated with a length of stay (LOS) >1 day and aid in reducing postoperative hospitalization and complications. Overview of Literature Despite the proven safety of transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF), some patients face prolonged postoperative hospitalization. Methods Data were collected from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program dataset from 2011 to 2018. The cohort was divided into patients with LOS up to 1 day (LOS ≤1 day), defined as same day or next-morning discharge, and patients with LOS >1 day (LOS >1 day). Univariable and multivariable regression analyses were performed to evaluate predictors of LOS >1 day. Propensity-score matching was performed to compare pre- and postdischarge complication rates. Results A total of 12,664 eligible patients with TLIF were identified, of which 14.8% had LOS ≤1 day and 85.2% had LOS >1 day. LOS >1 day was positively associated with female sex, Hispanic ethnicity, diagnosis of spondylolisthesis, American Society of Anesthesiologists classification 3, and operation length of >150 minutes. Patients with LOS >1 day were more likely to undergo intraoperative/postoperative blood transfusion (0.3% vs. 4.5%, p

Background: Most electrochemiluminescence (ECL) analytical methods involve only changes in one single signal, which greatly limits their high sensitivity and stability for applied research. Potential-resolved electrochemiluminescence (PRECL), which provides calibrated analysis by self-correcting signal responses from dual channels, has attracted great interest in recent years. However, research on PRECL nanomaterials is still at an early stage. It is critical to develop a novel PRECL nanocomposite with high intensity in light emission, high resolution in potential separation, and reduced complexity in reaction systems for accurate detection., Results: Here, a novel PRECL nanocomposite, L012-Au/g-C 3 N 4 , was synthesized by in situ growth of L012-reduced gold nanoparticles (L012-Au) on the surface of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4 ) nanosheets. The g-C 3 N 4 nanosheets served as effective carriers for L012 molecules and L012-Au, as well as efficient cathodic ECL emitters. With the addition of a single co-reactant (K 2 S 2 O 8 ), two fully separated ECL peaks were observed around -1.3 V (ECL-1) and +0.6 V (ECL-2) at neutral conditions. The catalytic character of the incorporated gold nanoparticles accelerated the anodic ECL reaction and greatly enhanced the ECL intensity. Furthermore, an ECL mechanism based on the competitive relationship between K 2 S 2 O 8 and dissolved oxygen was proposed. When dopamine (DA) was introduced into the PRECL reaction system, ECL-1 remained essentially unchanged, while ECL-2 intensity was significantly reduced. By analyzing the intensity ratio of ECL-2 to ECL-1 (I 2 /I 1 ) to the detecting target, a ratiometric DA sensor with high sensitivity and stability was successfully constructed., Significance: A nanocomposite L012-Au/g-C 3 N 4 that can induce high-intensity ECL with two separated potentials in each polarity has been prepared by a simple synthetic method. The developed ratiometric sensor can eliminate systematic errors and improve accuracy. In addition, the multifunctionality of the nanocomposite and the necessity of only one co-reactant for neutral-condition ECL greatly reduced the reaction complexity. Our work offers new PRECL solutions to design highly sensitive and stable multi-response detection systems for in vitro 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.)

Sea surface salinity ([Formula: see text]) is a key parameter in the thermohaline circulation of global oceans. Near the megadeltas, inland streamflow through large catchments plays a crucial role in mediating salinity. While some regional studies have investigated how [Formula: see text] is impacted through water cycle and climate components, a global scale quantification of inland streamflow contribution on [Formula: see text] variability is lacking. Here, we utilized remote sensing and observation-driven datasets to quantify the statistical associations between [Formula: see text] and streamflow ([Formula: see text]) at 48 megadeltas worldwide. This study uncovers a robust negative association between [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], with correlation coefficients [Formula: see text] less than [Formula: see text] for seasonal data found in 26 of the 48 megadeltas, and less than [Formula: see text] for deseasoned data in 21 megadeltas. The anticorrelation relationship is more pronounced in large deltas, particularly near tropical climates and in river-influenced deltas. The study also underscores the significant roles of climate, morphological, and anthropogenic stratification in impacting the natural influence of freshwater discharge on SSS . By highlighting the interconnected impacts of alterations in terrestrial water cycle upstream and [Formula: see text], this work contributes to enhancing our understanding of global ocean and climate circulation patterns and in tackling environmental issues pertaining to marine ecosystems., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

Background: New cases of lymphoma are rising, and the symptom burden, like cancer-related fatigue (CRF), severely impacts the quality of life of lymphoma survivors. However, clinical diagnosis and treatment of CRF are inadequate and require enhancement., Objective: The main objective of this study is to construct machine learning-based CRF prediction models for lymphoma survivors to help healthcare professionals accurately identify the CRF population and better personalize treatment and care for patients., Methods: A cross-sectional study in China recruited lymphoma patients from June 2023 to March 2024, dividing them into two datasets for model construction and external validation. Six machine learning algorithms were used in this study: Logistic Regression (LR), Random Forest, Single Hidden Layer Neural Network, Support Vector Machine, eXtreme Gradient Boosting, and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM). Performance metrics like the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) and calibration curves were compared. The clinical applicability was assessed by decision curve, and Shapley additive explanations was employed to explain variable significance., Results: CRF incidence was 40.7 % (dataset I) and 44.8 % (dataset II). LightGBM showed strong performance in training and internal validation. LR excelled in external validation with the highest AUROC and best calibration. Pain, total protein, physical function, and sleep disturbance were important predictors of CRF., Conclusion: The study presents a machine learning-based CRF prediction model for lymphoma patients, offering dynamic, data-driven assessments that could enhance the development of automated CRF screening tools for personalized management in clinical practice., 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.)

Acetonitrile (CH 3 CN) is considered a very stable molecule in aqueous solutions, and its deprotonation to produce strongly basic - CH 2 CN requires harsh conditions. CH 3 CN is also present in the atmosphere, but its chemical transformation pathway at the air-water interface is unknown. In this study, we discovered and verified the unprecedented spontaneous generation of - CH 2 CN from the CH 3 CN-H 2 O solution at the air-water interface of microdroplets, and revealed the indirect deprotonation mechanism of CH 3 CN by synergistic redox of • OH and electrons in the microdroplets through the capture of key intermediates and computational chemistry. In addition, the dynamic process of indirect deprotonation-protonation was also observed. The high reactivity of - CH 2 CN in the droplets was revealed via nucleophilic addition to acetone, benzaldehyde, and the parent CH 3 CN molecule. Furthermore, the - CH 2 CN generated in the microdroplets underwent a barrier-free nucleophilic addition reaction with CO 2 to produce 2-cyanoacetic acid for CO 2 fixation. The synergistic redox reaction process revealed in this study provides new insights into microdroplet chemistry, and the distinctive CH 3 CN reactions identified may provide new clues to unravel the mystery of the CH 3 CN transformation in the atmospheric environment.

