Search

Abstract People readily change their behavior to comply with others. However, to which extent they will internalize the social influence remains elusive. In this preregistered electroencephalogram (EEG) study, we investigated how learning from one’s in-group or out-group members about facial attractiveness would change explicit attractiveness ratings and spontaneous neural representations of facial attractiveness. Specifically, we quantified the neural representational similarities of learned faces with prototypical attractive faces during a face perception task without overt social influence and intentional evaluation. We found that participants changed their explicit attractiveness ratings to both in-group and out-group influences. Moreover, social conformity updated spontaneous neural representation of facial attractiveness, an effect particularly evident when participants learned from their in-group members and among those who perceived tighter social norms. These findings offer insights into how group affiliations and individual differences in perceived social norms modulate the internalization of social influence.

Abstract Objective The study aimed to examine the relationship between preoperative nutritional status, symptom burden, and the occurrence of postoperative atrial fibrillation in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma patients. Methods The study, conducted in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the Affiliated Huai’an No. 1 People’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, applied the NRS 2002, SGA and MSAS scoring systems as measures of nutritional status and symptom occurrence in patients diagnosed with ESCC. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to evaluate the association between nutritional scores, symptom scores, and postoperative complications. Results The research found a significant correlation between high MSAS scores and postoperative atrial fibrillation. Patients with high symptom burden also tended to have nutritional risk or malnutrition according to the NRS2002 and SGA scores. Conclusion There is a need for healthcare providers to pay attention to ESCC patients’ physical and psychological symptoms. Close monitoring of nutritional status and timely nutritional interventions should be integrated into these patients’ care plans as they have been found to be related to postoperative complications such as atrial fibrillation.

Abstract Objective Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy activates the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells that have escaped surveillance. This study aimed to compare the treatment outcome of advanced and recurrent cervical cancer patients treated with first-line platinum and paclitaxel with or without ICI. Methods Data from 69 advanced and recurrent cervical cancer patients treated with first-line ICI plus platinum and paclitaxel (N = 33) or first-line platinum and paclitaxel (N = 36) were reviewed between March 2020 and January 2023 in this retrospective study. Patients chose treatment based on the actual disease condition, patient willingness, and medical advice. Additionally, objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) were calculated, and adverse events were gained. Results There was no difference in baseline data between patients receiving the two different treatments (all P > 0.05). Complete response rate (18.2% vs. 8.3%; P = 0.294), ORR (48.5% vs. 30.6%; P = 0.127), and DCR (81.8% vs. 72.2%; P = 0.345) tended to ascend in patients treated with ICI plus platinum and paclitaxel compared to those treated with platinum and paclitaxel, although there was no statistical significance. In patients treated with ICI plus platinum and paclitaxel, the median PFS was 10.3 months and the median OS was not reached. Meanwhile, the median PFS and OS were 7.7 and 16.9 months in patients treated with platinum and paclitaxel. PFS (P = 0.036) and OS (P = 0.033) were increased in patients treated with ICI plus platinum and paclitaxel versus those treated with platinum and paclitaxel, which was verified by multivariate Cox regression analyses (both P 0.05). Conclusion First-line ICI plus platinum and paclitaxel yields better treatment responses, longer survival, and non-differential adverse events versus first-line platinum and paclitaxel in advanced and recurrent cervical cancer patients.

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) pose significant ecological and food safety hazards in China and the world. Consequently, there is a global consensus to intensify safety monitoring of these toxins to safeguard consumers. In recent years, the occurrence of harmful algal blooms (known as "red tides") has increased due to human activities and climate change. The contamination risk posed by PSTs is a pressing concern. This problem poses significant ecological and food safety risks in China and the world, leading to a global consensus on strengthening the safety monitoring of PSTs to ensure consumer safety. Several countries and regions, including the European Union, the United States, and Canada, have established strict regulatory limits (800 μg STXeq/kg) for PSTs and implemented monitoring programs. Currently, the main methods for detecting and monitoring PSTs include enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, mouse bioassay, high-performance liquid chromatography, and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Among them, LC-MS/MS has gained international attention due to its high throughput and sensitivity, allowing detailed analysis of toxin profiles in contaminated shellfish. However, the complexity of aquatic food matrices often introduces interference during detection, affecting the accuracy and precision of the results. Using matrix reference materials as quality controls during the analysis can effectively mitigate the errors caused by matrix effects. In recent years, research has been conducted in China on the preparation techniques of matrix reference materials. However, existing techniques have limitations, such as unstable raw materials, limited toxin types, and lack of commercial production. There is still a lack of PST standard materials in China that possess traceability, certification, and physical specimens. To meet the quality control and validation needs for PST detection and analysis, and to enhance the regulation of shellfish quality and safety, the preparation of various PST matrix reference materials has become a top priority.In this study, six PST-producing algae species from four major Chinese coastal areas were compared as the raw material for toxin production: Alexandrium catenella (GY-H25), Gymnodinium catenatum (GY-H65), Alexandrium tamarense (GY-H31 and AT5-3), Alexandrium pacificum (TI0989), and Alexandrium minutum (GY-H46). Through three-step extended culture, all strains achieved mean cell densities ranging from 4.0 × 106 to 4.0 × 107 cells/L. Single cell toxin producing capacity was ordered from highest to lowest as GY-H46, GY-H31, AT5-3, GY-H25, GY-H65, and TI0989. After comparing the toxin production per cell, algal cell density, and toxin composition of the six strains, GY-H46, GY-H31, GY-H25, and GY-H65 were selected for the exposure experiments. These four species of toxic algae (up to 1.0 × 105 cells) were fed to mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) for 7 days under controlled conditions. The results demonstrated that the toxin composition of contaminated mussels clustered with those of the causative algae and may separate from one another significantly during the different accumulation phases. GY-H46, GY-H31, and GY-H25 showed consistent toxin profiles with those found in mussels, but varied in the proportions of individual toxin components. GY-H65 exhibited significant differences in toxin composition and proportions in mussels. We also detected a new conversion component (dcSTX) with a maximum proportion of 29.6%. The proportion of dcNEO increased from 1.9% to 13.2% in GY-H65 and mussels. In addition, a high proportion of conversion from C2 to C1 was observed in mussels fed GY-H25 and GY-H65. The mean accumulation rates of toxins from the four toxic algae species in mussels ranged from 39.7% to 83.1%, with the highest toxicity reaching (1, 151.0 ± 7.6) μg STXeq/kg in mussels. Individual exposure experiments with the four toxic algae species demonstrated that mussels are capable of accumulating multiple components and high levels of PSTs. Based on the above observations, the feeding ratios of the low- and high-density groups in the mixed exposure experiment were determined as 1∶1∶1 ∶4 and 1∶1.6∶2.4∶8 for GY-H25, GY-H65, GY-H31, and GY-H46, respectively. The total algae feeding amount per mussel per day was 3.5 × 104 cells in the low-density group and 2.6 × 105 cells in the high-density group. When examining the PST content in mussels from the two mixed exposure groups, it was observed that the mean accumulation conversion rates were comparable at 41.4% and 44.6%, which were lower than the theoretical rates of 48.7% and 47.5%, respectively. The overall toxicity of the low- and high-density groups was (535.0±5.6) and (2, 636.0±12.4) μg STXeq/kg, respectively. After mixed exposure, both experimental groups of mussels accumulated a total of 12 PST components (NEO, dcSTX, dcNEO, GTX1, GTX4, GTX2, GTX3, GTX5, dcGTX2, dcGTX3, C1, and C2).This study demonstrates that mixed exposure of mussels to four toxin-producing algae species, namely A. catenella, A. tamarense, G. catenatum, and A. minutum, can result in the stable and manageable presence of 12 PST components. This provides technical support for the preparation of matrix reference materials that can be used in industrial regulation and industry services. The development of a preparation technology for matrix reference materials with multiple PST components, which do not exceed international limits, holds promise for water quality monitoring and the assessment of marine pollution risks, and provides reference materials for theoretical studies on PSTs risk formation mechanisms.

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are a class of neurotoxic marine biotoxins that are widely distributed and cause more than 2, 000 poisoning events worldwide each year, with mortality rates of up to 15%. PSTs can accumulate through the food chain and are mainly distributed in marine organisms such as bivalve mollusks. Several countries and regions, including the European Union, China, and the United States, have established strict regulatory limits (400 MU/100 g or 800 μg STXeq/kg) for PSTs and implemented monitoring programs. As reported previously, factors such as filtration rate, selective feeding, and the efficiency of the organism in absorbing toxin-producing algae can significantly affect the accumulation of PSTs in bivalve mollusks. Mytilus unguiculatus is one of three major commercial mussel species in China, with important economic value and social impact. Due to its high nutritional value, it is extensively cultured as an important shellfish species in the Zhoushan archipelago of Zhejiang Province in China. Alexandrium spp. are the main toxin-producing algae in the area. PSTs have been detected in mussels between May and July after harmful algal blooms. Research into the elimination characteristics of PSTs accumulation in M. unguiculatus is urgently needed to establish a monitoring and control program.In this study, 760 mussels were randomly selected and fed A. catenella at different cell densities, with a high-density group (7.00×105 cells/d), a low-density group (2.80×105 cells/d), and a control group. The experimental period lasted for 30 d, during which the accumulation period approximately represented days 1–7 and the elimination period days 8–30 d. A total of 14 sampling points were set up on days 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 7 of the accumulation period and days 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 15, 19, and 23 of the elimination period. Six mussels were randomly collected at each sampling point and dissected into soft tissues, hepatopancreas, and edible tissues. Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to determine the content of PSTs. During the accumulation period, 5 mL culturing seawater was collected during or 1 h after feeding, and Ruge's solution was added. The filtration rate of the mussels was determined by counting the quantity of A. catenella cells in the water. The results showed that the toxins in M. unguiculatus were not equally distributed. The highest PST content in hepatopancreas tissues was 7, 458.2 μg STXeq/kg (high-density group) and 2, 555.9 μg STXeq/kg (low-density group). The highest PST content in edible tissues was 108.6 μg STXeq/kg (high-density group). The hepatopancreas was identified as a target organ for toxin accumulation. From day 3 to day 7, the filtration rate of mussels decreased, eventually reaching 30% of its initial value. The filtration rate of M. unguiculatus in the high-density group was not significantly different from that of the low-density group during days 1–5 and was significantly lower during days 5–7. During the elimination phase, the PST elimination rate in mussels was 18.4% (hepatopancreas), 18.1% (soft tissues), and 13.1% (edible tissues). At day 30, the residual content of PSTs in the hepatopancreas of mussels was approximately 1 400 μg STXeq/kg in the high-density group and 600.0 μg STXeq/kg in the low-density group. Changes in the proportion of each PST component were transferred from A. catenella to M. unguiculatus. The proportion of C2 was significantly reduced from 74.1% (A. catenella) to 22.6% (high-density group) and 17.1% (low-density group) (P < 0.05); the percentage of C1 increased from 10.6% (A. catenella) to 54.1% (high-density group) and 54.0% (low-density group) (P < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in the percentage of GTX5 between A. catenella and mussels in the different density groups (P > 0.05). No significant conversion was observed between the PST components in the hepatopancreas of mussels throughout the experiment.Our data indicate that the daily accumulation rate of PSTs in M. unguiculatus was lower than that in other mussels. Moreover, the toxin elimination rate was higher than that of other mussels. A negative correlation was observed between the filtration rate of M. unguiculatus and the PST content of each tissue type. These results show that M. unguiculatus is more sensitive to PSTs than other mussels. During the stage of PST transfer from A. catenella to M. unguiculatus, a high proportion of C2 toxin was converted to C1 toxin. After accumulating in the hepatopancreas, the PST profile exhibited relatively stable performance. In summary, we conclude that, due to higher susceptibility to toxins and lower conversion rates, a lower risk is associated with the consumption of M. unguiculatus than with that of other mussels. Our findings will contribute to improving our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the PST accumulation risk in M. unguiculatus and provide valuable scientific insights for developing prevention and risk management strategies concerning PSTs.

