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Objective To initially screen children and adolescents with new-onset type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) for celiac disease antibodies and to investigate the relationship between celiac disease antibodies and lipid changes. Methods This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 98 children and adolescents with newly diagnosed T1DM were recuited for the study from March 2013 to January 2021 from a single center of the Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Metabolism and Gastroenterology at the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University. We collected general data [age, sex, blood pressure, incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), etc.] and laboratory indices [lipids (triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, lipoprotein α), glycated hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c), glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GADA), insulin autoantibody (IAA), etc.], and calculated body mass index standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) and atherosclerosis index. We detected total serum immunoglobin A (IgA) by scattering turbidimetric method, serum anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody-IgA (tTGA-IgA) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and endomysial antibody-IgA (EMA-IgA) by indirect immunofluorescence. Based on the tTGA-IgA and EMA-IgA test results, the subjects were divided into antibody-positive group and antibody-negative group. Two independent samples t-test, Wilcoxon test, χ² test, or corrected χ² test were then performed for inter-group comparison. Results Ninety-eight children and adolescents with new-onset T1DM, aged (9.38±3.56) years, had a male-to-female ratio of 1.18:1 (53/45). There were 8 cases (8.16%) in the antibody-positive group, aged (8.07±4.12) years, with a male-to-female ratio of 3: 1 (6/2), including 2 cases positive for tTGA-IgA only, 2 cases positive for EMA-IgA only, and 4 cases positive for both tTGA-IgA and EMA-IgA. There were 90 cases (91.84%) in the antibody-negative group, aged (9.50±3.51) years, had a male-to-female ratio of 1.09: 1 (47/43). There was no significant difference between the antibody-positive and antibody-negative groups in terms of gender, age, BMI-SDS, HbA1c, the positive rates of GADA and IAA, the incidence of DKA and blood pressure (P>0.05). There was also no significant difference in triglycerides, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, lipoprotein α, and atherosclerotic index between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusions The celiac disease antibodies positive rate in children and adolescents with new-onset T1DM at our center screening was 8.16%. Although celiac disease antibodies, whether positive or negative, have no discernible impact on lipids in children and adolescents with new-onset T1DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep neural networks are effectively utilized for the instance segmentation of muck images from tunnel boring machines (TBMs), providing real-time insights into the surrounding rock condition. However, the high cost of obtaining quality labeled data limits the widespread application of this method. Addressing this challenge, this study presents a semi-symmetrical, fully convolutional masked autoencoder designed for self-supervised pre-training on extensive unlabeled muck image datasets. The model features a four-tier sparse encoder for down-sampling and a two-tier sparse decoder for up-sampling, connected via a conventional convolutional neck, forming a semi-symmetrical structure. This design enhances the model's ability to capture essential low-level features, including geometric shapes and object boundaries. Additionally, to circumvent the trivial solutions in pixel regression that the original masked autoencoder faced, Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) descriptors and Laplacian features have been integrated as novel self-supervision targets. Testing shows that the proposed model can effectively discern essential features of muck images in self-supervised training. When applied to subsequent end-to-end training tasks, it enhances the model's performance, increasing the prediction accuracy of Intersection over Union (IoU) for muck boundaries and regions by 5.9% and 2.4%, respectively, outperforming the enhancements made by the original masked autoencoder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease associated with an increased risk of death, but its underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have recently been implicated in various biological processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the key circRNAs related to RA. A microarray assay was used to identify the differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with RA compared to patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and healthy controls. Then, quantitative real-time PCR was applied to verify the DEcircRNAs, and correlations between the levels of DEcircRNAs and laboratory indices were analysed. We also performed extensive bioinformatic analyses including Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) pathway and potential circRNA–miRNA–mRNA network analyses to predict the function of these DEcircRNAs. A total of 35,342 and 6146 DEcircRNAs were detected in RA patients compared to controls and OA patients, respectively. Nine out of the DEcircRNAs in RA were validated by real-time PCR. There were correlations between the levels of DEcircRNAs and some of the laboratory indices. GO analyses revealed that these DEcircRNAs in RA were closely related to cellular protein metabolic processes, gene expression, the immune system, cell cycle, posttranslational protein modification and collagen formation. Functional annotation of host genes of these DEcircRNAs was implicated in several significantly enriched pathways, including metabolic pathways, ECM–receptor interaction, the PI3K–Akt signalling pathway, the AMPK signalling pathway, leukocyte transendothelial migration, platelet activation and the cAMP signalling pathway, which might be responsible for the pathophysiology of RA. The findings of this study may help to elucidate the role of circRNAs in the specific mechanism underlying RA. Microarray assays showed that a total of 35,342 and 6146 DEcircRNAs were detected in RA patients compared to controls and OA patients, respectively. Nine out of the DEcircRNAs in RA were validated by real-time PCR, and the levels of the DEcircRNAs were related to some of the laboratory indices. GO analyses revealed that the DEcircRNAs in RA were closely related to cellular protein metabolic processes, gene expression, the immune system, etc. Functional annotation of host genes of the DEcircRNAs in RA was implicated in several significantly enriched pathways, including metabolic pathways, ECM–receptor interaction, the PI3K–Akt signalling pathway, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41421-021-00267-0