Although the fiber-based triboelectric nanogenerator (F-TENG) has been recognized as one of the most promising flexible sensor systems, it is facing a challenge of balancing the performance and the processing scalability. Herein, we develop a hierarchical coaxial F-TENG possessing PU layer, Ag layer, and PA layer from the core to the outer part by an efficient and straightforward two-step braiding method. Owning a small diameter of 1 mm, the F-TENG presents a high linear sensing response, a wide working range of 5 to 150 kPa, and a quick reaction speed of around 200 ms. In addition, it shows high flexibility, cyclic washability, and superior mechanical stability. Furthermore, customizable textiles (e.g., wrist support and socks) that conform perfectly to the human body have been knitted from the F-TENGs as warps or wefts, which are able to monitor human motion signals. Together with an optimized machine learning algorithm, five human motions (stand, slow walk, normal walk, run, and jump) can be analyzed with a precision of up to 99%. In short, this work presents a scalable approach to develop customizable self-powered sensing textiles, offering an excellent wearable digital platform/system for potential motion capture/monitoring, identification, and smart-sports-related applications.

Nerve injury represents the primary reason of mortality and disability in ischemic stroke, but effective drug delivery to the region of cerebral ischemia and hypoxia poses a significant challenge in neuroprotective treatment. To address these clinical challenges, a biomimetic nanomotor, Pt@LF is designed, to facilitate deep delivery of neuroprotective agents and inhibit ferroptosis in ischemic stroke. Pt@LF traverses the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and penetrates into deep cerebral ischemic-hypoxic areas due to the active targeting capacity of apo-lactoferrin (Apo-LF) and the self-propelling motion properties of nanomotors. Subsequently, Pt@LF loosens thrombus and alleviates the "no reflow" phenomenon via mechanical thrombolysis. Thanks to the various enzyme-like abilities and multi-target ferroptosis inhibition capability, Pt@LF ameliorates the inflammatory microenvironment and rescues dying neurons. In conclusion, Pt@LF demonstrates efficiently deep penetration and neuroprotective effects in vitro and vivo. And this study provides a promising therapeutic platform for the treatment of ischemic stroke., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Nomascus leucogenys is a critically endangered species of small apes. Here, we sequenced and assembled the male genome of N. leucogenys, using PacBio and Hi-C datasets, with a particular focus on its Y-chromosome. The resulting high-quality haplotype-phased assemblies are at chromosome-scale, with scaffold/contig N50 values of 124.2/102.2 Mb for Haplotype 1 and 121.2/85.67 Mb for Haplotype 2. The assembled Y-chromosome spans 16.06 Mb. BUSCO assessment indicated completeness scores exceeding 95%. We predicted 18,925 protein-coding genes (23,783 mRNAs), including 58 genes on the Y-chromosome. Approximately 50% of the genome comprises repetitive elements. These comprehensive genome datasets will serve as a valuable resource for future studies on the genetics and protection of gibbons and improve our understanding on the evolution of Y-chromosome-related genes in primates., Competing Interests: Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Rapid and accurate prediction of basic physicochemical parameters of molecules will greatly accelerate the target-orientated design of novel reactions and materials but has been long challenging. Herein, a chemical language model-based deep learning method, TransChem, has been developed for the prediction of redox potentials of organic molecules. Embedding an effective molecular characterization (combining spatial and electronic features), a nonlinear molecular messaging approach (Mol-Attention), and a perturbation learning method, TransChem, shows high accuracy in predicting the redox potential of organic radicals comprising over 100,000 data ( R 2 > 0.97, MAE <0.09 V) and is generalized to the smaller 2,1,3-benzothiadiazole data set (<3000 data points) and electron affinity data set (660 data) with low MAE of 0.07 V and 0.18 eV, respectively. In this context, a self-developed data set, i.e., the oxidation potential (OP) of a full-space disubstituted phenol data set (OPP-data set, total set: 74,529), has been predicted by TransChem with a high-throughput, and active learning strategy. The rapid and reliable prediction of OP could hopefully accelerate the screening of plausible reagents in highly selective cross-coupling of phenol derivatives. This study presents an important attempt to guide language modeling with chemical knowledge, while TransChem demonstrates state-of-the-art (SOTA) predictive performance on redox potential prediction benchmark data sets for its better understanding of molecular design and conformational relationships.

The incorporation of tert -butyl groups and spiro-functionalization into C═O/N-embedded multiresonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) systems has yielded materials with superior narrowband emission and excellent color purity. To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the enhanced properties, we present a theoretical study of a series of fused nitrogen/carbonyl derivatives with narrower emission profiles. The key steric factors that contribute to narrowband emission were identified through energy decomposition analysis, induced by structural relaxation in states S 0 and S 1 . Additionally, we achieved potential narrower-band and deep-blue emission by targeting the suppression of vibrational coupling effects. This work provides compelling evidence that a 1- tert -butyl substitution, acting as an end lock, offers minimal reorganization energy and optimal structural stability when combined with a fused lock. Furthermore, new compounds such as 1tBuCZQ and 1tBuDQAO have been identified as promising MR-TADF emitters, delivering ultranarrowband emission as high-quality organic light-emitting diodes.

Simultaneous detection of different biomarkers related to the spatiotemporally dynamic immune events is of particular importance for the accurate evaluation of antitumor immune effects. Here, we have developed an AND-gate logic dual resonance energy transfer nanoprobe (named DRET) for dynamic monitoring of programmed CD8 + T cell activation and tumor cell apoptosis. Immunotherapy-induced granzyme B secretion from CD8 + T cells and the subsequent caspase-3 release from apoptotic tumor cells individually activate one of the tiers of the "AND-gate" logic DRET. The resulting fluorescence recovery and magnetic resonance T1 enhancement can be used for precise immunomodulatory drug screening, early efficacy prediction, and immune stratification. Particularly, not only "Responders" can be distinguished from "Non-responders", but also "Acquired resistance" can be identified from "Maintain responders", providing a novel approach to put forward the accurate evaluation of antitumor immunity.

Throughout the course of evolution, organisms and cells have evolved a suite of mechanisms to manage persistent stimuli, thereby preserving cellular and organismal homeostasis. Upon detecting stress signals, cells activate a transcriptional response termed the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR mt ). This response is crucial for maintaining protein homeostasis, facilitating mitochondrial function recovery, promoting cell survival, and ultimately influencing lifespan. Striated muscles play a pivotal role in oxygen supply, movement, and metabolism. The aging of these muscles can lead to heart failure, arrhythmias, and sarcopenia, significantly impacting quality of life and lifespan. Given the intimate connection between UPR mt and striated muscle aging, UPR mt emerges as a potential therapeutic target for mitigating the effects of striated muscle aging. In this review, we delve into the role of UPR mt in striated muscle aging, drawing upon the extant molecular regulatory mechanisms of UPR mt . This exploration may enhance our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of striated muscle aging and aid in the identification of potential drug targets.

