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Abstract Neurons are essential cells composing our nervous system and orchestrating our body, thoughts, and emotions. Recently, research efforts have been focused on studying not only their collective structure and functions but also the single-cell properties as an individual complex system. Nanoscale technology has the potential to unravel mysteries in neuroscience and provide support to the neuron by measuring and influencing several aspects of the cell. As wearable devices interact with different parts of our body, we could envision a thousand times smaller interface to conform on and around subcellular regions of the neurons for unprecedented contact, probing, and control. However, a major challenge is to develop an interface that can morph to the extreme curvatures of subcellular structures. Here, we address this challenge with the development of a platform that conforms even to small neuronal processes. To achieve this, we produced a wireless platform made of an azobenzene polymer that undergoes on-demand light-induced folding with sub-micrometer radius of curvature. We show that these platforms can be fabricated with an adjustable form factor, micro-injected onto neuronal cultures, and can delicately wrap various morphologies of neuronal processes in vitro, toward obtaining seamless biointerfaces with an increased coupling with the cell membrane. Our in vitro testings did not show any adverse effects of the platforms in contact with the neurons. Additionally, for future functionality, nanoparticles or optoelectronic materials could be blended with the azobenzene polymer, and 2D materials on the platform surface could be safely folded to the high curvatures without mechanical failure, as per our calculations. Ultimately, this technology could lay the foundation for future integration of wirelessly actuated materials within or on its platform for neuromodulation, recording, and neuroprotection at the subcellular level.

Abstract Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen known for causing listeriosis. To gain insights into the pathogenicity, genetic characterization, and evolution of various Listeria species, in vitro cell adhesion and invasion ability assays and whole-genome sequencing were performed using four Listeria strains isolated from livestock and poultry slaughterhouses. The four Listeria strains exhibited adhesion and invasion abilities in Caco-2 and RAW264.7 cells. Pathogenic Liv1-1 and Lm2-20 had higher adhesion ability, but non-pathogenic Lin4-99 was more invasive than Lm2-20 (p

Electron backscatter diffraction， five parameter analysis， overlap-pole-figure analysis and near coincident site analysis were used to investigate the interface character distributions of WC/WC grain boundaries and WC/Co phase boundaries in WC/Co cemented carbides under different heat treatment states. The results show that the WC/WC Σ2 grain boundaries with a fraction of 4.5% are generated in the oil-quenched sample after high temperature sintering. The fraction of Σ2 boundaries with interface matching features of ｛101¯0｝/｛101¯0｝ is 2.6%.The cobalt in this sample is basically face-centered-cubic structure， and the interface with the interface inter-connection features of ｛101¯0｝WC/｛001｝Co，｛101¯0｝WC/｛110｝Co and ｛112¯0｝WC/｛110｝Co is the main part of the WC/Co phase boundary. After tempering at 800 ℃， the samples with atmosphere protection and slow cooling in the furnace have the proportion and characteristics of WC/WC Σ2 grain boundaries， which are very close to those of oil-quenched samples.The cobalt in this sample is primarily hexagonal structure， and the interface with the interface inter-connection features of ｛101¯0｝WC/｛101¯0｝Co and ｛112¯0｝WC/｛112¯0｝Co is the main part of the WC/Co phase boundary.

Abstract While protein aggregation’s association with aging and age-related diseases is well-established, the specific proteins involved and whether dissolving them could alleviate aging remain unclear. Our research addresses this gap by uncovering the role of PKM2 aggregates in aging. We find that PKM2 forms aggregates in senescent cells and organs from aged mice, impairing its enzymatic activity and glycolytic flux, thereby driving cells into senescence. Through a rigorous two-step small molecule library screening, we identify two compounds, K35 and its analog K27, capable of dissolving PKM2 aggregates and alleviating senescence. Further experiments show that treatment with K35 and K27 not only alleviate aging-associated signatures but also extend the lifespan of naturally and prematurely aged mice. These findings provide compelling evidence for the involvement of PKM2 aggregates in inducing cellular senescence and aging phenotypes, and suggest that targeting these aggregates could be a promising strategy for anti-aging drug discovery.

Yao medicine Hongniuxi is the root and rhizome of Achyranthes longifolia, which is a commonly used medicinal herb in Yao ethnic areas. Currently, only a few provinces and regions have recorded the method for quality control of Hongniuxi. Microscopic method and thin layer chromatography (TLC) were qualitatively identified on the roots and rhizomes of 14 batches of Yao Medicine Hongniuxi collected in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the study. The content of β-ecdysterone was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The Phenomenex column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) was used, the mobile phase was acetonitrile-water (15∶85), the column temperature was 25 ℃, the flow rate was 1.0 mL·min-1, and the detection wavelength was at 243 nm. The results were as follows: (1) The character and microscopic identification methods of Hongniuxi were obvious. Microscopic identification showed the inner layer of thrombus, vascular bundle, abnormal vascular bundle, duct, ray cell, calcium oxalate sand crystal or square crystal, etc. (2) The TLC identification spots of β-ecdysterone and ginsenoside RO were clear, and the separation effect was good. (3) The β-ecdysterone showed a good linear relationship within the range of 5.606-224.224 μg (r＝0.999 9), whose average recovery (n=6) was 97.68%, with the RSD of 1.37%. (4) Among 14 batches of samples, the contents of β-ecdysterone ranged from 0.005% to 0.158%, with an average content of 0.095%. This study establishes a complete method for microscopic identification, thin layer identification, and content determination, providing a scientific basis for rational evaluation of the quality of Hongniuxi and clinical rational drug use.

AIM: To observe the clinical and multimodal imaging features of retinopathy associated with novel coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)infection, investigate the related risk factors, and analyze the treatment and prognosis.METHODS: A total of 7 patients(7 eyes)with clinically confirmed COVID-19-associated retinopathy in Tianjin Medical University General Hospital from December 13, 2022 to January 13, 2023 were included in the study. All patients underwent color fundus photography, IR, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography(SD-OCT), fundus autofluorescein(FAF)and other ophthalmic examination and serological examination.RESULTS: Among the included patients, 2 cases(2 eyes)of central retinal vein occlusion(CRVO)appeared differently from previous CRVO. The hemorrhagic features of CRVO were round or fusiform shape hemorrhagic spots with white centers. One of them, the von Willebrand factor antigen(vWF: Ag)level was increased to 161.8%. The other case was positive in serologic test for lupus anticoagulant. In 2 cases(2 eyes)of multiple evanescent white dot syndrome(MEWDS), FAF showed that dots of high spontaneous fluorescence were scattered in the posterior pole. The prognosis of 2 MEWDS were good after the treatment of glucocorticoids. The 3 cases(3 eyes)of acute macular neuroretinopathy(AMN)showed reddened brown lesions in the macular area, hyporeflective lesions with clear boundaries on IR, and high signal intensity in the ONL and ELM, EZ/IZ signal fracture on SD-OCT.CONCLUSION: COVID-19 may cause inflammatory storm, involving all layers of retinal tissues and blood vessels, leading to the occurrence of various retinal lesions. Hormone therapy may be effective and the prognosis is good in most cases. Roth spot can be seen in fundus hemorrhage of CRVO, lupus anticoagulant and increased vWF: Ag may be risk factors for CRVO after COVID-19.

