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Abstract Improving fattening efficiency is an important goal of breeding commercial pigs, especially for the large-scale pig farms. Fattening efficiency index (FEI) can be used to evaluate the fattening efficiency. The aim of this study was to identify the factors affecting the fattening efficiency of commercial pigs in large-scale pig farms and further study the impact of these factors on the production performance of commercial pig batches at different production levels. The data of 9,570 batches was mainly consisted of four parts (farm facilities, general information of piglets, production performance of nursery pigs and finishing pigs). A total of 28 variables were evaluated by the multi-variable linear regression models. The differences in production factors significantly correlated with FEI at piglets-finishing stage were compared among high-performing (HP), moderate-performing (MP), and low-performing (LP) batches of commercial pigs during the nursery and finishing stage. Among the 28 variables, 18 were significantly correlated with fattening efficiency (P

Abstract Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) play a crucial role in maintaining vascular health and aiding in the repair of damaged blood vessels. However, the specific impact of EPCs-derived exosomes on vascular endothelial cell injury caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) remains inadequately understood. This study aims to explore the potential benefits of EPC-exosomes in mitigating LPS-induced vascular injury and to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Initially, EPCs were isolated from mouse peripheral blood, and their identity was confirmed through flow cytometry and immunocytochemistry. Subsequently, the exosomes derived from EPCs were identified using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and western blot analysis. A sepsis model was induced by subjecting brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) to LPS-induced injury. Both EPC and their exosomes demonstrated a significant increase in BMECs proliferation, reduced apoptosis, decreased levels of pro-inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6, and caspase-3), and enhanced sprouting and angiogenesis of BMECs. Notable, the Exosomes demonstrated a more pronounced impact on these parameters. Furthermore, both EPCs and Exosomes exhibited significantly increased levels of miR-126a-5p, with the Exosomes showing a more substantial enhancement. These findings suggest that supplementing exosomal miR-126a-5p from EPCs can provide protective effects on BMECs, offering a potential therapeutic option for treating sepsis-induced microvascular endothelial cell injury.

Abstract The recent outbreak of mpox epidemic, caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV), poses a new threat to global public health. Here, we initially assessed the preexisting antibody level to the MPXV B6 protein in vaccinia vaccinees born before the end of the immunization program and then identified two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), hMB621 and hMB668, targeting distinct epitopes on B6, from one vaccinee. Binding assays demonstrate that both MAbs exhibit broad binding abilities to B6 and its orthologs in vaccinia (VACV), variola (VARV) and cowpox viruses (CPXV). Neutralizing assays reveal that the two MAbs showed potent neutralization against VACV. Animal experiments using a BALB/c female mouse model indicate that the two MAbs showed effective protection against VACV via intraperitoneal injection. Additionally, we determined the complex structure of B6 and hMB668, revealing the structural feature of B6 and the epitope of hMB668. Collectively, our study provides two promising antibody candidates for the treatment of orthopoxvirus infections, including mpox.

Abstract Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) recently becomes one of the most important mental health concerns. However, no previous study has comprehensively reviewed the application of big data and machine learning (ML) techniques in PTSD. We found 873 studies meet the inclusion criteria and a total of 31 of those in a sample of 210,001 were included in quantitative analysis. ML algorithms were able to discriminate PTSD with an overall accuracy of 0.89. Pooled estimates of classification accuracy from multi-dimensional data (0.96) are higher than single data types (0.86 to 0.90). ML techniques can effectively classify PTSD and models using multi-dimensional data perform better than those using single data types. While selecting optimal combinations of data types and ML algorithms to be clinically applied at the individual level still remains a big challenge, these findings provide insights into the classification, identification, diagnosis and treatment of PTSD.

Abstract Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the leading cause of chronic liver disease that affects over 30% of the world’s population. For decades, the heterogeneity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has impeded our understanding of the disease mechanism and the development of effective medications. However, a recent change in the nomenclature from NAFLD to MASLD emphasizes the critical role of systemic metabolic dysfunction in the pathophysiology of this disease and therefore promotes the progress in the pharmaceutical treatment of MASLD. In this review, we focus on the mechanism underlying the abnormality of hepatic lipid metabolism in patients with MASLD, and summarize the latest progress in the therapeutic medications of MASLD that target metabolic disorders.

This paper investigates the impact of housing with both consumption and investment attributes on the risky financial asset allocation of households, constructs Probit and Tobit models using 2019 China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) data, and proceeds to the mediation effect test and heterogeneity analysis. Results indicate that owning only one house exhibits a crowding-out effect on the risky financial asset allocation of urban households, with the degree of risk preference as the mediating effect mechanism, while owning multiple houses exhibits an asset allocation effect. Housing borrowing other than bank loans inhibits urban households from making risky financial asset allocations. The effect of housing on risky financial asset allocation is heterogeneous by income, age, and region.

Abstract Periodontitis is closely related to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). An excessive and non-self-limiting immune response to the dysbiotic microbiome characterizes the two. However, the underlying mechanisms that overlap still need to be clarified. We demonstrate that the critical periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) aggravates intestinal inflammation and Th17/Treg cell imbalance in a gut microbiota-dependent manner. Specifically, metagenomic and metabolomic analyses shows that oral administration of Pg increases levels of the Bacteroides phylum but decreases levels of the Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia, and Actinobacteria phyla. Nevertheless, it suppresses the linoleic acid (LA) pathway in the gut microbiota, which was the target metabolite that determines the degree of inflammation and functions as an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) ligand to suppress Th17 differentiation while promoting Treg cell differentiation via the phosphorylation of Stat1 at Ser727. Therapeutically restoring LA levels in colitis mice challenged with Pg exerts anti-colitis effects by decreasing the Th17/Treg cell ratio in an AHR-dependent manner. Our study suggests that Pg aggravates colitis via a gut microbiota-LA metabolism-Th17/Treg cell balance axis, providing a potential therapeutically modifiable target for IBD patients with periodontitis.