Introduction: Hypericum perforatum L. (HPL) is extensively researched domestically and internationally as a medicinal plant. However, no reports of studies related to the anticoagulant activity of HPL have been retrieved. The specific bioactive components are unknown., Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a machine learning (ML) method for rapid prediction of anticoagulant activity in HPL and evaluation of compound activity., Materials and Methods: First, an in vitro anticoagulant activity assay was developed for the determination of the bioactivity of various medicinal parts of HPL. Then, the peak areas of compounds in HPL were integrated using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis. Subsequently, nine independent ML methods and two ensemble learning methods have been established to predict the anticoagulant activity of HPL and to evaluate the contribution of compounds. Feature importance scores were used for models visualization., Results: A total of 24 compounds were shown to exhibited superior anticoagulant activity. Molecular docking experiments likewise confirmed this result. The results show that the branches of HPL have excellent anticoagulant activity, which has been previously overlooked. The established ML model demonstrated good performance in the prediction of the activity of HPL., Conclusion: The results were accurate and reliable, which significantly improved the efficiency of active compounds screening, and further exploration in this area is warranted., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Novel hydroxamic acid and 3,6-amide modified α-mangostin derivatives were synthesized and evaluated their antiproliferative activities against KYSE 30 (esophageal cancer), HCT 116 (colon cancer), and HGC 27 (gastric cancer) cell lines. Most of the new derivatives displayed stronger anti-proliferative activities compared to α-mangostin. Among all the derivatives, compound 4a exhibited the most potent activity, with IC 50 values of 0.57 ± 0.29 μM, 3.27 ± 0.16 μM, and 2.28 ± 1.02 μM against KYSE 30, HCT 116, and HGC 27 cells, respectively. Subsequent mechanism studies revealed that compound 4a inhibited cancer cells proliferation and colonies formation in a concentration-dependent manner. Additionally, compound 4a caused cell cycle arrest in a p53 dependent manner and induced apoptosis in p53 independent way. Meanwhile, 4a suppressed cell cycle related proteins (Cyclin D1 and cyclin B1) expression, increased pro-apoptotic proteins (cleaved PARP, cleaved caspase-7, and cleaved caspase-9) and decreased anti-apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2) expression. Moreover, 4a increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in KYSE 30 cells and upregulated the expression of proteins related to the ROS related MAPK signaling pathway (p-ERK, p-p38, and p-JNK). These findings suggest that compound 4a holds promising potential as an antiproliferative agent by targeting MAPK signaling pathway to inhibit cell cycle progress, induce apoptosis and produce ROS in cancers., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Open liver surgery remains a primary surgical approach for complex liver resections and liver transplantation. However, the postoperative pain management is still a major challenge. Ultrasound-guided external oblique intercostal (EOI) plane block is a novel approach of regional anaesthesia and has a great potential to relieve postoperative pain after upper abdominal surgeries. This study aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided EOI plane block in managing postoperative pain after open liver surgery., Methods: Seventy-four participants scheduled for open liver surgery will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group, receiving an ultrasound-guided EOI plane block with a single dose of 30 ml 0.375% ropivacaine, or the control group, which will not receive this block. All participants will be provided with opioid-based patient-controlled intravenous analgesia (PCIA) postoperatively. The primary outcome is resting pain score at 3 h postoperatively, assessed using numerical rating scale. Secondary outcomes include pain score at 6, 24, 48, and 72 h postoperatively, perioperative opioid consumption, remedial analgesics within 72 h postoperatively, PCIA usage within postoperative 72 h, postoperative recovery, length of hospital stay, postoperative side effects, block-related complications, and ropivacaine plasma concentration of participants receiving the block., Discussion: This study is a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided EOI plane block for postoperative analgesia after open liver surgery. As regional anaesthesia plays an important role in the multimodal pain management, EOI plane block may prove to be an effective regional technique for enhancing postoperative pain relief and contributing to enhanced recovery after open liver surgery., Trial Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2200065745. Registered on November 14, 2022., Competing Interests: Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate {24} This study has been approved by IRB of Peking Union Medical College Hospital (approval No. I-23PJ1983). Written informed consent to participate will be obtained from all participants. Consent for publication {32} Not applicable.Competing interests {28}The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Resistance to paclitaxel poses a major obstacle in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treatment. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying paclitaxel resistance could help identify prognostic biomarkers and improved therapeutic strategies. In this study, we established a patient-derived xenograft model of acquired paclitaxel resistance and used RNA sequencing to identify galectin-1, encoded by LGALS1, as a key mediator of resistance. Integrative analysis of clinical data and physiological studies indicated that serum galectin-1 levels were elevated in resistant patients and correlated with treatment outcomes before and during taxane therapy. Importantly, exposing cells to serum from resistant patients resulted in increased paclitaxel resistance compared to serum from sensitive patients, which was closely associated with galectin-1 concentrations in the serum. The specific clearance of galectin-1 from resistant patient serum significantly restored paclitaxel sensitivity, and inhibiting galectin-1, through knockdown or the pharmacologic inhibitor OTX008, increased sensitivity to paclitaxel. Galectin-1 inhibition reduced the activity of β-catenin, thereby inhibiting stem cell properties induced by the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Furthermore, galectin-1 regulated MDR1 transcription through increased nuclear accumulation of β-catenin, thus increasing resistance to paclitaxel. Combining OTX008 with clinical taxane formulations effectively reversed paclitaxel resistance in vitro and in vivo. Elevated galectin-1 levels thus serve as an indicator of response to paclitaxel therapy in ESCC, offering a therapeutic intervention strategy to overcome drug resistance. Significance: Galectin-1 is a key mediator of paclitaxel resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma that can be targeted to improve taxane efficacy, suggesting broad therapeutic potential for treating various cancer types., (©2024 American Association for Cancer Research.)

The ν 1  + 2ν 2  + ν 3 band of 12 CO 2 is dominated by weak absorption lines near 2.0 uμm, which has potential application in planetary atmosphere, astrophysical, and hydrocarbon fuel combustion investigations. High-quality spectral line parameters are the foundation of spectroscopic technology. In this work, high-resolution infrared spectra of CO 2 were recorded over 5005-5008 cm -1 range using a Distributed Feedback (DFB) laser with a linewidth of Δν < 0.0001 cm -1 . H 2 -, N 2 -, O 2 -, Ar-, air- and CO 2 - line-intensity, collision broadening coefficients, pressure shift coefficients were determined for CO 2 transitions R44e, R46 e, R48 e, R50 e at room temperature. Voigt and Rautian profiles were utilized to retrieve the measured line shape of each individual transition at various pressures. The new data extend and complement previous measurements over the target spectral region. In addition, a comprehensive analysis of the measured spectral line shape parameters is conducted to elucidate the characteristics of spectral line intensity, broadening, and pressure-induced shift coefficients under different molecular collision conditions. This has the potential to be valuable for modeling spectral calculations of multi-component systems, optimizing multi-gas environmental spectral calculation, and developing new spectral diagnostic methods., 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.)

