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The clutter suppression effect of ground objects significantly impacts the detection and tracking performance of avian lidar on low-altitude bird flock targets. It is imperative to simulate the point cloud data of ground objects in lidar to explore effective methods for suppressing clutter caused by ground objects in avian lidar. The traditional ray-tracing method is enhanced in this paper to efficiently obtain the point cloud simulation results of ground objects. By incorporating a beam constraint and a light-energy constraint, the screening efficiency of effective rays is improved, making them more suitable for simulating large scenes with narrow lidar beams. In this paper, a collision detection scheme is proposed based on beam constraints, aiming to significantly enhance the efficiency of ray-tracing collision detection. The simulation and experimental results demonstrate that, in comparison with other conventional simulation methods, the proposed method yields the point cloud results of ground objects that exhibit greater conformity to the actual lidar-collected point cloud results in terms of shape characteristics and intensity features. Additionally, the simulation speed is significantly enhanced.

Under rapid global climate change, the risk of ancient landslide reactivation induced by rainfall infiltration is increasing significantly. The contribution of cracks to the reactivation of ancient landslides, as an evolutionary product, is a topic that deserves attention; however, current research on this issue remains insufficient. In this study, taking the Woda landslide in the upper Jinsha River as a case study, we investigated the reactivation mechanisms of ancient landslides with and without cracks under rainfall based on model tests. The study showed that cracks influence the reactivation range and depth of ancient landslide. In cases where no cracks develop on ancient landslides, rainfall can only cause shallow sliding with failure concentrated at its front edge. Conversely, when cracks develop on ancient landslides, rainwater can quickly infiltrate into the sliding zone along the cracks and induce overall reactivation of the ancient landslide. Furthermore, the reactivation mechanism of ancient landslides without cracks is that the failure of ancient landslide foot results in progressive failure at the front of the ancient landslide. When cracks have developed at ancient landslides, the reactivation mechanism of which involves mid-rear ancient landslide creeping, tensile cracks develop on the mid-rear ancient landslide, with localized sliding at the front edge, tensile cracks extending, local sliding range extending, accelerated creeping, and progressive failure of the mid-rear ancient landslide. These findings shed light on how cracks influence rainfall-induced mechanisms of ancient landslide reactivation and hold great significance for advancing our understanding regarding these mechanisms.

The co-occurrence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and zearalenone (ZEN) in grain-based food and animal feed poses significant health risks to humans and animals due to their potent mutagenic, cytotoxic, and carcinogenic properties. Conventional physical and chemical methods are insufficient for effectively detoxifying multiple mycotoxins present in food and feed. In this study, we evaluated the capability of Bacillus subtilis ZJ-2019-1 (B. subtilis ZJ-2019-1) to simultaneously degrade AFB1 and ZEN while optimizing reaction to enhance degradation efficiency. The localization of active ingredients from B. subtilis ZJ-2019-1 was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Our findings demonstrated that B. subtilis ZJ-2019-1 eliminated 60.88% of AFB1 and 33.18% of ZEN within 72 h at a concentration of 10 mg/L at 37 °C (pH 7.0) and exerted greater activity under alkaline conditions. The autoclaved and boiled supernatants of B. subtilis ZJ-2019-1 exhibited significant enhancement in the degradation of AFB1 and ZEN, achieving degradation rates of 79.85% and 100%, respectively, at a concentration of 1 mg/L within 48 h at 37 °C. Moreover, the crude enzymes from B. subtilis ZJ-2019-1 showed maximum degradation rates for AFB1 (100%) and ZEN (94.29%) within 72 h at 70 °C. Additionally, divalent cations (such as Co2+, Fe2+, Mn2+, and Ni2+) significantly augmented the activity of crude enzymes from B. subtilis ZJ-2019-1 towards mycotoxin degradation. Furthermore, when applied to corn gluten meals, B. subtilis ZJ-2019-1 strain effectively detoxify 66.08% of AFB1 and 22.01% of ZEN, surpassing the efficacy of a commercial detoxification agent on the market (34.17% for AFB1 and 2.28% for ZEN). Collectively, these findings indicated that B. subtilis ZJ-2019-1 is a promising candidate for the simultaneous removal of multiple mycotoxins in food and feed, while addressing health concerns associated with harmful mycotoxins.

Ship course-keeping control is of great significance to both navigation efficiency and safety. Nevertheless, the complex navigational conditions, unknown time-varying environmental disturbances, and complex dynamic characteristics of ships pose great difficulties for ship course-keeping. Thus, a PSO-based predictive PID-backstepping (P-PB) controller is proposed in this paper to realize the efficient and rapid course-keeping of ships. The proposed controller takes the ship’s target course, current course, yawing speed, as well as predictive motion parameters into consideration. In the design of the proposed controller, the PID controller is improved by introducing predictive control. Then, the improved controller is combined with a backstepping controller to balance the efficiency and stability of the control. Subsequently, the parameters in the proposed course-keeping controller are optimized by utilizing Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), which can adaptively adjust the value of parameters in various scenarios, and thus further increase its efficiency. Finally, the improved controller is validated by carrying out simulation tests in various scenarios. The results show that it improves the course-keeping error and time-response specification by 4.19% and 9.71% on average, respectively, which can efficiently achieve the course-keeping of ships under various scenarios.

