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Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the sleep status of middle-aged and elderly adults in Bengbu City, Anhui Province, China, to identify the major dietary patterns, and to analyze the association of different sleep duration and dietary patterns with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its related influencing factors, as well as to explore the predictive value of sleep duration and dietary patterns. A cross-sectional analysis was performed utilizing data collected from the Community-based Cardiovascular and Health Promotion Study 2019 (COCHPS 2019) conducted in Bengbu. The definition of MetS adhered to the criteria of Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Dyslipidemia in Chinese Adults (2016 Revision). Dietary information was obtained using the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to assess dietary intake over the past year. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to identify dominant dietary patterns. A logistic regression model was developed to analyze the associations among sleep duration, dietary patterns, and MetS, and a decision tree (DT) model was developed to compare factors affecting MetS and screen people at high risk for MetS. The prevalence of MetS was 13.4% among the 9132 middle-aged and elderly residents over 45 years of age included in COCHPS 2019. Participants were divided into short ( 8 h/d) groups based on their daily sleep duration. Three dietary patterns were identified by PCA, the fruit-milk pattern, the tubers-meat pattern, and the vegetable-cereal pattern. After adjusting for covariables, logistic regression analysis showed that long sleep duration was significantly negatively associated with MetS. The fruit-milk and vegetable-cereal patterns were negatively associated with MetS, whereas the tubers-meat pattern was positively correlated with MetS. The results of the DT model analysis showed that the vegetable-cereal pattern is the most important factor impacting MetS, followed by marital status, the tubers-meat pattern, the fruit-milk pattern, exercise, sleep duration, and gender. The DT model also screened out five types of MetS high-risk groups. The results of our study indicate that normal sleep duration and consumption of either a fruit-milk or vegetable-cereal diet may lower the likelihood of developing MetS in middle-aged and elderly adults.

Abstract Background Previous studies have shown that migraines are associated with brain structural changes. However, the causal relationships between these changes and migraine, as well as its subtypes, migraine with aura (MA) and migraine without aura (MO), remain largely unclear. Methods We utilized genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics from European cohorts for 2,347 cortical structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) phenotypes, derived from both T1-weighted and diffusion tensor imaging scans (n = 36,663), with migraine and its subtypes (n = 147,970–375,752). Cortical phenotypes included both macrostructural (e.g., cortical thickness, surface area) and microstructural (e.g., fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity) features. Genetic correlations were first assessed to identify significant associations, followed by bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to determine causal relationships between these brain phenotypes and migraine, as well as its subtypes (MA and MO). Sensitivity analyses were applied to ensure the robustness of the results. Results Genetic correlation analysis identified 510 significant associations between cortical structural phenotypes and migraine across 401 distinct traits. Forward MR analysis revealed nine significant causal effects of cortical structural changes on migraine risk. Specifically, increased cortical thickness and local gyrification index in specific cortical regions were associated with a decreased risk of overall migraine, MA, and MO, while intracellular volume fraction and orientation diffusion index in specific regions increased the risk of MA and MO. Reverse MR analysis demonstrated that MA causally increased mean diffusivity in the insular and frontal opercular cortex. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings, with no evidence of horizontal pleiotropy or heterogeneity. Conclusion This study identifies causal relationships between cortical neuroimaging phenotypes and migraine, highlighting potential biomarkers for migraine diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Global medicine R&D has shown a stabilized trend after fleeting prosperity lately. Despite of discouraging whole picture, the role of China in cross-border out-licensing activities of medical therapeutics keeps rising, which started since 2020 and further boosted in 2023. A holistic analysis of drug and technology licensing, involving Chinese enterprises from 2019 to 2023, revealed 807 license-in deals and 401 license-out deals. In-licensing showed a decreasing trend, while out-licensing was the opposite. Increasing ingenuity of Chinese products has led to a shift from an import-oriented to an export-oriented situation, such as antibody-drug-conjugates, and cell/gene therapies. With supportive policies of Chinese government, southeast Asia is becoming an important downstream market for out-licensed drugs. Biotech innovators are emerging as a dominant force with core innovation capacity. China is embracing international collaboration by showing favorable markets and high-level innovative products.

