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Abstract Background Medical school learning environment (MSLE) has a holistic impact on students’ psychosomatic health, academic achievements, and personal development. Students in different grades perceive MSLE in different ways. Thus, it is essential to investigate the specific role of student’s grade in the perception of MSLE. Methods Using the Johns Hopkins Learning Environment Scale (JHLES) as a quantification instrument for the perception level of MSLE, 10,901 medical students in 12 universities in China were categorized into low or high JHLES group according to their questionnaires. We investigated the relationship between student’s grade and JHLES category by univariate analysis employing Pearson Chi-square test and Welch’s ANOVA. Then multivariable logistic regression analysis confirmed the predictive efficacy of student’s grade. A nomogram concerning the prediction of low JHLES score probability in medical students was also constructed. Results A significant difference between two JHLES categories among students in different grades was observed (p

Abstract Automated detection and identification of vegetable diseases can enhance vegetable quality and increase profits. Images of greenhouse-grown vegetable diseases often feature complex backgrounds, a diverse array of diseases, and subtle symptomatic differences. Previous studies have grappled with accurately pinpointing lesion positions and quantifying infection degrees, resulting in overall low recognition rates. To tackle the challenges posed by insufficient validation datasets and low detection and recognition rates, this study capitalizes on the geographical advantage of Shouguang, renowned as the “Vegetable Town,” to establish a self-built vegetable base for data collection and validation experiments. Concentrating on a broad spectrum of fruit and vegetable crops afflicted with various diseases, we conducted on-site collection of greenhouse disease images, compiled a large-scale dataset, and introduced the Space-Time Fusion Attention Network (STFAN). STFAN integrates multi-source information on vegetable disease occurrences, bolstering the model’s resilience. Additionally, we proposed the Multilayer Encoder-Decoder Feature Fusion Network (MEDFFN) to counteract feature disappearance in deep convolutional blocks, complemented by the Boundary Structure Loss function to guide the model in acquiring more detailed and accurate boundary information. By devising a detection and recognition model that extracts high-resolution feature representations from multiple sources, precise disease detection and identification were achieved. This study offers technical backing for the holistic prevention and control of vegetable diseases, thereby advancing smart agriculture. Results indicate that, on our self-built VDGE dataset, compared to YOLOv7-tiny, YOLOv8n, and YOLOv9, the proposed model (Multisource Information Fusion Method for Vegetable Disease Detection, MIFV) has improved mAP by 3.43%, 3.02%, and 2.15%, respectively, showcasing significant performance advantages. The MIFV model parameters stand at 39.07 M, with a computational complexity of 108.92 GFLOPS, highlighting outstanding real-time performance and detection accuracy compared to mainstream algorithms. This research suggests that the proposed MIFV model can swiftly and accurately detect and identify vegetable diseases in greenhouse environments at a reduced cost.

Objective Clinical concerns exist regarding the quality of bony consolidation in the context of the induced membrane technique. This study evaluates the clinical process of bone grafting in the second stage of induced membrane bone union in patients with tibial bone defects to infer the possibility of non‐union and establish a reliable and effective evaluation method combined with computed tomography (CT) to assess fracture healing. Methods Patients with tibial bone defects who underwent the induced membrane technique at our hospital between February 2017 and February 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The Hounsfield unit (HU) values of the patients were evaluated at different times during the second stage of bone grafting. Bone healing at the boundary value of the 120 HU output threshold (−1024 HU–3071 HU) was directionally selected, and the changes in the growth volume of union (new bone volume [selected according to HU value]/bone defect volume) were compared with analyzing individual class bone union. Method 1 involved X‐rays revealing that at least three of the four cortices were continuous and at least 2 mm thick, with the patient being pain free. For Method 2, new bone volume (selected according to HU value/bone defect volume) at the stage was compared with analyzing individual class healing. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used for Methods 1 and 2. Results A total of 42 patients with a segmental bone defect with a mean age of 40.5 years (40.5 ± 8.3 years) were included. The relationship between bone graft volume and time variation was analyzed by single factor repeated variable analysis (F = 6.477, p = 0.016). Further, curve regression analysis showed that the change in bone graft volume over time presented a logarithmic curve pattern (Y = 0.563 + 0.086 × ln(X), Ra2 = 0.608, p = 0.041). ROC curve analysis showed that Method 2 is superior to Method 1 (AUC: 86.3% vs. 68.3%, p

Facing the continuous improvement of war complexity under the trend of system-of-systems confrontation,this paper introduces MBSE to the modeling design of complex system-of-systems combat. Adopting Unified Architecture Framework, a modeling method based on scenes is proposed by sorting out the modeling needs and internal mechanisms of system operations. Taking the task that searching and attacking multiple target as an example,various kinds of view is constructed including strategic, operating, resources and services. Then, logic verification is carried out based on the model. This method can provide a reference for system-of-system combat design and UAF application.

Background: There has been widespread concern about the high cancer mortality rate and the shortcomings of conventional cancer treatments. Immunotherapy is a novel oncology therapy with high efficiency and low side effects, which is a revolutionary direction for clinical oncology treatment. However, its clinical effectiveness is uneven. Based on the redefinition and reclassification of programmed cell death (PCD) (divided into necroptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, and autophagy), the role of nanomedicine-induced PCD in cancer therapy has also received significant attention. Clinical and preclinical studies have begun to combine PCD with immunotherapy. Aim of review: In this article, we present recent research in tumor immunotherapy, provide an overview of how nanomedicine-induced PCD is involved in tumor therapy, and review how nanomedicine-induced PCD can improve the limitations of immunotherapy to enhance tumor immunotherapy. The future development of nanomedicine-mediated PCD tumor therapy and tumor immunotherapy is also proposed Key scientific concepts of overview Nanomedicine-induced PCD is a prospective method of tumor immunotherapy. Nanomedicines increase tumor site penetration and targeting ability, and nanomedicine-mediated PCD activation can stimulate powerful anti-tumor immune effects, which has a good contribution to immunotherapy of tumors.

Background Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common clinical condition with a decades-long course. Long-term and personalised health management in community hospitals is the best way to prevent and treat KOA, and non-surgical treatment is an effective way to slow joint degeneration and postpone joint replacement surgery. Objective To understand the population characteristics, clinical staging and treatment modality characteristics of the population attending community hospitals for knee osteoarthritis, in order to provide a basis for optimising the treatment protocol for knee osteoarthritis at the grassroots level. Method All streets in the urban area of Beijing were randomly selected for the study using the whole cluster sampling method, and Hepingli Street in Dongcheng District, Beijing was censored for all patients who attended all community hospitals (7) belonging to the street from January to June 2022, and general information, medical history, personal history, clinical staging, K-L grading and treatment modalities were collected. Results A total of 3 615 KOA patients were included in this study, including 1 327 males (36.71%) and 2 288 females (63.29%), aged (71.8±13.3) years. There were 867 cases (23.98%) in the onset period, 2009 cases (55.57%) in the remission period and 739 cases (20.45%) in the rehabilitation period. Gender and age of patients with different clinical stages were not correlated with clinical stages (P>0.05), while BMI (K=0.235) and KL grading (K=0.406) were correlated with clinical stages (P

The recently developed data-driven eigenmatrix method shows very promising reconstruction accuracy in sparse recovery for a wide range of kernel functions and random sample locations. However, its current implementation can lead to numerical instability if the threshold tolerance is not appropriately chosen. To incorporate regularization techniques, we have proposed to regularize the eigenmatrix method by replacing the computation of an ill-conditioned pseudo-inverse by the solution of an ill-conditioned least squares system, which can be efficiently treated by Tikhonov regularization. Extensive numerical examples confirmed the improved effectiveness of our proposed method, especially when the noise levels were relatively high.

