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Abstract This study evaluated cone density (CD) in the macular region and assess macular perfusion in children with varying degrees of myopia. This was a prospective, cross-sectional, observational study. Children underwent confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (cSLO), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and OCT angiography (OCTA) imaging. A built-in software was used to measure mean CD (cells/mm2), retinal vessel density, choriocapillaris perfusion area, and choroidal thickness (CT). The study included 140 eyes from children categorized into four groups: emmetropia (31 eyes), low myopia (44 eyes), moderate myopia (31 eyes), and high myopia (34 eyes). The high myopia group exhibited significantly lower macular CD than the emmetropia group (P

Introduction: The toxicity of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is determined by its components, while the evidence regarding associations of PM2.5 components with blood pressure (BP) is limited, especially in rural areas. Objectives: This study aimed to explore the associations of PM2.5 and its chemical components with systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), pulse pressure (PP), mean artery pressure (MAP) levels and hypertension prevalence, and to identify key components in Chinese rural areas. Methods: 39,211 adults from the Henan Rural Cohort were included during 2015–2017. Different periods of PM2.5 and chemical components were estimated by hybrid satellite model. The single-pollutant, component-PM2.5 model, component-residual model and component-proportion model were applied to explore the associations of pollutants with BP levels and hypertension prevalence. Exposure-response (E-R) relationships, stratified analyses and sensitivity analyses were used to explore these associations further. Results: 12,826 (32.71%) were identified with hypertension. For each 1 μg/m3 increase of pollutants, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for hypertension prevalence was 1.03 for PM2.5 mass, 1.40 for BC, 1.16 for NH4+, 1.08 for NO3–, 1.17 for OM, 1.12 for SO42− and 1.25 for SOIL in the single-pollutant model. BC and SOIL were statistically significant in the component-PM2.5 model, component-residual model and component-proportion model. Similarly, associations of these pollutants with elevated BP levels were also found in aforementioned four models. These pollutants produced a stronger association with SBP than DBP, PP and MAP. Most of associations were non-linear in E-R relationships. The groups of older, the men, with lower per capita monthly income, lower educational level and higher BMI were more vulnerable to these pollutants in stratified analyses. The results remained stable in sensitivity analyses. Conclusion: Long-term exposure to PM2.5 and its components, especially BC and SOIL, was associated with elevated BP and hypertension prevalence in rural adults, and decreasing pollutants may provide additional benefits.

Abstract Background Lipid accumulation product (LAP) is an accessible and relatively comprehensive assessment of obesity that represents both anatomical and physiological lipid accumulation. Obesity and psoriasis are potentially related, according to previous research. Investigating the relationship between adult psoriasis and the LAP index was the goal of this study. Methods This is a cross-sectional study based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2006 and 2009–2014. The association between LAP and psoriasis was examined using multivariate logistic regression and smoothed curve fitting. To verify whether this relationship was stable across populations, subgroup analyses and interaction tests were performed. Results The LAP index showed a positive correlation with psoriasis in 9,781 adult participants who were 20 years of age or older. A 27% elevated probability of psoriasis was linked to every unit increase in ln LAP in the fully adjusted model (Model 3: OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.06–1.52). In comparison with participants in the lowest ln LAP quartile, those in the highest quartile had an 83% greater likelihood of psoriasis (Model 3: OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.08–3.11). This positive correlation was more pronounced for young males, participants who had never smoked, non-drinkers, participants who exercised little, as well as non-hypertensive and non-diabetic participants. Conclusions This study found that the LAP index and adult psoriasis were positively correlated, especially in young males without comorbidities. Therefore, it is proposed that LAP may serve as a biomarker for early diagnosis of psoriasis and tracking the effectiveness of treatment.

BackgroundPsychological distress is highly prevalent and has a severe impact on the quality of life among breast cancer survivors. This type of distress is associated with cognitive failure. However, previous studies have focused solely on the total scale scores of these two concepts while ignoring the unique relationship between specific components. In the present study, we utilized network analysis to explore the relationship between psychological distress and cognitive failure in breast cancer survivors.MethodsThe network analysis approach was adopted to estimate the regularized partial correlation network in a cross-sectional sample of 409 breast cancer survivors. All participants were assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire. The Gaussian Graphical Model was employed to estimate the network, centrality indices, and edge weights, providing a description of the characteristics of the network.ResultsThe results indicated that anxiety–stress and depression–stress were the strongest edges in the community of psychological distress. Distractibility–memory was the strongest edge in the community of cognitive failure. Distractibility and memory were the most central nodes, with the highest expected influence in the network. Depression and motor coordination acted as important bridge nodes with the highest bridge expected influence.ConclusionDistractibility and memory in cognitive failure played important roles in activating and maintaining the relationship network. Motor coordination was identified as the crucial pathway for the impact of cognitive failure on psychological distress. Interventions targeting these specific issues might be more effective in improving cognitive failure and reducing psychological distress among breast cancer survivors.

The Landsat-8 Collection 2 provides Level-2 surface temperature product (L8-L2ST) at a spatial resolution of 30 m, catering to various applications. However, discrepancies in the spatial resolution of certain parameters involved in L8-L2ST production often result in noticeable “checkerboard” patterns in images over oceanic waters. To enhance the accuracy of sea surface temperature (SST) products derived from the Landsat-8 measurements, this study introduces a neural network (NN) based algorithm for the estimation of SST. By sidestepping the conventional radiative-transfer-based method, which relies on numerous auxiliary data products, the SST generated by the NN-based algorithm could avoid the “checkerboard” issues encountered in the L8-L2ST products. Compared to the reference MODIS SST products, the root mean square error (RMSE) of NN-based SST is 0.7 °C, whereas the RMSE of L8-L2ST is 1.42 °C. In comparison to buoy data, the RMSE of this method is 1.18 °C, while the RMSE of L8-L2ST is 2 °C. This work thus presents a valuable framework for acquiring more consistent and better-quality SST products from Landsat-8 measurements.

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. (S. miltiorrhiza) is a well-known traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The processing of S. miltiorrhiza requires the raw herbs to sweat first and then dry. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-acute myocardial ischemia (AMI) of S. miltiorrhiza extracts (including tanshinones and phenolic acids) before and after sweating, and to further explore whether the “sweating” primary processing affected the efficacy of S. miltiorrhiza. The AMI animal model was established by subcutaneous injection of isoprenaline hydrochloride (ISO). After treatment, the cardiac function of rats was evaluated by electrocardiogram (ECG), biochemical, and histochemical analysis. Moreover, the regulation of S. miltiorrhiza extracts on the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα)/retinoid X receptor α (RXRα)/nuclear transcription factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway of rats was assessed by the Western blotting. The results showed that sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza extracts including tanshinones and phenolic acids significantly reduced ST-segment elevation in ECG and the myocardial infarction area in varying degrees. Meanwhile, sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza reversed the activities of aspartate transaminase (AST), lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), as well as the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in AMI rats. Concurrently, the results of Western blotting revealed that S. miltiorrhiza extracts regulated the PPARα/RXRα/NF-κB signaling pathway to exert an anti-inflammatory effect. Most importantly, sweated S. miltiorrhiza tanshinones extracts are more effective than the non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza, and the anti-inflammatory efficacy of tanshinones extract was also better than that of phenolic acid extract. Although phenolic acid extracts before and after sweating were effective in anti-AMI, there was no significant difference between them. In conclusion, both tanshinones and phenolic acids extracts of sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza promote anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory against AMI via regulating the PPARα/RXRα/NF-κB signaling pathway. Further, the comparations between sweated and non-sweated S. miltiorrhiza extracts indicate that sweated S. miltiorrhiza tanshinones extracts have better therapeutic effects on AMI.