Introduction: Right-to-left shunting has been significantly associated with migraine, although the neural mechanisms remain complex and not fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the variability of brain asymmetry in individuals with migraine with right-to-left shunting, migraine without right-to-left shunting and normal controls using resting-state fMRI technology and to construct a three-classification model., Methods: Firstly, asymmetries in functional connectivity and brain network topology were quantified to laterality indices. Secondly, the laterality indices were employed to construct a three-classification model using decision tree and random forest algorithms. Ultimately, through a feature score analysis, the key brain regions that contributed significantly to the classification were extracted, and the associations between these brain regions and clinical features were investigated., Results: Our experimental results showed that the initial classification accuracy reached 0.8961. Subsequently, validation using an independent sample set resulted in a classification accuracy of 0.8874. Further, after expanding the samples by the segmentation strategy, the classification accuracies were improved to 0.9103 and 0.9099. Additionally, the third sample set yielded a classification accuracy of 0.8745. Finally, 9 pivotal brain regions were identified and distributed in the default network, the control network, the visual network, the limbic network, the somatomotor network and the salience/ventral attention network., Discussion: The results revealed distinct lateralization features in the brains of the three groups, which were closely linked to migraine and right-to-left shunting symptoms and could serve as potential imaging biomarkers for clinical diagnosis. Our findings enhanced our understanding of migraine and right-to-left shunting mechanisms and offered insights into assisting clinical diagnosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Nie, Zeng, Yang, Wang and Shi.)

Retrons are bacterial genetic elements that encode a reverse transcriptase and, in combination with toxic effector proteins, can serve as antiphage defense systems. However, the mechanisms of action of most retron effectors, and how phages evade retrons, are not well understood. Here, we show that some phages can evade retrons and other defense systems by producing specific tRNAs. We find that expression of retron-Eco7 effector proteins (PtuA and PtuB) leads to degradation of tRNA Tyr and abortive infection. The genomes of T5 phages that evade retron-Eco7 include a tRNA-rich region, including a highly expressed tRNA Tyr gene, which confers protection against retron-Eco7. Furthermore, we show that other phages (T1, T7) can use a similar strategy, expressing a tRNA Lys , to counteract a tRNA anticodon defense system (PrrC170)., Competing Interests: Competing interests A.H.A., Y.T., K.W., and K.Kiga are co-inventors on a pending patent submitted by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, which is based on the results reported in this paper. The remaining authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The objective of the study is to determine the accuracy of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in diagnosing osteoarticular tuberculosis (TB) infection and to compare it with mycobacteria growth indicator tube (MGIT) and Xpert assays. We retrospectively analyzed 162 patients admitted with suspected osteoarticular TB. Osteoarticular tissue (66.67%) and abscess specimens (33.33%) from patients were tested for MGIT, GeneXpert/RIF, and mNGS. mNGS assay detected 76 cases (46.9%) with bacterial, 63 cases (38.9%) with mycobacterial, 22 cases (13.6%) with fungal, and 1 case (0.6%) with actinomycetal organisms. These 162 pathogens were classified into 21 species. The most frequent species detected was Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (29.0%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (20.4%), Mycobacterium abscessus (5.6%), and Candida albicans (5.6%). Taking the "gold standard" TB diagnosis as the standard, the positive predictive values of mNGS, Xpert, and MGIT culture were both 100.00%. The negative predictive values of mNGS, Xpert, and MGIT culture and assays were 94.26%, 98.29%, and 88.46%, respectively. The sensitivity of mNGS detection (85.11%) was similar to that of Xpert (95.74%) and higher than that of MGIT culture (68.08%). The specificities of mNGS detection, Xpert, and MGIT culture were both 100.00%. The area under the curve value of the mNGS assay was 0.895 (95% CI: 0.830, 0.960), which was greater than that of the MGIT culture-based assay of 0.840 (95% CI: 0.757, 0.924), which was similar to 0.979 (95% CI: 0.945, 1.000) for Xpert assay. The pathogen detection rate of mNGS in diagnosing suspected osteoarticular TB exceeded that of conventional methods., Importance: In the detection of unknown infectious disease pathogens, the overall efficacy of traditional detection methods, such as culture, is low, and traditional PCR testing is also limited to the gene sequences of known pathogenic microorganisms. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) performs DNA sequencing by studying the entire microbial community genome in a given sample, without the need for isolation and culture. Previous studies have shown that mNGS performs better on pulmonary and extrapulmonary samples when compared with Xpert, traditional pathogenetic tests, and even parallel diagnostics. However, it should be emphasized that only a few studies have explored the performance of mNGS in detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples associated with bone and joint infections. We conducted this retrospective study to provide additional data to support the use of mNGS in the clinical setting to identify pathogens within abscesses or tissue samples associated with bone and joint infections.

Climate change and human activities alter the global freshwater cycle, causing nonstationary processes as its distribution shifting over time, yet a comprehensive understanding of these changes remains elusive. Here, we develop a remote sensing-informed terrestrial reanalysis and assess the nonstationarity of and interconnections among global water cycle components from 2003 to 2020. We highlight 20 hotspot regions where terrestrial water storage exhibits strong nonstationarity, impacting 35% of the global population and 45% of the area covered by irrigated agriculture. Emerging long-term trends dominate the most often (48.2%), followed by seasonal shifts (32.8%) and changes in extremes (19%). Notably, in mid-latitudes, this encompasses 34% of Asia and 27% of North America. The patterns of nonstationarity and their dominant types differ across other water cycle components, including precipitation, evapotranspiration, runoff, and gross primary production. These differences also manifest uniquely across hotspot regions, illustrating the intricate ways in which each component responds to climate change and human water management. Our findings emphasize the importance of considering nonstationarity when assessing water cycle information toward the development of strategies for sustainable water resource usage, enhancing resilience to extreme events, and effectively addressing other challenges associated with climate change., Competing Interests: Competing interests statement:The authors declare no competing interest.

Aerosol particles originating from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) readily reach the free troposphere, potentially affecting global radiation and climate. Although new particle formation (NPF) is frequently observed at such high altitudes, its precursors and their underlying chemistry remain poorly understood. This study presents direct observational evidence of anthropogenic influences on biogenic NPF on the southeastern QTP, near the Himalayas. The mean particle nucleation rate ( J 1.7 ) is 2.6 cm -3 s -1 , exceeding the kinetic limit of sulfuric acid (SA) nucleation (mean SA: 2.4 × 10 5 cm -3 ). NPF is predominantly driven by highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs), possibly facilitated by low SA levels. We identified 1538 ultralow-volatility HOMs driving particle nucleation and 764 extremely low-volatility HOMs powering initial particle growth, with mean total concentrations of 1.5 × 10 6 and 3.7 × 10 6 cm -3 , respectively. These HOMs are formed by atmospheric oxidation of biogenic precursors, unexpectedly including sesquiterpenes and diterpenes alongside the commonly recognized monoterpenes. Counterintuitively, over half of HOMs are organic nitrates, mainly produced by interacting with anthropogenic NO x via RO 2 +NO terminations or NO 3 -initiated oxidations. These findings advance our understanding of NPF mechanisms in this climate-sensitive region and underscore the importance of heavy terpene and NO x -influenced chemistry in assessing anthropogenic-biogenic interactions with climate feedbacks.