Abstract Background The Omicron pandemic struck Shanghai, China, resulting in impairments of both physical and psychological health on those patients who were confirmed and transferred to the Fangcang shelters. The way of isolation led to high risk of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and depressive symptoms among the patients in Fangcang shelters. We aim to estimate the prevalence and comorbidity of PTSS and depressive symptoms in patients from China’s Fangcang shelters during the epidemic. Methods Demographic information questionnaire, the posttraumatic stress disorder checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used in the study. The data were collected online via mobile phones during 10th April to 20th April, 2022, as part of our Psychological Trauma Recover Project-5-6 (PTRP-5-6), a longitudinal study focusing on individuals who have experienced trauma. Results A total of 336 subjects were included in the analysis. The results revealed (1) the prevalence of depressive symptoms, and PTSS were 30.1% (cut-off = 10) and 6% (cut-off = 33); (2) Multiple logistic regression showed that female (OR = 3.04, p

Abstract Background Postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) extend the length of stay of patients and increase the perioperative mortality rate after video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) pulmonary surgery. Thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) provides effective analgesia after VATS surgery; however, little is known about the effect of TPVB on the incidence of PPCs. The aim of this study is to determine whether TPVB combined with GA causes fewer PPCs and provides better perioperative lung protection in patients undergoing VATS pulmonary surgery than simple general anaesthesia. Methods A total of 302 patients undergoing VATS pulmonary surgery will be randomly divided into two groups: the paravertebral block group (PV group) and the control group (C group). Patients in the PV group will receive TPVB: 15 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine will be administered to the T4 and T7 thoracic paravertebral spaces before general anaesthesia induction. Patients in the C group will not undergo the intervention. Both groups of patients will be subjected to a protective ventilation strategy during the operation. Perioperative protective mechanical ventilation and standard fluid management will be applied in both groups. Patient-controlled intravenous analgesia is used for postoperative analgesia. The primary endpoint is a composite outcome of PPCs within 7 days after surgery. Secondary endpoints include blood gas analysis, postoperative lung ultrasound score, NRS score, QoR-15 score, hospitalization-related indicators and long-term prognosis indicators. Discussion This study will better evaluate the impact of TPVB on the incidence of PPCs and the long-term prognosis in patients undergoing VATS lobectomy/segmentectomy. The results may provide clinical evidence for optimizing perioperative lung protection strategies. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05922449 . Registered on June 25, 2023.

Background: The correlation between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss remains to be further elucidated, particularly in patients receiving pegylated interferon-α (PEG-IFN) treatment. Methods: 758 patients with low HBsAg quantification who had received nucleos(t)ide analog (NUC) therapy for at least one year and subsequently switched to or add on PEG-IFN therapy over an unfixed course were enrolled. 412 patients were obtained with baseline data matched. A total of 206 patients achieved HBsAg loss (cured group) within 48 weeks. Demographic and biochemical data associated with MetS were gathered for analysis. HepG2.2.15 cell line was used in vitro experiments to validate the efficacy of interferon-α (IFN-α). Results: The proportion of patients with diabetes or hypertension in the uncured group was significantly higher than in the cured group. The levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated albumin remained elevated in the uncured group over the 48 weeks. In contrast, the levels of blood lipids and uric acid remained higher in the cured group within 48 weeks. Triglycerides levels and liver steatosis of all patients increased after PEG-IFN therapy. Baseline elevated uric acid levels and hepatic steatosis may be beneficial for HBsAg loss. IFN-α could induce hepatic steatosis and indirectly promote HBsAg loss by increasing triglyceride level through upregulation of acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 1(ACSL1). Conclusions: IFN-α could induce liver steatosis to promote HBsAg loss by increasing triglyceride level through upregulation of ACSL1. Comorbid diabetes may be detrimental to obtaining HBsAg loss with PEG-IFN therapy in CHB patients.

Background: Sex-based differences are known to be a significant feature of chronic stress; however, the morphological mechanisms of the brain underlying these differences remain unclear. The present study aimed to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to investigate the effects of sex on gray matter volume (GMV) changes under conditions of chronic stress. Methods: A total of 32 subjects were included for analysis in the present study: 16 participants experiencing chronic stress and 16 healthy controls. T1-weighted (T1WI) images from a 3 T MRI scanner were extracted from the OpenfMRI database. Images were segmented into gray matter using VBM analysis. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a 2 × 2 full factorial design was used to evaluate the main and interaction effects of chronic stress and sex on GMV changes, and then post hoc testing was used to verify each simple effect. Results: Two-way ANOVA showed a chronic stress × sex interaction effect on GMV. Simple effects analysis indicated that the GMV of the bilateral pre- and post-central gyri, the right cuneus and superior occipital gyrus was decreased in males, whereas that of the bilateral pre- and post-central gyri, the right superior occipital gyrus and the left middle frontal gyrus and orbital middle frontal gyrus was increased in females, under chronic stress. Additionally, in the control group, the GMV of the bilateral pre- and post-central gyri, the right cuneus and superior occipital gyrus was greater in males than females. While in the chronic stress group, the above sex-based differences were no longer significant. Conclusions: This study preliminarily shows that there are significant differences in gray matter volume changes between males and females under chronic stress. These findings provide a basis for future studies investigating the volumetric mechanisms of sex differences under chronic stress.

Background: Medication overuse headache (MOH) is a secondary headache disorder that leads to pronounced disability and decreased quality of life. Available therapeutic options for MOH are limited, and many are only effective in a subset of individuals. Although the existing evidence is limited, acupuncture may be an effective treatment option for MOH. Case presentation: A 45-year-old Chinese woman presented to the Medical Acupuncture Department of Sanming Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital on April 11, 2022. Thirty-five years ago, she had episodic migraines. The frequency increased over time, however, and for the past 10 years she has had daily headaches. These headaches were characterized by daily persistent throbbing pain on the left side of the patient's head, accompanied by photophobia, phonophobia, neck stiffness, dizziness, and fatigue. Without painkillers, the patient rated her headache intensity as 9 out of 10 on a visual analog scale (0 = no pain, 10 = intolerable pain), and reported that the headaches lasted for up to 7 days or more. With painkillers, the headaches had a reduced intensity (5 of 10), but persisted. The patient had taken 1–3.5 compound aminopyrine phenacetin tablets daily for more than 5 years. Standard conservative therapy (patient education, medication withdrawal, and behavioral intervention) for MOH had failed to improve her symptoms. Before her visit, the patient had headache and engaged in short-term medication use on 30 days per month. The total monthly headache intensity score was 90. The patient's Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MSQ) score was 33 points, her Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) score was 24 points, and her Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) score was 20 points. Results: After 48 acupuncture sessions over 24 weeks, the patient completely discontinued short-term analgesic use and the monthly number of headache days and headache intensity score were both reduced by 96.67 % (from 30 to 1 and 90 to 3, respectively), with no adverse effect. Compared with baseline, the MSQ, HAMD, and HAMA scores improved by 45, 17, and 16 points, respectively. At 12 months, the patient's condition remained stable and her MOH had not relapsed. Conclusion: In the context of the current literature and the present case, electroacupuncture shows promise for the long-term relief of chronic migraine with MOH when other treatments fail.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic pointed out significant mental symptoms of frontline healthcare workers (HCWs). Objective: We aimed to estimate the prevalence and comorbidity of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), depression and anxiety symptoms in HCWs from Fangcang shelter hospitals during the pandemic. Design: Demographic information, post-traumatic stress disorder checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7) were obtained online based on stratified random sampling design during April 2022, with 284 eligible responses. Method: Hierarchical regression analyses were applied to investigate independent variables associated with psychological status outcomes (PHQ-9, GAD-7 and PCL-5), and the network analyses were applied to explore the comorbidity using all items of PCL-5, PHQ-9 and GAD-7. Results: (1) 10.56%, 13.03% and 8.10% of HCWs reported PTSS, depression and anxiety symptoms. Fifty-three (18.66%) HCWs experienced at least one mental health disorder, among which 26.42–37.74% HCWs had comorbidity of two or three mental disorders; (2) several influence factors of mental health were identified, including medical professions, working hours, contacted patients ( p