Abstract Cholesterol metabolism has important roles in maintaining membrane integrity and countering the development of diseases such as obesity and cancers. Cancer cells sustain cholesterol biogenesis for their proliferation and microenvironment reprograming even when sterols are abundant. However, efficacy of targeting cholesterol metabolism for cancer treatment is always compromised. Here it is shown that CSN6 is elevated in HCC and is a positive regulator of hydroxymethylglutaryl‐CoA synthase 1 (HMGCS1) of mevalonate (MVA) pathway to promote tumorigenesis. Mechanistically, CSN6 antagonizes speckle‐type POZ protein (SPOP) ubiquitin ligase to stabilize HMGCS1, which in turn activates YAP1 to promote tumor growth. In orthotopic liver cancer models, targeting CSN6 and HMGCS1 hinders tumor growth in both normal and high fat diet. Significantly, HMGCS1 depletion improves YAP inhibitor efficacy in patient derived xenograft models. The results identify a CSN6‐HMGCS1‐YAP1 axis mediating tumor outgrowth in HCC and propose a therapeutic strategy of targeting non‐alcoholic fatty liver diseases‐ associated HCC.

To realize precise tumor treatment, chemodynamic therapy (CDT) that utilizes metal element to trigger Fenton or Fenton‐like reaction to generate cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals in tumor region has been widely investigated. Recently, the dendrimers featured with abundant surface functional groups and excellent biocompatibility are regarded as promising carriers of metal elements for tumor delivery. Much effort has been devoted to design dendrimer‐based nanodrugs for CDT and CDT‐involved synergistic therapy of tumors. Herein, the recent advances in the construction of dendrimer‐based nanodrugs (in most cases, poly(amidoamine) dendrimers) for CDT, CDT/chemotherapy, CDT/phototherapy, CDT/gene therapy, or CDT‐involved multimodal therapy are reviewed. Furthermore, the future perspectives with regard to the development of dendrimer‐based nanodrugs for CDT‐involved tumor treatment are also briefly discussed.

Abstract The role of 5-methylcytosine (m5C) in tumor initiation and progression has been increasingly recognized. However, the precise association between the regulation of m5C and the progression, metastasis, and prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) has not yet been fully explored. Data from 545 HNSCC patients obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database were analyzed. Unsupervised cluster analysis was conducted using the expression levels of m5C regulatory genes. Additionally, gene set variation analysis (GSVA), single-sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA), and Cox regression analysis were utilized. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), colony formation assay, transwell experiments and western blots were performed in the HNSCC cell line UM-SCC-17B to assess the expression and functional role of one of the novel signatures, CNFN. Significant expression differences were found in m5C regulatory genes between tumor and normal tissues in HNSCC. Two distinct m5C modification patterns, characterized by substantial prognostic differences, were identified. Cluster-2, which exhibited a strong association with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), was found to be associated with a poorer prognosis. Based on the m5C clusters and EMT status, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. Using DEGs, an 8-gene signature (CAMK2N1, WNT7A, F2RL1, AREG, DEFB1, CNFN, TGFBI, and CAV1) was established to develop a prognostic model. The performance of this signature was validated in both the training and external validation datasets, demonstrating its promising efficacy. Furthermore, additional investigations using RT-qPCR on clinical specimens and experimental assays in cell lines provided compelling evidence suggesting that CNFN, one of the genes in the signature, could play a role in HNSCC progression and metastasis through the EMT pathway. This study highlighted the role of m5C in HNSCC progression and metastasis. The relationship between m5C and EMT has been elucidated for the first time. A robust prognostic model was developed for accurately predicting HNSCC patients’ survival outcomes. Potential molecular mechanisms underlying these associations have been illuminated through this research.

Cucumber wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cucumerinum (FOC), is a soilborne disease that poses a significant threat to cucumber production, resulting in substantial yield losses. This study aimed to evaluate the biocontrol and growth-promoting effects of Bacillus velezensis, a highly active bacterial strain. In vitro assays revealed that B. velezensis F9 exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity against eight plant pathogenic fungi, with inhibition ratio ranging from 62.66% to 88.18%. Additionally, the strain displayed the ability to produce IAA (5.97 ± 1.75 µg/mL), fix nitrogen, produce siderophores, and form biofilms. In vitro growth promotion assays demonstrated that different concentrations of B. velezensis F9 significantly promoted cucumber seedling growth. Furthermore, two pot experiments revealed that the strain exhibited biocontrol efficacy against cucumber wilt, with disease control rates ranging from 42.86% to 67.78%. Notably, the strain significantly increased the plant height, fresh weight, and dry weight, with increases ranging from 20.67% to 60.04%, 40.27% to 75.51%, and 22.07% to 52.54%, respectively. Two field trials confirmed the efficacy of B. velezensis F9 in controlling cucumber wilt, with disease control rates of 44.95% and 33.99%, respectively. The strain effectively alleviated the dwarfing and wilting symptoms caused by the pathogen. Compared with the FOC treatment, the F9 + FOC treatment significantly increased the plant height, fresh weight, and dry weight, with increases of 43.85% and 56.28%, 49.49% and 23.70%, and 36.25% and 73.63%, respectively. Enzyme activity assays indicated that inoculation significantly increased SOD activity in cucumber leaves and neutral phosphatase, sucrase, and urease activity in rhizosphere soil. Correlation analysis revealed a negative correlation between the disease index and plant height, fresh weight, dry weight, and peroxidase activity, with correlation coefficients of −0.53, −0.60, −0.38, and −0.45, respectively. These findings suggest that plant height, fresh weight, and dry weight are significantly negatively correlated with the cucumber disease index, highlighting their importance as indicators for evaluating the biocontrol efficacy of B. velezensis F9. In conclusion, B. velezensis F9 is a highly effective plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium with excellent biocontrol potential, showcasing promising applications in agricultural production.

Background: Kai-Xin-San (KXS) is one of the classic famous traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions for amnesia, which has been applied for thousands of years. Modern pharmacological research has found that KXS has significant therapeutic efficacy on nervous system diseases, which is related to its antioxidant activity. However, the antioxidant material basis and quality markers (Q-makers) of KXS have not been studied. Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the Q-makers of antioxidant activity of KXS based on spectrum-effect relationship.Methods: Specifically, the metabolites in KXS extracts were identified by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS. The fingerprint profile of KXS extracts were established by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and seven common peaks were identified. Meanwhile, 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) test was used to evaluate the free radical scavenging ability of KXS. The spectrum-effect relationship between its HPLC fingerprint and DPPH free radical scavenging activity was preliminarily examined by the Pearson correlation analysis, grey relation analysis (GRA), and orthogonal partial least squares discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA). Further, the antioxidant effect of KXS and its Q-makers were validated through human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells experiment.Results: The results showed that 103 metabolites were identified from KXS, and the similarity values between HPLC fingerprint of twelve batches of KXS were greater than 0.900. At the same time, the results of Pearson correlation analysis showed that the peaks 8, 1, 14, 17, 18, 24, 16, 21, 15, 13, 6, 5, and 3 from KXS were positively correlated with the scavenging activity values of DPPH. Combined with the results of GRA and OPLS-DA, peaks 1, 3, 5 (Sibiricose A6), 6, 13 (Ginsenoside Rg1), 15, and 24 in the fingerprints were screen out as the potential Q-makers of KXS for antioxidant effect. Besides, the results of CCK-8 assay showed that KXS and its Q-makers remarkably reduced the oxidative damage of SH-SY5Y cells caused by H2O2. However, the antioxidant activity of KXS was decreased significantly after Q-makers were knocked out.Conclusion: In conclusion, the metabolites in KXS were successfully identified by UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS/MS, and the Q-makers of KXS for antioxidant effect was analyzed based on the spectrum-effect relationship. These results are beneficial to clarify the antioxidant material basis of KXS and provide the quality control standards for new KXS products development.

