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The clam Cyclina sinensis is an economically important marine species in China. However, overfishing, habitat destruction, and inbreeding have led to the destruction of genetic resources. In this study, five natural populations [Dandong (DD), Dongying (DY), Tianjin (TJ), Wenzhou (WZ), and Yancheng (YC)] from different geographical locations were relocated and cultured homogeneously to study their potential for translocation and environmental adaptation by observing growth performance and nutrient content. There were significant differences in the growth rates of shell length (SL), shell height (SH), and shell width (SW) among the five populations (P

BackgroundThe association of gestational hypertension (GH) and preeclampsia (PE) with offspring adiposity outcomes had controversial results in different studies.ObjectiveWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between maternal GH/PE and offspring adiposity outcomes.Search strategyStudies were identified in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases, with keywords including “gestational hypertension”, “preeclampsia”, “offspring”, “weight”, “cohort study”, etc., without year restriction. This study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD42022292084.Selection criteriaWe set the selection criteria for six aspects: population, outcome, time frame, study design, and availability. For the studies included in the meta-analysis, we required the potential confounders in these studies have been adjusted.Data collection and analysisTwo reviewers independently evaluated the data from the included studies. The meta-analyses included mean differences, regression coefficients, and corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Results were performed using RevMan software (version 5.4; Cochrane Collaboration). Heterogeneity among the included studies was assessed using the I2 statistic.Main resultsA total of 16 studies were included in our review, 15 of which were evaluated as high quality. In all offspring, during the early life (28 days-36 months), GH/PE exposure was found to be not or inversely associated with offspring obesity, then become positively associated at larger ages (3-19 years old). In offspring with adverse birth outcomes, the maternal GH/PE-exposed group had a lower weight in the short term (28 days to 18 months), but there was a trend of rapid weight gain as they grew older, compared with the non-exposed group. The meta-analysis showed that the BMI of the female offspring in the maternal PE-exposed group was significantly higher than that of the non-exposed offspring (MD=1.04, 95% CI: 0.67~1.42, P < 0.05).ConclusionsThe systematic review suggested that maternal exposure to de novo hypertension disorders of pregnancy (HDP) was associated with obesity in offspring, extending from early childhood to adolescence. The meta-analysis showed that PE was associated with higher BMI in female offspring. More studies are needed to conduct stratified analyses by PE/GH, the severity of HDP, or gender.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO, identifier CRD42022292084.

Online learning resources (OLR) play an important role in teaching and learning in the process of online learning. Teachers will be satisfied with selectable and suitable online learning resources, which can promote their self-efficacy to facilitate online teaching and learning. This study proposed a model to examine the effects of the selectivity of online learning resources (SE-OLR) and the suitability of online learning resources (SU-OLR) on teachers’ online teaching satisfaction, and the mediating role of technology self-efficacy (TECHN-SE) and online teaching self-efficacy (OT-SE) between them. The results indicated that SE-OLR and SU-OLR positively affected teachers’ online teaching satisfaction; TECHN-SE and OT-SE positively influenced teachers’ online teaching satisfaction, while TECHN-SE and OT-SE played mediating roles between SE-OLR and SU-OLR and teachers’ online teaching satisfaction. The findings have implications for the design and development of online learning resources to improve teachers’ satisfaction and facilitate students’ learning effectiveness and teachers’ online teaching.

The verification of nuclear design software commonly uses direct comparison methods. Benchmark questions, classical programs, experimental data, manual solutions, etc., would be used as expected results to compare with program outputs to evaluate the reliability of software coding and the accuracy of the numerical solution. Because nuclear power software numerically simulates complex physical processes, it involves many partial differential equations. It is usually challenging to construct analytical or accurate solutions and is expensive to develop benchmark questions and experimental data. Hence, the quantity of verification examples is small. By using the direct comparison method, verification is complicated, high cost, and inadequate. Entering the validation process without adequate proof will adversely impact the effectiveness and efficiency of validation. Metamorphic testing is an indirect verification technology that cleverly combines the nature of the model with software verification. It evaluates the correctness of the code by examining whether the program satisfies the metamorphic relation. Without manual solutions or benchmark examples, it has broad application prospects in the field of nuclear power. A lightweight verification method based on metamorphic relation has been produced here. Metamorphic relations are identified from physical equations, numerical algorithms, and program specifications. Next, they are explicitly used to system, integration, and unit tests to improve test adequacy. Because no need to develop verification examples, this method can detect code errors as soon as possible at a low cost, improve test efficiency, avoid mistakes remaining in subsequent stages and reduce the overall cost of verification.

