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(1) Background: Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a flowering plant reported to have anti-obesity, antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory effects. This study aims to evaluate the UV-absorbing and antioxidant activities of roselle aqueous extracts (RAE) and test the protective effects of RAE against UV radiation in zebrafish embryos. (2) Methods: DPPH assay and UV-spectrum methods were applied to evaluate the antioxidant and UV-absorbing activities, respectively. The protective effects of RAE were evaluated using fin morphology recording, Kaplan–Meier analysis, and Cox proportional hazards regression. Real-time PCR experiments were also applied to detect both the UV- and RAE-induced gene expressions. (3) Results: Our results show that (i) RAE had UV-absorbing abilities and significantly reduced ROS production in vitro; (ii) the mean times of malformed fins in the UV + RAE (36 and 48 ppm) groups were 3.56 and 4.44 days, respectively, and were prolonged compared to those in the UV-only group (3.36 days); (iii) zebrafish in the UV + RAE (36 and 48 ppm) groups were 0.963 and 0.496 (p < 0.001) times more likely to develop to malformed fins, respectively, than those in the UV-only group; and (iv) the RAE treatment led to the 0.19- to 0.62-fold downregulation of the p53, p21, mdm2, and bcl2 gene expressions, compared to the UV-only group. (4) Conclusions: The UV-protective effects of RAE might derive from both the in vitro UV-absorbing activity and in vivo regulation of the p53, p21, mdm2, and bcl2 gene expressions.

Interest in the development of eco-friendly, sustainable, and convenient bio-based coatings to enhance flame retardancy and antibacterial properties in cotton fabrics is growing. In this work, chitosan was protonated at its amino groups using a method with a high atom economy using an equimolar amount of amino trimethylene phosphonic acid (ATMP), resulting in the fabrication of a single-component chitosan-based multifunctional coating (ATMP-CS), thereby avoiding any additional neutralization or purification steps. Cotton fabrics coated with various loads of ATMP-CS were prepared through a padding–drying–curing process. The morphology, thermal stability, mechanical properties, antibacterial properties, flame-retardant behavior, and flame-retardant mechanism of these fabrics were investigated. The coating exhibited excellent film-forming properties, and it imparted a uniform protective layer onto the surfaces of the cotton fabrics. When the load capacity reached 11.5%, the coated fabrics achieved a limiting oxygen index of 29.7% and successfully passed the VFT test. Moreover, the ATMP-CS coating demonstrated antibacterial rates against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus reaching 95.1% and 99.9%, respectively. This work presents a straightforward and gentle approach to fabricating colorless, environmentally friendly, and highly efficient fabric coatings that have potential applications in promoting the use of bio-based materials.

This paper presents a comprehensive study on ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) beams without stirrups, where the test data of 487 beams were collected, and an experimental database was established. Four distinct shear strength calculation models for UHPC beams were examined in the study. These models were created from national specification guides. The results indicate that while the code equation is useful for predicting UHPC beam shear capacity, it consistently underestimates actual values, with a mean experimental-to-calculated ratio above 1.5. The database was also used to study the impacts of the compressive strength of UHPC, the shear span-to-depth ratio, the fiber volume fraction, and the reinforcement ratio on the shear strength of UHPC beams. The findings showed that the shear span-to-depth ratio significantly affected the shear load-bearing capacity of UHPC beams. The increase in the compressive strength of UHPC, fiber volume fraction, and reinforcement ratio positively affected the shear strength of UHPC beams to varying degrees. Additionally, there were size effects for beams with a shear span-to-depth ratio of less than 1.5 and an effective depth of more than 300. In addition, coefficients accounting for fiber influence and the shear span-to-depth ratio were incorporated to develop an enhanced formula for UHPC beams. The empirical data from the database tests revealed that the average ratio of the beams’ experimental shear capacity to the values predicted by the modified equation is 1.3, with a standard deviation of 0.74. These results suggest that the refined equation offers improved calculation precision and broader applicability. Eventually, a summary of the issues pertaining to the shear performance of UHPC beams and the key future research directions is provided to facilitate a clearer comprehension and awareness of emerging concepts for scholars within the discipline.

Much attention has been paid to dynamical simulation and quantum machine learning (QML) independently as applications for quantum advantage, while the possibility of using QML to enhance dynamical simulations has not been thoroughly investigated. Here we develop a framework for using QML methods to simulate quantum dynamics on near-term quantum hardware. We use generalization bounds, which bound the error a machine learning model makes on unseen data, to rigorously analyze the training data requirements of an algorithm within this framework. Our algorithm is thus resource efficient in terms of qubit and data requirements. Furthermore, our preliminary numerics for the XY model exhibit efficient scaling with problem size, and we simulate 20 times longer than Trotterization on IBMQ-Bogota.