Tunnel construction in karst areas greatly impacts the local hydrological conditions. The drawdown of groundwater levels and the loss of soil water storage due to tunneling limit the available water resources on the karst land surface, and this may affect the function of plants. Here, we evaluated the responses of the radial growth rates of two major tree species (Masson pine and Camphor laurel) to a tunneling induced water stress event in a typical karst trough valley. Meanwhile, to discuss the overall influence of tunnel excavation on plant growth in all vegetation cover types, the dynamics of vegetation productivity around the tunnel were evaluated using remote sensing indices, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Net Primary Productivity (NPP). Furthermore, we estimated the spatial–temporal variations of NDVI and NPP in other tunneling regions of Southwest China. The results showed that the soil moisture contents (SMC) around the Zhongliang Mountain Railway Line 6 (ZMRL6) tunnel had dramatically declined −5.06%∼−10.53% within the areas

Abstract Chemodynamic therapy of cancer is limited by insufficient endogenous H2O2 generation and acidity in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Herein, we developed a biodegradable theranostic platform (pLMOFePt-TGO) involving composite of dendritic organosilica and FePt alloy, loaded with tamoxifen (TAM) and glucose oxidase (GOx), and encapsulated by platelet-derived growth factor-B (PDGFB)-labeled liposomes, that effectively uses the synergy among chemotherapy, enhanced chemodynamic therapy (CDT), and anti-angiogenesis. The increased concentration of glutathione (GSH) present in the cancer cells induces the disintegration of pLMOFePt-TGO, releasing FePt, GOx, and TAM. The synergistic action of GOx and TAM significantly enhanced the acidity and H2O2 level in the TME by aerobiotic glucose consumption and hypoxic glycolysis pathways, respectively. The combined effect of GSH depletion, acidity enhancement, and H2O2 supplementation dramatically promotes the Fenton-catalytic behavior of FePt alloys, which, in combination with tumor starvation caused by GOx and TAM-mediated chemotherapy, significantly increases the anticancer efficacy of this treatment. In addition, T2-shortening caused by FePt alloys released in TME significantly enhances contrast in the MRI signal of tumor, enabling a more accurate diagnosis. Results of in vitro and in vivo experiments suggest that pLMOFePt-TGO can effectively suppress tumor growth and angiogenesis, thus providing an exciting potential strategy for developing satisfactory tumor theranostics.

Abstract As one of the most significant imaging modalities currently available, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been extensively utilized for clinically accurate cancer diagnosis. However, low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and low specificity for tumors continue to pose significant challenges. Inspired by the distance-dependent magnetic resonance tuning (MRET) phenomenon, the tumor microenvironment (TME)-activated off–on T1–T2 dual-mode MRI nanoswitch is presented in the current study to realize the sensitive early diagnosis of tumors. The tumor-specific nanoswitch is designed and manufactured on the basis of PDGFB-conjugating ferroferric oxide coated by Mn-doped silica (PDGFB-FMS), which can be degraded under the high-concentration GSH and low pH in TME to activate the T1–T2 dual-mode MRI signals. The tumor-specific off–on dual-mode MRI nanoswitch can significantly improve the SNR and is used successfully for the accurate diagnosis of early-stage tumors, particularly for orthotopic prostate cancer. In addition, the systemic delivery of the nanoswitch did not cause blood or tissue damage, and it can be excreted out of the body in a timely manner, demonstrating excellent biosafety. Overall, the strategy is a significant step in the direction of designing off–on dual-mode MRI nanoprobes to improve imaging accuracy, which opens up new avenues for the development of new MRI probes.

The total synthesis of laurolitsine was achieved for the first time. This reaction was accomplished in 14 steps with a 2.3% yield (this was calculated using 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde as the starting material) starting from two simple materials, 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde and 2-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)acetic acid, and the longest linear sequence consisted of 11 steps. The key steps included an electrophilic addition reaction in which a nitro group was reduced to an amino group using lithium tetrahydroaluminum and a Pd-catalyzed direct biaryl coupling reaction. In this paper, many of the experimental steps were optimized, and an innovative postprocessing method in which 2-(3-(benzyloxy)-4-methoxyphenyl)ethanamine is salted with oxalic acid was proposed.

Quantification of active-layer thickness (ALT) over seasonally frozen terrains is critical to understand the impacts of climate warming on permafrost ecosystems in cold regions. Current large-scale process-based models cannot characterize the heterogeneous response of local landscapes to homogeneous climatic forcing. Here we linked a climate-permafrost model with a machine learning solution to indirectly quantify soil conditions reflected in the edaphic factor using high resolution remote sensor products, and then effectively estimated ALT across space and time down to local scales. Our nine-year field measurements during 2014–2022 and coincident high resolution airborne hyperspectral, lidar, and spaceborne sensor products provided a unique opportunity to test the developed protocol across two permafrost experiment stations in lowland terrains of Interior Alaska. Our developed model could explain over 60% of the variance of the field measured ALT for estimating the shallowest and deepest ALT in 2015 and 2019, suggesting the potential of the designed procedure for projecting local varying terrain response to long-term climate warming scenarios. This work will enhance the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment’s mission of combining field, airborne, and spaceborne sensor products to understand the coupling of permafrost ecosystems and climate change.

Much of Interior Alaska is underlain by permafrost that has been thawing at an unprecedented rate. Top-down expansion of the seasonally thawed ‘active layer’ and development of thermokarst features are increasing across the landscape. This can be attributed primarily due to a warming climate and disturbances like wildfires which have accelerated summer season permafrost thaw. Quantification of active-layer thickness (ALT) is critical to understanding the response of permafrost terrains to these disturbances. ALT measurements are time consuming, and point based. As a result, there are large uncertainties in ALT estimates at regional/global scales (100 km ^2 or larger) using field scale (1 m ^2 ) measurements as direct inputs for calibrating/validating large scale process-based or statistical/empirical models. Here we developed a framework to link field scale ALT measurements with satellite observations to a regional scale (100 km ^2 ) via an intermediary upscaling of field scale ALT to the local scale (1 km ^2 ) with fine-resolution airborne hyperspectral and light detection and ranging data, thus leading to a characterization of ALT across space and time at multiple scales. We applied an object-based machine learning ensemble approach to upscale field scale (1 m ^2 ) measurements to the local (1 km ^2 ) and regional scale (100 km ^2 ) and achieved encouraging results across three permafrost experimental sites in Interior Alaska that represent a variety of terrain types. Our study demonstrates that generating local scale data products is an effective approach to bridge the gap with field scale measurements and regional scale estimations as it seeks to reduce upscaling uncertainty.

