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With the introduction of China’s “Carbon Peaking Action Plan Before 2030,” the transformation of the power industry has released huge opportunities and potential. The DC distribution network can well-coordinate the contradiction between distributed power and grid access, fully develop the benefits of distributed energy, and become a new direction for the development of the power industry. However, the current traditional DC–DC converters have problems such as single-topology structure and low power density, which can only complete one-way transmission of energy; hence, the distributed energy cannot be fully utilized. Addressing the problem of distributed energy transfer, this paper is based on a three-port DC–DC converter for a low-voltage DC distribution network to realize energy transfer between the DC distribution network, distributed energy, and low-voltage load. First, the energy transfer modes of the three-port DC–DC converter are introduced. Combined with the converter topology and energy transfer mode, a simplified equivalent model of the converter is established. The voltage gain characteristics and frequency characteristics of this converter are studied. Furthermore, the effects of the excitation inductance to primary resonance inductance ratio parameter k and quality factor Q on the voltage gain characteristics of the converter are discussed. On this basis, the resonant cavity design of the converter is based on the optimal selection of parameters k and Q so that the converter can meet the voltage gain requirements in both forward and reverse operations. The simulation results under different loads verify the reasonableness of the resonant cavity component selection.

IntroductionSince their identification in 1974, circoviruses have caused clinicopathological diseases in various animal species, including humans. However, their origin, transmission, and genetic evolution remain poorly understood.MethodsIn this study, the genome sequences of circovirus were obtained from GenBank, and the Bayesian stochastic search variable selection algorithm was employed to analyzed the evolution and origin of circovirus.ResultsHere, the evolutionary origin, mode of transmission, and genetic recombination of the circovirus were determined based on the available circovirus genome sequences. The origin of circoviruses can be traced back to fish circovirus, which might derive from fish genome, and human contributes to transmission of fish circovirus to other species. Furthermore, mosquitos, ticks, bats, and/or rodents might play a role as intermediate hosts in circovirus intra- and inter-species transmission. Two major lineages (A and B) of circoviruses are identified, and frequent recombination events accelerate their variation and spread. The time to the most recent common ancestor of circoviruses can be traced back to around A.D. 600 and has been evolving at a rate of 10-4 substitutions site-1 year-1 for a long time.DiscussionThese comprehensive findings shed light on the evolutionary origin, population dynamics, transmission model, and genetic recombination of the circovirus providing valuable insights for the development of prevention and control strategies against circovirus infections.

CO2, used as an environmentally friendly fracturing fluid, has encountered a bottleneck in development in recent years. Despite great efforts in research work, limited progress has been made in field applications. In this study, an extensive literature review of research work and field cases was performed to summarize the technical issues and challenges of CO2 fracturing. The key issues of CO2 fracturing were analyzed to reveal the gap between fundamental research and field operations. The effects of CO2 properties on fracture creation and proppant transport were synthetically analyzed to extract new common research orientations, with the aim of improving the efficiency of CO2 injection. The hydraulic parameters of CO2 fracturing were compared with those of water-based fracturing fluids, which revealed a theory-practice gap. By studying the developing trends and successful experiences of conventional fluids, new strategies for CO2 fracturing were proposed. We identified that the major theory-practice gap in CO2 fracturing exists in pump rate and operation scale. Consequently, the friction reducer, effects of flow loss (due to leak-off) and distribution (within fracture networks), and shear viscosity of thickened CO2 are key factors in improving both fracture propagation and proppant transport. By increasing the scale of injected CO2, the CO2 fracturing technique can be enhanced, making it an essential option for carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) to reduce carbon emissions and mitigate climate change.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the etiological agent of PCV2-associated diseases that pose a serious threat to the swine industry. PCV2 capsid (Cap) protein has been shown to interact with DEAD-box RNA helicase 21 (DDX21), an important protein that regulates RNA virus replication. However, whether the interaction between DDX21 and the PCV2 Cap regulates PCV2 replication remains unclear. Herein, by using western blotting, interaction assays, and knockdown analysis, we found that PCV2 infection induced the cytoplasmic relocation of DDX21 from the nucleolus in cultured PK-15 cells. Moreover, the nuclear localization signal (NLS) of PCV2 Cap interacted directly with DDX21. The NLS of PCV2 Cap and 763GSRSNRFQNK772 residues at the C-terminal domain (CTD) of DDX21 were essential for the dual interaction. Upon shRNA-mediated DDX21 depletion in PK-15 cells, we observed impaired PCV2 replication via a lentivirus-delivered system, as evidenced by decreased levels of viral protein expression and virus production. In contrast, the replication of PCV2 increased in transiently DDX21-overexpressing cells. Our results indicate that DDX21 interacts with PCV2 Cap and plays a crucial role in virus replication. These results provide a reference for developing novel potential targets for prevention and control of PCV2 infection.

IntroductionThis study was carried out to investigate the effects of mixed meal (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) replacement soybean meal on growth performance, nutrient apparent digestibility, serum inflammatory factors and immunoglobulins, serum biochemical parameters, intestinal permeability, short-chain fatty acid content, and gut microbiota of finishing pigs.MethodsA total of 54 pigs with an average initial weight of 97.60 ± 0.30 kg were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups according to their initial weight, with 6 replicates in each group and 3 pigs in each replicate. The trial period was 26 days. The groups were as follows: control group (CON), fed corn-soybean meal type basal diet; Corn-soybean-mixed meal group (CSM), fed corn-soybean meal-mixed meal diet with a ratio of rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal of 1:1:1 to replace 9.06% soybean meal in the basal diet; Corn-mixed meal group (CMM), fed a corn-mixed meal diet with a ratio of Rapeseed meal, Cotton meal and Sunflower meal of 1:1:1 to replace soybean meal in the basal diet completely. The crude protein level of the three diets was maintained at 12.5%.ResultsOur findings revealed no significant impact of replacing soybean meal with the mixed meal (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) on the ADG (Average daily gain), ADFI (Average daily feed intake), and F/G (Feed gain ratio) (P > 0.05), or crude protein, crude fat, and gross energy (P > 0.05) in the diet of finishing pigs. Compared with the CON group, the serum interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) concentrations were significantly decreased in the CMM group (P < 0.05). However, there is no significant effect of the mixed meal (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) replacing soybean meal in the diet on the serum interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and immunoglobulin M (IgM) concentrations (P > 0.05). Concordantly, there is no significant effect of mixed meal (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) replacing soybean meal in the diet on the serum antioxidant capacity, such as total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels of finishing pigs. Moreover, compared with the CON group, serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels were significantly lower in the CSM group (P < 0.05) and their total bilirubin (TBIL) levels were significantly lower in the CMM group (P < 0.05). There is not a significant effect on serum D-lactate and diamine oxidase (DAO) concentrations (P > 0.05). The next section of the survey showed that the replacement of soybean meal with a mixed meal (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) in the diet did not significantly influence the acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, isobutyric acid, and isovaleric acid in the colon contents (P > 0.05). Furthermore, compared with the CON group, the CMM group diet significantly increased the abundance of Actinobacteria at the phylum level (P < 0.05), U_Actinobacteria at the class level (P < 0.05), and U_Bacteria at the class level (P < 0.05). The result also showed that the CMM group significantly reduced the abundance of Oscillospirales at the order level (P < 0.05) and Streptococcaceae at the family level (P < 0.05) compared with the CON group. The Spearman correlation analysis depicted a statistically significant positive correlation identified at the class level between the relative abundance of U_Bacteria and the serum T. BILI concentrations (P < 0.05). Moreover, a significant negative correlation was detected at the order level between the relative abundance of Oscillospirales and the levels of acetic and propionic acids in the colonic contents (P < 0.05). Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between the serum concentrations of IL-6 and IL-10 and the relative abundance of the family Streptococcaceae (P < 0.05).DiscussionThis study demonstrated that the mixed meal (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) as a substitute for soybean meal in the diet had no significant negative effects on the growth performance, nutrient apparent digestibility, serum immunoglobulins, serum antioxidant capacity, intestinal permeability, short-chain fatty acid content, and diversity of gut microbiota of finishing pigs. These results can help develop further mixed meals (rapeseed meal, cotton meal, and sunflower meal) as a functional alternative feed ingredient for soybean meals in pig diets.