Nanoparticles (NPs) are intensively investigated as adjuvants in new generation vaccines, while how these NPs promote the immune responses has not been well understood. In this research, we have tried to elucidate the possible pathways for layered double hydroxide (LDH) NPs to provoke immune responses. As previously reported, LDH NPs efficiently deliver antigens to antigen presenting cells (APCs). In this research, we have found that these internalized LDH NPs are not released by these APCs within 8 h. We have for the first time found that macrophage cells exchange the internalized LDH NPs with other surrounding ones, which may promote immune responses in an additional way. Moreover, the internalized LDH-antigen NPs significantly facilitate the maturation of immature DCs and enhance cross-presentation of epitope/MHC class I complexes on the DC surface. This research would help understand the NP adjuvant mechanism and further assist the design of new specific NPs as more efficient nano-adjuvants.

Immunotherapy for hematological malignancies is a rapidly advancing field that has gained momentum in recent years, primarily encompassing chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and other modalities. However, its clinical efficacy remains limited, and drug resistance poses a significant challenge. Therefore, novel immunotherapeutic targets and agents need to be identified. Recently, N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most prevalent RNA epitope modification, has emerged as a pivotal factor in various malignancies. Reportedly, m6A mutations influence the immunological microenvironment of hematological malignancies, leading to immune evasion and compromising the anti-tumor immune response in hematological malignancies. In this review, we comprehensively summarize the roles of the currently identified m6A modifications in various hematological malignancies, with a particular focus on their impact on the immune microenvironment. Additionally, we provide an overview of the research progress made in developing m6A-targeted drugs for hematological tumor therapy, to offer novel clinical insights.

ObjectiveDepression is a common complication in Takayasu arteritis (TA). Disorders of the immune system play an important role in both diseases. This study aimed to clarify the feature of cytokines in TA patients with depression.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, serum cytokines were tested in 40 TA patients and 11 healthy controls using the Bio-Plex Magpix System (Bio-Rad®). The state of depression was measured by the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) in TA patients. Logistic regression analysis was performed to find the risk factors of depression in patients with TA.ResultsTA patients with depression had higher ESR, hsCRP, NIH, and ITAS.A than patients without depression (16.00 [10.00, 58.50]mm/H vs. 7.50 [4.50, 17.75]mm/H, p = 0.013; 7.60 [2.32, 46.52]mg/L vs. 0.71 [0.32, 4.37]mg/L, p = 0.001; 2.00 [2.00, 3.00] vs. 1.00 [0.00, 2.00], p = 0.007; 7.00 [4.00, 9.50] vs. 1.50 [0.00, 5.75], p = 0.012, respectively). Additionally, the lower age of onset and levels of IL-4, IL-13, eotaxin, and IP-10 were observed in the depressed group compared with the non-depressed (23.50 [19.25, 32.50]pg./ml vs. 37.00 [23.25, 42.50]pg./ml, p = 0.017; 2.80 [2.17, 3.18]pg./ml vs. 3.51 [3.22, 4.66]pg./ml, p

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is considered a “multisystem” disease that simultaneously suffers from metabolic diseases and hepatic steatosis. Some may develop into liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma. Given the close connection between metabolic diseases and fatty liver, it is urgent to identify drugs that can control metabolic diseases and fatty liver as a whole and delay disease progression. Ferroptosis, characterized by iron overload and lipid peroxidation resulting from abnormal iron metabolism, is a programmed cell death mechanism. It is an important pathogenic mechanism in metabolic diseases or fatty liver, and may become a key direction for improving MASLD. In this article, we have summarized the physiological and pathological mechanisms of iron metabolism and ferroptosis, as well as the connections established between metabolic diseases and fatty liver through ferroptosis. We have also summarized MASLD therapeutic drugs and potential active substances targeting ferroptosis, in order to provide readers with new insights. At the same time, in future clinical trials involving subjects with MASLD (especially with the intervention of the therapeutic drugs), the detection of serum iron metabolism levels and ferroptosis markers in patients should be increased to further explore the efficacy of potential drugs on ferroptosis.

Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury refers to a new injury caused by reperfusion after the restoration of ischemic tissue or organ blood supply. Salvianic acid A (danshensu) is a primary active ingredient extracted from Salvia miltiorrhiza. It has a protective function against I/R injury in the cardiovascular system, brain, liver, kidney, gastrointestinal tract, and other organs. This article reviews evidence of the protective effects of Salvianic acid A and its potential mechanisms of action in organ I/R injury protection. The aim of this review is to investigate the role of Salvianic acid A in the treatment of I/R injury, providing a reference resource that could facilitate subsequent studies.

