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Background: Early mobilization (EM) is acknowledged for its safety and benefits in the recovery of critically ill patients, yet its implementation in intensive care units (ICU) remains inconsistently aligned with established guidelines. This discrepancy highlights a gap between theoretical endorsement and practical application. While barriers to EM have been extensively studied, the intentions and perceived practices of ICU nurses towards EM, especially in certain geographical regions, have not been adequately understood. Aim: The objective of this study is to assess the perceptions, actual practices and intentions of ICU nurses regarding the implementation of EM for patients in the ICU setting. Study Design: A cross‐sectional, multi‐centre, survey‐based study. Results: The study collected data through an electronic questionnaire from 227 ICU nurses across eight hospitals in Beijing, China, concerning their experiences, practices and intentions related to EM. The survey response rate was 50% (114 of 227), indicating a moderate level of engagement by the target population. Among the surveyed participants, 68.7% (n = 156) reported having experience with EM for critically ill patients. Of these experienced nurses, 49.3% (n = 77) indicated they carried out EM less frequently than once per week, while only 29.5% (n = 46) reported dedicating more than 20 min to EM activities per patient. Only 24.2% (n = 55) of participants confirmed the presence of specific EM guidelines in their workplace. Notably, guideline adherence could be influenced by the patient's condition severity, which may affect how these protocols are applied. Notably, the approach and frequency of EM practices showed significant variation across different ICUs. A substantial majority (75%, n = 170) of participants expressed a strong intention towards implementing EM, correlating significantly with factors such as having a higher education level (bachelor's degree or higher), receiving departmental support, encountering fewer perceived barriers, and belonging to specific departments like respiratory (SICU) and surgery (RICU). The EM guidelines mentioned by participants were primarily focused on specific protocols and guidance, highlighting the emphasis on structured approaches to EM in their clinical settings. Conclusions: Despite the recognized experience with EM among ICU nurses, there is a notable divergence between their practices and the recommendations outlined in EM guidelines. This study underscores the need for the establishment of clear, actionable guidelines, alongside the provision of targeted educational programmes and robust support systems, to foster the consistent and effective implementation of EM in ICU settings. Relevance to Clinical Practice: This study underscores the clinical relevance of EM in ICU settings, advocating for the development of precise EM guidelines to improve patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The E‐twenty‐six variant 1 (ETV1)‐dependent transcriptome plays an important role in atrial electrical and structural remodelling and the occurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF), but the underlying mechanism of ETV1 in AF is unclear. In this study, cardiomyocyte‐specific ETV1 knockout (ETV1f/fMyHCCre/+, ETV1‐CKO) mice were constructed to observe the susceptibility to AF and the underlying mechanism in AF associated with ETV1‐CKO mice. AF susceptibility was examined by intraesophageal burst pacing, induction of AF was increased obviously in ETV1‐CKO mice than WT mice. Electrophysiology experiments indicated shortened APD50 and APD90, increased incidence of DADs, decreased density of ICa,L in ETV1‐CKO mice. There was no difference in VINACT,1/2 and VACT,1/2, but a significantly longer duration of the recovery time after inactivation in the ETV1‐CKO mice. The recording of intracellular Ca2+ showed that there was significantly increased in the frequency of calcium spark, Ca2+ transient amplitude, and proportion of SCaEs in ETV1‐CKO mice. Reduction of Cav1.2 rather than NCX1 and SERCA2a, increase RyR2, p‐RyR2 and CaMKII was reflected in ETV1‐CKO group. This study demonstrates that the increase in calcium spark and SCaEs corresponding to Ca2+ transient amplitude may trigger DAD in membrane potential in ETV1‐CKO mice, thereby increasing the risk of AF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Plants face a relentless onslaught from a diverse array of pathogens in their natural environment, to which they have evolved a myriad of strategies that unfold across various temporal scales. Cell surface pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) detect conserved elicitors from pathogens or endogenous molecules released during pathogen invasion, initiating the first line of defence in plants, known as pattern‐triggered immunity (PTI), which imparts a baseline level of disease resistance. Inside host cells, pathogen effectors are sensed by the nucleotide‐binding/leucine‐rich repeat (NLR) receptors, which then activate the second line of defence: effector‐triggered immunity (ETI), offering a more potent and enduring defence mechanism. Moreover, PTI and ETI collaborate synergistically to bolster disease resistance and collectively trigger a cascade of downstream defence responses. This article provides a comprehensive review of plant defence responses, offering an overview of the stepwise activation of plant immunity and the interactions between PTI‐ETI synergistic signal transduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) remains ambiguous in current population‐based evidence. To clarify this, we present a retrospective analysis of 5871 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to harmonize age and sex disparities within HBV+ (n = 1696) and HBV‐ (n = 4175) groups and further within HBV+ subgroups of chronic (CHB, n = 474) and occult (OHB, n = 1222) infections. Our initial results indicated a significant association between HBV infection and synchronous colorectal liver metastasis (SYN‐CRLM); however, this association dissipated after PSM was employed to adjust for confounding variables. No significant association was observed between HBV infection and metachronous colorectal liver metastases (MET‐CRLM) both before and after PSM. Further analysis revealed that HBV replication status did not influence the incidence of CRLM. However, HBV+ participants demonstrated an increased incidence of metachronous extrahepatic metastases, particularly to the lungs. Our findings imply that neither past nor present HBV infection is significantly correlated with the occurrence of SYN‐CRLM or MET‐CRLM. The absence of an association between HBV replication status and CRLM incidence highlights the importance of incorporating a broader range of factors in the clinical management of CRLM beyond the status of HBV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of government behavior on emission reductions has gained widespread attention, but fewer studies have explored the relationship between vertical transfers (VT) and carbon emissions (CE). We empirically test the CE reduction mechanism of VT by constructing two‐way fixed effects models based on data of 278 Chinese cities from 2005 to 2020. Empirical analysis finds that VT reduce the taxing efforts of local governments and the tax burden of enterprises, promote the upgrading of enterprises' production technology, and ultimately reduces CE. Conclusions suggest that transfer payments should be actively used to establish preferential policies to assist enterprises in reducing CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hairy tofu is a famous Chinese snack that is made from soybeans and rich in various nutrients. In order to further explore the antioxidant peptides of hairy tofu hydrolysates, seven proteases were used to hydrolyze hairy tofu. The results of in vitro radical scavenging activity showed that hairy tofu hydrolysates obtained by pancreatin exhibited the highest antioxidant activity. After Sephadex G‐25 gel filtration and reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (RP‐HPLC), 97 peptides were identified in the most antioxidant fraction using liquid chromatography‐mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Among them, nine peptides were synthesized and their antioxidant activities were assessed