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Abstract Propionic acidemia (PA), resulting from Pcca or Pccb gene mutations, impairs propionyl-CoA metabolism and induces metabolic alterations. While speculation exists that fasting might exacerbate metabolic crises in PA patients by accelerating the breakdown of odd-chain fatty acids and amino acids into propionyl-CoA, direct evidence is lacking. Our investigation into the metabolic effects of fasting in Pcca -/-(A138T) mice, a PA model, reveals surprising outcomes. Propionylcarnitine, a PA biomarker, decreases during fasting, along with the C3/C2 (propionylcarnitine/acetylcarnitine) ratio, ammonia, and methylcitrate. Although moderate amino acid catabolism to propionyl-CoA occurs with a 23-h fasting, a significant reduction in microbiome-produced propionate and increased fatty acid oxidation mitigate metabolic alterations by decreasing propionyl-CoA synthesis and enhancing acetyl-CoA synthesis. Fasting-induced gluconeogenesis further facilitates propionyl-CoA catabolism without changing propionyl-CoA carboxylase activity. These findings suggest that fasting may alleviate metabolic alterations in Pcca -/-(A138T) mice, prompting the need for clinical evaluation of its potential impact on PA patients.

Honeycomb‐layered oxides are a class of cathode materials for sodium‐ion batteries with great potential due to their high voltage and high capacity. However, the structural instability and voltage fading during cycling limit their practical application. Herein, it is revealed that Te substitution into Na3Ni2SbO6 induces a new dual‐honeycomb structure, which can elevate the average discharge voltage of the cathode materials from 3.2 to 3.8 V with improved cycle stability and alleviated voltage decay. Synchrotron operando X‐ray diffraction demonstrates that Te substitution can suppress the O3−P3−O1‐phase transition during charge and discharge processes effectively, benefited from the strong TeO covalent bonds. The resulted Na2.2Ni2Sb0.2Te0.8O6 cathode exhibits a high capacity retention of 70.9% after 1000 cycles at 1C, with an elevated operating voltage of ≈3.8 V. Theoretical calculations reveal that the introduced TeO bonds break the symmetric distribution of charge in Ni/Sb honeycomb structure and elevate the operation voltage by increased valence band width. Proper Te substitution can promote the rate and cycle capability of the cathode by suppressing phase transition and decreasing the bandgap.

Abstract The Proboscidea, which includes modern elephants, were once the largest terrestrial animals among extant species. They suffered mass extinction during the Ice Age. As a unique branch on the evolutionary tree, the Proboscidea are of great significance for the study of living animals. In this study, we generate chromosome-scale and haplotype-resolved genome assemblies for two extant Proboscidea species (Asian Elephant, Elephas maximus and African Savannah Elephant, Loxodonta africana) using Pacbio, Hi-C, and DNBSEQ technologies. The assembled genome sizes of the Asian and African Savannah Elephant are 3.38 Gb and 3.31 Gb, with scaffold N50 values of 130 Mb and 122 Mb, respectively. Using Hi-C technology ~97% of the scaffolds are anchored to 29 pseudochromosomes. Additionally, we identify ~9 Mb Y-linked sequences for each species. The high-quality genome assemblies in this study provide a valuable resource for future research on ecology, evolution, biology and conservation of Proboscidea species.

To study the heavy metal accumulation and its impact on insect exterior and chromosome morphology, and reveal the molecular mechanism of insects adapting to long-term heavy metal compound pollution habitats, this study, in the Diaojiang river basin, which has been polluted by heavy metals(HMs) for nearly a thousand years, two Eucriotettix oculatus populations was collected from mining and non-mining areas. It was found that the contents of 7 heavy metals (As, Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu, Sn, Sb) in E. oculatus of the mining area were higher than that in the non-mining 1–11 times. The analysis of morphology shows that the external morphology, the hind wing type and the chromosomal morphology of E. oculatus are significant differences between the two populations. Based on the heavy metal accumulation，morphological change, and stable population density, it is inferred that the mining area population has been affected by heavy metals and has adapted to the environment of heavy metals pollution. Then, by analyzing the transcriptome of the two populations, it was found that the digestion, immunity, excretion, endocrine, nerve, circulation, reproductive and other systems and lysosomes, endoplasmic reticulum and other cell structure-related gene expression were suppressed. This shows that the functions of the above-mentioned related systems of E. oculatus are inhibited by heavy metal stress. However, it has also been found that through the significant up-regulation of genes related to the above system, such as ATP2B, pepsin A, ubiquitin, AQP1, ACOX, ATPeV0A, SEC61A, CANX, ALDH7A1, DLD, aceE, Hsp40, and catalase, etc., and the down-regulation of MAPK signalling pathway genes, can enhanced nutrient absorption, improve energy metabolism, repair damaged cells and degrade abnormal proteins, maintain the stability of cells and systems, and resist heavy metal damage so that E. oculatus can adapt to the environment of heavy metal pollution for a long time.

