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Abstract Background While the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive function are well-documented, its impact on high-intensity endurance performance and underlying neural mechanisms remains underexplored, especially in the context of search and rescue operations where both physical and mental performance are essential. This study examines the neurophysiological basis of sleep deprivation on high-intensity endurance using electroencephalography (EEG). In this crossover study, twenty firefighters were subjected to both sleep deprivation (SD) and normal sleep conditions, with each participant performing endurance treadmill exercise the following morning after each condition. EEG signals were recorded before and after high-intensity endurance exercise, and power spectrum analysis and functional connectivity analysis were performed on sleep related frequency bands rhythm: δ (0.5–4 Hz) and θ (4–8 Hz). The EEG power spectral and functional connectivity were measured by repeated measure analysis of variance. Results The SD condition had an average sleep duration of 3.78 ± 0.69 h, while the duration for normal sleep was 7.63 ± 0.52 h. After high-intensity endurance exercise, the SD condition had a higher maximum heart rate (p

Abstract Background Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a highly aggressive malignancy, and current postoperative prognostic assessment methods remain unsatisfactory, underlining the urgent to develop a reliable approach for precision medicine. Given the similarities with gametogenesis, cancer/testis genes (CTGs) are acknowledged for regulation unrestrained multiplication and immune microenvironment during oncogenic processes. These processes are associated with advanced disease and poorer prognosis, indicating that CTGs could serve as ideal prognostic biomarkers in ESCC. The purpose of this study is to develop a novel clinically prognostic prediction system to facilitate the individualized postoperative care. Methods We conducted LASSO regression analysis of protein-coding CTGs and clinical characteristics from 119 pathologically confirmed ESCC patients to recognize powerful predictive variables. We employed nine supervised machine learning classifiers and integrated best predictive machine learning classifiers by weighted voting method to construct an ensemble model called PPMESCC. Additionally, functional assay was conducted to examine the potential effect of top-ranking CTG HENMT1 in ESCC. Results LASSO regression identified five CTGs and TNM stage as optimized prognostic features. Six machine learning classifiers were integrated to construct an ensemble model, PPMESCC, which exhibited outstanding performance in ESCC prediction. The AUC for PPMESCC was 0.9828 (95% confidence interval: 0.9608 to 0.9926), with an accuracy of 98.32% (95% CI: 96.64–99.16%) in the discovery cohort and 0.9057 (95% CI: 0.8897 to 0.9583) of AUC with an accuracy of 90% (95% CI: 89.08–93.28%) in validation cohort. In addition, the top-ranking CTG HENMT1 encodes 2’-O-methyltransferase of piRNAs that was confirmed positively correlated with the proliferation capacity of ESCC cells. Then we systematically screen piRNAs associated with esophageal carcinoma based on GWAS, eQTL-piRNA, and i2OM databases, and successfully discovered 8 piRNAs potentially regulated by HENMT1. Conclusion The study highlights the clinical utility of PPMESCC algorithm in prognostic prediction that may facilitate to establish the personalized screening and management strategies for postoperative ESCC patients.

Abstract Objective Temporary hemiepiphysiodesis (TH) is a very common technique for coronal angular deformity of the knee in children, especially non‐idiopathic. However, there is currently a dearth of comparative research on the hinge eight‐plate (HEP) and traditional eight‐plate (TEP). This study aimed to assess the clinical effectiveness and implant‐related complication rates of TH using TEP and HEP for non‐idiopathic coronal angular deformity, as well as to identify clinical factors affecting correction velocity. Methods We retrospectively observed a consecutive series of patients with non‐idiopathic coronal angular deformity of the knee who underwent TH using HEP or TEP and completed the deformity correction process from July 2016 to July 2022. According to the kind of eight plates, we divided those patients into the HEP group and the TEP treatment group. Relevant clinical factors, including the mechanical lateral distal femoral angle (mLDFA), mechanical medial proximal tibial angle (mMPTA), screw divergence angle (SDA), angle of plate and screw (APS), hinge angle of HEP (HA), and the knee zone location of the lower extremity mechanical axis, were documented. Additionally, deformity correction velocity, complications, and clinical efficacy were assessed. Categorical variables were analyzed using the chi‐squared test, Fisher exact test, or Wilcoxon test, while continuous variables were evaluated using the t‐test or analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results There were 29 patients in the HEP treatment group (seven girls and 22 boys) and 33 patients (12 girls and 21 boys) in the TEP treatment group. In all, 91.86% (79/86 knees) of the genu angular deformities were completely corrected, 6.98% (6/86 knees) had the overcorrection condition, and 10.47% (9/86 knees) had screw loosening. The swayback HEP rate was 11.29% (7/62 HEPs), which was related to the screw loosening in the HEP group (p

Background: Collagen type VIII α 1 chain (COL8A1), a collagen type VIII protein, has been suggested to exert various functions in progression of multiple cancers. However, the effect of COL8A1 in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has not been elucidated. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases were applied to investigate the COL8A1 expression and its clinical significance in PTC. The COL8A1 expression level was further validated using Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) data and clinical paired PTC tissues. Additionally, the Kaplan–Meier curve was used to analyze the prognosis. The cell’s migrative and invasive abilities were evaluated by wound healing assay and Transwell assay. CCK8 assays were used to evaluate the proliferation of PTC cells. Western blotting was conducted to explore the potential mechanisms involved in the pro-tumor role of COL8A1. The correlation between immune cell infiltration and COL8A1 was analyzed using the Tumor Immune Estimation Resource (TIMER) database and the single-sample GSEA (ssGSEA) method. Results: We found that COL8A1 was upregulated in PTC (P < 0.05). High COL8A1 expression level was significantly associated with advanced T stage (P < 0.01), N stage (P < 0.001) and poor prognosis (P = 0.0142) in PTC. Furthermore, cell migration and invasion were significantly reduced following COL8A1 knockdown (P < 0.001). Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) related proteins (FN1, MMP9, MMP7, ZEB2 and Twist1) and phosphorylation of AKT and ERK were obviously down-regulated after COL8A1 knockdown (P < 0.01). Moreover, COL8A1 expression was correlated with immune cell infiltration. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that COL8A1 may function as an oncogene and a potential prognostic biomarker for PTC patients.

Background: Transforming growth factor beta receptor III (TGFBR3) has been shown to play a tumor-suppressive role in a variety of cancers. However, its role in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) remains unknown. Method: TGFBR3 expression levels in PTC were analyzed utilizing The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Edu, wound healing, and Transwell assays were used to evaluate cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Transcriptome sequencing, quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and Western blotting were used to detect the underlying mechanism of TGFBR3 in PTC progression. Result: This study demonstrated that TGFBR3 expression was significantly down-regulated in PTC compared to normal thyroid tissues. Low expression of TGFBR3 was associated with poor prognosis of patients with PTC. Furthermore, TGFBR3 expression positively correlated with thyroid differentiation score. In investigating the biological impact of TGFBR3 overexpression in PTC cell lines, we found that the proliferation, migration, and invasion of PTC cells were significantly inhibited in response to TGFBR3 overexpression. Moreover, we also demonstrated that overexpression of TGFBR3 inhibited the PI3K/AKT pathway and epithelial-mesenchymal transformation processes. Lastly, TGFBR3 expression was found to be involved in tumor immune infiltration, highlighting its potential influence on immune dynamics within the tumor microenvironment in PTC. Conclusion: TGFBR3 plays a tumor-suppressive role in PTC progression by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT pathway and epithelial mesenchymal transformation.