using a H2O2‐induced oxidative 293T cell model. Finally, four peptides (QCESHK, LAWNEGR, NLQGENEWDQK, and FTEMWR) at concentrations of < 50 μg/ml significantly decreased the malondialdehyde content compared with the model group, displaying in vivo antioxidant activity and low cytotoxicity. Overall, this research provided the choice of using hairy tofu peptides as antioxidant products in the pharmaceutical and food industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Protein palmitoylation is involved in learning and memory, and in emotional disorders. Yet, the underlying mechanisms in these processes remain unclear. Herein, we describe that A‐kinase anchoring protein 150 (AKAP150) is essential and sufficient for depressive‐like behaviours in mice via a palmitoylation‐dependent mechanism. Experimental Approach: Depressive‐like behaviours in mice were induced by chronic restraint stress (CRS) and chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). Palmitoylated proteins in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) were assessed by an acyl‐biotin exchange assay. Genetic and pharmacological approaches were used to investigate the role of the DHHC2‐mediated AKAP150 palmitoylation signalling pathway in depressive‐like behaviours. Electrophysiological recording, western blotting and co‐immunoprecipitation were performed to define the mechanistic pathway. Key Results: Chronic stress successfully induced depressive‐like behaviours in mice and enhanced AKAP150 palmitoylation in the BLA, and a palmitoylation inhibitor was enough to reverse these changes. Blocking the AKAP150‐PKA interaction with the peptide Ht‐31 abolished the CRS‐induced AKAP150 palmitoylation signalling pathway. DHHC2 expression and palmitoylation levels were both increased after chronic stress. DHHC2 knockdown prevented CRS‐induced depressive‐like behaviours, as well as attenuating AKAP150 signalling and synaptic transmission in the BLA in CRS‐treated mice. Conclusion and Implications: These results delineate that DHHC2 modulates chronic stress‐induced depressive‐like behaviours and synaptic transmission in the BLA via the AKAP150 palmitoylation signalling pathway, and this pathway may be considered as a promising novel therapeutic target for major depressive disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Females with existing high‐risk HPV (HR‐HPV) infections remain at risk of subsequent multiple or recurrent infections, on which benefit from HPV vaccines was under‐reported. We pooled individual‐level data from four large‐scale, RCTs of AS04‐HPV‐16/18 vaccine to evaluate efficacy and immunogenicity in females DNA‐positive to any HR‐HPV types at first vaccination. Females receiving the AS04‐HPV‐16/18 vaccine in the original RCTs constituted the vaccine group in the present study, while those unvaccinated served as the control group. Vaccine efficacy (VE) against new infections and associated cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) 2+ in females DNA‐negative to the considered HR‐HPV type but positive to any other HR‐HPV types, VE against reinfections in females DNA‐positive to the considered HR‐HPV type but cleared naturally during later follow‐up, and levels of anti‐HPV‐16/18 IgG were assessed. Our final analyses included 5137 females (vaccine group = 2532, control group = 2605). The median follow‐up time was 47.88 months (IQR: 45.72‐50.04). For the prevention of precancerous lesions related to the non‐infected HR‐HPV types at baseline, VE against HPV‐16/18 related CIN 2+ was 82.70% (95% CI: 63.70‐93.00%). For the prevention of reinfections related to the infected HR‐HPV types following natural clearance, VE against HPV‐16/18 12MPI was non‐significant (p >.05), albeit robust immunity persisted for at least 48 months. Females with existing HR‐HPV infections at first vaccination still benefit from vaccination in preventing precancers related to the non‐infected types at baseline. VE against reinfections related to the infected types following natural clearance remains to be further investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In plants under drought stress, sugar content in roots increases, which is important for drought resistance. However, the molecular mechanisms for controlling the sugar content in roots during response to drought remain elusive. Here, we found that the MdDOF3‐MdHT1.2 module‐mediated glucose influx into the root is essential for drought resistance in apple (Malus × domestica). Drought induced glucose uptake from the rhizosphere and up‐regulated the transcription of hexose transporter MdHT1.2. Compared with the wild‐type plants, overexpression of MdHT1.2 promoted glucose uptake from the rhizosphere, thereby facilitating sugar accumulation in root and enhancing drought resistance, whereas silenced plants showed the opposite phenotype. Furthermore, ATAC‐seq, RNA‐seq and biochemical analysis demonstrated that MdDOF3 directly bound to the promoter of MdHT1.2 and was strongly up‐regulated under drought. Overexpression of MdDOF3 in roots improved MdHT1.2‐mediated glucose transport capacity and enhanced plant resistance to drought, but MdDOF3‐RNAihr apple plants showed the opposite phenotype. Moreover, overexpression of MdDOF3 in roots did not attenuate drought sensitivity in MdHT1.2‐RNAi plants, which was correlated with a lower glucose uptake capacity and glucose content in root. Collectively, our findings deciphered the molecular mechanism through which glucose uptake from the rhizosphere is mediated by MdDOF3‐MdHT1.2, which acts to modulate sugar content in root and promote drought resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Endothelial dysfunction is crucial factor to the hypertension occurrence, and controversy remains regarding the effect of exercise on improving endothelial function in hypertensive patients. The authors used meta‐analysis to evaluate the intervention effect of exercise on endothelial function in hypertensive patients and to investigate exercise protocols that may have a greater intervention effect. A total of 37 studies and a total of 2801 participants were included. The results were as follows: endogenous nitric oxide (NO)[SMD =.89, 95% CI (.48, 1.30), p <.0001], endothelin‐1 (ET‐1): [SMD = −.94, 95% CI (−1.15, −.73), p <. 0001], flow‐mediated dilation (FMD) [SMD = −.57, 95% CI (.36,.79), p <.000001]. In subgroup analysis, high‐intensity aerobic exercise, with a single exercise duration of 35–50 min, 3–4 times/week for a total of 10–12 weeks, had the largest amount of intervention effect on NO, and moderate‐intensity resistance exercise, with a single exercise duration of ≥60 min, 6 times/week for a total of 15–18 weeks, had the largest amount of intervention effect on ET‐1. In conclusion, exercise can improve NO levels, FDM levels, and reduce ET‐1 secretion of hypertension patients, thereby improve their endothelial function. The ideal intervention effect of improving NO level was more likely to be obtained by taking the exercise prescription of high‐intensity aerobic exercise with a single exercise duration of 35–50 min, 3–4 times/week for 10–12 weeks; the ideal intervention effect of improving ET‐1 was more likely to be obtained by taking the exercise prescription of oderate ‐intensity resistance exercise with a single exercise duration of ≥60 min, 6 times/week for 15–18 weeks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) belongs to a class of epigenetic targets that have been found to be a key protein in the association between tumors and cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have focused on the crucial role of HDAC6 in regulating cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, myocardial infarction, myocardial hypertrophy, myocardial fibrosis, hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, and arrhythmia. Here, we review the association between HDAC6 and cardiovascular disease, the research progress of HDAC6 inhibitors in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, and discuss the feasibility of combining HDAC6 inhibitors with other therapeutic agents to treat cardiovascular disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Well‐engineered buried interfaces play a pivotal role in achieving high‐performance perovskite solar cells (PSCs). A superior buried interface involves controlled perovskite crystallization, efficient charge transfer