In response to the escalating threat of microbial resistance, a series of novel pleuromutilin derivatives, conjugated with phenyl-sulfide and boron-containing moieties, were designed and synthesized. Most derivatives, especially 14b and 16b, demonstrated significant efficacy against Gram-positive bacteria, including multidrug-resistant strains, as well as pleuromutilin-resistant strains. Compound 16b showed high stability in the liver microsomes of rats and humans, along with acceptable tolerance in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, compound 16b exhibited promising efficacy in MRSA-infected mouse models. Our data highlight the potential of conjugated pleuromutilin derivatives as valuable agents against drug-resistant bacteria., 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 Masson SAS.)

Research on the neural mechanisms underlying brain asymmetry in patients with migraine patients using fMRI is insufficient. This study proposed using lateralized algorithms for functional connectivity and brain network topology and investigated changes in their lateralization in patients with migraine. In study 1, laterality indices of functional connectivity (LFunctionCorr) and brain network topological properties (LBetweennessCentrality, LDegree, and LStrength) were defined. Differences between migraineurs and normal subjects were compared at whole-brain, half-brain, and region levels. In study 2, laterality indices were used to classify migraine and were validated using independent samples and the segment method for repeatability. In study 3, abnormal brain regions related to migraine were extracted based on the classification results and differences analysis. Study 1 found no significant differences related to in for migraine at the whole-brain level; however, significant differences were identified at the half-brain level for the hemispheric lateralization of the LFunctionCorr, while 11 significantly different brain regions were also identified at the brain region level. Furthermore, the classification accuracy in study 2 was 0.9366. With repeated validation, the accuracy reached 0.8561. Furthermore, after extending the samples according to the segmentation strategy, the classification accuracies were improved to 0.9408 and 0.8585. Study 3 identified 10 crucial brain regions with asymmetrical specificity based on laterality indices distributed across the visual network, the frontoparietal control network, the default mode network, the salience/ventral attention network and the limbic system. The results revealed novel insights and avenues for research into the mechanisms of migraine asymmetry and showed that the laterality indices could be used as a potential diagnostic imaging marker for migraine., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Based on poor efficacy and non-specific toxic side effects of conventional drug therapy for liver cancer, nano-based drug delivery system (NDDS) offers the advantage of drug targeting delivery. Subcellular targeting of nanomedicines on this basis enables more precise and effective termination of tumor cells. Mitochondria, as the crucial cell powerhouse, possesses distinctive physical and chemical properties in hepatoma cells different from that in hepatic cells, and controls apoptosis, tumor metastasis, and cellular drug resistance in hepatoma cells through metabolism and dynamics, which serves as a good choice for drug targeting delivery. Thus, mitochondria-targeting NDDS have become a recent research focus, showcasing the design of cationic nanoparticles, metal nanoparticles, mitochondrial peptide modification and so on. Although many studies have shown good results regarding anti-tumor efficacy, it is a long way to go before the successful translation of clinical application. Based on these, we summarized the specificity and importance of mitochondria in hepatoma cells, and reviewed the current mitochondria-targeting NDDS for liver cancer therapy, aiming to provide a better understanding for current development process, strengths and weaknesses of mitochondria-targeting NDDS as well as informing subsequent improvements and developments., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper, (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

Global warming and rapid urbanization have caused frequent occurrences of heat waves and urban heat island effect, presenting a significant threat to health of urban residents. Researches have indicated that cooling services provided by parks are essential in alleviating impact of heat wave events and urban heat island effect. However, previous researches on park cooling services center around cooling effect, with a lack of exploration regarding the fairness of such services. To fill this gap, this study quantifies the level of equity in cooling services in 18 parks in the core area of Hangzhou. Through this study, we hope to clarify the current situation of fairness of cooling services in urban parks and provide fairer park cooling services through scientific and reasonable park layouts. This will alleviate the threat of rapid urbanization and climate change to urban residents, and make the urban environment develop in a more livable direction. We assessed the cooling effect using remote sensing and the ArcGIS platform to screen parks with cooling effect and to quantify their cooling service efficiency. We utilized spatial network analysis to quantify the accessibility and origin-destination matrix data to quantify the attractiveness to reflect the level of park cooling services. The results reveal that 18 parks exhibit a noticeable cooling effect, albeit with variations observed among parks. The percentage of urban parks with low accessibility is 77.80%, indicating that the distribution of accessible space presents an uneven status quo. In addition, 72.20% of parks have low attractiveness of cooling services, indicating that some parks have insufficient attractiveness of cooling services. Based on each indicator of cooling services, we categorize urban parks into four types based on supply and demand, and propose adaptive planning measures and intervention strategies to provide a reference for equitable distribution of cooling services in urban parks., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Currently, there is a lack of validated pharmacological interventions for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is characterized by the accumulation of hepatic triglyceride. Zhimu-Huangbai (ZH) herb-pair is a traditional Chinese medicine that regulates glucose and lipid metabolism disorders. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the preventive effects of hepatic triglyceride induced by high-fat diet (HFD) remain elusive., Purpose: The study aimed to examine the impact of ZH herb-pair on NAFLD in mice and explore the underlying mechanisms, particularly its effects on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and lipid metabolism., Methods: NAFLD was induced in mice using HFD, and the treated mice were orally administered ZH, metformin (Glucophage) or lovastatin. The lipid metabolism factors, ER stress markers, and the unfolded protein response (UPR) branch factors were measured using immunohistochemistry, western blotting or qRT-PCR. Co-Immunoprecipitation (CoIP) was performed to reveal the connection between SCAP and SREBP-1c. Tunicamycin (TM) and plasmid delivery were used to induce acute ER stress or crease XBP1 gain function models. The main compounds in ZH binding to IRE1α protein were studied by molecular docking and cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA)., Results: Treatment with ZH significantly ameliorated hepatic steatosis and reduced lipid synthesis process mainly inhibiting the expression of mature active form of SREBP-1c through relieving ER stress. The expression of IRE1α and XBP1s was inhibited after treatment with ZH. In addition, ZH improved the fatty liver phenotype caused by XBP1 overexpression via decreasing srebp1c transcription. In vitro experimental results suggested that the main compounds in ZH decreased cellular TG contents. Mechanistically, ZH targeted IRE1α and inhibited XBP1s mRNA expression to relieve ER stress and inhibit SREBP-1c production., Conclusions: ZH herb-pair can protect against NAFLD by reducing the expression of SREBP-1c, in part, via regulating IRE1α/XBP1s pathway., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interests., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Automatic seizure detection has significant value in epilepsy diagnosis and treatment. Although a variety of deep learning models have been proposed to automatically learn electroencephalography (EEG) features for seizure detection, the generalization performance and computational burden of such deep models remain the bottleneck of practical application. In this study, a novel lightweight model based on random convolutional kernel transform (ROCKET) is developed for EEG feature learning for seizure detection. Specifically, random convolutional kernels are embedded into the structure of a wavelet scattering network instead of original wavelet transform convolutions. Then the significant EEG features are selected from the scattering coefficients and convolutional outputs by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and minimum redundancy-maximum relevance (MRMR) methods. This model not only preserves the merits of the fast-training process from ROCKET, but also provides insight into seizure detection by retaining only the helpful channels. The extreme gradient boosting (XGboost) classifier was combined with this EEG feature learning model to build a comprehensive seizure detection system that achieved promising epoch-based results, with over 90% of both sensitivity and specificity on the scalp and intracranial EEG databases. The experimental comparisons showed that the proposed method outperformed other state-of-the-art methods for cross-patient and patient-specific seizure detection.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of baicalin and chlorogenic acid (BC) on growth performance, intestinal barrier function, antioxidant capacity, intestinal microbiota, and mucosal metabolism in broilers. A total of 720 twenty-one-day-old broilers were randomly allocated into 3 groups, with 6 replicates per group and 40 chickens per replicate. They were fed a basal diet (Con group) or a basal diet supplemented with 250 or 400 mg/kg BC (BC250 and BC400 groups) for 40 consecutive days. The results revealed that 250 mg/kg BC significantly increased 60-d body weight and average daily gain during 39 to 60 d (P < 0.05). Furthermore, Supplementation with 250 mg/kg BC improved the antioxidant capacity and immunity of broilers, as evidenced by increased (P < 0.05) superoxide dismutase and decreased (P < 0.05) malondialdehyde levels in serum and ileum, as well as increased (P < 0.05) immunoglobulin G levels. Supplementation with 250 mg/kg BC enhanced intestinal development by improving intestinal morphology and promoting the proliferation of intestinal crypts. Moreover, Supplementation with 250 mg/kg BC improved (P < 0.05) intestinal permeability, up-regulated (P < 0.05) the expression of tight junction-related genes (Occludin and ZO-1), and down-regulated (P < 0.05) the expression of pro-inflammatory genes (IL-2, IL-8, and IFN-γ). 16S rRNA sequencing revealed significant enrichment of Microbacteriaceae, Micromonosporaceae, Anaerovoracaceae, and Coriobacteriaceae in the BC250 group. Metabolomics showed that 250 mg/kg BC up-regulated the lysosome, foxo signaling pathway, glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor biosynthesis, and oxidative phosphorylation pathways, while down-regulating the biosynthesis of cofactors pathway. In conclusion, supplementing diets with 250 mg/kg BC is recommended to modulate intestinal microbiota, mucosal metabolism, and antioxidant capacity, thereby improving broiler growth performance and intestinal health., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