Abstract Background Skeletal muscle injury is one of the most common sports injuries; if not properly treated or not effective rehabilitation treatment after injury, it can be transformed into chronic cumulative injury. Curcumin, an herbal ingredient, has been found to promote skeletal muscle injury repair and regeneration. The Wnt5a pathway is related to the expression of myogenic regulatory factors, and Ca2+ promotes the differentiation and fusion process of myoblasts. This study explored the effect and mechanism of curcumin on myoblast differentiation during the repair and regeneration of injured skeletal muscle and its relationship with the Wnt5a pathway and Ca2+ channel. Methods Myogenic differentiation of C2C12 cells was induced with 2% horse serum, and a mouse (male, 10 weeks old) model of acute skeletal muscle injury was established using cardiotoxin (20 μL). In addition, we constructed a Wnt5a knockdown C2C12 cell model and a Wnt5a knockout mouse model. Besides, curcumin was added to the cell culture solution (80 mg/L) and fed to the mice (50 mg/kg). Fluorescence microscopy was used to determine the concentration of Ca2+. Western blot and RT‐qPCR were used to detect the protein and mRNA levels of Wnt5a, CaN, NFAT2, MyoD, Myf5, Pax7, and Myogenin. The expression levels of MyoD, Myf5, Myogenin, MHC, Desmin, and NFAT2 were detected using immunofluorescence techniques. In addition, MyoD expression was observed using immunohistochemistry, and morphological changes in mouse muscle tissue were observed using HE staining. Results During myoblast differentiation and muscle regeneration, Wnt5a expression was upregulated (P

Abstract Stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 15% of incident cancer cases. Prognosis is poor, with a metastasis and recurrence rate of 38% within 2 years of surgery and an overall 5-year survival rate of 54–60%. Here, we report successful apatinib monotherapy of early NSCLC in a patient who had declined surgery, radiofrequency ablation, and immunotherapy. The patient received apatinib for 64 months without clinical, laboratory, or radiographic evidence of disease progression. The curative effect was judged to be stable and safe.The role of apatinib as monotherapy for patients with early stage NSCLC who are not candidates for surgery or radiotherapy, or as an adjunct to standard therapy, deserves further study.

Abstract With the increasing awareness of fitness, more and more people are choosing to participate in fitness activities. Yoga, as a form of exercise that improves both physical and mental health, is becoming increasingly popular worldwide. In order to assist yoga practitioners in more effective training through automated or semi automated systems, improve training effectiveness, assist professional athletes in training through intelligent recognition systems, correct movements, and improve athletic performance. This paper proposes a method that addresses the low accuracy issue of current yoga pose recognition algorithms by integrating multi-head attention mechanism and ensemble learning. Firstly, the Mixup algorithm is used to enhance yoga movement images. Subsequently, convolutional features are extracted from the images using the ResNet101 and VGGNet19 transfer learning models. Finally, the extracted convolutional features are combined and stacked using a multi-head attention mechanism. Model training, validation, and testing are performed using the Soft target cross-entropy loss function. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a training accuracy of 100%, a validation accuracy of 89.94%, a testing accuracy of 93.79%, and a detection speed of 297 frames per second. Overall, this method demonstrates high stability and robustness, providing a technological foundation for intelligent recognition of yoga poses.

Abstract This study aimed to identify predictive factors for the prognosis of acute-on-chronic liver disease (AoCLD) due to both hepatitis B virus (HBV) and alcohol and to develop prognostic models to improve treatment management. AoCLD patients with HBV and alcohol as etiological factors were selected from two multicenter prospective cohorts (NCT02457637,NCT03641872) and included in separate training and validation cohorts (n = 180 and n = 148). In the training cohort, the CATCH-LIFE A nomogram (based on age, bilirubin, international normalized ratio, serum sodium, and hepatic encephalopathy score) and CATCH-LIFE B nomogram (based on age, bilirubin, international normalized ratio, serum albumin, white blood cell, platelet count, and hepatic encephalopathy score) had discriminatory ability for predicting 28-day (c-indexes of 0.910 and 0.899) and 90-day mortality (c-indexes of 0.878 and 0.887, respectively). The area under the curve values for 28-day and 90-day mortality prediction by the CATCH-LIFE A nomogram were 0.922 (95% CI : 0.874, 0.971) and 0.905 (0.856, 0.956), respectively, while those for the CATCH-LIFE B nomogram were 0.916(0.861,0.972) and 0.915 (0.866,0.964), respectively. Similar performance results were observed in the validation cohort. Optimal cut-off scores for each nomogram could be used for patient stratification in high- and low-risk groups, and the high-risk groups showed shorter survival times than the low-risk groups in both the training and validation cohorts. Two nomograms constructed from the first short-term follow-up data from patients with AoCLD due to combined HBV infection and alcohol exposure showed good predictive performance for 28-day and 90-day mortality and might be used to guide clinical management.

Abstract Globally, CRC ranks as a principal cause of mortality, with projections indicating a substantial rise in both incidence and mortality by the year 2040. The immunological responses to cancer heavily rely on the function of CD4Tconv. Despite this critical role, prognostic studies on CRC-related CD4Tconv remain insufficient. In this investigation, transcriptomic and clinical data were sourced from TCGA and GEO. Initially, we pinpointed CD4TGs using single-cell datasets. Prognostic genes were then isolated through univariate Cox regression analysis. Building upon this, 101 machine learning algorithms were employed to devise a novel risk assessment framework, which underwent rigorous validation using Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, univariate and multivariate Cox regression, time-dependent ROC curves, nomograms, and calibration plots. Furthermore, GSEA facilitated the examination of these genes’ potential roles. The RS derived from this model was also analyzed for its implications in the TME, and its potential utility in immunotherapy and chemotherapy contexts. A novel prognostic model was developed, utilizing eight CD4TGs that are significantly linked to the outcomes of patients with CRC. This model’s RS showcased remarkable predictive reliability for the overall survival rates of CRC patients and strongly correlated with malignancy levels. RS serves as an autonomous prognostic indicator, capable of accurately forecasting patient prognoses. Based on the median value of RS, patients were categorized into subgroups of high and low risk. The subgroup with higher risk demonstrated increased immune infiltration and heightened activity of genes associated with immunity. This investigation’s establishment of a CD4TGs risk model introduces novel biomarkers for the clinical evaluation of CRC risks. These biomarkers may enhance therapeutic approaches and, in turn, elevate the clinical outcomes for patients with CRC by facilitating an integrated treatment strategy.

Abstract Lanternfish not only boast the most abundant biomass among marine fish species but also play a vital role in marine ecosystems. As one of the lanternfish species with the highest global catch, the skinnycheek lanternfish (Benthosema pterotum) is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific region, playing a pivotal role in the marine biological pump. This study constructed the first chromosome-level genome of B. pterotum using a combination of short-read sequencing, PacBio, and Hi-C sequencing technologies. The genome size of B. pterotum is 1,272.53 Mb, with a contig N50 of 810 Kb and a scaffold N50 of 54.49 M. More than 99.65% of contigs were successfully anchored onto 24 pseudochromosomes, and 95.7% of BUSCO genes were identified within the genome, demonstrating the high level of completeness in genome assembly. A total of 24,934 protein-coding genes were predicted, of which 99.02% were functionally annotated. The successful assembly of a high-quality genome for B. pterotum provides valuable genetic resources for better understanding its biological characteristics and potentially those of all lanternfish species.

This study introduces a novel dual-parameter sensor for simultaneous acoustic and magnetic field detection. The sensor employs a dual-hollow-sphere-shaped optical microresonator coupled with a fiber taper and integrated with a Terfenol-D sheet. Experimental results demonstrate best sensitivities of 4.24 mPa/√Hz for acoustics and 5.16 nT/√Hz for magnetic fields within a 0.1–2 MHz detection range. Notably, the sensor can detect both parameters independently at different frequencies without mutual interference. This innovative design offers a promising approach for non-destructive testing of the state of the high-voltage transmission lines.