Abstract Micropeptides hidden in long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been uncovered to program various cell-biological changes associated with malignant transformation-glioblastoma (GBM) cascade. Here, we identified and characterized a novel hidden micropeptide implicated in GBM. We screened potential candidate lncRNAs by establishing a workflow involving ribosome-bound lncRNAs, publicly available MS/MS data, and prognosis-related lncRNAs. Micropeptide expression was detected by western blot (WB), immunofluorescence (IF), and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Cell proliferation rate was assessed by calcein/PI staining and EdU assay. Proteins interacted with the micropeptide were analyzed by proteomics after co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). We discovered that lncRNA AF127577.4 indeed encoded an endogenous micropeptide, named AF127577.4-ORF. AF127577.4-ORF was associated with GBM clinical grade. In vitro, AF127577.4-ORF could suppress GBM cell proliferation. Moreover, AF127577.4-ORF reduced m6A methylation level of GBM cells. Mechanistically, AF127577.4-ORF diminished ERK2 interaction with m6A reader methyltransferase like 3 (METTL3) and downregulated phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) level. The ERK inhibitor reduced p-ERK level and downregulated METTL3 protein expression. AF127577.4-ORF weakened the stability of METTL3 protein by ERK. Also, AF127577.4-ORF suppressed GBM cell proliferation via METTL3. Our study identifies a novel micropeptide AF127577.4-ORF hidden in a lncRNA, with a potent anti-proliferating function in GBM by diminishing METTL3 protein stability by reducing the ERK2/METTL3 interaction. This micropeptide may be beneficial for development of therapeutic strategies against GBM.

Abstract This study was aimed at assessing the risk factors for hypertension (HTN) and prehypertension (PHT) in order to clarify the role of lipid accumulation product (LAP) in the development of HTN among nondiabetic individuals. A large cross‐sectional study was conducted in community health service centers in urban Bengbu, Anhui Province, China. All participants completed an interview questionnaire and procedures to obtain physical measurements and biochemical indicators. Multivariate logistic regression was used to test for the prevalence of HTN and PHT in relation to each quartile increase in LAP level and family history of HTN. The resulting interaction effects were evaluated by relative excess risk of interaction (RERI), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP), and synergy index (SI). A total of 7733 subjects were enrolled in the study. The overall prevalence rates of PHT and HTN were 37.1% and 24.8%, respectively. After adjusting for confounding factors, multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that compared with subjects in LAP quartile 1, those in quartile 3 (OR, 1.257; 95% CI, 1.062–1.494) and quartile 4 (OR, 1.323; 95% CI, 1.101–1.592) had a significantly higher risk for HTN (p for trend

Abstract Background The triglyceride glucose (TyG) index has been regarded as an effective proxy of Insulin resistance (IR). Studies on the TyG index, obesity and the risk of prehypertension (PHT) in elderly people are not apparent currently. The study sought to investigate the predictive value of TyG index and the associations with PHT risk and obesity. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Bengbu City, Anhui province, China. Participants older than 65 years accepted questionnaire surveys, physical examinations and blood biochemistry tests. Based on the testing results, indicators including BMI (body mass index), WC (waist circumference), WHtR (waist-to-height-ratio), LAP(Lipid accumulation products) and TyG were calculated. Residents were classified into quartiles by their TyG indexes. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was carried out to predict obesity indices for PHT. The three additive interaction indicators, RERI (relative excess risk due to interaction), AP (attributable proportion due to interaction) and S (synergy index) were used to assess the interaction impacts. Results Two thousand six hundred sixty-six eligible elderly people were included in study and the prevalence of PHT was 71.04% (n = 1894). With increasing TyG index quartile, PHT became more prevalent. After adjusting for confounding factors, the prevalence of PHT risk with TyG levels in the fourth quartile (Q4, male: 2.83, 95%CI: 1.77–4.54; female: 2.75, 95%CI:1.91–3.97) was greater than that in the first quartile (Q1:ref). TyG index (AUC: 0.626, 95%CI: 0.602 to 0.650) was superior than BMI (AUC: 0.609, 95%CI: 0.584 to 0.633) in predicting PHT among females. Eventually, there were significant interactions of TyG index with obesity in males (General obesity: AP = 0.87, 95%CI: 0.72 to 1.02, S = 10.48, 95%CI: 3.43 to 31.97; Abdominal obesity: AP = 0.60,95%CI: 0.38 to 0.83, S = 3.53, 95%CI: 1.99 to 6.26) and females (General obesity: AP = 0.89, 95%CI: 0.79 to 0.98, S = 12.46, 95%CI: 5.61 to 27.69; Abdominal obesity: AP = 0.66, 95%CI: 0.51 to 0.82, S = 3.89, 95%CI:2.54 to 5.98). Conclusion TyG index and PHT risk are tightly correlated. The risk of chronic disease in the elderly can be decreased by early detection of PHT utilizing the TyG index. In this research, the TyG index was more predictable than other indicators of obesity.