Abstract Background Several studies have explored the potential link between gut microbiota and breast cancer; nevertheless, the causal relationship between gut microbiota and breast cancer remains unclear. Methods We utilized summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of the gut microbiome from the MiBioGen project with summary data from GWAS on breast cancer from the FinnGen consortium and the IEU database, with the IEU data sourced from the Biobank Japan. Preliminary statistical analyses were conducted using inverse variance weighting (IVW), supplemented by various sensitivity analysis methods, including MR-Egger regression, weighted median, weighted mode, simple median, and simple mode, to ensure the robustness of our findings. Heterogeneity and pleiotropy were assessed to avoid misleading conclusions caused by unconsidered confounders or non-specific effects of genetic variants, ensuring that the results reflect a genuine causal relationship. Results In European populations, four types of gut microbiota were associated with breast cancer. The genus Erysipelatoclostridium was positively associated with the risk of breast cancer, with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.21 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.083–1.358), false discovery rate (FDR) = 0.0039. The class Coriobacteriia, order Coriobacteriales, and family Coriobacteriaceae, which belong to the same phylogenetic system, showed a consistent inversely association with breast cancer risk, with an OR of 0.757 (95% CI 0.616–0.930), FDR = 0.0281. In East Asian populations, three types of gut microbiota were related to breast cancer. The Eubacterium ruminantium group was positively associated with breast cancer risk, with an OR of 1.259 (95% CI 1.056–1.499), FDR = 0.0497. The families Porphyromonadaceae and Ruminococcaceae were inversely associated with breast cancer risk, with ORs of 0.304 (95% CI 0.155–0.596), FDR = 0.0005, and 0.674 (95% CI 0.508–0.895), FDR = 0.03173, respectively. However, these two taxa had limited instrumental variables, restricting the statistical power and potentially affecting the interpretation of the results. Conclusion This MR analysis demonstrated a probable causal link between specific gut microbiota and breast cancer. This study, through Mendelian randomization analysis comparing European and East Asian populations, reveals that gut microbiota may influence breast cancer risk differently across populations, providing potential directions for developing targeted prevention and treatment methods.

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are a class of acute neurotoxins with nearly 60 congeners. Shellfish that filter feed on toxin-producing algae exhibit PST accumulation in tissues, and the consumption of toxic shellfish poses a major threat to human health. China has the largest aquaculture industry in the world, with shellfish production of approximately 15.89 million tons in 2022 and many shellfish consumers. The PST poisoning incidents in China exhibit the characteristics of a wide distribution area, recurring regional risk, diverse toxin sources, and seasonal differences. PST consumption causes acute symptoms of poisoning and even death in many people, with a high lethality rate. This is a serious threat to the health of consumers and detrimental to the social stability of the region. In northern China, Hebei Province has rich fisheries resources, with a mariculture output of approximately 580, 000 tons in 2022. In recent years, PSTs have been detected several times in bivalve shellfish inshore in Hebei Province, especially along the coast of Qinhuangdao. A serious shellfish poisoning episode was reported in Qinhuangdao in 2016, with PST concentrations exceeding the safety limit of 800 μgSTX equivalents/kg (μg STXeq/kg) by a factor of 65. The main algal species responsible for the poisoning was Alexandrium catenella. However, the current investigations of PST pollution in Hebei Province mainly focus on the shellfish species Mytilus galloprovincialis and Argopecten irradians in the sea area of Shanhaiguan, Qinhuangdao, and investigations on other coastal cities of Hebei Province and a wide range of different shellfish species are lacking. Moreover, few risk assessment studies have been conducted.A continuous PST survey was conducted in 2022 on six species of shellfish, namely M. galloprovincialis, Scapharca subcrenata, A. irradians, Scapharca broughtonii, Ruditapes philippinarum, and Crassostrea gigas, collected by netting in Tangshan and Qinhuangdao, and the residual status of PSTs was assessed for acute exposure using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed that PSTs were detected in shellfish samples collected from March to June, with a detection rate of 100%. However, no values exceeded the European Union limit. Among the shellfish samples collected from March to June, those assessed in April had the highest average concentration, followed by those in May, March, and June, which had the lowest average concentration. The main components detected in shellfish samples from March to June were gonyautoxins (GTX) 1–4; the highest concentrations were detected in April. Highly toxic saxitoxin (STX) and decarbamoylneosaxitoxin (dcNEO) were detected from April to June and not in March. Decarbamoylgonyautoxin (dcGTX) 2 was not detected in March or April; however, it was detected in May and June. The sea area near Qinhuangdao was more polluted than that near Tangshan. Among the collected shellfish samples, significant differences were observed in the average concentration of PSTs in shellfish samples of different species, and the concentration ranged from highest to lowest in species as follows: M. galloprovincialis > S. subcrenata > A. irradians > S. broughtonii > R. philippinarum > C. gigas. Large differences were observed between the six shellfish species regarding the accumulation of 11 PST components, among which GTX1–4 and carbamatetoxin (C) 1 and 2 were the most commonly detected components. The highest concentrations of GTX1 and 4 were observed in M. galloprovincialis, the highest concentrations of GTX2 and 3 were observed in S. subcrenata, and the highest concentrations of C1 and 2 were observed in A. irradians. A low detection rate was recorded for highly toxic STX and neosaxitoxin (NEO in samples, except in M. galloprovincialis and S. subcrenata, in which all 11 PSTs were detected. In the other four shellfish species, only certain of the components were detected. Statistical analysis of the highest levels of PSTs in nearshore shellfish in Hebei Province in recent years showed a decreasing trend. Acute exposure assessments using the maximum value of PSTs showed that none of the six shellfish species exceeded the acute reference dose values recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization and European Food Safety Authority, suggesting that toxin levels were safe and acceptable. M. galloprovincialis had the highest dietary exposure risk, as a few residues were present, and symptoms of PST poisoning, such as dizziness and nausea, may occur after ingesting large quantities of M. galloprovincialis. Increased attention should be paid to shellfish with high dietary exposure assessment values, such as M. galloprovincialis and S. subcrenata.In this study, we investigated PSTs in shellfish from Hebei coastal waters and observed that PSTs were detected in shellfish samples from March to June, with the highest average concentration in April, followed by May and March, with the lowest average concentration in June. In addition, the main components detected in shellfish samples were GTX1–4. The analysis of different shellfish species showed that M. galloprovincialis had the highest average PST concentration, followed by S. subcrenata, A. irradians, S. broughtonii, R. philippinarum, and C. gigas; GTX1–4 and C1 and 2 were detected in all six shellfish species. Dietary exposure assessment for consumers in Hebei Province showed that the toxin levels were safe and acceptable. However, follow-up surveys and studies are necessary due to the paucity of surveys for different cities and species on the coast of Hebei.

Abstract Background Human toxocariasis is a neglected parasitic disease characterised by the syndromes visceral, cerebral, and ocular larva migrans. This disease is caused by the migrating larvae of Toxocara roundworms from dogs and cats, affecting 1.4 billion people globally. Via extracellular vesicles (EVs), microRNAs have been demonstrated to play roles in host–parasite interactions and proposed as circulating biomarkers for the diagnosis and follow-up of parasitic diseases. Methods Small RNA-seq was conducted to identify miRNAs in the infective larvae of T. canis and plasma EV-containing preparations of infected BALB/c mice. Differential expression analysis and target prediction were performed to indicate miRNAs involved in host–parasite interactions and miRNAs associated with visceral and/or cerebral larva migrans in the infected mice. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify circulating miRNAs from the infected mice. Results This study reports host and parasite miRNAs in the plasma of BALB/c mice with visceral and cerebral larva migrans and demonstrates the alterations of these miRNAs during the migration of larvae from the livers through the lungs and to the brains of infected mice. After filtering unspecific changes in an irrelevant control, T. canis-derived miRNAs and T. canis infection-induced differential miRNAs are predicted to modulate genes consistently involved in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling and pathways regulating axon guidance and pluripotency of stem in the infected mice with visceral and cerebral larva migrans. For these plasma circulating miRNAs predicted to be involved in host-parasite crosstalk, two murine miRNAs (miR-26b-5p and miR-122-5p) are experimentally verified to be responsive to larva migrans and represent circulating biomarker candidates for visceral and cerebral toxocariasis in BALB/c mice. Conclusions Our findings provide novel insights into the crosstalk of T. canis and the mammalian host via plasma circulating miRNAs, and prime agents and indicators for visceral and cerebral larva migrans. A deep understanding of these aspects will underpin the diagnosis and control of toxocariasis in humans and animals. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Skin aging is characterized by the disruption of skin homeostasis and impaired skin injury repair. Treatment of aging skin has long been limited by the unclear intervention targets and delivery techniques. Engineering extracellular vesicles (EVs) as an upgraded version of natural EVs holds great potential in regenerative medicine. In this study, we found that the expression of the critical antioxidant and detoxification gene Gstm2 was significantly reduced in aging skin. Thus, we constructed the skin primary fibroblasts-derived EVs encapsulating Gstm2 mRNA (EVs Gstm2 ), and found that EVs Gstm2 could significantly improve skin homeostasis and accelerate wound healing in aged mice. Mechanistically, we found that EVs Gstm2 alleviated oxidative stress damage of aging dermal fibroblasts by modulating mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, and promoted dermal fibroblasts to regulate skin epidermal cell function by paracrine secretion of Nascent Polypeptide-Associated Complex Alpha subunit (NACA). Furthermore, we confirmed that NACA is a novel skin epidermal cell protective molecule that regulates skin epidermal cell turnover through the ROS-ERK-ETS-Cyclin D pathway. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility and efficacy of EVs-mediated delivery of Gstm2 for aged skin treatment and unveil novel roles of GSTM2 and NACA for improving aging skin. Graphical Abstract

