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Myopia is a huge health problem due to its high frequency, vision losses and public health cost. According to the World Health Organization, at least 2.2 billion people have vision impairment. Although myopia can be controlled at its early and middle stages, unfortunately, no cure can be achieved so far. Among the methods to control myopia, atropine, a muscarinic receptor antagonist, is the oldest but still the most effective for retardation of myopia progression. Despite such a fact, standard protocols have not been established for clinicians to use atropine for treatment of myopia. In this article, a concise and up to date summary of myopia epidemiology and pathogenesis and summarized therapeutic effects and side effects, possible mechanisms and application methods of atropine were provided in hope for clinical doctors to effectively control this problematic disease. At present, the protocol is recommend: use higher dose (1%) of atropine intermittently to effectively slowdown myopia progression in schoolchildren for 2y, and to significantly reduce side effects of atropine by decrease of atropine frequency for 1y and inhibit myopic rebound by withdrawal of topical atropine gradually for 1y. Application of a lower dose (0.05%) atropine regime should also be considered due to its effectiveness and application at regular basis.

Abstract Background Hemifacial spasm (HFS) is a neuromuscular disorder characterized by unilateral facial muscle spasms, negatively impacts quality of life due to social embarrassment. Botulinum Neurotoxin (BoNT) injections have emerged as a viable therapeutic approach. This systematic review evaluated the efficacy and safety of BoNT injections for HFS management, along with effects on patients’ quality of life and mental health. Materials and methods A systematic search for studies on BoNT treatment for HFS published between January 1, 2000, and May 1, 2024, was performed across major databases. Study quality was evaluated using Cochrane and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) tools, with data management handled by EndNote X9 and statistical analyses conducted via Review Manager (RevMan 5.4) and STATA 14.0. Results Thirty-five studies met the inclusion criteria: 2 RCTs comprising 83 HFS patients compared the efficacy of perioral injections of botulinum toxin and placebo, while 33 single-arm studies reported outcomes for 2786 patients post-BoNT injection. The selection of 17 single-arm studies focused on the effectiveness rate as the key outcome metric. Pooled estimate signified a remarkably high effectiveness (ES: 0.882, 95% CI: 0.830, 0.926, P

Abstract Background The current review aims to explore the evidence regarding the effectiveness of mandibular advancement orthodontic appliances with maxillary expansion device in treating pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). Materials and methods A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Cochrane Central, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus databases, Chinese Biomedical Database, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang. The research involved children and adolescents (under 16 years old) who received mandibular advancement and maxillary expansion functional orthopedic appliances for OSA treatment. We performed narrative reviews and subsequently amalgamated the findings from the studies. Results Six articles were included for review. Although a small number of studies were included, the research suggested the potential advantages of mandibular advancement for children with OSA. Following treatment, there was a decrease in AHI/RDI, an improvement in sleep quality, and the increase in oxygen saturation. Conclusions The limited quantity and quality of existing studies necessitate caution when drawing conclusions about the effectiveness of mandibular advancement and maxillary expansion for OSA. In the future, larger and well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed to provide more robust evidence. Patients should be carefully selected, and their orthodontic indications should be thoroughly evaluated before inclusion in such trials.We encourage researchers to design studies that monitor patients over several years to provide a comprehensive understanding of the long-term effectiveness. Trial registration This study was registered in PROSPERO(CRD42023480407) on November 20, 2023.

In advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissues, M2-like tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are in the majority and promotes HCC progression. Contrary to the pro-tumor effect of M2-like TAMs, M1-like TAMs account for a small proportion and have anti-tumor effects. Since TAMs can switch from one type to another, reprogramming TAMs may be an important treatment for HCC therapy. However, the mechanisms of phenotypic switch and reprogramming TAMs are still obscure. In this study, we analyzed differential genes in normal macrophages and TAMs, and found that loss of MANF in TAMs accompanied by high levels of downstream genes negatively regulated by MANF. MANF reprogrammed TAMs into M1 phenotype. Meanwhile, loss of MANF promoted HCC progression in HCC patients and mice HCC model, especially tumor neovascularization. Additionally, macrophages with MANF supplement suppressed HCC progression in mice, suggesting MANF supplement in macrophage was an effective treatment for HCC. Mechanistically, MANF enhanced the HSF1–HSP70-1 interaction, restricted HSF1 in the cytoplasm of macrophages, and decreased both mRNA and protein levels of HSP70-1, which in turn led to reprogramming TAMs, and suppressing neovascularization of HCC. Our study contributes to the exploration the mechanism of TAMs reprogramming, which may provide insights for future therapeutic exploitation of HCC neovascularization.

Abstract The conversion of methanol over zeolites offers a sustainable alternative for fuels and chemicals production. However, a complete understanding of the competing reaction pathways, particularly those leading to C-C bond formation, remains elusive. This work presents a novel mechanism for selective methanol conversion in ZSM-5 zeolites, involving a Brønsted acid site (BAS)-mediated Meerwein–Ponndorf–Verley (MPV) reduction pathway. Employing a multidimensional solid-state NMR spectroscopy combined with isotopic labeling and theoretical calculations, we identify this pathway for acetaldehyde reduction with methanol, directly contributing to ethene formation. This mechanism, involving carbenium ion intermediates like 1-hydroxyethane or 1-methoxyethane ions, contrasts with the well-established Lewis acid-catalyzed MPV process. Based on reactant adsorption modes, we propose two distinct reaction routes for BAS-MPV reduction, bridging the gap between direct and hydrocarbon pool mechanisms in methanol conversion. We further demonstrate the applicability of this pathway to acetone, highlighting its broader role in the early stages of the reaction.

Abstract Like many traditional Chinese herbal medicines, preparations from Radix Dipsaci are at risk of contamination by harmful mycotoxins; however, there have been no reports of actual contamination. In this study, we developed an analytical method to simultaneously detect eight mycotoxins in Radix Dipsaci and estimate the exposure risk for consumers. We have developed an analytical method utilizing ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry to accurately determine the levels of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2, OTA, ZEN, T-2 and ST mycotoxins in 45 batches of Radix Dipsaci sourced from major medicinal herb markets across five regions in China. We also analyzed migration of mycotoxins from the raw herbs into water decoction. Based on these results and data on human consumption of the herbal medicine, we estimated risk of exposure and acceptable exposure limits to mycotoxins in the Radix Dipsaci using the “margin of exposure (MOE)” method. Of the 45 batches of Radix Dipsaci, 48.89% contained at least one of the eight mycotoxins, 24.44% contained one, 17.78% contained two and 6.67% contained three. The most frequent mycotoxins were aflatoxin B1, present in 35.56% of batches (at 0.25–34.84 μg/kg); aflatoxin G1, 15.56% (1.99–44.05 μg/kg); and ochratoxin A, 22.22% (16.11–143.38 μg/kg). These three mycotoxins transferred from the raw herb into water decoction at respective rates of 20.20%, 29.14%, and 24.80%. The 95th percentile values of the MOE risk factors for health effects of AFB1 were below 10,000 at high doses but above 10,000 at low doses of Radix Dipsaci long-term treatment. With the reduction in duration of exposure years, the MOE values of AFB1 and AFG1 gradually reverted to within the acceptable range. The mean, 50th, and 95th percentile values of the MOE risk factors for health effects of OTA exceeded 10,000 regardless of whether consumers received a low or high dose of Radix Dipsaci treatment for durations ranging from 1 to lifetime. Based on this exposure and a typical human diet, we have estimated the respective 20-year exposure limits for Radix Dipsaci to be 5.821 μg/kg, 4.035 μg/kg, and 56.073 μg/kg for the three mycotoxins under consideration. Contamination with multiple mycotoxins is frequently observed in Radix Dipsaci, and the three most prevalent contaminants have been found to leach into water decoctions, thereby posing a potential health hazard for individuals consuming this herbal preparation. This work highlights the need to monitor herbal medicines for mycotoxin contamination in order to protect consumers.