Lactobacilli have played an important role in the gut health of pets. The aim of this research was to study the effects of isolated Lactobacilli (named L11) on the immune, nutrient metabolism, and gut health of cats. Twelve healthy adult cats were randomly assigned into two groups, the control group (CONTROL, n = 6, without any probiotics product) and the treatment group (probiotics, n = 6, L11 109 CFU/kg feed), while using the same dry diet. On day 28, blood and fecal samples were collected, and the blood biochemical indices, fecal microbiota, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), immunological parameters, and odorous substances were separately tested. The triglyceride of the blood was decreased after using L11 (p < 0.05), which could probably alleviate the occurrence of cat obesity to some extent. The sIgA of the feces was increased by 30.1% (p < 0.05), which could enhance the cat’s immunity. The abundance of Bifidobacteria was increased after using L11 (p < 0.05), and the indole and 3-methylindole of the feces were both reduced compared with the control group; 3-methylindole was especially reduced by 67.3% (p < 0.05), which showed that L11 could also improve the intestinal state of cats. Therefore, this research shows that L11 could be a good choice to improve the gut health and immune functions of cats, and it is probably related to the lipid mechanism of cats.

As the electromagnetic environment becomes increasingly complex, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system with wideband active transmission and reception is vulnerable to interference from devices at the same frequency. SAR interference detection using the transform domain has become a research hotspot in recent years. However, existing transform domain interference detection methods exhibit unsatisfactory performance in complex interference environments. Moreover, most of them rely on label information, while existing publicly available interference datasets are limited. To solve these problems, this paper proposes an SAR unsupervised interference detection model that combines Canny edge detection with vision transformer (CEVIT). Using a time–frequency spectrogram as input, CEVIT realizes interference detection in complex interference environments with multi-interference and multiple types of interference by means of a feature extraction module and a detection head module. To validate the performance of the proposed model, experiments are conducted on airborne SAR interference simulation data and Sentinel-1 real interference data. The experimental results show that, compared with the other object detection models, CEVIT has the best interference detection performance in a complex interference environment, and the key evaluation indexes (e.g., Recall and F1-score) are improved by nearly 20%. The detection results on the real interfered echo data have a Recall that reaches 0.8722 and an F1-score that reaches 0.9115, which are much better than those of the compared methods, and the results also indicate that the proposed model achieves good detection performance with a fast detection speed in complex interference environments, which has certain practical application value in the interference detection problem of the SAR system.

Schizophrenia is a group of severe neurodevelopmental disorders. Identification of peripheral diagnostic biomarkers is an effective approach to improving diagnosis of schizophrenia. In this study, four datasets of schizophrenia patients’ blood or serum samples were downloaded from the GEO database and merged and de-batched for the analyses of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WCGNA). The WGCNA analysis showed that the cyan module, among 9 modules, was significantly related to schizophrenia, which subsequently yielded 317 schizophrenia-related key genes by comparing with the DEGs. The enrichment analyses on these key genes indicated a strong correlation with immune-related processes. The CIBERSORT algorithm was adopted to analyze immune cell infiltration, which revealed differences in eosinophils, M0 macrophages, resting mast cells, and gamma delta T cells. Furthermore, by comparing with the immune genes obtained from online databases, 95 immune-related key genes for schizophrenia were screened out. Moreover, machine learning algorithms including Random Forest, LASSO, and SVM-RFE were used to further screen immune-related hub genes of schizophrenia. Finally, CLIC3 was found as an immune-related hub gene of schizophrenia by the three machine learning algorithms. A schizophrenia rat model was established to validate CLIC3 expression and found that CLIC3 levels were reduced in the model rat plasma and brains in a brain-regional dependent manner, but can be reversed by an antipsychotic drug risperidone. In conclusion, using various bioinformatic and biological methods, this study found an immune-related hub gene of schizophrenia – CLIC3 that might be a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for schizophrenia.

IntroductionChina’s traditional culture makes rural women and men take on different family responsibilities.MethodsUse “China Family Panel Studies” (CFPS) data and build Logit and propensity score matching models to empirically study the impact of children care and elderly care on rural married women going out to work. And explore the welfare effects of basic education public services in helping rural women take care of their families.ResultsThe results show that caring for children has a significant hindering effect on rural married women’s job hunting. Especially for those in low-income families, the employment inhibition is most significant among women aged 20–30 with multiple children. Contrary to previous cognition, supporting the elderly has a certain weak stimulating effect. The kindergarten public services in rural areas can help women take care of their children and relieve their work pressure. The primary school public services have not played a role in alleviating them.DiscussionThis shows that there are still a large number of female laborers in rural China who are unable to go out to work due to family care. The improvement of rural basic education public services can promote more rural women going out to work. This finding will provide a policy reference for the introduction of a formal care system and the establishment of basic education public services in China.

Background: Eltrombopag (ELT), a thrombopoietin receptor agonist (TPO-RA), has been approved for relapsed/refractory aplastic anemia (AA). However, data on avatrombopag (AVA), another TPO-RA, are limited, and the comparisons between the two TPO-RAs are lacking. Objectives: We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety between ELT and AVA in relapsed/refractory AA patients. Design: In this retrospective study, patients with relapsed/refractory AA who had been treated with ELT ( N = 45) or AVA ( N = 30) alone and had compatible baseline hematological parameters were compared. Methods: Data from patients diagnosed with acquired AA were retrospectively collected. All patients were refractory/relapsed to standard immunosuppressive therapy (IST) for at least 6 months before ELT or AVA. Patients had to be treated with ELT or AVA alone for at least 6 months before evaluation if they did not respond. Baseline characteristics, overall response (OR), complete response (CR), relapse, adverse events, and factors that may affect efficacy were analyzed. Results: Of the 75 patients enrolled, 45 received ELT and 30 received AVA. Patients with AVA had a higher percentage of abnormal liver or renal function than those with ELT ( p = 0.036). No significant difference was found in the OR/CR rate in the first/second/third/sixth month between the two cohorts ( p > 0.05). Patients treated with AVA had a shorter median time to response than those treated with ELT ( p = 0.012) and had a higher platelet level in the second month ( p = 0.041). AVA had fewer adverse events than ELT ( p = 0.046). Under compatible follow-up time ( p = 0.463), no difference was found between the ELT and AVA cohorts in relapse ( p = 1.000) or clone evolution ( p = 0.637). No predictive factors for OR and CR in the sixth month were found for either ELT or AVA. Conclusion: With worse liver or renal function, AVA had a similar OR/CR rate but a shorter median time to response and fewer adverse events for patients with relapsed/refractory AA.