Individuals’ affective experience can be intricate, influenced by various factors including monetary rewards and social factors during social interaction. However, within this array of factors, divergent evidence has been considered as potential contributors to social anxiety. To gain a better understanding of the specific factors associated with anxiety during social interaction, we combined a social interaction task with neurophysiological recordings obtained through an anxiety-elicitation task conducted in a Virtual Reality (VR) environment. Employing inter-subject representational similarity analysis (ISRSA), we explored the potential linkage between individuals’ anxiety neural patterns and their affective experiences during social interaction. Our findings suggest that, after controlling for other factors, the influence of the partner's emotional cues on individuals’ affective experiences is specifically linked to their neural pattern of anxiety. This indicates that the emergence of anxiety during social interaction may be particularly associated with the emotional cues provided by the social partner, rather than individuals’ own reward or prediction errors during social interaction. These results provide further support for the cognitive theory of social anxiety and extend the application of VR in future cognitive and affective studies.

Abstract An Electroencephalography (EEG) dataset utilizing rich text stimuli can advance the understanding of how the brain encodes semantic information and contribute to semantic decoding in brain-computer interface (BCI). Addressing the scarcity of EEG datasets featuring Chinese linguistic stimuli, we present the ChineseEEG dataset, a high-density EEG dataset complemented by simultaneous eye-tracking recordings. This dataset was compiled while 10 participants silently read approximately 13 hours of Chinese text from two well-known novels. This dataset provides long-duration EEG recordings, along with pre-processed EEG sensor-level data and semantic embeddings of reading materials extracted by a pre-trained natural language processing (NLP) model. As a pilot EEG dataset derived from natural Chinese linguistic stimuli, ChineseEEG can significantly support research across neuroscience, NLP, and linguistics. It establishes a benchmark dataset for Chinese semantic decoding, aids in the development of BCIs, and facilitates the exploration of alignment between large language models and human cognitive processes. It can also aid research into the brain’s mechanisms of language processing within the context of the Chinese natural language.

Coal mining machine is the core equipment of completely automated working face, and the research and development of intelligent coal mining robot is crucial for achieving the intellectualization of fully mechanized working face. This paper comprehensively analyzes the current research status of sensing detection, position and attitude control, speed control, cutting trajectory planning, and tracking control in the coal mining machine roboticization process, and proposes five key technologies that must be solved in the development of intelligent shearer robots, including sensing and detection, pose control, velocity control, cutting trajectory planning and tracking control. Aiming at the problem of intelligent perception, this paper proposes the construction thought of a coal mining robot intelligent perception system, as well as the architecture of a coal mining robot intelligent per-ception system. The architecture of the intelligent perception system for coal mining robots is outlined, enabling a comprehensive sensing of running state, posture, environment, and so on, thereby ensuring the safe and reliable operation of intelligent coal mining robots. In terms of the position and attitude control problem of intelligent coal mining robots, the intelligent PID position and attitude control thought is proposed, along with an improved genetic algorithm-based PID pose control method, enabling precise pose control for the coal mining robot. As to the problem of velocity control, the thought of cutting load measurement based on the fusion of “force-electricity” heterogeneous data is proposed. Additionally, a neural network-based algorithm for cutting load measurement is presented, achieving an accurate load measurement. Furthermore, a traction and cutting speed adaptive control approach is proposed, including an artificial intelligence-based decision-making method for traction and cutting speed and a sliding mode control method for traction and cutting speed with disturbance rejection. This approach enables a precise and adaptive speed control for the coal mining robot. Regarding the problem of cutting trajectory planning and tracking control, the precise cutting trajectory planning thought is proposed, incorporating geological data and historical cutting data into a cutting trajectory planning model. The precise cutting trajectory tracking control thought is proposed, and an intelligent interpolation algorithm-based cutting trajectory tracking control method is given, achieving a high-precision trajectory planning and accurate tracking control for the coal mining robot. Considering the “position-attitude-velocity” collaborative control problem, the intelligent optimization idea of "position-attitude-velocity" collaborative control parameters is proposed, which utilizes an improved particle swarm optimization method based on multi-system constraints to optimize the coordinated control parameters, resulting in intelligent and efficient operation of the coal mining robot. The in-depth investigation of these five key technologies for intelligent coal mining robot provides some valuable insights for accelerating the development of high-performance, efficient, and reliable intelligent coal mining robot.

Background This study aimed to investigate the potential role of ferroptosis/hypoxia-related genes in cervical cancer to improve early management and treatment of cervical cancer.Methods All data were downloaded from public databases. Ferroptosis/hypoxia-related genes associated with cervical cancer prognosis were selected to construct a risk score model. The relationship between risk score and clinical features, immune microenvironment and prognosis were analysed.Results Risk score model was constructed based on eight signature genes. Drug prediction analysis showed that bevacizumab and cisplatin were related to vascular endothelial growth factor A. Risk score, as an independent prognostic factor of cervical cancer, had a good survival prediction effect. The two groups differed significantly in degree of immune cell infiltration, gene expression, tumour mutation burden and somatic variation.Conclusions We developed a novel prognostic gene signature combining ferroptosis/hypoxia-related genes, which provides new ideas for individual treatment of cervical cancer.

In order to analyze the influence of deep learning model on detecting denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, this article first examines the concepts and attack strategies of DoS assaults before looking into the present detection methodologies for DoS attacks. A distributed DoS attack detection system based on deep learning is established in response to the investigation’s limitations. This system can quickly and accurately identify the traffic of distributed DoS attacks in the network that needs to be detected and then promptly send an alarm signal to the system. Then, a model called the Improved Conditional Wasserstein Generative Adversarial Network with Inverter (ICWGANInverter) is proposed in response to the characteristics of incomplete network traffic in DoS attacks. This model automatically learns the advanced abstract information of the original data and then employs the method of reconstruction error to identify the best classification label. It is then tested on the intrusion detection dataset NSL-KDD. The findings demonstrate that the mean square error of continuous feature reconstruction in the sub-datasets KDDTest+ and KDDTest-21 steadily increases as the noise factor increases. All of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves are shown at the top of the diagonal, and the overall area under the ROC curve (AUC) values of the macro-average and micro-average are above 0.8, which demonstrates that the ICWGANInverter model has excellent detection performance in both single category attack detection and overall attack detection. This model has a greater detection accuracy than other models, reaching 87.79%. This demonstrates that the approach suggested in this article offers higher benefits for detecting DoS attacks.

Summary: Sensory and emotional experiences are essential for mental and physical well-being, especially within the realm of psychiatry. This article highlights recent advances in cognitive neuroscience, emphasizing the significance of pain recognition and empathic artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. We provide an overview of the recent development process in computational pain recognition and cognitive neuroscience regarding the mechanisms of pain and empathy. Through a comprehensive discussion, the article delves into critical questions such as the methodologies for AI in recognizing pain from diverse sources of information, the necessity for AI to exhibit empathic responses, and the associated advantages and obstacles linked with the development of empathic AI. Moreover, insights into the prospects and challenges are emphasized in relation to fostering artificial empathy. By delineating potential pathways for future research, the article aims to contribute to developing effective assistants equipped with empathic capabilities, thereby introducing safe and meaningful interactions between humans and AI, particularly in the context of mental health and psychiatry.

BackgroundTo assess the differences among three dose-fractionation schedules of image-guided adaptive brachytherapy (IGABT) in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) by comparing the dosimetry and clinical outcomes.MethodsForty-five patients with CSCC who underwent chemoradiotherapy and IGABT were retrospectively enrolled and divided into three groups based on their dose-fractionation schedules of brachytherapy as: Group-5.5 (5.5 Gy × 6 fractions), Group-6.0 (6.0 Gy × 5 fractions), and Group-7.0 (7.0 Gy × 4 fractions). The analyzed dose-volume histogram parameters included D90% and D98% of the high-risk clinical target volume (HR-CTV), D90% and D98% of intermediate-risk clinical target volume (IR-CTV), and D0.1cc and D2cc of the organs-at-risk (OARs, namely the bladder, rectum, sigmoid and small intestine). Furthermore, the therapeutic efficacy and late toxicities were also compared among the three groups.ResultsThe doses of HR-CTV and IR-CTV in Group-5.5 were found to be the highest among the three groups, followed by those in Group-6.0. Significant differences were found for the doses of HR-CTV between Group-5.5 and the other groups. There were no significant differences in the bladder, sigmoid and small intestine dose among the three groups. However, Group-6.0 yielded the lowest rectum received doses, with a significant difference in D0.1cc being detected between Group-6.0 and Group-5.5. The median follow-up time was 30.08 months [range, 6.57–46.3]. The numbers of patients with complete response in Group-5.5, Group-6.0 and Group-7.0 were 13, 14 and 14, respectively (P > 0.05). In regard to the toxicitiy, the incidence of radiation cystitis and proctitis in Group-6.0 was lower than that in Group-5.5 and Group-7.0 (P > 0.05).ConclusionsThe dose-fractionation schedule of 6.0 Gy × 5 fractions provided the most beneficial effects with relatively low OARs doses, suggesting that this dose-fractionation schedule should be prioritized in the clinical application of brachytherapy in cervical cancer.