Background: Irinotecan is widely used in the treatment of various solid tumors, but the adverse effects from it, especially diarrhea, limit its use. Several clinical trials of prophylactic treatment of irinotecan-induced diarrhea (IID) have been ongoing, and some of the data are controversial. This encouraged us to conduct a meta-analysis of the effects of interventions on preventing IID. Method: This systematic review was conducted based on the PRISMA statement. We performed literature searches from PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library. The number registered in PROSPERO is CRD42022368633. After searching 1034 articles in the database and references, 8 studies were included in this meta-analysis. Result: The RR of high-grade diarrhea and all-grade diarrhea were 0.31 ( I 2 = 51%, 95% CI: 0.14-0.69; P = .004) and .76 ( I 2 = 65%, 95% CI: 0.62-0.93; P

Background: The aim of this study was to assess whether intravenous dexamethasone was noninferior to perineural dexamethasone as an adjuvant to ropivacaine for a combination of saphenous and sciatic nerve blocks in patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery. Methods: This was a prospective, blinded, randomized noninferiority study. Seventy-five patients, aged 18–75 years, with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I-III who underwent foot and ankle surgery were involved. Patients scheduled for ultrasound-guided popliteal sciatic nerve block and saphenous nerve block were randomized to receive 0.375% ropivacaine with 7.5 mg of dexamethasone perineurally (Dex-PN), 10 mg of dexamethasone intravenously (Dex-IV) or neither (Placebo). The primary outcome was the duration of analgesia. The major secondary outcomes were the composite pain intensity and opioid consumption score at 0–48 h intervals after anesthesia. Results: The mean analgesic duration was 26.2 h in the Dex-IV group and 27.9 h in the Dex-PN group (duration difference, −1.7; 95% CI, −3.8 to 0.43; P = 0.117), and both durations were significantly longer than that in the placebo group (17.6 h, P

Abstract Objectives This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of multi-model incorporated by radiomics, deep learning, and transcriptomics features for predicting pathological grade and survival in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Methods In this study, data were collected from 177 ccRCC patients, including radiomics features, deep learning (DL) features, and RNA sequencing data. Diagnostic models were then created using these data through least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis. Additionally, a multi-model was developed by combining radiomics, DL, and transcriptomics features. The prognostic performance of the multi-model was evaluated based on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) outcomes, assessed using Harrell’s concordance index (C-index). Furthermore, we conducted an analysis to investigate the relationship between the multi-model and immune cell infiltration. Results The multi-model demonstrated favorable performance in discriminating pathological grade, with area under the ROC curve (AUC) values of 0.946 (95% CI: 0.912–0.980) and 0.864 (95% CI: 0.734–0.994) in the training and testing cohorts, respectively. Additionally, it exhibited statistically significant prognostic performance for predicting PFS and OS. Furthermore, the high-grade group displayed a higher abundance of immune cells compared to the low-grade group. Conclusions The multi-model incorporated radiomics, DL, and transcriptomics features demonstrated promising performance in predicting pathological grade and prognosis in patients with ccRCC. Critical relevance statement We developed a multi-model to predict the grade and survival in clear cell renal cell carcinoma and explored the molecular biological significance of the multi-model of different histological grades. Key points 1. The multi-model achieved an AUC of 0.864 for assessing pathological grade. 2. The multi-model exhibited an association with survival in ccRCC patients. 3. The high-grade group demonstrated a greater abundance of immune cells. Graphical Abstract

Highlights An ingenious design achieved magnetic-dielectric-carbon coupling. Nickel and manganese oxide particles were in situ reduced and grew on the carbon aerogels. The aerogels demonstrated radar stealth, infrared stealth and thermal management capability.

In this study we report, for the first time, the synthesis of Co-doped NiO microspheres assembled by two-dimension nanosheets using a facile solvothermal method. The H2S gas-sensing performance of the as-prepared samples was systematically investigated. The result demonstrates that the Co–NiO sensor with Co/Ni molar ratio of 1% (1% Co–NiO) exhibits high response (12.9) and rapid response speed (110 s) to 20×10−6 H2S at 200 °C in comparison with the pure NiO sensor. Moreover, excellent selectivity, repeatability, and stability were achieved. The sensing mechanism illustrates that the superior gas-sensing properties can be attributed to two factors. (1) The hierarchical microspherical construction with an ultrahigh specific surface area of 163.1 m2 g−1 provides adequate active sites for H2S gas adsorption, porous structures, and an interlayer gap that accelerates the diffusion of H2S gas, resulting in improved sensitivity and response speed of the sensor. (2) Co-doping results in a decrease in the particle sizes (ca. 4 nm) and increase in the number of adsorbed ionized oxygen species, which improves sensitivity and selectivity. Therefore, this study provides a facile approach for the synthesis of hierarchical Co–NiO microspheres with enhanced H2S gas-sensing performance.

Abstract Background Whether the positive associations of blood lipids with psychiatric disorders are causal is uncertain. We conducted this two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to comprehensively investigate associations of blood lipids with psychiatric disorders. Methods Univariable and multivariable models were established for MR analyses. Inverse variance-weighted (IVW) MR was employed as the main approach; weighted median and MR-Egger were used as sensitivity analysis methods. The possibility of violating MR assumptions was evaluated utilizing several sensitivity analyses, including heterogeneity statistics, horizontal pleiotropy statistics, single SNP analysis, leave-one-out analysis and MR-PRESSO analysis. As instrumental variables, we screened 362 independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) related to blood lipids from a recent genome-wide association study involving 76,627 individuals of European ancestry, with a genome-wide significance level of p

The n-type semiconductor SnO2 with a wide band gap (3.6 eV) is massively used in gas-sensitive materials, but pure SnO2 still suffers from a high operating temperature, low response, and tardy responding speed. To solve these problems, we prepared small-sized pure SnO2 using hydrothermal and freeze-drying methods (SnO2-FD) and compared it with SnO2 prepared using a normal drying method (SnO2-AD). The sensor of SnO2-FD had an ultra-high sensitivity to NO2 at 100 °C with excellent selectivity and humidity stability. The outstanding gas sensing properties are attributed to the modulation of energy band structure and the increased carrier concentration, making it more accessible for electron exchange with NO2. The excellent gas sensing properties of SnO2-FD indicate its tremendous potential as a NO2 sensor.

Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum (Mcc), a member of the Mycoplasma mycoides cluster, has a negative impact on the goat-breeding industry. However, little is known about the pathogenic mechanism of Mcc. This study infected mice using a previously isolated strain, Mcc HN-B. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, RNA sequencing, bioinformatic analyses, RT-qPCR, and immunohistochemistry were performed on mouse lung tissues. The results showed that 235 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses suggested that the DEGs were mainly associated with immune response, defensive response to bacteria, NF-kappa B signaling pathway, natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, and T cell receptor signaling pathway. RT-qPCR verified the expression of Ccl5, Cd4, Cd28, Il2rb, Lck, Lat, Ptgs2, S100a8, S100a9, and Il-33. The up-regulation of S100A8 and S100A9 at the protein level was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Moreover, RT-qPCR assays on Mcc HN-B-infected RAW264.7 cells also showed that the expression of S100a8 and S100a9 was elevated. S100A8 and S100A9 not only have diagnostic value in Mcc infection but also hold great significance in clarifying the pathogenic mechanism of Mcc. This study preliminarily elucidates the mechanism of Mcc HN-B-induced lung injury and provides a theoretical basis for further research on Mcc–host interactions.

China is actively encouraging households to replace traditional solid fuels with clean energy. Based on the Chinese Families Panel Survey (CFPS) data, this paper uses propensity scores matching with the difference-in-differences model to examine the impact of clean energy in the household sector on residents’ health status, and whether such an energy transition promotes health equity by favoring relatively disadvantaged social groups. The results show that: (1) The use of cleaner cooking fuels can significantly improve residents’ health status; (2) The older adult and women have higher health returns from the clean energy transition, demonstrating that, from the perspective of age and gender, the energy transition contributes to the promotion of health equity; (3) The clean energy transition has a lower or insignificant health impact on residents who cannot easily obtain clean energy or replace non-clean energy at an affordable price. Most of these individuals live in low-income, energy-poor, or rural households. Thus, the energy transition exacerbates health inequalities. This paper suggests that to reduce the cost of using clean energy and help address key issues in health inequality, Chinese government efforts should focus on improving the affordability, accessibility, and reliability of clean energy.

Introduction Recent years have witnessed a persistent threat to public mental health, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has emerged as a pivotal concern amidst this backdrop. Concurrently, machine learning (ML) techniques have progressively applied in the realm of mental health. Therefore, our present undertaking seeks to provide a comprehensive assessment of studies employing ML methods that use diverse data modalities on the classification of people with PTSD. Methods and analysis In pursuit of pertinent studies, we will search both English and Chinese databases from January 2000 to May 2022. Two researchers will independently conduct screening, extract data and assess study quality. We intend to employ the assessment framework introduced by Luis Francisco Ramos-Lima in 2020 for quality evaluation. Rate, standard error and 95% CIs will be utilized for effect size measurement. A Cochran's Q test will be applied to assess heterogeneity. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis will further elucidate the source of heterogeneity and funnel plots and Egger's test will detect publication bias. Ethics and dissemination This systematic review and meta-analysis does not encompass patient interactions or engagements with healthcare providers. The outcomes of this research will be disseminated through scholarly channels, including presentations at scientific conferences and publications in peer-reviewed journals. PROSPERO registration number CRD42023342042.

Ectopic spleen (ES) is a rare condition. It is difficult to diagnose with conventional imaging modalities. In this case series, we presented the imaging features of three misdiagnosed ES cases in our hospital and previously reported cases to compare the consistency of enhancement patterns among different imaging modalities with varied phases. Finally, 22 cases were reviewed. We determined that variable arterial phase enhancement and persistent enhancement throughout the portal and delayed phases are present in contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) imaging of the ES and found the arterial phase of CEUS had the highest consistency compared with computerized tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease, which has seriously affected human health. Berberine is a plant alkaloid with significant anti-inflammatory effect. In this study, we aimed to determine whether topical application of berberine could ameliorate skin inflammation in psoriasis and explore the potential molecular mechanism. Imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis in mice was firstly used to reveal the potential pathogenic mechanism. The transcriptome analysis showed that Janus kinase (JAK)-Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling pathway was significantly enriched in IMQ-induced dermatitis, which included the key genes such as Janus kinase 1 (JAK1), Interleukin-2 (IL2), Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha isoform (PIK3CA), Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit beta isoform (PIK3CB) and Signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1). Network pharmacology and molecular docking then predicted that topical berberine may treat psoriasis by JAK-STAT signaling pathway, especially act on JAK1, IL2, PIK3CA and PIK3CB. Experimental studies in vivo further demonstrated that topical application of berberine could ameliorate IMQ-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation by suppressing JAK-STAT signaling pathway. In addition, experimental studies in vitro showed that berberine could directly act on and enter into human immortalized keratinocytes (HaCaT cells). Meanwhile, berberine may inhibit the hyperproliferation and proinflammatory functions of HaCaT cells induced by Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) via suppressing JAK1/STAT1 signaling pathway. In conclusion, this study suggested that berberine may be a promising topical agent to ameliorate skin inflammation in psoriasis.

Based on the cyclodextrin (CD) and guest molecules inclusion, a novel rigid-flexible polymeric nanosphere was prepared by supramolecular self-assemble. The rigid part was formed by α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) and methoxypolyethylene glycol (mPEG) necklace-like crystallites while the flexible part was sodium alginate (Alg). The rigid and flexible parts were linked by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and ferrocene (Fc) inclusion complex. This kind of nanosphere exhibited good glucose oxidase (GOD) encapsulation ability. The encapsulated enzyme, in comparison to the free enzyme, is able to retain its high activities across a rather broader range of pH, temperature, and time. After 20 days, the encapsulated enzyme can retain its almost 86% initial activity which exhibited good storage stability. These studies suggested that CD host-guest inclusions to form stable polymeric nanospheres may be an effective way for enzyme encapsulation in various biomedical applications.