Stock enhancement activities have many benefits but also negative impacts. The macrobenthic diversity index and the M-AMBI index were adopted to assess the effects of stock enhancement of Phascolosoma esculenta on macrobenthic communities and the local ecosystem in Yueqing Bay. The results revealed that the Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H’) and Margalef richness index (d) increased in October 2022 after stock enhancement, indicating a positive ecological restoration effect. The average M-AMBI in the intertidal zone of Yueqing Bay was 0.59, indicating good benthic ecological quality. Excluding seasonal factors, the M-AMBI in the intertidal zone increased after stock enhancement, indicating that stock enhancement by Phascolosoma esculenta had a certain positive effect on the intertidal ecological environment of Yueqing Bay. The increase in the M-AMBI occurred mainly in the low-tide zone, increased slightly in the mid-tide zone, and remained basically unchanged in the high-tide zone. On the one hand, Phascolosoma esculenta can accumulate heavy metals from the environment and release a large amount of organic matter throughout its lifecycle, promoting nutrient cycling, which plays a positive role in the environment. On the other hand, Phascolosoma esculenta is an economic species; however, the planting of mangroves in the low tide zone causes fishers to fish in the mid- and high-tide zones, so the changes in the M-AMBI values in each tidal zone are related mainly to Phascolosoma esculenta and anthropogenic disturbances.

Responsible stock enhancement should aim to restore a population while ensuring uninterrupted genetic characteristics of the species. In this study, five pairs of screened microsatellite primers were used to analyze genetic diversity in a wild population (YS, before release), released population (FL), and recaptured population (HB, after release) of Phascolosoma esculenta to assess the impact of stock enhancement in Yueqing Bay. Microsatellite analysis revealed that the average numbers of alleles (Na) for the YS, FL, and HB of P. esculenta were 4.40, 5.40, and 5.40, respectively. The average effective numbers of alleles (Ne) were 2.11, 2.07, and 2.24, respectively. The average observed heterozygosity (Ho) was 0.312, 0.340, and 0.305, respectively, while the average expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.489, 0.465, and 0.496, respectively. The average polymorphic information content (PIC) was 0.425, 0.409, and 0.434, respectively. Analysis of Molecular Variance (AMOVA) revealed that most of the genetic variation was within populations. The genetic differentiation index (FST) values between the three populations were all less than 0.05. The three populations of P. esculenta all had moderate genetic diversity and there was minimal genetic differentiation between the populations, suggesting that the released P. esculenta were suitable for stock enhancement and that the current stock enhancement practices in Yueqing Bay have had no negative impact on the genetic diversity of P. esculenta.

Abstract Conductive cardiac patches can rebuild the electroactive microenvironment for the infarcted myocardium but their repair effects benefit by carried seed cells or drugs. The key to success is the effective integration of electrical stimulation with the microenvironment created by conductive cardiac patches. Besides, due to the concerns in a high re-admission ratio of heart patients, a remote medicine device will underpin the successful repair. Herein, we report a miniature self-powered biomimetic trinity triboelectric nanogenerator with a unique double-spacer structure that unifies energy harvesting, therapeutics, and diagnosis in one cardiac patch. Trinity triboelectric nanogenerator conductive cardiac patches improve the electroactivity of the infarcted heart and can also wirelessly monitor electrocardiosignal to a mobile device for diagnosis. RNA sequencing analysis from rat hearts reveals that this trinity cardiac patches mainly regulates cardiac muscle contraction-, energy metabolism-, and vascular regulation-related mRNA expressions in vivo. The research is spawning a device that truly integrates an electrical stimulation of a functional heart patch and self-powered e-care remote diagnostic sensor.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the extraction solvent and compare the distribution of functional ingredient and antioxidant activities in different parts of Penthorum chinense pursh. Methods: the total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, antioxidant capacity and individual phenolic compounds content in Penthorum chinense pursh were determined and analyzed. Results: The total phenolic content, total flavonoid content increased and then decreased with the increase of solvent concentration. The seven main phenolic compounds （catechin, rutin, pinocembrin-7-O-glucoside, quercetin, kaempferol, pinocembrin and thonningianin A）, ABTS radical scavenging ability, and ferric ion reduction ability were the highest in 80% ethanol extract. The contents of total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, ABTS radical scavenging ability, DPPH radical scavenging ability and ferric ion reducing ability of different parts of Penthorum chinense pursh were flower > leaves > stem. The total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, antioxidant capacity of flower and stem decreased significantly with the increasing of storage time, while leaves were relatively stable. In addition, the antioxidant activities of Penthorum chinense pursh were significantly positively correlated with total phenolic content, catechin, isoquercetin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, afzelin, and pinocembrin-7-O-glucoside （P < 0.01）. Conclusion: 80% ethanol appears the most effective for polyphenol extraction in Penthorum chinense pursh, and the leaves have the great potential for development and utilization with high content and stable antioxidant activity.

Abstract Background Dyslipidemia and abnormalities in cholesterol metabolism are commonly observed in individuals with gallstone disease. Previous research has demonstrated that dietary magnesium can influence lipid metabolism. The atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) has emerged as a novel lipid marker. This study aimed to examine the possible correlation between dietary magnesium intake and gallstones and the potential mediating role of AIP in US adults. Methods A total of 4,841 adults were included in this study from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted from 2017 to 2020. A variety of statistical techniques such as logistic regression, subgroup analysis, smoothed curve fitting, and causal mediation analysis were utilized to analyze the information collected from the participants. Results In the fully adjusted model, a statistically noteworthy inverse relationship was observed between dietary magnesium intake and the presence of gallstones, as indicated by an odds ratio (OR) of 0.58 and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of (0.42, 0.81). Causal intermediary analysis revealed that the association between magnesium intake and gallstones was partially mediated by AIP, with a mediation ratio of 3.2%. Conclusion According to this study, dietary magnesium intake had a significant linear negative association with the prevalence of gallstones, in which AIP played a mediating role. This discovery offers novel perspectives on the prevention and management of gallstones.

Abstract Objectives To differentiate benign and malignant solitary pulmonary lesions (SPLs) by amide proton transfer-weighted imaging (APTWI), mono-exponential model DWI (MEM-DWI), stretched exponential model DWI (SEM-DWI), and 18F-FDG PET-derived parameters. Methods A total of 120 SPLs patients underwent chest 18F-FDG PET/MRI were enrolled, including 84 in the training set (28 benign and 56 malignant) and 36 in the test set (13 benign and 23 malignant). MTRasym(3.5 ppm), ADC, DDC, α, SUVmax, MTV, and TLG were compared. The area under receiver-operator characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess diagnostic efficacy. The Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors and establish prediction model. Results SUVmax, MTV, TLG, α, and MTRasym(3.5 ppm) values were significantly lower and ADC, DDC values were significantly higher in benign SPLs than malignant SPLs (all P

Cancer is the major cause of premature death in humans worldwide, demanding more efficient therapeutics. Aberrant cell proliferation resulting from the loss of cell cycle regulation is the major hallmark of cancer, so targeting cell cycle is a promising strategy to combat cancer. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the dysregulation of cell cycle of cancer cells remains poorly understood. TMEM189, a newly identified protein, plays roles in the biosynthesis of ethanolamine plasmalogen and the regulation of autophagy. Here, we demonstrated that the expression level of TMEM189 was negatively correlated with the survival rate of the cancer patients. TMEM189 deficiency significantly suppresses the cancer cell proliferation and migration, and causes cell cycle G2/M arrest both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, TMEM189 depletion suppressed the growth of breast tumors in vivo. Taken together, our work indicated that TMEM189 promotes cancer progression by regulating cell cycle G2/M transition, suggesting that it is a promising target in cancer therapy.