As a terminal stage of various cardiovascular diseases, heart failure is of great concern due to its high mortality rate and limited treatment options. Researchers are currently focusing their efforts on investigating the metabolism of carbohydrates, fatty acids, and amino acids to enhance the prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. Simultaneously, branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), including leucine, isoleucine, and valine, play significant roles in blood glucose regulation, protein synthesis, and insulin sensitivity. However, disrupted BCAAs metabolism has been associated with conditions such as hypertension, obesity, and atherosclerosis. This article explores intricate metabolic pathways, unveiling the connection between disrupted BCAAs metabolism and the progression of heart failure. Furthermore, the article discusses therapeutic strategies, assesses the impact of BCAAs on cardiac dysfunction, and examines the potential of modulating BCAAs metabolism as a treatment for heart failure. BCAAs and their metabolites are also considered as biomarkers for evaluating cardiac metabolic risk. In conclusion, this article elucidates the multifaceted roles of BCAAs in heart failure and cardiovascular health, providing guidance for future research and intervention measures.

The fact that whether SiC2 is a parent species, formed in the photosphere or as a by-product of high-temperature dust formation, or a daughter species, formed in chemistry driven by the photodestruction of the parent species in the outer envelope, has been debated for a long time. In this study, we analyze the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) observations of four SiC2 transitions in the circumstellar envelopes (CSEs) of three C-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars (AI Vol, II Lup, and RAFGL 4211) and find that SiC2 exhibits an annular, shell-like distribution in these targets, suggesting that SiC2 can be a daughter species in the CSEs of carbon-rich AGB stars. The results may provide important references for future chemical models.

ObjectiveThe important contribution of dietary triggers to migraine pathogenesis has been recognized. However, the potential causal roles of many dietary habits on the risk of migraine in the whole population are still under debate. The objective of this study was to determine the potential causal association between dietary habits and the risk of migraine (and its subtypes) development, as well as the possible mediator roles of migraine risk factors.MethodsBased on summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies, we conducted two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) and bidirectional MR to investigate the potential causal associations between 83 dietary habits and migraine and its subtypes, and network MR was performed to explore the possible mediator roles of 8 migraine risk factors.ResultsAfter correcting for multiple testing, we found evidence for associations of genetically predicted coffee, cheese, oily fish, alcohol (red wine), raw vegetables, muesli, and wholemeal/wholegrain bread intake with decreased risk of migraine, those odds ratios ranged from 0.78 (95% CI: 0.63–0.95) for overall cheese intake to 0.61 (95% CI: 0.47–0.80) for drinks usually with meals among current drinkers (yes + it varies vs. no); while white bread, cornflakes/frosties, and poultry intake were positively associated with the risk of migraine. Additionally, genetic liability to white bread, wholemeal/wholegrain bread, muesli, alcohol (red wine), cheese, and oily fish intake were associated with a higher risk of insomnia and (or) major depression disorder (MDD), each of them may act as a mediator in the pathway from several dietary habits to migraine. Finally, we found evidence of a negative association between genetically predicted migraine and drinking types, and positive association between migraine and cups of tea per day.SignificanceOur study provides evidence about association between dietary habits and the risk of migraine and demonstrates that some associations are partly mediated through one or both insomnia and MDD. These results provide new insights for further nutritional interventions for migraine prevention.

IntroductionDue to its effectiveness and various benefits, the use of online health consultation (OHC) has dramatically increased in recent years, especially since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, underlying mechanism whereby the pandemic impacted OHC usage is still unclear.MethodsVia an online survey (N=318), the present paper measures the users’ perceptions towards both offline and online services, their intention to switch to OHC, and the perceived pandemic risks. The relationships among these factors are conceptualized by the push-pull-mooring framework, and tested via structural equation modelling.ResultsDissatisfaction with offline service (process inefficiency and consultation anxiety), the attractiveness of OHC (perceived benefits and perceived ease of use), and users’ behavioral inertia (switching cost and habit) jointly influence the intention to switching to OHC. The significant role of the perceived pandemic risk of going to medical facilities is particularly addressed. On the one hand, the perceived pandemic risk is found with an indirect impact on the switching intention by enlarging the dissatisfaction with offline service and the attractiveness of OHC. On the other hand, a high perceived pandemic risk induces more actual switching behavior and also amplifies the transition from switching intention to behavior.DiscussionThe study provides novel insights into the understanding of OHC usage in the post-pandemic era, and also informs medical facilities, OHC platforms, and policymakers on managing and balancing the online and offline healthcare provision.

Cadmium is one of the most toxic heavy metal elements that seriously threaten food safety and agricultural production worldwide. Because of its high solubility, cadmium can easily enter plants, inhibiting plant growth and reducing crop yield. Therefore, finding a way to alleviate the inhibitory effects of cadmium on plant growth is critical. Silicon, the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, has been widely reported to promote plant growth and alleviate cadmium toxicity. This review summarizes the recent progress made to elucidate how silicon mitigates cadmium toxicity in plants. We describe the role of silicon in reducing cadmium uptake and transport, improving plant mineral nutrient supply, regulating antioxidant systems and optimizing plant architecture. We also summarize in detail the regulation of plant water balance by silicon, and the role of this phenomenon in enhancing plant resistance to cadmium toxicity. An in-depth analysis of literature has been conducted to identify the current problems related to cadmium toxicity and to propose future research directions.