Abstract Background Isolation is a special environment that will affect the mental health and behavior of individuals. The current study was to explore the relationship between behavior intention (BI) and perceived stress in isolated environment during Shanghai Omicron pandemic. Methods A cross‐sectional study was conducted between April 8 and 14, 2022. Three self‐reported questionnaires were used to evaluate quarantine duration, stress perception, and BI. A total of 1042 participants in Shanghai under quarantine at home were included by random sampling. Logistic regression and one‐way variance analysis were used to determine the risk factors related to BI. Results The finding implicated negative BI was more reported by the population of males, with lower educational background, with jobs, and youngers. A negative association existed between perceived stress and BI (B = −1.004, p = .003, OR = 0.367, 95% CI = .191–.703). The proportion of positive BI decreased with quarantined duration, whereas the negative BI seemed vibrate upward then downward. Conclusion There existed a significant effect of quarantined days on perceived stress with different BIs. High perceived stress was a risk factor of positive BI. This preliminary study has significance to understand the effect of compulsory measures on BI and for policies makers to take a psychosocial perspective to consider the effective pandemic intervention strategies.

BackgroundRadiation proctitis is a common complication that occurs as a result of radiation therapy used to treat pelvic malignancies. The most common and bothersome symptom resulting from radiation proctitis is rectal bleeding, which can be persistent or recurrent. This study aimed to review our experience and evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcolonoscopic spraying of formalin solution in patients with hemorrhagic radiation proctitis.MethodsA total of 37 patients with hemorrhagic radiation proctitis, aged between 48 and 79 years (mean age 62.56 ± 8.48 years), were divided into three cohorts based on the severity of radiation injury. Under direct endoscopic vision, a 4% formalin solution was applied directly to the rectal hemorrhagic mucosa. The patients were followed for a period of over 6 months after receiving treatment, during which the therapeutic effectiveness and occurrence of complications were observed.ResultsThe study resulted in an overall response rate of 89.2% among all patients. The response rates for patients with grades 1–3 were 100, 100, and 66.7%, respectively. Notably, the rate of response among patients with grade 3 radiation injury was significantly lower compared to those with grades 1–2 (p = 0.009). Mild adverse reactions, such as anal pain and tenesmus, were reported in a small number of patients but could be alleviated without any intervention.ConclusionThe endoscopic application of formalin solution for the treatment of hemorrhagic radiation proctitis has shown a significant effect, particularly in patients with grades 1–2 radiation injury. The observed effect is superior to that observed in patients with grade 3 radiation injury.

Abstract Background Previous studies have reported that inflammatory responses can promote the onset of cardiovascular diseases; however, its association with cardiac conduction disorders remains unclear. The present community-based cohort study aimed to elucidate the effects of inflammatory responses on the risk of developing cardiac conduction disorders. Methods After the exclusion of participants failing to meet the inclusion criteria, 86,234 eligible participants (mean age: 50.57 ± 11.88 years) were included. The participants were divided into high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) ≤ 3 mg/L, and hsCRP > 3 mg/L groups based on hsCRP values. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the relationship between inflammatory responses and various cardiac conduction disorders. Results After adjusting for confounding factors, we observed that compared with the hsCRP ≤ 3 mg/L group, the hsCRP > 3 mg/L group exhibited increased risks of atrioventricular block (hazard ratio [HR]:1.64, 95%confidence interval [CI] 1.44–1.87) and left (HR:1.25, 95% CI 1.07–1.45) and right bundle branch block (HR:1.31, 95% CI 1.17–1.47). Moreover, the risk of various cardiac conduction disorders increased for every 1 standard deviation increase in log (hsCRP). The restricted cubic spline function confirmed a linear relationship between log (hsCRP) and the risk of developing cardiac conduction disorders (All nonlinearity P > 0.05). Conclusions High hsCRP levels are an independent risk factor for cardiac conduction disorders, and hsCRP levels are dose-dependently associated with the risk of conduction disorders. Our study results may provide new strategies for preventing cardiac conduction disorders.

Abstract Background This paper aimed to examine the effects of probiotics on eight factors in overweight or obese children by meta-analysis, namely, body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), adiponectin, leptin and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and summarize the mechanisms of action of probiotics based on the existing researches. Methods Six databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, SinoMed and CNKI) were searched until March 2023. Review Manager 5.4 was used for meta-analysis. The data were analysed using weighted mean differences (WMDs) or standardized mean differences (SMDs) under a fixed effect model or random effect model to observe the effects of probiotic administration on the included indicators. Results Four publications with a total of 206 overweight or obesity children were included. According to the meta-analysis, probiotics were able to significantly decrease the levels of HDL-C (MD, 0.06; 95% CI 0.03, 0.09; P = 0.0001), LDL-C (MD, − 0.06; 95% CI − 0.12, − 0.00; P = 0.04), adiponectin (MD, 1.39; 95% CI 1.19, 1.59; P

Abstract Background Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is a contagious intestinal disease caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) characterized by vomiting, diarrhea, anorexia, and dehydration, which has caused huge economic losses around the world. However, it is very hard to find completely valid approaches to control the transmission of PEDV. At present, vaccine immunity remains the most effective method. To better control the spread of PED and evaluate the validity of different immunization strategies, 240 PED outbreak cases from 577 swine breeding farms were collected and analyzed. The objective of the present study was to analyze the epidemic regularity of PEDV and evaluate two kinds of different immunization strategies for controlling PED. Results The results showed that the main reasons which led to the outbreak of PED were the movement of pig herds between different pig farms (41.7%) and delaying piglets from the normal production flow (15.8%). The prevalence of PEDV in the hot season (May to October) was obviously higher than that in the cold season (January to April, November to December). Results of different vaccine immunity cases showed that immunization with the highly virulent live vaccine (NH-TA2020 strain) and the commercial inactivated vaccine could significantly decrease the frequency of swine breeding farms (5.9%), the duration of PED epidemic (1.70 weeks), and the week batches of dead piglets (0.48 weeks weaned piglets), compared with immunization with commercial attenuated vaccines and inactivated vaccine of PED. Meanwhile, immunization with the highly virulent live vaccine and the commercial inactivated vaccine could bring us more cash flows of Y̶275,274 per year than immunization with commercial live attenuated vaccine and inactivated vaccine in one 3000 sow pig farm within one year. Conclusion Therefore, immunization with highly virulent live vaccine and inactivated vaccine of PED is more effective and economical in the prevention and control of PED in the large-scale swine farming system.

Flexible sensors are prone to the problems of slow recovery rate and large residual strain in practical use. In this paper, a polyurethane functional composite with a gradient change in elastic modulus is proposed as a flexible sensor to meet the recovery rate and residual strain without affecting the motion. Different hard and soft segment ratios are used to synthesize a gradient polyurethane structure. The conductive percolation threshold was obtained between 45 wt% and 50 wt% of flake silver powder. Both gradient polyurethane and gradient polyurethane composites demonstrated that gradient materials can increase the recovery rate and reduce residual strain. The gradient polyurethane composites had a tensile strength of 3.26 MPa, an elastic modulus of 2.58 MPa, an elongation at break of 245%, a sensitivity coefficient of 1.20 at 0–25% deformation, a sensitivity coefficient of 11.38 at 25–75% deformation, a rate of recovery of 1.95 s at a time, and a resistance to fatigue (over 1000 cycles at a fixed strain of 20% showed a stable electrical response). The sensing performance under different cyclic strain frequencies was also investigated. The process has practical applications in the field of wearable skin motion and health monitoring.

