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Abstract Heat stress has become one of the abiotic stresses that pose an increasing threat to maize production due to global warming. The Hsp20 gene family confers tolerance to various abiotic stresses in plants. However, very few Hsp20s have been identified in relation to maize thermotolerance. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive study of Hsp20s involved in thermotolerance in maize. A total of 33 maize Hsp20 genes (ZmHsp20s) were identified through scanning for a conserved α-crystalline domain (ACD), and they were categorized into 14 subfamilies based on phylogenetic analysis. These genes are distributed across all maize chromosomes and nine of them are in regions previously identified as heat-tolerance quantitative trait loci (hrQTL). These hrQTL-associated ZmHsp20s show variation in tissue-specific expression profiles under normal conditions, and seven of them possess 1–5 heat stress elements in their promoters. The integration of RNA-seq data with real-time RT-PCR analysis indicated that ZmHsp23.4, ZmHsp22.8B and ZmHsp18 were dramatically induced under heat stress. Additionally, these genes exhibited co-expression patterns with key ZmHsfs, which are crucial in the heat tolerance pathway. When a null mutant carrying a frame-shifted ZmHsp18 gene was subjected to heat stress, its survival rate decreased significantly, indicating a critical role of ZmHsp18 in maize thermotolerance. Our study lays the groundwork for further research into the roles of ZmHsp20s in enhancing maize’s thermotolerance.

Abstract Many studies have focused on the effects of small molecules, such as amino acids, on metabolism under hypoxia. Recent findings have indicated that phenylalanine levels were markedly elevated in adaptation to chronic hypoxia. This raises the possibility that phenylalanine treatment could markedly improve the hypoxic endurance. However, the importance of hypoxia-regulated phenylalanine is still unclear. This study investigates the role of phenylalanine in hypoxia adaptation using a hypoxic zebrafish model and multi-omics analysis. We found that phenylalanine-related metabolic pathways are significantly up-regulated under hypoxia, contributing to enhanced hypoxic endurance. Phenylalanine treatment reduced ROS levels, improved mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate (OCR), and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) in hypoxic cells. Western blotting revealed increased phenylalanine uptake via L-type amino transporters (LAT1), activating the LKB1/AMPK signaling pathway. This activation up-regulated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α) and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, while down-regulating uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2), thereby improving mitochondrial function under hypoxia. This is the first comprehensive multi-omics analysis to demonstrate phenylalanine’s crucial role in hypoxia adaptation, providing insights for the development of anti-hypoxic drugs. Graphical Abstract

Abstract The precise measurement of minute displacements using light is a common practice in modern science and technology. The utilization of sound for precision displacement metrology remains scarce due to the diffraction limit of half-wavelength, while it holds crucial applications in some specific scenarios, such as underwater environments, biological tissues, and complex machinery components. Here, we propose an approach to super-resolution acoustic displacement metrology by introducing the concept of topological pairs in orbital meta-atoms, drawing inspiration from the analogy of Cooper pairs observed in spinful electrons. The topological pairs are conjugately formed to create two distinct pathways in mode space that enable robust generation of interference. This allows the realization of acoustic analogue of Malus’s law and thereby enhances the resolution of displacement measurements. By incorporating a spiral twist configuration in orbital meta-atoms, we demonstrate the first acoustic prototype of a physical micrometer tailored for micron-scale displacement metrology. We observe experimentally a displacement resolving power of 1.2 μm at an audible frequency of 3.43 kHz, approximately 1/105 of the sound wavelength of 100 mm. Our work implies a new paradigm for precise displacement metrology within classical wave physics and lays the foundation for diverse acoustic applications.