across interfaces, and robust interfacial bonding. Here, a class of innovative additives, benzoyl sulfonyl molecules including 4‐sulfobenzoic acid monopotassium salt (K‐SBA), and 4‐sulfamoylbenzoic acid (SBA) is introduced to tailer the SnO2/perovskite buried interface, aiming to meet these essential criteria. Among them, K‐SBA performed better. The findings reveal that the functional groups of K‐SBA establish interactions with both SnO2 and perovskite, leading to effective bilateral passivation and mitigation of interface stress. This results in the formation of a pore‐free buried interface and high‐quality perovskite films with substantial crystal sizes. Consequently, PSCs incorporating K‐SBA exhibited a notable increase in efficiency, achieving 24.56% efficiency compared to the control device's 22.27%. Furthermore, these K‐SBA‐enhanced PSCs maintain 90% of their original efficiency even after 500 h of maximum power point tracking. This work provides valuable insights for further refinement and advancement of buried interfaces in PSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of global climate change, crop leaves usually experience fluctuating light (FL) under compound stresses of drought and heat in the field. However, photoinhibition and photosynthetic regulation in FL under these compound stresses are little known. To elucidate this, we measured gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, P700 redox state and electrochromic shift signals for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves exposed to FL under individual and compound stresses of moderate drought and heat stresses. After treatment with short‐term FL, photosystem I (PSI) activity decreased slightly in all treatments. By comparison, photosystem II (PSII) activity was reduced slightly under individual stress but largely decreased by 46% under compound stresses. Therefore, PSI is more tolerant than PSII when exposed to FL under compound stresses of drought and heat. Under compound stresses, PSII photoinhibition largely downregulated linear electron flow and photorespiration became a major electron sink downstream. Concomitantly, cyclic electron flow (CEF) was highly enhanced to help the building up of trans‐thylakoid proton gradient. This study highlights the importance of PSII activity and CEF in crop tolerance under future compound climate extremes such as drought and heat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifunctional drug delivery systems (DDS) are in high demand for effectively targeting specific cells, necessitating excellent biocompatibility, precise release mechanisms, and sustained release capabilities. The hollow multishelled structure (HoMS) presents a promising solution, integrating structural and compositional design for efficient DDS development amidst complex cellular environments. Herein, starting from a Fe‐based metal‐organic framework (MOF), amorphous coordination polymers (CP) composited HoMS with controlled shell numbers are fabricated by balancing the rate of MOF decomposition and shell formation. Fe‐CP HoMS loaded with DOX is utilized for synergistic chemotherapy and chemodynamic therapy, offering excellent responsive drug release capability (excellent pH‐triggered drug release 82% within 72 h at pH 5.0 solution with doxorubicin (DOX) loading capacity of 284 mg g−1). In addition to its potent chemotherapy attributes, Fe‐CP‐HoMS possesses chemodynamic therapy potential by continuously catalyzing H2O2 to generate ·OH species within cancer cells, thus effectively inhibiting cancer cell proliferation. DOX@3S‐Fe‐CP‐HoMS, at a concentration of 12.5 µg mL−1, demonstrates significant inhibitory effects on cancer cells while maintaining minimal cytotoxicity toward normal cells. It is envisioned that CP‐HoMS could serve as an effective and biocompatible platform for the advancement of intelligent drug delivery systems in the realm of cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a study that investigated non-invasive methods for early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) and alternatives to colonoscopy. The researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze immune cells in the blood of healthy individuals, colon adenoma patients, and colon adenocarcinoma patients. They observed changes in cell types and interactions during CRC development and identified different monocyte states and gene expression patterns associated with CRC progression. The study suggests that certain genes may serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers for colorectal cancer, but more research is needed to validate these findings. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) or OCT angiography (OCTA) has been investigated in few research studies of psychiatric disorders. No research has been done using OCT or OCTA in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Methods: OCTA measured foveal avascular zone (FAZ), macular vessel density (MVD), and peripapillary vessel density (PVD). OCT measured the peripapillary retinal fiber layer (RNFL) and central retinal thickness (CRT). The study utilized the Ottawa Self‐Injury Inventory, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) to assess the symptom characteristics of individuals with BPD. Results: Fifty‐nine eyes of BPD patients and 58 eyes of normal subjects were analyzed, MVD of the superficial retinal capillary plexus declined noticeably in most subfields (p < 0.05). Significant differences were observed in the whole inner ring and outer ring index between BPD and HC groups (p < 0.05). The patients with BPD exhibited lower RNFL and CRT, the difference was significant (p < 0.05). CRT indicated a significant negative correlation with the Ottawa Self‐Injury Inventory (p < 0.05). In addition, we observed that there was a negative correlation identified between the MVD of the inner ring and HAMA (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, the MVD of the outer ring was positively correlated with GAF (p < 0.05). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUROCs) for distinguishing BPD and HC eyes in OCTA were the highest for fovea MVD (0.679), followed by outer ring MVD (0.669), inner ring MVD (0.641), FAZ (0.579). In OCT, CRT was highest for BPD (0.711), followed by RNFL (0.625). Conclusion: The OCT and OCTA can non‐invasively detect microvascular and morphology changes of the retina in BPD patients compared to healthy control subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are one of the most widely used antimicrobial agents. However, due to the potential problems of environmental pollution and high energy consumption, a green and efficient synthesis strategy of AgNPs is urgently required. Ovalbumin (OVA) is the most abundant protein in egg whites, and its extraction process is simple and productive. This paper reported a new green synthesis method of AgNPs by using OVA as an assistant accompanying with a visible light irradiation. Together with the reduction of silver ions, the uniformly dispersed OVA‐AgNPs nanocomposite could be formed within 30 min under xenon light irradiation by simple mixing AgNO3 and OVA in aqueous solution. The detailed mechanism study showed that tyrosine residue and peptide bonds in OVA played a major role in the reduction and stability of silver ions. In addition, in vitro antibacterial experiments indicated that 10 mg/L of OVA‐AgNPs, the minimum inhibitory concentration, has a good antimicrobial effect on both Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacteria, fungi, and some drug‐resistant bacteria species within 4 h of treatment, mainly due to the disruption of the structure of bacterial cell and the balance of reactive oxygen species. This work provides a new way for the green and efficient synthesis of AgNPs and shows good prospects for the applications in the field of biomedical materials and functional nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cerebrovascular segmentation is a crucial step in the computer‐assisted diagnosis of cerebrovascular pathologies. However, accurate extraction of cerebral vessels from time‐of‐flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF‐MRA) data is still challenging due to the complex topology and slender shape. Purpose: The existing deep learning‐based approaches pay more attention to the skeleton and ignore the contour, which limits the