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This study is based on a comprehensive review of existing literature. Drawing upon the theories of task-technology fit (TTF) and technology adoption model (TAM), an integrated theoretical framework is developed. The framework places adaptability as a critical outcome variable and quality standard. This study constructs a student-centered online learning process model oriented towards effectiveness. The research is intended to utilize data from the "National Survey of Undergraduate Education Teaching Quality in Ordinary Universities" encompassing 123,894 Chinese university students from 272 undergraduate institutions. Through a questionnaire-based survey, the study comprehensively investigates the influence paths and mechanisms of several key factors, including environmental support (ES), teaching satisfaction (TS), perceived ease of use (PEU), task-technology fit (TTF), and learning adaptability (LA). The structural equation model largely validates the study's hypotheses, demonstrating significant correlations among the variables. The task-technology fit (TTF) and adaptability of university students are found to be influenced by teaching satisfaction (TS), perceived ease of use (PEU), and environmental support (ES). task-technology fit (TTF) emerges as a pivotal process variable in online learning. teaching satisfaction (TS) and perceived ease of use (PEU), as foundational elements, positively influence learning adaptability (LA) through the mediating role of task-technology fit (TTF). However, environmental support (ES) negatively predicts task-technology fit (TTF). The study findings offer empirical support for designing an environment conducive to enhancing students' adaptability in online learning. Furthermore, the outcomes guide policy formulation and practical strategies in various aspects, including optimizing teacher instruction in the online setting, enhancing students' perceived usability of digital technologies, and promoting the supply of online technological functionalities. Ultimately, these efforts contribute to the welfare of students' learning experiences.

Clivia mirabilis Rourke 2002 is an evergreen herbaceous flower with high ornamental value. In this study, we sequenced the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of C. mirabilis and reported it for the first time. The cp genome was 158,914 base pairs (bp) in total length, including two inverted repeats (IRs, 27,052 bp), separated by a large single-copy region (LSC, 86,519 bp) and a small single-copy region (SSC, 18,291 bp). There are 133 different genes in the cp genome of Clivia mirabilis, including 87 protein-coding genes, 38 transfer RNA genes, and eight ribosomal RNA genes. The overall GC content of the cp genome was 37.9%. Our phylogenetic analysis showed that C. mirabilis formed a monophyletic clade with the other sampled species of Clivia, falling into the Amaryllidoideae clade. Our findings could be used to identify and analyze the genetic diversity of C. mirabilis and provide new data for taxonomic and phylogenetic studies of Clivia.

Bacillus mojavensis KRS009 was identified as an antagonistic strain with a strong inhibitory effect on various phytopathogenic fungi. To provide further insight into its biocontrol mechanisms and ability to improve plant salt tolerance, the high quality complete genome of KRS009 was sequenced by PacBio platform and assembled using PacBio-HiFiReads. The KRS009 genome consists of one circular chromosome of 4,089,687 bp with 43.5% GC content and 4,062 open reading frames, of which 3,920 protein-coding genes, 86 transfer RNA, 10 ribosomal RNA, and 26 small RNA were identified in this genome. Among them, genes related to compatible solutes, including treC, galU, proX, and proW, are involved in the synthesis of trehalose, proline, and betaine metabolism and play an important role in relieving osmotic stress. In addition, the KRS009 genome contains genes associated with high salinity tolerance, including those responsible for Na+/H+ antiporters, K+ transporters, TrkH thiamin phosphate synthase, K+-sensing histidine kinase, aryl-phospho-beta-D-glucosidase, flavoprotein CzcO associated with the cation diffusion facilitator CzcD, and chaperonin GroEL. Together, the high-quality genome resource of strain KRS009 would provide a molecular basis for further research on its biocontrol and plant salt tolerance mechanisms. [Figure: see text] Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.

Abstract Tea bud detection technology is of great significance in realizing automated and intelligent plucking of tea buds. This study proposes a lightweight tea bud identification model based on modified Yolov5 to increase the picking accuracy and labor efficiency of intelligent tea bud picking while lowering the deployment pressure of mobile terminals. The following methods are used to make improvements: the backbone network CSPDarknet-53 of YOLOv5 is replaced with the EfficientNetV2 feature extraction network to reduce the number of parameters and floating-point operations of the model; the neck network of YOLOv5, the Ghost module is introduced to construct the ghost convolution and C3ghost module to further reduce the number of parameters and floating-point operations of the model; replacing the upsampling module of the neck network with the CARAFE upsampling module can aggregate the contextual tea bud feature information within a larger sensory field and improve the mean average precision of the model in detecting tea buds. The results show that the improved tea bud detection model has a mean average precision of 85.79%, only 4.14 M parameters, and only 5.02G of floating-point operations. The number of parameters and floating-point operations is reduced by 40.94% and 68.15%, respectively, when compared to the original Yolov5 model, but the mean average precision is raised by 1.67% points. The advantages of this paper’s algorithm in tea shot detection can be noticed by comparing it to other YOLO series detection algorithms. The improved YOLOv5 algorithm in this paper can effectively detect tea buds based on lightweight, and provide corresponding theoretical research for intelligent tea-picking robots.