Quercetin (QR) is a natural flavonol compound widely distributed in the plant kingdom with extensive pharmacological effects. To find the potential clinical indications of QR, 156 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) regulated by QR were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database, and new potential pharmacological effects and clinical indications of QR were repurposed by integrating compounds with similar gene perturbation signatures and associated-disease signatures to QR based on the Connectivity Map and Coexpedia platforms. The results suggested QR has mainly potential therapeutic effects on multiple sclerosis (MS), osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and acute leukemia. Then, MS was selected for subsequent animal experiments as a representative potential indication, and it found that QR significantly delays the onset time of classical MS model animal mice and ameliorates the inflammatory infiltration and demyelination in the central nervous system. Combined with network pharmacology technology, the therapeutic mechanism of QR on MS was further demonstrated to be related to the inhibition of the expression of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, IFN-γ, IL-17A, and IL-2) related to TNF-α/TNFR1 signaling pathway. In conclusion, this study expanded the clinical indications of QR and preliminarily confirmed the therapeutic effect and potential mechanism of QR on MS.

Time series Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model is often used in landslide prediction and forecasting. However, few conditions have been suggested for the application of ARIMA models in landslide displacement prediction. This paper summarizes the distribution law of the tangential angle in different time periods and analyzes the landslide displacement data by combining wavelet transform. It proposes an applicable condition for the ARIMA model in the field of landslide prediction: when the landslide deformation is in the initial deformation to initial acceleration stage, i.e., the tangential angle of landslide displacement is less than 80°, the ARIMA model has higher prediction accuracy for 24-h landslide displacement data. The prediction results are RMSE = 4.52 mm and MAPE = 2.39%, and the prediction error increases gradually with time. Meanwhile, the ARIMA model was used to predict the 24-h displacements from initial deformation to initial acceleration deformation for the landslide in Guangna Township and the landslide in Libian Gully, and the prediction results were RMSE = 1.24 mm, MAPE = 1.34% and RMSE = 5.43 mm, MAPE = 1.67%, which still maintained high accuracy and thus verified this applicable condition. At the same time, taking the landslide of Libian Gully as an example, the ARIMA model was used to test the displacement prediction effect of the landslide in the Medium-term acceleration stage and the Imminent sliding stage (the tangential angle of landslide displacement is 80° and 85°, respectively). The relative error of displacement data prediction in the Medium-term acceleration stage is within 3%, while the relative error of the prediction value in the Imminent sliding stage is more than 3%, and the error gradually increases with time. This demonstrates that the relative error of the ARIMA model in landslide prediction and forecasting is within 3%. The relative error of the prediction value in the Imminent sliding stage is above 3%, and the error increases gradually with time. Meanwhile, the prediction results are analyzed and it is concluded that the increase in prediction time and tangential angles are the main reasons for the increase in error. The applicable conditions proposed in this study can provide a reference for the application of ARIMA model in landslide prediction and forecast.

Underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs) are the primary enabling technology for the Internet of underwater things (IoUT), with which all underwater objects can interact and communicate. In UWSNs, localization is vital for military or civilized applications since data collected without location are meaningless. However, accurate localization using acoustic signals in UWSNs is challenging, especially for received signal strength (RSS)-based techniques. The adverse effect of hybrid loss (path and absorption loss) and stratified propagation may severely impact localization accuracy. Even though some schemes have been proposed in the literature, the accuracy is unsatisfactory. To this end, this study proposes a coarse-to-fine localization method (CFLM). The problem is reformed into an alternating nonnegative constrained least squares (ANCLS) framework, where a constrained ellipse adjustment (CEA) using block principal pivoting is proposed to obtain the coarse estimation. A refined step using a Taylor series expansion is then further presented, in which a corrected solution is acquired by iteration. Additionally, this study derives the Cramér-Rao lower bound (CRLB) to evaluate the proposed method. Simulation results show that the proposed CFLM improves the localization accuracy by up to 66 percent compared with weighted least squares (WLS), privacy-preserving localization (PPSL), two-step linearization localization approach (TLLA), particle swarm optimization-based (PSO) localization, and differential evolution-based (DE) localization under different scenarios.

Essential hypertension (EH) is a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Fructus Tribuli (FT), as a traditional medicine, has been frequently used for thousands of years. The crude Fructus Tribuli (CFT), decoction pieces being processed to remove impurities, have been listed as an important medicine for the treatment of hypertension in the elderly. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the CFT can enhance the EH treatment after being stir-fried into stir-fried Fructus Tribuli (SFT). At present, whether the SFT can enhance the EH treatment and its potential pharmacodynamic substances and mechanism are unknown. In this study, an integrated ''spectrum-effect relationship-network pharmacology-metabolomics'' strategy was used. Using male spontaneously hypertensive rats as an experimental model, we compared the therapeutic effects of CFT and SFT on EH. Subsequently, to define the pharmacodynamic material basis of SFT in enhancing the EH treatment, the steroidal saponins (main active components of FT) were selected for spectrum-effect relationship analysis. Furthermore, we applied the joint pathway analysis of network pharmacology and metabolomics to explore the underlying mechanism of SFT in enhancing the EH treatment. Results showed that SFT was better than CFT in the EH treatment. The steroidal saponins transformed by stir-frying were the potential pharmacodynamic substances that SFT could enhance the EH treatment. And the mechanism of action might be associated with regulating glycerophospholipid metabolism and arachidonic acid metabolism, especially arachidonic acid metabolism. This study provided a scientific basis for the clinical use of SFT as an important medicine for the EH treatment.