Background: Bufalin, the main active ingredient of the traditional Chinese medicine huachansu, is used in the clinical treatment of colorectal cancer and has multiple effects, including the inhibition of migratory invasion, reversal of multi-drug resistance, induction of apoptosis and differentiation, and inhibition of angiogenesis. Methods: We collected relevant articles on bufalin from 2003 to 2022 using the Web Science platform, and analysed the information using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and Microsoft Excel to categorise and summarise the publications over the past 20 years. Results: We collected 371 papers, with a steady increase in the number of articles published globally. China has the highest number of published articles, whereas Japan has the highest number of citations. Currently, there is considerable enthusiasm for investigating the anti-tumour mechanism of bufalin and optimising drug delivery systems for its administration. Conclusion: For the first time, we present a comprehensive overview of papers published worldwide on bufalin over the past two decades and the progress of its application in tumour therapy. We summarised the key authors, institutions, and countries that have contributed to the field and the potential of bufalin for the treatment of cancer. This will help other researchers obtain an overview of progress in the field, enhance collaboration and knowledge sharing, and promote future research on bufalin.

Abstract Background Lipid accumulation product (LAP) is considered to be a new convenient useful indicator to assess the visceral fat. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the risk factors of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and diabetes, and explore the possible interacting influences of LAP with other factors on the risk of IFG and diabetes among Chinese normotension adults. Methods A multistage stratified cluster sampling method was conducted to select urban residents in Bengbu, China. For each eligible participant, data on questionnaire survey, anthropometric measurements and laboratory tests were obtained. The effects of body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist to height ratio (WHtR) and LAP for predicting IFG and diabetes were performed by multiple logistic regressions and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses. The interaction effects were evaluated by relative excess risk of interaction (RERI), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP) and synergy index (SI). Results Six thousand, four hundred sixty-seven normotension subjects (2695 men and 3772 women) were enrolled in our study, the prevalence of IFG and diabetes were 9.37% and 14.33%, respectively. When assessed using ROC curve analysis, LAP exhibited higher diagnostic accuracy for identifying IFG and diabetes than BMI, the area under the AUC curve was 0.650 (95% CI: 0.637 to 0.662). After adjustment for age, sex, educational level and other confounding factors, multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that subjects with the fourth quartile of LAP were more likely to develop IFG (adjusted OR: 2.735, 95% CI: 1.794–4.170) and diabetes (adjusted OR: 1.815, 95% CI: 1.297–2.541) than those with the first quartile. A significant interaction between LAP and family history of diabetes was observed in participants (RERI = 1.538, 95%CI: 0.167 to 3.612; AP = 0.375, 95%CI: 0.118 to 0.631; SI = 1.980, 95%CI: 1.206 to 3.251). However, a significant interaction between LAP and abdominal obesity was indicated by the value of RERI (1.492, 95%CI: 0.087 to 3.723) and AP (0.413, 95%CI: 0.014 to 0.756), but not the value of SI (1.824, 95%CI: 0.873 to 3.526). Conclusion Our results demonstrated that there might be synergistic effect between LAP and family history of diabetes on the risk of IFG and diabetes.

IntroductionAnti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor encephalitis (anti-NMDARE) is a rare autoimmune disease, and the peripheral immune characteristics associated with anti-NMDARE antibodies remain unclear.MethodsHerein, we characterized peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with anti-NMDARE and healthy individuals by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq).ResultsThe transcriptional profiles of 129,217 cells were assessed, and 21 major cell clusters were identified. B-cell activation and differentiation, plasma cell expansion, and excessive inflammatory responses in innate immunity were all identified. Patients with anti-NMDARE showed higher expression levels of CXCL8, IL1B, IL6, TNF, TNFSF13, TNFSF13B, and NLRP3. We observed that anti-NMDARE patients in the acute phase expressed high levels of DC_CCR7 in human myeloid cells. Moreover, we observed that anti-NMDARE effects include oligoclonal expansions in response to immunizing agents. Strong humoral immunity and positive regulation of lymphocyte activation were observed in acute stage anti-NMDARE patients.DiscussionThis high-dimensional single-cell profiling of the peripheral immune microenvironment suggests that potential mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis and recovery of anti-NMDAREs.