Abstract Background Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication of sepsis. While impaired renal venous reflux indicates renal congestion, the relationship between AKI outcomes and hemodynamic parameters remains debated. This study aimed to investigate the utility of renal venous flow patterns in various regions of septic patients and to explore the association between hemodynamic parameters and renal function prognosis. Methods In this single-center, prospective longitudinal study, adult sepsis patients diagnosed with AKI were enrolled. Renal ultrasonography was performed within 24 h of ICU admission (D1), then repeated at D3 and D5. Patterns of proximal renal venous flow (PRVF) and intrarenal venous flow (IRVF) patterns were confirmed by two blinded sonographers. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was used to evaluate renal prognosis, and cumulative incidence curves were generated for renal function recovery time. Results The study included 96 septic patients. Inconsistencies between PRVF and IRVF patterns occurred in 31.9%, with PRVF patterns being more severe in 88% of these. A relatively strong correlation was observed between PRVF and CVP, but this trend was less evident in IRVF. For RVSI of PRVF at ICU admission, the AUC to predict 28-day renal function prognosis was 0.626 (95% CI 0.502–0.750, P = 0.044), while combined PRVF and IRVF had a higher predictive ability (AUC 0.687, 95% CI 0.574–0.801, P = 0.003). The 28-day renal prognosis was poorer in the PRVF 5-day non-improvement group compared to the 3-day improvement group (P = 0.001) and 5-day improvement group (P = 0.012). Patients with a persistent monophasic PRVF pattern within 5 days had a worse prognosis than the non-monophasic group (P = 0.005). Conclusions Our study reveals that patterns of PRVF and IRVF are not entirely congruent, stepwise evaluation is useful in determining the intervention site for renal vein reflux disorders. Combined PRVF and IRVF had a higher predictive ability for 28-day renal function prognosis. Early improvement in renal venous congestion is crucial for better renal function prognosis. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NTC06159010. Retrospectively registered 28 November 2023.

Abstract Background Sporadic vestibular schwannoma, a benign tumor affecting the vestibulocochlear nerve, poses significant health challenges due to its impact on hearing, balance, and facial nerve function. Despite known associations with genetic mutations and environmental factors, the causality between potential risk factors and sporadic vestibular schwannoma remains underexplored. Objective This study aims to investigate the causal effects of various genetically predicted risk factors on sporadic vestibular schwannoma utilizing a Two-Sample Mendelian Randomization (MR) approach to enhance understanding of its etiology and inform prevention strategies. Methods Leveraging data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS), we analyzed 29 risk factors across five categories: related diseases, lifestyle habits, nutritional status, learning ability, and laboratory indicators. The MR analysis employed instrumental variables (IVs) derived from single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to assess causal relationships, overcoming traditional observational study limitations. Results Our findings highlight significant associations between sporadic vestibular schwannoma and factors such as ovarian cancer, uterine fibroids and lifestyle habits including dietary intake and alcohol consumption. Notably, higher educational attainment and specific laboratory indicators like high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were linked to altered disease risk. These results suggest a multifaceted etiology involving hormonal, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, immune, and metabolic pathways. Conclusion This comprehensive MR study provides novel insights into the diverse risk factors contributing to sporadic vestibular schwannoma, emphasizing the role of genetic predispositions, hormonal influences, and lifestyle choices in its development. The associations identified underscore the need for a multidisciplinary research approach and targeted public health strategies to mitigate sporadic vestibular schwannoma risk. Further research into the underlying mechanisms of these associations is crucial for developing effective interventions and improving patient outcomes.

Abstract Removal of confined space carbon dioxide (CO2) that is in low concentration and with coexisting water is necessary but challenging by physical adsorption method. To make the removal process effective, rendering the nanopore surface hydrophobic to resist water is the popular way. Instead of preventing water from occupying the nanopores, in this work, we propose to utilize the guest water for the spatially selective formation of local surface bound water and further induce the preferential CO2 capture. We observe an anomalous enhancement of CO2 capture performance under humid conditions over carbon nanopores with spatially selective polar sites. It is evidenced that the surface bound water is formed at non-CO2-selective areas of polar carbon nanopores, thus creating additional CO2 trapping sites. This work may inspire the design of environment tolerable materials for molecular separation and purification under harsh conditions.

Abstract To examine the association and modifiable risk factors between grip strength (GS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) incidence considering genetic factors, a total of 411,648 individuals without PD at baseline from the UK Biobank were included. GS was measured by a hydraulic dynamometer. The polygenic risk score assessed the genetic predisposition. Multivariable Cox regression models were performed. During a median follow-up of 12.3 years, 2409 individuals developed PD. Compared with those with high GS, low-GS individuals had a 58.5% increased risk of PD (42.7%–76.1%), and 16.3% of this excess risk could be explained by adjusted risk factors. Low GS and high genetic predisposition contribute to the highest PD risk in an additive interaction. We observed that low GS was associated with higher PD incidence, particularly among individuals with high genetic predisposition. In addition to enhancing GS, interventions targeting risk factors (e.g., unhealthy lifestyles) might also reduce the excess risk.