To solve the difficult problems of tailings dam instability and environmental pollution, multisource information perception, prediction and early warning technology for tailings dams are investigated. Taking a tailings pond in China as an example, a three-dimensional visualization intelligent management platform based on the spatiotemporal fusion of multisource big data is established to realize intelligent real-time monitoring, prediction and early warning of tailings dams. A monitoring system for air-space-ground integration was developed via high-resolution optical image recording, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), radar, video surveillance and displacement sensors. This approach can realize pollution monitoring and efficient identification of high-risk areas. In addition, a machine learning algorithm is used to mine spatiotemporal data in detail. The Alibaba cloud platform was adopted to develop a data integration framework. Multisensor spatiotemporal data from tailings dams and multisource monitoring data from the environment were integrated. The integrated management of tailings dam environmental monitoring, pollution and stability assessment is realized. A stability prediction model for tailings dams based on multisource data is proposed. The temporal and spatial information of various forms of data is analysed from multiple levels and perspectives. Rapid prediction of the disaster situation and stability of tailings ponds is realized. Moreover, a tailings pollution assessment model based on a neural network is integrated with multisource information to establish a multifactor environmental pollution neural network assessment model and a multilevel warning platform. This work can provide technical support for intelligent monitoring and early warning systems for tailings ponds., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Background: The association of body mass index (BMI) with survival outcomes in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with first-line chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or chemoimmunotherapy is controversial. We aimed to investigate these associations, including associations in male and female patients specifically, in a multicenter cohort study., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from seven cohorts comprising 7021 advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients who received chemotherapy (three cohorts), immunotherapy (two cohorts), and chemoimmunotherapy (two cohorts) from five data sources, including a de-identified nationwide (US-based) NSCLC clinico-genomic database and two randomized, double-blind, phase 3 clinical trials. BMI was categorized as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese. Underweight patients were excluded because of their small proportion. The primary endpoints were the associations between BMI and progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) stratified by treatment type and sex, which were assessed using Kaplan-Meier methods and adjusted Cox modeling. Meta-analyses were performed to combine the adjusted hazard ratios., Results: In the pooled analysis, obesity was significantly associated with improved OS in patients receiving chemotherapy (hazard ratios [HR] = 0.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.76-0.93), but there was no association with PFS (HR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.82-1.02). The association of BMI with OS for patients receiving chemotherapy differed by sex, with an inverse association in men (HR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.64-0.84), but no association observed in women (HR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.81-1.13, P interaction = 0.018). No impact of BMI on OS or PFS was detected in patients receiving immunotherapy or chemoimmunotherapy. Obese patients had the lowest level of tumor mutational burden, similar level of programmed death-ligand 1 expression and ESTIMATE scores., Conclusions: Obesity may be associated with an increased overall survival among male patients treated with chemotherapy, whereas not associated with the outcomes in patients treated with immunotherapy or chemoimmunotherapy., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Electrochemical reactions are very complex and involve a variety of physicochemical processes. Accurate and systematic monitoring of intermediate process changes during the reaction is essential for understanding the mechanism of electrochemical reactions and is the basis for rational design of new electrochemical reactions. On-line electrochemical analysis based on mass spectrometry (MS) has become an important tool for studying electrochemical reactions. This technique is based on different ionization and sampling means and realizes on-line analysis of electrochemical reactions by establishing electrochemistry-MS (EC-MS) coupling devices. In particular, it provides key evidence for elucidating the reaction mechanism by capturing and identifying the reactive reaction intermediates. This review will categorize various EC-MS devices and the organic electrochemical reaction systems they study, highlighting the latest research progress in recent years. It will also analyze the properties of various devices and look forward to the future development of EC-MS., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Importance: Heart sound auscultation is a routinely used physical examination in clinical practice to identify potential cardiac abnormalities. However, accurate interpretation of heart sounds requires specialized training and experience, which limits its generalizability. Deep learning, a subset of machine learning, involves training artificial neural networks to learn from large datasets and perform complex tasks with intricate patterns. Over the past decade, deep learning has been successfully applied to heart sound analysis, achieving remarkable results and accumulating substantial heart sound data for model training. Although several reviews have summarized deep learning algorithms for heart sound analysis, there is a lack of comprehensive summaries regarding the available heart sound data and the clinical applications. Highlights: This review will compile the commonly used heart sound datasets, introduce the fundamentals and state-of-the-art techniques in heart sound analysis and deep learning, and summarize the current applications of deep learning for heart sound analysis, along with their limitations and areas for future improvement. Conclusions: The integration of deep learning into heart sound analysis represents a significant advancement in clinical practice. The growing availability of heart sound datasets and the continuous development of deep learning techniques contribute to the improvement and broader clinical adoption of these models. However, ongoing research is needed to address existing challenges and refine these technologies for broader clinical use., Competing Interests: Competing interests: S.H. is an associate editor of the Health Data Science journal. All other authors declare that they have no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 Qinghao Zhao et al.)