Output power is an important performance metric related to static or quasi-static wireless power transfer (WPT). As an important component of WPT, the electrical parameters of a magnetic coupling mechanism (MCM) are directly related to its output characteristics. Notably, an optimal WPT design is largely based on MCMs using the same primary and secondary coils. However, in some scenarios involving limited space, the physical structure and electrical parameters of the coils cannot be kept completely consistent. Based on the influence of physical parameters on coupling performance and system characteristics, an optimal design method for MCMs using different primary and secondary coils to ensure maximum output power is proposed. The best receiving coil within a limited space that achieves maximum power at a specific location was selected. Experiments were conducted, with the corresponding results verifying the correctness of theoretical and simulation analyses, as well as the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Choline acetyltransferase (ChAT)-positive neurons in neural stem cell (NSC) niches can evoke adult neurogenesis (AN) and restore impaired brain function after injury, such as acute ischemic stroke (AIS). However, the relevant mechanism by which ChAT+ neurons develop in NSC niches is poorly understood. Our RNA-seq analysis revealed that dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1 (DDAH1), a hydrolase for asymmetric NG,NG-dimethylarginine (ADMA), regulated genes responsible for the synthesis and transportation of acetylcholine (ACh) (Chat, Slc5a7 and Slc18a3) after stroke insult. The dual-luciferase reporter assay further suggested that DDAH1 controlled the activity of ChAT, possibly through hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α). KC7F2, an inhibitor of HIF-1α, abolished DDAH1-induced ChAT expression and suppressed neurogenesis. As expected, DDAH1 was clinically elevated in the blood of AIS patients and was positively correlated with AIS severity. By comparing the results among Ddah1 general knockout (KO) mice, transgenic (TG) mice and wild-type (WT) mice, we discovered that DDAH1 upregulated the proliferation and neural differentiation of NSCs in the subgranular zone (SGZ) under ischemic insult. As a result, DDAH1 may promote cognitive and motor function recovery against stroke impairment, while these neuroprotective effects are dramatically suppressed by NSC conditional knockout of Ddah1 in mice.

Oat (Avena sativa L.) is an annual grass that has a high nutritional value and therapeutic benefits. β-glucan is one of the most important nutrients in oats. In this study, we investigated two oat varieties with significant differences in β-glucan content (high β-glucan oat varieties BY and low β-glucan content oat variety DY) during different filling stages. We also studied the transcriptome sequencing of seeds at different filling stages. β-glucan accumulation was highest at days 6-16 in the filling stage. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were selected from the dataset of transcriptome sequencing. Among them, three metabolic pathways were closely related to the biosynthesis of β-glucan by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, including xyloglucan:xyloglucosyl transferase activity, starch and sucrose metabolism, and photosynthesis. By analyzing the expression patterns of DEGs, we identified one CslF2 gene and 32 transcription factors. Five modules were thought to be positively correlated with β-glucan accumulation by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Moreover, the expression levels of candidate genes obtained from the transcriptome sequencing were further validated by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis. Our study provides a novel way to identify the regulatory mechanism of β-glucan synthesis and accumulation in oat seeds and offers a possible pathway for the genetic engineering of oat breeding for higher-quality seeds.