Abstract Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an age-related disease severely affecting life quality with its prevalence rising as the population ages, yet there is still no effective treatment available. Cell therapy has emerged as a promising option for IPF, however, the absence of mature and stable animal models for IPF immunodeficiency hampers preclinical evaluations of human cell therapies, primarily due to rapid immune clearance of administered cells. This study aims to establish a reliable pulmonary fibrosis (PF) model in immunodeficient mice that supports autologous cell therapy and to investigate underlying mechanism. Methods We utilized thirty 5-week-old male NOD/SCID mice, categorizing them into three age groups: 12weeks, 32 weeks and 43 weeks, with 6 mice euthanized randomly from each cohort for lung tissue analysis. We assessed fibrosis using HE staining, Masson’s trichrome staining, α-SMA immunohistochemistry and hydroxyproline content measurement. Further, β-galactosidase staining and gene expression analysis of MMP9, TGF-β1, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, SOD1, SOD2, NRF2, SIRT1, and SIRT3 were performed. ELISA was employed to quantify protein levels of TNF-α, TGF-β1, and IL-8. Results When comparing lung tissues from 32-week-old and 43-week-old mice to those from 12-week-old mice, we noted a marked increase in inflammatory infiltration, fibrosis severity, and hydroxyproline content, alongside elevated expression levels of α-SMA and MMP9. Notably, the degree of fibrosis intensified with age. Additionally, β-galactosidase staining became more pronounced in older mice. Quantitative PCR analyses revealed age-related, increases in the expression of senescence markers (GLB1, P16, P21), and proinflammatory genes (TGF-β1, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8). Conversely, the expression of anti-oxidative stress-related genes (SOD1, SOD2, NRF2, SIRT1, and SIRT3) declined, showing statistically significant differences (*P

Abstract Combination of immunotherapy with radiotherapy is under active investigation. The PACIFIC trial firmly established the treatment paradigm of consolidation immunotherapy following definitive chemoradiotherapy, inspiring a series of similar or exploratory combination regimens. This summary highlighted six reports updated in the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Abstract Spatial control over features within multifunctional catalysts can unlock efficient one-pot cascade reactions, which are themselves a pathway to aviation biofuels via hydrodeoxygenation. A synthesis strategy that encompasses spatial orthogonality, i.e., one in which different catalytic species are deposited exclusively within discrete locations of a support architecture, is one solution that permits control over potential interactions between different sites and the cascade process. Here, we report a Pd doped hierarchical zeolite, in which Pd nanoparticles are selectively deposited within the mesopores, while acidity is retained solely within the micropores of ZSM-5. This spatial segregation facilitates hydrodeoxygenation while suppressing undesirable decarboxylation and decarbonation, yielding significant enhancements in activity (30.6 vs 3.6 moldodecane molPd −1 h−1) and selectivity (C12:C11 5.2 vs 1.9) relative to a conventionally prepared counterpart (via wet impregnation). Herein, multifunctional material design can realise efficient fatty acid hydrodeoxygenation, thus advancing the field and inspiring future developments in rationalised catalyst design.

To solve the problem that current attitude planning methods do not fully consider the interaction and constraints among the shield, segmental tunnel ring, and geology, and cannot adapt to the changes in the actual engineering environment, or provide feasible long-term and short-term attitude planning, this paper proposes autonomous intelligent dynamic trajectory planning (AI-DTP) to provide tunnel ring and centimeter-layer planning targets for a self-driving shield to meet long-term accuracy and short-term rapidity. AI-DTP introduces the Frenet coordinate system to solve the problem of inconsistent spatial representation of tunnel data, segmental tunnel ring location, and surrounding geological conditions, designs the long short-term memory attitude prediction model to accurately predict shield attitude change trend based on shield, tunnel, and geology, and uses a heuristic algorithm for trajectory optimization. AI-DTP provides ring-layer and centimeter-layer planning objectives that meet the needs of long-term accuracy and short-term correction of shield attitude control. In the Hangzhou-Shaoxing Intercity Railroad Tunnel Project in China, the “Zhiyu” shield equipped with the AI-DTP system was faster and more accurate than the manually controlled shield, with a smoother process and better quality of the completed tunnel.

Abstract Modern human society is burdened with the pandemic of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Metrnl is a widely distributed secreted protein in the body, involved in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism and maintaining cardiovascular system homeostasis. In this review, we present the predictive and therapeutic roles of Metrnl in various cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, including atherosclerosis, ischemic heart disease, cardiac remodeling, heart failure, hypertension, chemotherapy-induced myocardial injury, diabetes mellitus, and obesity.

Abstract Background The COVID-19 has been shown to have negative effects on the cardiovascular system, but it is unclear how long these effects last in college students. This study aimed to assess the long-term impact of COVID-19 on arterial stiffness, endothelial function, and blood pressure in college students. Methods We enrolled 37 college students who had been infected with COVID-19 for more than 2 months. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was used to assess endothelial function, while arterial stiffness was evaluated using the ABI Systems 100, including variables such as ankle-brachial index (ABI), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), heart rate (HR), and blood pressure (BP). Results Our results showed that FMD was significantly impaired after COVID-19 infection (p 0.05). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that COVID-19 has long-term detrimental effects on vascular function in college students. However, arterial stiffness tends to improve over time, while BP may exhibit the opposite trend.

Abstract Artesunate (ART), a natural product isolated from traditional Chinese plant Artemisia annua, has not been extensively explored for its anti-melanoma properties. In our study, we found that ART inhibited melanoma cell proliferation and induced melanoma cell ferroptosis. Mechanistic study revealed that ART directly targets Ido1, thereby suppressing Hic1-mediated transcription suppression of Hmox1, resulting in melanoma cell ferroptosis. In CD8+ T cells, ART does not cause cell ferroptosis due to the low expression of Hmox1. It also targets Ido1, elevating tryptophan levels, which inhibits NFATc1-mediated PD1 transcription, consequently activating CD8+ T cells. Our study uncovered a potent and synergistic anti-melanoma efficacy arising from ART-induced melanoma cell ferroptosis and concurrently enhancing CD8+ T cell-mediated immune response both in vivo and in vitro through directly targeting Ido1. Our study provides a novel mechanistic basis for the utilization of ART as an Ido1 inhibitor and application in clinical melanoma treatment.

Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) is uncommon in China and the standard of care is underdeveloped, with limited utilization of disease-modifying treatment (DMT). An understanding of real-world disease burden (including direct medical, non-medical, and indirect costs, such as loss of productivity), is currently lacking in this population. To investigate the overall burden of managing patients with MS in China, a cross-sectional survey of physicians and their consulting patients with MS was conducted in 2021. Physicians provided information on healthcare resource utilization (HCRU; consultations, hospitalizations, tests, medication) and associated costs. Patients provided data on changes in their life, productivity, and impairment of daily activities due to MS. Results were stratified by disease severity using generalized linear models, with a p value

Abstract Purpose Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematologic malignancy, and there is no cure for this disease. This study aimed to explore the prognostic value of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in MM and to reveal related immune and chemotherapy resistance mechanisms. Methods In this study, lncRNA profiles from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases were analyzed to identify lncRNAs linked to MM patient survival. A risk assessment model stratified patients into high- and low-risk groups, and survival was evaluated. Additionally, a triple-ceRNA (lncRNA–miRNA–mRNA) network was constructed, and functional analysis was performed. The research also involved immune function analysis and chemotherapy drug sensitivity assessment using oncoPredict and the GDSC dataset. Results We identified 422 lncRNAs significantly associated with overall survival in MM patients and ultimately focused on the 6 with the highest prognostic value. These lncRNAs were used to develop a risk score formula that stratified patients into high- and low-risk groups. Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed shorter survival in high-risk patients. We integrated this lncRNA signature with clinical parameters to construct a nomogram for predicting MM prognosis. Additionally, a triple-ceRNA network was constructed to reveal potential miRNA targets, coding genes related to these lncRNAs and significantly enriched pathways. Immune checkpoint gene expression and immune cell composition were also analyzed in relation to the lncRNA risk score. Finally, using the oncoPredict tool, we observed that high-risk patients exhibited decreased sensitivity to key MM chemotherapeutics, suggesting that lncRNA profiles are linked to chemotherapy resistance.

Abstract With the rapid emergence of antibiotic‐resistant pathogens, nanomaterial‐assisted catalytic sterilization has been well developed to combat pathogenic bacteria by elevating the level of reactive oxygen species including hydroxyl radical (·OH). Although promising, the ultra‐short lifetime and limited diffusion distance of ·OH severely limit their practical antibacterial usage. Herein, the rational design and preparation of novel virus‐like copper silicate hollow spheres (CSHSs) are reported, as well as their applications as robust artificial bacteriophages for localized bacterial capture and enhanced catalytic sterilization in the treatment of oral infectious diseases. During the whole process of capture and killing, CSHSs can efficiently capture bacteria via shortening the distance between bacteria and CSHSs, produce massive ·OH around bacteria, and further iinducing the admirable effect of bacterial inhibition. By using mucosal infection and periodontitis as typical oral infectious diseases, it is easily found that the bacterial populations around lesions in animals after antibacterial treatment fall sharply, as well as the well‐developed nanosystem can decrease the inflammatory reaction and promote the hard or soft tissue repair. Together, the high Fenton‐like catalytic activity, strong bacterial affinity, excellent antibacterial activity, and overall safety of the nanoplatform promise its great therapeutic potential for further catalytic bacterial disinfection.

IntroductionMycoplasma synoviae (MS) is a globally important avian pathogen causing infectious synovitis and respiratory diseases in poultry, leading to significant economic losses. Despite advances in vaccine development, a commercially viable subunit vaccine against MS remains elusive.MethodsWe sequenced whole genomes of six clinical MS strains isolated from different Chinese provinces. Common genes were analyzed using Biopython software, identifying those with high copy numbers in virulent strains and shared among all strains. Vaxign2 and IEDB Antibody Epitope Prediction were used to analyze protein properties. We assessed immune protective effects of candidate proteins and developed a multivalent subunit vaccine.ResultsTen candidate vaccine proteins were initially selected. A multivalent subunit vaccine composed of MSPB, Ppht, Cfba, and EF-G displayed the best protective effect. The optimal immunization dosage was 20μg, with each protein accounting for 25%. The immune production period was determined to be 28 days post-first immunization, lasting 180 days. The immune protection rate against highly virulent strains reached 90%∼100%.DiscussionThis study provides a new approach for screening vaccine antigens and develops an effective candidate vaccine for MS prevention. The multivalent subunit vaccine shows promising results in protecting against MS infections, potentially offering a solution to reduce economic losses in the poultry industry.

Summary: Sulfoquinovose (SQ), the polar head group of sulfolipids essential for photosynthesis, is naturally abundant. Anaerobic Firmicutes degrade SQ through a transaldolase-dependent (sulfo-TAL) pathway, producing dihydroxypropanesulfonate (DHPS). Some bacteria extend this pathway by the sequential action of HpfG and HpfD converting DHPS to 3-hydroxypropanesulfonate (3-HPS) via 3-sulfopropionaldehyde (3-SPA). Here, we report a variant sulfo-TAL pathway in Enterococcus gilvus, involving additional enzymes, a NAD+-dependent 3-SPA dehydrogenase HpfX, and a 3-sulfopropionyl-CoA synthetase HpfYZ, which oxidize 3-SPA to 3-sulfopropionate (3-SP) coupled with ATP formation. E. gilvus grown on SQ or DHPS produced a mixture of 3-HPS and 3-SP, indicating the bifurcated pathway. Similar genes are found in various Firmicutes, including gut bacteria. Importantly, 3-SP, but not 3-HPS, can serve as a respiratory terminal electron acceptor for Bilophila wadsworthia, a common intestinal pathobiont, resulting in the production of toxic H2S. This research expands our understanding of sulfonate metabolism and reveals cross-feeding in the anaerobic microbiome.

Ambient air pollution has been reported to be a risk factor for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP). Past studies have reported supportive evidence, but evidence from China is scarce and does not integrate the different periods of the pregnancy course. In this study, 1945 pregnant women with HDP and healthy pregnancies between 2016 and 2022 from the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University registry network database were analysed. The geographic information, biological information and demographic information of the case were fused in the analysis. Machine learning methods were used to obtain the weight of the variable. Then, we used the generalized linear mixed model to evaluate the relationship between increased exposure to each pollutant at different periods of HDP and examined it in different groups. The results showed that SO2 had the predominate impact (12.65 %) on HDP compared with other air pollutants. SO2 exposure was associated with an increased risk of HDP. Increased unit SO2 concentrations were accompanied by an increased risk of HDP (OR = 1.33, 95 % CI: 1.13, 1.566), and the susceptible window for this effect was mainly in the first trimester (OR = 1.242, 95 % CI: 1.092, 1.412). In addition, SO2 exposure was associated with an increased risk of HDP in urban maternity (OR = 1.356, 95 % CI: 1.112, 1.653), obese maternity (OR = 3.58, 95 % CI: 1.608, 7.971), no higher education maternity (OR = 1.348, 95 % CI: 1.065, 1.706), nonzero delivery maternity (OR = 1.981, 95 % CI: 1.439, 2.725), maternal with first time maternity (OR = 1.247, 95 % CI: 1.007, 1.544) and other groups. In summary, SO2 exposure in early pregnancy is one of the risk factors for HDP, and the increased risk of HDP due to increased SO2 exposure may be more pronounced in obese, urban, low-education, and nonzero delivery populations.