Neutralizing antibody titers have been shown to correlate with immune protection against COVID-19 and can be used to estimate vaccine effectiveness. Numerous studies have explored the relationship between neutralizing antibodies and protection. However, there remains a lack of quantitative data directly assessing the minimum effective protective neutralizing antibody titer in in vivo. In this study, we utilized eight cohorts of participants with diverse immune backgrounds for evaluation of protective antibody response. To precisely assess the lower threshold of neutralizing antibody titers required for effective protection against SARS-CoV-2 infections, we employed plasma adoptive transfer from different cohorts into mice. This study demonstrated that neutralizing titers in the plasma of recipient mice correlated well with those in human donors, and a positive linear correlation was observed between the human and mouse recipients of transferred plasma neutralizing titer. A pseudotyped virus neutralizing titers greater than 7 was identified as the minimum threshold necessary to reduce viral titers in infected mice, establishing a crucial baseline for effective protection. Furthermore, despite the variability in immune backgrounds, these diverse cohorts’ plasma exhibited a similar neutralizing antibody threshold necessary for protection. This finding has significant implications for vaccine design and the assessment of immune competence.

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is gaining recognition as an eco-friendly and highly effective algicide for combating cyanobacterial blooms. This study investigates the algicidal potential of H2O2 catalyzed by both inorganic and organic iron. Our findings indicate that inorganic iron (FeSO4) shows minimal catalytic activity on H2O2 under varying light conditions. In contrast, organic iron, specifically the combination of H2O2, EDTANaFe, and light irradiation, demonstrates significant algicidal effects. The optimal dosages were identified as 10 mg/L for H2O2 and 3 mg/L for Fe3+.The limited efficacy of inorganic iron stems from the transformation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ ions via the Fenton reaction. Under neutral conditions, Fe3+ ions precipitate as large-sized goethite, which adheres to the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of cyanobacterial cells, thereby hindering H2O2 catalysis and hydroxyl radical (·OH) formation in natural waters. Conversely, the combination of light radiation and organic iron salts greatly enhances the algicidal efficiency of H2O2. This synergy accelerates H2O2 decomposition and facilitates the production of a substantial amount of OH radicals by altering the Gibbs free energy. Thus, bright and sunny conditions, particularly in the afternoon, are crucial for effectively combating cyanobacterial blooms using Fenton-like reagents. The methodology presented in this study offers a viable solution to global cyanobacteria bloom issues and elucidates the mechanisms driving its efficacy.

This study presents an environment-friendly and less toxic approach to electrostatic spraying using novel water-based resin paints enhanced with SiO2 nanoparticles. Addressing the environmental and health concerns of traditional toxic solvent-based coatings, our research emphasizes the development and application of these paints on anodized aluminum substrates. Our experimental procedure involves formulating water-based paints; applying them via electrostatic spraying; and analyzing their stability, coverage, and adhesion properties. The findings demonstrated that the paints maintained stability and showed improved adhesion and uniformity without using a toxic solvent-based resin, particularly on substrates with extended anodizing treatment. This study highlights the potential of using water-based resin paints in industrial applications, offering a sustainable, efficient, and high-performance alternative to conventional coatings, paving the way for future research into their broader application and environmental impact.

Abstract Peripheral neurotoxicity is a dose-limiting adverse reaction of primary frontline chemotherapeutic agents, including vincristine. Neuropathy can be so disabling that patients drop out of potentially curative therapy, negatively impacting cancer prognosis. The hallmark of vincristine neurotoxicity is axonopathy, yet its underpinning mechanisms remain uncertain. We developed a comprehensive drug discovery platform to identify neuroprotective agents against vincristine-induced neurotoxicity. Among the hits identified, SIN-1—an active metabolite of molsidomine—prevents vincristine-induced axonopathy in both motor and sensory neurons without compromising vincristine anticancer efficacy. Mechanistically, we found that SIN-1’s neuroprotective effect is mediated by activating soluble guanylyl cyclase. We modeled vincristine-induced peripheral neurotoxicity in rats to determine molsidomine therapeutic potential in vivo. Vincristine administration induced severe nerve damage and mechanical hypersensitivity that were attenuated by concomitant treatment with molsidomine. This study provides evidence of the neuroprotective properties of molsidomine and warrants further investigations of this drug as a therapy for vincristine-induced peripheral neurotoxicity.

Combining photodynamic therapy (PDT) with chemodynamic therapy (CDT) has been proven to be a promising strategy to improve the treatment efficiency of cancer, because of the synergistic therapeutic effect arising between the two modalities. Herein, we report an inorganic nanoagent based on ternary NiCoTi-layered double hydroxide (NiCoTi-LDH) nanosheets to realize highly efficient photodynamic/chemodynamic synergistic therapy. The NiCoTi-LDH nanosheets exhibit oxygen vacancy-promoted electron-hole separation and photogenerated hole-induced O2-independent reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation under acidic circumstances, realizing in situ pH-responsive PDT. Moreover, due to the effective conversion between Co3+ and Co2+ caused by photogenerated electrons, the NiCoTi-LDH nanosheets catalyze the release of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) from H2O2 through Fenton reactions, resulting in CDT. Laser irradiation enhances the catalyzed ability of the NiCoTi-LDH nanosheets to promote the ROS generation, resulting in a better performance than TiO2 nanoparticles at pH 6.5. In vitro and in vivo experimental results show conclusively that NiCoTi-LDH nanosheets plus irradiation lead to efficient cell apoptosis and significant inhibition of tumor growth. This study reports a new pH-responsive inorganic nanoagent with oxygen vacancy-promoted photodynamic/chemodynamic synergistic performance, offering a potentially appealing clinical strategy for selective tumor elimination.

Abstract Background Pneumothorax is the most frequent complication after CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic lung biopsy (CT-PTLB). Many studies reported that injection of autologous blood patch (ABP) during biopsy needle withdrawal could reduce the pneumothorax and chest tube insertion rate after CT-PTLB, but the result is debatable. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to synthesize evidence regarding the efficacy of ABP procedure in patients receiving CT-PTLB. Methods Eligible studies were searched in Pubmed, Embase and Web of Science databases. The inclusion criteria were studies that assessed the relationship between ABP and the pneumothorax and/or chest tube insertion rate after CT-PTLB. Subgroup analyses according to study type, emphysema status and ABP technique applied were also conducted. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated to examine the risk association. Results A total of 10 studies including 3874 patients were qualified for analysis. Our analysis suggested that ABP reduced the pneumothorax (incidence: 20.0% vs. 27.9%, OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.48–0.66, P

IntroductionAngular limb deformities (ALDs) are a common skeletal development disorder in newborn foals. This condition affects the growth and development of foals and severely impacts their future athletic performance and economic value, causing significant financial losses to the horse industry. Placentitis, metritis, and severe metabolic diseases during mare pregnancy are significant causes of ALDs in newborn foals. It has been established that intestinal flora disorders can easily lead to inflammatory and metabolic diseases in the host. However, the incidence of ALDs in foals in Zhaosu County, Xinjiang, a key production area of China's horse industry, remains unclear. Additionally, the relationship between functional changes in foals with ALDs and their mares and changes in their intestinal flora is not well-understood.MethodsThis study investigated the status of ALD in newborn foals through clinical observation and imaging examinations. In addition, molecular biological methods were applied to examine the effects of ALDs foals and their mares on physiological and biochemical markers and gut microbiota.ResultsThe results showed that the incidence of ALD in Zhaosu area of China was 4.13%. In addition, by comparing and correlating the physiological and biochemical indicators and intestinal flora of foals and mares with ALD with those of healthy horses, it was found that foals and mares with ALD may promote the occurrence and development of the disease through the “blood marker changes-intestinal flora-ALDs” axis. In addition, by comparing the physiological and biochemical indicators and intestinal flora of foals and mares with ALD with the intestinal flora of healthy horses, it was found that the physiological and biochemical indicators and intestinal flora structure and metabolic pathways of foals and mares with ALD had significant changes.DiscussionThe diversity, species composition, and function of the intestinal flora of ALDs and their mares were significantly altered. These findings provide a scientific basis for understanding the etiology of ALDs in foals and offer new perspectives for diagnosing and treatment ALDs in newborn foals.