Aging is usually considered a key risk factor associated with multiple diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Furthermore, the burden of age-related diseases has become a global challenge. It is of great significance to search for drugs to extend lifespan and healthspan. Cannabidiol (CBD), a natural nontoxic phytocannabinoid, has been regarded as a potential candidate drug for antiaging. An increasing number of studies have suggested that CBD could benefit healthy longevity. Herein, we summarized the effect of CBD on aging and analyzed the possible mechanism. All these conclusions may provide a perspective for further study of CBD on aging.

Composition and traits of soil microbial communities that closely related to their ecological functions received extensive attention in the context of climate changes. We investigated the responses of soil bacterial community structure, traits, and functional genes to the individual warming, precipitation increases, and the combination of warming and precipitation increases in an alpine grassland in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau that is experiencing warming and wetting climate change. Soil properties, plant diversity and biomass were measured, and the ecological processes and environmental factors driving bacterial community changes were further explored. Results indicated that the Shannon diversity of soil bacterial communities decreased significantly only under the combination treatment, which might due to the decreased plant diversity. Soil bacterial community composition was significantly correlated with soil pH, and was affected obviously by the combination treatment. At the taxonomic classification, the relative abundance of Xanthobacteraceae and Beijerinckiaceae increased 127.67 and 107.62%, while the relative abundance of Rubrobacteriaceae and Micromonosporaceae decreased 78.29 and 54.72% under the combination treatment. Functional genes related to nitrogen and phosphorus transformation were enhanced in the combination treatment. Furthermore, weighted mean ribosomal operon copy numbers that positively correlated with plant aboveground biomass increased remarkably in the combination treatment, indicating a trend of life-history strategies shift from oligotrophic to copiotrophic. Stochastic processes dominated soil bacterial community, and the proportion of stochasticity increased under the combination treatment. Our study highlights the significant effects of simultaneous warming and precipitation increase on soil bacterial community.

Abstract Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs), characterized by easy availability, multi‐lineage differentiation ability, and high proliferation ability, are ideal seed cells for cartilage tissue engineering. However, the epigenetic mechanism underlying chondrogenesis in DPSCs remains elusive. Herein, it is demonstrated that KDM3A and G9A, an antagonistic pair of histone‐modifying enzymes, bidirectionally regulate the chondrogenic differentiation of DPSCs by controlling SOX9 (sex‐determining region Y‐type high‐mobility group box protein 9) degradation through lysine methylation. Transcriptomics analysis reveals that KDM3A is significantly upregulated during the chondrogenic differentiation of DPSCs. In vitro and in vivo functional analyses further indicate that KDM3A promotes chondrogenesis in DPSCs by boosting the SOX9 protein level, while G9A hinders the chondrogenic differentiation of DPSCs by reducing the SOX9 protein level. Furthermore, mechanistic studies indicate that KDM3A attenuates the ubiquitination of SOX9 by demethylating lysine (K) 68 residue, which in turn enhances SOX9 stability. Reciprocally, G9A facilitates SOX9 degradation by methylating K68 residue to increase the ubiquitination of SOX9. Meanwhile, BIX‐01294 as a highly specific G9A inhibitor significantly induces the chondrogenic differentiation of DPSCs. These findings provide a theoretical basis to ameliorate the clinical use of DPSCs in cartilage tissue‐engineering therapies.

As the outbreak of COVID-19 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first broke out in Hubei Province, China, at the end of 2019. It has brought great challenges and harms to global public health. SARS-CoV-2 mainly affects the lungs and is mainly manifested as pulmonary disease. However, one of the biggest crises arises from the emergence of COVID-19-induced fibrosis. At present, there are still many questions about how COVID-19 induced pulmonary fibrosis (PF) occurs and how to treat and regulate its long-term effects. In addition, as an important process of fibrosis, the effect of COVID-19 on epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) may be an important factor driving PF. This review summarizes the main pathogenesis and treatment mechanisms of COVID-19 related to PF. Starting with the basic mechanisms of PF, such as EMT, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, inflammation, macrophages, innate lymphoid cells, matrix metalloproteinases and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases, hedgehog pathway as well as Notch signaling. Further, we highlight the importance of COVID-19-induced EMT in the process of PF and provide an overview of the related molecular mechanisms, which will facilitate future research to propose new clinical therapeutic solutions for the treatment of COVID-19-induced PF.

Camel milk produces many beneficial functional compounds and affects body health through metabolism. The differential metabolites of bactrain camel milk in Alxa before and after fermentation were identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry based metabolomics (LC-MS/MS). The differential metabolite pathway types were also identified in this paper. We obtained the following results that 148 and 82 differential metabolites were detected in positive and negative ion mode respectively, 85 differential metabolites were shown a significant upward trend and 63 with downward trend after fermentation in positive ion mode. Meanwhile, 32 differential metabolites characterized upward trend and 50 characterized downward trend in negative ion mode. The differential metabolites were mainly organic acids, amino acids, esters, vitamins and other substances contained in camel milk. Among them, most up-regulated substances had the functions of lowering blood pressure, lowering blood sugar, treatment of inflammation, antibiosis and other effects. Many harmful substances were significantly down-regulated after camel milk fermentation. However, there were also some metabolites whose prebiotic functions have been weakened by camel milk fermentation, which may provide reference values for healthcare function, exploitation and application of camel milk.