Abstract Four-membered carbocycles are among the most sought-after backbones which are commonly found in biologically active molecules. However, difficulties on their producing are existing due to its highly strained ring system. On the other hand, cyclobutanols can be straightforwardly prepared and can serves as precursors for synthesizing cyclobutane derivatives. Here we report an example of regioselective aminocarbonylation of cyclobutanols in which the cyclobutane core remained intact. The method exhibits good functional group compatibility, as well as high regio- and stereoselectivity, offering new pathways for synthesizing several pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, this strategy enables the rapid installation of cyclobutane as a conformational restricted skeleton, greatly facilitating direct access to valuable drug molecules that require conformational restriction.

Abstract Hydrogen-bonded assembly of multiple components into well-defined icosahedral capsules akin to virus capsids has been elusive. In parallel, constructing robust zeolitic-like cluster-based supramolecular frameworks (CSFs) without any coordination covalent bonding linkages remains challenging. Herein, we report a cluster-based pseudoicosahedral H-bonded capsule Cu60, which is buckled by the self-organization of judiciously designed constituent copper clusters and anions. The spontaneous formation of the icosahedron in the solid state takes advantage of 48 charge-assisted CH···F hydrogen bonds between cationic clusters and anions (PF6 -), and is highly sensitive to the surface protective ligands on the clusters with minor structural modification inhibiting its formation. Most excitingly, an extended three-periodic robust zeolitic-like CSF, is constructed by edge-sharing the resultant icosahedrons. The perpendicular channels of the CSF feature unusual 3D orthogonal double-helical patterns. The CSF material not only keeps its single-crystal character in the desolvated phase, but also exhibits excellent chemical and thermal stabilities as well as long-lived phosphorescence emission.

Abstract Prolactin-releasing peptide (PrRP) is an RF-amide neuropeptide that binds and activates its cognate G protein-coupled receptor, prolactin-releasing peptide receptor (PrRPR), also known as GPR10. PrRP and PrRPR are highly conserved across mammals and involved in regulating a range of physiological processes, including stress response, appetite regulation, pain modulation, cardiovascular function, and potentially reproductive functions. Here we present cryo-electron microscopy structures of PrRP-bound PrRPR coupled to Gq or Gi heterotrimer, unveiling distinct molecular determinants underlying the specific recognition of the ligand’s C-terminal RF-amide motif. We identify a conserved polar pocket that accommodates the C-terminal amide shared by RF-amide peptides. Structural comparison with neuropeptide Y receptors reveals both similarities and differences in engaging the essential RF/RY-amide motifs. Our findings demonstrate the general mechanism governing RF-amide motif recognition by PrRPR and RF-amide peptide receptors, and provide a foundation for elucidating activation mechanisms and developing selective drugs targeting this important peptide–receptor system.

Abstract In this paper, we would like to point out that in the scenario that the right-handed neutrinos suddenly gain some masses much larger than the temperature of the Universe at that time so that the washout effects for the lepton asymmetry generated from their decays can be neglected safely, the purely flavored leptogenesis scenario (in which the total CP asymmetries for the decays of the right-handed neutrinos are vanishing and the successful leptogenesis is realized by virtue of the flavor non-universality of the washout effects) cannot work in the usual way any more. For this problem, we put forward that the flavor non-universality of the conversion efficiencies from the flavored lepton asymmetries to the baryon asymmetry via the sphaleron processes may play a crucial role. And we will study if the requisite baryon asymmetry can be successfully reproduced from such a mechanism in the scenarios that the right-handed neutrino masses are hierarchical and nearly degenerate, respectively. A detailed study shows that this mechanism can be viable in both these two scenarios.

Diarrheas are common risks faced by piglets during the weaning period. This study investigated the alleviating effects of artificial parasin I protein (API) on growth performance and intestinal health of weaned pigs upon enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) challenge. Sixty piglets were randomly divided into five groups and fed a basal diet (CON) or basal diet supplemented with API at 0, 750, and 1500 mg/kg or antibiotics for 5 weeks. On d 15 and 25, piglets were challenged with ETEC K88 except for the CON group. Before the ETEC challenge (d 1–14), dietary API supplementation improved growth performance, and 750 mg API increased (P

Scholars have suggested English classrooms with sufficient context and fun activities to increase English performance and promote learning motivation. With the rapid growth of technology-enhanced learning, virtual reality (VR) has become increasingly popular in English learning. Using VR without a well-designed learning environment, however, may not guide students to focus on the learning content to achieve the learning goals. Hence, this study proposed a self-regulated-based gamified VR learning system to trigger students to monitor their learning process to achieve their learning goals. To examine the effectiveness of the proposed system, a quasi-experiment was conducted in a middle school in China involving three groups: students who adopted the self-regulated-based gamified VR system, students who learned with the gamified VR system, and those who learned with a conventional VR system. The results showed that the self-regulated-based gamified VR system significantly improved the students' English learning performance regarding their English vocabulary and speaking, self-regulation, learning motivation, learning attitudes, and meta-cognition tendency. Moreover, their reflections on the self-regulated-based gamified VR system were revealed and discussed.