Persistent sciatic artery (PSA) is a rare vascular anomaly that may cause serious complications such as arterial embolism, aneurysm, and rupture. We report the case of a 51-year-old man presenting with septic rupture of a persistent sciatic artery aneurysm. Based on Ahn-Min's classification, we designed a treatment plan, including initial endovascular stent repair followed by staged debridement and drainage surgery. Soon after the treatment, the patient fully recovered from the pain and movement restriction. The case and treatment plan are described in detail in this report.

Medicinal herbs have been increasingly used for therapeutic purposes against a diverse range of human diseases worldwide. However, inevitable contaminants, including mycotoxins, in medicinal herbs can cause serious problems for humans despite their health benefits. The increasing consumption of medicinal plants has made their use a public health problem due to the lack of effective surveillance of the use, efficacy, toxicity, and quality of these natural products. Radix Dipsaci is commonly utilized in traditional Chinese medicine and is susceptible to contamination with mycotoxins. Here, we evaluated the mycotoxins, mycobiota and toxigenic fungi in the traditional medicine Radix Dipsaci. A total of 28 out of 63 Radix Dipsaci sample batches (44.4%) were found to contain mycotoxins. Among the positive samples, the contamination levels of AFB1, AFG1, AFG2, and OTA in the positive samples ranged from 0.52 to 32.13 μg/kg, 5.14 to 20.05 μg/kg, 1.52 to 2.33 μg/kg, and 1.81 to 19.43 μg/kg respectively, while the concentrations of ZEN and T-2 were found to range from 2.85 to 6.33 μg/kg and from 2.03 to 2.53 μg/kg, respectively. More than 60% of the contaminated samples were combined with multiple mycotoxins. Fungal diversity and community were altered in the Radix Dipsaci contaminated with various mycotoxins. The abundance of Aspergillus and Fusarium increased in the Radix Dipsaci contaminated with aflatoxins (AFs) and ZEN. A total of 95 strains of potentially toxigenic fungi were isolated from the Radix Dipsaci samples contaminated with mycotoxins, predominantly comprising Aspergillus (73.7%), Fusarium (20.0%), and Penicillium (6.3%). Through morphological identification, molecular identification, mycotoxin synthase gene identification and toxin production verification, we confirmed that AFB1 and AFG1 primarily derive from Aspergillus flavus, OTA primarily derives from Aspergillus westerdijkiae, ZEN primarily derives from Fusarium oxysporum, and T-2 primarily derives from Fusarium graminearum in Radix Dipsaci. These data can facilitate our comprehension of prevalent toxigenic fungal species and contamination levels in Chinese herbal medicine, thereby aiding the establishment of effective strategies for prevention, control, and degradation to mitigate the presence of fungi and mycotoxins in Chinese herbal medicine.

BackgroundMetagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has been widely reported to identify pathogens in infectious diseases (IDs). In this work, we intended to investigate the diagnostic value and clinical acceptance of paired-samples mNGS as compared to the culture method.MethodsA total of 361 patients with suspected infection were retrospectively included. With reference to the clinical diagnosis, we compared the diagnostic performance and clinical acceptance in pathogen detection between mNGS and culture tests. Moreover, the pathogen concordance of paired blood and respiratory tract (RT) samples in mNGS assay was investigated.ResultsAmong 511 samples, 62.04% were shown to be pathogen positive by mNGS, and that for clinical diagnosis was 51.86% (265/511). When compared to culture assay (n = 428), mNGS had a significantly higher positivity rate (51.87% vs. 33.18%). With reference to the clinical diagnosis, the sensitivity of mNGS outperformed that of culture (89.08% vs. 56.72%). Importantly, mNGS exhibited a clinically accepted rate significantly superior to that of culture. In addition, the mNGS result from 53 paired blood and RT samples showed that most pairs were pathogen positive by both blood and RT, with pathogens largely being partially matched.ConclusionThrough this large-scale study, we further illustrated that mNGS had a clinically accepted rate and sensitivity superior to those of the traditional culture method in diagnosing infections. Moreover, blood and paired RT samples mostly shared partial-matched positive pathogens, especially for pathogens with abundant read numbers in RT, indicating that both blood and RT mNGS can aid the identification of pathogens for respiratory system infection.

Abstract High concentrations of organic aerosol (OA) occur in Asian countries, leading to great health burdens. Clean air actions have resulted in significant emission reductions of air pollutants in China. However, long-term nation-wide trends in OA and their causes remain unknown. Here, we present both observational and model evidence demonstrating widespread decreases with a greater reduction in primary OA than in secondary OA (SOA) in China during the period of 2013 to 2020. Most of the decline is attributed to reduced residential fuel burning while the interannual variability in SOA may have been driven by meteorological variations. We find contrasting effects of reducing NOx and SO2 on SOA production which may have led to slight overall increases in SOA. Our findings highlight the importance of clean energy replacements in multiple sectors on achieving air-quality targets because of high OA precursor emissions and fluctuating chemical and meteorological conditions.

Abstract Fullerene derivatives are highly attractive materials in solar cells, organic thermoelectrics, and other devices. However, the intrinsic low electron mobility and electrical conductivity restrict their potential device performance, such as perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, we successfully enhanced the electric properties and morphology of phenyl‐C61‐butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) by n‐doping it with a benzimidazoline derivative, 9‐(1,3‐dimethyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐benzoimidazol‐2‐yl)‐julolidine (JLBI‐H) via a solution process. We found the n‐doping can not only improve the conductivity and optimize the band alignment but also enable the PCBM to have a constantly strong charge extraction ability in a wide temperature from 173 to 373 K, which guarantees a stable photovoltaic performance of the corresponding PSCs under a wide range of operating temperatures. With the JLBI‐H‐doped PCBM, we improved the efficiency from 17.9% to 19.8%, along with enhanced stability of the nonencapsulated devices following the aging protocol of ISOS‐D‐1.