Abstract Re-poling of unexpected partially depoled piezoelectric materials conventionally needs to be first fully depoled through annealing above their Curie temperature to revive piezoelectric performances. Here, we investigated de-poling and re-poling of Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 single crystals under electric fields at room temperature. We found that alternating current electric fields with amplitudes near the coercive field at low frequencies (

Abstract Background This study explores the diagnostic value of combining fractional-order calculus (FROC) diffusion-weighted model with simultaneous multi-slice (SMS) acceleration technology in distinguishing benign and malignant breast lesions. Methods 178 lesions (73 benign, 105 malignant) underwent magnetic resonance imaging with diffusion-weighted imaging using multiple b-values (14 b-values, highest 3000 s/mm2). Independent samples t-test or Mann-Whitney U test compared image quality scores, FROC model parameters (D,, ), and ADC values between two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified independent variables and constructed nomograms. Model discrimination ability was assessed with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration chart. Spearman correlation analysis and Bland-Altman plot evaluated parameter correlation and consistency. Results Malignant lesions exhibited lower D, and ADC values than benign lesions (P

Abstract Background To understand the clinical characteristics and prognosis of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-related encephalopathy in children. Methods A retrospective analysis of the data of children who were diagnosed with RSV-related encephalopathy and admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of Beijing Children’s Hospital between November 2016 and November 2023 was performed. Results Four hundred and sixty-four children with RSV infection were treated in the PICU, and eight of these patients (1.7%) were diagnosed with RSV-related encephalopathy. The mean age of the patients was 24.89 (5.92 ∼ 36.86) months. Two patients had underlying diseases. The time from the onset of illness to impaired consciousness was 3 (1.88–3.75) days. Five patients had convulsions, and three patients had an epileptic status. The serum procalcitonin (PCT) level was 1.63 (0.24, 39.85) ng/ml for the eight patients, and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) protein level was 232 (163 ∼ 848) g/L. Among the 8 patients, four patients underwent electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring or examination. One patient showed continuous low-voltage, nonresponsive activity, and another patient displayed persistent slow waves, the remaining two patients had negative results. One patient had a combination of acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) and acute encephalopathy with biphasic seizures and late reduced diffusion (AESD). Additionally, one patient had ANE, and another had acute brain swelling (ABS). One patient died in the hospital, and the other seven patients were discharged with improvement. Routine follow-up was conducted for 4.58(0.5 ∼ 6.50) years, and all patients fully recovered. Conclusions RSV-related encephalopathy could have varying clinical manifestations, and some types, such as ANE and ABS, are dangerous and can lead to death.

Abstract Background This study investigated the molecular mechanism of long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1605 (LINC01605) in the process of tumor growth and liver metastasis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods LINC01605 was filtered out with specificity through TCGA datasets (related to DFS) and our RNA-sequencing data of PDAC tissue samples from Renji Hospital. The expression level and clinical relevance of LINC01605 were then verified in clinical cohorts and samples by immunohistochemical staining assay and survival analysis. Loss- and gain-of-function experiments were performed to estimate the regulatory effects of LINC01605 in vitro. RNA-seq of LINC01605-knockdown PDAC cells and subsequent inhibitor-based cellular function, western blotting, immunofluorescence and rescue experiments were conducted to explore the mechanisms by which LINC01605 regulates the behaviors of PDAC tumor cells. Subcutaneous xenograft models and intrasplenic liver metastasis models were employed to study its role in PDAC tumor growth and liver metastasis in vivo. Results LINC01605 expression is upregulated in both PDAC primary tumor and liver metastasis tissues and correlates with poor clinical prognosis. Loss and gain of function experiments in cells demonstrated that LINC01605 promotes the proliferation and migration of PDAC cells in vitro. In subsequent verification experiments, we found that LINC01605 contributes to PDAC progression through cholesterol metabolism regulation in a LIN28B-interacting manner by activating the mTOR signaling pathway. Furthermore, the animal models showed that LINC01605 facilitates the proliferation and metastatic invasion of PDAC cells in vivo. Conclusions Our results indicate that the upregulated lncRNA LINC01605 promotes PDAC tumor cell proliferation and migration by regulating cholesterol metabolism via activation of the mTOR signaling pathway in a LIN28B-interacting manner. These findings provide new insight into the role of LINC01605 in PDAC tumor growth and liver metastasis as well as its value for clinical approaches as a metabolic therapeutic target in PDAC.

Abstract Osteosarcoma (OS) is a heterogeneous malignant spindle cell tumor that is aggressive and has a poor prognosis. Although combining surgery and chemotherapy has significantly improved patient outcomes, the prognosis for OS patients with metastatic or recurrent OS has remained unsatisfactory. Therefore, it is imperative to gain a fresh perspective on OS development mechanisms and treatment strategies. After studying single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data in public databases, we identified seven OS subclonal types based on intra-tumor heterogeneity. Subsequently, we constructed a prognostic model based on pro-protein synthesis osteosarcoma (PPS-OS)-associated genes. Correlation analysis showed that the prognostic model performs extremely well in predicting OS patient prognosis. We also demonstrated that the independent risk factors for the prognosis of OS patients were tumor primary site, metastatic status, and risk score. Based on these factors, nomograms were constructed for predicting the 3- and 5-year survival rates. Afterward, the investigation of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) revealed the vital roles of γδ T-cell and B-cell activation. Drug sensitivity analysis and immune checkpoint analysis identified drugs that have potential application value in OS. Finally, the jumping translocation breakpoint (JTB) gene was selected for experimental validation. JTB silencing suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of OS cells. Therefore, our research suggests that PPS-OS-related genes facilitate the malignant progression of OS and may be employed as prognostic indicators and therapeutic targets in OS.