Abstract Background To investigate the efficacy and safety of interval debulking surgery (IDS) combined with dense hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) with cisplatin in Chinese patients with FIGO stage III serous epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Methods This retrospective single-center study reviewed the demographic and clinical data of 197 patients with primary FIGO stage III serous EOC who were treated with IDS with (n = 121) or without (n = 76, control group) dense HIPEC between January 2012 and April 2017. The co-primary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoint was the occurrence of adverse events. Results The median PFS was 24 months in the IDS plus dense HIPEC group, whereas it was 19 months in the IDS alone group (hazard ratio [HR] 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.33–0.65, p = 0.000). The median OS in patients treated with IDS plus dense HIPEC (51 months) was significantly longer than that in patients treated with IDS alone (40 months, HR 0.52, 95% CI: 0.35–0.78, p = 0.001). The demographic and preoperative clinical characteristics of these two groups were comparable (p > 0.05). In the IDS alone group, no adverse events were recorded in 42 (55.3%) of the 76 patients, and 14 (18.4%) patients were reported to have grade III/IV adverse events. In the IDS plus dense HIPEC group, no adverse events were recorded in 55 (45.5%) of the 121 patients, and 23 (19.0%) patients were reported to have grade III/IV adverse events. No postoperative deaths occurred within 30 days in either group and neither did severe fatal complications in the IDS plus dense HIPEC group. Conclusions IDS plus dense HIPEC with cisplatin in Chinese patients with FIGO stage III serous EOC is associated with improved survival and is reasonably well tolerated by patients.

Educators themselves and their knowledge are the most significant elements in learners’ success and achievement; however, there is little information about the specialized knowledge held by educators. Recently, conceptualizing educator knowledge has become a complicated issue that involves that the comprehension of important basic phenomena, such as the procedure of educating and learning, the notion of knowledge, and the way educators’ knowledge, has become practical within the class. Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) was presented as a theoretical structure for the knowledge base because educators have to efficiently instruct with technology and it is regarded as a valuable framework for explaining and understanding technology integration into various academic environments, such as English as a Foreign Language (EFL) class. This paper is intended to review the related literature on the role of an English teacher using the TPACK framework for teaching English and their role in students’ achievement. Based on the related literature, there is a significant and direct association between EFL teachers’ TPACK and EFL students’ achievement. Succinctly, some recommendations have been proposed for educational stakeholders.

Medical waste has a high environmental risk, economic development and medical policies can affect medical waste generation. Per capita gross domestic product (GDP) is an important indicator to measure the macroeconomic development status, and the tiered medical policy plays an important role in the process of China’s medical reform. The study considered the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) of medical waste generation (MWG) in eight cities in China from 2013 to 2019, using economic indicator (GDP per capita) and policy indicator (tiered medical policy) to reveal the impact of economic development and medical policy on MWG. Furthermore, residents, especially the elderly, are the main consumers of medical resources, and medical institutions are the main places where medical waste is generated. Education level can affect waste management practices. Therefore, the research introduced population size, number of medical institutions, aging degree and education level as control variables. The results confirmed the validity of the N-shaped EKC curve between medical waste and GDP per capita. The amount of medical waste would continue to increase with economic growth, but the growth rate was not fixed. Implementing the tiered medical policy had shown a trend towards reducing medical waste. Population size and aging degree positively affected the generation of medical waste. The number of medical institutions negatively affected the generation of medical waste. The effect of education level on MWG could be ignored. Based on the empirical analysis results, this research put forward relevant policy suggestions in the light of medical waste management practice in China.