Abstract BackgroundConventional rehabilitation approaches involve therapists simulating various occupational tasks in health care settings or recreating real-life situations to assess and train patients in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). As an alternative, immersive virtual reality (IVR) has been widely used in stroke rehabilitation for years, but research comparing occupational performance between virtual and real environments is limited. ObjectiveThis study aims to introduce a novel IVR shopping system designed for patients with stroke and to investigate the correlation of occupational performance in virtual and real environments among patients with stroke. MethodsTen patients with stroke were recruited from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shenzhen Hospital, Southern Medical University, who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for this observational, randomized crossover study; the patients were predominantly male (n=7), had experienced ischemic stroke (n=9), were aged 14 to 73 years, and had a time since stroke of 1 to 42 months. All patients attempted shopping tasks in virtual and real environments. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), modified Barthel index (MBI), and Lawton index (LI) were used to assess cognition, ambulation, and activities of daily living. Memory capacity and duration in the virtual and real environments were recorded as the primary parameters of occupational performance. The Wilcoxon test and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to analyze the differences and correlations between the 2 environments. ResultsThe Wilcoxon test showed no significant differences between the virtual and real environments in memory capacity and duration of task completion (PPPPP ConclusionsConsidering the small sample size used in this study and the study’s limitations, despite the significant correlation between shopping performance in IVR and the real world, it is still too early to conclude that IVR is a noninferior approach, but it presents the potential to be an alternative for assessment and training in IADLs when resources are limited. However, further research is needed to investigate the psychometric properties, clinical effects, and impact of virtual training on real-world performance. The implications for practice might include the following: (1) occupational performance in virtual shopping might be the same as real-world shopping, and more virtual IADLs could thus be developed; (2) virtual IADL assessment and training systems could be used in remote locations or locations with limited resources; and (3) more objective parameters of IADLs could be extracted from virtual environments.

ABSTRACT Individuals with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) account for almost 30% of the population worldwide and have the potential to develop active tuberculosis (ATB). Despite this, the current understanding of the pathogenesis of LTBI is limited. The gut microbiome can be altered in tuberculosis patients, and an understanding of the changes associated with the progression from good health to LTBI to ATB can provide novel perspectives for understanding the pathogenesis of LTBI by identifying microbial and molecular biomarkers associated therewith. In this study, fecal samples from healthy controls (HC), individuals with LTBI and ATB patients were collected for gut microbiome and metabolomics analyses. Compared to HC and LTBI subjects, participants with ATB showed a significant decrease in gut bacterial α-diversity. Additionally, there were significant differences in gut microbial communities and metabolism among the HC, LTBI, and ATB groups. PICRUSt2 analysis revealed that microbiota metabolic pathways involving the degradation of purine and pyrimidine metabolites were upregulated in LTBI and ATB individuals relative to HCs. Metabolomic profiling similarly revealed that purine and pyrimidine metabolite levels were decreased in LTBI and ATB samples relative to those from HCs. Further correlation analyses revealed that the levels of purine and pyrimidine metabolites were negatively correlated with those of gut microbial genera represented by Ruminococcus_gnavus_group (R. gnavus), and the levels of R. gnavus were also positively correlated with adenosine nucleotide degradation II, which is a purine degradation pathway. Moreover, a combined signature including hypoxanthine and xanthine was found to effectively distinguish between LTBI and HC samples (area under the curve [AUC] of training set = 0.796; AUC of testing set = 0.924). Therefore, through gut microbiome and metabolomic analyses, these findings provide valuable clues regarding how alterations in gut purine and pyrimidine metabolism are linked to the pathogenesis of LTBI.IMPORTANCEThis study provides valuable insight into alterations in the gut microbiome and metabolomic profiles in a cohort of adults with LTBI and ATB. Perturbed gut purine and pyrimidine metabolism in LTBI was associated with the compositional alterations of gut microbiota, which may be an impetus for developing novel diagnostic strategies and interventions targeting LTBI.

BackgroundDetection of gastric cancer (GC) at early stages is an effective strategy for decreasing mortality. This study aimed to construct a prediction nomogram based on a questionnaire to assess the risk of developing GC.MethodsOur study comprised a total of 4379 participants (2326 participants from outpatient at Fengqing People’s Hospital were considered for model development and internal validation, and 2053 participants from outpatients at the endoscopy center at the Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University were considered for independent external validation) and gastric mucosa status was determined by endoscopy and biopsies. The eligible participants in development cohort from Fengqing people’s Hospital were randomly separated into a training cohort (n=1629, 70.0%) and an internal validation cohort (n=697, 30.0%). The relevant features were selected by a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and the ensuing features were evaluated through multivariable logistic regression analysis. Subsequently, the variables were selected to construct a prediction nomogram. The discriminative ability and predictive accuracy of the nomogram were evaluated by the C-index and calibration plot, respectively. Decision curve analysis (DCA) curves were used for the assessment of clinical benefit of the model. This model was developed to estimate the risk of developing neoplastic lesions according to the “transparent reporting of a multivariable prediction model for individual prognosis or diagnosis” (TRIPOD) statement.ResultsSix variables, including age, sex, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, education level, and Hp infection status, were independent risk factors for the development of neoplastic lesions. Thus, these variables were incorporated into the final nomogram. The AUC of the nomogram were 0.701, 0.657 and 0.699 in the training, internal validation, and external validation cohorts, respectively. The calibration curve showed that the nomogram was in good agreement with the observed outcomes. Compared to treatment of all patients or none, our nomogram showed a notably higher clinical benefit.ConclusionThis nomogram proved to be a convenient, cost-effective tool to effectively predict an individual’s risk of developing neoplastic lesions, and it can act as a prescreening tool before gastroscopy.

Background The model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score is widely used for the prognostication in end-stage liver disease but has limited performance in acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). In this study, we identified additional predictive parameters and reformed the MELD score to predict ACLF more accurately.Methods A meta-analysis was performed on relevant studies to identify the predictive factors of 28-day/90-day outcomes of ACLF, which were validated in two large prospective cohorts. A prognostic score was developed by incorporating predictive parameters into the MELD score. The model was evaluated with a focus on discrimination and calibration.Results The meta-analysis incorporated 32 cohort studies with a total of 13 939 patients, of which 13 risk factors were identified, and 3 risk factors (age, neutrophil count and hepatic encephalopathy (HE) grade) besides MELD score were validated in 751 patients with ACLF derived from two prospective cohorts. A new model (Chinese Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure Consortium (CATCH-LIFE)-MELD score) was developed as follows: 0.028×age+0.3×HE grade+0.039×neutrophil count+0.079×MELD score. CATCH-LIFE-MELD score achieved a concordance index of 0.791/0.788 for 28-day/90-day outcomes, which is superior to other traditional scores. Other discrimination indices, including net reclassification improvement, integrated discrimination improvement and probability density function, and calibration including Nagelkerke’s R2 and Brier scores confirmed its superiority. Moreover, the accuracy of CATCH-LIFE-MELD score remained stable. It was highest in patients with or without hepatitis B virus infection, cirrhosis, liver failure or under the Chinese Group on the Study of Severe Hepatitis B (COSSH) criteria or European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) criteria. All results were substantiated by an evaluation using an external cohort.Conclusions CATCH-LIFE-MELD score, a modified MELD score exhibited improved accuracy in predicting the short-term prognosis of ACLF than other traditional scores.