BackgroundChina is one of the main epidemic areas of scrub typhus, and Zhejiang Province, which is located in the coastal area of southeastern China, is considered a key region of scrub typhus. However, there may be significant bias in the number of reported cases of scrub typhus, to the extent that its epidemiological patterns are not clearly understood. The purpose of this study was to estimate the possible incidence of scrub typhus and to identify the main driving components affecting the occurrence of scrub typhus at the county level.MethodsData on patients with scrub typhus diagnosed at medical institutions between January 2016 and December 2023 were collected from the China Disease Control and Prevention Information System (CDCPIS). The kriging interpolation method was used to estimate the possible incidence of scrub typhus. Additionally, a multivariate time series model was applied to identify the main driving components affecting the occurrence of scrub typhus in different regions.ResultsFrom January 2016 to September 2023, 2,678 cases of scrub typhus were reported in Zhejiang Province, including 1 case of reported death, with an overall case fatality rate of 0.04%. The seasonal characteristics of scrub typhus in Zhejiang Province followed an annual single peak model, and the months of peak onset in different cities were different. The estimated area with case occurrence was relatively wider. There were 41 counties in Zhejiang Province with an annual reported case count of less than 1, while from the estimated annual incidence, the number of counties with less than 1 case decreased to 21. The average annual number of cases in most regions fluctuated between 0 and 15. The numbers of cases in the central urban area of Hangzhou city, Jiaxin city and Huzhou city did not exceed 5. The estimated random effect variance parameters σλ2, σϕ2, and σν2 were 0.48, 1.03 and 3.48, respectively. The endemic component values of the top 10 counties were Shuichang, Cangnan, Chun’an, Xinchang, Pingyang, Xianju, Longquan, Dongyang, Yueqing and Qingyuan. The spatiotemporal component values of the top 10 counties were Pujiang, Anji, Pan’an, Dongyang, Jinyun, Ninghai, Yongjia, Xiaoshan, Yinwu and Shengzhou. The autoregressive component values of the top 10 counties were Lin’an, Cangnan, Chun’an, Yiwu, Pujiang, Longquan, Xinchang, Luqiao, Sanmen and Fuyang.ConclusionThe estimated incidence was higher than the current reported number of cases, and the possible impact area of the epidemic was also wider than the areas with reported cases. The main driving factors of the scrub typhus epidemic in Zhejiang included endemic components such as natural factors, but there was significant heterogeneity in the composition of driving factors in different regions. Some regions were driven by spatiotemporal spread across regions, and the time autoregressive effect in individual regions could not be ignored. These results that monitoring of cases, vectors, and pathogens of scrub typhus should be strengthened. Furthermore, each region should take targeted prevention and control measures based on the main driving factors of the local epidemic to improve the accuracy of prevention and control.

Endometrial cancer (EC), the second most common malignancy in the female reproductive system, has garnered increasing attention for its genomic heterogeneity, but understanding of its metabolic characteristics is still poor. We explored metabolic dysfunctions in EC through a comprehensive multi-omics analysis (RNA-seq datasets from The Cancer Genome Atlas [TCGA], Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia [CCLE], and GEO datasets; the Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium [CPTAC] proteomics; CCLE metabolomics) to develop useful molecular targets for precision therapy. Unsupervised consensus clustering was performed to categorize EC patients into three metabolism-pathway-based subgroups (MPSs). These MPS subgroups had distinct clinical prognoses, transcriptomic and genomic alterations, immune microenvironment landscape, and unique patterns of chemotherapy sensitivity. Moreover, the MPS2 subgroup had a better response to immunotherapy. Finally, three machine learning algorithms (LASSO, random forest, and stepwise multivariate Cox regression) were used for developing a prognostic metagene signature based on metabolic molecules. Thus, a 13-hub gene-based classifier was constructed to predict patients’ MPS subtypes, offering a more accessible and practical approach. This metabolism-based classification system can enhance prognostic predictions and guide clinical strategies for immunotherapy and metabolism-targeted therapy in EC.

Abstract Accurate thermal calculations of end‐winding temperature rises are the key issue in designing and developing cooling systems of permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs). Due to the complex connections of the end‐windings, it is challenging to precisely predict the heat dissipation capacities through a traditional wire‐insulation equivalent model. Numerical simulations and lumped parameter thermal networks (LPTN) are used by the authors to develop thermal models that illustrate the end‐winding properties of a 2.1‐kW PMSM. As multi‐strand end wires are bent and bound together by ribbons, they have thermal interrelations which can hardly be considered in LPTN models. An equivalent coefficient enhancing the axial heat conduction capacities of end‐windings is proposed for LPTN calculations to model the aforementioned thermal interrelations with circumferential symmetric structures. To correctly model the mutual thermal coupling between various strands of end‐windings, the thermal conductivity of the equivalent insulation sheets between the multi‐strand end‐windings is determined for exact numerical calculations. The external insulation sheet thickness is calculated based on the equivalent thermal conductivity. After developing heat conduction models for LPTN and numerical simulations, LPTN and FEA are used to determine the PMSM's temperature rise characteristics. To verify the approaches, the computation findings are contrasted with experimental ones.