Terahertz (THz) technology has emerged as a promising tool for the qualitative and quantitative identification of markers containing major diseases, enabling early diagnosis and staged treatment of diseases. Nevertheless, the detection of water-containing biological samples is facing significant challenges due to limitations in high-power THz radiation sources and high-sensitivity detection devices. In this paper, we present a designed and constructed set of Terahertz-Attenuated Total Reflection (THz-ATR) spectrometer for high-sensitivity detection of liquid biological samples, which can dynamically maintain the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of THz detection signal of liquid biological samples at 40–60 dB. Our high-power THz-ATR spectroscopy can identify and quantitatively detect α-lactose aqueous solution with a minimum concentration of 0.292 mol/L. Moreover, we observed that the rate of change in the absorption peak position varied greatly between high and low concentration samples. Our high-power, high-sensitivity THz-ATR spectroscopy detection provides a rapid, accurate, and low-cost method for detecting disease markers such as blood and urine indicators. Additionally, this approach offers new perspectives for the refinement and in-depth detection of biomedical samples.

BackgroundBleeding complications are recognized as relatively infrequent manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), and the safety of antithrombotic therapy during pregnancy is of concern. This study aims to assess the risk factors and possible associations between bleeding complications and adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) in patients with APS.MethodsA retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Peking University People’s Hospital. The clinical and immunologic features, bleeding complications, treatment, and pregnancy outcomes of patients with APS were collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to assess the associations between APOs and bleeding complications.ResultsA total of 176 participants with obstetric APS were included in the analysis. There were 66 (37.50%) patients with APS with hemorrhage complications and 86 (48.86%) patients with APS with APOs. Mucocutaneous hemorrhage was associated with APOs including fetal death after 12 weeks [odds ratio (OR) = 10.73, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.61–71.74, p = 0.014], preterm delivery prior to 34 weeks (OR = 8.30, 95% CI: 2.31–29.84, p = 0.001), and small for gestational age (OR = 4.17, 95% CI: 1.22–14.21, p = 0.023) in univariate logistic regression analyses. It also independently associated with preterm delivery prior to 34 weeks (OR = 40.29, 95% CI: 1.45–1121.32, p = 0.030) in multivariate logistic regression analyses. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis evaluating the accuracy of these factors for preterm delivery prior to 34 weeks showed that the area under ROC curve was 0.871.ConclusionThe study shows that mucocutaneous hemorrhage may be an indication of the occurrence of APOs in obstetric patients with APS.

ObjectiveFocusing on the theme of “osteoporosis-related research in adolescents,” a systematic visualization of the developmental lineage, current research status, hot spots, and trends of adolescent osteoporosis was conducted to provide a reference for subsequent related research, clinical diagnosis, and treatment.MethodThe Web of Science core database was used as the data source to retrieve the relevant literature and the bibliometrics method. An online bibliometric platform, CiteSpace, and VOSviewer software were used to conduct co-occurrence analysis on the authors, scientific research institutions, national cooperation, keywords, and funding sources to draw the relevant knowledge map.ResultA total of 1,199 publications from the Web of Science core database were included in this study. The number of published adolescent osteoporosis (AOP) studies has shown an upward trend over the past 29 years, with the United States being the major contributor to the field with the highest number of publications (291, 24.3%) and the highest number of citations (12,186). The international collaboration map shows that the United States is the country most focused on international collaborative exchanges, with the closest collaboration between the United States and Canada. The most influential research institutions and authors are Children's Hospital and Rauch F. the United States is the primary funding source for this research area. Research hotspots were mainly focused on “bone density,” “osteoporosis,” and “children.”ConclusionThese knowledge maps review the research hotpots in adolescent osteoporosis research over time, analyze and summarize the research process over the past 29 years, and predict future research directions.

ObjectiveMigraine is frequently reported in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and emerging evidence suggests that gut microbiota plays a role in migraine and IBS. However, alterations in the gut microbiome in migraine patients with IBS remain unknown. This study aimed to explore the compositions of gut microbiota in migraine patients with IBS in a Chinese Han population.MethodsSixteen migraine patients with IBS and thirteen age- and gender-matched IBS patients with similar dietary and lifestyle habits were enrolled in this pilot study. Demographic data, clinical data, eating habits, lifestyle habits, comorbidities, and medications were recorded using a unified case registration form. Questionnaires for the Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) were completed. Fecal samples were collected, and microbial DNA was extracted. Gut microbiota 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene sequencing targeting the V4 region was performed using the Illumina HiSeq 2500 high-throughput sequencing platform. The relationships between gut microbiota and clinical characteristics of migraine were analyzed.ResultsThe structure of gut microbiota differed between migraine patients with IBS and patients with IBS, while the richness and diversity of gut microbiota in migraine patients with IBS showed no significant difference from that of patients with IBS. We found a higher relative abundance of the genus Parabacteroides and a lower relative abundance of the genera Paraprevotella, Lachnospiraceae_UCG-010, Lactococcus, Collinsella, and Comamonas in migraine patients with IBS than in patients with IBS. According to random forest predictive models, the phylum Bacteroidota shows the most important role in migraine patients with IBS. Furthermore, no statistical correlation was found between significantly different taxa at the genus level and migraine clinical data.ConclusionThis study identified that altered gut microbiota occurred in Chinese Han migraine patients with IBS, but no correlation was found between gut microbiota and the clinical characteristics of migraine. Further study is needed to better understand the role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of migraine in IBS.

Cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important source of edible oil and protein. Peanut testa (seed coat) provides protection for seeds and serves as a carrier for diversity metabolites necessary for human health. There is significant diversity available for testa color in peanut germplasms. However, the kinds and type of metabolites in peanut testa has not been comprehensively investigated. In this study, we performed metabolite profiling using UPLC-MS/MS for four peanut germplasm lines with different testa colors, including pink, purple, red, and white. A total of 85 metabolites were identified in four peanuts. Comparative metabolomics analysis identified 78 differentially accumulated metabolites (DAMs). Some metabolites showed significant correlation with other metabolites. For instance, proanthocyanidins were positively correlated with cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside and malvin, and negatively correlated with pelargonidin-3-glucoside. We observed that the total proanthocyanidins are most abundant in pink peanut variety WH10. The red testa accumulated more isoflavones, flavonols and anthocyanidins compared with that in pink testa. These results provided valuable information about differential accumulation of metabolites in testa with different color, which are helpful for further investigation of the molecular mechanism underlying biosynthesis and accumulation of these metabolites in peanut.