Mysids have become the preferred diet for Sepia and Hippocampus breeding due to their nutritional content and size. Despite their potential as a high-quality feed, limited literature exists on the specific nutritional needs of N. orientalis and how diet influences their reproduction. This study investigated the effects of various diets—Corethron sp., Chlorella sp., mixed algae, and flakes—on the survival, total reproductive output, and whole tissue nutritional composition of N. orientalis. The main results were as follows: 1) N. orientalis fed with Corethron sp. exhibited the highest survival (90.11 ± 5.09% at 14 d; 57.78 ± 5.09% at 21 d); 2) Significant differences in total reproductive output were observed among the dietary groups, with the mixed diet group showing the highest output (121.67 ± 5.03 ind), followed by the Corethron sp. group (102.67 ± 3.51 ind); 3) Principal component analysis revealed that the nutritional composition of mysids predominantly comprises C18:2n-6, C22:6n-3, Σn-3 PUFA, Asp, Glu, Val, Phe, and TAA; 4) Correlation analysis indicated a strong positive correlation between the dietary C18:2n-6 and Σn-3 PUFA and the survival and total reproductive output of N. orientalis. Additionally, the dietary C20:4n-6 and C20:5n-3 showed a strong positive correlation with the C22:5n-3 and Σn-3 PUFA in N. orientalis. A similar strong positive correlation was observed between dietary amino acids and those in mysids. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that different diets directly influence the nutritional composition of mysids, affecting their survival and total reproductive output during the breeding period. Consequently, Corethron sp. emerges as a suitable diet for N. orientalis, enriching C20:5n-3 and Σn-3 PUFA, which fulfills the nutritional requirements of N. orientalis during their reproductive period, thereby enhancing individual survival and reproduction.

Virtual urban green environment images and audio stimuli had been proven to have restorative effects on subjects’ physical and mental health. In this area, researchers predominantly focused on visual, auditory and olfactory aspects, while tactile and gustatory senses have been minimally explored. However, the optimal combination of sensory stimuli for promoting physical and mental recovery remains unclear. Therefore, a simulated sensory stimulation approach involving 240 participants was employed, with 30 individuals included in each of the eight experimental groups: the visual–auditory (VA), visual–auditory-olfactory (VAO), visual–auditory-tactile (VAT), visual–auditory-gustatory(VAG), visual–auditory-olfactory-tactile (VAOT), visual–auditory-olfactory-gustatory (VAOG), visual–auditory-tactile-gustatory (VATG), and visual–auditory-olfactory-tactile-gustatory (VAOTG) groups. This study aimed to explore the differences in participants’ physiological and psychological health recovery after exposure to different combinations of simulated sensory stimuli in virtual UGSs. The results indicated that the following: (1) In terms of physiological recovery, the blood pressure of the 8 experimental groups decreased significantly after the experiment, indicating that the virtual urban green space environment has a certain recovery effect on physiological state. The combination of VAOTG stimuli in the multisensory group resulted in the best blood pressure recovery (p

IntroductionBrain medical image segmentation is a critical task in medical image processing, playing a significant role in the prediction and diagnosis of diseases such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and brain tumors. However, substantial distribution discrepancies among datasets from different sources arise due to the large inter-site discrepancy among different scanners, imaging protocols, and populations. This leads to cross-domain problems in practical applications. In recent years, numerous studies have been conducted to address the cross-domain problem in brain image segmentation.MethodsThis review adheres to the standards of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) for data processing and analysis. We retrieved relevant papers from PubMed, Web of Science, and IEEE databases from January 2018 to December 2023, extracting information about the medical domain, imaging modalities, methods for addressing cross-domain issues, experimental designs, and datasets from the selected papers. Moreover, we compared the performance of methods in stroke lesion segmentation, white matter segmentation and brain tumor segmentation.ResultsA total of 71 studies were included and analyzed in this review. The methods for tackling the cross-domain problem include Transfer Learning, Normalization, Unsupervised Learning, Transformer models, and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). On the ATLAS dataset, domain-adaptive methods showed an overall improvement of ~3 percent in stroke lesion segmentation tasks compared to non-adaptive methods. However, given the diversity of datasets and experimental methodologies in current studies based on the methods for white matter segmentation tasks in MICCAI 2017 and those for brain tumor segmentation tasks in BraTS, it is challenging to intuitively compare the strengths and weaknesses of these methods.ConclusionAlthough various techniques have been applied to address the cross-domain problem in brain image segmentation, there is currently a lack of unified dataset collections and experimental standards. For instance, many studies are still based on n-fold cross-validation, while methods directly based on cross-validation across sites or datasets are relatively scarce. Furthermore, due to the diverse types of medical images in the field of brain segmentation, it is not straightforward to make simple and intuitive comparisons of performance. These challenges need to be addressed in future research.

Non-classical secreted proteins (NCSPs) refer to a group of proteins that are located in the extracellular environment despite the absence of signal peptides and motifs. They usually play different roles in intercellular communication. Therefore, the accurate prediction of NCSPs is a critical step to understanding in depth their associated secretion mechanisms. Since the experimental recognition of NCSPs is often costly and time-consuming, computational methods are desired. In this study, we proposed an ensemble learning framework, termed NCSP-PLM, for the identification of NCSPs by extracting feature embeddings from pre-trained protein language models (PLMs) as input to several fine-tuned deep learning models. First, we compared the performance of nine PLM embeddings by training three neural networks: Multi-layer perceptron (MLP), attention mechanism and bidirectional long short-term memory network (BiLSTM) and selected the best network model for each PLM embedding. Then, four models were excluded due to their below-average accuracies, and the remaining five models were integrated to perform the prediction of NCSPs based on the weighted voting. Finally, the 5-fold cross validation and the independent test were conducted to evaluate the performance of NCSP-PLM on the benchmark datasets. Based on the same independent dataset, the sensitivity and specificity of NCSP-PLM were 91.18% and 97.06%, respectively. Particularly, the overall accuracy of our model achieved 94.12%, which was 7~16% higher than that of the existing state-of-the-art predictors. It indicated that NCSP-PLM could serve as a useful tool for the annotation of NCSPs.

A proton exchange membrane electrolyzer can effectively utilize the electricity generated by intermittent solar power. Different methods of generating electricity may have different efficiencies and hydrogen production rates. Two coupled systems, namely, PV/T- and CPV/T-coupling PEMEC, respectively, are presented and compared in this study. A maximum power point tracking algorithm for the photovoltaic system is employed, and simulations are conducted based on the solar irradiation intensity and ambient temperature of a specific location on a particular day. The simulation results indicate that the hydrogen production is relatively high between 11:00 and 16:00, with a peak between 12:00 and 13:00. The maximum hydrogen production rate is 99.11 g/s and 29.02 g/s for the CPV/T-PEM and PV/T-PEM systems. The maximum energy efficiency of hydrogen production in CPV/T-PEM and PV/T-PEM systems is 66.7% and 70.6%. Under conditions of high solar irradiation intensity and ambient temperature, the system demonstrates higher total efficiency and greater hydrogen production. The CPV/T-PEM system achieves a maximum hydrogen production rate of 2240.41 kg/d, with a standard coal saving rate of 15.5 tons/day and a CO2 reduction rate of 38.0 tons/day. Compared to the PV/T-PEM system, the CPV/T-PEM system exhibits a higher hydrogen production rate. These findings provide valuable insights into the engineering application of photovoltaic/thermal-coupled hydrogen production technology and contribute to the advancement of this field.