Zinc-ion batteries are promising candidates for large-scale energy storage. The side reactions of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and zinc dendrite growth are major challenges for developing high-performance zinc-ion batteries. In this paper, a supramolecular gel electrolyte (BLO-ILZE) was self-assembled in an ionic liquid (EMIMBF4) with zinc tetrafluoroborate (Zn(BF4)2) on the separator in situ to obtain a gel electrolyte used in zinc-ion batteries. BLO-ILZE is demonstrated to significantly enhance conductivity over a broad temperature range between −70 and 100 °C. Interestingly, through testing and fitting, it is found that the supramolecular gel electrolyte satisfies the liquid state law over a wide temperature range, and even achieves high conductivity (2.12 mS cm−1) at −40 °C. It is equivalent to the conductivity of aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZnSO4/H2O) at −10 °C, which is 2.33 mS cm−1. Moreover, the supramolecular gel electrolyte can effectively inhibit the HER, thus exhibiting a longer lifetime in Zn/Zn cells for 3470 h at 1 mA cm−2 compared to the aqueous zinc-ion batteries with the Zn(BF4)2 aqueous electrolyte (400 h at 1 mA cm−2). The assembled V2O5/BLO-ILZE/Zn full cells also showed cycling performance, with 5000 cycles at 0.5 mA g−1 at room temperature, a capacity of 98%, and a coulombic efficiency of about 100%.

Polysaccharides have been assessed as a potential natural active component in Chinese herbal medicine with anti-inflammatory properties. However, the complex and indefinite structures of polysaccharides limit their applications. This study explains the structures and anti-inflammatory potentials of three neutral polysaccharides, RIP-A1 (Mw 1.8 × 104 Da), RIP-B1 (Mw 7.4 × 104 Da) and RIP-B2 (Mw 9.3 × 104 Da), which were isolated from the roots of Isatis indigotica Fort. with sequenced ultrafiltration membrane columns, DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-100. The planar structures and microstructures of RIP-A1, RIP-B1 and RIP-B2 were further determined by HPGPC, GC–MS, methylation analysis, FT-IR, SEM and AFM, in which the structure of RIP-A1 was elucidated in detail using 1D/2D NMR. The Raw 264.7 cells were used for the anti-inflammatory activity in vitro. The results showed that RIP-A1, RIP-B1 and RIP-B2 are all neutral polysaccharides, with RIP-A1 having the smallest Mw and the simplest monosaccharide composition of the three. RIP-A1 is mainly composed of Ara and Gal, except for a small quantity of Rha. Its main structure is covered with glycosidic linkages of T-α-Araf, 1,2-α-Rhap, 1,5-α-Araf, T-β-Galp, 1,2,4-α-Rhap, 1,3,5-α-Araf and 1,6-β-Galp with 0.33:0.12:1.02:0.09:0.45:11.41:10.23. RIP-A1 significantly inhibited pro-inflammatory cytokines (NO, TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β) and increased anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4) in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, RIP-A1 could significantly inhibit the mRNA expression of TNF-α, IL-6 and L-1β. It could also activate IKK, p65 and IκBα (the components of the NF-κB signaling pathway). In conclusion, the above results show the structural characterization and anti-inflammatory potentials of RIP-A1 as an effective natural anti-inflammatory drug.

Abstract Background The pathological basis for many retinal diseases, retinal ischemia is also one of the most common causes of visual impairment. Numerous ocular diseases have been linked to Endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress. However, there is still no clear understanding of the relationship between ER stress and Müller glial cells during retinal ischemia and hypoxia. This study examined the effects of ER stress on autophagy and apoptosis-related proteins, as well as the microtubule-related protein tau in rMC-1 cells. Methods rMC-1 cells were cultured in vitro. RT-PCR、immunofluorescence and Western blotting revealed the expression levels of associated mRNAs and proteins, and the CCK-8 and flow cytometry assays detected cell apoptosis. Results The results showed that under OGD(Oxygen-glucose deprivation) conditions, the number of rMC-1 cells was decreased, the PERK/eIF2a pathway was activated, and the expressions of p-tau, LC3、Beclin1 and Caspase-12 proteins were increased. After the PERK knockout, the expression of the above proteins was decreased, and the apoptosis was also decreased. Conclusion According to the findings of this study, specific downregulation of PERK expression had an anti-apoptotic effect on OGD-conditioned rMC-1 cells. There is a possibility that this is one of the mechanisms of MG cell apoptosis during retinal ischemic injury.

Abstract Chronic hepatitis B is a significant public health problem and complex pathologic process, and unraveling the underlying mechanisms and pathophysiology is of great significance. Data independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) is a label-free quantitative proteomics method that has been successfully applied to the study of a wide range of diseases. The aim of this study was to apply DIA-MS for proteomic analysis of patients with chronic hepatitis B. We performed comprehensive proteomics analysis of protein expression in serum samples from HBV patients and healthy controls by using DIA-MS. Gene Ontology (GO) terms, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, and protein network analysis were performed on differentially expressed proteins and were further combined with literature analysis. We successfully identified a total of 3786 serum proteins with a high quantitative performance from serum samples in this study. We identified 310 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) (fold change > 1.5 and P value

Abstract Background Home confinement during the epidemic has a significant impact on the lifestyle and behavior of school-aged children, who have exhibited an increase in the prevalence and development of myopia. Our research will look at if home confinement will affect school-aged children on myopia control with orthokeratology. Method Data on axial length was gathered from school-aged children who had received OK lenses treatment. The entire data was separated into subgroups based on gender, age, and initial refraction, and the AL changes for each period were calculated using the formula defined in our study. Finally, the acquired data will be examined using various statistical approaches, and the ideas of slow, moderate, and rapid myopia progression will be applied to our study. Result A total of 258 study subjects met the requirements to be included in the study. We discovered that the percentage of rapid myopia growth increased during the epidemic. In addition, the AL changes before and during the epidemic were found to be statistically significant in 171 subjects in the overall data. (P = 0.041) In the high age group, the AL changes before and during the epidemic、(P = 0.033) before and after the epidemic (P = 0.023) were found to be statistically significant. The AL changes before and during the epidemic (P = 0.035) were shown to be statistically significant in the moderate myopia group. Finally, we did not find statistically significant results for other groups. Conclusion We cannot conclude that home confinement did have a negative impact on myopia control with orthokeratology in school-aged children. But we found there was an increase in the percentage of patients with OK treatment that had fast myopia progression during the confinement. We also observed that older children with higher initial refraction were more likely to be affected by home confinement.