Background: Although its immunomodulatory properties make thymopentin (TP5) appealing, its rapid metabolism and inactivation in the digestive system pose significant challenges for global scientists. PEGylated niosomal nanocarriers are hypothesized to improve the physicochemical stability of TP5, and to enhance its intestinal permeability for oral administration. Methods: TP5-loaded PEGylated niosomes were fabricated using the thin film hydration method. Co-cultured Caco-2 and HT29 cells with different ratios were screened as in vitro intestinal models. The cytotoxicity of TP5 and its formulations were evaluated using an MTT assay. The cellular uptake and transport studies were investigated in the absence or presence of variable inhibitors or enhancers, and their mechanisms were explored. Results and Discussion: All TP5 solutions and their niosomal formulations were nontoxic to Caco-2 and HT-29 cells. The uptake of TP5-PEG-niosomes by cells relied on active endocytosis, exhibiting dependence on time, energy, and concentration, which has the potential to significantly enhance its cellular uptake compared to TP5 in solution. Nevertheless, cellular transport rates were similar between TP5 in solution and its niosomal groups. The cellular transport of TP5 in solution was carried out mainly through MRP5 endocytosis and a passive pathway and effluxed by MRP5 transporters, while that of TP5-niosomes and TP5-PEG-niosomes was carried out through adsorptive- and clathrin-mediated endocytosis requiring energy. The permeability and transport rate was further enhanced when EDTA and sodium taurocholate were used as the penetration enhancers. Conclusions: This research has illustrated that PEG-niosomes were able to enhance the cellular uptake and maintain the cellular transport of TP5. This study also shows this formulation’s potential to serve as an effective carrier for improving the oral delivery of peptides.

Several ecological studies suggest that ambient air pollution is associated with the occurrence of thyroid cancer. In this study, we used certified diesel particulate matter as a proxy for fine particulate matter. Human thyroid cancer cell lines 8505C and TPC-1 were incubated with different concentrations of NIST1650b for 5 days and subjected to functional assays. We found that NIST1650b treatment did not affect short-term cell growth but reduced colony formation at high concentrations. Notably, NIST1650b-treated cells showed altered morphology toward cluster coalescence following treatment. Wound healing assays revealed that leading-edge cells formed protruding tips while maintaining cell-cell adhesion, and a significantly higher ratio of wound closure following treatment at 10 μg/mL was seen in both cell lines. A weak stimulatory effect on transwell cell migration was observed in 8505C cells. Taken together, our results suggest that fine particulate matter induced a coherent phenotype accompanied by augmented collective cell migration in thyroid cancer cells.

Abstract Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a prevalent birth defect and a significant contributor to childhood mortality. The major characteristics of CHD include cardiovascular malformations and hemodynamical disorders. However, the impact of CHD extends beyond the circulatory system. Evidence has identified dysbiosis of the gut microbiome in patients with CHD. Chronic hypoxia and inflammation associated with CHD affect the gut microbiome, leading to alterations in its number, abundance, and composition. The gut microbiome, aside from providing essential nutrients, engages in direct interactions with the host immune system and indirect interactions via metabolites. The abnormal gut microbiome or its products can translocate into the bloodstream through an impaired gut barrier, leading to an inflammatory state. Metabolites of the gut microbiome, such as short‐chain fatty acids and trimethylamine N‐oxide, also play important roles in the development, treatment, and prognosis of CHD. This review discusses the role of the gut microbiome in immunity, gut barrier, neurodevelopment, and perioperative period in CHD. By fostering a better understanding of the cross‐talk between CHD and the gut microbiome, this review aims to contribute to improve clinical management and outcomes for CHD patients.

Mobile technology has become increasingly common in recent years with its booming development across the globe, leading to the gradual adoption of mobile health, which can reduce the risk of caregivers being infected. The widespread use of mobile health has brought many benefits to the healthcare industry, including increased efficiency for frontline caregivers and a better patient–physician relationship. However, it also presents some challenges. This study aimed to examine caregivers’ behavior intention to use mobile technology in medical practice with a unified theory of acceptance and the use of technology two model. Satisfaction and self-efficacy were included as external variables and mobile technology identity as a moderator variable. A total of 281 valid questionnaires were collected from the nursing staff, and a structural equation model was used to test the hypotheses of this study. The results of the study showed that (1) self-efficacy had a significant effect on satisfaction and effort expectancy, (2) effort expectancy significantly affected performance expectancy, (3) performance expectancy and satisfaction had significant effects on behavior intention, and (4) mobile technology identity moderated the relationship between satisfaction and behavior intention. These results could inform medical institutions and facilities in launching mobile technology policies and education or training programs.

Objectives: To study the characteristics of intestinal microbiota at different stages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Methods: Fecal samples of 19 active tuberculosis (ATB) patients, 21 latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) individuals, and 20 healthy controls (HC) were collected. Gut microbiota of all the participants were analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing. Clinical information of ATB patients was also collected and analyzed. Results: Both ATB and LTBI groups showed significant decreases in microbial diversity and decline of Clostridia. For ATB patients, bacteria within phylum Proteobacteria increased. While for LTBI individuals, genera Prevotella and Rosburia enriched. The abundance of Faecalibacterium, Clostridia and Gammaproteobacteria has the potential to diagnose ATB, with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.808, 0.784 and 0.717. And Prevotella and Rosburia has the potential to diagnose LTBI, with the AUC of 0.689 and 0.689. Notably, in ATB patients, the relative abundance of Blautia was negatively correlated with the proportions of peripheral T cells and CD8+T cells. And serum direct bilirubin was positively correlated with Bacteroidales, while negatively correlated with Clostridiales in ATB patients. Conclusions: The specifically changed bacteria are promising markers for ATB and LTBI diagnosis. Some gut bacteria contribute to anti-MTB immunity through interactions with T cells and bilirubin.