This article reports a case of a 7-year-old child with severe pneumonia whose chest CT showed pulmonary consolidation, and bronchoscopy revealed plastic bronchitis. The metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) of the pulmonary lavage fluid suggested the infection of Tropheryma whipplei (T whipplei). The patient was treated with bronchial lavage to remove sputum plugs, intravenous azithromycin, and piperacillin-tazobactam and was discharged after eight days of hospitalization without any recurrence during follow-up. This article aims to raise clinical awareness of T whipplei infection and suggests that NGS for rare pathogens should be performed early for unexplained plastic bronchitis.

Negative-capacitance field-effect transistors (NC-FETs) are significantly affected by their ferroelectric (FE)/dielectric (DE) phase configurations owing to the uncertainty of their crystalline phases. This study presents an analysis of random FE/DE grain distribution-induced variations from multiple perspectives using a seed random number generator in a technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation. The results obtained for the NC fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (NC-FDSOI) FETs indicate that device variations can be effectively reduced by increasing the probability of FE grains which improves the switching characteristics. Additionally, the FE distribution at the source presents a larger ON-state current (Ion), while the complete DE path from the source to the drain presents a larger OFF-state current (Ioff). The simulation results also demonstrate that reducing the lateral grain size reduces the device variations while improving the switching current ratio. Increasing the ferroelectric layer thickness of the NC-FDSOI FET can improve its switching performance; however, this also increases its variations. The random FE/DE distribution-induced variations can be reduced by adequately increasing the gate width through device scaling.

Abstract The application of chemodynamic therapy (CDT) for cancer is a serious challenge owing to the low efficiency of the Fenton catalyst and insufficient H2O2 expression in cells. Herein, we fabricated a PDGFB targeting, biodegradable FePt alloy assembly for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided chemotherapy and starving-enhanced chemodynamic therapy for cancer using PDGFB targeting, pH-sensitive liposome-coated FePt alloys, and GOx (pLFePt-GOx). We found that the Fenton-catalytic activity of FePt alloys was far stronger than that of traditional ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticle (UION). Upon entry into cancer cells, pLFePt-GOx nanoliposomes degraded into many tiny FePt alloys and released GOx owing to the weakly acidic nature of the tumor microenvironment (TME). The released GOx-mediated glucose consumption not only caused a starvation status but also increased the level of cellular H2O2 and acidity, promoting Fenton reaction by FePt alloys and resulting in an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in cells, which ultimately realized starving-enhanced chemodynamic process for killing tumor cells. The anticancer mechanism of pLFePt-GOx involved ROS-mediated apoptosis and ferroptosis, and glucose depletion-mediated starvation death. In the in vivo assay, the systemic delivery of pLFePt-GOx showed excellent antitumor activity with low biological toxicity and significantly enhanced T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal of the tumor, indicating that pLFePt-GOx can serve as a highly efficient theranostic tool for cancer. This work thus describes an effective, novel multi-modal cancer theranostic system.

Abstract Bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor, proved potent in the treatment of recurrent multiple myeloma or mantle cell lymphoma. However, slow progress was made when it was applied to treat solid tumors. We discovered that different head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines had significantly different sensitivities to bortezomib, and also demonstrated that individual relatively sensitive HNSCC cell lines had fewer ΔNp63α expressions. Based on these findings, we speculated that ΔNp63α may be a key factor in the resistance of HNSCC cells to bortezomib. ΔNp63α knockdown made HNSCC more sensitive to bortezomib, while ΔNp63α overexpression made it more resistant. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of ΔNp63α-knockdown cells revealed clear alterations in the subset of genes that were associated with oxidative stress and antioxidant defense. The gene CYGB was downregulated significantly. CHIP-seq detection showed that CYGB was the transcriptional regulatory site of ΔNp63α. CHIP-PCR showed evidence of ΔNp63α binding. The detection of the dual-luciferase reporter gene demonstrated that ΔNp63α significantly enhanced the CYGB promoter activity. Furthermore, we confirmed that CYGB plays a role in clearing excess ROS induced by bortezomib to inhibit HNSCC apoptosis. Consequently, ΔNp63α regulated the expression of CYGB in HNSCC. CYGB was the target of transcription regulation of ΔNp63α. It reduced apoptosis by clearing excess ROS produced by bortezomib, and thus exerted drug resistance.

Precipitation patterns are highly valued in the fields of weather forecasting, water resource management, and estuary environment research. In this study, daily and monthly precipitation TRMM data from 1998 to 2019 were selected, and EOF analysis was employed to analyze the precipitation patterns of the Taiwan Strait and its neighboring regions. We obtained the following results: (1) The rainy season (May–June) is the main contributor to precipitation in the study area. The EOF first mode reflected the overall consistency of the precipitation spatial distribution. However, within each river basin, the magnitude of precipitation variation is spatially different. The magnitude of precipitation variation is significant in the northwestern part of the Minjiang River basin, the southwestern part of the Jiulong River basin, and the southwestern corner of the Hanjiang River basin. These areas happen to correspond to the mountain areas, revealing that topographic precipitation plays a role in the spatial distribution of precipitation in the three river basins. (2) The spatial distributions of the EOF first mode and of precipitation during El Niño in the Minjiang River basin are consistent. This reveals that ENSO is probably the dominant factor in precipitation in the Minjiang River basin. The significant increase in precipitation during El Niño compared with a normal year in the Minjiang River basin confirms this point. (3) In all three strong El Niño years, 1998, 2010, and 2016, the Minjiang River basin experienced significant heavy precipitation in the fall and winter, whereas the Jiulong River and Hanjiang River basins did not (except in 2016). In other words, the Minjiang River basin is more affected by ENSO, while the Jiulong River and Hanjiang River basins are only limitedly impacted by ENSO.

Evidence on the effect of long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) on erythrocytosis and thrombocytosis prevalence was limited. We aimed to investigate the association of PM2.5 and its constituents with the risks of erythrocytosis and thrombocytosis. The present study included a total of 33,585 participants from the Henan Rural Cohort at baseline between 2015 and 2017. A hybrid satellite-based model was employed to estimate the concentrations of PM2.5 mass and its constituents (including black carbon [BC], nitrate [NO3−], ammonium [NH4+], inorganic sulfate [SO42−], organic matter [OM], and soil particles [SOIL]). The logistic regression model was used to assess the associations of single exposure to PM2.5 and its constituents with the risks of erythrocytosis and thrombocytosis, and the quantile G-computation method was applied to evaluate their joint exposure risk. For the independent association, the odds ratios for erythrocytosis/thrombocytosis with 1 μg/m3 increase was 1.049/1.043 for PM2.5 mass, 1.596/1.610 for BC, 1.410/1.231 for NH4+, 1.205/1.139 for NO3−, 1.221/1.359 for OM, 1.300/1.143 for SO42−, and 1.197/1.313 for SOIL. Joint exposure to PM2.5 and its components was also positively associated with erythrocytosis and thrombocytosis. The estimated weight of NH4+ was found to be the largest for erythrocytosis, while OM had the largest weight for thrombocytosis. PM2.5 mass and its constituents were positively linked to prevalent erythrocytosis and thrombocytosis, both in single-exposure and joint-exposure models. Additionally, NH4+/OM was identified as a potentially responsible component for the association between PM2.5 and erythrocytosis/thrombocytosis.