Abstract Background The relationship between tea and coffee consumption and mortality among patients with metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains barely explored. Herein, this study aimed to examine the association between tea and coffee consumption and the likelihood of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in patients with MetS. Methods A total of 118,872 participants with MetS at baseline from the UK Biobank cohort were included. Information on tea and coffee consumption was obtained during recruitment using a touchscreen questionnaire. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for mortality were determined using Cox proportional hazards models. Results During a median follow-up of 13.87 years, 13,666 deaths were recorded, with 5913, 3362, and 994 deaths from cancer, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and respiratory disease (RD), respectively. This research showed a significant inverse association between tea intake and the risk of all-cause and cancer mortality, the respective HRs (95% CI) for consuming tea 2 vs. 0 cup/day were 0.89 (0.84–0.95), and 0.91 (0.83–0.99), and tea intake ≥ 4 cups/day could reduce CVD mortality by 11% (HR 0.89; 95% CI 0.81–0.98). The U-shaped nonlinear association between coffee intake and all-cause/CVD mortality was examined (all p-nonlinear

Abstract Background The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 addresses life below the waters, an important source of protein and contributor to global food security and economic development. Our aim was to explore possible evidence on the links between life below water and early childhood caries (ECC). Methods This scoping review identified articles on the link between life below water and caries according to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) were systematically searched in January 2023, using specific search terms. Studies written in English, with full text available, addressing life under water, focusing on dental caries in humans, with results that can be extrapolated to control ECC in children less than 6 years of age were included in the review. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the retrieved papers and graphical presentation was used for visualization. Results There were 224 publications retrieved of which 13 studies, published between 1960 and 2022, were included in the analysis. The papers originated from Asia (7/13), North America (3/13), Europe (1/13), and 2/13 had multi-country authorship. Also, four laboratory studies extracted agents from marine products to determine their efficacy in preventing caries formation and preventing/slowing plaque formation; four letters discussed the caries prevention potential of sea salt as a source of fluoride; and two review articles about the positive effects of extracted marine products for caries prevention. Most (11/13) studies addressed target 14.1 concerned with enriching the marine environment with nutrients and minerals; two addressed target 14.4 focused on ensuring fish stocks are within biologically sustainable levels; two addressed target 14.7 aimed at increasing the economic benefits through sustainable use of marine resources such as fisheries; and one focused on target 14.5 aimed at conserving marine areas by increasing protected areas. In addition, one ecological study assessed the association between the ecosystem and ECC. Conclusions Currently, there is little known about the impact of protection of marine and coastal ecosystem from pollution and ocean acidification on the risk of ECC. Further evidence on possible associations between life below water and ECC management is needed.

Abstract Background Energy homeostasis is essential for the adaptation of animals to their environment and some wild animals keep low metabolism adaptive to their low-nutrient dietary supply. Giant panda is such a typical low-metabolic mammal exhibiting species specialization of extremely low daily energy expenditure. It has low levels of basal metabolic rate, thyroid hormone, and physical activities, whereas the cellular bases of its low metabolic adaptation remain rarely explored. Results In this study, we generate a single-nucleus transcriptome atlas of 21 organs/tissues from a female giant panda. We focused on the central metabolic organ (liver) and dissected cellular metabolic status by cross-species comparison. Adaptive expression mode (i.e., AMPK related) was prominently displayed in the hepatocyte of giant panda. In the highest energy-consuming organ, the heart, we found a possibly optimized utilization of fatty acid. Detailed cell subtype annotation of endothelial cells showed the uterine-specific deficiency of blood vascular subclasses, indicating a potential adaptation for a low reproductive energy expenditure. Conclusions Our findings shed light on the possible cellular basis and transcriptomic regulatory clues for the low metabolism in giant pandas and helped to understand physiological adaptation response to nutrient stress.