IntroductionPseudorabies (PR) is a highly contagious viral disease caused by the pseudorabies virus (PRV), which can cause disease in a wide range of domestic and wild animals. Studies have shown that new mutant strains have emerged in pig farms in many regions and that commercial inactivated and live attenuated vaccines are becoming less effective at protecting pigs.MethodsPorcine pseudorabies glycoprotein D (gD) gene (GenBank: QEY95774.1) with hexa-His tag to the C terminus for further purification processes was cloned into the lentiviral expression plasmid pLV-CMV-eGFP by restriction enzyme, the resulting plasmid was designated as pLV-CMV-gD. HEK-293T cells with robust and stable expression of recombinant gD protein was established by infection with recombinant lentivirus vector pLV-CMV-gD. We expressed porcine pseudorabies virus gD protein using HEK-293T cells.ResultsWe describe in this study that individual gD proteins produced by a mammalian cell expression system are well immunogenic and stimulate high levels of PRV-specific and neutralizing antibodies in mice and piglets. All mice and piglets survived lethal doses of PRV, significantly reducing the amount of PRV virus in piglets’ lymph nodes, lungs, spleen, and other tissues. It also significantly reduced the time cycle and amount of viral excretion from piglets to the environment through the nasal and anal cavities.DiscussionThe results suggest that PRV gD protein is expected to be a potential candidate for the preparation of genetically engineered PR vaccines for the prevention of PRV infection and the control of PR epidemics.

Summary: Recent studies suggest that pleiotropic effects may explain the genetic architecture of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). We conducted a comprehensive gene-centric pleiotropic association analysis for ten CVDs using genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics to identify pleiotropic genes and pathways that may underlie multiple CVDs. We found shared genetic mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of CVDs, with over two-thirds of the diseases exhibiting common genes and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Significant positive genetic correlations were observed in more than half of paired CVDs. Additionally, we investigated the pleiotropic genes shared between different CVDs, as well as their functional pathways and distribution in different tissues. Moreover, six hub genes, including ALDH2, XPO1, HSPA1L, ESR2, WDR12, and RAB1A, as well as 26 targeted potential drugs, were identified. Our study provides further evidence for the pleiotropic effects of genetic variants on CVDs and highlights the importance of considering pleiotropy in genetic association studies.

BackgroundRelapsing polychondritis (RP) as a rare autoimmune disease is characterized by recurrent inflammation of the organs containing cartilage. Currently, no biomarkers have been integrated into clinical practice. This study aimed to construct and evaluate models based on laboratory parameters to aid in RP diagnosis, assess activity assessment, and explore associations with the pathological process.MethodsRP patients and healthy controls (HCs) were recruited at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital from July 2017 to July 2023. Clinical data including Relapsing Polychondritis Disease Activity Index (RPDAI) score and laboratory tests were collected. Differences in laboratory data between RP patients and HCs and active and inactive patients were analyzed.ResultsThe discovery cohort (cohort 1) consisted of 78 RP patients and 94 HCs. A model based on monocyte counts and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) could effectively distinguish RP patients from HCs with an AUC of 0.845. Active RP patients exhibited increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, complement 3, platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), NLR, and C-reactive protein to albumin ratio (CAR) compared with stable patients, which were also positively correlated with RPDAI. Notably, CAR emerged as an independent risk factor of disease activity (OR = 4.422) and could identify active patients with an AUC of 0.758. To confirm the reliability and stability of the aforementioned models, a replication cohort (cohort 2) was enrolled, including 79 RP patients and 94 HCs. The monocyte-combined NLR and CAR showed a sensitivity of 0.886 and 0.577 and a specificity of 0.830 and 0.833 in RP diagnosis and activity prediction, respectively. Furthermore, lower natural killer cell levels in RP patients and higher B-cell levels in active patients may contribute to elucidating the pathological mechanisms of disease occurrence and exacerbation.ConclusionsThe utilization of laboratory parameters provides cost-effective and valuable markers that can assist in RP diagnosis, identify disease activity, and elucidate pathogenic mechanisms.

A MS6.8 earthquake struck Luding Country in Ganzi Prefecture, Sichuan Province on 5 September 2022. The earthquake occurred on the Moxi segment of Xianshuihe fault zone (XFZ), one of the most seismically active faults in the Chinese mainland. In this study, multiple periods of the Global Positioning System (GPS) velocity field and continuous observational data are collected to analysis the tectonic deformation and evolution characteristics before the Luding earthquake, from the perspectives of the kinematic behavior of seismogenic fault, the multi-scale strain features around the study region, and the variation of GPS baselines across the epicenter area. Then the following conclusions are obtained: 1) The accelerated compression of baselines SCGZ-SCXJ (Ganzi to Xiaojin in Sichuan province) and SCLH-SCXJ (Luhuo to Xiaojin in Sichuan province) in Bayan Har block indicate that under the influence of the coseismic rupture of Maduo MS7.4 earthquake, the boundary faults decoupled and accelerated the push southward and eastward, leading to the acceleration of strain accumulation and the increase of seismic risk in the divergence area bounded by the southeastern XFZ and the southwestern Longmenshan fault zone (LFZ). 2) Luding earthquake located in the weakened region around the edge of the large strike-slip fault zone with high shear strain rate, and the tensile zone of the strain perpendicular to the fault direction, denoting that the reduction of the normal strain in the locked background is strongly related to fault rupture and earthquake nucleation.