The in-plane folding wing is one of the important research directions in the field of morphing or bionic aircraft, showing the unique application value of enhancing aircraft maneuverability and gust resistance. This article provides a structural realization of an in-plane folding wing and an aeroelasticity modeling method for the folding process of the wing. By approximating the change in structural properties in each time step, a method for calculating the structural transient response expressed in recursive form is obtained. On this basis, an aeroelasticity model of the wing is developed by coupling with the aerodynamic model using the unsteady panel/viscous vortex particle hybrid method. A wind-tunnel test is implemented to demonstrate the controllable morphing capability of the wing under aerodynamic loads and to validate the reliability of the wing loads predicted by the method in this paper. The results of the gust simulation show that the gust scale has a significant effect on the response of both the open- and closed-loop systems. When the gust alleviation controller is enabled, the peak bending moment at the wing root can be reduced by 5.5%∼47.3% according to different gust scales.

BackgroundBronchopulmonary foregut malformation (BPFM) is an uncommon condition, with few case reports documented in both national and international literature. This scarcity underscores the importance of utilizing effective imaging techniques to improve our understanding and diagnostic precision concerning this disorder.Case descriptionIn the first case report, a neonate, born at full term and aged 15 days, presented with symptoms including dyspnea, coughing, wheezing, cyanosis, and vomiting. Initial diagnostic evaluations, which included chest radiography and upper gastrointestinal tract radiography, led to an erroneous initial diagnosis of a left-sided diaphragmatic hernia, accompanied by a suspicion of infection. In the second case report, another neonate, also born at full term but aged 5 days, exhibited symptoms such as coughing, choking, and mild vomiting. Utilizing a combination of computed tomography (CT) scans (plain, enhanced, and reconstructed), chest x-ray, and upper gastrointestinal tract radiography, the diagnosis of BPFM was accurately determined.ConclusionComprehensive imaging examinations play a crucial role in reducing misdiagnosis and diagnostic oversights in cases of BPFM. Given its rarity, BPFM often manifests as a sequestered lung accompanied by gastrointestinal abnormalities. Hence, the integration of CT scans with gastrointestinal tract radiography can substantially improve diagnostic precision in such cases.

The present study demonstrated the digestion behavior and fermentation characteristics of a sulfated polysaccharide from Sargassum fusiforme (SFSP) in the simulated digestion tract environment. The results showed that the molecular weight of two components in SFSP could not be changed by simulated digestion, and no free monosaccharide was produced. This indicates that most of SFSP can reach the colon as prototypes. During the fermentation with human intestinal flora in vitro, the higher-molecular-weight component of SFSP was utilized, the total sugar content decreased by 16%, the reducing sugar content increased, and the galactose content in monosaccharide composition decreased relatively. This indicates that SFSP can be selectively utilized by human intestinal flora. At the same time, SFSP also changed the structure of intestinal flora. Compared with the blank group, SFSP significantly increased the abundance of Bacteroidetes and decreased the abundance of Firmicutes. At the genus level, the abundances of Bacteroides and Megamonas increased, while the abundances of Shigella, Klebsiella, and Collinsella decreased. Moreover, the concentrations of total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), acetic, propionic and n-butyric acids significantly increased compared to the blank group. SFSP could down-regulate the contents of trimethylamine, piperidone and secondary bile acid in fermentation broth. The contents of nicotinic acid, pantothenic acid and other organic acids were increased. Therefore, SFSP shows significant potential to regulate gut microbiota and promote human health.

Summary: Background: Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have emerged as promising chemotherapeutic drugs primarily against BRCA1/2-associated tumours, known as synthetic lethality. However, recent clinical trials reported patients’ survival benefits from PARP inhibitor treatments, irrelevant to homologous recombination deficiency. Therefore, revealing the therapeutic mechanism of PARP inhibitors beyond DNA damage repair is urgently needed, which can facilitate precision medicine. Methods: A CRISPR-based knock-in technology was used to establish stable BRCA1 mutant cancer cells. The effects of PARP inhibitors on BRCA1 mutant cancer cells were evaluated by biochemical and cell biological experiments. Finally, we validated its in vivo effects in xenograft and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumour mice. Findings: In this study, we uncovered that the majority of clinical BRCA1 mutations in breast cancers were in and near the middle of the gene, rather than in essential regions for DNA damage repair. Representative mutations such as R1085I and E1222Q caused transient extra spindle poles during mitosis in cancer cells. PAR, which is synthesized by PARP2 but not PARP1 at mitotic centrosomes, clustered these transient extra poles, independent of DNA damage response. Common PARP inhibitors could effectively suppress PARP2-synthesized PAR and induce cell senescence by abrogating the correction of mitotic extra-pole error. Interpretation: Our findings uncover an alternative mechanism by which PARP inhibitors efficiently suppress tumours, thereby pointing to a potential new therapeutic strategy for centrosome error-related tumours. Funding: Funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (T2225006, 82272948, 82103106), Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation (Key program Z220011), and the National Clinical Key Specialty Construction Program, P. R. China (2023).

Abstract The skin plays a fundamental role in regulating the body’s internal balance and protecting against external traumas. A broad variety of environmental risk factors frequently result in acute skin wounds, whose inappropriate treatments would lead to chronic skin wounds that are difficult to heal. Traditional dressings have been widely used to repair chronic skin wounds, however their drawbacks such as insufficient hemostatic efficacy and non-moist environment have severely limited their clinical applications. As the principal component of skin, collagen has always been a research hotspot in the field of chronic skin wounds due to its advantages of low antigenicity, high biocompatibility and superior bioactivity. Collagen-based dressings have been increasingly developed to heal the chronic wounds during the past decades, arising from their capability in decreasing protein and electrolyte losses in wound exudate, preventing bacterial contamination, permitting less painful dressing changes, and improving the healing quality. This review overviews recent progress of collagen dressings for chronic skin wound healing. Various commonly used wound dressings for wound management have been first introduced. Collagen wound dressings have been categorized as films, sponges, hydrogels, nanofibers, and powders, and their efficacy has been compared. The critical functions of collagen dressings in wound healing, such as stopping bleeding, shortening inflammation, promoting angiogenesis, and stimulating tissue regeneration have been elaborated. The clinical applications of collagen dressings to repair different types of chronic wounds have been thoroughly summarized. A comprehensive list of commercialized collagen dressings has been updated, and an outlook of collagen dressings have been finally speculated. Graphical Abstract