Background and aimsPrimary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the most effective treatment strategy for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Nevertheless, dysregulated inflammation induced by myocardial reperfusion injury may increase the final infarct size and induce maladaptive myocardial remodeling. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor, as a novel and potent lipid-lowering drug, plays an important role in inflammation. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the early application of PCSK9 inhibitor can increase the myocardial salvage index (MSI) and improve ventricular remodeling in patients with STEMI.DesignThe PERFECT II trial is a prospective, open-label, multicenter, randomized controlled study involving 160 patients with STEMI who are scheduled to undergo PPCI. The eligible patients will be divided into PCSK9 inhibitor group and control group via the interactive web response system, at a 1:1 ratio. In the PCSK9 inhibitor group, the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab at a dose of 75 mg will be subcutaneously injected immediately after PPCI and administered every 2 weeks thereafter for 3 months based on conventional treatment. In the control group, conventional treatment will be administered. The primary endpoint is MSI, as measured by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) at 1 week after PPCI. The secondary endpoints are the peak time of creatine kinase (CK)-MB and troponin I (TnI)/TnT after PPCI; the postoperative fall time of the ST segment on electrocardiography (ECG); the rate of plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) compliance (< 1.4 mmol/L and a reduction of >50% from baseline) at 1, 3, and 6 months after PPCI; infarct size and ejection fraction (EF) measured by CMR at 6 months after PPCI; the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE: a composite of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, repeat revascularization, stroke, and heart failure needed to be hospitalized).ConclusionsThis is the first multicenter study to investigate the effect of early application of the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab on MSI in patients with STEMI undergoing PPCI. The findings will provide an opportunity to explore novel ideas and methods for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT05292404.

Financial markets are widely believed to be complex systems where interdependencies exist among individual entities in the system enabling the risk spillover effect. The detrended cross-correlation analysis (DCCA) has found wide applications in examining the comovement of fluctuations among financial time series. However, to what extent can such cross-correlation represent the spillover effect is still unknown. This article constructs the DCCA network of commodity future markets and explores its proximity to the volatility spillover network. Results show a moderate agreement between the two networks. Centrality measures applied to the DCCA networks are able to identify key commodity futures that are transmitting or receiving risk spillovers. The evolution of the DCCA network reveals a significant change in the network structure during the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison to that of the pre- and post-pandemic periods. The pandemic made the commodity future markets more interconnected leading to a shorter diameter for the network. The intensified connections happen mostly between commodities from different categories. Accordingly, cross-category risk spillovers are more likely to happen during the pandemic. The analysis enriches the applications of the DCCA approach and provides useful insights into understanding the risk dynamics in commodity future markets.

Aiming at the imbalances of SOC (state of charge, SOC) and SOH (state of health, SOH) for battery energy storage system (BESS) in smoothing photovoltaic power fluctuations, a power allocation method of BESS is proposed. Firstly, the hierarchical structure of the power allocation method is given, including acquisition of the grid-connected photovoltaic power reference and double-layer power allocation strategy for BESS. Secondly, a swing door trend algorithm optimized by the improved Aquila optimizer is devised and used to deal with the raw photovoltaic power to obtain the grid-connected signal. Next, the dynamic grouping principle considering the SOC and SOH of battery units is devised, and the double-layer power allocation method of BESS is designed in terms of the dynamic grouping results of battery units. Finally, the proposed power allocation method is simulated through actual data, and the results compared with other methods show that it can smooth photovoltaic power fluctuations more effectively, and the SOC and SOH can be balanced more quickly and accurately, which verifies its effectiveness.

BackgroundThrombocytopenia is a common manifestation of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), and is a main concern for bleeding on the standard treatment of low dose aspirin (LDA) and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) in obstetric APS (OAPS).ObjectiveThis study assesses the possible relationship between thrombocytopenia during the first trimester and adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) in OAPS patients.MethodsA case-control study was conducted at Peking University People’s Hospital, Beijing, China. The clinical, immunologic, and pregnancy outcomes of the OAPS patients were collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to assess the relationship between APOs and thrombocytopenia in the first trimester.ResultsA total of 115 participants were included in the analysis. There were no difference on antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage between the two groups. The gestational age in the thrombocytopenia group was less than that in the control group (34.12 ± 8.44 vs. 37.44 ± 3.81 weeks, p = 0.002). Hypocomplementemia, double aPL positive, and high titers of anti-β2 glycoprotein I were more frequent in APS patients with thrombocytopenia (p < 0.05). Compared to the control group, thrombocytopenia in the first trimester was correlated with SGA (12.12% vs. 31.25%, p = 0.043), premature birth 0.05). Of note, the number of platelets increased after delivery in 14 thrombocytopenia patients with live fetuses (p = 0.03).ConclusionThis study demonstrates that thrombocytopenia in the first trimester increases the risks of preterm birth in women with APS. The effective OAPS treatments may improve pregnancy outcomes and not increase the risk of antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage.

Stover mulching as a conservation and sustainable agricultural practice is beneficial for maintaining soil nitrogen (N) requirements and plant health. The microbial functional guilds of the root and rhizosphere are important factors in the soil nitrogen cycle. However, it is unclear how the frequency and amount of stover mulching influence microbial functional guilds in the root and rhizosphere. Therefore, we investigated the responses of the microbial functional guilds in the endosphere and rhizosphere to maize stover mulching amounts (0, 1/3, 2/3, and total stover mulching every year) and frequencies (once every 3 years and twice every 3 years) under 10-year no-till management. The bacterial functional guilds of nitrogen fixation, nitrification, and anaerobic nitrate oxidation displayed the significantly correlation with C/N, total nitrogen, NO3−, and NH4+. The fungal functional guilds of plant pathogens and saprotrophs showed significantly correlations with C/N, total nitrogen, and NO3−. Moreover, we found that bacterial guilds play a pivotal role in maintaining N requirements at the jointing stage, whereas root endophytic fungal guilds play a more important role than bacterial guilds in regulating plant health at the mature stage. The frequency and amount of stover mulching had significant effects on the microbial functional guilds in the root and rhizosphere. Our data suggest that stover mulch application twice every 3 years is the optimal mulching frequency because it yielded the lowest abundance of nitrifying and anaerobic nitrate-oxidising bacteria and the highest abundance of nitrogen-fixing bacteria at the jointing stage, as well as the lowest abundance of fungal plant pathogens in roots at the mature stage.

ObjectiveType 2 diabetes is more common in adults, but is becoming the major concern in children and adolescent recently. This study aimed to provide additional pharmaceutical management for children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes by assessing the efficacy and safety of several glucose-lowering drugs.MethodsSearches were performed in PubMed, Medline, Ovid, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL), and ClinicalTrials.gov that reported the efficacy and safety of drugs for children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes. Pooled effects were calculated by frequentist fixed effects network meta-analyses and additive network meta-analyses.ResultsA total of 12 trials assessing eight glucose-lowering drugs were included, which compose of seven trials with monotherapy and five trials with combination therapies. Network meta-analysis results showed compared to placebo, saxagliptin+metformin (mean difference (MD) -1.91% [-2.85%, -0.97%]), liraglutide+metformin (MD -1.45% [-1.65%, -1.26%]), and liraglutide (MD -0.90% [-1.35%, -0.45%]) were the top 3 drugs that significantly reduced hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Sitagliptin+metformin, dapagliflozin, exenatide-2mcg, linagliptin-5mg, metformin, exenatide-5/10mcg, glimepiride, and sitagliptin also showed significant reduction in HbA1c. There were no significant differences between treatments in the incidence of adverse events, except that liraglutide+metformin had significant adverse effect such as abdominal pain. In addition, dapagliflozin, sitagliptin+metformin, and saxagliptin+metformin showed better efficacy compared with FDA-approved drugs.ConclusionsThe top 10 treatments of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents aged 10–17 years were saxagliptin+metformin, liraglutide+metformin, liraglutide, dapagliflozin, exenatide–2 mcg, sitagliptin+metformin, linagliptin–5 mg, linagliptin–1 mg, metformin, and exenatide–5/10 mcg.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=284897, identifier CRD42021284897.