Objectives To inform the impacts of health programmes which aimed at preventing women and children from being trapped in or returning to poverty because of illness in Yunnan, the main battlefield against poverty in China.Design The longitudinal comparative evaluation design.Data collection and analysis National and Yunnan policy documents related to maternal and child health programmes for poverty alleviation during 2015–2020 were analysed. The changes in disparities in maternal and child health system inputs, service coverage, and health outcomes between poor and non-poor areas, as well as out-of-pocket payments between poor and non-poor populations were assessed before and after 2017.Results In total 12 policies and 15 programmes related to poverty alleviation for poor women and children in Yunnan were summarised. As a result of health system strengthening in Yunnan, the densities of licensed doctors, nurses, obstetricians, midwives, township health workers and female village doctors had been increased substantially in poor areas, with the annual rates of 14.3%, 22.5%, 21.8%, 23.9%, 14.1% and 7.1% separately. Although disparities existed in some of service coverage between poor and non-poor areas, the health programmes had narrowed the gaps in utilisation of facility birth, caesarean section, prenatal screening and newborn screening across Yunnan (p

The great promise of the combination of urea oxidation reaction (UOR) with hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) to simultaneously achieve wastewater treatment and hydrogen production calls for the rational design of high‐performance electrocatalysts. Herein, the reconstruction with the formation of Ni2P and Mo2O72− on the surface can largely enhance the alkaline HER activity of P‐NiMoO4 by on‐site electrochemical activation strategy. Systematic experimental results indicate that the reconstruction process enables the exposure of additional Ni sites and the adjustment of hydrogen adsorption to facilitate HER kinetics. Ultimately, a highly efficient alkaline HER electrode with low overpotential of −48.9 mV for 10 mA cm−2 is achieved. More importantly, a UOR electrolyzer assembled with A‐P‐NiMoO4 as the cathode and P‐NiMoO4 as the anode exhibits impressive performance with a small cell voltage of 1.363 V for 10 mA cm−2. The application of the fabricated electrodes in a practical cell driven by a commercial dry battery (1.5 V) demonstrates efficient and stable hydrogen production, making the developed strategy promising for the rational design of highly active electrocatalysts for green hydrogen production.

IntroductionAs a developing country with the largest older adult population in the world, strengthening the research on falls among the older adults is undoubtedly an urgent item in China. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and risk factors associated with falls and injury from falls among community-dwelling older adults in Guangzhou, China, particularly focusing on their associations with chronic diseases.MethodsA total of 1,629 participants aged 65 years and above were selected from 11 counties in Guangzhou by the multi-stage stratified random sampling method in 2021. Socio-demographic characteristics, health and lifestyle factors, the status of falls, and injury from falls were measured by structured questionnaires through face-to-face interviews. Chi-square tests and logistic regression analysis were used to identify factors associated with falls and injury from falls. Chord diagrams were used to explore their associations with chronic diseases.ResultsA total of 251 participants (15.41%, 95% CI: 13.98%−17.25%) reported falls, and 162 participants (9.46%, 95% CI:7.72%−11.55%) indicated an injury from falls. Logistic regression analysis showed the results as follows: female patients (adjusted OR = 1.721, 95% CI: 1.681–1.761) aged ≥80 years (1.910, 1.847–1.975), unemployed (1.226, 1.171–1.284), uninsured (1.555, 1.448–1.671), average monthly household income of 2,001–4,000 CNY (1.878, 1.827–1.930), number of services provided by the community health center ≥13 times per year (1.428, 1.383–1.475), illness within 2 weeks (1.633, 1.595–1.672), high-intensity physical activity (2.254, 2.191–2.32), sedentary (1.094, 1.070–1.117), and number of chronic disease illnesses ≥3 (1.930, 1.870–1.993). Meanwhile, those risk factors were also associated with injury from falls. The older adults with medium-intensity physical activity were at lower risk (0.721, 0.705–0.737) of falls and higher risk (1.086, 1.057–1.117) of being injured from falls. Chord diagrams showed the correlations between chronic diseases and falls and injury from falls among community-dwelling older adults in Guangzhou, China.ConclusionThe high prevalence of falls is found among community-dwelling older adults in Guangzhou, China, which is related to multiple factors such as demographic variables, lifestyle, and health status, especially for chronic diseases. Therefore, targeted interventions should be developed and implemented urgently.

Pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma (PMEC) is a rare tumor, particularly in children, and its clinical manifestations vary. When the tumor is small, it may be asymptomatic; however, with larger tumors, patients may present with symptoms such as recurring pneumonia, atelectasis, persistent cough, chest pain, and even hemoptysis. PMEC appears as an exophytic intrabronchial mass. This study aims to report on the clinical manifestations, imaging findings, treatment approaches, and prognosis of two children diagnosed with PMEC at our hospital between January 2018 and December 2022. The age of onset for both children was 9 years, and the masses were located in the right upper lobe bronchi. Following surgical treatment, both patients showed a good prognosis. In addition, we conducted a comprehensive review of the relevant literature to enhance the overall understanding of PMEC.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are one of the most urgent threats to humans worldwide, which are responsible for almost one-third of global mortality. Over the last decade, research on flexible electronics for monitoring and treatment of CVDs has attracted tremendous attention. In contrast to conventional medical instruments in hospitals that are usually bulky, hard to move, monofunctional, and time-consuming, flexible electronics are capable of continuous, noninvasive, real-time, and portable monitoring. Notable progress has been made in this emerging field, and thus a number of significant achievements and concomitant research prospects deserve attention for practical implementation. Here, we comprehensively review the latest progress of flexible electronics for CVDs, focusing on new functions provided by flexible electronics. First, the characteristics of CVDs and flexible electronics and the foundation of their combination are briefly reviewed. Then, four representative applications of flexible electronics for CVDs are elaborated: blood pressure (BP) monitoring, electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring, echocardiogram monitoring, and direct epicardium monitoring. Their operational principles, progress, merits and demerits, and future efforts are discussed. Finally, the remaining challenges and opportunities for flexible electronics for cardiovascular healthcare are outlined.