Objective: Determining the tumor margin is the main problem in penoscrotal extramammary Paget's disease (PEMPD) surgery. This study aimed to explore the role of modified slow Mohs circular skin biopsy in determining the tumor margin in patients with PEMPD before operation. Methods: Thirty-six PEMPD patients were divided into the control group and the observation group according to the simple randomization method. The control group, which consisted of 16 patients, underwent wide local excision, and the observation group, which consisted of 20 patients, underwent a modified slow Mohs circular skin biopsy to determine the tumor margin before surgery. The duration of surgery, number of frozen sections, satisfaction with the appearance of the skin, tumor recurrence rate, and incidence of functional sequelae were statistically analyzed. Results: The number of frozen sections, duration of surgery, incidence of functional sequelae, and tumor recurrence rate in the observation group were lower than in the control group. The satisfaction with the appearance of the skin was higher in the observation group than in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is considered a central nervous system (CNS) disorder. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) regulates inflammatory responses in the CNS and is implicated in SCI pathogenesis. The mechanism(s) through which NF-κB contributes to the neuroinflammation observed during SCI however remains unclear. Methods: SCI rat models were created using the weight drop method and separated into Sham, SCI and SCI+NF-κB inhibitor groups (n = 6 rats per-group). We used Hematoxylin-Eosin Staining (H&E) and Nissl staining for detecting histological changes in the spinal cord. Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) behavioral scores were utilized for assessing functional locomotion recovery. Mouse BV2 microglia were exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic SCI-induced microglial inflammation in vitro. Results: Inhibition of NF-κB using JSH-23 alleviated inflammation and neuronal injury in SCI rats’ spinal cords, leading to improved locomotion recovery (p < 0.05). NF-κB inhibition reduced expression levels of CD86, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, and inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS), and improved expression levels of CD206, IL-4, and tissue growth factor-beta (TGF-β) in both LPS-treated microglia and SCI rats’ spinal cords (p < 0.05). Inhibition of NF-κB also effectively suppressed mitochondrial fission, evidenced by the reduced phosphorylation of dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) at Ser616 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: We show that inhibition of the NF-κB/DRP1 axis prevents mitochondrial fission and suppresses pro-inflammatory microglia polarization, promoting neurological recovery in SCI. Targeting the NF-κB/DRP1 axis therefore represents a novel approach for SCI.

Objective To investigate sex difference of dynamic cerebral autoregulation (dCA) in different body positions. Methods A total of 130 healthy adults (65 males and 65 females) who underwent physical examination in Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University from August 2021 to November 2022 were included. Non⁃invasive continuous blood pressure monitor and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) were used to monitor beat⁃to⁃beat blood pressure and middle cerebral artery (MCA) cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV), respectively. Transfer function analysis (TFA) was used to compare and analyze the dCA parameters (absolute gain value and percentage gain, phase, coherence) in the range of very low frequency (0.02-0.07 Hz), low frequency (0.07-0.20 Hz) and high frequency (0.20-0.50 Hz) of different positions and sex. Results The phase in very low frequency and low frequency were significantly lower in the standing position than in the supine position [(57.37 ± 12.45)° vs. (66.72 ± 16.64)°, t = ⁃ 6.428, P = 0.000; (36.82 ± 11.59)° vs. (43.02 ± 11.51)°, t = ⁃ 6.052, P = 0.000], while the coherence in very low frequency and low frequency were significantly higher in the standing position than in the supine position (0.73 ± 0.06 vs. 0.66 ± 0.06, t = ⁃ 8.947, P = 0.000; 0.76 ± 0.06 vs. 0.73 ± 0.07, t = ⁃ 2.693, P = 0.007). In both supine and standing positions, absolute gain value of male in the low frequency [(0.91 ± 0.23) cm/(s·mm Hg) vs. (1.04±0.23)cm/(s·mm Hg), t =3.075, P =0.003; (0.84±0.19)cm/(s·mm Hg) vs. (0.95±0.21)cm/(s·mm Hg), t = 3.102, P = 0.002] and high frequency [(0.94 ± 0.25) cm/(s·mm Hg) vs. (1.11 ± 0.27) cm/(s·mm Hg), t = 3.740, P = 0.000; (0.91 ± 0.21) cm/(s·mm Hg) vs. (1.05 ± 0.23) cm/(s·mm Hg), t = 3.747, P = 0.000] was lower than those of female, while the phase in the low frequency was higher than that of female [(45.25 ± 10.21)° vs. (40.81 ± 12.37)°, t = ⁃ 2.239, P = 0.027; (38.90 ± 12.25)° vs. (34.74 ± 10.57)°, t = ⁃ 2.072, P = 0.040]. Conclusions Postural changes can also affect the cerebral autoregulation, and dCA can be improved in the supine position; there is no significant difference in dCA between male and female in the very low frequency, but there is a certain difference between the sex in the low frequency and high frequency.

In order to achieve the goal of reducing taxi operating losses, the quantification of losses should first be completed. The average time cost of waiting for drivers is quantified by queuing theory, and the "Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS)" model improved by entropy method quantifies the possibility of carrying passengers in different periods. The possibility is used to complete the quantification of potential loss parameters of no-load. Through the quantitative indicators, a taxi operation loss model is constructed. Based on this model, an operational decision-making scheme to reduce losses is proposed. Finally, the verification of flight and taxi data quoted from Luoyang Beijiao airport proves that the decision-making method of this paper can effectively reduce the operational loss of taxis.

Abstract Osteoporosis is characterized by decreased bone mass, microarchitectural deterioration, and increased bone fragility. High-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity also results in bone loss, which is associated with an imbalanced gut microbiome. However, whether HFD-induced obesity or HFD itself promotes osteoclastogenesis and consequent bone loss remains unclear. In this study, we developed HFD-induced obesity (HIO) and non-obesity (NO) mouse models to evaluate the effect of HFD on bone loss. NO mice were defined as body weight within 5% of higher or lower than that of chow diet fed mice after 10 weeks HFD feeding. NO was protected from HIO-induced bone loss by the RANKL /OPG system, with associated increases in the tibia tenacity, cortical bone mean density, bone volume of cancellous bone, and trabecular number. This led to increased bone strength and improved bone microstructure via the microbiome-short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) regulation. Additionally, endogenous gut-SCFAs produced by the NO mice activated free fatty acid receptor 2 and inhibited histone deacetylases, resulting in the promotion of Treg cell proliferation in the HFD-fed NO mice; thereby, inhibiting osteoclastogenesis, which can be transplanted by fecal microbiome. Furthermore, T cells from NO mice retain differentiation of osteoclast precursors of RAW 264.7 macrophages ex vivo. Our data reveal that HFD is not a deleterious diet; however, the induction of obesity serves as a key trigger of bone loss that can be blocked by a NO mouse-specific gut microbiome.

Soil microorganisms play important roles in nitrogen transformation. The aim of this study was to characterize changes in the activity of nitrogen transformation enzymes and the abundance of nitrogen function genes in rhizosphere soil aerated using three different methods (continuous flooding (CF), continuous flooding and aeration (CFA), and alternate wetting and drying (AWD)). The abundances of amoA ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), nirS, nirK, and nifH genes, and the activities of urease, protease, ammonia oxidase, nitrate reductase, and nitrite reductase were measured at the tillering (S1), heading (S2), and ripening (S3) stages. We analyzed the relationships of the aforementioned microbial activity indices, in addition to soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and soil microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), with the concentration of soil nitrate and ammonium nitrogen. The abundance of nitrogen function genes and the activities of nitrogen invertase in rice rhizosphere soil were higher at S2 compared with S1 and S3 in all treatments. AWD and CFA increased the abundance of amoA and nifH genes, and the activities of urease, protease, and ammonia oxidase, and decreased the abundance of nirS and nirK genes and the activities of nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase, with the effect of AWD being particularly strong. During the entire growth period, the mean abundances of the AOA amoA, AOB amoA, and nifH genes were 2.9, 5.8, and 3.0 higher in the AWD treatment than in the CF treatment, respectively, and the activities of urease, protease, and ammonia oxidase were 1.1, 0.5, and 0.7 higher in the AWD treatment than in the CF treatment, respectively. The abundances of the nirS and nirK genes, and the activities of nitrate reductase and nitrite reductase were 73.6, 84.8, 10.3 and 36.5% lower in the AWD treatment than in the CF treatment, respectively. The abundances of the AOA amoA, AOB amoA, and nifH genes were significantly and positively correlated with the activities of urease, protease, and ammonia oxidase, and the abundances of the nirS and nirK genes were significantly positively correlated with the activities of nitrate reductase. All the above indicators were positively correlated with soil MBC and MBN. In sum, microbial activity related to nitrogen transformation in rice rhizosphere soil was highest at S2. Aeration can effectively increase the activity of most nitrogen-converting microorganisms and MBN, and thus promote soil nitrogen transformation.