Abstract Background Metabolic dysregulation is recognized as a significant hallmark of cancer progression. Although numerous studies have linked specific metabolic pathways to cancer incidence, the causal relationship between blood metabolites and lung cancer risk remains unclear. Methods Genomic data from 29,266 lung cancer patients and 56,450 control individuals from the Transdisciplinary Research in Cancer of the Lung and the International Lung Cancer Consortium (TRICL-ILCCO) were utilized, and findings were replicated using additional data from the FinnGen consortium. The analysis focused on the associations between 486 blood metabolites and the susceptibility to overall lung cancer and its three major clinical subtypes. Various Mendelian randomization methods, including inverse-variance weighting, weighted median estimation, and MR-Egger regression, were employed to ensure the robustness of our findings. Results A total of 19 blood metabolites were identified with significant associations with lung cancer risk. Specifically, oleate (OR per SD = 2.56, 95% CI: 1.51 to 4.36), 1-arachidonoylglyceropholine (OR = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.22 to 2.65), and arachidonate (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.16 to 2.40) were associated with a higher risk of lung cancer. Conversely, 1-linoleoylglycerophosphoethanolamine (OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.40 to 0.82), ADpSGEGDFXAEGGGVR, a fibrinogen cleavage peptide (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.47 to 0.77), and isovalerylcarnitine (OR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.49 to 0.78) were associated with a lower risk of lung cancer. Notably, isoleucine (OR = 9.64, 95% CI: 2.55 to 36.38) was associated with a significantly higher risk of lung squamous cell cancer, while acetyl phosphate (OR = 0.11, 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.89) was associated with a significantly lower risk of small cell lung cancer. Conclusion This study reveals the complex relationships between specific blood metabolites and lung cancer risk, highlighting their potential as biomarkers for lung cancer prevention, screening, and treatment. The findings not only deepen our understanding of the metabolic mechanisms of lung cancer but also provide new insights for future treatment strategies.

Abstract Peripheral arterial diseases (PAD) have been reported to be the leading cause for limb amputations, and the current therapeutic strategies including antiplatelet medication or intervene surgery are reported to not clinically benefit the patients with high-grade PAD. To this respect, revascularization based on angiogenetic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene therapy was attempted for the potential treatment of critical PAD. Aiming for transcellular delivery of VEGF-encoding plasmid DNA (pDNA), we proposed to elaborate intriguing virus-like DNA condensates, wherein the supercoiled rigid micrometer-scaled plasmid DNA (pDNA) could be regulated in an orderly fashion into well-defined nano-toroids by following a self-spooling process with the aid of cationic block copolymer poly(ethylene glycol)-polylysine at an extraordinary ionic strength (NaCl: 600 mM). Moreover, reversible disulfide crosslinking was proposed between the polylysine segments with the aim of stabilizing these intriguing toroidal condensates. Pertaining to the critical hindlimb ischemia, our proposed toroidal VEGF-encoding pDNA condensates demonstrated high levels of VEGF expression at the dosage sites, which consequently contributed to the neo-vasculature (the particularly abundant formation of micro-vessels in the injected hindlimb), preventing the hindlimb ischemia from causing necrosis at the extremities. Moreover, excellent safety profiles have been demonstrated by our proposed toroidal condensates, as opposed to the apparent immunogenicity of the naked pDNA. Hence, our proposed virus-like DNA condensates herald potentials as gene therapy platform in persistent expressions of the therapeutic proteins, and might consequently be highlighted in the management of a variety of intractable diseases.

There is a coupling problem between the bias magnetic circuit and the control magnetic circuit of hybrid magnetic levitation bearings, which not only affects the support stiffness of the magnetic bearing, but also increases the difficulty of control and power consumption. To solve this problem, an uncoupled radial hybrid magnetic bearing (RHMB) with four stator cores in the front and rear rows is proposed, which achieves the design of independent magnetic circuit channels for bias magnetic field and control magnetic field. Subsequently, an equivalent magnetic circuit model for the new magnetic bearing was established and its electromagnetic force analytical calculation formula was derived. In order to verify the performance of the new structure and the effectiveness of the analytical model, the ANSYS Electronics Desktop software was used to simulate and analyze its three-dimensional magnetic field distribution, electromagnetic force variation patterns, and coupling characteristics. The results show that the proposed analytical model for the new structure is effective and can effectively linearize the force displacement and force current relationships, which is consistent with the calculation results of the simulation model. In addition, compared to traditional structures, the new structure has better magnetic field decoupling characteristics, which can reduce the eddy current loss of the iron core by 50.12% and the required control current from 2.3A to 1A. The research results can provide theoretical basis for the design and control of magnetic levitation bearings.

Recent advancements in cross-domain object detection have primarily relied on unsupervised domain adaptation (UDA) techniques to bridge domain gaps in remote sensing images. However, traditional UDA approaches require access to source domain data, creating privacy and transmission barriers. In response, we first introduce a novel setting called source-free object detection (SFOD) for remote sensing images. SFOD exclusively leverages pre-trained models from the source domain and unlabeled data from the target domain for adaptation. Our method emphasizes the detection model’s focus on domain-invariant features by ensuring consistency between the perturbed and target domains. We initiate domain perturbation by manipulating domain-specific features at both image and feature levels, guided by considerations of style and color biases. Subsequently, we employ a multi-level alignment mechanism to ensure label-level and feature-level consistency between the perturbed and target domains. Our method incorporates the Mean Teachers framework and prototype-based feature distillation to alleviate noise arising from pseudo-labels. Extensive experiments conducted across various adaptation scenarios validate the effectiveness of our approach.

The aviation grade-maintained recycling of 7XXX aluminum alloy has been achieved. However, there is still a lack of research on the optimization of the microstructure and properties of recycled aviation alloy. This work explores the effect of solid solution treatment on the microstructure and properties of recycled 7050-T7451 plate and its mechanism. The mechanism of “solid solution synergistic regulation of mechanics and corrosion resistance” was elucidated. After the solid solution of recycled aviation aluminum plates, the incomplete dissolution of Al2CuMg caused stress concentration and deteriorated the mechanical properties. In addition, the Cu clusters promoted the anodic dissolution of Al, reducing the corrosion resistance. Therefore, the solution temperature of recycled 7050 sheet was increased from 470 °C to 480 °C for 100 min. And the residual Al2CuMg was reduced by 56.6%, which synergistically improved the mechanical and corrosion resistance properties of recycled 7050 plates. The mechanical properties of two sets of recycled 7050-T7451 plates reached 516.3 MPa and 522.0 MPa, with elongation 17.5% and 17.3%, and there was no intergranular corrosion. This work explored the regulation mechanism of microstructure and properties of recycled 7050-T7451 plate, laying the foundation for the application of recycled aviation aluminum alloys.

Abstract Background Deposition of amyloid β, which is produced by amyloidogenic cleavage of APP by β- and γ-secretase, is one of the primary hallmarks of AD pathology. APP can also be processed by α- and γ-secretase sequentially, to generate sAPPα, which has been shown to be neuroprotective by promoting neurite outgrowth and neuronal survival, etc. Methods The global expression profiles of miRNA in blood plasma samples taken from 11 AD patients as well as from 14 age and sex matched cognitively normal volunteers were analyzed using miRNA-seq. Then, overexpressed miR-140 and miR-122 both in vivo and in vitro, and knock-down of the endogenous expression of miR-140 and miR-122 in vitro. Used a combination of techniques, including molecular biology, immunohistochemistry, to detect the impact of miRNAs on AD pathology. Results In this study, we identified that two miRNAs, miR-140-3p and miR-122-5p, both targeting ADAM10, the main α-secretase in CNS, were upregulated in the blood plasma of AD patients. Overexpression of these two miRNAs in mouse brains induced cognitive decline in wild type C57BL/6J mice as well as exacerbated dyscognition in APP/PS1 mice. Although significant changes in APP and total Aβ were not detected, significantly downregulated ADAM10 and its non-amyloidogenic product, sAPPα, were observed in the mouse brains overexpressing miR-140/miR-122. Immunohistology analysis revealed increased neurite dystrophy that correlated with the reduced microglial chemotaxis in the hippocampi of these mice, independent of the other two ADAM10 substrates (neuronal CX3CL1 and microglial TREM2) that were involved in regulating the microglial immunoactivity. Further in vitro analysis demonstrated that both the reduced neuritic outgrowth of mouse embryonic neuronal cells overexpressing miR-140/miR-122 and the reduced Aβ phagocytosis in microglia cells co-cultured with HT22 cells overexpressing miR-140/miR-122 could be rescued by overexpressing the specific inhibitory sequence of miR-140/miR-122 TuD as well as by addition of sAPPα, rendering these miRNAs as potential therapeutic targets. Conclusions Our results suggested that neuroprotective sAPPα was a key player in the neuropathological progression induced by dysregulated expression of miR-140 and miR-122. Targeting these miRNAs might serve as a promising therapeutic strategy in AD treatment.