Abstract Background This study investigated the role of lncRNA CASC15 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Methods This study included 58 LSCC patients. Both tumor (LSCC) and adjacent (within 3 cm around tumors) non-tumor tissues from 3 different sites of each patient were collected. CCK-8 assay was used to determine cell proliferation. The expression levels of proteins and mRNAs were determined by Western blotting analysis and qRT-PCRs, respectively. Results CASC15 was upregulated in LSCC and high expression levels of CASC15 predicted poor survival. In LSCC tissues, CASC15 was negatively correlated with miR-365 but positively correlated with cyclin D1. In LSCC cells, overexpression of CASC15 resulted in downregulation of miR-365 and upregulation of cyclin D1. Overexpression of miR-365 did not affect the expression of CASC15 but downregulated cyclin D1. Overexpression of Cyclin D1 did not affect the expression of miR-365 and CASC15. Overexpression of CASC15 and cyclin D1 led to promoted, while overexpression of miR-365 led to inhibited LSCC cell proliferation. In addition, overexpression of miR-365 reduced the effects of overexpression of CASC15. Conclusion Therefore, CASC15 upregulates cyclin D1 by downregulating miR-365 in LSCC to promote cell proliferation.

Previous studies have shown a relationship between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure and an increased risk of neonatal disorders. Considering the huge burden of neonatal disorders, we assessed spatiotemporal trends of neonatal disorders burden caused by ambient and household PM2.5 at the global, regional, and national levels from 1990 to 2019. The number, rate, and population attributable fraction (PAF) of ambient and household PM2.5-related neonatal disorders disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019 were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 to measure the related neonatal disorders burden by age, sex, subtype, and region. Estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was estimated to quantify temporal trends. In 2019, approximately a fifth of the global neonatal disorders burden was attributable to PM2.5 exposure, with 7.54% for ambient PM2.5 and 13.23% for household PM2.5. Although the global neonatal disorders burden attributable to household PM2.5 has decreased substantially in the past 30 years, that attributable to ambient PM2.5 has increased, especially in lower sociodemographic index (SDI) regions. The highest rate and PAF of ambient PM2.5-related neonatal disorders DALYs in 2019 were in South Asia and East Asia, respectively, and the fastest increases were in Eastern Sub-Saharan Africa (for rate: EAPC = 2.55, 95% CI: 2.37–2.73) and South Asia (for PAF: EAPC = 3.88, 95% CI: 3.68–4.08). In addition, we found an inverted V-shaped between rates and PAFs of ambient PM2.5-related neonatal disorders DALYs in 2019, as well as corresponding EAPCs, and SDI, while rates and PAFs of household PM2.5-related neonatal disorders DALYs in 2019 were highly negatively correlated with SDI. In the past three decades, the global ambient PM2.5-related neonatal disorders burden largely increased, especially in lower SDI regions. Comparatively, the household PM2.5-related neonatal disorders burden decreased but still accounted for about two-thirds of the PM2.5-related neonatal disease burden.

Abstract. The diagnosis of allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM) is usually made on clinical, serologic, and roentgenographic findings. However, the indicators in such diagnostic criteria still lack specificity, which results in a high rate of misdiagnosis. A 47-year-old woman was diagnosed with “tuberculosis” or “pneumonia” for 10 years and after thoracoscopic right upper lung resection the following chest CT showed right lung atelectasis. Brown sputum was seen in the right bronchus via bronchoscopy. Reviewing the surgical pathology specimen, the bronchi were found to be generally cystic dilated, and a large amount of mucus was retained and formed a mucus plug. The final diagnosis of the case was ABPM. The current diagnostic criteria of ABPM do not emphasize the role of bronchoscopy and pathological examination, but bronchoscopy and pathological examination still have important value for some atypical cases with suspected ABPM.

Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) was a crucial influencing factor of household air pollution (HAP). However, few studies have explored the potential effect modification of SES on the associations of HAP with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and glucose homeostasis. Methods: A total of 20900 participants were obtained from the Henan Rural Cohort. HAP reflected by cooking fuel type and cooking duration was assessed via questionnaire. SES was evaluated by two dimensions: educational level and average monthly income. Associations of cooking fuel type, cooking duration with T2DM and glucose homeostasis indices (insulin, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and HOMA-β) were assessed by the generalized linear model. Analyses were also conducted in different SES groups to explore the potential effect modification. Results: Significant negative association of cooking fuel type and cooking duration with T2DM, FPG, and HOMA-β was not observed. However, cooking with solid fuel and long-duration cooking were associated with decreased insulin level in women, and the adjusted coefficients were − 0.35 (95% confidence interval (95% CI): − 0.53, − 0.17) and − 0.36 (95% CI: −0.50, −0.21), respectively. Results from stratified analyses showed that these associations were more prominent in women with low average monthly income, with corresponding coefficient of − 0.57 (95% CI: −0.77, −0.37) for cooking with solid fuel and − 0.34 (95% CI: −0.52, −0.16) for long-duration cooking. Among women with low average monthly income, the largest decreased insulin level was observed in those who cooked with solid fuel, long-duration and poor kitchen ventilation, while the negative association of cooking fuel type and cooking duration with insulin level was slightly alleviated in the good kitchen ventilation group. Conclusions: Low average monthly income aggravated the negative association of HAP and insulin level among rural women, while improving kitchen ventilation may be a practical intervention. Trail registration: The Henan Rural Cohort Study has been registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Register (Registration number: ChiCTR-OOC-15006699). Date of registration: 06 July, 2015. http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=11375.

The development of highly efficient magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent contributes to the early and accurate diagnosis of cancer. Herein, we developed a novel iron oxide and gadolinium oxide (IO/GdO) nanocomposite as T1-T2 dual modal MRI contrast agent through hydrothermal synthesis method. Subsequently, tumor-targeting ligand (PDGFB-PEG) was further conjugated to the surface of IO/GdO nanocomposite (PDGFB-pIO/GdO) to fabricate tumor-targeting MRI probe for accurate diagnosis of orthotopic prostatic cancer. IO/GdO nanocomposite exhibited obvious mesoporous structure, which would promote the contact between water molecules and Gd or Fe centers and enhance the T1 relaxation rate (r1) and T2 relaxation rate (r2) of IO/GdO composite. In addition, the r1 and r2 values of IO/GdO composite were up to be 11.6 mM−1s−1 and 102.7 mM−1s−1, respectively, and the r2/r1 ratio of IO/GdO nanocomposite was calculated to be 8.85, demonstrating a great potential as dual-mode MRI contrast agent. Further study indicated that PDGFB-pIO/GdO exhibited an excellent biocompatibility. Besides, PDGFB-pIO/GdO presented a higher accumulation in tumor than untargeted pIO/GdO, confirming its excellent in vivo tumor-targeting ability. Lastly, in orthotopic prostatic cancer model, the systemic delivery of PDGFB-pIO/GdO significantly enhanced T1- and T2-weighted signal of orthotopic prostatic cancer, achieving high quality of MR images and realizing accurate diagnosis of orthotopic prostatic cancer. Collectively, we proposed a rational designed nanoplatform, PDGF-B conjugating mesoporous IO/GdO nanocomposites, suggesting potential for diagnostic identification of prostate cancer via T1-T2 dual-modal MRI contrast enhancement.