Panicle architecture is an agronomic determinant of crop yield and a target for cereal crop improvement. To investigate its molecular mechanisms in rice, we performed map-based cloning and characterization of OPEN PANICLE 1 (OP1), a gain-of-function allele of LIGULELESS 1 (LG1), controlling the spread-panicle phenotype. This allele results from a 48-bp deletion in the LG1 upstream region and promotes pulvinus development at the base of the primary branch. Increased OP1 expression and altered panicle phenotype in chimeric transgenic plants and upstream-region knockout mutants indicated that the deletion regulates spread-panicle architecture in the mutant spread panicle 1 (sp1). Knocking out BRASSINOSTEROID UPREGULATED1 (BU1) gene in the background of OP1 complementary plants resulted in compact panicles, suggesting OP1 may regulate inflorescence architecture via the brassinosteroid signaling pathway. We regard that manipulating the upstream regulatory region of OP1 or genes involved in BR signal pathway could be an efficient way to improve rice inflorescence architecture.

Abstract Malocclusion, identified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as one of three major oral diseases, profoundly impacts the dental-maxillofacial functions, facial esthetics, and long-term development of ~260 million children in China. Beyond its physical manifestations, malocclusion also significantly influences the psycho-social well-being of these children. Timely intervention in malocclusion can foster an environment conducive to dental-maxillofacial development and substantially decrease the incidence of malocclusion or reduce the severity and complexity of malocclusion in the permanent dentition, by mitigating the negative impact of abnormal environmental influences on the growth. Early orthodontic treatment encompasses accurate identification and treatment of dental and maxillofacial morphological and functional abnormalities during various stages of dental-maxillofacial development, ranging from fetal stages to the early permanent dentition phase. From an economic and societal standpoint, the urgency for effective early orthodontic treatments for malocclusions in childhood cannot be overstated, underlining its profound practical and social importance. This consensus paper discusses the characteristics and the detrimental effects of malocclusion in children, emphasizing critical need for early treatment. It elaborates on corresponding core principles and fundamental approaches in early orthodontics, proposing comprehensive guidance for preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment, serving as a reference for clinicians engaged in early orthodontic treatment.

Abstract Double-walled metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), synthesized using Zn and Co, are potential porous materials for trace benzene adsorption. Aluminum is with low-toxicity and abundance in nature, in comparison with Zn and Co. Therefore, a double-walled Al-based MOF, named as ZJU-520(Al), with large microporous specific surface area of 2235 m2 g–1, pore size distribution in the range of 9.26–12.99 Å and excellent chemical stability, was synthesized. ZJU-520(Al) is consisted by helical chain of AlO6 clusters and 4,6-Di(4-carboxyphenyl)pyrimidine ligands. Trace benzene adsorption of ZJU-520(Al) is up to 5.98 mmol g–1 at 298 K and P/P 0 = 0.01. Adsorbed benzene molecules are trapped on two types of sites. One (site I) is near the AlO6 clusters, another (site II) is near the N atom of ligands, using Grand Canonical Monte Carlo simulations. ZJU-520(Al) can effectively separate trace benzene from mixed vapor flow of benzene and cyclohexane, due to the adsorption affinity of benzene higher than that of cyclohexane. Therefore, ZJU-520(Al) is a potential adsorbent for trace benzene adsorption and benzene/cyclohexane separation.

Background: Prolonged sitting and reduced physical activity lead to low energy expenditures. However, little is known about the joint impact of daily sitting time and physical activity on body fat distribution. We investigated the independent and joint associations of daily sitting time and physical activity with body fat among adults. Methods: This was a cross-sectional analysis of U.S. nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2018 among adults aged 20 years or older. Daily sitting time and leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) were self-reported using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. Body fat (total and trunk fat percentage) was determined via dual X-ray absorptiometry. Results: Among 10,808 adults, about 54.6% spent 6 h/day or more sitting; more than one-half reported no LTPA (inactive) or less than 150 min/week LTPA (insufficiently active) with only 43.3% reported 150 min/week or more LTPA (active) in the past week. After fully adjusting for sociodemographic data, lifestyle behaviors, and chronic conditions, prolonged sitting time and low levels of LTPA were associated with higher total and trunk fat percentages in both sexes. When stratifying by LTPA, the association between daily sitting time and body fat appeared to be stronger in those who were inactive/insufficiently active. In the joint analyses, inactive/insufficiently active adults who reported sitting more than 8 h/day had the highest total (female: 3.99% (95% confidence interval (95%CI): 3.09%–4.88%); male: 3.79% (95%CI: 2.75%–4.82%)) and trunk body fat percentages (female: 4.21% (95%CI: 3.09%–5.32%); male: 4.07% (95%CI: 2.95%–5.19%)) when compared with those who were active and sitting less than 4 h/day. Conclusion: Prolonged daily sitting time was associated with increased body fat among U.S. adults. The higher body fat associated with 6 h/day sitting may not be offset by achieving recommended levels of physical activity.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common global dementia and is universally fatal. Most late-stage AD disease-modifying therapies are intravenous and target amyloid beta (Aβ), with only modest effects on disease progression: there remains a high unmet need for convenient, safe, and effective therapeutics. Senescent cells (SC) and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) drive AD pathology and increase with AD severity. Preclinical senolytic studies have shown improvements in neuroinflammation, tau, Aβ, and CNS damage; most were conducted in transgenic rodent models with uncertain human translational relevance. In this study, aged cynomolgus monkeys had significant elevation of biomarkers of senescence, SASP, and neurological damage. Intermittent treatment with the senolytic navitoclax induced modest reversible thrombocytopenia; no serious drug-related toxicity was noted. Navitoclax reduced several senescence and SASP biomarkers, with CSF concentrations sufficient for senolysis. Finally, navitoclax reduced TSPO-PET frontal cortex binding and showed trends of improvement in CSF biomarkers of neuroinflammation, neuronal damage, and synaptic dysfunction. Overall, navitoclax administration was safe and well tolerated in aged monkeys, inducing trends of biomarker changes relevant to human neurodegenerative disease.

BackgroundThe association between psychiatric disorders and dentofacial deformities has attracted widespread attention. However, their relationship is currently unclear and controversial.MethodsA two-sample bidirectional MR analysis was performed to study the causal relationship between dentofacial deformity and eight psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder, panic disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, autism spectrum disorder, and neuroticism. Inverse variance weighted, weighted median, MR-Egger regression, weighted mode four methods, and further sensitivity analyses were conducted.ResultsThe major depressive disorder affected dentofacial deformity, with an OR = 1.387 (95% CI = 1.181-1.629, P = 6.77×10-5). No other psychiatric disorders were found to be associated with dentofacial deformity. In turn, dentofacial deformity were associated with neuroticism, with an OR = 1.050 (95% CI = 1.008-1.093, P = 0.018). And there was no evidence that dentofacial deformity would increase the risk of other psychiatric disorders.ConclusionsMajor depressive disorder might elevate the risk of dentofacial deformities, and dentofacial deformity conditions would increase the risk of the incidence of neuroticism.