Objectives: Network pharmacology is essential for understanding the multi-target and multi-pathway therapeutic mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine. This study aims to evaluate the influence of database quality on target identification and to explore the therapeutic potential of rhynchophylline (Rhy) in treating overactive bladder (OAB). Methods: An OAB dataset was constructed through extensive literature screening. Using this dataset, we applied network pharmacology to predict potential targets for Rhy, which is known for its therapeutic effects but lacks a well-defined target profile. Predicted targets were validated through in vitro experiments, including DARTS and CETSA. Results: Our analysis identified Rhy as a potential modulator of the M3 receptor and TRPM8 channel in the treatment of OAB. Validation experiments confirmed the interaction between Rhy and these targets. Additionally, the GeneCards database predicted other targets that are not directly linked to OAB, corroborated by the literature. Conclusions: We established a more accurate and comprehensive dataset of OAB targets, enhancing the reliability of target identification for drug treatments. This study underscores the importance of database quality in network pharmacology and contributes to the potential therapeutic strategies for OAB.

The tobacco whitefly, Bemisia tabaci MEAM1, is a destructive pest that damages plants by sucking plant juice and transmitting viruses. B. tabaci insecticide resistance contributes to population resurgence, and new insecticides are continually needed. Flonicamid and afidopyropen are selective pesticides with high insecticidal activity against piercing–sucking pests and safety to non-target species. We determined the toxicity of flonicamid and afidopyropen to B. tabaci, investigated the sublethal effects on life parameters, and studied physiological responses to them. Flonicamid and afidopyropen were highly toxic to B. tabaci, with LC50 values of 12.795 mg/L (afidopyropen) and 25.359 mg/L (flonicamid) to nymphs and 4.711 mg/L (afidopyropen) and 11.050 mg/L (flonicamid) to adults. Sublethal concentrations (LC10 and LC20) reduced the longevity and fecundity of the B. tabaci F0 generation. Transgenerational effects were caused by exposure to sublethal concentrations of flonicamid and afidopyropen. Nymph mortality increased, development was delayed, fecundity decreased, and adult longevity was shortened. Population parameters such as the intrinsic rate of growth (r), net reproductive rate (R0), and finite rate of growth (λ) were significantly decreased compared to the control. The activity of detoxifying enzymes, such as GSTs and P450, were induced by flonicamid and afidopyropen at 72 h, while CarE was inhibited. The expression levels of eleven P450 genes and four GST genes were significantly higher than in the control. In conclusion, flonicamid and afidopyropen have excellent acute toxicity and continuous control effects on B. tabaci. Higher GST and P450 activities and gene expression levels may play important roles in the detoxification metabolic process.

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL) has excellent neuroprotective effects. However, its limitations, including poor solubility, low bioavailability, and low accumulation in the brain, restrict its clinical promotion. In this study, a novel type of ISL-loaded liposome (ISL-LP) modified with the brain-targeting polypeptide angiopep-2 was prepared to improve these properties. The zeta potential, morphology, particle size, encapsulation efficiency, drug loading, and in vitro release of ISL-LP were evaluated. The pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of ISL and ISL-LP were also investigated. The results demonstrated that ISL-LP had an average particle size of 89.36 ± 5.04 nm, a polymer dispersity index of 0.17 ± 0.03, a zeta potential of −20.27 ± 2.18 mV, and an encapsulation efficiency of 75.04 ± 3.28%. The in vitro release experiments indicate that ISL-LP is a desirable sustained-release system. After intravenous administration, LPC-LP prolonged the circulation time of ISL in vivo and enhanced its relative brain uptake. In conclusion, ISL-LP could serve as a promising brain-targeting system for the treatment and prevention of central nervous system (CNS) disorders.

