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Changhong Xu,1,&ast; Yun Deng,1,&ast; Jiangwei Man,1,&ast; Huabin Wang,1 Tuanjie Che,2 Liyun Ding,3 Li Yang1 1Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, Gansu Province Clinical Research Center for Urinary System Disease, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730030, People’s Republic of China; 2Innovation Center of Functional Genomics and Molecular Diagnostics Technology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3School of Physical Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Li Yang, Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, Gansu Province Clinical Research Center for Urinary System Disease, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730030, People’s Republic of China, Email ery_yangli@lzu.edu.cnObjective: This study investigates the targets, pathways, and mechanisms of Schisandrin B (Sch B) in alleviating renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (RIRI) using RNA sequencing and network pharmacology.Methods: The effects of Sch B on RIRI were assessed using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining, along with measurements of blood creatinine and urea nitrogen (BUN). Differential gene expression in mouse models treated with RIRI and Sch B+RIRI was analyzed through RNA-Seq. Key processes, targets, and pathways were examined using network pharmacology techniques. The antioxidant capacity of Sch B was evaluated using assays for reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial superoxide, and JC-1 membrane potential. Molecular docking was employed to verify the interactions between key targets and Sch B, and the expression of these targets and pathway was confirmed using qRT-PCR, Western blot, and immunofluorescence.Results: Sch B pre-treatment significantly reduced renal pathological damage, inflammatory response, and apoptosis in a mouse RIRI model. Pathological damage scores dropped from 4.33 ± 0.33 in the I/R group to 2.17 ± 0.17 and 1.5 ± 0.22 in Sch B-treated groups (p < 0.01). Creatinine and BUN levels were also reduced (from 144.6 ± 21.05 μmol/L and 53.51 ± 2.34 mg/dL to 50.44 ± 5.61 μmol/L and 17.18 ± 0.96 mg/dL, p < 0.05). Transcriptomic analysis identified four key targets (AKT1, ALB, ACE, CCL5) and the PI3K/AKT pathway. Experimental validation confirmed Sch B modulated these targets, reducing apoptosis and oxidative stress, and enhancing renal recovery.Conclusion: Sch B reduces oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis by modulating key targets such as AKT1, ALB, ACE, and CCL5, while activating the PI3K/AKT pathway, leading to improved renal recovery in RIRI.Keywords: renal ischemia-reperfusion injury, schisandrin B, transcriptomics, network pharmacology, PI3K/AKT pathway

Huimei Xu,1 Jianwei Yun,1 Ruiying Li,1 Xueni Ma,1 Lingzhu Gou,1 Tuanjie Che,2 Dekui Zhang1,3 1Department of Gastroenterology, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Center of Genomics, Key Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Molecular Diagnosis of Gansu Province, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Gastroenterology, Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases of Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Dekui Zhang; Tuanjie Che, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Cuiying Number 82, Chengguan District, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 17797634824, Email zhangdk8616@126.com; chetj@126.comPurpose: This study aims to estimate the resistance rate of Helicobacter pylori (HP) to commonly used antibiotics and analyze the potential influencing factors in northwest regions of China.Patients and Methods: HP-positive patients visiting the outpatient department of multiple hospitals were enrolled in the study. Then, gastric mucosal biopsy specimens were collected for HP isolation, culture, and investigation of the resistance rate of HP to amoxicillin, metronidazole, tetracycline, levofloxacin, and clarithromycin by Epsilometer test (E-test) antibiotic susceptibility testing. In addition, multi-drug resistance, the influence of HP eradication history, age, and region of residence on drug resistance rate were analyzed.Results: In total, 198 HP clinical strains were successfully isolated and cultured. The resistance rates of amoxicillin, metronidazole, tetracycline, levofloxacin, and clarithromycin were 16.16%, 85.86%, 7.58%, 46.46%, and 55.05%, respectively. The multi-drug resistance rates demonstrated that dual and triple resistances were 30.30% and 22.73%, respectively. The quadruple resistance rate reached 9.60%. Our results revealed that the prior eradication history of HP significantly increased levofloxacin and clarithromycin resistance. Metronidazole and levofloxacin resistances significantly differed among different age groups, which presented an upward trend with increasing age. Drug resistance rates varied with geographic regions, especially amoxicillin and clarithromycin resistance, which were highest in Hexi Corridor and Longnan regions.Conclusion: The current situation of HP resistance to common antibiotics is severe. Tetracycline is the most sensitive antibiotic, followed by amoxicillin, the first choice for HP eradication. However, the eradication failure of HP may lead to an increase in the resistance rate. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the standardized diagnosis and treatment of HP to improve the primary eradication rate.Keywords: Helicobacter pylori, antibiotic, drug resistance, eradication