IntroductionThe rare earth gadolinium (Gd) is widely used in industry and medicine, which has been treated as an emerging pollutant in environment. The increasing pollution of Gd has potential hazards to living organisms. Thus it is essential to investigate the toxicity and action mechanism of Gd in biological system.MethodsIn this study, the global effect and activation mechanism of Gd on yeast were investigated by genome-scale screening.Results and discussionOur results show that 45 gene deletion strains are sensitive to Gd and 10 gene deletion strains are Gd resistant from the diploid gene deletion strain library of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The result of localization analysis shows that most of these genes are involved in cell metabolism, cell cycle, transcription, translation, protein synthesis, protein folding, and cell transport. The result of functional analysis shows that four genes (CNB1, CRZ1, VCX1, and GDT1) are involved in the calcium signaling pathway, and four genes (PHO84, PHO86, PHO2, and PHO4) are involved in phosphorus metabolism. For Gd3+ has the similar ion radius with Ca2+ and easily binds to the phosphate radical, it affects Ca2+ signaling pathway and phosphorus metabolism. The genes ARF1, ARL1, ARL3, SYS1, COG5, COG6, YPT6, VPS9, SSO2, MRL1, AKL1, and TRS85 participate in vesicle transport and protein sorting. Thus, Gd accumulation affects the function of proteins related to vesicle transport, which may result in the failure of Gd transport out of cells. In addition, the intracellular Gd content in the 45 sensitive deletion strains is higher than that in the wild type yeast under Gd stress. It suggests that the sensitivity of yeast deletion strains is related to the excessive intracellular Gd accumulation.

Little is known concerning the associations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and its constituents with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). A total of 31,162 participants enrolled from the Henan Rural Cohort were used to specify associations of PM2.5 and its constituents with ASCVD. Hybrid machine learning was utilized to estimate the 3-year average concentration of PM2.5 and its constituents (black carbon [BC], nitrate [NO3−], ammonium [NH4+], inorganic sulfate [SO42−], organic matter [OM], and soil particles [SOIL]). Constituent concentration, proportion, and residual models were utilized to examine the associations of PM2.5 constituents with 10-year ASCVD risk and to identify the most hazardous constituent. The isochronous substitution model (ISM) was employed to analyze the substitution effect between PM2.5 constituents. We found that each 1 μg/m3 increase in PM2.5, BC, NH4+, NO3−, OM, SO42−, and SOIL was associated with a 3.5%, 49.3%, 19.4%, 10.5%, 21.4%, 14%, and 28.5% higher 10-year ASCVD risk, respectively (all p < 0.05). Comparable results were observed in proportion and residual models. The ISM found that replacing BC with other constituents will generate the greatest health benefits. The results indicated that long-term exposure to PM2.5 and its constituents were associated with increased risks of ASCVD, with BC being the most attributable constituent.

The application of object detection technology has a positive auxiliary role in advancing the intelligence of bird recognition and enhancing the convenience of bird field surveys. However, challenges arise due to the absence of dedicated bird datasets and evaluation benchmarks. To address this, we have not only constructed the largest known bird object detection dataset, but also compared the performances of eight mainstream detection models on bird object detection tasks and proposed feasible approaches for model lightweighting in bird object detection. Our constructed bird detection dataset of GBDD1433-2023, includes 1433 globally common bird species and 148,000 manually annotated bird images. Based on this dataset, two-stage detection models like Faster R-CNN and Cascade R-CNN demonstrated superior performances, achieving a Mean Average Precision (mAP) of 73.7% compared to one-stage models. In addition, compared to one-stage object detection models, two-stage object detection models have a stronger robustness to variations in foreground image scaling and background interference in bird images. On bird counting tasks, the accuracy ranged between 60.8% to 77.2% for up to five birds in an image, but this decreased sharply beyond that count, suggesting limitations of object detection models in multi-bird counting tasks. Finally, we proposed an adaptive localization distillation method for one-stage lightweight object detection models that are suitable for offline deployment, which improved the performance of the relevant models. Overall, our work furnishes an enriched dataset and practice guidelines for selecting suitable bird detection models.

Objective: Changes in bile acids (BAs) are increasingly recognized as potential targets for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Kaempferol has been proved to be anti-inflammatory and reduce the disorder of lipid metabolism. In order to analyze the BA profile in NASH mice and determine the predictive biomarkers of kaempferol treatment, serum-targeted metabolomics and liver tissue RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) were carried out.Design: Six normal control mice (NC group), eight HFD-fed mice (HFD group), and eight kaempferol-treated HFD-fed mice (HFD + KP group) were included in the present study. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a tandem mass spectrometry system (UPLC-MS/MS) was used to quantify serum and liver BAs, and RNA-seq was used to quantify liver differentially expressed genes related to BA metabolism.Results: The serum levels of CA, βMCA, UDCA, and 12-DHCA, as well as ωMCA in both the serum and liver, were significantly decreased in the HFD group compared with those in the NC group, and kaempferol can increase the serum levels of βMCA, UDCA, and ωMCA and the liver level of 12-DHCA. The serum levels of TDCA, THDCA, TUDCA, TDCA/CA, and TDCA/DCA were significantly increased in the HFD group compared with those of the NC group, and kaempferol can decrease them. Furthermore, NASH mice had a higher liver level of total CA%, total CDCA%, primary BAs/secondary BAs, 12α-OH BAs/non-12α-OH Bas, and conjugated BAs/unconjugated BAs, and all decreased after kaempferol treatment. According to the RNA-seq results, we found that compared with the NC group, the mRNA expression of cholesterol-7α-hydroxylase (CYP7A1) in the HFD group was significantly increased, and the mRNA expression of sterol 12α‐hydroxylase (CYP8B1) and multidrug resistance-related protein 3 (MRP3) was significantly decreased, while kaempferol significantly promoted the mRNA expression of mitochondrial sterol 27-hydroxylase (CYP27A1) and Na+ -taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP).Conclusion: βMCA, CA, UDCA, 12-DHCA, ωMCA, CDCA, TωMCA, TDCA, THDCA, TCDCA, and TUDCA in the serum, as well as 6,7-diketoLCA, 12-DHCA, and ωMCA in the liver, may be potential biomarkers for kaempferol to improve NASH. HFD-induced NASH may be associated with the increase of CYP7A1 and the decrease of CYP8B1, leading to increased BA synthesis, and the decrease of MRP3 leading to decreased BA synthesis, and kaempferol may alleviate NASH by increasing CYP27A1 and NTCP to enhance BA transport.

The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is one of the most important drivers of interannual variations of marine ecosystems, especially monsoonal ecosystems. The channel effect in a strait amplifies the impact of monsoons and may be an ideal area to study ecosystem responses to ENSO events. Previous studies have shown that physical processes in the Taiwan Strait (TWS) vary during the different ENSO phases, but the biological responses are still unclear. In this study, we found clear differences in the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the TWS between different ENSO phases based on data from satellites and field cruises during the 2015–2016 El Niño and 2017–2018 La Niña events. Although the monsoonal patterns were similar during early spring cruises during two ENSO events, the influence of the China Coastal Current (CCC), which is characterized by low sea surface temperature, low salinity, and high nutrient concentrations, was 1.5 times greater during the 2015–2016 El Niño than the 2017–2018 La Niña. The average chlorophyll a concentration was therefore higher in 2016 than that in 2018. The phytoplankton consisted mainly of diatoms, dinoflagellates, and cryptophytes during the 2015–2016 El Niño, but concentrations of those phytoplankton groups decreased, and concentrations of prasinophytes, Synechococcus, and Prochlorococcus increased during the 2017–2018 La Niña. Their influence of the CCC and warm currents were associated with the variations in phytoplankton community structure in the TWS. The results of this study enhance understanding of the responses of marine ecosystems to climate variabilities, and of the changes that climate change may bring to strait ecosystems.