In the Junggar Basin plague focus, Rhombomys opimus and Meriones meridianus live together, and their parasitic fleas have a similar community structure. However, R. opimus has significantly higher positive rates of Yersinia pestis and anti-F1 antibody compared with M. meridianus. In this study, Y. pestis- and antiF1 antibody-negative R. opimus and M. penicilliger were collected in Qitai county, Fukang city and Mulei county of the eastern part of the Junggar Basin. The genomic DNA was extracted from their spleen tissues, and RT1-Db1*exon1 was amplified through PCR procedure and then sequenced. Sequence analysis was performed and molecular diversity parameters were calculated and compared. The results showed that there were significant differences in nucleotide composition, amino acid composition, number and distribution of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites and number of haplotypes between R. opimus and M. penicilliger. The nucleotide diversity (π) for R. opimus was 0.00420 ± 0.00139, the haplotype diversity (h) was 0.833 ± 0.086, and the average number of nucleotide differences (K) was 2.02564. The π for M. penicilliger was 0.06569 ± 0.02524, and the h was 1.000 ± 0.045, and the K was 10.4444. The fixation index (FST) value between R. opimus and M. penicilliger was 0.9207. Furthermore, the FST value within R. opimus (0.0275) was significantly lower than that within M. penicilliger (0.2106), indicating a greater genetic variation of M. penicilliger compared with R. opimus. In conclusion, the genetic diversity analysis based on RT1-Db1*exon1 showed that M. penicilliger had higher gene polymorphism and greater genetic differentiation compared with R. opimus in the Junggar Basin plague focus, which might be associated with the low infection rate of Y. pestis.

Polystyrene nanoparticles are emerging as contaminants in freshwater environments, posing potential risks to amphibians exposed to extended periods of water contamination. Using tadpoles as a model, this study aimed to evaluate the toxicity of PS NPs. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (Py-GCMS) analysis revealed a concentration-dependent increase in polystyrene nanoparticles (PS NPs) levels in tadpoles with escalating exposure concentrations. Following exposure to 100 nm fluorescent microspheres, fluorescence was observed in the intestines and gills, peaking at 48 hours. Histopathological analysis identified degenerative necrosis and inflammation in the liver, along with atrophic necrosis of glomeruli and tubules in the kidneys. These results indicate a discernible impact of PS NPs on antioxidant levels, including reduced superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, elevated glutathione content, and increased malondialdehyde levels. Electron microscopy observations revealed the infiltration of PS NPs into Kupffer's cells and hepatocytes, leading to visible lesions such as nuclear condensation and mitochondrial disruption. The primary objective of this research was to elucidate the adverse effects of prolonged PS NPs exposure on amphibians.

ObjectivesIn the context of global carbon reduction, in order to meet the environmental require-ments of the design and construction of polar ships, this paper studies the impact of brash ice on the optimal design of polar expedition cruise ships when navigating across oceans and designs the most optimal energy-saving hull lines. MethodsIn view of the transoceanic characteristics of polar expedition cruise ships, the navigation region-based weighting method is used to quantify the evaluation and analyze the impact of brash ice on resistance and propulsion efficiency. An analysis is carried out of the performance of the propeller in broken ice channel through the coupling calculation of the computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method (CFD-DEM), an optimization model with the goal of combined self-propulsion power is established, and optimization calculations are performed for the parametric model of the whole ship at the designed speed.ResultsThe calculation results show that the optimized ship hull meets the requirements of displacement and effectively reduces navigation power in open water and broken ice channel with a combined self-propulsion power reduction of 9.71%.ConclusionsThe results of this study verify the feasibility and rationality of optimization based on the weighting method, and can provide references for the optimization design of hull form and thrusters of polar expedition cruise ships.

Objective: To explore the relationships among the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related factors (SNAIL, TWIST, and E-Cadherin) and clinicopathological parameters and gastric mesangial tumor deposits (TDs) in advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients and their value in gastric cancer prognosis judgment. Materials and Methods: The data of 190 patients who underwent radical resection of ACG were analyzed retrospectively, including 75 cases of TDs (+) and 115 cases of TDs (-). The expression of EMT-related transforming factors Snail, Twist, and E-cadherin in the primary tumor, paracancerous normal tissues, and TDs was detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: SNAIL and TWIST were overexpressed in primary tumors and TDs, whereas E-Cadherin was down-expressed in primary tumors. SNAIL was correlated significantly with tumor differentiation, lymph node metastases, and TDs (P < 0.05); TWIST was correlated strongly with tumor location, lymph node metastases, and TDs (P < 0.05); E-Cadherin was correlated closely with tumor differentiation and lymph node metastases (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier curves showed that SNAIL expression was correlated with DFS (P < 0.05), and TWIST expression was correlated with OS (P < 0.05). Tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and TWIST expression were prognostic-independent risk factors of AGC patients (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The occurrence and development of gastric cancer and the formation of TDs may be related to EMT, analyzing the expression of EMT-related transforming proteins may be helpful to judge the prognosis of gastric cancer.

Abstract Background sCD25 is an important immune molecule for T cell regulation. Tracking the detection of plasma sCD25 plays an important role in the evaluation of immune function, progression, and prognosis of tuberculosis (TB) patients. This study analyzed the association of plasma sCD25 levels with clinical, laboratory, CT imaging characteristics, and clinical outcome of TB patients. Methods The clinical data of 303 TB patients treated in the Fifth People’s Hospital of Suzhou from October 2019 to January 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The levels of sCD25 in plasma were detected by ELISA. According to the cut-off threshold of plasma sCD25 levels, the patients were divided into a low-value group (Group TB1) and a high-value group (Group TB2). The association of plasma sCD25 levels with clinical, laboratory, and CT imaging characteristics of TB patients, as well as their TB treatment outcome were analyzed. Results The levels of plasma sCD25 of patients with TB patients were higher than that of the healthy control group (P

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are some of the most harmful algal neurotoxins in the world. They easily accumulate in bivalve shellfish and are transmitted through the food chain, causing symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, muscle paralysis, dyspnea and even asphyxiation in consumers, leading to food poisoning in humans. Therefore, a widely accepted limit standard of 800 μg STXeq/kg has been established as a safe limit for PSTs. PSTs are produced by some microalgae, among which Alexandrium tamarense is one of the predominant toxic algae found along the coast of China. It was found that the detection rate and over-standard rate of Chlamys farreri in bivalve shellfish sold in China are relatively high. PSTs are mainly stored in visceral masses and are characterized by their fast accumulation and slow metabolism.PSTs are neurotoxins that exert their toxic effects by blocking sodium channels and inhibiting nerve conduction. Studies have shown that PSTs can cause stress responses in bivalves, including production of a large amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidant stress (including enzymatic and non-enzymatic defense), imbalance of intracellular redox homeostasis, and cell damage (i.e., lipid peroxidation). As one of the main products of lipid peroxidation, the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) can directly reflect tissue and cell membrane damage caused by PSTs. In addition, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD) are often used as indicators to evaluate the level of antioxidation, and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) plays a key role in antioxidant defense. The changes in lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes are commonly used in existing studies to reflect the injury and degree of stress in organisms. Some studies have also shown that PSTs can cause tissue damage and induce abnormal gene expression in C. farreri, but research on the changes of gene expression and regulatory mechanism of PST-induced tissue damage in C. farreri is still lacking. This information is important for establishing and perfecting food safety risk assessment technology.In this study, C. farreri was exposed to a strain of A. tamarense (AT5-3). We measured the toxin accumulation, oxidative stress kinase activity, and its transcriptional regulation in the visceral mass of C. farreri in control and experimental groups. Further, the ultrastructure of the visceral mass in the control group and the experimental group was observed to explore the initial stress response mechanism of C. farreri exposed to PSTs.The 2-year-old scallop C. farreri was selected as the experimental animal. AT5-3 was cultured in L1 medium at temperatures of (20±1) ℃, light intensity of 54 μ/Em2·s, and a light-dark ratio of 12 h: 12 h in the laboratory, and Chlorella vulgaris was cultured simultaneously. The experimental group was fed with algal solution in the exponential growth period and the cell density was 4×104–4.2×104 cells/mL. The control group was fed with the same amount of C. vulgaris. The experiment lasted 20 days, of which the first six (days 0–6) were the exposure stage and the remaining 14 days (days 7–20) were the metabolic stage. During the exposure stage, C. farreri were fed regularly with the AT5-3 strain in exponential growth period twice a day with a feeding dose of 8×106 cells/items/day. The same amount of C. vulgaris was fed in the metabolic stage.The results of toxin accumulation showed that paralytic shellfish toxins could accumulate rapidly in the visceral mass of C. farreri, but the metabolic rate was slow. The toxin content was highest on day 6 of the experiment, and the maximum accumulated content was approximately 15 times higher than the limit standard. The toxin residue reached its highest level (62.4%) on 20th day of the experiment.The results of enzyme activity tests showed that the stress due to MDA, GSH-Px, and POD in the visceral mass was significantly increase (P < 0.05), and the SOD activity was significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) after a brief increase. The results also showed that PSTs could induce lipid peroxidation in C. farreri, and POD, SOD, and GSH-Px were significantly stressed to eliminate the adverse effects of PSTs.The pathological changes in the visceral mass were observed under a transmission electron microscope and included vacuolation, chromatin aggregation, and nucleoplasmic pyknosis. Tissue damage worsened as the exposure time increased and although the toxin content in C. farreri decreased after the exposure period, the tissue damage was further aggravated. The results of transcriptome analysis showed that 933 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened from the visceral mass of C. farreri after PST exposure. The results of KEGG and GO annotations showed that DEGs were mainly annotated in amino acid metabolism, energy metabolism, and other metabolic processes. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis showed that apoptosis and the glutathione metabolic detoxification pathway were significantly up-regulated, mapping ALOX5, AfGST-σ11, caspase-8 and Bax4 key transcription factors. In the experimental group, the expression of ALOX5 and AfGST-σ11 increased significantly when the accumulation rate was highest (P < 0.05). The expression of caspase-8 and Bax4 was highest when toxin accumulation was high, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05).In summary, PSTs can cause lipid peroxidation stress and cell damage to C. farreri. In addition to antioxidant stress, C. farreri can activate characteristic apoptosis and resist PSTs toxicity by glutathione detoxification metabolism. However, this effect is limited and the persistent damage caused by high residual PSTs cannot be eliminated. This study provides a basis for further study on the potential toxicity of PSTs to the scallop C. farreri and its immunomolecular mechanisms.