Abstract The expression dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNA) has been widely reported during cancer development, however, the underling mechanism remains largely unanswered. In the present work, we performed a systematic integrative study for genome-wide DNA methylation, copy number variation and miRNA expression data to identify mechanisms underlying miRNA dysregulation in lower grade glioma. We identify 719 miRNAs whose expression was associated with alterations of copy number variation or promoter methylation. Integrative multi-omics analysis revealed four subtypes with differing prognoses. These glioma subtypes exhibited distinct immune-related characteristics as well as clinical and genetic features. By construction of a miRNA regulatory network, we identified candidate miRNAs associated with immune evasion and response to immunotherapy. Finally, eight prognosis related miRNAs were validated to promote cell migration, invasion and proliferation through in vitro experiments. Our study reveals the crosstalk among DNA methylation, copy number variation and miRNA expression for immune regulation in glioma, and could have important implications for patient stratification and development of biomarkers for immunotherapy approaches.

Purpose: Under-foot impact loadings can cause serious lower limb injuries in many activities, such as automobile collisions and underbody explosions to military vehicles. The present study aims to compare the biomechanical responses of the mainstream vehicle occupant dummies with the human body lower limb model and analyze their robustness and applicability for assessing lower limb injury risk in under-foot impact loading environments. Methods: The Hybrid III model, the test device for human occupant restraint (THOR) model, and a hybrid human body model with the human active lower limb model were adopted for under-foot impact analysis regarding different impact velocities and initial lower limb postures. Results: The results show that the 2 dummy models have larger peak tibial axial force and higher sensitivity to the impact velocities and initial postures than the human lower limb model. In particular, the Hybrid III dummy model presented extremely larger peak tibial axial forces than the human lower limb model. In the case of minimal difference in tibial axial force, Hybrid III's tibial axial force (7.5 KN) is still 312.5% that of human active lower limb's (2.4 KN). Even with closer peak tibial axial force values, the biomechanical response curve shapes of the THOR model show significant differences from the human lower limb model. Conclusion: Based on the present results, the Hybrid III dummy cannot be used to evaluate the lower limb injury risk in under-foot loading environments. In contrast, potential improvement in ankle biofidelity and related soft tissues of the THOR dummy can be implemented in the future for better applicability.

BackgroundTargeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS) has become a trending tool in the field of infection diagnosis, but concerns are also raising about its performance compared with metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS). This study aims to explore the clinical feasibility of a tNGS panel for respiratory tract infection diagnosis and compare it with mNGS in the same cohort of inpatients.Methods180 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples were collected and sent to two centers for mNGS and tNGS blinded tests, respectively. The concordance between pathogen reports of both methods and the clinical significance among samples with/without known etiology was further evaluated.ResultsOverall, both methods displayed high agreement on pathogen reports, as the average percent agreement reached 95.29%. But tNGS presented a slightly higher detection rate per species than mNGS (PWilcoxon=1.212e-05; standard mean difference = 0.2887091), as detection rates for 32 out of 48 species were higher than those of mNGS. Due to limitations of panel coverage, tNGS identified 28 fewer species than mNGS, among which only 3 were considered clinically relevant. In reference to composite reference standard, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity combining both tNGS and mNGS reached 95.61%, 96.71%, and 95.68%, respectively, while positive prediction value (PPV) was low at 48.13%, which was caused by low agreement regarding opportunistic pathogens. tNGS and mNGS improved the etiology identification in 30.6% (55/180) and 33.9% (61/180) cases, respectively.ConclusionCollectively, tNGS presented a similar overall performance in pathogen identification compared to mNGS, but outperformed in some pathogens. This study also demonstrated that deployment of tNGS significantly improves etiology identification in routine practice and provides hints for clinical decisions. The low agreement between clinical diagnosis and NGS reports towards opportunistic pathogens implies that adjudication is essential for report interpretation. Finally, We proposed tNGS as a diagnosis option in clinical practice due to its cost-efficiency.

BackgroundCritical illness-associated immune dysfunction (CIID) is prevalent in the ICU and frequently resulted in uncontrollably immune responses. Critical immunological dysfunction is understood to be important, although there are currently no clinically accepted diagnostic criteria for it. Given this, we examined the literature and developed an initial diagnostic criterion that we validated using the MIMIC-IV database.MethodsWe searched the related literature in the last 32 years. Patients admitted to the ICU for the first time were selected by screening the MIMIC-IV database. Different criteria were used to categorize patients into groups related to immune dysfunction (ID) and non-immune dysfunction (NID). Within the ID group, patients were subdivided into three subgroups: hyperinflammatory (HI), immunosuppression (IS), and a subgroup combining immunosuppression and hyperinflammation (HI+IS). The APACHE II was used to measure the patients’ severity. The association between immune dysfunction and mortality after 30 or 180 days was evaluated through the KM curves and COX regression analysis.ResultsBy summarizing relevant literature, we proposed the initial diagnostic criteria. The analysis included 43,965 patients, with approximately 77% meeting the diagnostic criteria for CIID. We observed that patients with immune dysfunction possessed higher APACHE II scores and there were differences in peak APACHE II among the three subgroups. When comparing patients’ 30-day mortality in the COX model, it is evident that patients in the IS subgroup had the lowest risk and patients in the HI subgroup the greatest risk after accounting for all covariates. In contrast, patients in the IS subgroup had the highest risk of death, those in the HI subgroup had the lowest risk when comparing long-term mortality. In summary, we propose and validate diagnostic criteria related to CIID. Subgroup analyses were carried out, which also revealed variations between the three groups.ConclusionThe diagnostic criteria were confirmed by the MIMIC-IV database, demonstrating the diagnostic criteria were scientifically valid and reliable.