Objectives: Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a powerful tool for pathogen detection. The accuracy depends on both wet lab and dry lab procedures. The objective of our study was to assess the influence of read length and dataset size on pathogen detection. Methods: In this study, 43 clinical BALF samples, which tested positive via clinical mNGS and were consistent with the diagnosis, were subjected to re-sequencing on the Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform. The raw re-sequencing data, consisting of 100 million (M) paired-end 150 bp (PE150) reads, were divided into simulated datasets with eight different data sizes (5 M, 10 M, 15 M, 20 M, 30 M, 50 M, 75 M, 100 M) and five different read lengths (single-end 50 bp (SE50), SE75, SE100, PE100, and PE150). Both Kraken2 and IDseq bioinformatics pipelines were employed to analyze the previously diagnosed pathogens in the simulated data. Detection of pathogens was based on read counts ranging from 1 to 10 and RPM values ranging from 0.2 to 2. Results: Our results revealed that increasing dataset sizes and read lengths can enhance the performance of mNGS in pathogen detection. However, a larger data sizes for mNGS require higher economic costs and longer turnaround time for data analysis. Our findings indicate 20 M reads being sufficient for SE75 mode to achieve high recall rates. Additionally, high nucleic acid loads in samples can lead to increased stability in pathogen detection efficiency, reducing the impact of sequencing strategies. The choice of bioinformatics pipelines had a significant impact on recall rates achieved in pathogen detection. Conclusions: Increasing dataset sizes and read lengths can enhance the performance of mNGS in pathogen detection but increase the economic and time costs of sequencing and data analysis. Currently, the 20 M reads in SE75 mode may be the best sequencing option.

BackgroundIncomplete immune recovery in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) remains an important clinical challenge with the lack of an effective strategy currently available to restore their T-cell immune response. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Albuvirtide (ABT) on immune recovery in immunological non-responders (INRs) and attempted to explore potential mechanisms of ABT on the functionality of immune cells.MethodsIn this prospective, open-label, controlled clinical study, participants with incomplete immune reconstitution (continuous ART over 5 years and CD4+T lymphocyte absolute count of

Sweating is one of the most important processing methods of Chinese medicinal herbs. However, the high temperature and humidity environment required for sweating Chinese medicinal herbs makes it very easy for fungi to breed, especially toxigenic fungi. The mycotoxins produced by these fungi will then contaminate the Chinese medicinal herbs. In this study, we explored the changes in mycobiota, toxigenic fungi, and mycotoxins with and without sweating in Radix Dipsaci (RD), a typical representative of traditional Chinese medicine that requires processing through sweating. We also isolated and identified the toxigenic fungi from RD, whether they were subjected to sweating treatment or not, and examined their toxigenic genes and ability. The results showed that the detection rate of mycotoxins (aflatoxins, ochratoxins, zearalenone, and T-2 toxin) in RD with sweating was 36%, which was 2.25-fold higher than that in RD without sweating. We also detected T-2 toxin in the RD with sweating, whereas it was not found in the RD without sweating. The sweating process altered the fungal composition and increased the abundance of Fusarium and Aspergillus in RD. Aspergillus and Fusarium were the most frequently contaminating fungi in the RD. Morphological and molecular identification confirmed the presence of key toxigenic fungal strains in RD samples, including A. flavus, A. westerdijkiae, F. oxysporum and F. graminearum. These four fungi, respectively, carried AflR, PKS, Tri7, and PKS14, which were key genes for the biosynthesis of aflatoxins, ochratoxins, zearalenone, and T-2 toxin. The toxigenic ability of these four fungal strains was verified in different matrices. We also found that A. flavus, A. westerdijkiae, and F. oxysporum were isolated in RD both with sweating and without sweating, but their isolation frequency was significantly higher in the RD with sweating than in the RD without sweating. F. graminearum was not isolated from RD without sweating, but it was isolated from RD with sweating. These findings suggest that the sweating process promotes the expansion of toxigenic fungi and increases the risk of combined mycotoxin contamination in RD.

Abstract Black carbon (BC) aerosols, which arise from incomplete combustion processes, possess the capacity to absorb solar radiation, thereby contributing significantly to the issue of climate warming. However, accurately estimating their radiative effect is challenging, influenced by emissions, sizing, morphology, and mixing state. BC particles undergo aging processes that can alter their physical characteristics and mixing state, consequently affecting their optical properties. In this study, we assessed the mixing state of BC across diverse atmospheric environments. Results demonstrate that mixing state heterogeneity is a ubiquitous phenomenon. In background atmospheres, BC exhibited less homogeneous states compared to those in urban and suburban areas, where heterogeneity was driven by primary emissions. Our study provides direct observational evidence that the heterogeneity of particle-particle mixing can reduce the light absorption enhancement of BC in all atmospheres, with a deviation of up to approximately 24% under background conditions.

Abstract The intestine of Haemonchus contortus is an essential tissue that has been indicated to be a major target for the prevention of haemonchosis caused by this parasitic nematode of small ruminants. Biological peculiarities of the intestine warrant in-depth exploitation, which can be leveraged for future disease control efforts. Here, we determined the intestinal ncRNA (lncRNA, circRNA and miRNA) atlas using whole-transcriptome sequencing and bioinformatics approaches. In total, 4846 novel lncRNA, 982 circRNA, 96 miRNA (65 known and 31 novel) and 8821 mRNA were identified from the H. contortus intestine. The features of lncRNA, circRNA and miRNA were fully characterized. Comparison of miRNA from the intestines and extracellular vesicles supported the speculation that the miRNA from the latter were of intestinal origin in H. contortus. Further function analysis suggests that the cis-lncRNA targeted genes were involved in protein binding, intracellular anatomical structure, organelle and cellular process, whereas the circRNA parental genes were mainly enriched in molecular function categories, such as ribonucleotide binding, nucleotide binding, ATP binding and carbohydrate derivative binding. The miRNA target genes were related to the cellular process, cellular response to stimulus, cellular protein modification process and signal transduction. Moreover, competing endogenous RNA network analysis revealed that the majority of lncRNA, circRNA and mRNA only have one or two binding sites with specific miRNA. Lastly, randomly selected circRNA, lncRNA and miRNA were verified successfully using RT-PCR. Collectively, these data provide the most comprehensive compilation of intestinal transcripts and their functions, and it will be helpful to decipher the biological and molecular complexity of the intestine and lay the foundation for further functional research.