With the popularization of higher education, the competition in the employment market of college students is becoming increasingly intense. To enhance the employment efficiency and satisfaction of college students. The study first analyzes college students’ employment unit selection, attribute preference, and location preference through an employment recommendation algorithm. The collaborative filtering algorithm is utilized to complete personalized modeling and output the final recommendation results based on the acquired employment preferences and relevant data collection. Finally, the gradient descent method is used to evaluate the accuracy of college students’ employment recommendations. The results show that the overall educational requirements of enterprises for the three significant positions of short video production, account operation and anchor are not high, and the percentage of those with education of high school or below or master’s degree or above is meager, neither exceeding 3.5%. The personalized employment recommendation algorithm can provide scientific and reasonable guidance for graduates’ employment, with an accuracy rate of up to 50% and a recommendation list length of N=30. When α=0.75, the personalized employment recommendation algorithm can obtain better recommendation performance with smaller recommendation list length. This paper provides new solutions for college students’ employment and valuable references and lessons for research in related fields.

The intelligent development of society has brought new impetus to English teaching in universities, which has led education workers to update their education philosophy and realize the integration and innovation of teaching methods. This paper takes advantage of the Internet’s advantages in blended teaching as the entry point and constructs a blended learning model for English teaching. To verify the innovation and practicability of the model in teaching, the evaluation index system of the blended learning model of English teaching is constructed on the basis of the CIPP model, and the variance maximization idea is used to combine the weights of principal component analysis and entropy weights, which guarantees the scientificity and objectivity of the weights of the evaluation indexes. The blended learning model of teaching was quantitatively analyzed in terms of teaching objectives, programs, processes, and effects using examples. The results show that the blended learning model of English teaching is conducive to improving the level of English teaching in colleges and universities, and its overall evaluation score is 3.59, which is a good level. Each first-level index in the evaluation index system has a score range of 3.2 to 3.7, which is a good level overall. Under the background of the Internet, the introduction of blended teaching can effectively innovate English teaching, and on the basis of focusing on students’ learning behaviors, we should pay attention to the guiding role of teachers so as to boost the quality of English teaching.

Abstract Propionic acidemia (PA) is a rare autosomal recessive congenital disease caused by mutations in the PCCA or PCCB genes. Elevated propionylcarnitine, 2-methylcitric acid (2MCA), propionylglycine, glycine and 3-hydroxypropionate can be used to diagnose PA. Early-onset PA can lead to acute deterioration, metabolic acidosis, and hyperammonemia shortly after birth, which can result in high mortality and disability. Late-onset cases of PA have a more heterogeneous clinical spectra, including growth retardation, intellectual disability, seizures, basal ganglia lesions, pancreatitis, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, adaptive immune defects, rhabdomyolysis, optic atrophy, hearing loss, premature ovarian failure, and chronic kidney disease. Timely and accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment are crucial to saving patients’ lives and improving their prognosis. Recently, the number of reported PA cases in China has increased due to advanced diagnostic techniques and increased research attention. However, an overview of PA prevalence in China is lacking. Therefore, this review provides an overview of recent advances in the pathogenesis, diagnostic strategies, and treatment of PA, including epidemiological data on PA in China. The most frequent variants among Chinese PA patients are c.2002G > A in PCCA and c.1301C > T in PCCB, which are often associated with severe clinical symptoms. At present, liver transplantation from a living (heterozygous parental) donor is a better option for treating PA in China, especially for those exhibiting a severe metabolic phenotype and/or end-organ dysfunction. However, a comprehensive risk–benefit analysis should be conducted as an integral part of the decision-making process. This review will provide valuable information for the medical care of Chinese patients with PA.