This study aimed to evaluate effects of fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) supplementation in plant protein based diets for tiger puffer (Takifugu rubripes) on growth performance, intestinal peptide and amino acid transporters, and the expression of protein synthesis-related genes and texture parameters in muscle. Tiger puffer were fed negative and positive control diets with 280 and 400 g/kg fish meal (LFM and HFM) or test diets containing 52 and 104 g/kg FPH supplement as 60 and 120 g/kg fish meal (FPH6 and FPH12) substitute for 56 days. Each diet was randomly fed to triplicate groups of 30 fish per tank. Growth parameters (final body weight, weight gain and specific growth rate) in the LFM group were significantly lower than that of the HFM group (p < 0.05), while no differences in those growth results were observed among the FPH6, FPH12 and HFM groups (p > 0.05). Compared with the LFM group, the expressions of intestinal PepT1, EAAT3, PAT1 and y+LAT2 were up-regulated in the FPH12 and HFM groups, while intestinal CAT1 and B°AT1 mRNA levels showed opposite trends. To protein synthesis-related gene expression, compared with the LFM group, mRNA levels of TOR and S6k1 was not significantly affected by dietary treatments, but mRNA level of 4E-BP1 increased in the FPH12 group. Lower chewiness and higher adhesiveness were observed when FPH was supplemented to the diets. In conclusion, FPH supplementation in plant protein based diets demonstrated a sparing effect on fish meal, without the negative effect on the growth of tiger puffer.

Mid1ip1 plays important roles in lipogenesis and microtubule stabilization, but little relevant information has been reported in fish. In the present study, mid1ip1 cDNA of tiger puffer was cloned and characterized, and its expression in response to dietary bile acid and lipid levels was investigated following a feeding trial. Experimental diets with suitable (8.5 %) or high lipid level (12.5 %), with or without bile acid supplementation (0.02 % and 0.10 % in the suitable-lipid diet; 0.02 % in the high-lipid diet) were used in the feeding trial. The tiger puffer Mid1ip1, which is putative Mid1ip1 subtype B, shared moderate identity to its known orthologs of other teleost and much lower identity to human Mid1ip1. Mid1ip1 had high transcription in the muscle, skin, eye, and brain, but low expression levels in the liver, intestine, and spleen. The high dietary bile acid level (0.1 %) significantly (P 0.05) affect the gene expression. Significantly positive correlation (R2 = 0.812, P = 0.000) was observed between hepatic mRNA expression of mid1ip1 and tubulin-α, but not between the gene expression of mid1ip1 and acetyl-CoA carboxylase β (R2 = -0.434, P = 0.106), in response to dietary treatments, indicating the potential roles of this Mid1ip1 subtype in microtubule stabilization rather than in lipogenesis. To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the regulation of fish mid1ip1 expression by dietary nutrients.

Our previous studies have shown that ARA regulated the gonadal steroidogenesis and the synthesis of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the brain in a gender-dependent manner in Chinese tongue sole, a marine teleost with typical sex dimorphism. As a following up-study, the current study aimed to clone and characterize a gene responding to dietary ARA differently between males and females, cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (ch25h), which has important roles in cholesterol and lipid metabolism of mammals, but is rarely investigated in fish. The full-length cDNA of Chinese tongue sole ch25h was cloned and characterized, and its transcription in the gonads, brain and liver of both males and females in response to dietary ARA levels (0.34, 2.53, and 9.63% of TFA) was investigated. The Chinese tongue sole Ch25h, which putatively is Ch25h subtype B, shared moderate identity to its known orthologs of other teleost and lower identity to human Ch25h. It has high transcription levels in the gonads, followed by skin and muscle, but low levels in the intestine, spleen, and kidney. High ARA levels significantly increased the ch25h transcription in the gonads and brain of male fish, but did not affect the transcription in the females. However, the effect of dietary ARA on ch25h transcription in the liver showed an opposite gender-difference pattern to those in the gonads and brain. To our knowledge, this is the first study in marine teleost investigating the nutritional regulation of ch25h expression.

A suitable business model is an effective way for chemical companies to maintain their market competitiveness. This paper takes chemical companies as research objects to study the relationship between business models and business development performance. Based on the analysis of the literatures on the concept, connotation of business model and the concept of business performance, this paper clarifies the diversity of the business performance indicators of the chemical companies; it constructs a business performance influence model that includes the business models as the intermediate variables, factors that influence the business model as the antecedent variables, and regulatory factors, then it validates the hypothesis through empirical analysis. The conclusion is that the factors that have a significant impact on the business models are corporate resources and technological changes; the resource integration capabilities in the regulatory factors have a significant relationship with the adjustment of the two.