It is well known that the enzyme catalyzes the first step of branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) catabolism is branched-chain amino transferase (BCAT), which is involved in the synthesis and degradation of leucine, isoleucine and valine. There are two main subtypes of human branched chain amino transferase (hBCAT), including cytoplasmic BCAT (BCAT1) and mitochondrial BCAT (BCAT2). In recent years, the role of BCAT in tumors has attracted the attention of scientists, and there have been continuous research reports that BCAT plays a role in the tumor, Alzheimer’s disease, myeloid leukaemia and other diseases. It plays a significant role in the growth and development of diseases, and new discoveries about this gene in some diseases are made every year. BCAT usually promotes cancer proliferation and invasion by activating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway and activating Wnt/β-catenin signal transduction. This article reviews the role and mechanism of BCAT in different diseases, as well as the recent biomedical research progress. This review aims to make a comprehensive summary of the role and mechanism of BCAT in different diseases and to provide new research ideas for the treatment, prognosis and prevention of certain diseases.

Understanding the impacts of flight configuration and post-mission data processing techniques on unmanned aircraft system (UAS) photogrammetric data quality is essential for employing this popular technique in coastal wetland ecosystems. In this study, we systematically evaluated the effects of flight configuration (flying altitude, image overlap, and lighting conditions) on UAS photogrammetric level 1 products: orthoimagery and point clouds, and level 2 products: digital terrain models (DTM) and canopy height models (CHM). We also developed an object-based machine learning approach to correct UAS DTMs to mitigate data uncertainties caused by flight configuration and dense vegetation. Flying altitude was identified as the leading parameter in the quality of level 1 products, while image overlap was the most influential determinant for the quality of level 2 products. The correction approach effectively reduced the vertical error of DTMs for two study sites. This study informs UAS photogrammetric survey design and data enhancement for applications in coastal wetlands.

Abstract Background To evaluate postoperative changes in retinal capillary plexus and to assess contributing factors in postoperative visual improvement using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) in patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (iERM) post membrane removal. Methods Patients scheduled for vitrectomy and membrane peel for iERM were enrolled. 35 subjects were included for this study. OCT-A was used to measure the FAZ related parameters and the superficial and deep capillary plexus layers using 3 mm × 3 mm scans. Measurements were taken before surgery and at every post-surgical follow-up. The unaffected fellow eyes were used as controls. Evaluated factors included: BCVA, vessel density (VD) and retinal thickness (RT) in five regions, FAZ area, FAZ perimeter (PERIM), acircularity index (AI) and foveal vessel density (FD). Results Compared with the control group, the foveal vessel density (FVD) in superficial capillary plexus (SCP) was greater in the epi-retinal membrane group (P 0.05). After surgery there was a reduction in the PRVD in SCP. The FVD in DCP increased and the PRVD in DCP decreased at baseline (p 0.05). D-value of LogMAR BCVA was positively correlated with pre-op LogMAR BCVA (p

To determine and evaluate the benefits of aquatic physical therapy as a rehabilitation strategy for women with breast cancer on health outcomes. Electronic databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Weipu (VIP) and Wanfang database were systematically searched until June 2021. Randomized controlled trials were included if they evaluated the effects of aquatic physical therapy in breast cancer patients. The quality of the trials included was assessed by the two independent researchers according to the Cochrane Collaboration Handbook recommendations. Outcome measures were fatigue, waist circumference and quality of life (QoL). The study was registered under PROSPERO (CRD42021157323). Totally, five studies comprising 356 participants were included in the study. Meta-analyses showed that aquatic physical therapy interventions significantly reduced the fatigue score (MD = -2.14, 95%CI: -2.82, -1.45, p

The permafrost–fire–climate system has been a hotspot in research for decades under a warming climate scenario. Surface vegetation plays a dominant role in protecting permafrost from summer warmth, thus, any alteration of vegetation structure, particularly following severe wildfires, can cause dramatic top–down thaw. A challenge in understanding this is to quantify fire-induced thaw settlement at large scales (>1000 km ^2 ). In this study, we explored the potential of using Landsat products for a large-scale estimation of fire-induced thaw settlement across a well-studied area representative of ice-rich lowland permafrost in interior Alaska. Six large fires have affected ∼1250 km ^2 of the area since 2000. We first identified the linkage of fires, burn severity, and land cover response, and then developed an object-based machine learning ensemble approach to estimate fire-induced thaw settlement by relating airborne repeat lidar data to Landsat products. The model delineated thaw settlement patterns across the six fire scars and explained ∼65% of the variance in lidar-detected elevation change. Our results indicate a combined application of airborne repeat lidar and Landsat products is a valuable tool for large scale quantification of fire-induced thaw settlement.

Plastic film mulching often increases the yield of winter wheat in the Loess Plateau of China, but the physiological mechanisms are unclear, especially in response to the interaction between mulch and water supply. In this study, we investigated the interactive effects of initial soil water (dry, moderate, and wet), soil cover (plastic mulch, bare soil), and seasonal conditions on the dynamics of dry matter partitioning, water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), and flag leaf senescence, and their relations with yield and its components. Plastic mulch increased dry matter accumulation at anthesis and maturity relative to bare soil, with no interaction with season or initial soil water. Allocation of dry matter to leaf, stem, and spike did not change with soil cover. Compared with bare soil, mulch increased WSC accumulation by 14% at anthesis and its translocation by 16%. Soil cover did not influence the senescence of flag leaf after anthesis as indicated by similar dynamics of the C:N ratio. Grain yield was higher under plastic mulch than bare soil in two out of three seasons, and was associated with a higher translocation amount of WSC and post-anthesis dry matter that linked grain weight, grain number, and harvest index.

Quantifying end of summer season Active Layer Thickness (ALT) of permafrost is critical for understanding the effects of climate warming, disturbance, and hydrologic changes on permafrost. Current research mainly focuses on ALT estimation and mapping at large scales using process-based or statistical-empirical models with biophysical variables as predictors. Here we modeled multi-year ALT field measurements between 2014 and 2019 at a site in Interior Alaska using 1-m hyperspectral imaging data and an object-based ensemble approach at a local scale (1 km2), examined the efficacy of the multispectral sensor WorldView (WV)-2 for ALT estimation, and explored the potential of integrating single-date imaging data with multi-year in-situ measurements for mapping the spatial and temporal variation of ALT. Modeling results showed hyperspectral imaging was accurate for estimating ALT with a correlation coefficient (r) larger than 0.7, while application of WV-2 data produced an r around 0.4. Reasonable ALT patterns were generated, and the spatial and temporal variation of ALT was delineated between the shallowest (2015) and deepest (2019) years using hyperspectral data. This study suggests hyperspectral imaging is a promising tool for predicting field ALT measurements and monitoring ALT change at local scales. We expect this study will stimulate hyperspectral optical sensors for permafrost studies in general, and particularly for ALT upscaling.