The oxalate-carbonate pathway (OCP) involves degradation of soil oxalate to carbonate. To exploit and manage this natural mineralization of assimilated atmospheric CO 2 into stable carbonates, improved understanding of this complex biotransformation process is needed. A strain of oxalate-degrading bacteria, Azospirillum sp. OX-1, was isolated from soil, and its secondary products of calcium oxalate degradation were analyzed and characterized using SEM, XRD, TG/DTG-DTA and FTIR-spectroscopy. The molecular mechanism of calcium oxalate degradation was also analyzed using proteomics. The results showed, for the first time, that OX-1 could not only degrade calcium oxalate to calcium carbonate, but also that the process was accompanied by synthesis of methane. Proteomic analysis demonstrated that OX-1 has a dual enzyme system for calcium oxalate degradation, using formyl-CoA transferase (FRC) and thiamine pyrophosphate (ThDP)-dependent oxalyl-CoA decarboxylase (OXC) to form calcium carbonate. Up-regulated expression of enzymes related to methane synthesis was also detected during calcium oxalate degradation. Since methane is also a potent greenhouse gas, these new results suggest that the utility of exploiting the OCP to reduce atmospheric CO 2 must be re-evaluated and that further studies should be conducted to reveal how widespread the methane producing capacity of strain OX-1 is in other bacteria and soil environments., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Embeddings derived from cell graphs hold significant potential for exploring spatial transcriptomics (ST) datasets. Nevertheless, existing methodologies rely on a graph structure defined by spatial proximity, which inadequately represents the diversity inherent in cell-cell interactions (CCIs). This study introduces STAGUE, an innovative framework that concurrently learns a cell graph structure and a low-dimensional embedding from ST data. STAGUE employs graph structure learning to parameterize and refine a cell graph adjacency matrix, enabling the generation of learnable graph views for effective contrastive learning. The derived embeddings and cell graph improve spatial clustering accuracy and facilitate the discovery of novel CCIs. Experimental benchmarks across 86 real and simulated ST datasets show that STAGUE outperforms 15 comparison methods in clustering performance. Additionally, STAGUE delineates the heterogeneity in human breast cancer tissues, revealing the activation of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and PI3K/AKT signaling in specific sub-regions. Furthermore, STAGUE identifies CCIs with greater alignment to established biological knowledge than those ascertained by existing graph autoencoder-based methods. STAGUE also reveals the regulatory genes that participate in these CCIs, including those enriched in neuropeptide signaling and receptor tyrosine kinase signaling pathways, thereby providing insights into the underlying biological processes., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Aims: The treatment of diabetes distress plays an important role in diabetes care; however, no meta-analysis has been performed to synthesize the short- and long-term effects of psychological interventions tailored for diabetes distress in people with type 2 diabetes. We aim to evaluate the evidence on tailored psychological interventions for diabetes distress as the primary outcome, focusing on individuals with type 2 diabetes., Methods: Two reviewers independently searched eight databases from their inception to September 2024. EndNote X9 was used to screen records. The Revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials was used to assess the risk of bias. The GRADE system was used to assess the overall certainty of the evidence. A random effect model was used to determine the mean difference or standardized mean difference with 95% CIs. Subgroup analyses based on several intervention characteristics and sensitivity analyses were also conducted., Results: Totally, 22,279 records were yielded, and we finally included 18 studies in our systematic review. The meta-analysis included data from 16 studies representing 1639 participants. Interventions types included mindfulness-based and cognitive behavioral therapy, among others. Duration of interventions ranged from 4 weeks to 6 months. We found that psychological interventions that measured diabetes distress significantly reduced diabetes distress in the short-term in people with type 2 diabetes (SMD= -0.56; 95% CI= -0.90, -0.22; p = 0.001). Subgroup analysis indicated that this effect could be enhanced when delivered in a group format, by psychologist, using a technology component, or including participants having elevated baseline diabetes distress. However, the short- and long-term effects on HbA1c were non-significant, with results showing (MD = 0.02; 95% CI = -0.23 to 0.26; p = 0.89) and (MD = -0.27; 95% CI = -0.64 to 0.10; p = 0.15), respectively. The long-term effect on diabetes distress was also non-significant (SMD = -0.45; 95% CI = -0.93 to 0.03; p = 0.07)., Conclusions: Psychological interventions tailored for diabetes distress in people with type 2 diabetes are effective in reducing the level of diabetes distress immediately after the intervention. More trials are still needed to further enrich the evidence in this area., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Motor imagery, as a paradigm of brainmachine interfaces, holds vast potential in the field of medical rehabilitation. Addressing the challenges posed by the non-stationarity and low signal-to-noise ratio of EEG signals, the effective extraction of features from motor imagery signals for accurate recognition stands as a key focus in motor imagery brain-machine interface technology. This paper proposes a motor imagery EEG signal classification model that combines functional brain networks with graph convolutional networks. First, functional brain networks are constructed using different brain functional connectivity metrics, and graph theory features are calculated to deeply analyze the characteristics of brain networks under different motor tasks. Then, the constructed functional brain networks are combined with graph convolutional networks for the classification and recognition of motor imagery tasks. The analysis based on brain functional connectivity reveals that the functional connectivity strength during the both fists task is significantly higher than that of other motor imagery tasks, and the functional connectivity strength during actual movement is generally superior to that of motor imagery tasks. In experiments conducted on the Physionet public dataset, the proposed model achieved a classification accuracy of 88.39% under multi-subject conditions, significantly outperforming traditional methods. Under single-subject conditions, the model effectively addressed the issue of individual variability, achieving an average classification accuracy of 99.31%. These results indicate that the proposed model not only exhibits excellent performance in the classification of motor imagery tasks but also provides new insights into the functional connectivity characteristics of different motor tasks and their corresponding brain regions.

Multi-target direction of arrival (DoA) estimation is an important and challenging task for sonar signal processing. In this study, we propose a method called learning direction of arrival with optimal transport (LOT) to accurately estimate the DoAs of multiple sources with a single deep model. We model the DoA estimation problem as a multi-label classification task and introduce an optimal transport (OT) loss based on the OT theory to capture the intrinsic continuity within the angular categories. We design a cost matrix for the OT loss in LOT approach to characterize the order and periodicity of the angular grid. The LOT approach encourages reliable predictions closer to the ground truth and suppresses spurious targets. We also propose a lightweight channel mask data augmentation module for deep models that use items related to the covariance matrix as input. The proposed methods can be seamlessly integrated with different model architectures and we indicate the portability with experiments on several typical network backbones. Experiments across various scenarios using different measurements show the effectiveness and robustness of our approaches. Results on SwellEx-96 experimental data demonstrate the practicality in real applications., (© 2024 Acoustical Society of America.)