Background: Modified Zengye Decoction (MZD), a traditional Chinese medicine, is an effective treatment for patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS).Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of MZD and investigate its effect on plasma exosomal proteins.Methods: Eighteen pSS patients were treated with MZD for 2 weeks. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by observing the changes in clinical symptoms, laboratory parameters, and plasma cytokines before and after treatment. Then, the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the plasma exosomes before and after treatment were identified via label-free proteomics, while Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment were used to analyze the possible biological functions and signaling pathways involved in the exosomal DEPs.Results: MZD can effectively relieve the clinical symptoms of pSS patients, downregulate the plasma IgG and IgM levels, and inhibit plasma cytokine production. Thirteen DEPs were identified via label-free proteomics in the plasma exosomes before and after MZD treatment, of which 12 were downregulated proteins. GO analysis showed that these downregulated proteins were mainly related to the insulin response involved in dryness symptoms and the Gram-negative bacterial defense response and proteoglycan binding involved in infection. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that these downregulated proteins were primarily associated with the porphyrin metabolism involved in oteoarthrosis and the NF-κB and TLR4 pathways involved in infection.Conclusion: MZD can effectively alleviate SS symptoms, while its mechanism may be associated with the reduced protein expression in insulin response, porphyrin metabolism, and the TLR4/NF-κB pathway.

2′,5′-oligoadenylate synthase (OAS) is a class of enzymes induced by interferons and mainly encoded by the OAS1, OAS2, and OAS3 genes, which activate the potential RNA enzymes to degrade viral mRNA, inhibit viral protein synthesis and promote apoptosis in virus-infected cells. OAS3 is associated with breast cancer prognosis. However, the expression and prognosis of OAS3 and tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes in pan-cancer remain unknown. In the present study, we have systematically investigated and confirmed the role of OAS3 in tumour immune infiltration, immune escape, tumour progression, response to treatment, and prognosis of different cancer types using various bioinformatics methods. The findings suggest that OAS3 is aberrantly expressed in almost all TCGA cancer types and subtypes and is associated with tumour staging, metastasis, and prognostic deterioration in different tumours. In addition, OAS3 expression is associated with the prognosis and chemotherapeutic outcomes of various cancers. In terms of immune-infiltrating levels, OAS3 expression is positively associated with the infiltration of immunosuppressive cells. These findings suggest that OAS3 is correlated with prognosis and immune-infiltrating levels.

Porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) is a newly identified virus associated with porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome (PDNS) and multisystemic inflammatory responses in pigs. Recent studies suggests that PCV3 originated from bat circoviruses; however, the origin time, mode of spread, and geographic distribution of PCV3 remain unclear. In this study, the evolutionary origin, phylodynamics, and phylogeography of PCV3 were reconstructed based on the available complete genome sequences. PCV3 showed a closer relationship with bird circovirus than with bat circovirus, but their common ancestor was bat circovirus, indicating that birds may be intermediate hosts for the spread of circoviruses in pigs. Using the BEAST and phylogenetic analyses, three different clades of PCV3 (PCV3a, PCV3b, and PCV3c) were identified, with PCV3a being the most prevalent PCV3 clade. Further studies indicated that the earliest origin of PCV3 can be traced back to 1907.53–1923.44, with a substitution rate of 3.104 × 10–4 to 6.8524 × 10–4 substitution/site/year. A phylogeographic analysis highlighted Malaysia as the earliest location of the original PCV3, which migrated to Asia, America, and Europe. Overall, this study provides novel insights into the evolutionary origin, spread mode, and geographic distribution of PCV3, which will facilitate the prevention and control of PCV3 epidemics in the future.

The polarization measurement of terahertz (THz) waves is indispensable in THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) applications to detect material properties. The rapid development of accurate THz wave polarization-sensitive detectors will greatly promote THz-TDS applications. A new type of photoconductive antenna array detector is proposed in this paper. The antenna is composed of two vertical 1*2 arrays, which respectively detect the orthogonal component of the terahertz pulse in any direction, while quickly and accurately detecting the polarized THz waves. Rotating the detector to measure the THz electric field at different angles shows the reliability of the detector for THz wave polarization measurement. Its polarization detection accuracy is 0.2°. At the same time, we use the response matrix to analyze the symmetry of the antenna array.

Porcine circovirus type 4 (PCV4) is a newly emerging pathogen which might be associated with diverse clinical signs, including respiratory and gastrointestinal distress, dermatitis, and various systemic inflammations. The host cellular proteins binding to PCV4 capsid (Cap) protein are still not clear. Herein, we found that the PCV4 Cap mediated translocation of DEAD-box RNA helicase 21 (DDX21) to the cytoplasm from the nucleolus and further verified that the nucleolar localization signal (NoLS) of the PCV4 Cap bound directly to the DDX21. The NoLS of PCV4 Cap and 763GSRSNRFQNK772 residues at the C-terminal domain (CTD) of DDX21 were required for this PCV4 Cap/DDX21 interaction. Further studies indicated that the PCV4 Cap NoLS exploited DDX21 to facilitate its nucleolar localization. In summary, our results firstly demonstrated that DDX21 binds directly to the NoLS of the PCV4 Cap thereby contributing to the nucleolar localization of the PCV4 Cap protein.

The effective healing of a bone defect is dependent on the careful coordination of inflammatory and bone-forming cells. In the current work, pro-inflammatory M1 and anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages were co-cultured with primary murine bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), in vitro, to establish the cross-talk among polarized macrophages and BMSCs, and as well as their effects on osteogenesis. Meanwhile, macrophages influence the osteogenesis of BMSCs through paracrine forms such as exosomes. We focused on whether exosomes of macrophages promote osteogenic differentiation. The results indicated that M1 and M2 polarized macrophage exosomes all can promote osteogenesis of BMSCs. Especially, M1 macrophage-derived exosomes promote osteogenesis of BMSCs through microRNA-21a-5p at the early stage of inflammation. This research helps to develop an understanding of the intricate interactions among BMSCs and macrophages, which can help to improve the process of bone healing as well as additional regenerative processes by local sustained release of exosomes.