Although household air pollution (HAP) is associated with an increased risk of mental disorders, evidence remains scarce for the relationship between HAP and suicidal ideation. A total of 21,381 qualified participants were enrolled on the Henan Rural Cohort Study. HAP information including cooking fuel type, cooking duration and kitchen ventilation was collected by questionnaires. Suicidal ideation was evaluated by item nine of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Independent and combined associations of cooking fuel type and cooking duration with suicidal ideation were explored by logistic regression models. Analyses were conducted in different kitchen ventilation groups to detect the potential effect modification. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of solid fuel users versus clean fuel users for suicidal ideation was 1.37 (1.16, 1.62), and the risk of suicidal ideation increased by 15% (95% CI: 5%, 26%) for each additional hour of the cooking duration. Participants cooking with solid fuel for long durations were related to the highest risk of suicidal ideation (OR (95% CI): 1.51 (1.22, 1.87)). However, all these associations were not observed in those cooking with mechanical ventilation. Mechanical ventilation ameliorated relationships between solid fuel use and long-duration cooking with suicidal ideation.

Enabling the public to easily recognize water birds has a positive effect on wetland bird conservation. However, classifying water birds requires advanced ornithological knowledge, which makes it very difficult for the public to recognize water bird species in daily life. To break the knowledge barrier of water bird recognition for the public, we construct a water bird recognition system (Eyebirds) by using deep learning, which is implemented as a smartphone app. Eyebirds consists of three main modules: (1) a water bird image dataset; (2) an attention mechanism-based deep convolution neural network for water bird recognition (AM-CNN); (3) an app for smartphone users. The waterbird image dataset currently covers 48 families, 203 genera and 548 species of water birds worldwide, which is used to train our water bird recognition model. The AM-CNN model employs attention mechanism to enhance the shallow features of bird images for boosting image classification performance. Experimental results on the North American bird dataset (CUB200-2011) show that the AM-CNN model achieves an average classification accuracy of 85%. On our self-built water bird image dataset, the AM-CNN model also works well with classification accuracies of 94.0%, 93.6% and 86.4% at three levels: family, genus and species, respectively. The user-side app is a WeChat applet deployed in smartphones. With the app, users can easily recognize water birds in expeditions, camping, sightseeing, or even daily life. In summary, our system can bring not only fun, but also water bird knowledge to the public, thus inspiring their interests and further promoting their participation in bird ecological conservation.

Macrophage-derived exosomes have been implicated on the modulation of inflammatory processes. Recent studies have shown that macrophage-derived exosomes contribute to the progression of many diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes and heart failure. This review describes the biogenesis of macrophage-derived exosomes and their biological functions in different diseases. In addition, the challenges facing the use of macrophage-derived exosomes as delivery tools for drugs, genes, and proteins in clinical applications are described. The application of macrophage-derived exosomes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases is also discussed.

SUMMARY: Resveratrol is a polyphenol known to have many beneficial biological activities. In our study, we investigated the effect of supplementing chicken feed with different concentrations of resveratrol. A total of 2,160 Jingfen white egg chickens in their 210-d old were selected for this study. They were randomly distributed into 4 diet groups with 6 replicates each. Each replicate group contained 90 chickens. Diets were supplemented with 1 of 4 doses of resveratrol: 0, 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg. Relative to that in controls, the egg production rate and mean daily food intake significantly increased upon 200 mg/kg resveratrol treatment (P < 0.05). The feed-to-egg ratio also significantly diminished in these animals (P < 0.05), as did the cull/death rate. Resveratrol was also linked with extended egg shelf lives and improved sensory scores. Supplementation with 400 mg/kg resveratrol significantly reduced levels of total serum cholesterol and triglycerides and activities of alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase (P < 0.05). These results therefore show that 200 mg/kg resveratrol supplementation improved the performance of laying hens, whereas 400 mg/kg dose was associated with better lipid metabolism, reduced egg cholesterol content, extended egg shelf life, improved antioxidant activity, and improved egg sensory scores.

The combination of organic manure and inorganic fertilizer plays a role in increasing crop yield and nutrient efficiency, but such effectiveness varies with crop, soil, management, and climate. Here, a 6-year field experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of substituting organic manure with inorganic fertilizer on crop yield, grain protein content, and nitrogen and phosphorus efficiency under a winter wheat-summer maize cropping system on Anthrosol. Five treatments were included: recommended nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fertilizers (NPK), 75% NPK + 25% organic manure (M), 50% NPK + 50% M, 25% NPK + 75% M, and 100% M, respectively. Wheat, maize, and annual yield were 1643–8438 kg ha−1, 4847–11,104 kg ha−1, and 10,007–17,496 kg ha−1. Organic manure treatments produced the same crop yield as NPK treatment except for 100% M. Grain protein content of wheat and maize was 7.9–15.1% and 5.6–12.6%. Organic manure treatments yielded significantly lower wheat grain protein content but had no significant effect on maize grain protein content relative to NPK treatment. Nitrogen uptake efficiency and nitrogen use efficiency at the cropping system level were 0.67–1.16 and 35.7–60.5 kg kg−1. Phosphorus uptake efficiency and phosphorus use efficiency were 0.28–0.75 and 167–531 kg kg−1. Compared with NPK treatment, 50% M, 75% M, and 100% M improved nitrogen use efficiency but decreased nitrogen uptake efficiency and phosphorus efficiencies. Annual N and P budgets were −1.3–79.1 kg ha−1 a−1 and 25.6–100.1 kg ha−1a−1, and both increased with the increase in organic manure input. Based on crop yield, grain protein content, nitrogen, and phosphorus efficiency and their budget, substitution of 25% inorganic fertilizer with organic manure is the rational combination under the winter wheat–summer maize system on an Anthrosol.

The temporal and spatial variability of harmful algal blooms (HABs) in coastal waters of Fujian were analyzed at interannual and decadal scales based on recorded HAB events collected from 1956 to 2019. The number and impact area of HABs exhibited little change from 1959 to the 1990s, sharply increased from the 1990s to 2000s, and decreased from the 2000s to 2010s. The highest number and greatest coverage of blooms occurred in the 2000s. The proportion of HABs caused by dinoflagellates increased, while the proportion caused by diatoms decreased from the 2000s to the 2010s. Toxic HAB events caused by Karenia mikimotoi increased in frequency and spatial coverage in the 2010s, especially on the central Fujian coast. Increasing concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and dissolved inorganic phosphorus have been essential for increasing HAB occurrences since the 1980s. The combined effects of eutrophication and climate change have been suggested to be important reasons for long-term changes in HABs. Knowledge of the change patterns in and the mechanisms of HABs gained in this study will extend the current understanding of HABs along the Fujian coast and support future studies on HAB monitoring, early warning, prevention, and management.

Background: The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a public health emergency of international concern. This study aimed to assess the psychological outcomes and their influencing factors among medical and non-medical University students during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.Methods: A cross-sectional online survey using structured questionnaires was conducted from February 20 to March 20, 2020. Psychological outcomes were assessed according to the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). Influencing factors were assessed by COVID-19 knowledge, mindful coping scale, and sense of control scale.Results: Our sample is comprised of 563 University students (male = 172, mean age = 21.52). Among them, 382 are medical students. Among the participants, 12.26, 18.47, and 8.53% have moderate to severe levels of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, respectively. Compared with the non-medical students, the medical students had a higher knowledge level of COVID-19, a higher sense of awareness, and fewer mental health symptoms. After controlling the covariance, perceived constraints of sense of control were negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress among both medical and non-medical students. Prevention of negative emotions by mindful coping was negatively associated with depression and anxiety among non-medical students. Knowledge of COVID-19 is not associated with mental distress among medical and non-medical students.Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic in China, the mental health of University students was affected. Our findings suggested that a sense of control is a protective factor for both medical and non-medical students, while mindful coping is a protective factor for only non-medical students.