In science education, chemistry is a discipline that involves macroscopic matter and microscopic particles. It is difficult for the traditional teaching approach to help learners comprehend abstract chemical knowledge. Researchers have attempted to use Virtual Reality (VR) to help learners realize meaningful knowledge via visualizing the learning content. However, merely engaging students in experiencing the scientific contexts is not enough. To fill this gap, the present study adopted Spherical Video-based Virtual Reality (SVVR) to create authentic learning contexts for learners, and proposed an exploration-based SVVR approach which aimed to promote students' understanding of abstract concepts and improve their competence of completing chemistry experiments. A quasi-experimental design was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. A total of 136 junior high school students from three classes were recruited for the experiment. The experimental group adopted the exploration-based SVVR approach, control group I adopted the conventional SVVR approach, and control group II adopted traditional instruction. The results showed that the exploration-based SVVR approach not only improved students' learning achievement, but also increased their learning motivation, learning attitude, and creative thinking tendency. Besides, students adopting this approach had more positive behaviors, including finding problems, making assumptions, investigating and verifying, and discussion.

Abstract EED (embryonic ectoderm development) is a core subunit of the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), which senses the trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27). However, its biological function in cerebellar development remains unknown. Here, we show that EED deletion from neural stem cells (NSCs) or cerebellar granule cell progenitors (GCPs) leads to reduced GCPs proliferation, cell death, cerebellar hypoplasia, and motor deficits in mice. Joint profiling of transcripts and ChIP‐seq analysis in cerebellar granule cells reveals that EED regulates bunches of genes involved in cerebellar development. EED ablation exhibits overactivation of a developmental repressor long non‐coding RNA H19. Importantly, an obvious H3K27ac enrichment is found at Ctcf, a trans‐activator of H19, and H3K27me3 enrichment at the H19 imprinting control region (ICR), suggesting that EED regulates H19 in an H3K27me3‐dependent manner. Intriguingly, H19 deletion reduces EED expression and the reprogramming of EED‐mediated H3K27me3 profiles, resulting in increased proliferation, differentiation, and decreased apoptosis of GCPs. Finally, molecular and genetic evidence provides that increased H19 expression is responsible for cerebellar hypoplasia and motor defects in EED mutant mice. Thus, this study demonstrates that EED, H19 forms a negative feedback loop, which plays a crucial role in cerebellar morphogenesis and controls cerebellar development.

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a prevalent complication of the central nervous system in elderly patients following cardiac surgery. This review aims to provide an overview of the etiology, risk factors, diagnostic assessment, and rehabilitation strategies for cognitive dysfunction occurring after cardiac surgery. The pathogenesis of POCD after cardiac surgery includes cerebral microembolism, neuroinflammation, and cryptogenic strokes. Risk factors are associated with advanced age, diminished preoperative cognitive status, and anesthesia. Cognitive function screening tools used for pre- and postoperative assessments can detect changes in patients’ cognitive levels in a timely manner. The timely provision of appropriate rehabilitation methods, including cognitive function training, exercise training, transcranial direct current stimulation, and perioperative acupuncture, is crucial, with emerging technologies such as virtual reality playing an increasingly significant role. In conclusion, POCD is a common postoperative complication in elderly cardiac surgery patients, with age and reduced preoperative cognitive function being the primary risk factors. A comprehensive rehabilitation strategy can more effectively address postoperative cognitive dysfunction in patients.

In order to reduce the storage cost and avoid environmental hazards of feldspar powder waste from lithium extraction byproducts, this work investigated the feasibility of ordinary silicate cement-stabilized feldspar powder-lateritic clay (FP-LC) composite as road construction material. Firstly, preliminary mix design of the new material was conducted to determine the optimum moisture content and maximum dry density. Subsequently, the effects of ratio of FP to LC on the mechanical properties of the composite were investigated through unconfined compressive strength (UCS), California bearing ratio (CBR) and shear strength tests. Finally, the strength formation mechanism of the FP-LC mixture was analyzed in combination with SEM and XRD testing. The results indicate that the UCS after 14 d curing, CBR and cohesive strength of FP simply stabilized by 6 % cement is 0.95 MPa, 87.3 % and 140.64 kPa, respectively, which can meet the requirements for subgrade materials. The addition of LC significantly improves the mechanical properties of the composite. The mass ratio of 40 % FP to 60 % LC results in the optimal UCS after 14 d curing, CBR and cohesive strength with 1.6 MPa, 164.1 % and 250.16 kPa, respectively, which makes it applicable as subbase materials for medium-light traffic levels. The particle closest packing analysis and SEM and XRD characterization demonstrated that the enhancement of UCS, CBR and shear strength comes from compact arrangement of FP and LC particles and the bonding effect of cement hydration products between them. This work proposes an eco-friendly and sustainable utilization approach of feldspar powder from lithium extraction byproducts as road construction material, which are important to overcome the challenges of both waste management and resource shortage for new energy and highway industries, respectively.