As a severe clinical challenge, escharotomy and infection are always the core concerns of deep burn injuries. However, a usual dressing without multifunctionality leads to intractable treatment on deep burn wounds. Herein, we fabricated a sequential therapeutic hydrogel to solve this problem. Cross-linked by modified polyvinyl alcohol (PVA-SH/ε-PL) and benzaldehyde-terminated F127 triblock copolymers (PF127-CHO), the hydrogel demonstrated excellent mechanical properties, injectability, tissue adhesiveness, antibacterial activity, biocompatibility, and satisfactory wound cleaning through both in vitro and in vivo assays. Additionally, based on the conception of “sequential therapy,” we proposed for the first time to load bromelain and EGF into the same hydrogel in stages for wound cleaning and healing. This work provides a strategy to fabricate a promising wound dressing for the treatment of deep burn wounds with injectability and improved patients’ compliance as it simplified the process of treatment due to its “three in one” characteristic (antibacterial activity, wound cleaning, and healing effects); therefore, it has great potential in wound dressing development and clinical application.

The fabrication of tissue-engineered vascular grafts to replace damaged vessels is a promising therapy for cardiovascular diseases. Endothelial remodeling in the lumen of TEVGs is critical for successful revascularization. However, the construction of well-functioning TEVGs remains a fundamental challenge. Herein, chiral hybrid scaffolds were prepared by electrospinning using D/L-phenylalanine based gelators [D(L)PHEG] and poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL). The chirality of scaffolds significantly affected the endothelial remodeling progress of TEVGs. Compared with L-phenylalanine based gelators/poly-ε-caprolactone (L/PCL) and PCL, D-phenylalanine based gelators/poly-ε-caprolactone (D/PCL) scaffolds enhanced cell adhesion, and proliferation and upregulated the expression of fibronectin-1, and vinculin. These results suggests that chiral hybrid scaffolds can promote endothelial remodeling of TEVGs by upregulating adhesion-associated protein levels. This study offers an innovative strategy for endothelial remodeling of TEVGs by fabricating chiral hybrid scaffolds, and provides new insight for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Ticagrelor is the first reversibly binding, direct-acting, oral P2Y12 receptor inhibitor. The contribution of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) enzymes to the metabolism of ticagrelor to its glucuronide conjugation, ticagrelor-O-glucuronide, in human liver microsomes (HLM) and human intestinal microsomes (HIM), was well characterized in the current study. The inhibition potential of human major UGTs by ticagrelor and ticagrelor-O-glucuronide was explored. The inhibitory effects of ticagrelor-O-glucuronide on cytochrome P450s (CYPs) enzymes were investigated as well. Ticagrelor glucuronidation exhibits substrate inhibition kinetics in both HLM and HIM with apparent Km values of 5.65 and 2.52 μM, Vmax values of 8.03 and 0.90 pmol min−1·mg protein−1, Ksi values of 1,343.0 and 292.9 respectively. The in vitro intrinsic clearances (Vmax/Km) for ticagrelor glucuronidation by HLM and HIM were 1.42 and 0.36 μl min−1·mg protein−1, respectively. Study with recombinant human UGTs suggested that multiple UGT isoforms including UGT1A9, UGT1A7, UGT1A3, UGT1A4, UGT1A1, UGT2B7 and UGT1A8 are involved in the conversion of ticagrelor to ticagrelor-O-glucuronide with UGT1A9 showing highest catalytic activity. The results were further supported by the inhibition studies on ticagrelor glucuronidation with typical UGT inhibitors in pooled HLM and HIM. Little or no inhibition of UGT1A1, UGT1A3, UGT1A4, UGT1A6, UGT1A9 and UGT2B7 by ticagrelor and ticagrelor-O-glucuronide was noted. Ticagrelor-O-glucuronide also exhibited limited inhibitory effects toward CYP2C8, CYP2D6 and CYP3A4. In contrast, ticagrelor-O-glucuronide weakly inhibited CYP2B6, CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 activity with apparent IC50 values of 45.0, 20.0 and 18.8 μM, respectively. The potential of ticagrelor-O-glucuronide to cause drug-drug interactions warrant further study.

Porcine circovirus type 4 (PCV4) is an emerging etiological agent which was first detected in 2019. The nucleolar localization signal (NoLS) of PCV4 Cap protein and its binding host cellular proteins are still not elucidated. In the present study, we discovered a distinct novel NoLS of PCV4 Cap, which bound to the nucleolar phosphoprotein nucleophosmin-1 (NPM1). The NoLS of PCV4 Cap and serine-48 residue at the N-terminal oligomerization domain of NPM1 were necessary for PCV4 Cap/NPM1 interaction. Furthermore, the charge property of serine residue at position 48 of the NPM1 was crucial for its oligomerization and interaction with PCV4 Cap. In summary, our findings show for the first time that the PCV4 Cap NoLS and the NPM1 oligomerization determine the interaction of Cap/NPM1.

A 2 × 2 terahertz photoconductive antenna (PCA) array detector with high efficiency synthesis characteristic that improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the detected signals has been reported in this paper. By processing the substrate material through a special micromachining process, the current signal generated by the adjacent antenna elements as opposed to that generated by the antenna gap is eliminated. Experiments show that the amplitude of the current signal output by the PCA array detector is consistent with the amplitude of the synchronous superposition of the current signals output by antenna elements, and the synthesis efficiency of the device achieves 93.7%. At the same time, the antenna array detector has low current noise, and its highest SNR is 62 dB under the excitation of different light energy, which is related to the number of antenna array elements.

Discharge gases have been used to detect terahertz (THz) waves, however, there are few relevant theoretical studies. The neon glow discharge model is established by COMSOL Multiphysics software, the characteristics of glow discharged neon and the interaction of the discharged gas with THz waves were investigated. The results show that with the increase of THz wave’s frequency, the transmittance increases, the change of plasma discharge characteristics caused by THz wave can be used for THz wave detection. The results provide a theoretical basis for the development of cheap, room temperature THz wave detector with fast response speed, and high sensitivity.

Submandibular glands (SMGs) are one of the primary components of salivary glands in goats. The proteins and biologically active substances secreted by the SMGs change with growth and development. Our previous studies showed that most of the differentially expressed genes in the SMGs of goats at different developmental stages are involved in immune-related signaling pathways, but the miRNA expression patterns in the same tissues are unknown. The aim of this study was to reveal the expression profile of miRNAs at three different developmental stages, detect differentially expressed miRNAs (DE miRNAs) and predict disease-related DE miRNAs. SMG tissue samples were collected from groups of 1-month-old kids, 12-month-old maiden goats and 24-month-old adult goats (three samples from each group), and high-throughout transcriptome sequencing was conducted. A total of 178, 241 and 7 DE miRNAs were discovered between 1-month-old kids and 12-month-old maiden goats, between 1-month-old kids and 24-month-old adult goats, and between 12-month-old maiden goats and 24-month-old adult goats, respectively. Among these DE miRNAs, 88 DE miRNAs with medium or high expression levels (TPM ≥50) were classified into five expression pattern clusters. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses indicated that some of the predicted target genes of the DE miRNAs in the five clusters were enriched in disease-related GO terms and pathways. MiRNA target genes in significant pathways were significantly enriched in Hepatitis B (FDR = 9.03E-10) and Pathways in cancer (FDR = 4.2E-10). Further analysis was performed with a PPI network, and 10 miRNAs were predicted to play an important role in the occurrence and prevention of diseases during the growth and development of goats.