In this paper, the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) was utilized to predict the peak discharge of dam failures, which was based on the combined Genetic Algorithm (GA) and Back Propagation (BP) neural network. The dataset comprises 40 samples from self-conducted experiments and available literature. To compare the efficiency of the suggested approach, three evaluation metrics, including the coefficient of determination (R2), the root mean square error (RMSE) and the mean absolute error (MAE), were analyzed for both the BP neural network and the GA-BP neural network. The findings suggest that (1) The prediction accuracy of the GA-BP was better than that of the BP; and (2) Compared to BP, GA-BP demonstrated a 9.07% average improvement in R2, a 57.36% average reduction in MAE, and a 57.53% average reduction in RMSE. In addition, the results of GA-BP and semi-empirical formulas were compared and the effect of three parameters on the peak discharge was analyzed. The results showed that the GA-BP model could effectively predict the peak discharge of dam failures.

Physalis pubescens and Physalis alkekengi, members of the Physalis genus, are valued for their delicious and medicinal fruits as well as their different ripened fruit colors—golden for P. pubescens and scarlet for P. alkekengi. This study aimed to elucidate the pigment composition and genetic mechanisms during fruit maturation in these species. Fruit samples were collected at four development stages, analyzed using spectrophotometry and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and complemented with transcriptome sequencing to assess gene expression related to pigment biosynthesis. β-carotene was identified as the dominant pigment in P. pubescens, contrasting with P. alkekengi, which contained both lycopene and β-carotene. The carotenoid biosynthesis pathway was central to fruit pigmentation in both species. Key genes pf02G043370 and pf06G178980 in P. pubescens, and TRINITY_DN20150_c1_g3, TRINITY_DN10183_c0_g1, and TRINITY_DN23805_c0_g3 in P. alkekengi were associated with carotenoid production. Notably, the MYB-related and bHLH transcription factors (TFs) regulated zeta-carotene isomerase and β-hydroxylase activities in P. pubescens with the MYB-related TF showing dual regulatory roles. In P. alkekengi, six TF families—bHLH, HSF, WRKY, M-type MADS, AP2, and NAC—were implicated in controlling carotenoid synthesis enzymes. Our findings highlight the intricate regulatory network governing pigmentation and provide insights into Physalis germplasm’s genetic improvement and conservation.

Aim: To explore the abundance and diversity of the gut microbiota in patients with lung cancer accompanied by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (LC-COPD). Methods: The study cohort comprised 15 patients with LC-COPD, 49 patients with lung cancer, and 18 healthy control individuals. ELISA was used to detect inflammatory factors in venous blood. 16S rDNA sequencing was performed to determine the abundance and diversity of the gut microbiota. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry was used to determine the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces samples. Results: The α-diversity index indicated that the richness and diversity of the gut microbiota were lower in patients with LC-COPD compared with patients with lung cancer and controls. Principal component analysis revealed significant differences among the three groups (P 0.05). Patients with lung cancer had the lowest serum concentration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a. There were no intergroup differences in the concentrations of other inflammatory factors. Conclusions: The present study indicated that the abundance and structure of the gut microbiota is altered, and the concentrations of SCFAs may be decreased in patients with LC-COPD. In addition, patients with lung cancer had the lowest serum concentration of TNF-a.

Natural killer (NK) cells represent key player in immune surveillance to eliminate transformed or malignant cells. One of mechanisms of action of NK cells is antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) by recognizing tumor antigens on the surface of cancer cells. However, the heterogeneity of tumor antigens and the scarcity of membrane surface targets significantly restrict this strategy. Recently, we constructed a new cargo by tethering a low pH insertion peptide (pHLIP) to the C terminus of the ectodomain of programed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) and demonstrated its ability to modulate immune responses. Herein, the potential application of PD-L1-pHLIP in cancer therapy was determined. pHLIP tethering had no effect on the binding capacity of PD-L1 protein to an anti-PD-L1 antibody (i.e. avelumab). Association of pHLIP rendered PD-L1 segment display on the surface of cellular membrane in the acidic buffer instead of the neutral solution. Importantly, plate-coated or beads-coupled PD-L1-pHLIP enable robust activation and expression of cytotoxic mediators of NK cells via engaging avelumab. Overall, this work provides proof of concept that recombinant PD-L1 protein decorated on the cellular membrane driven by pHLIP in combination with appropriate monoclonal antibody has potentials to elicit NK cytotoxicity, which may represent a novel and promising therapeutic avenue in cancer.

Abstract Nanomaterials, including ZIF‐8 nanoparticles (NPs), are shown to be effective antimicrobial agents against Methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA). However, the antibiofilm properties and mechanisms of ZIF‐8 NPs remain uncertain. In this study, ZIF‐8 NPs are prepared using the room temperature solution reaction method and characterized. Biofilm formation inhibition test and biofilm eradication test are performed and the results show that ZIF‐8 NPs can inhibit the formation of MRSA biofilm as well as disperse established MRSA biofilm. Proteomics and real‐time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are conducted to prove that ZIF‐8 NPs reduce the expression of adhesion‐related proteins, namely the fibronectin‐binding proteins A and B (fnbA/fnbB), fibrinogen binding protein caking factors A and B (clfA/clfB), elastin binding protein (ebps), and fibrin binding protein (eno). ZIF‐8 NPs also inhibit the arginine biosynthesis pathway by affecting the activities of argininosuccinate lyase, ornithine carbamyl transferase, Glutamate dehydrogenase, carbamate kinase, and arginine deiminase. A conclusion can be drawn from the above results that ZIF‐8 NPs can inhibit bacterial adhesion and kill bacteria directly, ultimately destroying MRSA biofilm. This study provides a molecular basis for the treatment of MRSA biofilm with ZIF‐8 NPs.

Summary: During the evolution of large models, performance evaluation is necessary for assessing their capabilities. However, current model evaluations mainly rely on specific tasks and datasets, lacking a united framework for assessing the multidimensional intelligence of large models. In this perspective, we advocate for a comprehensive framework of cognitive science-inspired artificial general intelligence (AGI) tests, including crystallized, fluid, social, and embodied intelligence. The AGI tests consist of well-designed cognitive tests adopted from human intelligence tests, and then naturally encapsulates into an immersive virtual community. We propose increasing the complexity of AGI testing tasks commensurate with advancements in large models and emphasizing the necessity for the interpretation of test results to avoid false negatives and false positives. We believe that cognitive science-inspired AGI tests will effectively guide the targeted improvement of large models in specific dimensions of intelligence and accelerate the integration of large models into human society.

Marburg virus (MARV) is one of the filovirus species that cause deadly hemorrhagic fever in humans, with mortality rates up to 90%. Neutralizing antibodies represent ideal candidates to prevent or treat virus disease. However, no antibody has been approved for MARV treatment to date. In this study, we identified a novel human antibody named AF-03 that targeted MARV glycoprotein (GP). AF-03 possessed a high binding affinity to MARV GP and showed neutralizing and protective activities against the pseudotyped MARV in vitro and in vivo. Epitope identification, including molecular docking and experiment-based analysis of mutated species, revealed that AF-03 recognized the Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1) binding domain within GP1. Interestingly, we found the neutralizing activity of AF-03 to pseudotyped Ebola viruses (EBOV, SUDV, and BDBV) harboring cleaved GP instead of full-length GP. Furthermore, NPC2-fused AF-03 exhibited neutralizing activity to several filovirus species and EBOV mutants via binding to CI-MPR. In conclusion, this work demonstrates that AF-03 represents a promising therapeutic cargo for filovirus-caused disease.

Objective: Neuroblastoma (NB) is a prevalent pediatric tumor originating from primordial neural crest cells. As one of the latest epigenetics investigations focuses, RNA 5-methylcytosine (m5C) is closely related to cancer risk. TET methylcytosine dioxygenase 3 (TET3) is a demethylase for m5C modification. Whether there is an association between TET3 gene polymorphisms and neuroblastoma risk remains unclear. Methods: We conducted an epidemiological study in 402 patients and 473 controls to evaluate the relationship between TET3 gene SNPs (rs7560668 T > C, rs828867 G > A, and rs6546891 A > G) and NB susceptibility. Results: Our results showed that rs828867 G > A significantly reduced NB risk in Chinese children [GA vs. GG, adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.52–0.98, P=0.040; GA/AA vs. GG, adjusted OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.55–0.998, P=0.048]. Individuals with 2–3 risk genotypes had a significantly higher NB risk than those with 0–1 risk genotypes (adjusted OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.04–1.88, P=0.027). The stratified analysis showed that the rs828867 G > A associated with decreased NB risk is remarkable among children aged >18 months (adjusted OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.46–0.96, P=0.029) and patients at clinical III + IV stages (adjusted OR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.45–0.98, P=0.040). Compared with the 0–1 risk genotype, the concurrence of 2–3 risk genotypes significantly increased NB risk in the following subgroups: children aged >18 months and patients at clinical III + IV stages. GTEx analysis suggested that rs828867 G > A was significantly associated with RP11-287D1.4 and POLE4 mRNA expression. Conclusions: Overall, our results revealed that rs828867 G > A in the TET3 gene is significantly associated with predisposition to NB.