segmentation performance of the cerebrovascular structure. We aim to weight the contour of brain vessels in shallow features when concatenating with deep features. It helps to obtain more accurate cerebrovascular details and narrows the semantic gap between multilevel features. Methods: This work proposes a novel framework for priority extraction of contours in cerebrovascular structures. We first design a neighborhood‐based algorithm to generate the ground truth of the cerebrovascular contour from original annotations, which can introduce useful shape information for the segmentation network. Moreover, We propose an encoder‐dual decoder‐based contour attention network (CA‐Net), which consists of the dilated asymmetry convolution block (DACB) and the Contour Attention Module (CAM). The ancillary decoder uses the DACB to obtain cerebrovascular contour features under the supervision of contour annotations. The CAM transforms these features into a spatial attention map to increase the weight of the contour voxels in main decoder to better restored the vessel contour details. Results: The CA‐Net is thoroughly validated using two publicly available datasets, and the experimental results demonstrate that our network outperforms the competitors for cerebrovascular segmentation. We achieved the average dice similarity coefficient (DSC$DSC$) of 68.15 and 99.92% in natural and synthetic datasets. Our method segments cerebrovascular structures with better completeness. Conclusions: We propose a new framework containing contour annotation generation and cerebrovascular segmentation network that better captures the tiny vessels and improve vessel connectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancer types in males and rs12621278:A > G has been suggested to be associated with this disease by previous genome‐wide association studies. One thousand genomes project data analysis indicated that rs12621278:A > G is within two long‐core haplotypes. However, the origin, causal variant(s), and molecular function of these haplotypes were remaining unclear. Materials and Methods: Population genetics analysis and functional genomics work was performed for this locus. Results: Phylogeny analysis verified that the rare haplotype is derived from Neanderthal introgression. Genome annotation suggested that three genetic variants in the core haplotypes, rs116108611:G > A, rs139972066:AAAAAAAA > AAAAAAAAA, and rs3835124:ATTTATT > ATT, are located in functional regions. Luciferase assay indicated that rs139972066:AAAAAAAA > AAAAAAAAA and rs116108611:G > A are not able to alter ITGA6 (integrin alpha 6) and ITGA6 antisense RNA 1 expression, respectively. In contrast, rs3835124:ATTTATT > ATT can significantly influence PDK1 (pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1) expression, which was verified by expression quantitative trait locus analysis. This genetic variant can alter transcription factor cut like homeobox 1 interaction efficiency. The introgressed haplotype was observed to be subject to positive selection in East Asian populations. The molecular function of the haplotype suggested that Neanderthal should be with lower PDK1 expression and further different energy homeostasis from modern human. Conclusion: This study provided new insight into the contribution of Neanderthal introgression to human phenotypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on analyzing the texture properties and bioelectrical impedance characteristics of frozen chicken breasts during low‐temperature thawing, meanwhile, we also compared the differences in physiochemical properties. Frozen chicken breasts were thawed at 4 ± 2°C for 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 h separately, then the physiochemical properties (color, pH, water‐holding capacity, water distribution), the texture properties (easy‐to‐cut level), and the bioelectrical impedance were determined and analyzed. The easy‐to‐cut level of the samples was evaluated by the sensory panel and two indexes, one is Warner‐Bratzler shear force measured by texture analysis machine, and the other is cutting speed value calculated by the consumer‐oriented cutting behavior analysis using frame‐by‐frame video recording analysis method. These two methods were used to characterize the easy‐to‐cut level of the frozen samples during thawing from the industrial processing and home cooking standpoint. Strong correlations were observed between the easy‐to‐cut level and the bioelectrical impedance of the frozen chicken breasts during thawing. The impedance magnitude at 100 kHz showed a high correlation coefficient (R2 =.9417) with Warner‐Bratzler shear force, and the impedance magnitude at 50 Hz showed a high correlation coefficient (R2 =.8658) with cutting speed. Our results indicated the acceptability of using bioelectrical impedance to evaluate the easy‐to‐cut thawing endpoint for both industry processing and home cooking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photosynthetic CO2 assimilation (AN) under fluctuating light (FL) plays a critical role in plant growth and crop yield. C4 crops usually reach greater yields than C3 crops when grown in regions with low relative humidity, which might be partly due to the CO2 concentration mechanism and higher AN under FL of C4 crops. To test this hypothesis, we measured gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence under different changing frequencies of FL at contrasting relative air humidity (60% and 15%) for leaves of maize (Zea mays, C4) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, C3). In general, a more rapid changing frequency of FL would cause a larger loss in AN during shade‐sun transitions, with 20–38% in maize and 16–52% in tomato. Low relative humidity induced a larger decrease of stomatal conductance (gs) under FL in tomato than in maize, leading to a much stronger loss in AN in tomato than in maize. After transition from low to high light, AN of maize was mainly limited by gs with negligible non‐stomatal limitation, and the stomatal limitation was slightly affected by relative humidity. By comparison, low relative humidity significantly increased the stomatal limitation of AN in tomato but hardly affected non‐stomatal limitation. These results highlight the differential impact of decreasing relative humidity on dynamic photosynthesis and productivity between C3 and C4 crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alpine Rhododendron species are prominent constituents and renowned ornamental plants in alpine ecosystems. Consequently, evaluating the genetic variation in embolism resistance within the genus Rhododendron and predicting their adaptability to future climate change is important. Nevertheless, the assessment of embolism resistance in Rhododendron species remains limited. This investigation aimed to examine leaf vulnerability to embolism across ten alpine Rhododendron species, which are frequently employed as ornamental species in Rhododendron forests in Southwest China. The study analyzed the correlation between embolism resistance and various morphological traits, while also conducting water control experiments to evaluate the relationship between embolism resistance and drought resistance. The outcomes indicated pronounced variations in leaf vulnerability to embolism among species, as reflected by the water potential at 50% of embolized pixels (P50). Furthermore, the leaf P50 exhibited a significant positive correlation with vessel diameter (D) (R2 = 0.44, P = 0.03) and vessel wall span (b) (R2 = 0.64, P = 0.005), while displaying a significant negative correlation with vessel reinforcement ((t/b)2) (R2 = 0.67, P = 0.004). These findings underscore the reliability of selecting species based on embolism vulnerability to preserve the diversity of alpine ecosystems and foster resilience to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Animal oils would not only pollute the water but also block the sewer. Using hydrophilic membrane is an effective approach for oil/water separation. However, abrasion would cause the damage of the membrane and shorten their service life. In this work, we prepared a sandwich structured oil/water separation membrane (SSM) with two layers of cotton fabric and a core layer of PAM modified stainless‐steel mesh via a cost‐effective and facile process. The as‐prepared membrane can selectively