Abstract The dental operative microscope has been widely employed in the field of dentistry, particularly in endodontics and operative dentistry, resulting in significant advancements in the effectiveness of root canal therapy, endodontic surgery, and dental restoration. However, the improper use of this microscope continues to be common in clinical settings, primarily due to operators’ insufficient understanding and proficiency in both the features and established operating procedures of this equipment. In October 2019, Professor Jingping Liang, Vice Chairman of the Society of Cariology and Endodontology, Chinese Stomatological Association, organized a consensus meeting with Chinese experts in endodontics and operative dentistry. The objective of this meeting was to establish a standard operation procedure for the dental operative microscope. Subsequently, a consensus was reached and officially issued. Over the span of about four years, the content of this consensus has been further developed and improved through practical experience.

Shale gas is an important alternative natural gas source that can meet China's growing energy demand. However, methane emissions during shale gas production could largely determine whether it could be considered as a bridging clean energy source. In this study, we performed methane emission measurements using three methods (on-site optical gas imaging, on-site methane patrolling, and downwind measurement) at shale gas production sites in Sichuan province, China, covering 18 well sites with 81 wells. The results showed that flowback water tanks were the major methane sources, with valves, separators, chemical injection pumps, and pneumatic controllers as other sources. The methane concentrations inside the 18 sites ranged from 1.42 to 459 μmol mol−1, with over 59% of the sites having the highest concentration less than 50 μmol mol−1. The optical gas imaging method, with its low detection limit over 5000 μmol mol−1, could not capture the emission effectively. The three successful downwind measurements resulted in site level emission rates between 0.02 and 0.17 kg h−1. When divided by the number of wells at each site, the emission intensity was 4%–28% of the wellhead emission factor for natural gas production in China. More measurements are required to better quantify methane emissions from shale gas sites in China. For sites in mountainous regions or long-term low-wind regions, detection methods other than downwind measurements should be suitable for quantifying site-level emissions.

Abstract Background Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a syndrome with high 28- and 90-day mortality rates. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been widely used to diagnose and evaluate liver disease. Our purpose is to determine the value of the imaging features derived from Gd-DTPA-enhanced MRI for predicting the poor outcome of patients with ACLF and develop a clinically practical radiological score. Methods This retrospective study comprised 175 ACLF patients who underwent Gd-DTPA-enhanced abdominal MRI from January 2017 to December 2021. The primary end-point was 90-day mortality. Imaging parameters, such as diffuse hyperintense of the liver on T2WI, patchy enhancement of the liver at the arterial phase, uneven enhancement of the liver at the portal vein phase, gallbladder wall edema, periportal edema, ascites, esophageal and gastric varix, umbilical vein patefac, portal vein thrombosis, and splenomegaly were screened. Cox proportional hazard regression models were used to evaluate prognostic factors and develop a prediction model. The accuracy of the model was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results During the follow-up period, 31 of the 175 ACLF patients died within 90 days. In the multivariate analysis, three imaging parameters were independently associated with survival: diffuse hyperintense on T2WI (p = 0.007; HR = 3.53 [1.40–8.89]), patchy enhancement at the arterial phase (p = 0.037; HR = 2.45 [1.06–5.69]), moderate ascites (vs. mild) (p = 0.006; HR = 4.12 [1.49–11.36]), and severe ascites (vs. mild) (p = 0.005; HR = 4.29 [1.57–11.71]). A practical radiological score was proposed, based on the presence of diffuse hyperintense (7 points), patchy enhancement (5 points), and ascites (6, 8, and 8 points for mild, moderate, and severe, respectively). Further analysis showed that a cut-off at 14 points was optimum to distinguish high-risk (score > 14) from the low-risk group (score ≤ 14) for 90-day survival and demonstrated a mean area under the ROC curve of 0.774 in ACLF patients. Conclusions Gd-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging features can predict poor outcomes in patients with ACLF, based on which we proposed a clinically practical radiological score allowing stratification of the 90-day survival.

PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate the differences between pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) attenuation at different measured locations in evaluating coronary atherosclerosis using spectral computed tomography (CT) and to explore valuable imaging indicators.MethodsA total of 330 patients with suspicious coronary atherosclerosis were enrolled and underwent coronary CT angiography with dual-layer spectral detector CT (SDCT). Proximal and peri-plaque fat attenuation index (FAI) of stenosis coronary arteries were measured using both conventional images (CIs) and virtual monoenergetic images (VMIs) ranging from 40 keV to 100 keV. The slopes of the spectral attenuation curve (λ) of proximal and peri-plaque PCAT at three different monoenergetic intervals were calculated. Additionally, peri-plaque FAI on CI and virtual non-contrast images, and effective atomic number were measured manually.ResultsA total of 231 coronary arteries with plaques and lumen stenosis were finally enrolled. Peri-plaque FAICI and FAIVMI were significantly higher in severe stenosis than in mild and moderate stenosis (p

Objective: To investigate the chest computed tomography (CT) findings and dynamic changes in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants. Methods: 200 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants were collected in Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University from November 2022 to January 2023. These patients were divided into mild group, moderate group and severe/critical group according to the clinical classification. All patients’ clinical, laboratory and chest CT data were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among 200 cases infected with SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant, the main clinical manifestations were fever, cough, sore throat and fatigue. There was a statistically significant difference in white blood cell count between the mild group and the medium group, and between the mild group and the severe/critical group. There were significant differences in erythrocyte sedimentation rate between mild and moderate groups, and between mild and severe/critical groups. Most of the lesions in mild group were subpleural (53.6%), while most of the lesions in moderate group (77.9%) and severe/critical group (88.9%) were mixed. The crazy-paving sign was statistically significant between the mild and severe/critical groups, and between the mild and moderate groups. There were significant differences in air bronchogram sign between the mild and the severe/critical groups, the mild and severe/critical groups , and the mild and moderate groups. The frequency of Ground Glass Opacity (GGO) was the highest at different intervals between the onset and the first chest CT. The proportion of GGO with consolidation/consolidation and air bronchogram sign gradually increased when the interval was more than 4 days. The proportion of GGO with consolidation/consolidation and air bronchogram sign gradually increased when the interval was more than 4 days. The highest proportion (95.4%) of crazy-paving sign appeared within the interval of 5-9 days, after which the proportion decreased. The frequency of irregular linear opacities, the proportion of pleural thickening and pleural effusion increased in patients with an interval more than 14 days. The median times to occurrence of GGO, GGO with crazy-paving sign, GGO with consolidation or consolidation and irregular linear opacities respectively were 4 days (2 days, 7 days), 9 days (7 days, 11 days), 13 days (10 days, 16 days) and 16 days (13 days, 19 days). Conclusions: Chest CT can reflect the distribution, morphology, dynamic imaging development and outcome of lesions in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, which is helpful for clinical treatment decision-making and efficacy evaluation.

Chitin, a polymer of β-1,4-linked N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), can be degraded into valuable oligosaccharides by various chitinases. In this study, the genome of Shewanella khirikhana JW44, displaying remarkable chitinolytic activity, was investigated to understand its chitin-degradation potential. A chitinase gene SkChi65 from this strain was then cloned, expressed, and purified to characterize its enzymatic properties and substrate hydrolysis. Genome analysis showed that, of the 14 genes related to chitin utilization in JW44, six belonged to glycoside hydrolase (GH) families because of their functional domains for chitin binding and catalysis. The recombinant chitinase SkChi65, consisting of 1129 amino acids, was identified as a member of the GH18 family and possessed two chitin-binding domains with a typical motif of [A/N]KWWT[N/S/Q] and one catalytic domain with motifs of DxxDxDxE, SxGG, YxR, and [E/D]xx[V/I]. SkChi65 was heterologously expressed as an active protein of 139.95 kDa best at 37 °C with 1.0 mM isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactopyranoside induction for 6 h. Purified SkChi65 displayed high stability over the ranges of 30–50 °C and pH 5.5–8.0 with optima at 40 °C and pH 7.0. The kinetic parameters Km, Vmax, and kcat of SkChi65 towards colloidal chitin were 27.2 μM, 299.2 μMs−1, and 10,203 s−1, respectively. In addition to colloidal chitin, SkChi65 showed high activity towards glycol chitosan and crystalline chitin. After analysis by thin-layer chromatography, the main products were N,N’-diacetylchitobiose, and GlcNAc with (GlcNAc)2–6 used as substrates. Collectively, SkChi65 could exhibit both exo- and endochitinase activities towards diverse substrates, and strain JW44 has a high potential for industrial application with an excellent capacity for chitin bioconversion.