IntroductionThe Cinnamomum Camphora var. Borneol (CCB) tree is a valuable timber species with significant medicinal importance, widely cultivated in mountainous areas but susceptible to pests and diseases, making manual surveillance costly.MethodsThis paper proposes a method for detecting CCB pests and diseases using Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as an advanced data collection carrier, capable of gathering large-scale data. To tackle the high cost and challenging data processing issues associated with traditional hyper-spectral/multi-spectral sensors, this method only relies on UAV visible light RGB bands. The process first involves calculating and normalizing 24 visible light vegetation indices from the UAV RGB images of the monitoring area, along with the original RGB bands. To account for the collinearity relationship between indices, the random forest variable importance and correlation coefficient iterative analysis algorithm are employed to select indices, retaining the most important or lowest collinearity multiple vegetation indices. Subsequently, the Beluga Whale Optimization (BWO) algorithm is utilized to generate a new vegetation index, which is then combined with the multi-threshold segmentation method to propose a BWO-weighted ensemble strategy for obtaining the final pests and diseases detection results.Results and discussionThe experimental results suggest that the new BWO-based vegetation index has a higher feature expression ability than single indices, and the new BWO-based ensemble strategy can yield more accurate detection results. This approach provides an effective means for low-cost pests and diseases detection of CCB trees.

In tea (Camellia sinensis), anthocyanins are important secondary metabolites that are linked to leaf color. Anthocyanin biosynthesis is a complex biological process, in which multiple genes including structural and regulatory genes are involved. Here, we describe the cloning and characterizing of a new R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene, CsRAB, isolated from purple tea variety ‘Hongfei’. Consistent with its predicted role as a transcription factor, the CsRAB protein localized to nuclei when expressed in onion (Allium cepa) epidermal cell. A dual-luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that CsRAB acts as a transcriptional activator in vivo. CsRAB overexpression in Arabidopsis seedlings led to higher expression levels of anthocyanin biosynthesis-related genes, and consequently, purple stems and higher anthocyanin contents were exhibited in overexpressing lines compared to wild type. The results indicated that CsRAB plays critical roles in positively regulating anthocyanins biosynthesis in tea plants.

Graphene and its derivatives are widely used in various fields due to their unique two-dimensional lamellar structure. This study aims to synthesize ultra-large graphene oxide (GO) sheets from natural flake graphite and investigate the factors influencing their size. Using a two-intercalation method based on the modified Hummers' method, we address the challenge of intercalating large-diameter graphene oxide by employing a secondary intercalation technique. Three different approaches were explored to control the size of the produced GO sheets. The results revealed that the completeness of the expansion graphite structure after initial intercalation significantly influenced the final GO sheet size, with more complete expansion leading to larger sheets. Optimal processing conditions were identified, involving soaking natural flake graphite in a mixed solution (H2SO4:H2O2 = 4:1), followed by drying at 60 °C for 24 h. Under these conditions, ultra-large GO sheets were predominantly monolayer with an average size of 220.99 μm and a maximum size of 438 μm. These monolayer GO sheets can be chemically reduced to graphene, making them promising for applications in transparent conductive films, optoelectronic devices, and aligned graphene composites.

Under the background of climate change and global warming, extreme drought events in China are becoming increasingly frequent. Drought is one of the primary natural causes of damage to China’s agriculture, economy, and environment, making timely, accurate, and high-resolution drought monitoring particularly crucial. The global standardized precipitation − evapotranspiration index database (SPEIbase) is a widely accepted and used global-scale drought monitoring product. However, limited by its spatial resolution of 0.5 degrees, it is difficult to describe the local spatio-temporal structure of drought. How to improve its spatial resolution while maintaining spatio-temporal consistency is one of the current research hotspots. Based on the response of vegetation growth status to drought, this paper proposes a simple and feasible SPEI prediction method, which improves the resolution of SPEIbase from 0.5 degrees to 1 km. Sixteen remote sensing inversion indices, reflectance and elevation data related to drought were selected from Google Earth Engine (GEE) as features. After preprocessing such as gridding and sample balancing, a random forest regression model was constructed to achieve high spatial resolution prediction of SPEI. SPEI with time scales of 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 24 months in July 2020, August 2019 and August 2018 in China was selected for experiments. The accuracy of 1 km resolution SPEI was evaluated through metrics such as root mean square error (RMSE), Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) and determination coefficient (R2). At the same time, it was compared with the existing 1 km resolution SPEI dataset and the site-scale SPEI values. The results show that the method in this paper can obtain accurate prediction results more stably. The PCC and R2 of different months and multiple time scales are all higher than 0.9 and 0.8, and the RMSE is lower than 0.4, showing a good application prospect. Despite the good consistency between the Proposed SPEI and SPEIbase with the site-scale SPEI values, there is still significant room for improvement.

The Kitaev chiral spin liquid has captured widespread interest in recent decades because of its intrinsic non-Abelian excitations, yet the experimental realization is challenging. Here we propose to realize and detect Kitaev chiral spin liquid in a deformed honeycomb array of Rydberg atoms. With a laser-assisted dipole-dipole interaction mechanism which realizes both effective hopping and pairing terms for hard-core bosons, together with van der Waals interactions, we achieve the pure Kitaev model with high precision. The gapped non-Abelian spin liquid phase is then obtained under experimental conditions. Moreover, we propose innovative strategies to probe the chiral Majorana edge modes by light Bragg scattering and by imagining their chiral motion. Our proposed scheme broadens the range of quantum spin models with exotic topological phases that can be realized and detected in atomic systems, and makes an important step toward manipulating non-Abelian anyons.

Efficient and accurate wind power prediction is crucial for enhancing the reliability and safety of power system. The data-driven forecasting methods are regarded as an effective solution. However, the inherent randomness and nonlinearity of wind power systems, along with the abundance of redundant information in measurement data, present challenges to forecasting methods. The integration of precise and efficient techniques for data feature decomposition and extraction is essential in conjunction with advanced data-driven forecasting models. Focus on the seasonal variation characteristics of wind energy, a hybrid wind power prediction model based on seasonal feature decomposition and enhanced feature extraction is proposed. The effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method in predictive accuracy are demonstrated through comprehensive multi-model experiment comparisons.

The quality of Chinese herbal medicines is the key to the quality of traditional Chinese medicine. The processing of Chinese herbal medicines is an important part of the production and quality formation of medicinal materials. Traditional processing methods have low productivity and cannot guarantee the quality of Chinese herbal medicines. Among various non-thermal processing methods, ultrasonic technology has been proved to be a very valuable green processing technology. This paper will discuss the application of ultrasonic technology in the production and processing of Chinese herbal medicines in recent years, including the extraction, cleaning, drying and sterilization of effective components of Chinese herbal medicines. This review summarizes its principle, characteristics and application progress in recent years, and discusses its existing problems. The effects of ultrasound on the chemical structure and biological activity of bioactive compounds extracted from Chinese herbal medicines are mainly introduced. In addition, this paper discusses the effects of different ultrasonic conditions such as frequency, power, time and temperature on the chemical properties and processing of Chinese herbal medicines. In general, the use of ultrasound in the production and processing of Chinese herbal medicines has great application potential.