Operating mode identification is an important prerequisite for precise deceptive jamming technology against synthetic aperture radar (SAR). In order to solve the problems of traditional spaceborne SAR operating mode identification, such as low identification accuracy, poor timeliness, and limitation to main lobe reconnaissance, an efficient identification method based on sidelobe reconnaissance and machine learning is proposed in this paper. It can identify four classical SAR operating modes, including stripmap, scan, spotlight and ground moving target indication (GMTI). Firstly, the signal models of different operating modes are presented from the perspective of sidelobe reconnaissance. By setting the parameters differently, such as the SAR trajectory height, antenna length, transmit/receive gain and loss, signal–noise ratio, and so on, the feature samples based on multiple parameters can be obtained, respectively. Then, based on the generated database of feature samples, the initialized neural network can be pre-trained. As a result, in practice, with the intercepted sidelobe signal and the pre-trained network, we can precisely infer the SAR operating mode before the arrival of the main lobe beam footprint. Finally, the effect of SNR and the jammer’s position on the identification accuracy is experimentally detailed in the simulation. The simulation results show that the identification accuracy can reach above 91%.

To prevent alcoholic liver disease, the addition of bioactive substances to the alcoholic drink Baijiu has been considered a feasible option. In the present study, the hepatoprotective effects of a sea cucumber sulfated polysaccharide (SCSP) isolated from Stichopus japonicu were investigated. Moreover, in order to enhance its solubility in an alcohol solution, it was depolymerized using a photocatalytic reaction, and the photocatalytic degradation products (dSCSPs) with an average molecular weight of less than 2 kDa were studied and compared with SCSP. They were characterized by a series of chemical and spectroscopy methods and the oligosaccharide fragments in the dSCSP were further identified by HPLC-MSn analysis. Then, the in vivo experiment showed that the addition of SCSP or dSCSP to Baijiu could alleviate alcoholic liver injury in mice. Further analysis also revealed their protective effect in reducing oxidative stress damage and their regulation of the metabolism of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in the liver. Of note, dSCSP was more effective at reducing the level of malondialdehyde in the liver. These findings indicate that the addition of sea cucumber polysaccharide or its low-molecular-weight derivative in Baijiu has the potential to alleviate alcoholic liver injury.

Abstract During interphase, the newly duplicated pairs of centrosomes are held together by a centrosome linker, and the centrosome separation needs the disruption of this linker to induce the duplicated centrosomes separating into two distinct microtubule organization centers. The mechanism of regulating centrosome separation is however poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated that the phosphorylation of PHF5A at Y36 by the TrkA-ERK1/2-ABL1 cascade plays a critical role in regulating centrosome separation. PHF5A, a well-characterized spliceosome component, is enriched in the centrosome. The pY36-PHF5A promotes the interaction between CEP250 and Nek2A in a spliceosomal-independent manner, which leads to premature centrosome separation. Furthermore, the unmatured centrosome remodels the microtubule and subsequently regulates cell proliferation and migration. Importantly, we found that the phosphorylation cascade of TrkA-ERK1/2-ABL1-PHF5A is hyper-regulated in medulloblastoma. The inhibition of this cascade can induce senescence and restrict the proliferation of medulloblastoma. Our findings on this phosphorylation cascade in regulating centrosome separation could provide a series of potential targets for restricting the progress of medulloblastoma.

The pore structure of glutenite in Bozhong 19-6 Gasfield is complicated. In order to improve the estimation accuracy of permeability, it is necessary to start with the pore structure and find the pore structure factor with the best correlation with permeability. Taking the pore structure and permeability of 43 Kongdian Formation glutenites as the research object, using rock casting thin slices to determine the pore types, and obtaining pore-throat size distribution characteristics and pore structure parameters through high-pressure mercury intrusion. Combining pore types and pore structure parameters to analyze the relationship between pore structure and permeability, a permeability evaluation model based on pore structure parameters was established. Studies have shown that there are differences in the pore structure between different types of dissolved pores. The pore structure of dissolved pores in the grain is the best, and the pore structure of dissolved pores in the cement is the worst. The physical properties of glutenite with different types of dissolution pores vary greatly. The rock samples with intragranular dissolution pores and no cement dissolution pores have the best physical properties. Different pore structure factors have inconsistent degrees of permeability control. Among them, the permeability model which based on pore throat size, connectivity, ratio and shape has the highest accuracy. The large pore throat radius and good connectivity of the dissolved pores in the glutenite grains of the Kongdian Formation of BZ19-6 Gasfield are the main reasons for the good reservoir and seepage capacity of this kind of rocks. The average pore throat radius, mercury removal efficiency, average pore throat volume ratio and fractal dimension are suitable for estimating the permeability of glutenite reservoirs with complex pore structures and (extremely) low porosity and permeability, in order to provide technical support for the permeability evaluation of glutenite reservoirs inBozhong Depression, Bohai Bay Basin.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex and multifactorial neurodegenerative disorder, and it is unlikely that any single drug or intervention will be very successful. The pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease involves a range of complicated biological processes, including the accumulation of beta-amyloid protein and tau protein. Given the complexity of AD and amyloid accumulation, a combination of interventions remains to be further explored. Here, we investigated the potential of combining β-asarone and cannabidiol (CBD) as a treatment for AD. The study analyzed the combined effects of these two phytochemicals on beta-amyloid (Aβ) protein aggregation and toxicity in bulk solution, in cells as well as in C.elegans. We detailed the morphological and size changes of Aβ40 aggregates in the presence of β-asarone and cannabidiol. More importantly, the presence of both compounds synergistically inhibited apoptosis and downregulated relative gene expression in cells, and that it may also slow aging, decrease the rate of paralysis, enhance learning capacity, and boost autophagy activity in C.elegans. Our studies suggest that multiple drugs, like β-asarone and CBD, may be potentially developed as a medicinal adjunct in the treatment of AD, although further clinical trials are needed to determine the efficacy and safety of this combination treatment in humans.