AbstractAccurate carbon price prediction is a reference that allows market participants to make decisions. This study adopts a total of 1,857 trading days of data from April 2, 2014, to June 15, 2022, in the Hubei carbon market, one of the first and largest pilot carbon markets in China for carbon price prediction. We propose a new framework based on the GA-VMD-CNN-BiLSTM-Attention hybrid model: a genetic algorithm (GA) is adopted to search the optimal parameter combination of variational mode decomposition (VMD); a convolutional neural network (CNN) is established to discover the relationship between influencing factors and carbon prices; a bidirectional long and short-term memory network (BiLSTM) is applied to extract time series information; and an attention mechanism is used to strengthen the influence of important information on carbon prices. Compared to 11 other models, the GA-VMD-CNN-BiLSTM-Attention model has a higher accuracy and stronger model reliability. In addition to deterministic point prediction, this study uses non-parametric kernel density estimation with the Gaussian kernel function (KDE-Gaussian) for interval forecasting. The forecasting can quantify the uncertainty of carbon prices and serve as a more practical reference for decision-makers. By revealing the particularly challenging issue that underlies carbon price forecasting, our analysis also sheds light on current low-carbon policies in China.

Since all information depends solely on the training data, machine learning algorithms typically do not employ external knowledge or other experiences during the learning process. Methods for machine learning have been rigorously tested against novel varieties of highly technical “black box” or “white box” adversarial attacks. By employing attacks, attackers can change systems to serve a harmful end goal. When authorized implementers and eavesdroppers are geographically close together, it is difficult to perform secure beamforming in waveform applications, for instance, leading to erroneous beam forms and, as a result, disastrous beam leakages. As a result, the first move in a prospective black-box offense will be based on the waveform features of a learning signal. By including a non-orthogonality concept into the physical layer signal waveform, the Waveforms Eavesdropping Prevention Framework (WEPF) proposed in this work aims to boost machine learning security to address these difficulties. The implementation scenario is based on a waveforms scenario used to categorize the Electrical Penetration Graph (EPG) for insects, a crucial tool for researching the feeding conduct of piercing-sucking insects and the transition mechanism between viruses and insects. An attribute vector with six dimensions, consisting of low-frequency wavelet energy (LFWE) in the second and third layers of the Wavelet Kernel Extreme Learning Machine, fractal box dimension (FBD), the Hurst exponent (HE), and spectral centroid (SC) in the first two layers of the HHT, was used to test the proposed framework. Two adversarial scenarios were explored. However, the suggested architecture secures all waveform signals, demonstrating the method’s effectiveness in lowering the risk of eavesdropping or tampering with the waveforms used in advanced machine-learning methods.

AbstractGastrointestinal tumors are the most common cancers with the highest morbidity and mortality worldwide. Surgery accompanied by chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapy remains the first option for gastrointestinal tumors. However, poor specificity for tumor cells of these postoperative treatments often leads to severe side effects and poor prognosis. Tumor immunotherapy, including checkpoint blockade and tumor vaccines, has developed rapidly in recent years, showing good curative effects and minimal side effects in the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors. National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend tumor immunotherapy as part of the treatment of gastrointestinal tumors. However, the heterogeneity of tumor cells, complicacy of the tumor microenvironment and poor tumor immunogenicity hamper the effectiveness of tumor immunotherapy. Hydrogels, defined as three-dimensional, hydrophilic, and water-insoluble polymeric networks, could significantly improve the overall response rate of immunotherapy due to their superior drug loading efficacy, controlled release and drug codelivery ability. In this article, we briefly describe the research progress made in recent years on hydrogel delivery systems in immunotherapy for gastrointestinal tumors and discuss the potential future application prospects and challenges to provide a reference for the clinical application of hydrogels in tumor immunotherapy.

BackgroundThyroid associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease that has a significant impact on individuals and society. The etiology of TAO is complicated and poorly understood. Thus, the goal of this study was to use bioinformatics to look into the pathogenesis of TAO and to identify the optimum feature genes (OFGs) and immune infiltration patterns of TAO.MethodsFirstly, the GSE58331 microarray data set was utilized to find 366 differentially expressed genes (DEGs). To find important modular genes, the dataset was evaluated using weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). Then, the overlap genes of major module genes and DEGs were further assessed by applying three machine learning techniques to find the OFGs. The CIBERSORT approach was utilized to examine immune cell infiltration in normal and TAO samples, as well as the link between optimum characteristic genes and immune cells. Finally, the related pathways of the OFGs were predicted using single gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA).ResultsKLB, TBC1D2B, LINC01140, SGCG, TMEM37, and LINC01697 were the six best feature genes that were employed to create a nomogram with high predictive performance. The immune cell infiltration investigation revealed that the development of TAO may include memory B cells, T cell follicular helper cells, resting NK cells, macrophages of type M0, macrophages of type M1, resting dendritic cells, active mast cells, and neutrophils. In addition, ssGSEA results found that these characteristic genes were closely associated with lipid metabolism pathways.ConclusionIn this research, we found that KLB, TBC1D2B, LINC01140, SGCG, TMEM37, and LINC01697 are intimately associated with the development and progression of TAO, as well as with lipid metabolism pathways.

IntroductionProlonged fasting is an intervention approach with potential benefits for individuals with obesity or metabolic disorders. Changes in gut microbiota during and after fasting may also have significant effects on the human body.MethodsHere we conducted a 7-days medically supervised water-only fasting for 46 obese volunteers and characterized their gut microbiota based on whole-metagenome sequencing of feces at five timepoints.ResultsSubstantial changes in the gut microbial diversity and composition were observed during fasting, with rapid restoration after fasting. The ecological pattern of the microbiota was also reassembled during fasting, reflecting the reduced metabolic capacity of diet-derived carbohydrates, while other metabolic abilities such as degradation of glycoproteins, amino acids, lipids, and organic acid metabolism, were enhanced. We identified a group of species that responded significantly to fasting, including 130 fasting-resistant (consisting of a variety of members of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, and Fusobacteria) and 140 fasting-sensitive bacteria (mainly consisting of Firmicutes members). Functional comparison of the fasting-responded bacteria untangled the associations of taxon-specific functions (e.g., pentose phosphate pathway modules, glycosaminoglycan degradation, and folate biosynthesis) with fasting. Furthermore, we found that the serum and urine metabolomes of individuals were also substantially changed across the fasting procedure, and particularly, these changes were largely affected by the fasting-responded bacteria in the gut microbiota.DiscussionOverall, our findings delineated the patterns of gut microbiota alterations under prolonged fasting, which will boost future mechanistic and clinical intervention studies.