Soxhlet extraction (SE), ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE), and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) were carried out on Daxing coal with carbon tetrachloride. The extracted components were analyzed by GC-MS while the residues of the coal after extractions were analyzed by FT-IR spectroscopy. The obtained IR spectra indicated that the functional groups were barely changed in strength for the coal before and after extractions concluding that the macromolecular structures of coal were not destroyed in the extraction processes. XRD diagrams showed the peak around θ = 47 was totally disappeared by all the three extractions, indicating that the graphite-like structural substances in the coal were totally destroyed in the extraction processes. GC/MS analysis showed that: (1) The SE method extracted the least number of substances from the coal; on the other hand, the extracted compounds are largely chlorinated which can be explained by the free radical mechanism. (2) MAE extracted 75 organic compounds of which 53 are oxygen-containing substances. A small portion of non-alkanes (1.19%) was found, which is in contrast to the other two extraction methods. Moreover, a few biomarker compounds were also identified including hexaoxane, 2-methylcholest-3-ene, 6,9,12-tripropylheptadecane, and 17α-21β-28,30-bisnorhopane. (3) The three extraction methods gave totally different extraction patterns for the same coal, highlighting that the extraction method can dominate the outcome of the extracted products. The mechanisms behind these extraction processes are discussed. This study provides a base for the future choice of the extraction methods in terms of outcomes of the extraction products.

Abstract Purpose This study evaluated and compared the clinical support capabilities of ChatGPT 4o and ChatGPT 4o mini in diagnosing and treating lumbar disc herniation (LDH) with radiculopathy. Methods Twenty-one questions (across 5 categories) from NASS Clinical Guidelines were input into ChatGPT 4o and ChatGPT 4o mini. Five orthopedic surgeons assessed their responses using a 5-point Likert scale for accuracy and completeness, and a 7-point scale for reliability. Flesch Reading Ease scores were calculated to assess readability. Additionally, ChatGPT 4o analyzed lumbar images from 53 patients, comparing its recognizable agreement with orthopedic surgeons using Kappa values. Results Both models demonstrated strong clinical support capabilities with no significant differences in accuracy or reliability. However, ChatGPT 4o provided more comprehensive and consistent responses. The Flesch Reading Ease scores for both models indicated that their generated content was “very difficult to read,” potentially limiting patient accessibility. In evaluating lumbar disc herniation images, ChatGPT 4o achieved an overall accuracy of 0.81, with LDH recognition precision, recall, and F1 scores exceeding 0.80. The AUC was 0.80, and the Kappa value was 0.61, indicating moderate agreement between the model’s predictions and actual diagnoses, though with room for improvement. Conclusion While both models are effective, ChatGPT 4o offers more comprehensive clinical responses, making it more suitable for high-integrity medical tasks. However, the difficulty in reading AI-generated content and occasional use of misleading terms, such as “tumor,” indicate a need for further improvements to reduce patient anxiety.

Abstract The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei major mineral belt represents a significant economic development area in China. Effective monitoring and assessment of the regional landscape ecological risk can provide a scientific basis for an ecological protection strategy for the environmental protection of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei major mineral belt. In this study, a landscape ecological risk index was constructed based on land use/land cover, and the spatial and temporal variations of landscape ecological risk were subsequently analyzed. Furthermore, the contribution of the main driving factors of landscape ecological risk was quantified in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei major mineral belt. The results demonstrate that: (1) The land use types within the study area underwent significant changes from 1985 to 2022. The predominant type of transfer was cropland, which was primarily converted to construction land, grassland, and woodland. (2) The landscape ecological risk in central-northern and western parts of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei major mineral belt is higher, while the landscape ecological risk in the southwest parts is lower. Using 2015 as the time point, the landscape ecological risk in the study area was found to change, with the average value of landscape ecological risk for all classes of landscape ecological risk within 2015–2022 being lower than that of 1985–2015, with the exception of the high-risk area. The mean annual landscape ecological risk is obviously higher during the 1985–2015 period in comparison to the 2015–2022 period, with the exception of regions exhibiting high risk. (3) There is a significant positive spatial correlation between landscape ecological risks in different periods. The pattern of landscape ecological risk exhibits both ‘high-high’ aggregation and ‘low-low’ aggregation. The ‘high-high’ aggregations are primarily located in the northern, central and western parts of the study area, while the ‘low-low’ aggregation zones are mainly located in the southeastern study region. (4) The spatial distribution of landscape ecological risk is predominantly shaped by population density and slope. In the context of interactive factor detection, the positive interaction between slope and average annual temperature, night-time illumination and slope, population density and annual precipitation were identified as exerting a more significant influence on the observed spatial differentiation of landscape ecological risk. It was found that the interaction of multiple drivers had a more pronounced impact on landscape ecological risk than any single factor. The findings of the research project provide a scientific rationale and reference for future land use, resource optimization, landscape ecological risk differential management and ecological restoration. Furthermore, the findings are of considerable importance in terms of maintaining ecological security patterns.