Tissue regeneration necessitates rapid and mature angiogenesis, while insufficient vascularization along with tissue implantation hinders the great potential applications. Endothelial cells (ECs) and bone marrow mesenchymal cells (BMSCs) are responsible for the angiogenesis in preparing bone tissue. Herein, we proposed the realization of the angiogenesis by co-culturing ECs and BMSCs within an injectable multi-crosslinked double-network (DN) hydrogel, composed of glycol chitosan (GC)/benzaldehyde-capped poly (ethylene oxide) (OHC-PEO-CHO) and calcium alginate (Alg). The hydrogel is crosslinked by dynamic interplay allowing the encapsulation, migration and proliferation of the cells. The hydrogel is capable to carry vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) with prolonging action within the matrix to effectively regulate the cell behavior. Co-existence of ECs and BMSCs with the VEGF within the hydrogel-based extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a key role in mediating the formation of a mature vascular structure with endothelium and pericyte. The neovascularization is closely related with the VEGF/VEGFR2/ERK signaling pathway. The finding indicates the direction toward future vascularized tissue regeneration by using a hydrogel-based scaffold with adjustable microenvironment by incorporation of functional growth factors.

Aims Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is associated with higher risks of metabolic syndrome and diabetes in menopausal women. We aimed to investigate whether FSH was associated with the lipid profile in women older than 55 years.Design The data were obtained from a cross-sectional study.Participants Our data were from the Survey on Prevalence in East China for Metabolic Diseases and Risk Factors (China, including Shanghai and Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Anhui provinces). A total of 1795 women older than 55 years were selected.Methods Morning serum sex hormones and lipid profiles were measured. Linear and logistic regression analyses were used to analyse the data.Results Lower FSH was associated with lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and higher triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC)/HDL-C ratio and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)/HDL-C ratio (all p for trend

Abstract. Background:. Sepsis is a serious disease caused by infection. Aminophylline has anti-asthma and anti-inflammatory effects. We aimed to explore the safety and effect of aminophylline in sepsis. Methods:. We conducted a clinical randomized controlled trial involving 100 patients diagnosed with sepsis within 48 h after intensive care unit (ICU) admission in two sites. All patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive standard therapy with or without aminophylline. The primary clinical outcome was all-cause mortality at 28 days. Results:. From September 27, 2018 to February 12, 2020, we screened 277 septic patients and eventually enrolled 100 patients, with 50 assigned to the aminophylline group and 50 to the usual-care group. At 28 days, 7 of 50 patients (14.0%) in the aminophylline group had died, compared with 16 of 50 (32.0%) in the usual-care group (P = 0.032). Cox regression showed that the aminophylline group had a lower hazard of death (hazard ratio = 0.312, 95% confidence interval: 0.129–0.753). Compared with the usual-care group, patients in the aminophylline group had a longer survival time (P = 0.039 by the log-rank test). The effects of aminophylline on vasopressor dose, oxygenation index, and sequential organ failure assessment score were time-dependent with treatment. There were no significant differences in total hospitalization days, ICU hospitalization days, and rates of serious adverse events (all P > 0.05). No adverse events were observed in the trial. Conclusions:. Aminophylline as an adjunct therapy could significantly reduce the risk of death and prolong the survival time of patients with sepsis. Trial registration:. ChiCTR.org.cn, ChiCTR1800019173.

Abstract Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important global public health issue. In China, CKD affects a large number of patients and causes a huge economic burden. This study provided a new way to predict the number of patients with CKD and estimate its economic burden in China based on the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model. Methods Data of the number of patients with CKD in China from 2000 to 2019 were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease. The ARIMA model was used to fit and predict the number of patients with CKD. The direct and indirect economic burden of CKD were estimated by the bottom-up approach and the human capital approach respectively. Results The results of coefficient of determination (0.99), mean absolute percentage error (0.26%), mean absolute error (343,193.8) and root mean squared error (628,230.3) showed that the ARIMA (1,1,1) model fitted well. Akaike information criterion (543.13) and Bayesian information criterion (546.69) indicated the ARIMA (1,1,1) model was reliable when analyzing our data. The result of relative error of prediction (0.23%) also suggested that the model predicted well. The number of patients with CKD in 2020 to 2025 was predicted to be about 153 million, 155 million, 157 million, 160 million, 163 million and 165 million respectively, accounting for more than 10% of the Chinese population. The total economic burden of CKD from 2019 to 2025 was estimated to be $179 billion, $182 billion, $185 billion, $188 billion, $191 billion, $194 billion and $198 billion respectively. Conclusion The number of patients with CKD and the economic burden of CKD will continue to rise in China. The number of patients with CKD in China would increase by 2.6 million (1.6%) per year on average from 2020 to 2025. Meanwhile, the total economic burden of CKD in China would increase by an average of $3.1 billion per year. The ARIMA model is applicable to predict the number of patients with CKD. This study provides a new perspective for more comprehensive understanding of the future risk of CKD.