PurposeEarly judgment of the progress of acute pancreatitis (AP) and timely intervention are crucial to the prognosis of patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the application value of CT-based radiomics of pancreatic parenchyma in predicting the prognosis of early AP.Materials and methodsThis retrospective study enrolled 137 patients diagnosed with AP (95 cases in the progressive group and 42 cases in the non-progressive group) who underwent CT scans. Patients were randomly divided into a training set (n = 95) and a validation set (n = 42) in a ratio of 7: 3. The region of interest (ROI) was outlined along the inner edge of the pancreatic parenchyma manually, and the Modified CT Severity Index (MCTSI) was assessed. After resampling and normalizing the CT image, a total of 2,264 radiomics features were extracted from the ROI. The radiomics features were downscaled and filtered using minimum redundancy maximum correlation (mRMR) and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm (LASSO) regression, in turn, and the more optimal subset of radiomics features was selected. In addition, the radiomics score (rad-score) was calculated for each patient by the LASSO method. Clinical data were also analyzed to predict the prognosis of AP. Three prediction models, including clinical model, radiomics model, and combined clinical–radiomics model, are constructed. The effectiveness of each model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The DeLong test was employed to compare the differences between the ROC curves. The decision curve analysis (DCA) is used to assess the net benefit of the model.ResultsThe mRMR algorithm and LASSO regression were used to select 13 radiomics features with high values. The rad-score of each texture feature was calculated to fuse MCTSI to establish the radiomics model, and both the clinical model and clinical–radiomics model were established. The clinical–radiomics model showed the best performance, the AUC and 95% confidence interval, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of the clinical–radiomics model in the training set were 0.984 (0.964–1.000), 0.947, 0.955, and 0.931, respectively. In the validation set, they were 0.942 (0.870–1.000), 0.929, 0.966, and 0.846, respectively. The Delong test showed that the predictive efficacy of the clinical–radiomics model was higher than that of the clinical model (Z = 2.767, p = 0.005) and the radiomics model (Z = 2.033, p = 0.042) in the validation set. Decision curve analysis demonstrated higher net clinical benefit for the clinical–radiomics model.ConclusionThe pancreatic parenchymal CT clinical–radiomics model has high diagnostic efficacy in predicting the progression of early AP patients, which is significantly better than the clinical or radiomics model. The combined model can help identify and determine the progression trend of patients with AP and improve the prognosis and survival of patients as early as possible.

Abstract Geometric phase enabled by spin‐orbit coupling has attracted enormous interest in optics over the past few decades. However, it is only applicable to circularly‐polarized light and encounters substantial challenges when applied to wave fields lacking the intrinsic spin degree of freedom. Here, a new paradigm is presented for achieving geometric phase by elucidating the concept of topological complementary pair (TCP), which arises from the combination of two compact phase elements possessing opposite intrinsic topological charge. Twisting the TCP leads to the generation of a linearly‐varying geometric phase of arbitrary order, which is quantified by the intrinsic topological charge. Notably distinct from the conventional spin‐orbit coupling‐based theories, the proposed geometric phase is the direct result of the cyclic evolution of orbital‐angular‐momentum transformation in mode space, thereby exhibiting universality across classical wave systems. As a proof of concept, the existence of this geometric phase is experimentally demonstrated using scalar acoustic waves, showcasing the remarkable ability in the precise manipulation of acoustic waves at subwavelength scales. These findings engender a fresh understanding of wave‐matter interaction in compact structures and establish a promising platform for exploring geometric phase, offering significant opportunities for diverse applications in wave systems.