Purpose To investigate the preventive effect of aerobic exercise on renal damage caused by obesity.Methods The mice in the Control (Con) and Control + Exercise (Con + Ex) groups received a standard chow diet for the 21-week duration of the study, while the High-fat diet (HFD) group and High-fat diet + Exercise (HFD + Ex) group were fed an HFD. Mice were acclimated to the laboratory for 1 week, given 12 weeks of being on their respective diets, and then the Con + Ex and HFD + Ex groups were subjected to moderate intensity aerobic treadmill running 45 min/day, 5 days/week for 8 weeks.Results We found that HFD-induced obesity mainly impacts kidney glycerin phospholipids, glycerides, and fatty acyls, and aerobic exercise mainly impacts kidney glycerides, amino acids and organic acids as well as their derivatives. We identified 18 metabolites with significantly altered levels that appear to be involved in aerobic exercise mediated prevention of HFD-induced obesity and renal damage, half of which were amino acids and organic acids and their derivatives.Conclusion Aerobic exercise rewires kidney metabolites to reduce high-fat diet-induced obesity and renal injury.

Abstract Background Due to the high prevalence of multimorbidity and realistic health service demands for fall prevention, there is growing interest in the association between multimorbidity and falls. Our study aimed to identify multimorbidity patterns among Chinese older adults and explore the association between multimorbidity patterns and falls. Methods Data from 4,579 Chinese community-dwelling older adults was included in this analysis. Information regarding falls and 10 chronic conditions was collected. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to determine multimorbidity patterns. Regression models were fitted to explore the associations of individual chronic disease or multimorbidity patterns with falls. Results Among 4,579 participants, 368 (8.0%) were defined as fallers, including 92 (2.0%) frequent fallers, and multimorbidity affected 2,503 (54.7%) participants. Older adults with multimorbidity were more likely to be fallers [odds ratio (OR) = 1.3, P = 0.02] and frequent fallers (OR = 1.7, P = 0.04). Three multimorbidity patterns were identified (i.e., cardiovascular-metabolic diseases, psycho-cognitive diseases and organic diseases), and the associations between psycho-cognitive diseases/organic diseases and prevalent falls or frequent falls were found to be significant. Conclusions The psycho-cognitive disease pattern and organic disease pattern are significantly associated with falls. Therefore, more attention should be paid to patients with psycho-cognitive diseases and timely, targeted diagnostic and treatment services should be provided in fall prevention.