ABSTRACT Background The clinical impact of obesity on postoperative outcomes of patients undergoing thyroidectomy remains controversial. Methods Patients aged ≥ 18 years who were diagnosed with thyroid malignancy and underwent thyroidectomy between 2016 and 2020 were included, and divided into two groups: patients with body mass index (BMI)

A lack of access to handwashing facilities is a significant risk factor for lower respiratory infections(LRIs). However, no studies have reported epidemiologic changes in the burden of LRIs attributed to the lack of access to handwashing facilities. We conducted an integrated assessment of the burden of LRIs attributable to the lack of handwashing facilities from 1990 to 2019 using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. In 2019, 270,000 deaths were attributed to LRIs due to a lack of access to handwashing facilities, with DALYs reaching 14.02 million. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of LRIs caused by a lack of access to handwashing facilities was approximately 3.74, while the age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR) was reported to be 203.55 in 2019. Over the past 30 years, the burden of LRIs attributed to the lack of access to handwashing facilities has shown a global decline. In 2019, this burden was most pronounced in infants under 1 year of age and in those older than 95 years, reflecting the highest DALY (5591.83) and mortality rates (79.43), respectively. The burden of LRIs caused by the lack of access to handwashing facilities was found to be more severe in males and significantly more pronounced in regions with a low sociodemographic index (SDI), such as the Sahara African region. The development of targeted strategies to address the inadequate and unequal distribution of handwashing facilities holds important value in improving the disease burden of LRIs.

Abstract Degradation of bond strength due to corrosion of steel strands is of great importance for serviceability of prestressed concrete structures. An analytical model is proposed to demonstrate the effect of corrosion of steel strand on reduction of bond strength. Corrosion expansion force generated by steel strand corrosion before and after corrosion cracking is firstly estimated. Then, the reduced gripping effect of the concrete, change of friction coefficient between the corroded strand and reduction force on the bearing face are considered in calculating the pre-rib extrusion force. Finally, the enhancement of bond strength due to transverse confinement of stirrups is considered and the ultimate bond strength of corroded steel strand is calculated. Comparison of results between the prediction and experimental result shows the proposed model can be used to reasonably evaluate the bond strength. The prediction result of the bond strength model is affected by the degree of strand corrosion, but almost not by the drawing method.

The effect of varying strain amplitudes on the tensile properties and microstructure of aluminum alloy 2024 after a solution treatment (ST) of 495 °C for 1 h followed by cyclic strengthening at room temperature in the presence of various strain amplitudes is methodically investigated. Cyclic strain treatment substantially leads to the enhancement of the strength and plasticity of the alloy. Different strain amplitudes result in distinct strengthening mechanisms in the tested specimens. The specimens treated with low strain amplitudes (Δεt/2 = 0.1–0.4%) exhibit the least changes in the dislocation cell size and the dislocation density. The strengthening is mainly attributed to the precise adjustment of solute cluster precipitation. In specimens treated with high strain amplitudes (Δεt/2 = 0.5–1.1%), various strain amplitudes result in various dislocation configurations. The S-phase precipitation occurs selectively in the dislocation cell walls, forming solute cluster-composite dislocation loops within the dislocation cells, enhancing both the strength and plasticity of the alloy. The rational cyclic strain treatment not only yields the achievement of the precise control of precipitate phases, but also regulates the dislocation configurations. The obtained results reveal that the high-density cluster-composite dislocation loops are capable of resolving the conflict between increasing dislocation density and reducing dislocation pile-up, providing new insights into alloy strengthening.

Abstract As CMOS technologies face challenges in dimensional and voltage scaling, the demand for novel logic devices has never been greater, with spin-based devices offering scaling potential, at the cost of significantly high switching energies. Alternatively, magnetoelectric materials are predicted to enable low-power magnetization control, a solution with limited device-level results. Here, we demonstrate voltage-based magnetization switching and reading in nanodevices at room temperature, enabled by exchange coupling between multiferroic BiFeO3 and ferromagnetic CoFe, for writing, and spin-to-charge current conversion between CoFe and Pt, for reading. We show that, upon the electrical switching of the BiFeO3, the magnetization of the CoFe can be reversed, giving rise to different voltage outputs. Through additional microscopy techniques, magnetization reversal is linked with the polarization state and antiferromagnetic cycloid propagation direction in the BiFeO3. This study constitutes the building block for magnetoelectric spin-orbit logic, opening a new avenue for low-power beyond-CMOS technologies.

Oilfield treated oil pipeline network is the link connecting the upstream oilfields and the downstream refineries. Due to the differences in operating costs and transportation fee between different pipelines and the fluctuation in the demand and sales prices of the treated oil, there is an optimal flow allocation plan for the pipeline network to make the oilfield company obtain the highest social and economic benefit. In this study, a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model is developed to determine the optimal flow rate allocation plan of the large-scale and complex treated oil pipeline network, and both the social and economic benefits are considered simultaneously. The optimization objective is the multi-objective which includes the largest user satisfaction and the highest economic benefit. The model constraints include the oilfield production capacity, refinery demand, pipeline transmission capacity, flow, pressure, and temperature of the node and station, and the pipeline hydraulic and thermal calculations. Python 3.7 is utilized for the programming of the off-line calculation procedure and the MINLP model, and GUROBI 9.0.2 is served as the MINLP solver. Moreover, the model is applied to a real treated oil pipeline network located in China, and three optimization scenarios are analyzed. For social benefit, the values of the user satisfaction of each refinery and the total network are 1 before and after optimization for scenarios 1, 2, and 3. For economic benefit, the annual revenue can be increased by 0.227, 0.293, and 0.548 billion yuan after the optimization in scenario 1, 2, and 3, respectively.

The Middle Permian Maokou Formation carbonate rocks in the southern Sichuan Basin are import targets for hydrocarbon exploration, with numerous gas fields discovered in structural traps. However, as exploration extends into slope and syncline zones, the limestone reservoirs become denser, and fluid distribution becomes increasingly complex, limiting efficient exploration and development. Identifying the key factors controlling natural gas accumulation is therefore critical. This study is the first to apply deep learning techniques to fault detection in the southern Sichuan Basin, identifying previously undetected WE-trending subtle strike-slip faults (vertical displacement < 20 m). By integrating well logging, seismic, and production data, we highlight the primary factors influencing natural gas accumulation in the Maokou Formation. The results demonstrate that 80% of production comes from less than 30% of the well, and that high-yield wells are strongly associated with faults, particularly in slope and syncline zones where such wells are located within 200 m of fault zones. The faults can increase the drilling leakage of the Maokou wells by (7–10) times, raise the reservoir thickness to 30 m, and more than double the production. Furthermore, 73% of high-yield wells are concentrated in areas of fault intersection with high vertical continuity. Based on these insights, we propose four hydrocarbon enrichment models for anticline and syncline zones. Key factors controlling gas accumulation and high production include fault intersections, high vertical fault continuity, and local structural highs. This research demonstrates the effectiveness of deep learning for fault detection in complex geological settings and enhances our understanding of fault systems and carbonate gas reservoir exploration.

Two-dimensional WSe2 nanosheets have received increasing attention due to their excellent optoelectronic properties. Solid precursors, such as WO3 and Se powders, have been extensively employed to grow WSe2 nanosheets by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. However, the high melting point of WO3 results in heterogeneous nucleation sites and nonuniform growth of the WSe2 nanosheet. By dissolving WO3 powder in a NaOH solution, we report a facile and uniform growth of monolayer and bilayer WSe2 nanosheets on a SiO2/Si substrate at a large scale using liquid precursor by the CVD method. The size and thickness of the WSe2 nanosheets were controlled by modulating the precursor concentration and growth temperature. The as-prepared monolayer and bilayer WSe2 nanosheets were well characterized by optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy. With the increase in precursor concentration, the size of the monolayer WSe2 increased up to 120 μm. Bilayer WSe2 nanosheets were grown at higher temperatures. The photosensitivity of the bilayer WSe2 was one order of magnitude higher than that of the monolayer WSe2. The carrier mobility, specific detectivity, photoresponsivity, and external quantum efficiency of the bilayer WSe2 were about two orders of magnitude higher than those of the monolayer WSe2. Our method opens up a new avenue to grow monolayer and bilayer WSe2 for optoelectronic applications.