Approximately 30% of breast cancer (BC) patients suffer from disease relapse after definitive treatment. Monitoring BC at baseline and disease progression using comprehensive genomic profiling would facilitate the prediction of prognosis. We retrospectively studied 101 BC patients ultimately experiencing relapse and/or metastases. The baseline and circulating tumor DNA‐monitoring cohorts included patients with baseline tumor tissue and serial plasma samples, respectively. Samples were analyzed with targeted next‐generation sequencing of 425 cancer‐relevant genes. Of 35 patients in the baseline cohort, patients with TP53 mutations (P

Objective To evaluate the clinical value of emergency interventional therapy for patients with acute severe variceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding （ASVUGIB）. Methods Clinical data of 48 ASVUGIB patients who received direct or remedial interventional therapy were collected retrospectively. They were divided into the direct interventional therapy group （n = 40） and remedial interventional therapy group （n = 8）. For patients with bleeding signs of contrast medium leakage in angiography, percutaneous transhepatic/transsplenic portal venography + variceal embolization + transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt （TIPS） were performed; for patients without clear signs of bleeding, percutaneous transhepatic/transsplenic portal venography+variceal embolization were performed and TIPS was performed according to the pressure of the portal vein during the operation; for patients with portosystemic shunt, balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration （BRTO） and TIPS were performed. The patients were followed up for 6 months to observe the clinical prognosis. Results The diagnostic rate of vessels with bleeding lesions in the direct interventional therapy group was 78%, the effective rate was 78%; the rebleeding rates within 7 d, 30 d, 3 months and 6 months were 23%, 45%, 45% and 45%, respectively; the mortality rates within 7 d, 30 d, 3 months and 6 months were 15%, 28%, 28% and 28%, respectively. The diagnostic rate of vessels with bleeding lesions by angiography was 75% in the remedial interventional therapy group, the effective rate was 6/8; the rebleeding rates within 7 d, 30 d, 3 months and 6 months were 2/8, 4/8, 4/8 and 4/8, respectively; the mortality rates within 7 d, 30 d, 3 months and 6 months were 1/8, 3/8, 3/8 and 3/8, respectively. The liver functions （transaminase, albumin and bilirubin） and coagulation function of patients after interventional therapy were improved compared with those before treatment （all P < 0.05）. Child-Pugh and MELD scores were decreased compared with those before treatment （both P < 0.05）. Conclusions ASVUGIB is a common severe acute disease in clinical practice. Early diagnosis, intervention and treatment of ASVUGIB can significantly improve the prognosis of patients. Interventional therapy can be used as treatment for ASVUGIB patients who have contraindications or failures in gastroscopic therapy.

Multiple primary malignant neoplasms (MPMNs) are difficult to identify from the metastasis or recurrence of malignant tumors. Additionally, the genetic mutations in each primary tumor vary from each other; therefore, it is critical to explore potential abnormal genes. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has emerged as a reliable approach for detecting mutated genes in primary tumors and can provide several targeted therapeutic options for patients with MPMNs. Here, we report a case of metachronous multiple primary malignant neoplasm (MMPMN) patient with primary ovarian and breast cancer. Targeted NGS genetic profiling revealed a rare EGFR T790M mutation in this patient’s primary breast tumor tissue, which has only been reported previously in breast cancer (BC). Based on the NGS results, osimertinib was recommended for this patient. Although this patient did not receive osimertinib because of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, this case highlights the significance of NGS technology in the diagnosis and treatment of MPMNs.

Karst groundwater resources are rich, and they have important water supply significance. A karst reservoir is a means of exploiting and utilizing groundwater resources, but because of the complex hydrogeological structure and underground river pipeline in a karst area, the seepage problem of the reservoir is extremely serious. Therefore, the Yibasan Karst Reservoir (YKR) was selected as the focus of this study. The hydrogeological structure of the subterranean river system of Yutang (SRSY) was identified and the hydraulic connections between the subterranean river conduits were determined using tracer experiment and groundwater dynamic monitoring. Furthermore, the development location and depth of the karst seepage zone of the YKR were determined using geophysical exploration. The results showed that there were three subterranean river conduits in the SRSY, and there was no hydraulic connection. The northern and southern pressure and torsion faults on the sides constitute the impervious boundary of the SRSY, which provided good catchment conditions for the formation of the YKR. Additionally, the northern and main conduits of the SRSY provide a sufficient groundwater source for the YKR. Moreover, the development width of the karst seepage zone of the YKR ranges between 40 and 60 m, and the elevation ranges between 1275 and 1355 m. The research results not only provide an effective basis for the treatment of the karst seepage problem of the YKR but also provide an important reference for the development and utilization of groundwater resources in similar karst areas.

The construction of a heterojunction by coupling two semiconductor photocatalysts with appropriate band positions can effectively reduce the recombination of photogenerated charge carriers, thus improving their catalytic efficiency. Recently, ZnO photocatalysts have been highly sought after in the synthesis of semiconductor heterostructures due to their wide band gap and low conduction band position. Particularly, transition metal-doped ZnO nanoparticles are attractive due to the additional charge separation caused by temporary electron trapping by the dopant ions as well as the improved absorption of visible light. In this paper, we compare the effect of doping ZnO nanoparticles with 3d (Co and Mn) and 4d (Ag) transition metals on the structural and optical properties of ZnO/CdZnS heterostructures and their photocatalytic performance. With the help of scanning electron microscopy, the successful anchoring of doped and undoped ZnO nanoparticles onto CdZnS nanostructures was confirmed. Among the different heterostructures, Ag-doped ZnO/CdZnS exhibited the best visible-light-driven degradation of rhodamine B at a rate of 1.0 × 10−2 min−1. The photocurrent density analysis showed that AgZnO/CdZnS has the highest amount of photogenerated charges, leading to the highest photocatalytic performance. The reduction in the photocatalytic performance in the presence of hole scavengers and hydroxyl radical scavengers confirmed that the availability of photogenerated electrons and holes plays a pivotal role in the degradation of rhodamine B.

Objective: This study focuses on improving the comprehensive utilization rate of Polygonatum cyrtonema. Methods: The contents of total flavonoids, total saponins and total phenols from roots, stems, leaves, flowers and buds, of P. cyrtonema were determined. The scavenging rates of DPPH·, ·OH and nitrites in extracts of above tissue were measured and compared as well. Results: The contents of total flavonoids and total phenols five different kinds of non-medicinal tissue were in the same order, in which from highest to lowest was, leaves, buds, flowers, stems and roots, and the content of total saponins in flower was the highest In terms of antioxidant activity, the DPPH ·, ·OH and nitrite scavenging rate of leaf extract were the highest, followed by buds and flowers. Correlation analysis showed that the clearance of DPPH ·, · OH and nitrite by the extract from different tissue showed a certain positive correlation with the contents of total flavonoids, total saponins and total phenols. Conclusion: The extract of non-medicinal parts of P. cyrtonema has good biological activity.

The potential therapeutic value of Eleutheroside E in radiation-induced cognitive and memory impairments is regulated by the gut microbiota via neurotransmitter systems and PKA/CREB/BDNF signaling pathways.

Abstract Objective To investigate the clinical safety and efficacy of a modified early unclamping technique in robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (RAPN). Methods The clinical data of 38 patients with renal tumors who underwent the modified early unclamping technique in RAPN surgery admitted to the Department of Urology, the Third People's Hospital of Hangzhou and the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 2018 to April 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The control group consisted of 78 patients with renal tumors who underwent standard clamping during the RAPN surgery completed by the same surgeon during the same period. The perioperative-related indicators and postoperative renal function recovery were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Results All patients (n = 116) finished the RAPN successfully, and none were transferred to radical or open surgery in either group. The warm ischemia time in the modified early unclamping group was significantly lower than that in the standard clamping group (P

Cerebral autoregulation (CA) refers to the ability of the brain to maintain a relatively constant cerebral blood flow (CBF) when arterial blood pressure fluctuates within a wide range. It is an inherent attribute of the brain and an indicator for evaluating brain function. The relationship between cerebral venous system diseases and CA is a new field, and there is less attention at present. This paper intends to focus on the research progress between cerebral venous system disease and CA, so as to provide guidance for clinical treatment.