Abstract Background Angiostrongyliasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by the rat lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis. The intermediate hosts of A. cantonensis are gastropods, and snail species such as Pomacea canaliculata play a key role in the transmission of human angiostrongyliasis. Detecting A. cantonensis infection in snails is an important component of epidemiological surveillance and the control of angiostrongyliasis. Methods In this study, a new method for diagnosing A. cantonensis infection in gastropods was developed by recovering larvae from the buccal cavity of three snail species. The entire buccal cavity of a snail was extracted, and the tissue was pressed between two microscope slides to observe whether A. cantonensis larvae were present. Our new method was compared with traditional pathogenic detection methods of lung microscopy, tissue homogenization, and artificial digestion. We artificially infected 160 P. canaliculata, 160 Cipangopaludina chinensis, and 160 Bellamya aeruginosa snails with A. cantonensis. Then, the four different detection methods were used to diagnose infection in each snail species at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days post exposure. Results We found no significant difference in the percentages of infected P. canaliculata snails using the four methods to detect A. cantonensis larvae. The radula pressing method had a mean detection rate of 80%, while the lung microscopy (81.3%), tissue homogenization (83.8%), and artificial digestion (85%) methods had slightly greater detection rates. Similarly, the percentages of infected C. chinensis snails that were detected using the radula pressing (80%), tissue homogenization (82.1%), and artificial digestion (83.8%) methods were not significantly different. Finally, the percentages of infected B. aeruginosa snails that were detected using the radula pressing (81.3%), tissue homogenization (81.9%), and artificial digestion (81.4%) methods were not significantly different. These results showed that the radula pressing method had a similar detection rate to traditional lung microscopy, tissue homogenization, or artificial digestion methods. Conclusions This study demonstrates a new method for the qualitative screening of gastropods that act as intermediate hosts of A. cantonensis (and other Angiostrongylus species), provides technical support for the control of human angiostrongyliasis, and furthers research on A. cantonensis. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Background At present, heat stress (HS) has become a key factor that impairs broiler breeding industry, which causes growth restriction and poor meat quality of broilers. Selenium (Se) is an excellent antioxidant and plays a unique role in meat quality improvement. Recent years, nano-selenium (NanoSe) has received tremendous attention in livestock production, due to its characteristic and good antibacterial performance in vitro. Here, we developed the heat stressed-broiler model to investigate the protective effects of NanoSe on growth performance and meat quality of broilers and compare whether there are differences with that of other Se sources (Sodium selenite, SS; Selenoyeast, SeY; Selenomethionine, SeMet). Results HS jeopardized the growth performance and caused poor meat quality of breast muscle in broilers, which were accompanied by lowered antioxidant capacity, increased glycolysis, increased anaerobic metabolism of pyruvate, mitochondrial stress and abnormal mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. All Se sources supplementation exhibited protective effects, which increased the Se concentration and promoted the expression of selenoproteins, improved the mitochondrial homeostasis and the antioxidant capacity, and promoted the TCA cycle and the aerobic metabolism of pyruvate, thus improved the breast muscle meat quality of broilers exposed to HS. However, unlike the other three Se sources, the protective effect of NanoSe on meat quality of heat stressed-broilers was not ideal, which exhibited limited impact on the pH value, drip loss and cooking loss of the breast muscle. Compared with the other Se sources, broilers received NanoSe showed the lowest levels of slow MyHC, the highest levels of fast MyHC and glycogen, the highest mRNA levels of glycolysis-related genes (PFKM and PKM), the highest protein expression of HSP60 and CLPP, and the lowest enzyme activities of GSH-Px, citroyl synthetase (CS) and isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICD) in breast muscle. Consistent with the SS, the Se deposition in breast muscle of broilers received NanoSe was lower than that of broilers received SeY or SeMet. Besides, the regulatory efficiency of NanoSe on the expression of key selenoproteins (such as SELENOS) in breast muscle of heat stressed-broilers was also worse than that of other Se sources. Conclusion Through comparing the meat quality, Se deposition, muscle fiber type conversion, glycolysis, mitochondrial homeostasis, and mitochondrial TCA cycle-related indicators of breast muscle in heat stressed broilers, we found that the protective effects of organic Se (SeY and SeMet) are better than that of inorganic Se (SS) and NanoSe. As a new Se source, though NanoSe showed some protective effect on breast muscle meat quality of heat stressed broilers, the protective effect of NanoSe is not ideal, compared with other Se sources.

Lakes are important carbon sinks in terrestrial ecosystems. Currently, most of lake carbon burial research in China only considers organic carbon burial and has neglected inorganic carbon burial, which will lead to an underestimation of the total carbon burial capacity of lakes. This situation is particularly significant in the humid eastern plain region. In order to comprehensively understand the carbon burial characteristics of lakes in the eastern plain and evaluate the contributions of organic and inorganic carbon burial to total carbon burial more reasonably. This research chooses Hongze Lake as study site, which is a representative lake in the eastern plain region. Based on the 210Pb-137Cs chronological sequence, combined with the C/N and δ13C characteristics in sediments, the carbon burial characteristics of Hongze Lake sediments in the past 60 years were explored by analyzing the spatiotemporal changes of organic and inorganic carbon content in typical rock cores (numbered HZH-12) and 11 other surface sediments. C/N and δ13C shows that endogenous organic carbon is the main source of organic carbon inHongze Lake . The significant synergistic changes in the accumulation rates of organic and inorganic carbon over the past 60 years (R2=0.76, p

Abstract Objective To investigate the relationship between central venous pressure (CVP) and acute right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation. Methods This retrospective study enrolled mechanically ventilated critically ill who underwent transthoracic echocardiographic examination and CVP monitoring. Echocardiographic indices including tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), fractional area change (FAC), and tricuspid lateral annular systolic velocity wave (S’) were collected to assess RV function. Patients were then classified into three groups based on their RV function and presence of systemic venous congestion as assessed by inferior vena cava diameter (IVCD) and hepatic vein (HV) Doppler: normal RV function (TAPSE ≥ 17 mm, FAC ≥ 35% and S’ ≥9.5 cm/sec), isolated RV dysfunction (TAPSE 20 mm and HV S

Abstract Theanine (Thea) is a unique metabolite in tea plants, but its physiological functions remain elusive. A low soil pH increases cadmium (Cd) availability, affecting the quality of tea plant products. In this study, we found that Thea reversed the Cd-induced reduction in free amino acid (FAA) and caffeine (CAF) in the young tea leaves, as well as the down-regulation in the expression of nitrate transporters CsNRT1.2 and CsNRT2.5, and genes responsible for the nitrogen (N) assimilation. We demonstrated that Thea could alleviate Cd-induced oxidative stresses and enhance photosynthesis. Moreover, an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter, CsABCG11.2, could uptake distinct Cd substrates and the five major amino acids in tea plants. Heterologous expression of CsABCG11.2 in yeast indicated a competitive absorption between Cd and Thea in a concentration-dependent pattern. CsABCG11.2-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants exhibited increased sensitivity to Cd due to enhanced Cd concentration, accumulation in the shoots, and reduction in the primary root length. Exogenous application of Thea at environmentally regular levels attenuated the adverse effects of Cd-induced growth inhibition and chlorosis in CsABCG11.2-overexpressing Arabidopsis plants. Knockdown of CsABCG11.2 tea plants significantly lowered Cd levels in young shoots. Our results suggest that Thea plays beneficial roles in alleviating Cd stress directly or indirectly by modulating CsABCG11.2-mediated Cd uptake and translocation within plants.