Abstract Abnormal activation of Wnt/β-catenin-mediated transcription is closely associated with the malignancy of pancreatic cancer. Family with sequence similarity 83 member A (FAM83A) was shown recently to have oncogenic effects in a variety of cancer types, but the biological roles and molecular mechanisms of FAM83A in pancreatic cancer need further investigation. Here, we newly discovered that FAM83A binds directly to β-catenin and inhibits the assembly of the cytoplasmic destruction complex thus inhibiting the subsequent phosphorylation and degradation. FAM83A is mainly phosphorylated by the SRC non-receptor kinase family member BLK (B-lymphoid tyrosine kinase) at tyrosine 138 residue within the DUF1669 domain that mediates the FAM83A-β-catenin interaction. Moreover, FAM83A tyrosine 138 phosphorylation enhances oncogenic Wnt/β-catenin-mediated transcription through promoting β-catenin-TCF4 interaction and showed an elevated nucleus translocation, which inhibits the recruitment of histone deacetylases by TCF4. We also showed that FAM83A is a direct downstream target of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and correlates with the levels of Wnt target genes in human clinical pancreatic cancer tissues. Notably, the inhibitory peptides that target the FAM83A-β-catenin interaction significantly suppressed pancreatic cancer growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Our results revealed that blocking the FAM83A cascade signaling defines a therapeutic target in human pancreatic cancer.

Background and purpose: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common bacterial infection in young children. This study aimed to formulate nomogram plots for clinicians to predict UTIs in children aged

Inhaled nanoparticles (NPs) need to penetrate the bronchial mucosa to deliver drug payloads deeply in the lung for amplified local therapy. However, the bronchial mucociliary barrier eliminates NPs rapidly, which considerably limits their mucosal penetration. In this study, we find that surface ligand modification and stiffness adjustment of NPs contribute to the significantly enhanced bronchial mucosal absorption and pulmonary retention of inhaled drugs. We utilize neonatal Fc receptor ligand (FcBP) to modify the rationally designed low stiffness NPs (Soft-NP) and high stiffness NPs (Stiff-NP) to target bronchial mucosa. In an acute lung inflammation rat model, after intranasal administration with dexamethasone-loaded NPs, Stiff-NP endowed with FcBP displays superior therapeutic effects. The in vitro data demonstrate that the promotion effect of FcBP to bronchial mucosal absorption of Stiff-NP dominates over Soft-NP. This could be attributed to the higher affinity between ligand-receptor when incorporating FcBP on the Stiff-NP surface. Meanwhile, high stiffness modulates more actin filaments aggregation to mediate endocytosis, along with strengthened Ca2+ signal to enhance exocytosis. Conclusively, we highlight that FcBP-modified NPs with higher stiffness would be a potential pulmonary drug delivery system.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the usefulness of genetic analysis with short tandem repeats (STRs) to identify the cellular origin of an unusual allograft urothelial carcinoma (UC). Materials and Methods: A 30-year-old Taiwanese woman received a kidney transplant from her aunt in 2000. She was diagnosed with high-grade UC of her native upper urinary tract (urinary tract UC [UTUC]) in 2012. During a follow-up, tumors were discovered in both her native right ureter and graft ureter. The final pathology report identified this as a high-grade invasive UC. To investigate the origin of her allograft ureteral cancer to determine whether it originated from her own or the donor cells, we employed STR analysis because the recipient and donor were of the same gender. Results: We compared 23 autosomal STR loci and one amelogenin. Overall, the STR expression from the native right UTUC was identical to that of the recipient's buccal cells. The STR expression of the graft UTUC was similar to that of recipient cells, but importantly, some STR loci showed gene expressions that were only present in the donor's buccal cells. Conclusion: We concluded that the native right UTUC was of recipient origin and not metastatic from the donor. While we cannot be entirely sure of the tumor origin of the graft ureteral UC, we conjectured that it was not wholly from the donor source alone; either because of the intermixing with the donor stroma or due to microchimerism that developed after transplantation.

A rapid recurrent neural network (RNN)-based physical feasibility test algorithm for base parameters during the identification process of a robot dynamic model is proposed in this paper. Firstly, related physical constraints such as inertia tensor, drive chain inertia, and friction are combined into the formulation of linear matrix inequality (LMI) to examine the physical consistency of the base parameters. The optimization problem of LMI is then solved by a matrix-oriented gradient-type RNN. Since the network structure of this type of RNN is simple and the process for solving the optimization problem of LMI is parallel distributed, the physical feasibility test can be completed more quickly than when utilizing commonly used semi-definite programming techniques. By taking advantage of highly efficient computation capabilities, the proposed physical feasibility test algorithm is particularly suitable for identification approaches that require rapid feasibility assessment such as on-line identification methods or optimization-based identification methods. An evolutionary algorithm-based identification method is used as an illustrative example to assess the performance of the proposed approach. In addition, a stability proof for the proposed gradient-type RNN is also provided. Results of the experiments conducted on a 6-DOF industrial robot manipulator verify the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Compared with English Named Entity Recognition (NER), Chinese Named Entity Recognition (CNER) has a high difficulty in word segmentation, and accurate extraction of contextual semantic feature information is a key work of CNER. For that, we propose a CNER model to extract both local and global contextual semantic feature information. First, we propose to apply the dynamic convolutional kernel to the convolutional layer of TCN to enhance the local features of contextual semantic feature information. Second, we define a dynamic scaling factor computation method to compute the correlation between named entity characters in the multihead attention, which to process the problem of sparse distribution of named entities, and can efficiently extract the global features of contextual semantics. We validated the effectiveness of the proposed model on the Weibo dataset with an F1 value of 89.24%, which is better than commonly used models.