Tingting Che,1 Xiaochun Teng,1 Qun Huang,1 Yanfei Mu,2 Xianjun Tang,2 Xiaosong Mu,2 Youneng Wei1 1Department of Endocrinology, Chongqing Public Health Medical Center, Chongqing, China; 2Chongqing Cancer Institute, Hospital and Cancer Center, Chongqing, China Background: Depressive and anxiety symptoms could seriously affect the quality of life of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) subjects. Currently, little is known about the efficacy and acceptability of agomelatine versus fluoxetine in treating these symptoms in T2DM subjects. Therefore, this study was performed to find out which one was better in treating these symptoms in T2DM subjects.Materials and methods: T2DM subjects with depressive and anxiety symptoms were randomly assigned to receive either fluoxetine (30–40 mg/day) or agomelatine (25–50 mg/day). The treatment was continued for 12 weeks. The data of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) were collected (at baseline and also at weeks 4, 8 and 12) to assess the depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. The metabolic parameters, including body mass index (BMI), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), were assessed at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment. The treatment-related adverse events during the scheduled treatment period were recorded to compare the acceptability of these two drugs.Results: After 12 weeks of treatment, the average HDRS and HARS scores were significantly decreased in both groups. The average HDRS scores were not significantly different between the two groups, although the agomelatine group had a lower average HDRS score. The response and remission rates were similar between the two groups, and these two drugs had no significant effects on BMI and FPG. However, compared with the fluoxetine group, the agomelatine group had the significantly lower average HARS score (p=0.0017) and lower average HbA1c level (p

Abstract Background Forest soils are usually highly weathered and abundant in mineral-weathering bacteria, which have not been used to mobilize soil minerals for crop production. Here, we used an acidic forest soil with low available phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and silicon (Si) to isolate bacteria capable of co-solubilizing P, K, and Si (PKSi-solubilizing) and the model rice plant to test their potential to mobilize soil P, K, and Si for crop nutrition. Results Six PKSi-solubilizing strains representative of common mineral-weathering proteobacteria taxa (genera Burkholderia, Paraburkholderia, Collimonas, Pseudomonas, and Agrobacterium) were screened out. They showed diverse P-, K-, or Si-solubilizing activities and produced diverse organic acids. Their mineral-solubilizing activities were positively correlated with the levels of medium pH reduction and gluconic acid production. They promoted the growth of rice seedlings grown in the forest soil by increasing soil available P and Si, plant P, K, and Si cumulative contents and dry weight, and the corresponding root-to-shoot ratios. The growth of rice seedlings alone and with the inoculated PKSi-solubilizing stains in the acidic forest soil did not reduce the soil pH. Conclusions The forest soil with low available P, K, and Si is a valuable resource for high-performance PKSi-solubilizing bacteria improving soil fertility and crop nutrition. The PKSi-solubilizing bacteria screened out can promote rice seedling growth by mobilizing P, K, and Si from soil to plant in the acidic soil with low available P, K, and Si. They show potentials to mitigate soil P, K, and Si deficiency and promote crop growth, and to recover soluble P, K, and Si from chemical fertilizers and improve the use efficiency of chemical fertilizers, thus reducing the input of chemical fertilizers. They may retard soil acidification by Si-solubilization and improve soil quality. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Topological photonic insulators show promise for applications in compact integrated photonic circuits due to their ability to transport light robustly through sharp bendings. The number of topological edge states relies on the difference between the bulk Chern numbers across the boundary, as dictated by the bulk edge correspondence. The interference among multiple topological edge modes in topological photonics systems may allow for controllable functionalities that are particularly desirable for constructing reconfigurable photonic devices. In this work, we demonstrate magnetically controllable multimode interference based on gyromagnetic topological photonic insulators that support two unidirectional edge modes with different dispersions. We successfully achieve controllable power splitting in experiments by engineering multimode interference with the magnetic field intensity or the frequency of wave. Our work demonstrates that manipulating the interference among multiple chiral edge modes can facilitate the advancement of highly efficient and adaptable microwave devices.