Cognitive control resolves conflicts between task-relevant and -irrelevant information to enable goal-directed behavior. As conflicts can arise from different sources (e.g., sensory input, internal representations), how a limited set of cognitive control processes can effectively address diverse conflicts remains a major challenge. Based on the cognitive space theory, different conflicts can be parameterized and represented as distinct points in a (low-dimensional) cognitive space, which can then be resolved by a limited set of cognitive control processes working along the dimensions. It leads to a hypothesis that conflicts similar in their sources are also represented similarly in the cognitive space. We designed a task with five types of conflicts that could be conceptually parameterized. Both human performance and fMRI activity patterns in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex support that different types of conflicts are organized based on their similarity, thus suggesting cognitive space as a principle for representing conflicts.

As one of the important means to coordinate the relationship between the development and utilization activities of the coastal zone and the protection of the ecological environment, and to measure the sustainable development capacity of the coastal zone, the quantitative research of the comprehensive evaluation of marine eco-environment carrying capacity (MECC) of the is very important. This study reviews the existing problems in the current integrated assessment of MECC, compares and analyzes the commonly used methods for carrying capacity assessment, and selects a set of potential methods that is suitable for the integrated assessment of MECC in coastal areas according to the characteristics of coastal areas. On this basis, through the analysis of the results of the case application, the practicability and limitations of this set of methods is further discussed, and several improvement suggestions are proposed. The results show that: (1) in view of the complexity and uncertainty of the coastal ecosystem, some traditional and commonly used assessment methods of carrying capacity cannot be well applied to the integrated assessment of MECC in coastal areas; (2) by fully considering the interaction between human activities and the marine eco-environment, this set of potential methods proposed in this study can better support the establishment of the assessment index system, objectively give weight to each assessment index, and quantitatively analyze and evaluate the comprehensive MECC. And thus, it can provide a feasible approach for the integrated assessment of MECC as well as empirical references for ensuring a sustainable coastal development; (3) additionally, it still has several limitations, such as, mainly, the lack of authoritative and unified indicator systems, as well as specific rating standards. Therefore, future studies should focus on related methods for the establishment of assessment indicator system and the classification criteria for evaluation results, so as to improve the assessment system for MECC and thus apply it to a more scientific analysis of the MECC in coastal areas.

Abstract Background Neuroblastoma, a neuroendocrine tumor originating from the sympathetic ganglia, is one of the most common malignancies in childhood. RTEL1 is critical in many fundamental cellular processes, such as DNA replication, DNA damage repair, genomic integrity, and telomere stability. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the RTEL1 gene have been reported to confer susceptibility to multiple cancers, but their contributing roles in neuroblastoma remain unclear. Methods We conducted a study on 402 neuroblastoma cases and 473 controls to assess the association between four RTEL1 SNPs (rs3761124 T>C, rs3848672 T>C, rs3208008 A>C and rs2297441 G>A) and neuroblastoma susceptibility. Results Our results show that rs3848672 T>C is significantly associated with an increased risk of neuroblastoma [CC vs. TT/TC: adjusted odds ratio (OR)=1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.02-1.90, P=0.038]. The stratified analysis further indicated that boy carriers of the rs3848672 CC genotype had a higher risk of neuroblastoma, and all carriers had an increased risk of developing neuroblastoma of mediastinum origin. Moreover, the rs2297441 AA genotype increased neuroblastoma risk in girls and predisposed children to neuroblastoma arising from retroperitoneal. Conclusion Our study indicated that the rs3848672 CC and rs2297441 AA genotypes of the RTEL1 gene are significantly associated with an increased risk of neuroblastoma in Chinese children in a gender- and site-specific manner.

Abstract Background Enucleation, a surgical procedure, is commonly used to treat large jaw cysts, unicystic ameloblastomas and keratocysts. However, it remains unclear to what extent the jaw bone regenerates after enucleation. We aimed to evaluate the percentage and the survival analysis of jaw bone regeneration, in terms of cavity volume residual (CVR), in patients who underwent enucleation of large jaw cysts, unicystic ameloblastomas and keratocysts. Methods We collected data longitudinally from 75 patients who underwent jaw cystic lesions enucleation at the Stomatological Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, between January 2015 and June 2021. All patients had both preoperative and postoperative cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging data. CBCT images were analyzed using Image J. Changes in the CVR were assessed at various follow-up time points, and the Kaplan-Meier method was utilized to evaluate the CVR over time. Results The patients had a mean age of 31.7 years (range: 5.5–72 years) with 58.66% of them being male. The postoperative CVR was 32.20% at three months, 21.10% at six months, 15.90% at 12 months, and 5.60% at 24 months. The percentage of CVR during follow-up periods for the initial size Quartile (Q)1 (212.54-1569.60 mm3) was substantially lower than those of Q2 and Q3 at and after seven months of follow-up and became statistically significant at the 12-month mark. Conclusion This study demonstrates that spontaneous bone regeneration can occur after enucleation of large jaw cysts, unicystic ameloblastomas and keratocysts, even without the use of filler materials. The initial size of the lesion had a significant impact on the outcome of cystic lesion enucleation over time. To minimize the risks associated with radiation exposure and expenses, we recommend reducing the frequency of CT imaging follow-ups for patients with small initial cavity sizes (ranging from 212.54 to 1569.60 mm3).

This research investigates the flavonoid biosynthesis pathways of two ecotypes of Leymus chinensis, distinguished by their gray-green (GG) and yellow-green (YG) leaf colors, to uncover the molecular bases of their adaptability to different environmental conditions. By integrating comprehensive transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, we identified 338 metabolites, with 161 showing differential expression—124 upregulated and 37 downregulated. The transcriptomic data revealed substantial variation, with 50,065 genes differentially expressed between the ecotypes, suggesting complex genetic regulation of the flavonoid biosynthesis pathways involving 20 enzyme-coding genes. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis further highlighted the involvement of 26 genes in the synthesis of four distinct types of flavonoid metabolites, indicating the sophisticated modulation of these pathways. Our results demonstrate that the GG and YG ecotypes of Leymus chinensis exhibit distinct flavonoid profiles and gene expression patterns, with the GG ecotype showing a higher accumulation of quercetin and kaempferol (increased by 25% and 33%, respectively, compared to YG), suggesting enhanced antioxidant capacity. Conversely, the YG ecotype displayed a broader spectrum of flavonoid metabolites, possibly indicating an adaptive strategy favoring diverse ecological interactions. Our results show that the GG and YG ecotypes of Leymus chinensis exhibit distinct flavonoid profiles and gene expression patterns, suggesting divergent adaptive strategies to environmental stress. This study highlights the crucial role of flavonoid metabolites in plant adaptation strategies, enhancing our understanding of plant resilience and adaptability. The distinct metabolic profiles observed suggest that the GG ecotype may be better equipped to handle oxidative stress, while the YG ecotype could be predisposed to broader ecological interactions. This emphasizes the value of applying machine learning in predicting plant adaptability, providing a new perspective for the future exploration of how plants adapt to environmental challenges. Meanwhile, the information gleaned from this nuanced study offers a foundation for future investigations into the genetic and environmental factors involved in plant adaptation.

Bodily self-consciousness (BSC), a subject of interdisciplinary interest, refers to the awareness of one’s bodily states. Previous studies have noted the existence of individual differences in BSC, while neglecting the underlying factors and neural basis of such individual differences. Considering that BSC relied on integration from both internal and external self-relevant information, we here review previous findings on individual differences in BSC through a three-level-self model, which includes interoceptive, exteroceptive, and mental self-processing. The data show that cross-level factors influenced individual differences in BSC, involving internal bodily signal perceptibility, multisensory processing principles, personal traits shaped by environment, and interaction modes that integrate multiple levels of self-processing. Furthermore, in interoceptive processing, regions like the anterior cingulate cortex and insula show correlations with different perceptions of internal sensations. For exteroception, the parietal lobe integrates sensory inputs, coordinating various BSC responses. Mental self-processing modulates differences in BSC through areas like the medial prefrontal cortex. For interactions between multiple levels of self-processing, regions like the intraparietal sulcus involve individual differences in BSC. We propose that diverse experiences of BSC can be attributed to different levels of self-processing, which moderates one’s perception of their body. Overall, considering individual differences in BSC is worth amalgamating diverse methodologies for the diagnosis and treatment of some diseases.

Localizing the brain regions affected by tasks is crucial to understanding the mechanisms of brain function. However, traditional statistical analysis does not accurately identify the brain regions of interest due to factors such as sample size, task design, and statistical effects. Here, we propose a hypergraph-based multitask feature selection framework, referred to as HMTFS, which we apply to a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) dataset to extract task-related brain regions. HMTFS is characterized by its ability to construct a hypergraph through correlations between subjects, treating each subject as a node to preserve high-order information of time-varying signals. Additionally, it manages feature selection across different time windows in fMRI data as multiple tasks, facilitating time-constrained group sparse learning with a smoothness constraint. We utilize a large fMRI dataset from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) to validate the performance of HMTFS in feature selection. Experimental results demonstrate that brain regions selected by HMTFS can provide higher accuracy for downstream classification tasks compared to other competing feature selection methods and align with findings from previous neuroscience studies.

Abstract Background Low-grade gangliogliomas (GGs) are typically epileptogenic intracranial neoplasms. Yet, the presentation of simplex vertiginous experience and spontaneous downbeat nystagmus (DBN) has not been reported to date. Case presentation We present the case of a 26-year-old male with focal onset impaired awareness seizures, characterized by vertigo due to right temporal lobe epilepsy caused by ganglioglioma. As rare presentations, a spontaneous, consistent DBN in the absence of vertiginous experience was noticed. MRI suggested lesion in the right temporal pole. Twenty-four-hour continuous electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring recorded periodic sharp and slow waves, originating from the right temporal lobe. The patient was completely relieved of the symptoms after surgical removal of the tumor, which was histologically confirmed as Grade I Ganglioglioma. Conclusions Asides from the cortical pathogenesis of epileptic vertigo, this case also provides insight into the DBN secondary to tumor of the temporal lobe. Moreover, the 24-h EEG is advantageous to recognize vestibular seizures and localize the ictal onset areas.