ABSTRACT The tumor suppressor p53, primarily functioning as a transcription factor, has exhibited antiviral capabilities against various viruses in chickens, including infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J), and avian infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV). Nevertheless, the existence of a universal antiviral mechanism employed by chicken p53 (chp53) against these viruses remains uncertain. This study conducted a comprehensive comparison of molecular networks involved in chp53’s antiviral function against IBDV, ALV-J, and ILTV. This was achieved through an integrated analysis of ChIP-seq data, examining chp53’s genome-wide chromatin occupancy, and RNA-seq data from chicken cells infected with these viruses. The consistent observation of chp53 target gene enrichment in metabolic pathways, confirmed via ChIP-qPCR, suggests a ubiquitous regulation of host cellular metabolism by chp53 across different viruses. Further genome binding motif conservation analysis and transcriptional co-factor prediction suggest conserved transcriptional regulation mechanism by which chp53 regulates host cellular metabolism during viral infection. These findings offer novel insights into the antiviral role of chp53 and propose that targeting the virus-host metabolic interaction through regulating p53 could serve as a universal strategy for antiviral therapies in chickens.IMPORTANCEThe current study conducted a comprehensive analysis, comparing molecular networks underlying chp53’s antiviral role against infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J), and avian infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV). This was achieved through a combined assessment of ChIP-seq and RNA-seq data obtained from infected chicken cells. Notably, enrichment of chp53 target genes in metabolic pathways was consistently observed across viral infections, indicating a universal role of chp53 in regulating cellular metabolism during diverse viral infections. These findings offer novel insights into the antiviral capabilities of chicken p53, laying a foundation for the potential development of broad-spectrum antiviral therapies in chickens.

Background: Previous studies have shown that pyroptosis in hepatocyte is essential for the development of MAFLD. Growing evidence has shown that exosomal miRNAs-mediated communication between inflammatory cells and hepatocyte is an important link in MAFLD. In the present study, we aim to elucidate whether macrophage-derived exosomal miRNAs contribute to the hepatocyte pyroptosis in the pathophysiological process of MAFLD. Methods: The effects of hepatocyte pyroptosis were investigated in an HFD-induced MAFLD mouse model and in the liver tissues from patients with MAFLD using immunohistochemistry, real-time PCR, Western blotting, and luciferase reporter assay, among other techniques. MiR-155 inhibitor tail injections and AAV-FoxO3a-GFP were also administered to respectively inhibit or overexpress its expression in an HFD-induced MAFLD mouse model. Results: Hepatocyte pyroptosis was heightened in the liver tissue of patients with MAFLD or HFD-induced MAFLD mouse. Importantly, treatment with a caspase-1 inhibitor or overexpression of FoxO3a reversed this trend. Our study also demonstrated that miR-155 expression and the number of infiltrated macrophages were increased, and knockdown of miR-155 attenuated hepotocyte pyroptosis and liver fibrosis in HFD-induced mouse. In addition, we demonstrated that macrophage-derived exosomal miR-155 was transferred to hepatocytes, leading to hepatocyte pyroptosis in MAFLD mouse. Furthermore, blockade of exosome secretion improved hepotocyte pyroptosis and liver fibrosis in HFD-induced mouse. On the contrary, macrophage-derived exosomal miR-155 worsened hepotocyte pyroptosis. Moreover, we found that miR-155 promoted hepatocyte pyroptosis in MAFLD by down-regulating FoxO3a. Conclusions: Taken together, our results demonstrated that macrophage-derived exosomal miR-155 promotes hepatocyte pyroptosis and liver fibrosis in MAFLD.

Cementitious materials are the main binders used in mine filling and play a critical role in determining the mechanical properties of cemented tailings backfill (CTB). But, the materials typically account for over 60% of total filling expenses. The objective of this study is to utilize solid waste cinders as a substitute for certain cement-like materials, aiming to lower the cost of filling while maintaining the strength characteristics of CTB. Through measuring the fluidity and strength characteristics of slurry with different CC replacement levels, and the microstructure analysis of backfill, the study finds that: 1) The addition of CC can improve the fluidity of ultra-fine tailings filling slurry and adding 1 ∼ 2 mm CC can both improve the fluidity of CTB and the compressive strength of CTB. 2) The strength of the filling body can be improved by replacing 20% of the cementitious material with CC when the surface pore size of CC with porous structure is similar to the median particle size of the tailings. 3) The lower packing density of CC and the hydrophilic mineral components on the surface reduced the interfacial tension between solid and liquid, which enhanced the dispersion ability of CC in the slurry. 4) Coal cinders replace part of cement-like materials to reduce filling costs and solid waste emissions.

IntroductionThe precise detection of weeds in the field is the premise of implementing weed management. However, the similar color, morphology, and occlusion between wheat and weeds pose a challenge to the detection of weeds. In this study, a CSCW-YOLOv7 based on an improved YOLOv7 architecture was proposed to identify five types of weeds in complex wheat fields.MethodsFirst, a dataset was constructed for five weeds that are commonly found, namely, Descurainia sophia, thistle, golden saxifrage, shepherd’s purse herb, and Artemisia argyi. Second, a wheat weed detection model called CSCW-YOLOv7 was proposed to achieve the accurate identification and classification of wheat weeds. In the CSCW-YOLOv7, the CARAFE operator was introduced as an up-sampling algorithm to improve the recognition of small targets. Then, the Squeeze-and-Excitation (SE) network was added to the Extended Latent Attention Networks (ELAN) module in the backbone network and the concatenation layer in the feature fusion module to enhance important weed features and suppress irrelevant features. In addition, the contextual transformer (CoT) module, a transformer-based architectural design, was used to capture global information and enhance self-attention by mining contextual information between neighboring keys. Finally, the Wise Intersection over Union (WIoU) loss function introducing a dynamic nonmonotonic focusing mechanism was employed to better predict the bounding boxes of the occluded weed.Results and discussionThe ablation experiment results showed that the CSCW-YOLOv7 achieved the best performance among the other models. The accuracy, recall, and mean average precision (mAP) values of the CSCW-YOLOv7 were 97.7%, 98%, and 94.4%, respectively. Compared with the baseline YOLOv7, the improved CSCW-YOLOv7 obtained precision, recall, and mAP increases of 1.8%, 1%, and 2.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, the parameters were compressed by 10.7% with a 3.8-MB reduction, resulting in a 10% decrease in floating-point operations per second (FLOPs). The Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) visualization method suggested that the CSCW-YOLOv7 can learn a more representative set of features that can help better locate the weeds of different scales in complex field environments. In addition, the performance of the CSCW-YOLOv7 was compared to the widely used deep learning models, and results indicated that the CSCW-YOLOv7 exhibits a better ability to distinguish the overlapped weeds and small-scale weeds. The overall results suggest that the CSCW-YOLOv7 is a promising tool for the detection of weeds and has great potential for field applications.