Abstract We aimed to investigate acute changes before and after low-intensity continuous and intermittent blood flow restriction (BFR) deep-squat training on thigh muscle activation characteristics and fatigue level under suitable individual arterial occlusion pressure (AOP). Twelve elite male handball players were recruited. Continuous (Program 1) and intermittent (Program 2) BFR deep-squat training was performed with 30% one-repetition maximum load. Program 1 did not include decompression during the intervals, while Program 2 contained decompression during each interval. Electromyography (EMG) was performed before and after two BFR training programs in each period. EMG signals of the quadriceps femoris, posterior femoral muscles, and gluteus maximus, including the root mean square (RMS) and normalized RMS and median frequency (MF) values of each muscle group under maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), before and after training were calculated. The RMS value under MVC (RMSMVC) of the rectus femoris (RF), vastus medialis (VM), vastus lateralis (VL), and gluteus maximus (GM) decreased after continuous and intermittent BFR training programs, and those of the biceps femoris (BF) and semitendinosus (SEM) increased; The RMS standard values of the VL, BF, and SEM were significantly increased after continuous and intermittent BFR training (P

Abstract Background Interprofessional education (IPE) is expected to help prepare undergraduate health profession students to collaborate with other healthcare professionals in realising quality of care. Studies stress the necessity of students’ readiness for interprofessional learning (IPL) in view of designing IPE programs. The present study aims to determine students' IPL-readiness and looks at related differences in students enrolled in different programs and at different phases in their educational program. Methods A cross-sectional survey study was set up among 1139 students from six health programs at HueUMP, using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS). Statistical analysis was performed using Kruskal–Wallis H and Mann–Whitney U tests. Results The overall mean RIPLS score was 68.89. RIPLS scores significantly differed between programs and between phases in the educational programs. Medical students presented a lower readiness level for IPL than students from other programs. In contrast to a significant increase in RIPLS scores of students in the clinical phase in Vietnamese traditional medicine, medicine, and pharmacy, a decrease in RIPLS scores was observed in students in the clinical phase in odonto-stomatology. Conclusions The differences could be related to differences in educational programs and the study phases in a particular program. These results offer insights to direct the design and implementation of IPE in health education curricula and especially underscore the need to provide IPE throughout the curriculum.

Abstract Chiral zeroth Landau levels are topologically protected bulk states. In particle physics and condensed matter physics, the chiral zeroth Landau level plays a significant role in breaking chiral symmetry and gives rise to the chiral anomaly. Previous experimental works on such chiral Landau levels are mainly based on three-dimensional Weyl degeneracies coupled with axial magnetic fields. Their realizations using two-dimensional Dirac point systems, being more promising for future applications, were never experimentally realized before. Here we propose an experimental scheme for realizing chiral Landau levels in a two-dimensional photonic system. By introducing an inhomogeneous effective mass through breaking local parity-inversion symmetries, a synthetic in-plane magnetic field is generated and coupled with the Dirac quasi-particles. Consequently, the zeroth-order chiral Landau levels can be induced, and the one-way propagation characteristics are experimentally observed. In addition, the robust transport of the chiral zeroth mode against defects in the system is also experimentally tested. Our system provides a new pathway for the realization of chiral Landau levels in two-dimensional Dirac cone systems, and may potentially be applied in device designs utilizing the chiral response and transport robustness.

Infrared radiation can reflect the damage of coal and rock under load, and can be used to monitor and prevent the dynamic disaster of coal and rock. But the infrared thermal image generated by the infrared thermal imager has low pixel resolution and large noise, which leads to the detection result being greatly affected by subjective factors. Therefore, the damaged area of the coal body cannot be accurately identified. It has become a trend to combine deep learning with infrared thermal imaging for nondestructive testing. But the research on the identification and detection of coal damage under load by combining deep learning and infrared thermal imaging is relatively few. In order to solve the above problems, a segmentation method of the abnormal area of coal infrared thermal image based on multi-scale channel attention module (MS-CAM) U-Net model is proposed. The MS-CAM is introduced into the encoder of the traditional U-Net model, and the U-Net model structure based on MS-CAM is designed. The model not only pays attention to the major characteristics of the coal infrared thermal image abnormal area, but also pays attention to the small target characteristics of the abnormal area, so as to improve the segmentation accuracy of the abnormal area. In order to reduce the influence of the lack of coal infrared thermal image data set on the accuracy and applicability of the model, the data enhancement operation is carried out on the created coal infrared thermal image data set. The MS-CAM-based U-Net model is pre-trained by using the MS COCO data set. Then the coal infrared thermal image data set is used for training to obtain the final network weight. The experimental result shows that the method can effectively segment the abnormal areas of the infrared thermal image of the coal body. The accuracy rate, the F1 score, the Dice coefficient and the average cross-combination ratio are 94.75%, 94.94%, 94.65%, and 90. 03% respectively. The results are superior to the Deeplab model, the U-Net model and the U-Net model based on the attention mechanism of the SENet.

Merging BICs with robust Q factors against fabrication imperfections can be further improved by higher-charged BICs. Moreover, higher-charged BICs offer great flexibility in realizing steerable merging BICs.