Abstract Objective To visualize and analyze the published literature on diabetes mellitus and pyroptosis based on a bibliometric approach, so as to provide a comprehensive picture of the hot research directions and dynamic progress in this field. Methods This study was based on the web of science core collection database to conduct a comprehensive search of the published literature in the field of diabetes mellitus and Pyroptosis from January 1985 to August 2022, including the published research literature in this field, as well as a visual analysis of the number of citations, year of publication, journal, author, research institution, country, and research topic. Results A total of 139 literature on research related to diabetes mellitus and cellular scorch from 2011 to 2022 were retrieved, with a total of 3009 citations and a maximum of 255 citations for a single article, which had a first author Schmid-Burgk, JL The first author of this article is from Germany; among 20 publishing countries, China leads with 100 articles; among 222 publishing institutions, Harbin Medical University leads with 18 articles and 184 citations; among 980 authors, Chen, X from China tops the list of high-impact authors with 5 articles and 29 citations. Among the 98 journals, "CELL DEATH DISEASE" ranked first in both volume and high-impact journals with 4 articles and 29 citations. Among 349 keywords, "pyroptosis" ranked first with a cumulative frequency of 65 times. The cluster analysis was divided into three categories, chronic complications of diabetes mellitus and pyroptosis (67 articles), diabetes mellitus and pyroptosis (60 articles), and diabetes mellitus combined with other diseases and pyroptosis (12 articles), and the number of articles related to diabetes mellitus and its chronic complications increased rapidly from 2019, among which, diabetic cardiomyopathy (27 articles) had the highest number of articles. Conclusions Based on a comprehensive analysis of published literature in the field of diabetes mellitus and pyroptosis from 2011 to 2022, this study achieved a visual analysis of studies with significant and outstanding contributions to the field, thus framing a picture showing the development and changes in the field. At the same time, this study provides research information and direction for clinicians and investigators to conduct diabetes mellitus and pyroptosis-related research in the future.

Background: Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are a relatively new class of anticancer agents that use monoclonal antibodies to specifically recognize tumour cell surface antigens. However, off-target effects may lead to severe adverse events. This study evaluated the neurotoxicity of ADCs using the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database.Research design and methods: Data were extracted from the FAERS database for 2004 Q1 to 2022 Q4. We analysed the clinical characteristics of ADC-related neurological adverse events (AEs). We used the reporting odds ratio (ROR) and proportional reporting ratio (PRR) for the disproportionality analysis to evaluate the potential association between AEs and ADCs.Results: A total of 562 cases of neurological AEs were attributed to ADCs. The median age was 65 years old [(Min; Max) = 3; 92]. Neurotoxic signals were detected in patients receiving brentuximab vedotin, enfortumab vedotin, polatuzumab vedotin, trastuzumab emtansine, gemtuzumab ozogamicin, inotuzumab ozogamicin, and trastuzumab deruxtecan. The payloads of brentuximab vedotin, enfortumab vedotin, polatuzumab vedotin, and trastuzumab emtansine were microtubule polymerization inhibitors, which are more likely to develop neurotoxicity. We also found that brentuximab vedotin- and gemtuzumab ozogamicin-related neurological AEs were more likely to result in serious outcomes. The eight most common ADC-related nervous system AE signals were peripheral neuropathy [ROR (95% CI) = 16.98 (14.94–19.30), PRR (95% CI) = 16.0 (14.21–18.09)], cerebral haemorrhage [ROR (95% CI) = 9.45 (7.01–12.73), PRR (95% CI) = 9.32 (6.95–12.50)], peripheral sensory neuropathy [ROR (95% CI) = 47.87 (33.13–69.19), PRR (95% CI) = 47.43 (32.93–68.30)], polyneuropathy [ROR (95% CI) = 26.01 (18.61–36.33), PRR (95% CI) = 25.75 (18.50–35.86)], encephalopathy [ROR (95% CI) = 5.16 (3.32–8.01), PRR (95% CI) = 5.14 (3.32–7.96)], progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy [ROR (95% CI) = 22.67 (14.05–36.58), PRR (95% CI) = 22.52 (14.01–36.21)], taste disorder [ROR (95% CI) = 26.09 (15.92–42.76), PRR (95% CI) = 25.78 (15.83–42.00)], and guillain barrier syndrome [ROR (95% CI) = 17.844 (10.11–31.51), PRR (95% CI) = 17.79 (10.09–31.35)]. The mortality rate appeared to be relatively high concomitantly with AEs in the central nervous system.Conclusion: ADCs may increase the risk of neurotoxicity in cancer patients, leading to serious mortality. With the widespread application of newly launched ADC drugs, combining the FAERS data with other data sources is crucial for monitoring the neurotoxicity of ADCs. Further studies on the potential mechanisms and preventive measures for ADC-related neurotoxicity are necessary.

Recently, the high incidence of oral mucosal defects and the subsequent functional impairments have attracted widespread attention. Controlling scaffold geometry pattern has been proposed as a strategy to promote cell behavior and facilitate soft tissue repair. In this study, we innovatively construct an integrated dual-layer heterogeneous polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold using melt electrowriting (MEW) technology. The outer layer was disordered, while the inner layer featured oriented fiber patterns: parallel (P-par), rhombic (P-rhomb), and square (P-sq). Our findings revealed that the P-rhomb and P-sq scaffolds exhibited superior surface wettability, roughness, and tensile strength compared to the pure disordered PCL scaffolds (P) and P-par. Compared to the commercial collagen membranes, the outer layer of PCL can effectively inhibit bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. Furthermore, the P-rhomb and P-sq groups demonstrated higher gene and protein expression levels related to cell adhesion and cell migration rates than did the P and P-par groups. Among them, P-sq plays an important role in inducing the differentiation of gingival fibroblasts into myofibroblasts rich in α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Additionally, P-sq could reduce inflammation, promote epithelial regeneration, and accelerate wound healing when used in full-thickness oral mucosal defects in rabbits. Overall, the integrated dual-layer heterogeneous PCL scaffold fabricated by MEW technology effectively inhibited bacterial adhesion and guided tissue regeneration, offering advantages for clinical translation and large-scale production. This promising material holds important potential for treating full-thickness mucosal defects in a bacteria-rich oral environments.

Objective: Neuroblastoma is a life-threatening pediatric solid tumor whose etiology remains unclear. N7-methylguanosine (m7G) is one of the most important epigenetic modifications of RNA, which plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis. The m7G-mediated genes METTL1 and WDR4 also have been reported to be dysregulated in various cancers. However, the implications of METTL1 and WDR4 in neuroblastoma have not been clarified. Methods: Given the oncogenic potential of m7G modification, we performed a case-control study to assess the association of METTL1 and WDR4 genes polymorphisms with neuroblastoma risk in a Chinese population consisting of 402 cases and 473 controls. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were applied to evaluate the associations between studied polymorphisms and neuroblastoma risk. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) was adjusted for age and gender. Results: Overall, four polymorphisms were significantly associated with neuroblastoma risk, including METTL1 rs2291617 (recessive model: adjusted OR = 1.59, 95 % CI = 1.08–2.34, P = 0.019), WDR4 rs2156316 (dominant model: adjusted OR = 0.74, 95 % CI = 0.57–0.97, P = 0.028), WDR4 rs6586250 (dominant model: adjusted OR = 0.59, 95 % CI = 0.42–0.84, P = 0.004) and WDR4 rs15736 (dominant model: adjusted OR = 0.60, 95 % CI = 0.42–0.85, P = 0.004). Stratified analysis showed stronger correlations between significant polymorphisms and neuroblastoma risk among subgroups divided by age, gender, tumor origin, and clinical stage. Furthermore, expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis revealed that significant polymorphisms were associated with the expression of the adjacent genes. Conclusions: Our study indicated that four polymorphisms in m7G-mediated genes contribute to neuroblastoma susceptibility in the eastern Chinese population. However, our findings should be verified further by large-scale and well-designed studies.

IntroductionPatients with COVID-19 may experience various neurological conditions, including cognitive impairment, encephalitis, and stroke. This is particularly significant in individuals who already have Alzheimer’s disease (AD), as the cognitive impairments can be more pronounced in these cases. However, the extent and underlying mechanisms of cognitive impairments in COVID-19-infected AD patients have yet to be fully investigated through clinical and neurophysiological approaches.MethodsThis study included a total of 77 AD patients. Cognitive functions were assessed using neuropsychiatric scales for all participants, and plasma biomarkers of amyloid protein and tau protein were measured in a subset of 25 participants. To investigate the changes in functional brain connectivity induced by COVID-19 infection, a cross-sectional neuroimaging design was conducted involving a subset of 37 AD patients, including a control group of 18 AD participants without COVID-19 infection and a COVID-19 group consisting of 19 AD participants.ResultsFor the 77 AD patients between the stages of pre and post COVID-19 infection, there were significant differences in cognitive function and psychobehavioral symptoms on the Montreal Scale (MoCA), the neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI), the clinician’s global impression of change (CIBIC-Plus), and the activity of daily living scale (ADL). The COVID-19 infection significantly decreased the plasma biomarker level of Aβ42 and increased the plasma p-tau181 level in AD patients. The COVID-19-infected AD patients show decreased local coherence (LCOR) in the anterior middle temporal gyrus and decreased global correlation (GCOR) in the precuneus and the medial prefrontal cortex.ConclusionThe findings suggest clinical, cognitive, and neural alterations following COVID-19 infection in AD patients and emphasize the need for close monitoring of symptoms in AD patients who have had COVID-19 and further exploration of the underlying mechanisms.

BackgroundTo assess the relationship of genetically predicted sexual behavior (age at first sex (AFS) and the number of sexual partners (NSP)) on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).Methods and resultsWe performed two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) with publicly available datasets from the UK Biobank and FinnGen Study, and analyzed genome-wide association results for sexual behaviors and twelve types of CVDs. The univariable MR method provided a total effect of AFS and NSP on CVDs, and showed evidence that early AFS rather than NSP was associated with CVDs, including angina pectoris (AP), atrial fibrillation and flutter (AFF), coronary atherosclerosis (CAS), deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremity (DVT-LE), heart failure (HF), hypertension (HTN), ischaemic stroke (IS), and myocardial infarction (MI). Given sex as a social determinant of CVD risk, we used gender-stratified SNPs to investigate gender differences in the development of CVDs. These results showed a stronger causal relationship of AFS on CVDs in females than in males. Further multivariable MR analyses indicated a direct effect after accounting for insomnia, number of days of vigorous physical activity 10 + minutes (VPA 10 + min), and time spent watching television (TV). Two-step MR demonstrated these three risk factors act as a mediator in AFS associated AP/HTN/HF.ConclusionsWe provide evidence that early AFS increased the risk of CVDs. These associations may be partly caused by VPA 10 + min, insomnia, and the time spent on TV. The causality of AFS on CVDs in females was stronger than in males. Conversely, genetically predicted NSP was not associated with CVDs.