Abstract Objective Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in anti‐N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis are nonspecific and rarely have obvious associations with clinical characteristics and outcomes. This study aimed to comprehensively describe the MRI features of patients with NMDAR encephalitis, examine their associations with clinical characteristics, and evaluate their predictive power for disease recurrence and prognosis. Methods We retrospectively extracted the clinical data and brain MRI findings of 144 patients with NMDAR encephalitis. Patients underwent a 2‐year follow‐up to assess disease outcomes. We evaluated the associations of brain MRI findings at the onset with clinical characteristics, recurrence, and prognosis. Results Initial MRI showed typical abnormalities in 65 patients (45.1%); of these, 34 (29.3%) developed recurrence and 10 (9.4%) had poor prognosis (mRS ≥3). Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that insula abnormalities were associated with acute seizure (odds ratio [OR] = 3.048, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.026–9.060) and white matter lesions were associated with cognitive impairment (OR = 2.730, 95% CI: 1.096–6.799). Risk factors for a poor 2‐year prognosis included a higher number of brain MRI abnormalities (OR = 1.573, 95% CI: 1.129–2.192) and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions (OR = 15.312, 95% CI: 1.684–139.198). The risk factors for 2‐year recurrence included abnormalities of the thalamus (HR = 3.780, 95% CI: 1.642–8.699). Interpretations Brain MRI features of patients with NMDAR encephalitis were associated with clinical manifestations, prognosis, and recurrence. Higher numbers of MRI abnormalities and ICU admissions were predictive of poor prognosis. Abnormalities of the thalamus constituted a recurrence‐related risk factor.

The complexity and fragmentation of people's activity space are challenging to planners. However, the relevant studies are mostly concerned on the relationship between the social attributes and the activity space of residents in a single or several communities, or the spatiotemporal laws of activity space on a macro scale. The research on the spatial characteristics of residents' activity space still needs to be strengthened. The present study analyses the spatial patterns of residents' activity space based on mobile phone signaling data to fill the gap of previous studies that assessed residents' activity space across small geographic areas. First, according to the spatial scope and direction of an activity space and residents' activity coverage rate, spatial patterns can be divided into three types: compact, extended, and directional extension patterns. The CatBoost method is then used to statistically analyze the influencing variables of spatial patterns, and the order of importance of the following influencing factors is determined: the built environment is more influential than social and economic situations. This study aims to strengthen the understanding of residents' activity space at the spatial level and provide a basis for the optimization of communities with different spatial patterns.

Objectives With large patient population and complement inhibitors naïve background, the characteristics patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) in China have not been well studied, especially for different subtypes. Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients with complete data who visited Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) from 2009 to 2019 and had been followed up for more than 2 years. Results Five hundred and twelve patients were enrolled including 56.3% males and 43.7% females. The median age at disease onset was 33 (9∼80) years. Most were aged 21∼40 years (50.6%). 52.1%, 46.3% and 1.6% of the patients had classic PNH, bone marrow failure (BMF)/PNH and subclinical PNH, respectively. Symptoms of classic PNH were associated with hemolysis, whereas bleeding was more common in BMF/PNH patients. Classic PNH had higher survival rate, larger PNH clone size, higher lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level and lower ferritin level than BMF/PNH. Although the rate of thrombosis was similar in the classic PNH and BMF/PNH (P = 0.66), those with BMF/PNH had higher chance of renal impairment (P

Crosswind and train-induced wind are major factors influencing the aerodynamic performance of vehicles on single-level rail-cum-road bridges. Based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology, this work developed a numerical model to discuss relevant issues. The flow features of the vehicle-bridge system, the influence of different lanes and vehicles are explored, and the superposition of crosswind and train-induced wind has been analyzed. The results indicate that the crosswind and train-induced wind superpose near the windward side of the concrete wall, producing two high-pressure and low-pressure zones, which are the primary cause of the aerodynamic variations on nearby vehicles. The crosswind decreases the variation amplitude of side force, rolling moment and yawing moment for 10% ∼ 20%, but the influence on the lift force and pitching moment is not significant. Therefore, the aerodynamic forces of the vehicle while meeting the train at different wind speeds can be obtained by superposing the aerodynamic variation caused by the moving train and the aerodynamic forces at its sole-traveling state, which are conservative and can provide references for actual engineering.

The current work demonstrates the fabrication of kaolin supported Au nanoparticles (Au NPs-kaolin) mediated by Thymbra spicata extract as green reductant and capping agent without any toxic reagent. Physicochemical characteristics of the said nanocomposite were elucidated by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, elemental mapping, X-ray diffraction and inductively coupled plasma techniques. The figures of the TEM display the black dots signifying Au NPs being dispersed over the kaolin surface. Size of spherical Au NPs are around 10–15 nm. In the in vivo, we established a rat calvaria defect model using a combination of collagen scaffold and nanoparticle. The experimental group was divided into three classifications: control, collagen matrix and nanoparticle with collagen. Histological analyses showed that nanoparticle increased bone formation activity when used in conjunction with collagen matrix. In the nanoparticle group, grafted materials were still present until 12 weeks after treatment, as evidenced by foreign body reactions showing multinucleated giant cells in chronic inflammatory vascular connective tissue. Other results revealed that the nanoparticle increased bone formation activity when used with collagen matrix. All groups showed almost the same histological findings until 7 weeks. In the experimental groups, new bone formation activity was found continuously up to 12 weeks.

This study emphasizes a three-level wooden furniture supply chain, which involves one supplier, one manufacturer, and one retailer. Focusing on maximizing the profit of the supply chain while adhering to low-carbon principles, the Three-level Leader-follower Game (TLG) model, Stackelberg Game Model I (SGI model), Stackelberg Game Model II (SGlI model), and Cooperative Decision-making (CD) model were established by using game theory. The carbon emission reduction cost and benefit sharing contract was introduced into the model with the maximum profit, and the ranges of sharing coefficients for a solid wood bed supply chain and the optimal decision-making process for each supply chain member were discussed. Results showed that the profit for the solid wood bed supply chain reached maximum under the CD model, followed by the SGII model, and then the SGI model, and the TLG model showed the lowest profit. A higher preference for low-carbon products can lead to lower demand for products and higher retail prices. Through introducing the cost and benefit-sharing contract into the CD model, the profit of the supply chain can be guaranteed with different sharing coefficients, and the profit of each member was improved compared to the TLG model.