Developing learner autonomy has been a critical task in English teaching that requires a clear understanding of the feature of classroom environment. This study aims to examine how senior high school students perceive classroom environment and learner autonomy, and how classroom environment exerts its influence on learner autonomy in Chinese EFL learning context. Participants (N = 565) from 15 classes located in northeast of China were selected to fill in an adapted version of What is Happening in This Class (WIHIC) and English Autonomous Learning Ability scale. Interview was conducted to confirm and illustrate the quantitative findings. The results revealed that senior high students had favorable perceptions of English classroom environment and learner autonomy. Grade differences existed in their perceptions. Moreover, we found that 53.7% of the variance in learner autonomy was accounted for by students’ perceptions of English classroom environment, which indicated that English classroom environment had significantly positive effects on learner autonomy. Specifically, task orientation, student involvement, teacher support and finding references were strong predictors to learner autonomy. The possible reasons for the findings were discussed and recommendations for future research were given.

Background: The chemokine signaling pathway plays an essential role in the development, progression, and immune surveillance of lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). Our study aimed to systematically analyze chemokine signaling-related genes (CSRGs) in LUSC patients with stage I–III disease and develop a prediction model to predict the prognosis and therapeutic response.Methods: A total of 610 LUSC patients with stage I–III disease from three independent cohorts were included in our study. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and stepwise multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to develop a CSRG-related signature. GSVA and GSEA were performed to identify potential biological pathways. The ESTIMATE algorithm, ssGSEA method, and CIBERSORT analyses were applied to explore the correlation between the CSRG signature and the tumor immune microenvironment. The TCIA database and pRRophetic algorithm were utilized to predict responses to immunochemotherapy and targeted therapy.Results: A signature based on three CSRGs (CCL15, CXCL7, and VAV2) was developed in the TCGA training set and validated in the TCGA testing set and GEO external validation sets. A Kaplan–Meier survival analysis revealed that patients in the high-risk group had significantly shorter survival than those in the low-risk group. A nomogram combined with clinical parameters was established for clinical OS prediction. The calibration and DCA curves confirmed that the prognostic nomogram had good discrimination and accuracy. An immune cell landscape analysis demonstrated that immune score and immune-related functions were abundant in the high-risk group. Interestingly, the proportion of CD8 T-cells was higher in the low-risk group than in the high-risk group. Immunotherapy response prediction indicated that patients in the high-risk group had a better response to CTLA-4 inhibitors. We also found that patients in the low-risk group were more sensitive to first-line chemotherapeutic treatment and EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. In addition, the expression of genes in the CSRG signature was validated by qRT‒PCR in clinical tumor specimens.Conclusion: In the present study, we developed a CSRG-related signature that could predict the prognosis and sensitivity to immunochemotherapy and targeted therapy in LUSC patients with stage I–III disease. Our study provides an insight into the multifaceted role of the chemokine signaling pathway in LUSC and may help clinicians implement optimal individualized treatment for patients.

Efforts to improve preservice teacher education have recently focused on developing teachers’ adequate pedagogical knowledge (PK), content knowledge (CK), and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), which are critical elements of teacher’s professional knowledge, and important indicators of preparedness to teach. However, the development of the three knowledge domains of Chinese preservice English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers is surprisingly under-researched. To fill this gap, this study examined the development of the three knowledge domains of a group of Chinese preservice EFL teachers at different stages of a teacher education program. Specifically, it explored the relationship among the three knowledge domains, and the effects of learning opportunities on their development. Findings revealed that preservice EFL teachers at a later stage outperformed those at an earlier stage with regard to PK and PCK. Our findings also suggested that there were positive correlations among PK, CK, and PCK at different stages of the teacher education program. Furthermore, the findings showed that courses on CK, PK, and PCK, and teaching experience significantly influenced preservice EFL teachers’ professional knowledge. However, the role of classroom observation was not significant. Implications for EFL teacher education and future research were also discussed.

The role of the CEO in an enterprise's management decisions renders their individual characteristics influential in decisions about mergers and acquisitions (M&As). Personal characteristics are based on many aspects, therefore, we provide a multi-angle insight into the personal characteristics of managers. Drawing on the upper echelons theory, we examine whether CEOs' proactive personality affects merger and acquisition decisions. The fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is performed using a sample of 64 listed firms in China for the period 2010–2019. There are three solutions for cross-industry mergers, and five for intra-industry mergers. The results suggest that: (a) proactive and overconfident CEOs are inclined toward cross-industry mergers; (b) non-proactive and low-educated CEOs are inclined toward intra-industry mergers; (c) emerging industry enterprises tend to choose intra-industry mergers; (d) overconfident CEOs are more likely to undertake cross-industry mergers in traditional industries.