Arenaviruses cause chronic and asymptomatic infections in their natural host, rodents, and several arenaviruses cause severe hemorrhagic fever that has a high mortality in infected humans, seriously threatening public health. There are currently no FDA-licensed drugs available against arenaviruses; therefore, it is important to develop novel antiviral strategies to combat them, which would be facilitated by a detailed understanding of the interactions between the viruses and their hosts. To this end, we performed a transcriptomic analysis on cells infected with arenavirus lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), a neglected human pathogen with clinical significance, and found that the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling pathway was activated. A further investigation indicated that STAT3 could be activated by the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase L protein (Lp) of LCMV. Our functional analysis found that STAT3 cannot affect LCMV multiplication in A549 cells. We also found that STAT3 was activated by the Lp of Mopeia virus and Junin virus, suggesting that this activation may be conserved across certain arenaviruses. Our study explored the interactions between arenaviruses and STAT3, which may help us to better understand the molecular and cell biology of arenaviruses.

In order to get a microwave dielectric ceramics having near zero τƒ, different ratio of ZnTiNb2O8 and SmTiNbO6 powders are sintered together at different temperature. XRD and SEM of these composite ceramics are tested to analyze the composition. The microwave properties and density of the composite ceramics are measured in order to find the best ratio of ZnTiNb2O8 and SmTiNbO6. For (1-x)ZnTiNb2O8-xSmTiNbO6 ceramics, the ceramics have very good microwave properties(εr = 24.63, Q*ƒ=11846GHz, τƒ = 0.16ppm/℃) when x is 0.35.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a widespread virus that can establish life-long latent infection in large populations. The establishment of latent infection prevents HCMV from being cleared by host cells, and HCMV reactivation from latency can cause severe disease and death in people with immature or compromised immune systems. To establish persistent and latent infection in healthy individuals, HCMV encodes a large array of proteins that can modulate different components and pathways of host cells. It has been reported that pUL138 encoded by the UL133-UL138 polycistronic locus promotes latent infection in primary CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) infected in vitro. In this study, recombinant HCMV HanUL138del was constructed by deleting the UL138 locus of Han, a clinical HCMV strain. Then, a comparative quantitative proteomic analysis of Han- and HanUL138del-infected MRC5 cells was performed to study the effect of pUL138 on host cells in the context of HCMV infection. Our results indicated that, during the early phase of HCMV infection, the innate immune response was differentially activated, while during the late phase of HCMV infection, multiple host proteins were differentially expressed between Han- and HanUL138del-infected cells, and these proteins are involved in the oxidation-reduction process, ER to Golgi vesicle-mediated transport, and extracellular matrix organization. Among these proteins, STEAP3, BORCS7, FAM172A, RELL1, and WDR48 were further demonstrated to affect HCMV infection. Our study provides a systematic view of the effect of pUL138 on the host cell proteome and highlights the proposition that multiple biological processes or host factors may be involved in the overall role of the UL133-UL138 polycistronic locus in HCMV persistence.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is widespread double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) virus that establishes life-long latency and causes diverse severe symptoms. The mechanisms of HSV-1 infection and HSV-1’s interactions with various host cells have been studied and reviewed extensively. Type I interferons were secreted by host cells upon HSV infection and play a vital role in controlling virus proliferation. A few studies, however, have focused on HSV-1 infection without the presence of interferon (IFN) signaling. In this study, HEK 293T cells with low toll-like receptor (TLR) and stimulator of interferon genes protein (STING) expression were infected with HSV-1 and subjected to a quantitative proteomic analysis. By using a subcellular fractionation strategy and high-performance mass spectrometry, a total of 6607 host proteins were quantified, of which 498 proteins were differentially regulated. A bioinformatics analysis indicated that multiple signaling pathways might be involved in HSV-1 infection. A further functional study indicated the role of Interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM3), Coiled-coil-helix-coiled-coil-helix domain-containing protein 2 (CHCHD2), and Tripartite motif-containing protein 27 (TRIM27) in inhibiting viral DNA replication and proliferation. Our data provide a global view of host responses to HSV-1 infection in HEK 293T cells and identify the proteins involved in the HSV-1 infection process.

The influence of rare-earth doping on the electrical properties of ZnO varistors was investigated. In a lower doping region, the electrical properties were greatly improved with the increase of rare-earth contents. The highest voltage gradient value of 1968.0 V/mm was obtained with a rare-earth concentration of 0.06 mol. %. The microstructure of samples with different amounts of rare-earth oxides was examined and the notable decrease of grain size was identified as the origin for the increased voltage gradient. The doped rare-earth oxides dissolved at the grain boundaries and the excessive doping reduced the voltage across the single grain/grain boundary from 2.72 V to 0.91 V. The poor electrical properties in a higher doping region resulted from the degeneration of grain boundaries and the decrease of block density.