Abstract Melanoma is the most lethal type of skin cancer, originating from the malignant transformation of melanocyte. While the development of targeted therapy and immunotherapy has gained revolutionary advances in potentiating the therapeutic effect, the prognosis of patients with melanoma is still suboptimal. During tumor progression, melanoma frequently encounters stress from both endogenous and exogenous sources in tumor microenvironment. SIRT7 is a nuclear-localized deacetylase of which the activity is highly dependent on intracellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), with versatile biological functions in maintaining cell homeostasis. Nevertheless, whether SIRT7 regulates tumor cell biology and tumor immunology in melanoma under stressful tumor microenvironment remains elusive. Herein, we reported that SIRT7 orchestrates melanoma progression by simultaneously promoting tumor cell survival and immune evasion via the activation of unfolded protein response. We first identified that SIRT7 expression was the most significantly increased one in sirtuins family upon stress. Then, we proved that the deficiency of SIRT7 potentiated tumor cell death under stress in vitro and suppressed melanoma growth in vivo. Mechanistically, SIRT7 selectively activated the IRE1α-XBP1 axis to potentiate the pro-survival ERK signal pathway and the secretion of tumor-promoting cytokines. SIRT7 directly de-acetylated SMAD4 to antagonize the TGF-β-SMAD4 signal, which relieved the transcriptional repression on IRE1α and induced the activation of the IRE1α-XBP1 axis. Moreover, SIRT7 up-regulation eradicated anti-tumor immunity by promoting PD-L1 expression via the IRE1α-XBP1 axis. Additionally, the synergized therapeutic effect of SIRT7 suppression and anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade was also investigated. Taken together, SIRT7 can be employed as a promising target to restrain tumor growth and increase the effect of melanoma immunotherapy.

The micropowder obtained by cryogenic pulverizing flexible polyurethane foam (FPUF) as a filler is a waste recycling approach which is highly efficient and eco-friendly. Currently, the micropowder has merely been applied roughly and simply in various fields, so it makes sense to study its surface activity in depth to achieve quantitative and efficient reuse. This paper is focused on studying the surface physicochemical properties of the micropowder and its reactivity and compatibility as a filler in polyurethane elastomers. The FPUF was pulverized into a particle of 0–900 μm. The hydroxyl and amine values of the micropowder surface increased from 48.82, 5.99 mg KOH/g to 73.78, 9.12 mg KOH/g, respectively, with the decrease of particle size range from 500-900 μm to 0–100 μm. However, the amount of substance of effective active hydrogens that could react with NCO groups in the polyurethane prepolymer was uncertain due to the viscosity and temperature. Thus, a preliminary attempt was to quantify the effective active hydrogens by FTIR coupled with titration of the NCO content. The mixture with 5% FPUF-1 micropowder had the maximum effective active hydrogens of 3.30 mmol, which could react with NCO groups to form new chemical crosslinking sites. Compared with the pure PU film, microcrosslinking and strong hydrogen bonding are contributors to the good mechanical properties of the composite. Thus, the FPUF micropowder as an organic filler exhibits considerable potential for converting thermoset FPUF into value-added performance materials.

Abstract Objective We aimed to estimate the prevalence of CRFs and investigate its associated social-economic factors among adults in coastal areas of Qinzhou, Guangxi. Methods A representative sample of 1836 participants aged 20 to 70 years was included in Qinzhou, Guangxi in 2020. Data were collected by the questionnaire, anthropometric and laboratory measurements. The prevalence of CRFs, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, overweight or obesity, alcohol consumption, and smoking were calculated by standardization. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to explore the independent factors associated with the presence of CRFs. Results The age-standardized prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, overweight or obesity alcohol consumption, and smoking was 42.7%, 39.5%, 0.9%, 38.5%, 18.4% and 15.7%, respectively. The prevalence of clustering of at least one and at least two cardiovascular disease risk factors were 82.2% and 45.3% in total. There were differences in the aggregation of cardiovascular risk factors among different age, education, and income levels. There appeared higher clustering of at least one and at least two CRFs among adults with lower education level, higher income level and those elderly. Conclusions Compared with other regions in China, a higher prevalence of CRFs exists among adults in Guangxi and several social-economic factors were associated with the presence of CRFs. These findings suggest that we should implement effective measures to control the CRFs, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults.

The paper studies the control of wheeled land mobile robots (MRs) using nonlinear equations and non-holonomic dynamic constraints. Due to the complex and unpredictable nature of the environments in which these robots operate, designing a controller for them is a challenging task. Uncertainties in the system further compound the problem. To tackle these challenges, this paper proposes a novel approach based on type-3 (T3) fuzzy logic systems (FLSs) for system identification and parameter estimation. The T3- FLSs are used to create an online model of the MRs dynamics, which is then used to design a model-based control system. To account for the approximation error of T3- FLSs and the effect of un-modeled dynamics and constraints, an optimal supervisor is designed. The supervisor compensates for any error in the model and ensures that the control system remains stable under symmetrical constraints. A Lyapunov analysis is conducted to verify the stability of the system. The simulations demonstrate that the proposed controller yields excellent results even in the presence of non-holonomic constraints and fully unknown dynamics. The findings of this study offer significant insights into the challenges associated with controlling MRs and provide a promising solution to address these issues.

The socioeconomic growth of China and local urban vitality have both been significantly impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19. It is of great significance to scientifically evaluate the changes of urban vitality in the Short Period of Time before and after the Outbreak of the Epidemic. Taking Zhengzhou City as an example, this study selected the epidemic period in May 2022, based on traffic big data and traffic simulation data, and applied the AHP-entropy weight method, gray relational TOPSIS method, time series method, spatial analysis method, visual analysis method, gravity model, standard deviation ellipse, multiple linear regression model and other methods. The daily characteristics, stage characteristics and temporal and spatial patterns of urban vitality affected by COVID-19 in Zhengzhou were revealed at multiple scales. The results are as follows: The change of urban vitality in the short term of the epidemic outbreak is basically in line with the change model of urban vitality. Erqi District has the greatest impact on the change of urban vitality, which is the center of gravity of urban vitality change. Among the means of transportation, pedestrians, nonmotor vehicles, taxis, private cars, and buses all had a positive correlation effect on the change of urban vitality in Zhengzhou, with nonmotor vehicles contributing the most. Trucks had a negative correlation with the change of urban vitality. The results of this study indicated that traffic data had good application prospects in the real-time evaluation and analysis of major health emergencies.