PurposeThe aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcomes of proximal femoral bone cysts in pediatric patients.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 41 pediatric patients (31 males and 10 females, mean age 7.47 ± 2.67 years, range 2.03–14.67 years) diagnosed with proximal femoral bone cysts treated at a single institute between March 2009 and November 2021. Data included demographics, preoperative details, intraoperative conditions, surgical techniques, postoperative outcomes, recurrence, and complications.ResultsOf the participants, 68% presented with simple bone cysts and 32% with aneurysmal bone cysts. Prior to surgery, 32% exhibited pathological fractures. Surgical methods included lesion curettage, defect filling using allograft bone and Minimally-Invasive Injectable Graft ×3, and varied fixation techniques. Postoperative recurrence (17%) was associated with cyst location between the capital femoral epiphysis and the linea intertrochanterica (P = 0.010). At the final assessment (mean follow-up: 26.51 ± 18.99 months), all showed radiological bony union with 93% rated as “good” and 7% as ‘fair’ based on Ratliff hip scores. Complications arose in 20% of patients, significantly correlated with prior pathological fractures (P = 0.007) and their association with the linea intertrochanterica (P = 0.004). Those with fractures reported higher intraoperative blood loss (P = 0.015) and longer surgery durations (P = 0.012) compared to those without.ConclusionTreating pediatric proximal femoral bone cysts using techniques such as lesion curettage, defect filling, and selective internal fixation yields favorable outcomes. The presence of pathological fractures can prolong surgical time, increase intraoperative blood loss, and elevate postoperative complication risks. Hence, early surgical intervention for these cysts is recommended to prevent fractures.

Objective: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) related to obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) mainly results from chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH)-induced renal injury. This study aimed to explore the interaction between the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) growth arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5) and recombinant adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) in CIH-induced renal injury. Methods: A rat intermittent hypoxia model was constructed, total RNA was extracted from kidney tissue, and transcriptome sequencing was performed using high-throughput sequencing technology. CIH rat models were established and injected with sh-GAS5 or OE-APRT plasmid, the serum levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine amidohydrolase were measured, and the expression of oxidative stress-related factors was detected. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Masson's trichrome staining were used for morphological observations, and cell apoptosis was determined by TUNEL staining. Interactions between GAS5, TATA-box binding protein-associated factor 1 (TAF1), and APRT were predicted and verified. After transfection of HK-2 cells, the expression of GAS5, TAF1, APRT, Bax, Bcl-2, apoptosis-related factors, fibrosis-related factors (collagen I and Ⅳ), and autophagy-related proteins (LC3-Ⅱ, LC3-Ⅰ, p62, and Beclin-1) was measured by RT-qPCR and western blotting. Results: Sequencing results revealed that TAF1 was significantly increased and APRT was significantly decreased in the CIH group. RNA was significantly involved in the biological process of kidney injury mediated by CIH. CIH rats injected with GAS5 suppression or APRT overexpression plasmids showed decreased GAS5 and elevated APRT expression, along with suppressed serum levels of BUN and creatinine amidohydrolase. Meanwhile, GAS5 suppression or APRT overexpression attenuated apoptosis and fibrosis, suppressed oxidative stress, and promoted autophagy in CIH-induced renal tubular epithelial cells. The RNA pull-down assay and RIP verified the binding and interaction of GAS5 and TAF1. Chip immunoprecipitation (ChIP) identified TAF1 regulation of the APRT promoter. GAS5 and TAF1 negatively regulated APRT expression. Conclusion: The lncRNA GAS5 can bind TAF1 to suppress APRT transcription, thereby enhancing CIH-induced renal injury in rats.

Abstract Due to the large computational and GPUs memory cost of semantic segmentation, some works focus on designing a lite weight model to achieve a good trade‐off between computational cost and accuracy. A common method is to combined CNN and vision transformer. However, these methods ignore the contextual information of multi receptive fields. And existing methods often fail to inject detailed information losses in the downsampling of multi‐scale feature. To fix these issues, we propose AG Self‐Attention, which is Enhanced Atrous Self‐Attention (EASA), and Gate Attention. AG Self‐Attention adds the contextual information of multi receptive fields into the global semantic feature. Specifically, the Enhanced Atrous Self‐Attention uses weight shared atrous convolution with different atrous rates to get the contextual information under the specific different receptive fields. Gate Attention introduces gating mechanism to inject detailed information into the global semantic feature and filter detailed information by producing “fusion” gate and “update” gate. In order to prove our insight. We conduct numerous experiments in common semantic segmentation datasets, consisting of ADE20 K, COCO‐stuff, PASCAL Context, Cityscapes, to show that our method achieves state‐of‐the‐art performance and achieve a good trade‐off between computational cost and accuracy.

Abstract Objective Abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is an important marker of subclinical atherosclerosis and a predictor of cardiovascular disease. This study aims to explore the association between carotenoid intakes and AAC. Methods We included 2889 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Dietary carotenoid intakes were obtained through 24-h dietary recall interviews. Severe AAC was defined as a Kauppila score > 5. The main analysis utilizes logistic and restricted cubic spline models. Result Severe AAC was detected in 378 (13.08%) participants. In fully adjusted models, the odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein with zeaxanthin and total carotenoid intakes for individuals with severe AAC were 0.53 (0.23–0.77), 0.39 (0.19–0.80), 0.18 (0.05–0.62), 0.40 (0.20–0.78), 0.53 (0.32–0.88) and 0.38 (0.18–0.77) in the highest versus lowest quartile intake, respectively. Dose–response analyses revealed that all of the carotenoids were associated with decreased risk of severe AAC in a nonlinear trend. Total carotenoid intakes of at least 100ug/kg/day were associated with decreased odds for severe AAC. Conclusion α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lycopene, lutein with zeaxanthin and total carotenoids were inversely associated with the risk of severe AAC in adults.

Abstract Background To develop and validate a preoperative nomogram model combining the radiomics signature and clinical features for preoperative prediction of visceral pleural invasion (VPI) in lung nodules presenting as part‐solid density. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 156 patients with pathologically confirmed invasive lung adenocarcinomas after surgery from January 2016 to August 2019. The patients were split into training and validation sets by a ratio of 7:3. The radiomic features were extracted with the aid of FeAture Explorer Pro (FAE). A CT‐based radiomics model was constructed to predict the presence of VPI and internally validated. Multivariable regression analysis was conducted to construct a nomogram model, and the performance of the models were evaluated with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and compared with each other. Results The enrolled patients were split into training (n = 109) and validation sets (n = 47). A total of 806 features were extracted and the selected 10 optimal features were used in the construction of the radiomics model among the 707 stable features. The AUC of the nomogram model was 0.888 (95% CI: 0.762–0.961), which was superior to the clinical model (0.787, 95% CI: 0.643–0.893; p = 0.049) and comparable to the radiomics model (0.879, 95% CI: 0.751–0.965; p > 0.05). The nomogram model achieved a sensitivity of 90.5% and a specificity of 76.9% in the validation dataset. Conclusions The nomogram model could be considered as a noninvasive method to predict VPI with either highly sensitive or highly specific diagnoses depending on clinical needs.

We present a comprehensive benchmarking framework for one transistor-one capacitor (1T1C) low-voltage ferroelectric random access memory (FeRAM) circuits. We focus on the most promising ferroelectric materials, hafnium zirconium oxide (HZO) and barium titanate (BTO), known for their fast switching speeds and low coercive voltages. We model ferroelectric capacitors using physics-based phase-field models and calibrate the polarization switching speed and hysteresis loop versus experimental data. Ferroelectric memory cells are designed using a 28-nm process design kit (PDK), incorporating peripheral circuitry and interconnect parasitics. We set up the memory array circuit design and analyze its performance by varying the row/column size of the memory array, as well as driver and capacitor sizes. Our results are compared with other emerging memory technologies, particularly magnetic/spintronic memories, in terms of read/write latencies and energy consumption. We identify the critical aspects of the ferroelectric memory array performance, such as the effect of plateline driver and bitline capacitances, and provide recommendations to further optimize the performance of such low operating voltage ferroelectric memory circuits.