Abstract The Pringle maneuver (PM) is widely used during hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) resection. However, it inevitably leads to ischemia and hypoxia, which promotes tumor metastasis. In this study, immunohistochemical staining of specimens from 130 HCC patients revealed that long-time PM significantly affected the prognosis of patients with high expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 5 (SOCS5), but did not affect the prognosis of patients with low expression of SOCS5. The TCGA database showed that patients with high expression of SOCS5 had higher hypoxia scores, and it was proved that SOCS5 could promote the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 subunit alpha (HIF-1α) protein by clinical tissue samples, cell experiments, lung metastases, and subcutaneous tumorigenesis experiments. Then, we used CoCl2 to construct a hypoxia model, and confirmed that SOCS5 knockdown resisted hypoxia-induced mitochondrial damage by inhibiting the expression of HIF-1α, thereby inhibiting the invasion and migration of HCC cells by immunofluorescence, electron microscopy, migration, invasion, and other experiments. We performed rescue experiments using LY294002 and rapamycin and confirmed that the knockdown of SOCS5-inhibited HCC cell invasion and migration by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR/HIF-1α signaling axis. More importantly, we obtained consistent conclusions from clinical, cellular, and animal studies that the hypoxia-induced invasion and migration ability of SOCS5-inhibited HCC were weaker than that of normal HCC. In conclusion, we identified a novel role for SOCS5 in regulating HIF-1α-dependent mitochondrial damage and metastasis through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. The development of a SOCS5-specific inhibitor, an indirect inhibitor of HIF-1α, might be effective at controlling PM-induced tumor micrometastases during HCC resection.

Here, by performing multi-omics microbiome analyses in a cohort of children with new-onset T1D, the authors characterize altered microbial functional and metabolic traits involved in T1D, which they validate in animal experiments, together providing potential avenues for microbiome-based interventions.

Based on the motion mechanism and biomechanics of human lower limb joints， the structure， function and motion law of human bones and joints are introduced. A simplified mathematical model of human lower limbs is established， and the posture coordinate equations of hip， knee and ankle joints are obtained. UG is used to establish the model； Adams and OpenSim are used to simulate the test； the lower limb joint angle， step height and step length curves are obtained. With the help of Xsens DOT commercial wearable sensor， the experimental results show that the simulation results are similar to the experimental results， and the joint angle， step height and step length curves are consistent with the actual human walking test results. The results show that the simplified model and simulation test are reasonable and effective and they are in line with the walking process of human lower limbs. It provides a simplified research method for sports testing， rehabilitation medicine and exoskeleton design.

In this study, the extraction process of fennel essential oil was optimized by response surface methodology. Fennel essential oil was used as oil phase, Tween 80+40 as surfactant and glycerol as cosurfactant to prepare fennel essential oil microemulsion system. The structure, particle size, total reducing power and storage property of fennel essential oil microemulsion were investigated by rheology, particle size analyzer and reduction reaction. The results showed that the yield of essential oil of fennel was as high as 15.99%±0.10% when the ratio of material to liquid was 1:8.40 g/mL, the extraction time was 4.09 h, the particle size was 80 mesh, and the extraction temperature 80 ℃. The diameter of fennel essential oil microemulsion was 30.92±0.13 nm, and when the moisture content was higher than 60%, it was a stable O/W microemulsion. The emulsification of fennel essential oil significantly improved the total reducing power of fennel essential oil. According to the principle of chemical reaction kinetics, the Arrhenius equation was established as k=2518.85·e−35583.09/RT. The model predicted that the fennel essential oil microemulsion could store 1899.18, 932.03, 492.94 and 271.51 h at 20, 35, 50 and 65 ℃, the maximum relative error was 8.73%, and the error was small, which could accurately predict the shelf life of the microemulsion.

Abstract Secondary infections have been shown to complicate the clinical course and worsen the outcome of critically ill patients. Severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be accompanied by a pronounced cytokine release, and immune competence of these patients towards most pathogenic antigens remains uncompromised early in the disease. Patients with bacterial sepsis also exhibit excessive cytokine release with systemic hyper-inflammation, however, typically followed by an anti-inflammatory phase, causing immune paralysis. In a second hit immune response model, leukocyte activation capacity of severely ill patients with pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 or by bacteria were compared upon ICU admission and at days 4 and 7 of the ICU stay. Blood cell count and release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-2, IFNγ and TNF were assessed after whole-blood incubation with the potent immune stimulus pokeweed mitogen (PWM). For comparison, patients with bacterial sepsis not originating from pneumonia, and healthy volunteers were included. Lymphopenia and granulocytosis were less pronounced in COVID-19 patients compared to bacterial sepsis patients. After PWM stimulation, COVID-19 patients showed a reduced release of IFNγ, while IL-2 levels were found similar and TNF levels were increased compared to healthy controls. Interestingly, concentrations of all three cytokines were significantly higher in samples from COVID-19 patients compared to samples from patients with bacterial infection. This fundamental difference in immune competence during a second hit between COVID-19 and sepsis patients may have implications for the selection of immune suppressive or enhancing therapies in personalized medicine.