Abstract Music genres classification poses a formidable challenge as it necessitates capturing the intricate and varied characteristics of musical signals. In this study, an innovative approach is presented to classify the music genres using the Capsule Neural Network (CapsNet). The CapsNet model optimized by an advanced version of Triangulation Topology Aggregation Optimizer (ATTAO). CapsNet effectively preserves the spatial and hierarchical information of the input data, while ATTAO efficiently optimizes the parameters of CapsNet. The proposed method applied to two extensively utilized datasets, namely GTZAN and Ballroom, and compare its performance against several cutting-edge techniques. Here we show that based on the experimental findings, unequivocally demonstrate that our method outperforms others in different terms, thereby showing its efficacy and resilience in music genre recognition.

Marek's disease virus (MDV), an alphaherpesvirus, causes severe immunosuppression and T cell lymphomas in chickens, known as Marek's disease (MD), an economically important poultry disease primarily controlled by vaccination. Importantly, it also serves as a comparative model for studying herpesvirus-induced tumor formation in humans. MDV encodes more than 100 genes, most of which have unknown functions. MDV LORF1 is unique to serotype I MDV (MDV-1), lacking homologs in other herpesviruses, and has not been explored yet. To this end, an infectious bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) harboring the complete genome of the MDV-1 very virulent strain Md5 was generated, and the rescued rMd5 maintained biological properties similar to the parental virus both in vitro and in vivo. Subsequently, rMd5ΔLORF1, a recombinant Md5 virus deficient in pLORF1 expression, was generated by a frameshift mutation in the LORF1 gene. Chickens infected with rMd5ΔLORF1 exhibited a lower mortality rate and delayed bursal atrophy than those infected with the parental rMd5 and the revertant virus (rMd5-reLORF1). Consistently, viral loads of rMd5ΔLORF1 were obviously lower than those of rMd5 or rMd5-reLORF1 in the bursa, but not in the spleen. Importantly, we found that pLORF1 deficiency impairs viral replication in bursal B cells. Furthermore, we showed that pLORF1 associated with the cellular membrane, interacted with MDV structural proteins, and exhibited punctate colocalization with tegument or capsid proteins in the cytoplasm. Taken together, this study demonstrates for the first time that the MDV-1 unique gene LORF1 is involved in MDV-induced bursal atrophy but not in tumor formation.

Rice is a staple food for more than half of the global population, and optimizing water and nitrogen (N) management is crucial for sustainable rice production. This study investigated the water uptake patterns, agronomic traits, and quality indicators of two rice varieties (Yanfeng 47, high N efficiency and Yanggengnuo 66, low N efficiency) under four N fertilizer treatments via a split-plot design at Shenyang Agricultural University’s Rice Research Institute Experimental Base in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China. Stable isotope analysis and modeling approaches were used to quantify the proportional contributions of various water sources to rice water uptake, considering both isotope discrimination and memory effects. Both N levels and genetic differences significantly influenced rice water uptake behavior, primarily through the functional characteristics of the root system. The high-efficiency variety presented a well-developed root system with a stable water uptake pattern, whereas the low-efficiency variety presented relatively greater root plasticity and N sensitivity. The presence of a memory effect suggests that rice water uptake could be more dependent on both the current and past water status, not simply the current external water conditions. After the memory effect was corrected, irrigation water was the dominant water source for rice, followed by soil water and rainwater. Agronomic traits and quality indicators were also differentially sensitive to variety and N treatments. Root traits were differentially influenced by N level and variety, with less efficient varieties showing greater sensitivity. In addition to root traits, leaf length, plant height and panicle traits were greater in the low-efficiency variety. N application generally increased yield, but excessive N negatively affected yield, especially in high-efficiency varieties. Our findings contribute to the understanding of waternitrogen interactions in rice and emphasize the importance of the process-based water use efficiency of individual varieties and variety-specific management in the future for more efficient use of nutrients for growing rice with high yield and quality. This study sheds light on the underlying mechanisms responsible for varietal sensitivity to water and N and provides opportunities for optimizing proper management with precision.