Retinal ischemia is an ophthalmic emergency often caused by cardiovascular diseases, leading to irreversible vision loss and even blindness. Innovative retinal ischemia treatments are needed due to limited options. The pathological mechanisms involve retinal cell apoptosis and microglial activation. The pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a well distributed neuropeptide found in both central nervous system and peripheral organs. Though it shows great anti-apoptosis and anti-microglia activation properties, it is rapidly cleared by intravitreal injection. Herein, we established a novel poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel system by cross-linking 4arm-PEG-NHS and 4arm-PEG-NH 2 to load PACAP (PACAP@Gel-PEG), which exhibited great fluidity, injectability, structural recovery ability, moderate swelling ratio and drug release ability that were appropriate for drug delivery. Then the safety and effectiveness of the PACAP@Gel-PEG were evaluated in vitro in three retinal cell lines (ARPE-19, 661 W and rRMC) and in vivo using the unilateral common carotid artery occlusion (UCCAO) mice model. The CCK-8 test and live/dead staining demonstrated that PACAP@Gel-PEG exhibited excellent biocompatibility in three retinal cell lines. Furthermore, after PACAP@Gel-PEG treatment, a great anti-apoptotic effect was observed in cells treated by CoCl 2 . Application of PACAP@Gel-PEG greatly improved the therapeutic efficacy of PACAP in restoring retinal function, maintaining retinal integrity, and suppressing apoptosis and microglia activation in retinal tissues. Moreover, in mice, the biosafety of PACAP@Gel-PEG was confirmed by H&E staining of systemic organs. Taken together, our results demonstrated PACAP@Gel-PEG as a promising therapeutic option for retinal ischemia, providing new strategies for vision restoration., 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 Masson SAS.)

Objective: The objective of this experiment was to determine the standard ileal digestibility (SID) of amino acid (AA) in 10 different sources of wheat bran fed to broilers and establish the SID AA prediction based on the chemical composition., Methods: A total of 660 1-day-old broilers were randomly divided into 11 treatments with 6 replicates of 10 chickens each. Diets included 10 semi-purified mash diets and 1 nitrogenfree diet. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) 0.50% was used as an indigestible index. On day 13, 6 chickens from each replicate were selected for slaughter to collect ileal contents. On day 28, 4 chickens from each replicate were selected for slaughter to collect ileal contents., Results: Results showed that the coefficient of variation of the conventional nutrients (except for gross energy, and dry matter) and all AAs was greater than 8.00%. The average SID of essential AA in wheat bran for 13-day-old broilers was 37.24% and the average SID of nonessential AA was 42.02%; the average SID of essential AA for 28-day-old broilers was 67.13% and the average SID of nonessential AA was 69.51%. A correlation was observed (p<0.05) between most SID AA and crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), and ash at day 13. A correlation was observed (p<0.05) between most SID AA and CF, and ADF at day 28. The R2 value of stepwise regression equations for predicting the SID AA at day 13 and day 28 was best for glutamic acid (R2 = 0.97 using CP, ash, CF, ether extract (EE), and neutral detergent fiber [NDF]) and lysine (R2 = 0.74 using ash, ADF, EE, and NDF), respectively., Conclusion: In conclusion, broiler age had a significant effect on the SID AA values of wheat bran. The chemical composition of wheat bran varied widely between sources, and CP, CF, ADF, NDF, and ash were reasonable predictors of the SID AA of wheat bran.

Suicidal ideation (SI) is common among people with schizophrenia. However, it has received less attention than suicide attempts (SA), especially in the Chinese population. Alexithymia is a well-established risk factor for SI across different populations. Nevertheless, very few studies evaluated their relationship in schizophrenia patients. We aimed to determine the prevalence and clinical correlates of SI and its relationship with alexithymia in 812 Chinese chronic schizophrenia inpatients. We assessed SI, clinical symptoms, and alexithymia by the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, respectively. A multiple logistic regression model was conducted to identify independent correlates of SI. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the curve (AUC) were performed to determine the ability of our model to distinguish between patients with and without SI. 10% (n = 84) reported current SI. Lifetime SA (OR, 4.68; 95% CI 2.76-7.94, p < 0.001), PANSS depressive factor (OR, 1.24; 95% CI 1.12-1.38, p < 0.001), PANSS positive subscale (OR, 1.055; 95% CI 1.004-1.108, p = 0.035), and difficulty identifying emotions (OR, 1.07; 95% CI 1.03-1.12, p = 0.002) were associated with SI. The AUC value was 0.80, indicating excellent distinguishing capabilities. Timely assessments of these factors may help identify schizophrenia patients who are at risk for SI., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.)

Background: Lupus anticoagulant-hypoprothrombinemia syndrome (LAHPS) is a rare acquired bleeding disorder characterized by the presence of lupus anticoagulant (LA) and acquired hypoprothrombinemia., Objectives: To summarize the experience of diagnosis, clinical features, and treatment of lupus anticoagulant-hypoprothrombinemia syndrome (LAHPS)., Methods: A retrospective study of 70 children diagnosed with LAHPS from January 2019 to February 2024 at a single center was conducted., Results: A total of 70 subjects (32 boys and 38 girls), with a mean age of 5.58 years, were included in the study. Among these subjects, 15 had autoimmune diseases (AIDs), 51 had infections, and 4 had unknown causes. Fifty-six of 70 (80%) subjects experienced bleeding with the median bleeding score of 4, 1 of 70 (1.4%) presented with thrombosis, and 13 of 70 (18.6%) were asymptomatic. All patients exhibited prolonged prothrombin time, significantly prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time, decreased factor (F)II activity (FII:C), and positive lupus anticoagulant. There was a weak negative correlation between the severity of bleeding and FII:C level ( rs  = -0.4283; P  < .001). Patients with infection-associated LAHPS were younger than those with AIDs-associated LAHPS ( P  < .0001). In the study, LAHPS subjects are treated with corticosteroids as the first-line therapy, or in combination with immunosuppressants. Coagulation factor replacement therapy can effectively prevent and control bleeding events. After follow-up, lupus anticoagulant of all patients had turned negative within 12 weeks. And, prothrombin time and FII:C were completely normalized of all patients without recurrence of bleeding and without thrombosis., Conclusion: Children develop LAHPS most commonly after AIDs and infection. Most patients presented with mild to moderate bleeding. The severity of bleeding symptoms was not exactly parallel to the decreased FII:C level., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is the glucose polymer produced by bacterial metabolism. The bacterial cellulose synthase (BCS) is the key enzyme for catalyzing the formation of BC. The cooperation between different submits of BCS is necessary for the intracellular formation and extracellular secretion of BC. This review summarized the BC-producing strains and the differences of BCS among different strains. Furthermore, we detailed the BC synthesis mechanism, the interactions between BCS subunits, and the relationship between the structural characteristics of strains and the formation of highly ordered fiber structures. A comprehensive insight into the mechanism of BC synthesis and secretion will supply more strategies for optimizing the BC synthesis via methods of synthetic biology.