Accurate and efficient forecast of PM2.5 concentration is the primary prerequisite for promoting urban green development and improving residents’ well-being. In this study, a hybrid model based on secondary decomposition ensemble and weight combination optimization is presented to materialize exact PM2.5 concentration prediction. First, the empirical wavelet transform (EWT) is adopted to disassemble the primeval PM2.5 concentration sequence to get high and low-frequency components. Considering the intricacy of high-frequency components and the difficulty of direct prediction. Therefore, it is further decomposed into a collection of modes with significant discrepancies by adaptive variational mode decomposition (AVMD). Second, the prediction network and meteorological data are determined respectively according to Hurst exponent. Then support vector regression (SVR) model and bidirectional long short-term memory (BILSTM) network are used to model each sequence separately. In addition, the weights of each forecast network were optimized by improved sparrow search algorithm (ISSA) to correct decomposition errors. Finally, all prediction results were weighted and integrated to receive the ultimate prediction values. The test results show that whether it is 1-step prediction, 3-step prediction or 5-step prediction, the proposed model has the best prediction effect in Beijing, Handan and additional Shanghai cases.

Accumulating evidence has revealed many clues that regular aerobic exercise benefits brain health and behaviors. The aims of this study were to explore the effect of aerobic exercise on ejaculatory behaviors, as well as to make a preliminary assessment of aerobic exercise as a complementary strategy to dapoxetine treatment in rapid ejaculators. Copulatory tests of rats and a treadmill training protocol were performed in this study. In total, 12 rapid ejaculators were selected on the basis of ejaculation distribution theory and randomly assigned to 4 groups: control (Ctrol) group, aerobic exercise (Ex) group, dapoxetine (Dapo) group, and Ex+Dapo group. We evaluated the changes in ejaculatory parameters in the 4 groups. Variations in biological markers, including serum corticosterone, serotonin (5-HT), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) of the raphe nucleus, were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The primary finding of our study was that both aerobic exercise and acute dapoxetine could enhance ejaculation control and prolong ejaculation latency in rapid ejaculator rats. The ejaculation delay effect of aerobic exercise was nearly equivalent to that of acute dapoxetine. In addition, both aerobic exercise and dapoxetine treatment could lead to increased expression of BDNF and 5-HT in the raphe nucleus of rapid ejaculators. Moreover, the two interventions, when applied together, may further upregulate the expression of BDNF-5-HT duo in a complementary manner. This study highlights the positive effects of aerobic exercise on ejaculation control. Regular aerobic exercise might be a promising complementary treatment to dapoxetine in rats.

This article presents a fully-integrated Ku-band CMOS down-converter for the low earth orbit satellite user downlink applications. To receive satellite signals adequately, a wideband receiver is presented with an automatic in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) mismatch calibration to carry out above 40 dB image rejection ratio (IRR) to the interferences within 2 GHz span concurrently. During the I/Q signal phase adjustment, the proposed wideband I/Q interpolator (IQI) exhibits almost a constant group delay over the wide IF signal bandwidth, which alleviates the iterative calibration between multiple frequency points in a wideband system. Also, the proposed wideband IQI has apparently less influence on signal amplitude than the reported phase interpolator and delay cell while calibrating I/Q phase imbalance. This work utilizes polyphase filters to fulfill on-chip image-rejection integration and exploits logarithmic power detector to realize I/Q mismatch indication in automatic calibration. The receiver delivers a peak measured conversion gain of 37.8 dB, an averaged noise figure of 6 dB, and below ±1.5 dB gain variation within the full signal band. Above all, the down-converter achieves not only high IRR performance but broad bandwidth at the IF frequencies from 0.3 to 2.35 GHz (48–55 dB IRR, 150% fractional IF bandwidth) without any external control, tuning, or assistance. The closest frequency proximity is no more than 0.6 GHz between the received satellite signal and image. To the best of authors’ knowledge, this work demonstrates the highest fractional IF bandwidth among the reported wideband CMOS receivers with high image rejection (IRR > 40 dB).

The lymphatic vasculature forms an organized network that covers the whole body and is involved in fluid homeostasis, metabolite clearance, and immune surveillance. The recent identification of functional lymphatic vessels in the meninges of the brain and the spinal cord has provided novel insights into neurophysiology. They emerge as major pathways for fluid exchange. The abundance of immune cells in lymphatic vessels and meninges also suggests that lymphatic vessels are actively involved in neuroimmunity. The lymphatic system, through its role in the clearance of neurotoxic proteins, autoimmune cell infiltration, and the transmission of pro-inflammatory signals, participates in the pathogenesis of a variety of neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases and traumatic injury. Vascular endothelial growth factor C is the master regulator of lymphangiogenesis, a process that is critical for the maintenance of central nervous system homeostasis. In this review, we summarize current knowledge and recent advances relating to the anatomical features and immunological functions of the lymphatic system of the central nervous system and highlight its potential as a therapeutic target for neurological disorders and central nervous system repair.