Abstract Treatment of advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a great challenge in clinical practice. The immune checkpoints are a category of immunosuppressive molecules that cancer could hijack and impede anti-tumor immunity. Targeting immune checkpoints, such as anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) therapy, is a promising therapeutic strategy in TNBC. The efficacy and safety of PD-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) with chemotherapy have been validated in TNBC patients. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the synergistic effect of chemotherapy and anti-PD-1 therapy have not been elucidated, causing the TNBC patients that might benefit from this combination regimen not to be well selected. In the present work, we found that IL-23, an immunological cytokine, is significantly upregulated after chemotherapy in TNBC cells and plays a vital role in enhancing the anti-tumor immune response of cytotoxic T cells (CTLs), especially in combination with PD-1 mAb. In addition, the combination of IL-23 and PD-1 mAb could synergistically inhibit the expression of Phosphoinositide-3-Kinase Regulatory Subunit 1 (PIK3R1), which is a regulatory subunit of PI3K and inhibit p110 activity, and promote phosphorylation of AKT in TNBC-specific CTLs. Our findings might provide a molecular marker that could be used to predict the effects of combination chemotherapy therapy and PD-1 mAb in TNBC.

Abstract Background and Aims This study aimed to evaluate the hemodynamic alterations and right heart remodeling dynamics in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) undergoing treatment with balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA). Methods This retrospective cohort study involved a cohort of 31 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of CTEPH. Comprehensive clinical evaluations were systematically performed before BPA, and at 3 and 6 months following the procedure. Results Significant clinical progress was evidenced by the uplift in the percentage of patients achieving WHO‐FC II, escalating from 19.35% at baseline to 51.61% at 6 months after BPA (p = 0.003). NT‐proBNP levels significantly dropped from a median of 614.6 to 69.9 pg/mL (p

This study aimed to investigate the effect of L-theanine in regulating the intestinal antioxidant of weaned piglets and its underlying mechanism. We found that L-theanine increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes and the level of GSH, while decreased the MDA content of weaned piglet jejunum mucosa and H2O2-induced IPEC-J2 cells. In addition, the mRNA expression of SOD1, SOD2, GPx1, CAT, HO-1 and NQO1 was also significantly increased in jejunum mucosa and H2O2-induced IPEC-J2 cells by L-theanine treatment. Furthermore, L-theanine promoted the nuclear Nrf2 expression and decreased the keap1 expression. However, blocking of Nrf2 signaling by ML385 (the Nrf2 inhibitor) repressed the promoting effects of L-theanine on the activities of antioxidative enzymes and the expression of antioxidant related genes, while increased the MDA content and keap1 expression in IPEC-J2 cells. These data provided the first evidence that L-theanine improved intestinal antioxidant ability of weaned piglets by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Macrophage-myofibroblast transformation (MMT) has emerged as a discovery in the field of fibrotic disease research. MMT is the process by which macrophages differentiate into myofibroblasts, leading to organ fibrosis following organ damage and playing an important role in fibrosis formation and progression. Recently, many new advances have been made in studying the mechanisms of MMT occurrence in fibrotic diseases. This article reviews some critical recent findings on MMT, including the origin of MMT in myofibroblasts, the specific mechanisms by which MMT develops, and the mechanisms and effects of MMT in the kidneys, lungs, heart, retina, and other fibrosis. By summarizing the latest research related to MMT, this paper provides a theoretical basis for elucidating the mechanisms of fibrosis in various organs and developing effective therapeutic targets for fibrotic diseases.