Background: Although there are concerns regarding their clinical use, embryonic stem cells (ESCs) hold a great promise for cardiac repair. Exosomes deriving from ESCs constitute a promising alternative for heart restoration. However, their effects in hypertension-induced heart failure are still unknown.Objective and Methods: To investigate the effects of ESCs-derived exosomes on hypertension-induced heart failure and the underlying mechanisms, sustained transverse aortic constriction (TAC) was performed on 8-week-old C57BL/6 male mice. After 1 months, ESCs-derived exosomes were isolated and injected intravenously once a week for 6 weeks. Echocardiography, wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), Masson staining, immunohistochemistry, and tube formation assays were all involved in our study.Results: Proteomics analyses revealed that ESC-derived exosomes contain FGF2 protein. Tube formation induced by these exosomes could be inhibited by FGF2R siRNA interference. ESCs-derived exosomes evidently attenuated TAC-induced heart failure, improving cardiac function and promoting myocardial angiogenesis which can be attenuated by selective FGF2 inhibitor AZD4547.Conclusions: ESC-derived exosomes attenuate TAC-induced heart failure mostly by promoting myocardial angiogenesis. FGF2 signaling plays a vital role in the myocardial angiogenesis induced by ESC-derived exosomes.

Porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) is a recently discovered virus with potentially significant implications on the global swine industry. PCV3 replication involves the entry of the viral capsid (Cap) protein with nucleolar localization signals into the nucleus. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, nucleolar phosphoprotein NPM1 was identified as one of the cellular proteins bound to PCV3 Cap. Co-immunoprecipitation demonstrated that PCV3 Cap interacts directly with NPM1, where the region binding with NPM1 is mapped to amino acid residues 1–38 of Cap. Upon co-transfection, the expression of Cap protein promoted the redistribution of NPM1, which translocated from the nucleus to the cytoplasm and colocalized with Cap in cultured PK15 cells. NPM1 expression was upregulated and translocated from the nucleus to the cytoplasm in PCV3-infected cells, upon siRNA-mediated depletion, or upon treatment with NPM1 inhibitor in PK15 cells with impaired PCV3 replication, as evidenced by decreased levels of viral DNA synthesis and protein expression. By contrast, the replication of PCV3 was enhanced in stably NPM1-expressing cells via a lentivirus-delivered system. Taken together, these findings indicate that NPM1 interacts with PCV3 Cap and plays a crucial role in PCV3 replication.

Porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) invades multiple tissues and organs of pigs of different ages and are widely spread throughout pig farms, emerging as an important viral pathogen that can potentially damage the pig industry worldwide. Since PCV3 is a newly discovered virus, many aspects of its life cycle remain unknown. Porcine kidney epithelial cells are important host targets for PCV3. Here, we used systematic approaches to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying the cell entry and intracellular trafficking of PCV3 in PK15 cells, a cell line of porcine kidney epithelial origin. A large number of PCV3 viral particles were found to colocalize with clathrin but not caveolin-1 after entry, and PCV3 infection was significantly decreased when treated with chlorpromazine, dynasore, knockdown of clathrin heavy chain expression via RNA interference, or overexpression of a dominant-negative mutant of EPS15 in PCV3-infected cells. After internalization, the viral particles were further observed to colocalize with Rab5 and Rab7, and knockdown of both expression by RNA interference significantly inhibited PCV3 replication. We also found that PCV3 infection was impeded by ammonium chloride treatment, which indicated the requirement of an acidic environment for viral entry. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that PCV3 enters PK15 cells through a clathrin- and dynamin-2-mediated endocytic pathway, which requires early and late endosomal trafficking, as well as an acidic environment, providing an insightful theoretical basis for further understanding the PCV3 life cycle and its pathogenesis.

Background: The causal evidence of the triglyceride–glucose (TyG) index, as well as the joint exposure of higher glucose and triglyceride on the risk of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases (CVD), was lacking.Methods: A comprehensive factorial Mendelian randomization (MR) was performed in the UK Biobank cohort involving 273,368 individuals with European ancestry to assess and quantify these effects. The factorial MR, MR-PRESSO, MR-Egger, meta-regression, sensitivity analysis, positive control, and external verification were utilized. Outcomes include major outcomes [overall CVD, ischemic heart diseases (IHD), and cerebrovascular diseases (CED)] and minor outcomes [angina pectoris (AP), acute myocardial infarction (AMI), chronic IHD (CIHD), heart failure (HF), hemorrhagic stroke (HS), and ischemic stroke (IS)].Results: The TyG index significantly increased the risk of overall CVD [OR (95% CI): 1.20 (1.14–1.25)], IHD [OR (95% CI): 1.22 (1.15–1.29)], CED [OR (95% CI): 1.14 (1.05–1.23)], AP [OR (95% CI): 1.29 (1.20–1.39)], AMI [OR (95% CI): 1.27 (1.16–1.39)], CIHD [OR (95% CI): 1.21 (1.13–1.29)], and IS [OR (95% CI): 1.22 (1.06–1.40)]. Joint exposure to genetically higher GLU and TG was significantly associated with a higher risk of overall CVD [OR (95% CI): 1.17 (1.12–1.23)] and IHD [OR (95% CI): 1.22 (1.16–1.29)], but not with CED. The effect of GLU and TG was independent of each other genetically and presented dose–response effects in bivariate meta-regression analysis.Conclusions: Lifelong genetic exposure to higher GLU and TG was jointly associated with higher cardiac metabolic risk while the TyG index additionally associated with several cerebrovascular diseases. The TyG index could serve as a more sensitive pre-diagnostic indicator for CVD while the joint GLU and TG could offer a quantitative risk for cardiac metabolic outcomes.

Porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3) is a novel porcine circovirus species associated with several diseases such as porcine dermatitis and nephropathy syndrome (PDNS)-like clinical signs, reproductive failure, cardiac pathologies, and multisystemic inflammation in piglets and sows. Currently, many studies have focused on the interaction between microbiota composition and disease progression. However, dynamic changes in the composition of the gut microbiota following PCV3 infection are still unknown. In this study, alterations in gut microbiota in PCV3-inoculated and sham-inoculated piglets were analyzed at various time points [7, 14, 21, and 28 days post-inoculation (dpi)] using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Using principal coordinate analysis, obvious structural segregations were observed in bacterial diversity and richness between PCV3- and sham-inoculated piglets, as well as at the four different time points. The abundance of gut microbiota exhibited a remarkable time-related decrease in Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 in PCV3-inoculated piglets. In addition, significant differences were observed in functional classification based on cluster of orthologous groups assignment, between PCV3- and sham-inoculated piglets. Our findings demonstrated that PCV3 infection caused dynamic changes in the gut microbiota community. Therefore, regulating gut microbiota community may be an effective approach for preventing PCV3 infection.