separate water from oil/water mixtures with high efficiency, high flux (beyond 6000 L m−2 h−1), and good reusability. Moreover, as compared with hydrogel coated mesh, the SSM exhibited good abrasion resistance, which would effectively improve the usability in real scenarios. More importantly, the SSM has successfully blocked the oil in a simulated sewer and a real sewer in the kitchen, which will help prevent sewer blockage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rumination is closely linked to the onset and maintenance of major depressive disorder (MDD). Prior neuroimaging studies have identified the association between self‐reported rumination trait and the functional coupling among a network of brain regions using resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, little is known about the underlying neural circuitry mechanism during active rumination in MDD. Degree centrality (DC) is a simple metric to denote network integration, which is critical for higher‐order psychological processes such as rumination. During an MRI scan, individuals with MDD (N = 45) and healthy controls (HC, N = 46) completed a rumination state task. We examined the interaction effect between the group (MDD vs. HC) and condition (rumination vs. distraction) on vertex‐wise DC. We further characterized the identified brain region's functional involvement with Neurosynth and BrainMap. Network‐wise seed‐based functional connectivity (FC) analysis was also conducted for the identified region of interest. Finally, exploratory correlation analysis was conducted between the identified region of interest's network FCs and self‐reported in‐scanner affect levels. We found that a left superior frontal gyrus (SFG) region, generally overlapped with the frontal eye field, showed a significant interaction effect. Further analysis revealed its involvement with executive functions. FCs between this region, the frontoparietal, and the dorsal attention network (DAN) also showed significant interaction effects. Furthermore, its FC to DAN during distraction showed a marginally significant negative association with in‐scanner affect level at the baseline. Our results implicated an essential role of the left SFG in the rumination's underlying neural circuitry mechanism in MDD and provided novel evidence for the conceptualization of rumination in terms of impaired executive control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a key immune cell in the brain, microglia are essential for protecting the central nervous system (CNS) from viral infections, including HIV. Microglia possess functional Toll‐like receptor 3 (TLR3), a key viral sensor for activating interferon (IFN) signaling pathway‐mediated antiviral immunity. We, therefore, studied the effect of poly (I:C), a synthetic ligand of TLR3, on the activation of the intracellular innate immunity against HIV in human iPSC‐derived microglia (iMg). We found that poly (I:C) treatment of iMg effectively inhibits HIV infection/replication at both mRNA and protein levels. Investigations of the mechanisms revealed that TLR3 activation of iMg by poly (I:C) induced the expression of both type I and type III IFNs. Compared with untreated cells, the poly (I:C)‐treated iMg expressed significantly higher levels of IFN‐stimulated genes (ISGs) with known anti‐HIV activities (ISG15, MxB, Viperin, MxA, and OAS‐1). In addition, TLR3 activation elicited the expression of the HIV entry coreceptor CCR5 ligands (CC chemokines) in iMg. Furthermore, the transcriptional profile analysis showed that poly (I:C)‐treated cells had the upregulated IFN signaling genes (ISG15, ISG20, IFITM1, IFITM2, IFITM3, IFITM10, APOBEC3A, OAS‐2, MxA, and MxB) and the increased CC chemokine signaling genes (CCL1, CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, and CCL15). These observations indicate that TLR3 is a potential therapy target for activating the intracellular innate immunity against HIV infection/replication in human microglial cells. Therefore, further studies with animal models and clinical specimens are necessary to determine the role of TLR3 activation‐driven antiviral response in the control and elimination of HIV in infected host cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, different doses of γ‐irradiation were applied to 2,6‐diamino‐3,5‐dinitropyrazine‐1‐oxide (LLM‐105) to examine the way in which their optical properties and electronic structure can be affected. The UV absorption spectrum of LLM‐105 was calculated based on the time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT). The analyses of hole‐electron distribution and charge‐transfer spectra (CTS) revealed the type of electronic transitions and elucidated the nature of each excited state in the LLM‐105 molecule. For the pristine LLM‐105, the band gap (Eg) value of 2.76 eV was obtained using the Kubelka‐Munk model. Moreover, the band gap of LLM‐105 increased with the irradiation dose. The increase in relevant UV‐Vis absorption peak intensity, implying the increase in band gap is due to the formation of a larger conjugated structure in LLM‐105 under γ‐irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the major cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Notably, 90% of HBV‐positive HCC cases exhibit detectable HBV integrations, hinting at the potential early entanglement of these viral integrations in tumorigenesis and their subsequent oncogenic implications. Nevertheless, the precise chronology of integration events during HCC tumorigenesis, alongside their sequential structural patterns, has remained elusive thus far. In this study, we applied whole‐genome sequencing to multiple biopsies extracted from six HBV‐positive HCC cases. Through this approach, we identified point mutations and viral integrations, offering a blueprint for the intricate tumor phylogeny of these samples. The emergent narrative paints a rich tapestry of diverse evolutionary trajectories characterizing the analyzed tumors. We uncovered oncogenic integration events in some samples that appear to happen before and during the initiation stage of tumor development based on their locations in reconstituted trajectories. Furthermore, we conducted additional long‐read sequencing of selected samples and unveiled integration‐bridged chromosome rearrangements and tandem repeats of the HBV sequence within integrations. In summary, this study revealed premalignant oncogenic and sequential complex integrations and highlighted the contributions of HBV integrations to HCC development and genome instability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: People with disrupted circadian rhythms, such as shift workers, have shown a higher risk of hypertension. However, it is unclear whether more subtle differences in diurnal rest–activity rhythms in the population are associated with hypertension. Clarifying the association between the rest–activity rhythm, a modifiable behavioural factor, and hypertension could provide insight into preventing hypertension and possibly cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we investigated the association between rest–activity rhythm characteristics and hypertension in a large representative sample of United States adults. Cross‐sectional data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2014 (N = 6726; mean [range] age 49 [20–79] years; 52% women). Five rest–activity rhythm parameters (i.e., pseudo F statistic, amplitude, mesor, amplitude:mesor ratio, and acrophase) were derived from 24‐h actigraphy data using the extended cosine model. We performed multiple logistic regression to assess the associations between the rest–activity rhythm parameters and hypertension. Subgroup analysis stratified by age, gender, race/ethnicity, body mass index and diabetes status was also conducted. A weakened overall rest–activity rhythm, characterised by a lower F statistic, was associated with higher odds of hypertension (odds ratio quintile 1 versus quintile 5 [OR Q1vs.Q5 ] 1.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.26–2.05; p trend < 0.001). Similar results were found for lower amplitude (OR Q1vs.Q5 1.51, 95% CI 1.13–2.03; p trend = 0.01) and amplitude:mesor ratio (OR Q1vs.Q5 1.34, 95% CI 1.01–1.78; p trend = 0.03). The results were robust to the adjustment of confounders, individual behaviours including physical activity levels and sleep duration and appeared consistent across subgroups. Possible interaction between the rest–activity rhythm and body mass index was found. Our results support an association between weakened rest–activity rhythms and higher odds of hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent study published in the journal Clinical & Experimental Allergy examined the association between sleep patterns, lifestyle behaviors, genetic predisposition, and the risk of adult-onset asthma. The study found that poor sleep patterns increased the risk of developing asthma in adults. The association between sleep patterns and asthma risk was influenced by lifestyle behaviors and genetic vulnerability. Individuals with poor lifestyles and high genetic susceptibility had a higher risk of developing asthma. The study highlights the importance of integrated interventions targeting sleep and lifestyle factors in preventing adult-onset asthma. [Extracted from the article]