The inactivation kinetic of peroxidase in Capsella bursa-pastoris during blanching was evaluated using first-order, Weibull, and Logistic models. The goodness-of-fit of the three tested models was assessed using the coefficient of determination (R2), chi-square (x2), root mean square error (RMSE), accuracy factor (Af), bias factor (Bf). Moreover, the best goodness-of-fit model was used to predict the blanching process according to the content of vitamin C. The results indicated that the Logistic model was most suitable than other models for predicting POD inactivation. The performance of the Logistic model indicated a strong fit by the high coefficient of determination (R2=0.9980) and low prediction error (x2=0.96×10−4, RMSE=0.0097, Af=1.1304, Bf=1.0070). While the blanching inactivated 95% peroxidase activity in Capsella bursa-pastoris, the relative enzyme activity of POD was 0.050±0.001 after blanching at 100 ℃ for 20 s and 80 ℃ for 287 s according to Logistic model. There was a significant difference in vitamin C content after blanching, high-temperature-short-time blanching could reduce the loss of vitamin C. The inactivation kinetic model of POD can predict the blanching process conditions, which can reduce the loss of heat-sensitive nutrients such as vitamin C.

Physalis philadelphica, a member of the Solanaceae family, commonly known as Physalis, is a one-year-old herbaceous plant with both medicinal and edible properties, as well as ornamental value. At present, only limited research is available on the flower color of P. philadelphica. This study aimed to elucidate the metabolic characteristics underlying the flower color of P. philadelphica and to identify key genes associated with flower color metabolism. We selected two representative varieties of P. philadelphica with significant differences in flower color, namely, “Tieba” (yellow flower) and “Qingjin” (yellow-purple flower), as the experimental materials. The analysis of related pigment components and the determination of relative content by high-performance liquid chromatography were conducted to investigate the flower color-related metabolic pathways of P. philadelphica. Through next-generation sequencing, these pathways were further investigated for the characteristics and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with flower color formation. The results of the research show that: Anthocyanin is the main component of petal coloring of P. philadelphica var. Qingjin, while malvidin pigment, pelargonidin, delphinidin, and cyanidin are the main components of flower color intensity. Carotenoids are the main components of the petal coloring of P. philadelphica var. Tieba and β-carotene is the main component of flower color intensity. Comparing different developmental stages of these two kinds of Physalis pubescens, we identified two key transcription factors (TFs) (eBP and STAT) that were involved in the inhibition of anthocyanin synthesis and regulate the inhibition of pf05G124640 (dihydroflavonol 4-reductase) and pf09G224140 (anthocyanin synthase) in anthocyanin synthesis. One heat shock transcription factor was found to regulate the flavonoid and flavonol synthesis pathway of pf01G020090 (anthocyanin 3-O-glucosyltransferase); two key TFs (NAC and G2-Like), pf10G255070 (isoricin dehydrogenase) and pf09G237080 (abscisic acid 8′-hydroxylase), played important roles in carotene biosynthesis. This study provides new insights for further exploration of the genetic diversity of petal coloring in P. philadelphica and establishes a foundation for subsequent molecular breeding efforts.

Abstract Background Neuroblastoma is a common malignant tumor stemming from the sympathetic nervous system in children, which is often life‐threatening. The genetics of neuroblastoma remains unclear. Studies have shown that miRNAs participate in the regulation of a broad spectrum of biological pathways. The abnormity in the miRNA is associated with the risk of various cancers, including neuroblastoma. However, research on the relationship of miRNA polymorphisms with neuroblastoma susceptibility is still in the initial stage. Methods In this research, a retrospective case–control study was conducted to explore whether miR‐100 rs1834306 A > G polymorphism is associated with neuroblastoma susceptibility. We enrolled 402 cases and 473 controls for the study. The logistic regression analysis was adopted to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between miR‐100 rs1834306 A > G and neuroblastoma risk. Results Our results elucidated that the miR‐100 rs1834306 A > G polymorphism was associated with the decreased risk of neuroblastoma (AG versus AA: adjusted OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.53–0.98, and P = 0.038). The subsequent stratified analysis further found that rs1834306 AG/GG genotype reduced the risk of neuroblastoma in the subgroup with tumors of the mediastinum origin (adjusted OR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.41–0.95, and P = 0.029). Conclusions In summary, miR‐100 rs1834306 A > G polymorphism was shown to associate with decreased neuroblastoma risk in Chinese children, especially for neuroblastoma of mediastinum origin. This conclusion needs to be verified in additional large‐size case–control studies.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by pervasive deficits in social interaction, communication impairments, and the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors. This complex disorder is a significant public health concern due to its escalating incidence and detrimental impact on quality of life. Currently, extensive investigations are underway to identify prospective susceptibility or predictive biomarkers, employing a physiological biomarker-based framework. However, knowledge regarding physiological biomarkers in relation to Autism is sparse. We performed a scoping review to explore putative changes in physiological activities associated with behaviors in individuals with Autism. We identified studies published between January 2000 and June 2023 from online databases, and searched keywords included electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), electrodermal activity markers (EDA), eye-tracking markers. We specifically detected social-related symptoms such as impaired social communication in ASD patients. Our results indicated that the EEG/ERP N170 signal has undergone the most rigorous testing as a potential biomarker, showing promise in identifying subgroups within ASD and displaying potential as an indicator of treatment response. By gathering current data from various physiological biomarkers, we can obtain a comprehensive understanding of the physiological profiles of individuals with ASD, offering potential for subgrouping and targeted intervention strategies.

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are phycotoxins widely distributed worldwide and pose serious marine ecosystems and human health threats. In China's Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea, Alexandrium spp. has been certified as the major causative dinoflagellate of PSTs, especially in Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province where several poisoning events have been reported, with tens of consumers suffering and some even dying. In terms of these events, mussels contaminated with PSTs were the major cause of consumer poisoning. Therefore, it is vital to reveal the risk of PSTs in these shellfish, which requires scientific opinions on the formation of terminal components of PSTs in mussels. Generally, mussels are not sensitive to PSTs, resulting in the high accumulation of PSTs in their tissues. The PSTs distribute, bio-transfer, and metabolism, and the terminal metabolites pose a risk to consumers. From 2016 to the present, several serious events have occurred in Qinhuangdao caused by PSTs contamination in mussels, which resulted in poisoning by tens of consumers and a huge loss of regional economy. This study exposed purple mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis, the key cultured species of bivalves in Qinhuangdao, to Alexandrium catenella (GY-H25), the predominant producer of PSTs in this area. The accumulation and biotransformation process of PSTs in visceral mass and edible tissue and the accumulation metabolism kinetics were analyzed under exposure to different cell densities by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Our results showed that the growth and toxin production of GY-H25 was stable. The main components of PSTs were N-sulfocarbamoylgonyautoxin (C1 and C2), with the highest algal cell density of 3.5×107 cells/L and the highest production capacity of 2.96 pg STXeq/cell. Toxin-producing algae with the highest production of PSTs per unit volume and algal cell density (22 days) were selected for the exposure experiment. After exposure, the mussel accumulated a high content of PSTs in both visceral mass and edible tissue, with a similar trend in both exposure densities. The whole exposure experiment could be divided into four periods: 0~2 days as the initial exposure period (period Ⅰ); 2~7 days as the period of rapid accumulation (period Ⅱ); 7~12 days as the period of rapid metabolism (period Ⅲ); 12~30 days as the stable period (period Ⅳ). However, the level of PSTs in the visceral mass of mussels in both exposure groups exceeded the maximum residue limit (MRL) of EU (800 μg STX EQ/kg) at the end of the experiment, while that of PSTs in edible flesh was below the MRL. Comparatively, the highest concentration of PSTs in the visceral mass reached 6815.36 μg/kg in the high exposure group, which was 2.61 times that of the low exposure group, with an average accumulation rate of 17.89%, which was significantly higher than that of the low exposure group (13.06%). The results showed that the accumulation of PSTs in the visceral mass and edible tissue of Mytilus galloprovincialis was harmful to its tissues and organs. The toxin excretion rates of the high-and low-concentration groups of PSTs were 74.39 % and 59.15 %, respectively, after 23 days. The average daily elimination rate was 14.4 %, the metabolism rate of Mytilus edulis slowed down in the stable period (period Ⅳ), and some toxins remained in the visceral mass after 23 days of metabolism, which easily formed long-term toxin retention and threatened human life safety. In addition, PSTs in Mytilus galloprovincialis showed a strong biotransformation ability, mainly occurring among C1, C2, and GTX5. According to this research, the transformation pathway from C2 to GTX5 was the main pathway for GTX5 formation during rapid metabolism and stable periods. At the same time, the transformation of C1 to GTX5 was higher than that of C2 to C1, leading to a reduction in the overall proportion of C1. According to the comprehensive evaluation of the metabolic products and toxic equivalence factor (TEF) of GST components in mussels, the metabolic transformation of PSTs in mussels will further promote the formation and proportion of highly toxic GTX5, which will increase the terminal toxicity of PSTs in mussels and may also pose a higher risk to consumers. In this study, compared with the natural conditions, the concentration of toxic algae was far below the harmful algal bloom exposure. The total accumulation of toxins was far lower than the total accumulation of toxins in mussels exposed to harmful algal blooms. Even so, the total amount of residual toxins in the mussel viscera of the high concentration group was still enough to threaten human life safety at the end of the experiment. It was found that the toxin content in the visceral tissue tended to be stable over 12 to 30 days without an obvious downward trend. Even the toxin content increases due to the toxin transformation phenomenon, which means the difficulty in predicting the time required for PSTs in the visceral mass reduced to below the MRLs. Therefore, this study contributes to the scientific assessment of PSTs risk in mussels and provides a basis for establishing regional PSTs monitoring programs.