BackgroundCombining immunotherapy with surgical intervention is a prevailing and radical therapeutic strategy for individuals afflicted with gastric carcinoma; nonetheless, certain patients exhibit unfavorable prognoses even subsequent to this treatment regimen. This research endeavors to devise a machine learning algorithm to recognize risk factors with a high probability of inducing mortality among patients diagnosed with gastric cancer, both prior to and during their course of treatment.MethodsWithin the purview of this investigation, a cohort of 1015 individuals with gastric cancer were incorporated, and 39 variables encompassing diverse features were recorded. To construct the models, we employed three distinct machine learning algorithms, specifically extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), random forest (RF), and k-nearest neighbor algorithm (KNN). The models were subjected to internal validation through employment of the k-fold cross-validation technique, and subsequently, an external dataset was utilized to externally validate the models.ResultsIn comparison to other machine learning algorithms employed, the XGBoost algorithm demonstrated superior predictive capacity regarding the risk factors that affect mortality after combination therapy in gastric cancer patients for a duration of one year, three years, and five years posttreatment. The common risk factors that significantly impacted patient survival during the aforementioned time intervals were identified as advanced age, tumor invasion, tumor lymph node metastasis, tumor peripheral nerve invasion (PNI), multiple tumors, tumor size, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level, carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) level, carbohydrate antigen 72-4 (CA72-4) level, and H. pylori infection.ConclusionThe XGBoost algorithm can assist clinicians in identifying pivotal prognostic factors that are of clinical significance and can contribute toward individualized patient monitoring and management.

Non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) is a diverse family of biosynthetic enzymes for the assembly of bioactive peptides. Despite advances in microbial sequencing, the lack of a consistent standard for annotating NRPS domains and modules has made data-driven discoveries challenging. To address this, we introduced a standardized architecture for NRPS, by using known conserved motifs to partition typical domains. This motif-and-intermotif standardization allowed for systematic evaluations of sequence properties from a large number of NRPS pathways, resulting in the most comprehensive cross-kingdom C domain subtype classifications to date, as well as the discovery and experimental validation of novel conserved motifs with functional significance. Furthermore, our coevolution analysis revealed important barriers associated with re-engineering NRPSs and uncovered the entanglement between phylogeny and substrate specificity in NRPS sequences. Our findings provide a comprehensive and statistically insightful analysis of NRPS sequences, opening avenues for future data-driven discoveries.

IntroductionRealgar has a long history ofuse in traditional medicines. However, the mechanism through which Realgar or Realgar-Indigo naturalis formula (RIF) exert therapeutic effects is only partially understood.MethodsIn this study, 60 feces and 60 ileum samples from rats administered with realgar or RIF were collected to examine the gut microbiota.ResultsThe results showed that realgar and RIF influenced different microbiota in both feces and ileum. Compared with realgar, RIF at low dosage (0.1701 g/3 ml) significantly increased the microbiota diversity. LEfSe and random forest analyses showed that the bacterium Bacteroidales was significantly altered after RIF administration, and it was predicted that these microorganisms contribute to the inorganic arsenic metabolic process.DiscussionOur results suggest that realgar and RIF may exert their therapeutic effects through influencing microbiota. The low dose of RIF had greater effects on increasing the diversity of microbiota, and Bacteroidales in feces might participate in the inorganic arsenic metabolic process to exert therapeutic effects for realgar.

Objective To investigate the causes and risk factors of recent death (within 30 d postoperatively) of patients with sellar tumors after endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery (ETS). Methods The clinical data of the patients with sellar tumors after ETS in our department from January 2011 to March 2021 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Death cases were collected. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to determine the independent risk factors for postoperative death. Results In the past 10 years, there were 1 635 cases of ETS surgery in our department, including 1 470 cases of endoscopic transsphenoidal approach (ETA), and 165 cases of extend endoscopic transsphenoidal approach (EETA). Nine patients died recently after operation, with a mortality of 0.55% (9/1 635). The causes of death included: ① hemorrhage in the operative area in 3 cases (subarachnoid hemorrhage in 1 case and residual tumor hemorrhage in the operative area in 2 cases); ② infection in 3 cases (2 cases of meningitis and 1 case of blood-borne infection); ③ hypothalamus injury in 1 case; ④ vascular injury in 1 case; ⑤ epileptic status in 1 case. Univariate analysis showed that diameter >3 cm, tough consistency, large amount of intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage, persistent postoperative CSF leakage, remnant tumor, and treatment of EETA may be associated with postoperative death after ETS (all P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that intraoperative CSF leakage was the only independent risk factor. Conclusion The main causes of recent death of insellar tumor patients after ETS are hemorrhage in surgical area, meningitis and blood-borne infection. Those with intraoperative CSF leakage are more likely to die.

A single strain capable of efficient S2−-oxidizing was isolated from a black-odor river in Beijing. The single strain was identified as Stenotrophomonas through the physiology and biochemical characteristics as well as the 16S rRNA sequencing experiment. This strain was named as Stenotrophomonas sp.sp3 (strain sp3). The experimental results showed that for the strain sp3 growth and S2− oxidization, the optimal conditions were as follows: 25 °C of temperature, initial pH 7, 2.5 g/L of initial glucose concentration and 1.00 g/L of initial cell concentration. It was found that there were 31 kinds of sulfur oxidation-related genes in the strain sp3 through the whole genomic analysis. The results of the transcriptome analysis suggested that the main metabolic pathway of S2− to SO42− was the paracoccus sulfur oxidation process. The bioconversion processes of S2− to S0, S2− to SO32−, S2O32− to S0 and SO32−, and SO32− to SO42− were controlled by hdrA, cysIJ, tst and sox gene, respectively. HIGHLIGHTS This study found a novel SOB, i.e. Stenotrophomonas sp. sp3, that was capable of sulfur oxidation.; It was proved that S2− could be converted into SO42− via the paracoccus sulfur oxidation process.;

Eleutheroside E (EE) is a monomer compound isolated from Acanthopanax senticosus, which has functions of antifatigue, antioxidation, and immune regulation. However, the function of EE in inhibiting cancer has rarely been reported. In this study, we used bioinformatics to determine the role and mechanisms of EE in inhibiting breast cancer (BRCA), prostate cancer (PRAD), lung cancer (LUAD), and bladder cancer (BLCA). Finally, the MTT method was used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of EE on breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells, and the target genes were determined by qRT-PCR. The results showed that the survival rate of MDA-MB-231 cells was reduced by 27.33% after 400 μg/mL EE treatment. The results of qRT-PCR showed that EE down-regulated target genes in breast cancer cells, which was consistent with our predicted results. Moreover, our results indicated that EE may have impact on the transcription and translation of BLCA cells by targeting ADCY2, ADCY5 and JUN. In BRCA, we identified three targets for EE. In addition, EE affected DNA repair and the development of BRCA by affecting the expression of RAD51. In LUAD, we identified 9 targets for EE, 8 of which were related to DNA repair. EE inhibited PRAD by targeting ADCY8. Our research was the first report on the targets and mechanisms of EE for suppressing cancer combined with clinical data. Our research also provides theoretical support for using EE to suppress cancer.

This paper presents a new two-stage approach for suppressing strong clutter and detecting moving targets using scatterers’ spatial structure and signal similarity. Compared with the traditional strong clutter suppression methods, the proposed method considers both the spatial similarity and the channel correlation of the scatterers, effectively alleviating the false alarm probability and avoiding the missed detection problem caused via identifying strong moving targets as strong stationary clutter. Additionally, a detector is presented based on the linear degree of the radial velocity interferometric phase (LDRVP) to eliminate false alarms from isolated strong scatter points and the edges of strong scatterers. The experimental results of the X-band radar indicate the presented approach’s lower false alarm probability and superior robustness.