Effectively identifying urban polycentric spatial structure (UPSS) is essential for data-driven evaluation of urban performance, and it serves as a scientific basis for urban spatial planning. However, existing identification methods have limitations such as subjectivity, poor spatial continuity, and a narrow application scale. Thus, from a morphology perspective, our study proposed a rapid, highly applicable, and spatiotemporally comparable nonparametric approach for detecting morphological urban polycentric spatial structure (MUPS) by integrating remote sensing nighttime light (NTL) and point of interest (POI) data. Taking China as an object, on the basis of recognizing urban entities using NTL data, a wavelet transform was initially introduced to fuse multi-source geospatial data, thereby enhancing the spatial intricacy within a city. Then, a local spatial autocorrelation model was utilized to identify pixel clusters. Finally, post-processing was performed to optimize urban centers, subsequently calculating MUPS. Results reveal that urban entities identified based on NTL have a significant advantage in characterizing the concentration of human activities, which can ensure the accuracy of extracting MUPS. Compared with existing relevant methods, the proposed nonparametric approach avoids the misalignment of multi-temporal urban center distribution, enhancing accuracy and stability. Differentiated spatiotemporal patterns were found in the evolutionary trajectories of MUPS in China, with a progressive intensification in the degree of spatial decentralization. Our study provides valuable insights into spatiotemporal analyses of MUPS at multiple scales and serves as a foundational resource for urban spatial planning.

Amidst the backdrop of frequent global earthquakes, assessing the spatiotemporal dynamics of urban expansion in earthquake-affected areas is imperative for sustainable development insights. The current analyses, however, are primarily focused on administrative units or some specific natural units. Here, we quantified spatiotemporal patterns of urban expansion from 2000 to 2020 in global earthquake-affected areas globally. Specifically, we delineated such areas using data from earthquakes of magnitude 5.5 and above since 1965. Then, employing nighttime light remote sensing data, we extracted urban entities and systematically evaluated the spatiotemporal patterns of urban expansion in earthquake-affected areas. The findings indicate a phase-based differential growth in urban expansion in earthquake-affected areas from 2000 to 2020. The average deceleration factor for urban areas in earthquake-affected areas over the past 20 years is 128.67%. Urban expansion in earthquake-affected areas is growing at a rapid pace, except for Europe and North America. In addition, 66.7% of urban expansion in global earthquake-affected areas presents low-density sprawl and solitary edge expansion trends, potentially affecting population density and land use efficiency. This study offers the most exhaustive analysis of urban expansion in earthquake-affected areas in recent decades and calls for administration beyond administrative boundaries to some extent.

Abstract In acidic soils, aluminum (Al) toxicity inhibits the growth and development of plant roots and affects nutrient and water absorption, leading to reduced yield and quality. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate and identify candidate genes for Al tolerance and elucidate their physiological and molecular mechanisms under Al stress. In this study, we identified a new gene OsAlR3 regulating Al tolerance, and analyzed its mechanism from physiological, transcriptional and metabolic levels. Compared with the WT, malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content were significantly increased, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and citric acid (CA) content were significantly decreased in the osalr3 mutant lines when exposed to Al stress. Under Al stress, the osalr3 exhibited decreased expression of antioxidant-related genes and lower organic acid content compared with WT. Integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis showed the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway plays an important role in OsAlR3-mediated Al tolerance. Exogenous CA and oxalic acid (OA) could increase total root length and enhance the antioxidant capacity in the mutant lines under Al stress. Conclusively, we found a new gene OsAlR3 that positively regulates Al tolerance by promoting the chelation of Al ions through the secretion of organic acids, and increasing the expression of antioxidant genes.