Abstract Background The pathogenesis of immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) remains unclear. IgG4-RD often mimics other diseases, including pancreatic cancer (PC) and Sjogren’s syndrome (SS), which may easily lead to misdiagnosis. This study was performed to explore the metabolite changes and potential biomarkers of IgG4-RD and other misdiagnosed diseases. Methods Untargeted liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry metabolomics profiling of plasma samples from a cohort comprising healthy controls (HCs) and patients with IgG4-RD (n = 87), PC (n = 33), and SS (n = 31) was performed. A random forest machine learning model was used to verify the relevance of the identified metabolites in the diagnosis of different diseases and the prediction of disease prognosis. Results The ATP-binding cassette transporter pathway was found to be most closely related to IgG4-RD, which was significantly up-regulated in the IgG4-RD group than in all the matched groups. Five metabolites were proved to be valuable biomarkers for IgG4-RD. Caftaric acid, maltotetraose, d-glutamic acid, 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoserine, and hydroxyproline were useful in distinguishing between IgG4-RD, PC, SS, and HC [area under the curve (AUC) = 1]. A combination of phenylalanine betaine, 1-(1z-hexadecenyl)-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, Pi 40:8, uracil, and N1-methyl-2-pyridone-5-carboxamide showed a moderate value in predicting relapse in patients with IgG4-RD (AUC = 0.8). Conclusions Our findings revealed the metabolite changes of IgG4-RD and provide new insights for deepening our understanding of IgG4-RD despite the lack of validation in external cohorts. Metabolomic biomarkers have significance in the clinical diagnosis and disease prognosis of IgG4-RD.

Abstract Background The early life gut microbiome is crucial in maintaining host metabolic and immune homeostasis. Though neonates with critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) are at substantial risks of malnutrition and immune imbalance, the microbial links to CCHD pathophysiology remain poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to investigate the gut microbiome in neonates with CCHD in association with metabolomic traits. Moreover, we explored the clinical implications of the host-microbe interactions in CCHD. Methods Deep metagenomic sequencing and metabolomic profiling of paired fecal samples from 45 neonates with CCHD and 50 healthy controls were performed. The characteristics of gut microbiome were investigated in three dimensions (microbial abundance, functionality, and genetic variation). An in-depth analysis of gut virome was conducted to elucidate the ecological interaction between gut viral and bacterial communities. Correlations between multilevel microbial features and fecal metabolites were determined using integrated association analysis. Finally, we conducted a subgroup analysis to examine whether the interactions between gut microbiota and metabolites could mediate inflammatory responses and poor surgical prognosis. Results Gut microbiota dysbiosis was observed in neonates with CCHD, characterized by the depletion of Bifidobacterium and overgrowth of Enterococcus, which was highly correlated with metabolomic perturbations. Genetic variations of Bifidobacterium and Enterococcus orchestrate the metabolomic perturbations in CCHD. A temperate core virome represented by Siphoviridae was identified to be implicated in shaping the gut bacterial composition by modifying microbial adaptation. The overgrowth of Enterococcus was correlated with systemic inflammation and poor surgical prognosis in subgroup analysis. Mediation analysis indicated that the overgrowth of Enterococcus could mediate gut barrier impairment and inflammatory responses in CCHD. Conclusions We demonstrate for the first time that an aberrant gut microbiome associated with metabolomic perturbations is implicated in immune imbalance and adverse clinical outcomes in neonates with CCHD. Our data support the importance of reconstituting optimal gut microbiome in maintaining host metabolic and immunological homeostasis in CCHD. Video Abstract

Abstract Background In recent years, studies have shown that electronic WOM (eWOM) directly reflects consumers’ post-purchase psychological perception and directly affects repurchase behavior. This information is valued by institutions in various fields. Within the scope of the evaluation of service characteristics, medical service is the least visible and most difficult service attribute to evaluate. Service organizations must have high trust attributes. Therefore, an eWOM review significantly influences people’s decision-making process when choosing a healthcare provider. The purpose of this research is to combine eWOM reviews with the SERVQUAL scale in a comparative study of positive and negative eWOM reviews of a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan. Methods This research obtained data from publicly available eWOM reviews on Google Maps of a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan over the past 10 years (from June 24, 2011, to December 31, 2021) using website scraping technology. The semantic content analysis method was used in this study to classify eWOM reviews according to the revised PZB SERVQUAL scale. Results Statistical analysis was conducted. During the COVID-19 pandemic, positive reviews showed a downward trend. Among the five determinants of the SERVQUAL of PZB, positive eWOM reviews performed best in “assurance” with a positive review rate of 60.00%, followed by 42.11% for “reliability”. For negative eWOM reviews, “assurance” performed the worst with a positive rate of 72.34%, followed by “responsiveness” at 28.37% and “reliability” at 26.95%. Conclusion Since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, negative eWOM has increased significantly and exceeded the amount of positive eWOM. Regardless of positive and negative reviews, what patients care most about is “assurance” of the professional attitude and skills of medical staff, which urgently needs to be strengthened. In addition, good “reliability” will help to develop positive eWOM. However, “responsiveness” as indicated by poor service waiting time can easily lead to the spread of negative eWOM. Hospital management should focus on these service-oriented qualities.