Abstract This study prospectively compared the efficacy and safety between matched related donor-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (MRD-HSCT) (n = 108) and immunosuppressive therapy (IST) plus eltrombopag (EPAG) (IST + EPAG) (n = 104) to determine whether MRD-HSCT was still superior as a front-line treatment for patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA). Compared with IST + EPAG group, patients in the MRD-HSCT achieved faster transfusion independence, absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1.0 × 109/L (P

With the expansion of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) applications and the development of SAR data acquisition technology, multiangle SAR datasets of various typical targets need to be constructed. Presently, a comprehensive multiangle SAR image dataset for aircraft targets is still lacking. This study explores a method of dataset construction based on the acquisition of actual data and intelligent simulation. Multiangle SAR images of aircraft targets are collected through flight tests, and the interpolation simulations of SAR images of specific angles are realized based on scattering analysis and self-attention generative adversarial network, which provide a new solution for dataset construction and expansion. Finally, under the assumption that some data are missing, the similarities between the simulated and actual images are evaluated using six evaluation indices, which verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Tooth enamel, which is a biological tissue mainly composed of well-aligned hydroxyapatite nanocrystals and an interlaced protein matrix, has remarkable mechanical and aesthetic behaviors. Nevertheless, it is challenging to regenerate enamel naturally, and potential pulp involvement and tooth loss may occur. As the hardest biogenic composite material, enamel has long been regarded as a promising load-bearing material. Thus, understanding the enamel formation process and enamel structural motif mechanisms is important for the design and engineering of high-performance biomimetic composites with high strength and physical resilience. Extensive studies have been conducted on mimicking the microstructure and mechanical properties of tooth enamel, and various enamel-like material synthesis protocols have been developed. In light of the engineering fabrication of enamel-like materials, this review focuses on recent progress in synthetic strategies for enamel-mimetic materials and provides a discussion of the potential applications of these materials.

Background: Compared with the conventional transradial approach (TRA), there are limited data on the efficacy and safety of the novel distal transradial approach (DTRA). This study aimed to verify the effectiveness and safety of the DTRA for percutaneous coronary angiography and intervention. Besides, we also try to highlight the potential of the DTRA in reducing radial artery occlusion (RAO), shorter time to hemostasis, and improved patient comfort. Methods: This single-center prospective observational study enrolled patients treated with DTRA (n = 527) in the first 9 months and with TRA (n = 586) in the next 8 months from May 2020 to December 2021. The primary endpoint was the proximal RAO rate at 30 days. Results: Baseline data were similar between the two groups. The proximal radial artery occlusion rate at 30 days [2.3% vs. 7.0%], the success rate of puncture [86.4% vs. 96.7%], the Numeric Rating Scale score [1.97 ± 1.89 vs. 4.61 ± 2.68], and the incidence of postoperative subcutaneous hematoma and finger numbness [3.4% vs. 8.2%, 2.7% vs. 4.4%] were lower. The puncture time [6.93 ± 7.25 min vs. 3.18 ± 3.52 min] was longer, and the time until radial compression device removal was shorter [CAG: 138.61 ± 38.73 min vs. 191.6 ± 61.22 min, PCI:221.46 ± 62.45 min vs. 276.28 ± 76.39 min] in the DTRA group than TRA group (all P

Vasohibin1 (VASH1) is a kind of vasopressor, produced by negative feedback from vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). Anti-angiogenic therapy targeting VEGFA is currently the first-line treatment for advanced ovarian cancer (OC), but there are still many adverse effects. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are the main lymphocytes mediating immune escape function in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and have been reported to influence the function of VEGFA. However, whether Tregs are associated with VASH1 and angiogenesis in TME in OC is unclear. We aimed to explore the relationship between angiogenesis and immunosuppression in the TME of OC. We validated the relationship between VEGFA, VASH1, and angiogenesis in ovarian cancer and their prognostic implications. The infiltration level of Tregs and its marker forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3) were explored in relation to angiogenesis-related molecules. The results showed that VEGFA and VASH1 were associated with clinicopathological stage, microvessel density and poor prognosis of ovarian cancer. Both VEGFA and VASH1 expression were associated with angiogenic pathways and there was a positive correlation between VEGFA and VASH1 expression. Tregs correlated with angiogenesis-related molecules and indicated that high FOXP3 expression is harmful to the prognosis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) predicted that angiogenesis, IL6/JAK/STAT3 signaling, PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, TGF-β signaling, and TNF-α signaling via NF-κB may be common pathways for VEGFA, VASH1, and Tregs to be involved in the development of OC. These findings suggest that Tregs may be involved in the regulation of tumor angiogenesis through VEGFA and VASH1, providing new ideas for synergistic anti-angiogenic therapy and immunotherapy in OC.

The main components of seismo-electromagnetic research are the deep underground electromagnetic seismogenic environment, electromagnetic field changes at different stages of the seismogenic process, and the physical mechanism and change rules of electromagnetic properties of the earth’s interior. Traditional electric and magnetic methods mainly analyze the single field change of the geoelectric field, geomagnetic field, or resistivity at frequencies less than 1 Hz. These do not include the extremely low-frequency band that is sensitive to seismic events, so it is difficult to obtain the characteristics of time-spatial variations and propagation characteristics precursors. In comparison, magnetotelluric stations observe magnetotelluric fields containing seismogenic-induced electromagnetic disturbances, and the observation frequency band is wide. In this paper, the three-dimensional numerical simulation method is used to calculate the magnetotelluric apparent resistivity anomaly generated by resistivity changes in the seismogenic zone, and the forward algorithm of arbitrarily orientated dipole source in layered earth is used to simulate the response of low-frequency pre-earthquake electromagnetic radiation. The magnetotelluric response including seismogenic resistivity anomaly and pre-earthquake electromagnetic radiation is obtained using the field component composition method. The frequency characteristics and spatial distribution characteristics of apparent resistivity anomalies are systematically analyzed, and the results are of important significance for the observation, data processing, and identification and analysis of seismic electromagnetic anomalies in different seismogenic processes.