Rationale: Chlorinated aromatics and alkanes are widely used for their flame retardancy, but they need to be monitored when used in recycled pulp. This paper reports the use of palladium acetate/activated carbon (Pa/Ac) activated by nitric acid as an online catalyst to determine chlorinated aromatics and chlorinated alkanes in recycled paper products using gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (GC–MS/MS), which significantly improves the sensitivity of the method and remarkably lowers the detection limits. Methods: The Pa/Ac catalyst was prepared using a self‐made catalytic device and used as key to the online catalytic conversion of target chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated alkanes for GC–MS/MS analysis. The response surface model was used to optimize catalytic conditions. Then GC–MS/MS in the multireaction monitoring mode with online catalysis was applied for the analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated terphenyls, polychlorinated naphthalene, and chlorinated paraffins (CP) in recycled paper products. Results: Compared with traditional methods, the Pa/Ac catalyst can transform chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons into aromatic hydrocarbons through dechlorination hydrogenation, thus lowering the detection limit of the GC–MS/MS method significantly. It can transform paraffin chloride into the corresponding alkane to better distinguish short‐chain, medium‐chain, or long‐chain CPs. Online catalytic conversion significantly improved the sensitivity and reproducibility (88.7%–113.1%) of the method. Tissue samples with various concentration levels of chlorinated aromatics and chlorinated alkanes were tested. The linearity range of the reduced target compounds in the reduction product solution was 0.02–1.00 μg/ml (R2 > 0.995). The quantitative detection limit was 0.03–0.05 μg/kg, and relative standard deviation was less than 6.9%. Conclusion: This study was the first to introduce the Pa/Ac catalytic device as an online catalytic unit in the determination of chlorinated aromatics and chlorinated alkanes using the GC–MS/MS method. The target compounds were converted into alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons with unchanged carbon structures, and the method could achieve a low detection limit with no need for high‐end methods such as GC‐chemical ionization ion source (CI)‐MS or high‐resolution mass spectrometry. These methods are suitable for the determination of chlorine pollutants in recycled paper and its raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Effects of immersion freezing (IF), osmo‐dehydrofreezing (ODF) and air freezing (AF) on freezing parameters and physicochemical properties of frozen mango were studied. Results showed that IF had the shortest freezing time, followed by ODF and AF. In ODF groups, dehydrofreezing in 50% glucose (G‐50) showed the highest quality. Mangoes pre‐treated in glucose had higher quality than those pre‐treated in trehalose. The quality of osmo‐dehydrofrozen mangoes was more affected by freezing rate than by difference between freezing temperature and the glass transition temperature (T−Tg′). Compared with the AF, IF in 60% ethylene glycol (EG‐60) and ODF in G‐50 significantly improved the quality of mangoes, including colour change and drip loss reduced by 43.7%, 28.6%, 41.4% and 19.6%, hardness increased by 540.7% and 413.6%, and contents of vitamin C and total phenol increased by 30.7%, 24.3%, 18.3% and 6.4%, respectively. Overall, IF in EG‐60 was the most favourable method for frozen mangoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major malignancy threatening the health of people in China and screening could be effective for preventing the occurrence and reducing the mortality of CRC. We conducted a multicenter, prospective clinical study which recruited 4,245 high‐risk CRC individuals defined as having positive risk‐adapted scores or fecal immunochemical test (FIT) results, to evaluate the clinical performance of the multitarget fecal immunochemical and stool DNA (FIT‐sDNA) test for CRC screening. Each participant was asked to provide a stool sample prior to bowel preparation, and FIT‐sDNA test and FIT were performed independently of colonoscopy. We found that 186 (4.4%) were confirmed to have CRC, and 375 (8.8%) had advanced precancerous neoplasia among the high CRC risk individuals. The sensitivity of detecting CRC for FIT‐sDNA test was 91.9% (95% CI, 86.8–95.3), compared with 62.4% (95% CI, 54.9–69.3) for FIT (P < 0.001). The sensitivity for detecting advanced precancerous neoplasia was 63.5% (95% CI, 58.3–68.3) for FIT‐sDNA test, compared with 30.9% (95% CI, 26.3–35.6) for FIT (P < 0.001). Multitarget FIT‐sDNA test detected more colorectal advanced neoplasia than FIT. Overall, these findings indicated that in areas with limited colonoscopy resources, FIT‐sDNA test could be a promising further risk triaging modality to select patients for colonoscopy in CRC screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The habenula has been implicated in the pathogenesis of pain and analgesia, while evidence concerning its function in chronic low back pain (cLBP) is sparse. This study aims to investigate the resting‐state functional connectivity (rsFC) and effective connectivity of the habenula in 52 patients with cLBP and 52 healthy controls (HCs) and assess the feasibility of distinguishing cLBP from HCs based on connectivity by machine learning methods. Our results indicated significantly enhanced rsFC of the habenula‐left superior frontal cortex (SFC), habenula‐right thalamus, and habenula‐bilateral insular pathways as well as decreased rsFC of the habenula‐pons pathway in cLBP patients compared to HCs. Dynamic causal modelling revealed significantly enhanced effective connectivity from the right thalamus to right habenula in cLBP patients compared with HCs. RsFC of the habenula‐SFC was positively correlated with pain intensities and Hamilton Depression scores in the cLBP group. RsFC of the habenula‐right insula was negatively correlated with pain duration in the cLBP group. Additionally, the combination of the rsFC of the habenula‐SFC, habenula‐thalamus, and habenula‐pons pathways could reliably distinguish cLBP patients from HCs with an accuracy of 75.9% by support vector machine, which was validated in an independent cohort (N = 68, accuracy = 68.8%, p =.001). Linear regression and random forest could also distinguish cLBP and HCs in the independent cohort (accuracy = 73.9 and 55.9%, respectively). Overall, these findings provide evidence that cLBP may be associated with abnormal rsFC and effective connectivity of the habenula, and highlight the promise of machine learning in chronic pain discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: EP300 is considered to be a cancer suppressor gene that plays a role in tumor development, but some studies have reported that it is not an oral squamous cell carcinoma suppressor gene, because there was neither epigenetic inactivation of the gene nor a mutation resulting in functional impairment. However, there is no relevant study on whether EP300 is the exact carcinogenic effect and its mechanisms of carcinogenic effects in oral squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: Western blot analysis and quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction experiments verified the protein and mRNA expression of EP300 in