Purpose: This study examined the efficacy of prescribing antibiotics, specifically a single dose of vancomycin, in reducing the incidence of culture-positive and culture-negative sepsis prior to the removal of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs). Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed charts of infants who had PICCs in a tertiary level hospital during the period from 2010 to 2019. The incidence of post-catheter removal clinical sepsis between the groups with or without antibiotics was compared. The antibiotic group was defined by receiving a single dose of vancomycin or any other antibiotic prior to line removal. Results: We enrolled 585 PICC removal episodes in 546 infants for analysis. Antibiotics were given prior to removal in 257 cases (43.9%) and not given prior to removal in 328 cases (56.1%). There were 13 episodes of post-catheter removal clinical sepsis detected within 72 h (2.2%), 2 of which were culture-positive (0.3%). A 9.3-fold decrease in the odds for clinical sepsis was observed in the antibiotic group (p = 0.01). The incidence of post-catheter removal sepsis was decreased by a single prophylactic dose of vancomycin (p = 0.02), whereas the use of other antibiotics showed no effect (p = 0.35). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that comorbidities with gastrointestinal diseases (p = 0.01), PICC insertion sites in the scalp and neck (p = 0.04), and no vancomycin administration prior to line removal (p = 0.02) were independent risk factors for subsequent clinical sepsis. Conclusion: A single prophylactic dose of vancomycin prior to PICC line removal might reduce clinical sepsis events in infants.

Abstract Coriander (Coriandrum sativum L.) contains abundant antioxidants and essential oils which can provide antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant activities in the pharmaceutical, health and food production industry. To improve the economic values of coriander, the relationships between optimal light treatments for maximizing both plant growth and the antioxidant and essential oil content of coriander leaves need to be determined. Plants were exposed to five light-emitting diodes spectral color mixtures, high blue light (BL) intensity induced the levels of reducing power response. The light treatments were then adjusted for the analysis of secondary metabolite compounds of coriander leaves. Among 30 identified compounds, the amounts of decamethyl-cyclopentasiloxane and dodecane were significantly reduced in the R80 + G50 + B50 condition, whereas dodecamethyl-cyclohexasiloxane level was significantly reduced in R50 + G50 + B80 condition. Various light quality and intensity combinations influenced the accumulations of chlorophyll and phytochemical contents, mediated antioxidative properties, and secondary metabolites of coriander leaves, which may be useful in developing a new LED lighting apparatus optimized for coriander production in plant factories.

MnBi2Te4 and Bi2Te3 can form natural superlattices, where the MnBi2Te4 layers are separated by multiples of Bi2Te3. The combination of these two materials offers a potential platform for the interplay of tunable magnetism and topology. Here, the authors show that MnBi4Te7 and MnBi6Te10 display a complex magnetic ground state with coexisting ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic domains.

Abstract Objective The aim of the present study was to explore the effect of cytoplasmic transduction peptide (CTP)-phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) on the proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells and the underlying molecular mechanism. Methods A eukaryotic expression vector, pTT5-CTP-PTEN, was constructed. The constructed vector was transfected into HEK 293-6E cells to express a fusion protein, CTP-PTEN. The fusion protein was purified. 5637 bladder cancer cells were cocultured with purified CTP-PTEN fusion protein. Target gene expression, protein expression, cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, cell invasion and cell migration were examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blot, MTT assay, flow cytometry, Transwell assay, and cell scratch assay, respectively. Results Both PTEN and CTP-PTEN fusion protein inhibited the proliferation, cell cycle, invasion and migration of bladder cancer cells and promoted the apoptosis of bladder cancer cells. The effect of CTP-PTEN was more significant. Conclusions The fused expression of CTP and PTEN significantly increased the penetrability of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN into cancer cells. The CTP-PTEN fusion protein exhibited a significant carcinostatic effect on 5637 bladder cancer cells.

Abstract Tumors are presently a major threat to human life and health. Malignant tumors are conventionally treated through radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, traditional therapies yield unsatisfactory results due to high toxicity to the normal cells, inability to treat deep tumor tissues, and the possibility of inducing drug resistance in the tumor cells. This has caused immunotherapy to emerge as an effective and alternate treatment strategy. To overcome the limitations of the conventional treatments as well as to avert the risk of various drug resistance and cytotoxicity, bacterial anti‐tumor immunotherapy has raised the interest of researchers. This therapeutic strategy employs bacteria to specifically target and colonize the tumor tissues with preferential accumulation and proliferation. Such bacterial accumulation initiates a series of anti‐tumor immune responses, effectively eliminating the tumor cells. This immunotherapy can use the bacteria alone or concomitantly with the other methods. For example, the bacteria can deliver the anti‐cancer effect mediators by regulating the expression of the bacterial genes or by synthesizing the bioengineered bacterial complexes. This review will discuss the mechanism of utilizing bacteria in treating tumors, especially in terms of immune mechanisms. This could help in better integrating the bacterial method with other treatment options, thereby, providing a more effective, reliable, and unique treatment therapy for tumors.

Abstract In light of the exciting campaign of cosmogenic neutrino detection, we investigate the double and multiple tau bangs detectable at future tau neutrino telescopes. Such events are expected from the Standard Model (SM) higher-order processes, which can be easily identified with broad techniques anticipated at future tau neutrino telescopes. We find that SM perturbative processes can already contribute observable double-bang events to telescopes with a sensitivity of collecting $${\mathcal {O}}(100)$$ O ( 100 ) cosmogenic neutrino events. The detectable but suppressed rate in fact makes the double and multiple bangs an excellent probe of SM unknowns and possible new physics beyond. As a case study, the nonperturbative sphaleron process, which can copiously produce multiple tau bangs, is explored.