Background: Timely diagnosis and treatment of silent cerebrovascular disease (SCD) are critical for future cerebrovascular disease prevention, whereas asymptomatic specificity of SCD can lead to a lack of reasonable healthcare utilization. In China, access barriers to care for SCD patients is rarely studied. This study aimed to estimate the access barriers to care for SCD patients in rural China and explored associated factors. Methods: We constructed a demand-side questionnaire using the six-dimensional model of access barriers to care, and collected survey data in Guizhou province, China. Data from SCD patients were collected including demographics, health status, and self-perceived access barriers to care. Linear regression was used to estimate the association between access barriers to care and self-reported health status. Results: A total of 162 SCD patients were included in the analysis. The questionnaire’s measures are adoptable with reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.86) and validity (KMO = 0.774, Bartlett’s test p-value

Accurate segmentation of thyroid nodules in ultrasound images is crucial for the diagnosis of thyroid cancer and preoperative planning. However, the segmentation of thyroid nodules is challenging due to their irregular shape, blurred boundary, and uneven echo texture. To address these challenges, a novel Mamba- and ResNet-based dual-branch network (MRDB) is proposed. Specifically, the visual state space block (VSSB) from Mamba and ResNet-34 are utilized to construct a dual encoder for extracting global semantics and local details, and establishing multi-dimensional feature connections. Meanwhile, an upsampling–convolution strategy is employed in the left decoder focusing on image size and detail reconstruction. A convolution–upsampling strategy is used in the right decoder to emphasize gradual feature refinement and recovery. To facilitate the interaction between local details and global context within the encoder and decoder, cross-skip connection is introduced. Additionally, a novel hybrid loss function is proposed to improve the boundary segmentation performance of thyroid nodules. Experimental results show that MRDB outperforms the state-of-the-art approaches with DSC of 90.02% and 80.6% on two public thyroid nodule datasets, TN3K and TNUI-2021, respectively. Furthermore, experiments on a third external dataset, DDTI, demonstrate that our method improves the DSC by 10.8% compared to baseline and exhibits good generalization to clinical small-scale thyroid nodule datasets. The proposed MRDB can effectively improve thyroid nodule segmentation accuracy and has great potential for clinical applications.

Collagen is the oldest and most abundant extracellular matrix protein and has many applications in biomedical, food, cosmetic, and other industries. Previous reviews have already introduced collagen’s sources, structures, and biosynthesis. The biological and mechanical properties of collagen-based composite materials, their modification and application forms, and their interactions with host tissues are pinpointed. It is worth noting that self-assembly behavior is the main characteristic of collagen molecules. However, there is currently relatively little review on collagen-based composite materials based on self-assembly. Herein, we briefly reviewed the biosynthesis, extraction, structure, and properties of collagen, systematically presented an overview of the various factors and corresponding characterization techniques that affect the collagen self-assembly process, and summarize and discuss the preparation methods and application progress of collagen-based composite materials in different fields. By combining the self-assembly behavior of collagen with preparation methods of collagen-based composite materials, collagen-based composite materials with various functional reactions can be selectively prepared, and these experiences and outcomes can provide inspiration and practical techniques for the future development directions and challenges of collagen-based composite biomaterials in related applications fields.

Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites have unique advantages in navigation because of their high signal intensity and rapid geometric changes in a short period. In order to solve the problem of constellation performance degradation after a potential failure pertaining one or more medium Earth orbit (MEO) navigation satellites, this paper designs the LEO navigation constellation and considers the task requirements of different stages of constellation deployment. Firstly, the LEO navigation constellation is designed by a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II). The average position dilution of precision (PDOP) is 1.676, which is an improvement compared to the average PDOP offered by the four traditional GNSS. Secondly, the staged deployment of constellation takes into account the degradation of constellation performance caused by the failure of MEO navigation satellites, and the Monte Carlo method is used to analyze the case of three simultaneous satellite failures. The results show that a single satellite failure within each orbital plane and adjacent satellites with close phase separation has a great impact on the performance of the MEO navigation constellation. On this basis, a staged deployment strategy was adopted in order to balance cost, risk, and performance. The three phases deploy 66, 156, and 288 satellites, respectively; as a make-up constellation under contingencies, a navigation enhancement constellation, and an independent navigation constellation, the deployment of the staged sub-constellations meets the mission requirements. The constellation design and staged deployment method proposed in this paper can provide reference for the future study of LEO navigation constellations.

Multi-satellite imaging mission planning (MSIMP) is an important focus in the field of satellite application. MSIMP involves a variety of coupled constraints and optimization objectives, which often require extensive simulation and evaluation when solving, leading to high computational costs and slow response times for traditional algorithms. Surrogate model expensive multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (SM-EMOEAs), which are computationally efficient and converge quickly, are effective methods for the solution of MSIMP. However, the recent advances in this field have not been comprehensively summarized; therefore, this work provides a comprehensive overview of this subject. Firstly, the basic classification of MSIMP and its different fields of application are introduced, and the constraints of MSIMP are comprehensively analyzed. Secondly, the MSIMP problem is described to clarify the application scenarios of traditional optimization algorithms in MSIMP and their properties. Thirdly, the process of MSIMP and the classical expensive multi-objective evolutionary algorithms are reviewed to explore the surrogate model and the expensive multi-objective evolutionary algorithms based on MSIMP. Fourthly, improved SM-EMOEAs for MSIMP are analyzed in depth in terms of improved surrogate models, adaptive strategies, and diversity maintenance and quality assessment of the solutions. Finally, SM-EMOEAs and SM-EMOEA-based MSIMP are analyzed in terms of the existing literature, and future trends and directions are summarized.

With the increase in UAV scale and mission diversity, trajectory planning systems faces more and more complex constraints, which are often conflicting and strongly coupled, placing higher demands on the real-time and response capabilities of the system. At the same time, conflicts and strong coupling pose challenges the autonomous decision-making capability of the system, affecting the accuracy and efficiency of the planning system in complex environments. However, recent research advances addressing these issues have not been fully summarized. An in-depth exploration of constraint handling techniques and autonomous decision-making issues will be of great significance to the development of large-scale UAV systems. Therefore, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of this topic. Firstly, the functions and application scenarios of large-scale UAV trajectory planning are introduced and classified in detail according to the planning method, realization function and the presence or absence of constraints. Then, the constraint handling techniques are described in detail, focusing on the priority ranking of constraints and the principles of their fusion and transformation methods. Then, the importance of autonomous decision-making in large-scale UAV trajectory planning is described in depth, and related dynamic adjustment algorithms are introduced. Finally, the future research directions and challenges of large-scale UAV trajectory planning are outlooked, providing directions and references for future research in the fields of UAV clustering and UAV cooperative flight.

With the continuous increase in the number of in-orbit satellites and the explosive growth in the demand for observation targets, satellite resource allocation and mission scheduling are faced with the problems of declining benefits and stagnant algorithm performance. This work proposes a progressive optimization mechanism and population size adaptive strategy for an improved differential evolution algorithm (POM-PSASIDEA) in large-scale multi-satellite imaging mission planning to address the above challenges. (1) MSIMPLTS based on Multi-layer Objective Optimization is constructed, and the MSIMPLTS is processed hierarchically by setting up three sub-models (superstructure, mesostructure, and understructure) to achieve a diversity of resource selection and step-by-step refinement of optimization objectives to improve the task benefits. (2) Construct the progressive optimization mechanism, which contains the allocation optimization, time window optimization, and global optimization phases, to reduce task conflicts through the progressive decision-making of the task planning scheme in stages. (3) A population size adaptive strategy for an improved differential evolution algorithm is proposed to dynamically adjust the population size according to the evolution of the population to avoid the algorithm falling into the local optimum. The experimental results show that POM-PSASIDEA has outstanding advantages over other algorithms, such as high task benefits and a high task allocation rate when solved in a shorter time.