Tea tree is a fluorine (F)-enriched plant, leading to much concern about the safety of drinking tea from tea tree (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze). Tea tree is a perennial leaf-harvested crop, and tea production in China is generally categorized as spring tea, summer tea and autumn tea in its annual growth rounds. However, the seasonally dynamic changes of F content and accumulation in the leaves and its drinking safety are poorly understood. In this study, 85 tea varieties cultivated under the same conditions were investigated to analyze the seasonal variation of F content and it’s relationships with F accumulation, aluminum (Al), calcium (Ca) and manganese (Mn) and hazard quotient (HQ) in young leaves (one bud and two leaves, YL) and mature leaves (canopy leaves, ML). The average F contents and accumulations were 350 mg kg−1 and 203 g ha−1 in YL, and they were 2451 mg kg−1 and 2578 g ha−1 in ML, respectively, with F mainly accumulated in ML. As the growing season progresses, the F content showed a gradual increase in YL, while a decrease in ML, inferring that F may be redistributed from mature leaves to young leaves. Additionally, the F content was quite different among tea varieties which are suitable for processing oolong tea, green tea, and black tea, with higher F accumulation in oolong tea varieties than in green and black tea varieties. Moreover, F content and accumulation could be obviously affected by the geographical origin of the tea tree varieties, with significantly higher F content in the varieties from F rich fluorite belts than other regions. Furthermore, F content and accumulation showed a significant positive correlation with the content of Al and Mn (p < 0.05). Based on a daily tea consumption of 8.7 g, the HQ was investigated to show that the proportion of tea leaves with HQ

BackgroundWheat germ is known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and disease resistance properties in animals. However, its effect on the gut of Sichuan white geese remains unclear.MethodIn this study, thirty 250-day-old geese were divided into three equal groups, the control group, LWG group (21.8% wheat germ) and HWG group (43.6% wheat germ), the experiment lasted 12 weeks. We assessed various aspects of geese intestinal health, including barrier function, digestibility, antioxidant capacity, immunity, microbiota, and metabolism.ResultsThe study revealed a significant increase in villus height (VH), villus height-to-crypt depth (VH/CD) ratio, amylase, and lipase activities in the duodenum and ileum, increased putrescine levels in the duodenum and jejunum, as well as spermidine levels in the jejunum (P < 0.05). LWG increased the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in the duodenum, while decreasing levels of intestinal malondialdehyde (MDA), serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and diamine oxidase (DAO) activity (P < 0.05). Furthermore, LWG increased the relative abundance of Oscillospiraceae_unclassified, Ligilactobacillus, and Roseburia, as well as increased levels of acetic acid, butyric acid, and valeric acid, while decreasing the relative abundance of Subdoligranulum, Flavonifractor, and Klebsiella. Additionally, we observed 17 up-regulated genes and 25 down-regulated genes in the jejunum, which are associated with the cell cycle and immunity. These genes play roles in pathways such as the p53 signaling pathway, cell cycle regulation, and pathways associated with immune modulation. On the other hand, HWG increased intestinal VH and spermidine levels, as well as amylase and lipase activities in the duodenum (P < 0.05). It also elevated ileal T-AOC and sIgA levels (P < 0.05), while reducing intestinal MDA content, serum LPS levels, DAO activity, and propionic acid in cecum contents (P < 0.05). Moreover, HWG increased the relative abundance of Ligilactobacillus, Oscillospiraceae_unclassified, and Roseburia (P < 0.05).ConclusionOverall, wheat germ diets, particularly the LWG diet demonstrated the ability to enhance antioxidant capacity, digestibility, immunity, and barrier properties of the intestinal tract, while modulating the gut microbiota and metabolism. Therefore, wheat germ diets hold promise in improving intestinal health by preserving barrier function and regulating flora structure.

The massive yield of brewers’ spent grain (BSG) waste inevitably threaten environmental health. Here, solid-state fermentation (SSF) technology featuring multi-strain (MS) inoculation and high-throughput sequencing technology were employed to facilitate the sustainable and clean recycling of BSG waste while revealing the associated underlying microbiological and metabolic mechanisms. MS inoculation displayed a lower pH value (3.91 vs. 4.12) and neutral detergent fiber content (446.24 vs. 476.23 g/kg DM), a higher levels of lactic acid (86.64 vs. 33.07 g/kg DM), acetic acid (6.13 vs. 4.87 g/kg DM), propionic acid (2.78 vs. 2.18 g/kg DM) and crude protein (307.5 vs. 289.15 g/kg DM) than those in the control group. Moreover, MS inoculation inhibited the formation of non-protein-N and ammonia-N, and spoilage microorganism resuscitation, while enhanced substrate preservation. Microbiologically, during the SSF, the group treated with MS inoculation exhibited an increase in the relative abundance of Leuconostoc (0.58%∼6.60%), Weissella (6.22%∼15.42%), Enterococcus (3.15%∼9.08%), Bacillus (17.63%∼31.29%), Lactobacillus (12.89%∼8.29%), Pseudoalteromonas (12.87%∼16.29%), and a decrease in the relative abundance of Acinetobacter (0.79%∼0.02%) and Enterobacteriaceae (0.78%∼0.24%). Metabolically, starch and sucrose metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, and phenylalanine metabolism significantly influenced the quality of extruded BSG fermented by MS during SSF. The examination of the correlation between the microbiota, metabolites, and fermentation parameters revealed that complex interactions between microbes and the environment factors impact metabolite production. Collectively, inoculating with MS improved fermentation quality and stability, facilitated the clean recycling of BSG, which is linked to complex interactions among microbes, the environment factors and metabolite production.