This study details the implementation of a wavelength-tunable ultra-stable optical frequency comb (OFC), which is generated by a passively mode-locked all-polarization-maintaining Erbium (Er)-doped fiber laser based on a non-linear amplifying loop mirror. The center wavelength can be tuned from 950 to 1,080 nm and from 1,650 to 2,080 nm by adjusting the pump's power. Standard deviations of 100 μHz (τ = 1 s) for repetition rate and 330 μHz (τ = 1 s) for carrier-envelop offset frequency were measured in 15 h. The corresponding Allan deviations were 2.4 × 10−17 and 8.2 × 10−17 at 1 s. The repetition rate and carrier-envelop offset frequency of OFC were counted by a ∏-type counter from K+K Messtechnik.

NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome accompanies chronic liver injury and is a critical mediator of inflammation-driven liver fibrosis. Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P)/S1P Receptor (S1PR) signaling participates in liver fibrogenesis by affecting bone marrow (BM)-derived monocytes/macrophage (BMM) activation. However, the relationship between S1P/S1PR signaling and NLRP3 inflammasome in BMMs remains unclear. Here, we found significantly elevated gene expression of NLRP3 inflammasome components (NLRP3, pro-interleukin-1β, and pro-interleukin-18) and the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome significantly elevated during murine chronic liver injury induced by a bile duct ligation operation, a methionine-choline–deficient and high-fat diet, or carbon tetrachloride intraperitoneal injection. Moreover, the increased expression of sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1), the rate-limiting synthetic enzyme of S1P, was positively correlated with NLRP3 inflammasome components in both patients and mouse model livers. Flow cytometry analysis and immunofluorescence staining showed BMMs contributed to the significant proportion of NLRP3+ cells in murine inflammatory livers, but not Kupffer cells, dendritic cells, endothelial cells, T cells, and hepatocytes. Focusing on macrophages, S1P promoted NLRP3 inflammasome priming and activation in a dose-dependent manner. Blockade of S1PR2 by JTE-013 (antagonist of S1PR2) or S1PR2-siRNA inhibited S1P-induced NLRP3 inflammasome priming and inflammatory cytokine (interleukin-1β and interleukin-18) secretion, whereas blockade of S1PR1 or S1PR3 had no such effect. in vivo, a β1,3-d-glucan-encapsulated siRNA particle (GeRP) delivery system is capable of silencing genes in macrophages specifically. Treatment with S1PR2 siRNA-GeRPs markedly reduced NLRP3 inflammasome priming and activation and attenuated liver inflammation and fibrosis. Together, the conclusions indicated that targeting macrophage S1PR2 retarded liver inflammation and fibrogenesis via downregulating NLRP3 inflammasome, which may represent an effective therapeutic strategy for chronic liver injury.

Low temperature is one of the major environmental stresses that affects plant growth and development, and leads to decrease in crop yield and quality. Thellungiella salsuginea (salt cress) exhibits high tolerance to chilling, is an appropriate model to investigate the molecular mechanisms of cold tolerance. Here, we compared transcription changes in the roots and leaves of T. salsuginea under cold stress using RNA-seq. We identified 2,782 and 1,430 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in leaves and roots upon cold treatment, respectively. The expression levels of some genes were validated by quantitative real-time-PCR (qRT-PCR). Among these DEGs, 159 (11.1%) genes in roots and 232 (8.3%) genes in leaves were annotated as various types of transcription factors. We found that five aquaporin genes (three TIPs, one PIPs, and one NIPs) responded to cold treatment. In addition, the expression of COR47, ICE1, and CBF1 genes of DREB1/CBF-dependent cold signaling pathway genes altered in response to low temperature. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that these cold regulated genes were enriched in metabolism, photosynthesis, circadian rhythm, and transcriptional regulation. Our findings provided a complete picture of the regulatory network of cold stress response in T. salsuginea. These cold-responsive genes could be targeted for detail functional study and utilization in crop cold tolerance improvement.

Objective: Type 2 diabetes is more common in adults, but is becoming the major concern in children and adolescent recently. This study aimed to provide additional pharmaceutical management for children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes by assessing the efficacy and safety of several glucoselowering drugs. Methods: Searches were performed in PubMed, Medline, Ovid, Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials (CENTRAL), and ClinicalTrials.gov that reported the efficacy and safety of drugs for children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes. Pooled effects were calculated by frequentist fixed effects network meta-analyses and additive network meta-analyses. Results: A total of 12 trials assessing eight glucose-lowering drugs were included, which compose of seven trials with monotherapy and five trials with combination therapies. Network meta-analysis results showed compared to placebo, saxagliptin+metformin (mean difference (MD) -1.91% [-2.85%, -0.97%]), liraglutide+metformin (MD -1.45% [-1.65%, -1.26%]), and liraglutide (MD -0.90% [-1.35%, -0.45%]) were the top 3 drugs that significantly reduced hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Sitagliptin+metformin, dapagliflozin, exenatide-2mcg, linagliptin-5mg, metformin, exenatide-5/10mcg, glimepiride, and sitagliptin also showed significant reduction in HbA1c. There were no significant differences between treatments in the incidence of adverse events, except that liraglutide+metformin had significant adverse effect such as abdominal pain. In addition, dapagliflozin, sitagliptin +metformin, and saxagliptin+metformin showed better efficacy compared with FDA-approved drugs. Conclusions: The top 10 treatments of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents aged 10-17 years were saxagliptin+metformin, liraglutide+metformin, liraglutide, dapagliflozin, exenatide-2 mcg, sitagliptin+metformin, linagliptin-5 mg, linagliptin-1 mg, metformin, and exenatide-5/10 mcg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock transcription factors (Hsfs) are important transcription factors (TFs) in protecting plants from damages caused by various stresses. The released whole genome sequences of wild peanuts make it possible for genome-wide analysis of Hsfs in peanut. In this study, a total of 16 and 17 Hsf genes were identified from Arachis duranensis and A. ipaensis, respectively. We identified 16 orthologous Hsf gene pairs in both peanut species; however HsfXs was only identified from A. ipaensis. Orthologous pairs between two wild peanut species were highly syntenic. Based on phylogenetic relationship, peanut Hsfs were divided into groups A, B, and C. Selection pressure analysis showed that group B Hsf genes mainly underwent positive selection and group A Hsfs were affected by purifying selection. Small scale segmental and tandem duplication may play important roles in the evolution of these genes. Cis-elements, such as ABRE, DRE, and HSE, were found in the promoters of most Arachis Hsf genes. Five AdHsfs and two AiHsfs contained fungal elicitor responsive elements suggesting their involvement in response to fungi infection. These genes were differentially expressed in cultivated peanut under abiotic stress and Aspergillus flavus infection. AhHsf2 and AhHsf14 were significantly up-regulated after inoculation with A. flavus suggesting their possible role in fungal resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]