Background The prognosis of patients with coronary artery disease is adversely affected by elevated fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels. However, the relationship between FPG levels and in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) remains unclear.Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate the association between FPG levels and IHCA in patients diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).Methods Data from a total of 31,726 ACS patients fitted with inclusion and exclusion criteria across 241 hospitals in the Improving Care for Cardiovascular Disease in China-ACS project from November 2014 to July 2019 were collected. Different logistic regression models were utilized to examine the associations of FPG levels with IHCA. Sensitivity analyses were then conducted to assess the robustness of the findings. Marginal effect analyses were also employed to evaluate the impact of different therapies.Results A total of 335 cases of IHCA and 293 in-hospital mortality were recorded throughout the study. A non-linear relationship between FPG levels and IHCA was identified after adjusting for the covariates. Specifically, a significant association was found between elevated FPG levels (≥6.1 mmol/L) and an increased risk of IHCA. These findings remained consistent across different subgroup analyses including both the diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Additionally, the marginal effect analyses revealed that percutaneous coronary intervention could lower the high FPG-related risk.Conclusions The study findings showed a positive correlation between FPG levels and a higher incidence of IHCA, irrespective of the presence of diabetes.

Background Y-chromosome haplogroup C2a-M48-F8472, a unique paternal line in the ancient Xiongnu population, is concentrated in the modern Han people. The most closely related lineage of this paternal lineage is mainly distributed in Tungusic-, Mongolic-, and Turkic-speaking populations.Aim To investigate the formation process of this unique distribution state.Subjects and methods In total, 36 sequences of haplogroup C2a-M48-F8472 were analysed to generate a revised phylogenetic tree with age estimation and to explore the geographic distribution pattern.Results The results suggested that northern China is likely the diffusion centre of this paternal haplogroup. This lineage is concentrated in the Liu clan (刘姓) of Han populations and may have originated in the Tuge tribe (屠各) of Xiongnu populations. The initial expansion (∼2,600 years ago) and the second phase of expansion (∼1,570 years ago) of haplogroup C2a-M48-F8472 coincide with the earlier appearance and later disappearance of the Tuge tribe. As a sub-clade of M48, the history of F8472 suggested that ancient peoples related to Tungusic-speaking populations were intricately connected with the demographic history of populations in the Mongolian Plateau.Conclusion The appearance of this paternal line in the Han population is helpful for understanding the mixed history of ancient and modern people in the Mongolian Plateau and Central China.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), a major risk factor contributing to diabetes-related morbidity and mortality, manifests as a pathophysiologic condition in humans independently of coronary artery disease or hypertension. Several transcription factors intricately participate in the initiation and progression of associated processes. Among these, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), a pleiotropic transcription factor, assumes a crucial role in regulating oxidative stress, inflammatory response, endothelial dysfunction, myocardial fibrosis and hypertrophy, and cardiomyocyte apoptosis in DCM. However, the precise role of NF-κB in DCM remains a subject of ongoing investigation. This article provides a comprehensive review of NF-κB's involvement in several processes associated with DCM.

ABSTRACTGliomas are the most common type of primary brain tumor. Despite advances in treatment, it remains one of the most aggressive and deadly tumor of the central nervous system (CNS). Gliomas are characterized by high malignancy, heterogeneity, invasiveness, and high resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It is urgent to find potential new molecular targets for glioma. The TRPM channels consist of TRPM1-TPRM8 and play a role in many cellular functions, including proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, etc. More and more studies have shown that TRPM channels can be used as new therapeutic targets for glioma. In this review, we first introduce the structure, activation patterns, and physiological functions of TRPM channels. Additionally, the pathological mechanism of glioma mediated by TRPM2, 3, 7, and 8 and the related signaling pathways are described. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting TRPM for glioma.

Household contacts (HHCs) of patients with active tuberculosis (ATB) are at higher risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) infection. However, the immune factors responsible for different defense responses in HHCs are unknown. Hence, we aimed to evaluate transcriptome signatures in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of HHCs to aid risk stratification. We recruited 112 HHCs of ATB patients and followed them for 6 years. Among the HHCs, only 2 developed ATB, while the remaining HHCs were classified into three groups: (1) HHC-1 group (n = 23): HHCs with consistently positive T-SPOT.TB test, negative chest radiograph, and no clinical symptoms or evidence of ATB during the 6-year follow-up period; (2) HHC-2 group (n = 15): HHCs with an initial positive T-SPOT result that later became negative without evidence of ATB; (3) HHC-3 group (n = 14): HHCs with a consistently negative T-SPOT.TB test and no clinical or radiological evidence of ATB. HHC-2 and HHC-3 were combined as HHC-23 group for analysis. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) in PBMCs, with and without purified protein derivative (PPD) stimulation, identified significant differences in gene signatures between HHC-1 and HHC-23. Gene ontology analysis revealed functions related to bacterial pathogens, leukocyte chemotaxis, and inflammatory and cytokine responses. Modules associated with clinical features in the HHC-23 group were linked to the IL-17 signaling pathway, ferroptosis, complement and coagulation cascades, and the TNF signaling pathway. Validation using real-time PCR confirmed key genes like ATG-7, CXCL-3, and TNFRSF1B associated with infection outcomes in HHCs. Our research enhances understanding of disease mechanisms in HHCs. HHCs with persistent latent tuberculosis infection (HHC-1) showed significantly different gene expression compared to HHCs with no M. tuberculosis infection (HHC-23). These findings can help identify HHCs at risk of developing ATB and guide targeted public health interventions.

For batch time-varying processeswith non-repetitive disturbances, a cross-coupling indirect iterative learning control (CC-iILC) is proposed. The set trajectory of the system on the single axis is accurately tracked by an indirect iterative learning control strategy with a PI controller for its time direction and a closed-loop feedback control strategy for the batch direction. Under the asymptotically stable condition of the two-dimensional (2D) dynamic model, the optimal control law is obtained by optimizing the H-infinity control function. To avoid the contour error during coupling, the cross-coupling technique is used to distribute the contour error to each axis for compensation. The stability condition of the indirect iterative learning controller is analyzed by a two-dimensional Fornasini-Marchesini (FM) batch dynamics model and two-dimensional robust H-infinity control theory. The feasibility and superiority of the proposed control method are verified by numerical simulation and experimental tests.

Abstract The degeneration of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and the decline in motor function are common features of aging, but the underlying mechanisms have remained largely unclear. This study reveals that Sirt6 is reduced in aged mouse muscles. Ablation of Sirt6 in skeletal muscle causes a reduction of Dystrophin levels, resulting in premature NMJ degeneration, compromised neuromuscular transmission, and a deterioration in motor performance. Mechanistic studies show that Sirt6 negatively regulates the stability of the Dystrophin repressor YY1 (Yin Yang 1). Specifically, Sirt6 mono‐ADP‐ribosylates YY1, causing its disassociation from the Dystrophin promoter and allowing YY1 to bind to the SMURF2 E3 ligase, leading to its degradation. Importantly, supplementation with nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) enhances the mono‐ADP‐ribosylation of YY1 and effectively delays NMJ degeneration and the decline in motor function in elderly mice. These findings provide valuable insights into the intricate mechanisms underlying NMJ degeneration during aging. Targeting Sirt6 could be a potential therapeutic approach to mitigate the detrimental effects on NMJ degeneration and improve motor function in the elderly population.