The semantic segmentation of laser point clouds is critical for many applications of aerial point clouds. However, most of the existing deep learning networks do not make full use of point cloud data information. PointNet++ was chosen as the baseline network, and a deep-residual enhanced encoding method of multi-feature information is proposed in this work. Firstly, a more efficient network structure to enhance geometric information encoding is constructed, called the GEO–PointNet layer. Then, a novel structure for feature aggregation, named SEP–PointNet, is introduced to encode the auxiliary and geometric features of points separately. Additionally, the segmentation network is deepened in the way of residual structures, which can effectively restrain network degradation. Meanwhile, ‘Dropout’ operations are applied to the fully connected layer to cope with the problem that the model is prone to overfitting due to many network parameters. Finally, a novel segmentation network, named SGDD–PointNet++, is built, and its effectiveness was evaluated by using four airborne benchmark datasets. The experimental results performed on the DALES dataset indicate that the overall accuracy and average intersection-over-union (mIoU) value of the modified PointNet++ networks are better than the original baseline and the other two state-of-the-art segmentation methods. The overall accuracy of the improved SGDD–PointNet++ network reached 87.88%. For the category IoU, it also outperforms other networks, and it has a maximum accuracy increment of 11.43%. Meanwhile, in terms of the generalization capabilities of the trained models, the proposed network can provide better discrimination effects for three public aerial datasets than other methods.

Background: Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) imposes a significant disease burden on infants and the elderly. Intranasal immunization using attenuated live vaccines and certain vector vaccines against HRSV has completed phase II clinical trials with good safety and efficacy.Recombinant protein vaccines for mucosal immunization require potent mucosal adjuvants. Type I interferon (IFN), as a natural mucosal adjuvant, significantly enhances antigen-presenting cell processing and antigen presentation, promoting the production of T and B cells. Methods: This study utilized human α2b interferon (IFN-human) and mouse α2 interferon (IFN-mouse) as nasal mucosal adjuvants in combination with fusion protein (F). Intranasal immunization was performed on BALB/c mice to evaluate the immunogenicity of the formulation in vivo. Results: Compared to the F protein immunization group, mice in the F + IFN-Human and F + IFN-Mouse experimental groups exhibited significantly increased neutralizing antibody titers and augmented secretion of IFN-γ and IL-4 by lymphocytes, and both of them could induce the production of high-titer specific IgA antibodies in mice (p < 0.001).The F + IFN-Human immunization induced the highest IgG and IgG1 antibody titers in mice; however, the F + IFN-Mouse immunization group elicited the highest neutralizing antibody titers (598), lowest viral loads in the lungs (Ct value of 31), and fastest weight recovery in mice. Moreover, mice in the F + IFN-Mouse immunization group displayed the mildest lung pathological damage (Total score of pathological injury was 2). Conclusions: In conclusion, IFN-Mouse, as a mucosal adjuvant for HRSV recombinant protein vaccines, demonstrated superior protective effects in mice compared to IFN-Human adjuvants.

Prestressed concrete box girders are commonly employed in the development of high-speed railway bridge constructions. The prestressed strands in the girder may corrode due to long-term chloride erosion, leading to the degradation of its flexural performance. To examine the flexural performance of corrosion-affected simply supported prestressed concrete box girders, eight T-shaped mock-up beams related to the girders used in the construction of high-speed railway bridges were manufactured utilizing similarity theory. Seven of the beams underwent electrochemical accelerated corrosion, and then each beam was subjected to failure under the four-point load test method. Measurements recorded and analyzed in detail during the loading process included the following: crack propagation, crack width at various loads, crack load, ultimate load, deflection, and concrete strain of the mid-span section. The results demonstrate that a corrosion rate of just 8.31% has a considerable impact on the structural integrity of the beams, as evidenced by a pronounced reduction in flexural cracks and a tendency towards reduced reinforcement failure. Furthermore, the corrosive process has a detrimental effect on mid-span deflection, ductility, and ultimate flexural bearing capacity, which could have significant implications for bridge safety. This study provides valuable insights for the assessment of flexural performance and the development of appropriate maintenance strategies for corroded simply supported box girders in high-speed railways.

Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) exhibits a cascade expression pattern of encoded genes, and ICP4 is the only immediate-early gene of ILTV, which plays a crucial role in initiating the subsequent viral genes. Therefore, studying the transcriptional regulation mechanism of ICP4 holds promise for effectively blocking ILTV infection and spread. Host transcriptional factors p53 and Fos are proven to regulate a variety of viral infections, and our previous studies have demonstrated their synergistic effects in regulating ILTV infection. In this study, we constructed eukaryotic expression vectors for p53 and Fos as well as their specific siRNAs and transfected them into a chicken hepatoma cell line. The results showed that knocking down p53 or Fos significantly inhibited ICP4 transcription, while overexpressing p53 or Fos had an opposite effect. A further CoIP and ChIP-qPCR assay suggested p53 and Fos physically interacted with each other, and jointly bound to the upstream transcriptional regulatory region of ICP4. To elucidate the specific mechanisms of p53 and Fos in regulating ICP4 transcription, we designed p53 and Fos protein mutants by mutating their DNA binding domains, which significantly reduced their binding ability to DNA without affecting their interaction. The results showed that Fos directly bound to the promoter region of ICP4 as a binding target of p53, and the p53–Fos protein complex acted as a transcriptional co-regulator of ICP4. Studying the transcriptional process and regulatory pattern of ICP4 is of great significance for understanding the molecular mechanism of ILTV infection, and thus for finding effective methods to control and prevent it.

Backgrounds: A contemporary public health challenge is the increase in the prevalence rates of herpes zoster (HZ) worldwide. Methods: In this work, the gE gene structure was analyzed using bioinformatics techniques, and three plasmids of varying lengths, tgE537, tgE200, and tgE350, were expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. These proteins were used to immunize BALB/c mice with Al/CpG adjuvant; ELISPOT and FCM were used to evaluate cellular immunity; and ELISA, VZV microneutralization, and FAMA assays were performed to detect antibody titers. Results: Target protein concentrations of 1.8 mg/mL for tgE537, 0.15 mg/mL for tgE200 and 0.65 mg/mL for tgE350 were effectively produced. The ability of the three protein segments to stimulate CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, as well as to cause lymphocytes to secrete IFN-γ and IL-4, did not significantly differ from one another. Both tgE537 and tgE350 were capable of generating VZV-specific antibodies and neutralizing antibodies, while tgE350 had the highest neutralizing antibody titer (4388). There was no equivalent humoral immune response induced by tgE200. Conclusions: The results of this investigation provide the groundwork for the creation of HZ recombinant vaccines using truncated proteins as antigens.

This study included 468 patients and aimed to use multimodal ultrasound radiomic technology to predict the malignancy of TI-RADS 4-5 thyroid nodules. First, radiomic features are extracted from conventional two-dimensional ultrasound (transverse ultrasound and longitudinal ultrasound), strain elastography (SE), and shear-wave-imaging (SWE) images. Next, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) is used to screen out features related to malignant tumors. Finally, a support vector machine (SVM) is used to predict the malignancy of thyroid nodules. The Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) method was used to intuitively analyze the specific contributions of radiomic features to the model’s prediction. Our proposed model has AUCs of 0.971 and 0.856 in the training and testing sets, respectively. Our proposed model has a higher prediction accuracy compared to those of models with other modal combinations. In the external validation set, the AUC of the model is 0.779, which proves that the model has good generalization ability. Moreover, SHAP analysis was used to examine the overall impacts of various radiomic features on model predictions and local explanations for individual patient evaluations. Our proposed multimodal ultrasound radiomic model can effectively integrate different data collected using multiple ultrasound sensors and has good diagnostic performance for TI-RADS 4-5 thyroid nodules.