oral squamous cell carcinoma; The effects of EP300 knockout on glucose consumption and lactic acid production were detected by glycolysis experiments; The relationship between pathway‐related proteins and EP300 was verified by bioinformatics analysis and co‐immunoprecipitation experiment. Results: Our experimental results confirm that the protein and mRNA of EP300 are highly expressed in oral squamous cell carcinoma, and after knocking out the EP300, the glycolysis ability, invasion, migration, and other biological functions of oral squamous cell carcinoma, are inhibited at the same time. Pathway‐related experiments have confirmed that EP300 plays a role in promoting cancer through the transforming growth factor‐beta receptor II (TGF‐βRII)/EP300/Smad4 cascade pathway. Conclusion: EP300 plays a carcinogenic role in OSCC showed that the TGF‐βRII/EP300/Smad4 cascade pathway is involved in oral squamous cell carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twisted artificial muscles based on natural fibers are of special interest in diverse fields. However, current research is limited either by the material itself, or by the preparation methods requiring complex processing or specialized equipment. In this study, a facile and green method is introduced to prepare hair artificial muscles with extremely large tensile stroke and fast recovery. The maximum tensile stroke for the hair artificial muscles upon water actuation is as large as 10 000% and the large‐stroke muscles can recover fast in ethanol. In addition, these hair artificial muscles maintain their excellent performance after either 100 water–ethanol stimulation cycles or staying in open air for 5 months. Moreover, the hair artificial muscle is able to contract by 59% when lifting 10 times its own weight, pull a wheel model or climb a long distance under water, and work as a smart water‐sensitive switch. This work provides new insights into the development of simpler and more environmentally friendly methods for preparing advanced natural fiber‐based artificial muscles that have broad applications in soft robotics and biomedical engineering. An interactive preprint version of the article can be found here: https://doi.org/10.22541/au.167385630.01748766/v1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wenchang (WC) chicken, the only indigenous chicken breed listed in Chinese genetic resources in Hainan province, is well known for its excellent meat quality and is sold all over southeast Asia. In recent years, the number of WC has decreased sharply with considerable variability in the quality at market. To explore the genetic diversity and population structure of WC chickens, the whole‐genome data of 235 WC individuals from three conservation farms were obtained using the Illumina 150 bp paired‐end platform and used in conjunction with the sequencing data from 123 individuals from other chicken breeds (including eight Chinese indigenous chicken breeds and three foreign or commercial breeds) downloaded from a public database. A total of 12 111 532 SNPs were identified, of which 11 541 878 SNPs were identified in WC. The results of gene enrichment analyses revealed that the SNPs harbored in WC genomes are mainly related to environmental adaptation, disease resistance and meat quality traits. Genetic diversity statistics, quantified by expected heterozygosity, observed heterozygosity, linkage disequilibrium, nucleotide diversity and fixation statistics, indicated that WC displays high genetic diversity compared with other Chinese indigenous chicken breeds. Genetic structure analyses showed that each population displayed great differentiation between WC and the other breeds, indicating the uniqueness of WC. In conclusion, the results of our study provide the first genomic overview of genetic variants, genetic diversity and population structure of WC from three conservation farms. This information will be valuable for the future breeding and conservation of WC and other surveyed populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the lipid-related pathogenesis of FAGA by comparing hair root lipids in FAGA volunteers and controls. Study on hair root lipids of female androgenetic alopecia based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MS results. [Extracted from the article]

The recent rapid development of the computer‐aided design technologies has provided concrete support for the education and research in the field of railway transportation. Virtual reality (VR) technology is becoming particularly important in the field of experimental teaching due to its low cost, low restriction and immersion. In this work, we have designed a virtual simulation untried system of the electric joint control in electric locomotives based on VR technology. Based on the user's understanding of the three circuit principles in the experiment, together with the recognition and operation ability to control appliances and equipment, the system assessment system has been scored and evaluated accordingly. The tests of the virtual simulation system have shown the experimental teaching can reduce the cost while effectively improving the learning effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to establish significant phase modulation at low applied field provides a promising route toward polarization control and wavefront shaping for liquid‐crystal‐based devices. Owing to the polarization‐selective reflectivity of chiral liquid crystals (CLCs), reflective wavefront shaping via geometric phase is demonstrated when a circularly polarized light is Bragg reflected by a spatially orientated chiral layer. Nowadays, photoresponsive CLCs have attracted extensive attention due to their exotic feature that endows the CLC devices with the capability of electric‐free remote control. Despite the mature photoresponsive CLC materials and the sophisticated reflective geometric phase devices, a light‐induced topological optical phase modulation for a transmissive wave exiting a CLC cell remains elusive. Here, with the employment of a photosensitive chiral dopant, a hybrid aligned photoresponsive CLC system, demonstrating the simultaneous light modulation of topological geometric phase and dynamic phase via helical pitch manipulation is established. The continuous dual‐phase modulation engenders a smooth optically controllable diffraction efficiency (i.e., from <5% to >90%) of the proposed light‐reconfigurable CLC geometric phase optical element prototypes with multistable diffractive behavior, thus launching a paradigm shift for the application of novel liquid‐crystal photonic devices in the field of all‐optical polarization and spin processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Incorporation of polysaccharide‐based nanofillers is an effective strategy to fabricate bio‐nanocomposite films with preferable mechanical, barrier, and surface hydrophobicity properties compared to pure biopolymer films. The objective of this research is to investigate the influence of starch nanocrystals obtained from native (NSNC) and waxy rice starch (WSNC) on the physical–chemical properties of pullulan‐based nanocomposite films and their preservation performance on fresh beef. RESULTS: Continuous SNCs network structure was observed for pullulan‐10% SNCs nanocomposite films, whereas the percolation network of SNCs was destroyed and became no longer continuous with increasing SNCs concentration up to 20% in pullulan films. Among the tested films, pullulan‐10% SNCs films showed the highest TS values, lowest WVP and OTR values, due to the formation of percolating SNCs network in pullulan matrix. It is noteworthy that the WVP and OTR values of pullulan‐10% WSNC films were significantly lower than that of pullulan‐10% NSNC films, probably due to higher hydrophobicity and crystallinity of WSNC compared with NSNC. Beef pieces coated with pullulan‐SNCs films had higher L* and a* values, lower TVB‐N, TBARS, and TVC values during 7 days' storage at 4 °C compared with samples coated with pullulan films. CONCLUSION: Pullulan‐SNCs nanocomposite films, especially pullulan‐WSNC films, could be potentially used as a coating material for fresh beef due to their desirable oxygen and water barrier properties. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The steam reforming of dimethyl ether (DME) is one of the promising technologies for high‐efficiency hydrogen production. The key issue for the steam reforming of DME is the development of catalysts with higher performance. In this study, a series of X‐Cu/Acid‐MMT (X = Co, Ni, Zr, Ce) catalysts were prepared via the impregnation method using Acid‐MMT obtained by montmorillonite activated with nitric acid (20 wt%) at 80 °C for 12 h as the support and metallic nitrate as precursor. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, H2‐TPR, XPS, N2O titration and N2 adsorption–desorption at low temperature. Results: The introduction of promoter X could reduce the interaction between Cu and the support, and more CuO was reduced to Cu0; meanwhile, it was beneficial for improving the dispersion of Cu. This would enhance the reaction rate of steam reforming of DME. Therefore, the introduction of promoter X significantly increased DME conversion, especially Ni‐Cu/Acid‐MMT presented the maximum DME conversion. However, Ni‐Cu/Acid‐MMT exhibited low H2 yield, high selectivity of CO and CH4 due to reverse water gas shift reaction and methanation reaction. Co‐Cu/Acid‐MMT catalyst presented the maximum H2 yield, high conversion of DME, relatively low selectivity of CH4 and better stability. Conclusions: The introduction of promoters to Cu/Acid‐MMT catalyst improved the catalyst performance for the steam reforming of DME. Among these catalysts, Co‐Cu/Acid‐MMT exhibited remarkable catalytic performance, which is expected to be a potential catalyst for steam reforming of DME. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses and seriously affects all aspects of life. Running exercise has been suggested to prevent or alleviate the occurrence and development of depression; however, the underlying mechanisms of these effects remain unclear. Independent studies have indicated that astrocytes play essential roles and that the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is an important brain region involved in the pathology underlying depression. However, it is unknown whether running exercise achieves antidepressant effects by affecting the number of astrocytes and glutamate transport function in the mPFC. Here, animal models of depression were established using chronic unpredictable stress (CUS), and depression‐like behavior was assessed by the sucrose preference test. After successfully establishing the depression model, experimental animals performed running exercise. Glial fibrillary acidic protein‐positive (GFAP+) cell number in the mPFC was precisely quantified using immunohistochemical and stereological methods, and the densities of bromodeoxyuridine‐positive (BrdU+) and BrdU+/GFAP+ cells in the mPFC were measured using a semiquantitative immunofluorescence assay. Changes in glutamate transporter gene expression in mPFC astrocytes were detected by mRNA sequencing and qRT–PCR. We found that running exercise reversed CUS‐induced decreases in sucrose preference, increased astrocyte number and the density of newborn astrocytes, and reversed decreases in gene expression levels of GFAP, S100b, and the glutamate transporters GLT‐1 and GLAST in the mPFC of CUS animals. These results suggested that changes in astrocyte number and glutamate transporter function may be potential meditators of the effects of running exercise in the treatment of depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dominant species of a biome can be regarded as its genuine indicator. Evergreen broadleaved forests (EBLFs) in subtropical East Asia harbor high levels of species biodiversity and endemism and are vital to regional carbon storage and cycling. However, the historical assembly of this unique biome is still controversial. Fagaceae is the most essential family in East Asian subtropical EBLFs and its dominant species are vital for the existence of this biome. Here, we used the dominant Fagaceae species to shed light on the dynamic process of East Asian subtropical EBLFs over time. Our results indicate high precipitation in summer and low temperature in winter are the most influential climatic factors for the distribution of East Asian subtropical EBLFs. Modern East Asian subtropical EBLFs did not begin to appear until 23 Ma, subsequently experienced a long‐lasting development in the Miocene and markedly deteriorated at about 4 Ma, driven jointly by orogenesis and paleoclimate. We also document that there is a lag time between when one clade invaded the region and when its members become dominant species within the region. This study may improve our ability to predict and mitigate the threats to biodiversity of East Asian subtropical EBLFs and points to a new path for future studies involving multidisciplinary methods to explore the assembly of regional biomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liver X receptors (LXRs) have recently been reported to be novel and potential targets for the reversal of depressive‐like behaviors, but the mechanism remains unclear. Hippocampal neuroinflammation and impairment of the normal structure and function of microglia are closely associated with depression. To investigate the effects of LXRs agonist (GW3965) on neuroinflammation and microglia in the hippocampal formation of mice with chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)‐induced depression, depressive‐like behaviors were evaluated by behavioral tests, hippocampal LXRs gene expression were evaluated by qRT‐PCR, the protein expression levels of interleukin‐1β, tumor necrosis factor‐α, inducible nitric oxide synthase, nuclear factor kappa B, and cluster of differentiation 206 were estimated by western blotting, modern stereological methods were used to precisely quantify the total number of microglia in each hippocampal subregion, and immunofluorescence was used to detect the density of activated microglia and the morphology of microglia. We found that GW3965 alleviated the depressive‐like behavior induced by CUS, reversed the decrease in hippocampal LXRα and LXRβ induced by CUS, increased the protein expression of pro‐inflammatory factors, and decreased the protein expression of antiinflammatory factors induced by CUS. Moreover, CUS intervention significantly increased the number of microglia in the CA1 region, CA2/3 region, and dentate gyrus and the density of activated microglia in the CA2/3 region and dentate gyrus and significantly decreased the endpoints of microglial branches and process length of microglia in the dentate gyrus, while 4 weeks of injections with GW3965 reversed these changes. These findings suggest that regulating the number, activated state, and morphology of microglia in hippocampal subregions might be an important basis for the antidepressant effects of LXRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age‐related degeneration of microvessels is known to occur in white matter, and exercise training can enhance brain function and promote cerebral blood flow. However, the effects of exercise training on microvessels in aged white matter are unknown. Forty‐one middle‐aged male and female Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sedentary group and an exercised group. The rats in the exercised group were made to run on treadmills for 4 months. The spatial learning capacities of all groups were then assessed with the Morris water maze. White matter and its microvessels were investigated using immunohistological techniques and stereological methods. In the exercised group, females but not males, showed improved performance over time in the Morris water maze. In females but not males, the exercised rats showed significantly increased white matter volume compared with that of sedentary rats. The total length of microvessels in the white matter in the exercised group was significantly increased compared with that in the sedentary group in both males and females, but the total volume and total surface area of microvessels in the white matter did not differ significantly between the sedentary and exercised rats. Regular treadmill exercise had protective effects on spatial learning capacity, white matter volume, and the total length of microvessels in the white matter in middle‐aged female rats and on the total length of microvessels in the white matter in middle‐aged male rats. The results obtained might increase our understanding of the mechanisms by which exercise delays brain aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]