Abstract Decoding gene regulatory networks is essential for understanding the mechanisms underlying many complex diseases. GENET is developed, an automated system designed to extract and visualize extensive molecular relationships from published biomedical literature. Using natural language processing, entities and relations are identified from a randomly selected set of 1788 scientific articles, and visualized in a filterable knowledge graph. The performance of GENET is evaluated and compared with existing methods. The named entity recognition model has achieved an overall precision of 94.23% (4835/5131; 93.56–94.84%), recall of 97.72% (4835/4948; 97.27–98.10%), and an F1 score of 95.94%. The relation extraction model has demonstrated an overall precision of 91.63% (2593/2830; 90.55–92.59%), recall of 89.17% (2593/2908; 87.99–90.25%), and an F1 score of 90.38%. GENET significantly outperforms existing methods in extracting molecular relationships (P

BackgroundCerebral syphilitic gumma (CSG), a rare manifestation of neurosyphilis, presents characteristics akin to intracranial tumors, often leading to clinical misdiagnosis.ObjectiveThis study aimed to summarize the clinical experience in diagnosing and treating CSG.Materials and methodsThe present study conducted a retrospective analysis of clinical data, encompassing the baseline characteristics, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of eight patients with CSG who were treated and diagnosed by our institution.ResultsThe median age at the initial diagnosis was 57.5 years, comprising six males and two females. The predominant clinical manifestations included headaches in eight cases, motor and sensory disorders in four cases, epileptic seizures in one case, and dysarthria in one patient. The serum Treponema pallidum haemagglutination assay (TPHA) and toluidine red unheated serum test (TRUST) yielded positive in all eight patients. The contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed irregular ring-shaped enhancement of lesions in three patients, while nodular enhancement of lesions was observed in five patients. In terms of treatment, seven patients underwent surgery. The postoperative pathological tissue showed granulomatous inflammation. Six patients exhibited an elevated protein concentration in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), while two patients demonstrated a reduced CSF glucose level. Additionally, positive results were obtained for both CSF TPHA and TRUST in all eight patients. The clinical diagnosis of CSG was confirmed in eight patients who exhibited notable clinical improvement following penicillin treatment. Subsequent reevaluation of the imaging findings demonstrated complete resolution of the enhanced lesions.ConclusionIn clinical practice, CSG should be considered for patients with intracranial lesions and positive serum syphilis antibodies. Timely and accurate diagnosis enables patients with CSG to achieve a more favorable prognosis through active anti-syphilis treatment.

Objective This study aims to evaluate the impact of economic status on the cause-specific survival (CSS) of patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC). Methods Using propensity score matching (PSM), we analyzed data from 4676 patients with EAC, categorized into low household income (LHI) and high household income (HHI), sourced from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Significant pre-PSM differences in age, gender, race, and tumor stage (T stage) were observed, necessitating PSM adjustment. The PSM incorporated these variables along with radiotherapy to balance the groups effectively. Kaplan–Meier curves and accelerated failure time (AFT) and random survival forest (RSF) models were used to assess the prognostic impacts. Results According to the pre-PSM data, a significant difference in CSS was observed between the LHI and HHI groups (median CSS = 1.25 years vs 1.50 years, P < .05). Post-PSM analysis maintained the result ( P < .05). Using the AFT model, HHI was found to significantly enhance CSS (pre-PSM time ratio [TR] = 1.145, post-PSM TR = 1.146). Male gender (pre-PSM TR = 0.762, post-PSM TR = 0.819) and certain non-single marital statuses (such as divorced, pre- and post-TRs

Background: The catheter tip placed between the T6 and T7 vertebrae is recognized as an optimal position for the totally implantable venous access ports (TIVAPs). This study aimed to propose a simple formula for calculating the optimal insertion depth of the right internal jugular central venous catheter (CVC) of TIVAP in Chinese patients. Methods: This was a prospective observational study. The medical records of 151 patients with TIVAPs placement were retrospectively analyzed. Patient's height and actual insertion depth of CVC were used to build a simple linear regression model. The Peres' formula was revised to better calculate the optimal insertion depth of the right internal jugular CVC of TIVAPs, accounting for population-specific anatomical variations observed in Chinese patients. A total of 158 patients scheduled for TIVAPs placement were prospectively recruited. The insertion depth of catheter was preoperatively determined according to the established formula, and postoperative chest X-ray was performed to determine the position of catheter tip. The rate of proper position of catheter (the catheter tip within T6 or T7 vertebrae) was calculated to assess the clinical feasibility and effectiveness of the new formula. Results: The proper position rate was 64.24 % (97/151) in the retrospective group. According to patients' height and insertion depth of CVC of these 97 cases with proper position, Peres' formula was revised to ‘insertion depth = 0.1∗height – 4 (cm)’. Based on insertion depth predicted by the new formula, the proper position rate in the prospective group reached 86.08 % (136/158). Conclusion: The simple formula for calculating the insertion depth of right internal jugular CVC of TIVAPs is clinically feasible for Chinese patients.

Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) lead to increased morbidity and premature deaths, imposing a significant burden on public health worldwide. Recently, several studies have linked ambient air pollution with the acute exacerbation of certain ILDs, but the evidence remains limited and inconclusive. With a multicenter hospital-based case-crossover design, we investigated 9128 patients who resided in Jiangsu province, China, and were admitted for ILDs between 2019 and 2022. Residential exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5), PM10, sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3) was assessed using our validated grid datasets. We fitted conditional logistic regression models to examine associations of exposure to air pollutants with ILD admission. A 10 µg/m3 increment of exposure to SO2 and NO2 was positively associated with a 16.18 % (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 3.79 %, 30.03 %) and 4.06 % (0.75 %, 7.49 %) increase in odds of ILD admission, respectively. All these associations appeared to be linear and the association of SO2 exposure was significantly stronger among older adults. We estimated that over 10 % of ILD admissions could be attributable to exposure to SO2 and NO2. This study provides compelling evidence on the association of exposure to ambient air pollutants (including SO2 and NO2) with an increased odds of ILD hospitalizations. Our findings indicate that SO2 and NO2 exposures can lead to the exacerbation of ILDs, especially in elderly, and that the disease burden is considerable.

IntroductionMucosal deficiency is one of the most challenging conditions in patients with acute severe ulcerative colitis (ASUC). Intravenous corticosteroids (CS) are the first-line treatment, with infliximab (IFX) used as a rescue therapy. However, the efficacy remains unsatisfactory. We investigated whether CS combined with IFX as first-line therapy would improve outcomes in patients with ASUC with mucosal deficiency.MethodsA retrospective study was performed at a tertiary inflammatory bowel disease center. The primary outcomes included clinical remission, endoscopic improvement, and endoscopic remission at week 14. The secondary outcomes included the colectomy rate within 90 days and durable clinical remission.ResultsA total of 43 patients with ASUC with mucosal deficiency were included in the analysis (25 in the CS combined with the IFX group and 18 in the CS sequential IFX group). At week 14, endoscopic improvement was observed in 21 of 25 patients (84.0%) receiving the CS combined with the IFX regimen, compared to 9 of 18 (50.0%) patients receiving the CS sequential IFX regimen (p = 0.017). Durable clinical remission rates were significantly higher in the combined group than in the sequential group (85.7% vs. 35.7%, p = 0.004). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of clinical and endoscopic remission at week 14 or colectomy rate within 90 days. Multivariate analysis confirmed that the CS combined with the IFX regimen was an independent predictive factor for a higher endoscopic improvement rate at week 14 (odds ratio (OR) 8.428, 95%confidence interval (CI) 1.539–46.153, p = 0.014) and a higher durable clinical remission rate (OR 10.800, 95%CI 2.095–55.666, p = 0.004).ConclusionCS combined with IFX as first-line therapy may be an effective induction strategy in patients with ASUC with mucosal deficiency. Further large-scale, multicenter prospective studies are needed.