Objective: We explored the differences in deep venous catheterization-associated complications between patients with hematological malignancies after peripherally inserted central catheter placement and such patients after implantable venous access port catheterization. Introduction: peripherally inserted central catheters and implantable venous access ports are the most popular devices used for chemotherapy. However, no study has revealed differences between peripherally inserted central catheters and implantable venous access ports in Chinese patients with hematological malignancies. Methods: The clinical data of 322 patients with hematological malignancies who were treated from January 1, 2020 to December 30, 2021 were included in a retrospective cohort study. Postoperative color Doppler ultrasonography and follow-up results were used to compare the incidence rates of deep venous catheterization -associated complications after peripherally inserted central catheters and implantable venous access ports catheterization. Results: The relative risk of catheter-related complications considering the type of device was 8.3 (95% CI = 3.0–22.8). In addition, chi-square segmentation analysis revealed a significant difference in the complication rate between the internal jugular vein and the basilic vein (χ 2 = 22.002, p

Abstract Brown carbon (BrC) exhibits a highly complex chemical composition with diverse light‐absorbing properties, which complicates our understanding of its climate impacts. This study examined the impact of molecular characteristics (including molecular mass, unsaturation, oxidation state, and polarity) and heteroatoms on the light‐absorbing properties (absorptivity and wavelength dependence) of BrC from a molecular perspective, based on the ultraviolet‐visible spectra of over 40,000 light‐absorbing substances in aerosol from different sources and ambience. Our findings reveal that the light‐absorptivity of BrC molecules increases with decreasing polarity and O/C ratio, while it rises with higher molecular mass and unsaturation. We developed predictive models for molecular absorptivity based on its double bond equivalent and O/C ratio. In addition, we observed an inverse correlation between absorptivity and wavelength dependence at the molecular level, as determined through mathematical analysis. This molecular‐level understanding provides valuable insights into BrC absorbing mechanisms, facilitating more accurate characterization in atmospheric models.

This study investigated the effect of nitrogen application on the rhizosphere soil microenvironment of sunflower and clarified the relationship between ammonium assimilation and the microenvironment. In a field experiment high (HN, 190 kg/hm2), medium (MN, 120 kg/hm2) and low nitrogen (CK, 50 kg/hm2) treatments were made to replicate plots of sunflowers using drip irrigation. Metagenomic sequencing was used to analyze the community structure and functional genes involved in the ammonium assimilation pathway in rhizosphere soil. The findings indicated that glnA and gltB played a crucial role in the ammonium assimilation pathway in sunflower rhizosphere soil, with Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria being the primary contributors. Compared with CK treatment, the relative abundance of Actinobacteria increased by 15.57% under MN treatment, while the relative abundance decreased at flowering and maturation stages. Conversely, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria was 28.57 and 61.26% higher in the MN treatment during anthesis and maturation period, respectively, compared with the CK. Furthermore, during the bud stage and anthesis, the abundance of Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and their dominant species were influenced mainly by rhizosphere soil EC, ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), and nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N), whereas, at maturity, soil pH and NO3--N played a more significant role in shaping the community of ammonium-assimilating microorganisms. The MN treatment increased the root length density, surface area density, and root volume density of sunflower at the bud, flowering, and maturity stages compared to the CK. Moreover, root exudates such as oxalate and malate were positively correlated with the dominant species of Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria during anthesis and the maturation period. Under drip irrigation, applying 120 kg/hm2 of nitrogen to sunflowers effectively promoted the community structure of ammonium-assimilating microorganisms in rhizosphere soil and had a positive influence on the rhizosphere soil microenvironment and sunflower root growth.

Background Obesity is a well-known predictor for poor postoperative outcomes of vascular surgery. However, the association between obesity and outcomes of thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) is still unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to assess the roles of obesity in the outcomes of TEVAR. Methods We systematically searched the Web of Science and PubMed databases to obtain articles regarding obesity and TEVAR that were published before July 2023. The odds ratio (OR) or hazard ratio (HR) was used to assess the effect of obesity on TEVAR outcomes. Body mass index (BMI) was also compared between patients experiencing adverse events after TEVAR and those not experiencing adverse events. The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to evaluate the quality of the enrolled studies. Results A total of 7,849 patients from 10 studies were included. All enrolled studies were high-quality. Overall, the risk of overall mortality (OR = 1.49, 95% CI [1.02–2.17], p = 0.04) was increased in obese patients receiving TEVAR. However, the associations between obesity and overall complications (OR = 2.41, 95% CI [0.84–6.93], p = 0.10) and specific complications were all insignificant, including stroke (OR = 1.39, 95% CI [0.56–3.45], p = 0.48), spinal ischemia (OR = 0.97, 95% CI [0.64–1.47], p = 0.89), neurological complications (OR = 0.13, 95% CI [0.01–2.37], p = 0.17), endoleaks (OR = 1.02, 95% CI [0.46–2.29], p = 0.96), wound complications (OR = 0.91, 95% CI [0.28–2.96], p = 0.88), and renal failure (OR = 2.98, 95% CI [0.92–9.69], p = 0.07). In addition, the patients who suffered from postoperative overall complications (p

Introduction Prevention of recurrence after an episode of venous thromboembolism (VTE), and also the post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), is still a recognised challenge. In this meta-analysis, we will summarise existing evidence to compare intelligent system follow-up and routine follow-up for patients with VTE.Methods and analysis Relevant randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cohort studies will be included from the following databases: MEDLINE/PubMed, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. The last search time will be 31 March 2024. Two reviewers will independently identify RCTs and cohort studies according to eligibility and exclusion criteria. The risk of bias of included cohort studies will be assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, Methodological Index of Non-Randomised Studies, and the risk of bias of RCTs will be assessed with and Cochrane Collaboration’s tool. The primary outcomes include overall survival rate and PTS incidence rate. The Grades of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation tool will be used to assess the level of evidence for outcome from RCTs. RevMan V.5.4 software will be used to pool outcomes.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was obtained from Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine Science Research Ethics Committee (SH9H-2023-T466-1). The findings will be disseminated to the public through conference presentations and publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals.PROSPERO registration number CRD42023410644.

Returning carbon materials from biomass to soil is a potential technology to retard organic contaminants or dissolved organic matter (DOM) in soil by adsorption, as well as to store carbon in soil for carbon sequestration. However, DOM was widely reported to inhibit adsorption of organic contaminants on carbon materials by competition and by enhancing contaminants' solubility. In this study, a KOH activated carbon material (KAC), pyrolyzed from bamboo chips, with high surface area (3108 m2/g), micropores volumes (0.964 cm3/g), mesopores volumes (1.284 cm3/g), was observed that it can adsorb fulvic acid (FA) and organic contaminants (e.g., nitrobenzene, phenols, and anilines) simultaneously with weak competition and high adsorption capacity. With 50 mg TOC/L FA, for example, the average competition suppressing rate (ΔKf/Kf-m) of organic contaminants on KAC was lower than 5%, the adsorption for organic contaminants and FA were higher than 1100 mg/g and 90 mg TOC/g, respectively. The weak competition on KAC could be attributed to the low micropore blockage (