ObjectiveThe aim of this investigation was to assess the diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy of G2 and S-phase expressed 1 (GTSE1) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), while examining its impact on immune infiltration and drug treatment mechanisms.MethodsThis research involved examining the expression patterns and diagnostic accuracy of GTSE1 in LUAD using various databases and clinical samples. The databases utilized included Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Both gene expression and protein levels were analyzed. Subsequently, the prognostic ability of GTSE1 was evaluated based on clinical follow-up data using methods such as using univariate, multivariate, and prognostic meta-analysis. Additionally, potential mechanisms of action of GTSE1 were explored through enrichment analysis. Furthermore, the correlation between GTSE1 expression and the tumor microenvironment, immune cell infiltration, and immune checkpoints was assessed using ESTIMATE and CIBERSORT algorithms. The effectiveness of chemotherapy and targeted therapy was predicted using the “pRophetic” R package, which analyzed gene expression data.ResultsAnalysis of GEO data, CPTAC data, TCGA data, and clinical samples revealed increased levels of GTSE1 in LUAD tissues. Enhanced GTSE1 expression demonstrated excellent diagnostic accuracy and served as a significant prognostic indicator for LUAD patients. GTSE1 expression emerged as an independent predictive factor in both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Furthermore, functional enrichment analysis suggested a potential association between GTSE1 and the cell cycle, p53 signaling pathway, as well as ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation. High expression of GTSE1 was associated with increased immune cell infiltration and heightened sensitivity to a specific type of chemotherapy and targeted drugs.ConclusionIncreased expression of GTSE1 in patients with LUAD showed significant diagnostic and prognostic significance. It was also associated with increased immune infiltration and an unfavorable response to targeted medication.

Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) represents a transformative approach for managing a broad spectrum of inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. This comprehensive review delineates the mechanisms underlying VNS, emphasizing the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, and explores interactions within the neuro-immune and vagus-gut axes based on both clinical outcomes and pre-clinical models. Clinical applications have confirmed the efficacy of VNS in managing specific autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic inflammatory conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, showcasing the variability in stimulation parameters and patient responses. Concurrently, pre-clinical studies have provided insights into the potential of VNS in modulating cardiovascular and broader inflammatory responses, paving the way for its translational application in clinical settings. Innovations in non-invasive VNS technology and precision neuromodulation are enhancing its therapeutic potential, making it a viable option for patients who are unresponsive to conventional treatments. Nonetheless, the widespread adoption of this promising therapy is impeded by regulatory challenges, patient compliance issues, and the need for extensive studies on long-term efficacy and safety. Future research directions will focus on refining VNS technology, optimizing treatment parameters, and exploring synergistic effects with other therapeutic modalities, which could revolutionize the management of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disorders.

Background Determining the source of infection is significant for the treatment of bloodstream infections (BSI). The gold standard of blood infection detection, blood cultures, have low positive rates to meet clinical needs. In this study, we investigated the ability of hybrid capture-based next generation sequencing technology to detect pathogens in peripheral blood samples collected from patients with suspected BSI. Blood cultures and capture sequencing assays were also analyzed against the final clinical diagnoses. Methods In this study, peripheral blood samples were collected from patients with fever, chills, and suspected BSI at Jinshazhou Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine from March 2023 to January 2024. All samples were tested by three different technologies: plasma capture sequencing technology, white blood cell capture sequencing technology, and blood culture. Relevant clinical diagnostic information was also collected. The performances of the blood cultures were then compared to those of both plasma capture sequencing technology and white blood cell capture sequencing technology. Results A total of 98 patients were included in this study. The positive rates of probe capture next generation sequencing (NGS technology) in plasma and white blood cells were 81.63% and 65.31%, respectively, which were both significantly higher than that of the blood culture, which was 21.43% (p

Improving the reproductive ability and fertility of male ruminants is a central concern in animal husbandry. Phytogenic feed additives, known for their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory properties, are commonly used in animal feed. Icariin (ICA), the primary flavonoid glucoside derived from Epimedium, is a traditional tonic in Chinese herbal medicine. However, its potential to enhance the reproductive performance of male ruminants remains unclear. In this study, twelve healthy adult male dairy goats were divided into two groups. The goats received oral administration of ICA at doses of 0 (control) and 50 mg/kg body weight daily for a consecutive period of 80 days during the breeding season. The effects of ICA on the reproductive performance was analyzed by histological examinations, semen quality analysis, and ELISA experiments. ELISA results showed a progressive increase in serum levels of GnIH, LH, and testosterone with the prolonged ICA treatment (p

Abstract The mechanisms underlying the development and progression of colon cancer are not fully understood. Herein, Src kinase associated phosphoprotein 1 (SKAP1), an immune cell adaptor, is identified as a novel colon cancer‐related gene. SKAP1 expression is significantly increased in colon cancer cells. High SKAP1 levels are independently predictive of poor survival in patients with colon cancer. Notably, SKAP1 expression in colon cancer cells exerted a significant tumor‐promoting effect in vivo rather than in vitro. Screening of tumor‐infiltrating immune cells revealed the involvement of neutrophils in SKAP1‐induced colon tumor promotion. Enhanced formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) is found to be a key downstream event that contributed to the pro‐tumor role of SKAP1. In colon cancer cells, SKAP1 increased the expression of C‐X‐C motif chemokine ligand 8 (CXCL8) via nuclear factor of activated T cells c1 (NFATc1). The blockade of CXCL8 or NFATc1 largely attenuated neutrophil infiltration, NET formation, and tumor promotion induced by SKAP1. Furthermore, inhibiting SKAP1‐induced NET significantly enhanced the antitumor efficiency of adoptive natural killer cell therapy in colon tumor models. In conclusion, SKAP1 significantly promotes colon cancer growth via the cancer cell/neutrophil NFATc1/CXCL8/NET axis, suggesting that SKAP1 is a potential target for colon cancer therapy.

PurposeImpairment in perception and sensory reweighting could predispose older adults to falls. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the differences in sensory reweighting and self-motion perception for postural control under single-sensory and multisensory perturbations between older Tai Chi (TC) practitioners and healthy active older controls.MethodsTwenty-four TC practitioners and 23 age-matched non-practitioners were recruited in this observational study. Participants stood on a force plate with or without a foam surface (baseline), followed by 36 s of visual rotation stimuli, vestibular rotation stimuli, or reduced somatosensory input (adaptation), and then continued standing for 44 s (reintegration). The center-of-pressure (COP) trajectories and self-motion perception were recorded. COP signals were analyzed using traditional sway, multiscale entropy, and wavelet analysis methods and the time-window-of-integration model to examine the postural balance performance and the flexibility and speed of sensory reweighting.ResultsSignificant interaction effects of group with sensory perturbation and group with time window on COP parameters were observed (p