BackgroundSyphilis has caused epidemics for hundreds of years, and the global syphilis situation remains serious. The reported incidence rate of syphilis in Zhejiang Province has ranked first in the province in terms of notifiable infectious diseases for many years and is the highest in China. This study attempts to use the scaling law theory to study the relationship between population size and different types of syphilis epidemics, while also exploring the main driving factors affecting the incidence of syphilis in different regions.MethodsData on syphilis cases and affected populations at the county level were obtained from the China Disease Control and Prevention Information System. The scaling relationship between different stages of syphilis and population size was explained by scaling law. The trend of the incidence from 2016 to 2022 was tested by the joinpoint regression. The index of distance between indices of simulation and observation (DISO) was applied to evaluate the overall performance of joinpoint regression model. Furthermore, a multivariate time series model was employed to identify the main driving components that affected the occurrence of syphilis at the county level. The p value less than 0.05 or confidence interval (CI) does not include 0 represented statistical significance for all the tests.ResultsFrom 2016 to 2022, a total of 204,719 cases of syphilis were reported in Zhejiang Province, including 2 deaths, all of which were congenital syphilis. Latent syphilis accounted for 79.47% of total syphilis cases. The annual percent change (APCs) of all types of syphilis, including primary syphilis, secondary syphilis, tertiary syphilis, congenital syphilis and latent syphilis, were − 21.70% (p

Purpose Terlipressin improves renal function in patients with septic shock. However, the mechanism remains unclear. Here, we aimed to evaluate the effects of terlipressin on renal perfusion in patients with septic shock.Materials and Methods This pilot study enrolled patients with septic shock in the intensive care unit of the tertiary hospital from September 2019 to May 2020. We randomly assigned patients to terlipressin and usual care groups using a 1:1 ratio. Terlipressin was intravenously pumped at a rate of 1.3 μg/kg/hour for 24 h. We monitored renal perfusion using renal contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). The primary outcome was peak sonographic signal intensity (a renal perfusion parameter monitored by CEUS) at 24 h after enrollment.Results 22 patients were enrolled in this study with 10 in the terlipressin group and 12 in the usual care group. The baseline characteristics of patients between the two groups were comparable. The peak sonographic signal intensity at 24 h after enrollment in the terlipressin group (60.5 ± 8.6 dB) was significantly higher than that in the usual care group (52.4 ± 7.0 dB; mean difference, 7.1 dB; 95% CI, 0.4–13.9; adjusted p = .04). Patients in the terlipressin group had a lower time to peak, heart rates, norepinephrine dose, and a higher stroke volume at 24 h after enrollment. No significant difference in the urine output within 24 h and incidence of acute kidney injury within 28 days was found between the two groups.Conclusions Terlipressin improves renal perfusion, increases stroke volume, and decreases norepinephrine dose and heart rates in patients with septic shock.

Abstract Natural gas is increasingly seen as the fossil fuel of choice for China as it transitions to renewable sources. The significant development of China’s LNG vehicle application and fueling stations and the urgency of climate changes make it particularly important to quantify methane emission from LNG stations, where the data are extremely rare. We carried out a pilot study on direct measurement and quantitative analysis of methane emission from five LNG fueling stations located in Shandong, China following the standard stationary EPA OTM 33A method. The measured methane emission of these five stations vary from 0.01 to 8.76 kg/h. The loss rates vary from 0.004 to 0.257%. We demonstrated that the emission from LNG stations consist of continuous and intermittent contents. The intermittent emission shows a strong temporal variation. If a station is only monitored for 20 min, it may either under-estimate or over-estimate the total emission. Both the distribution of emission events and total emission rates among different stations are highly skewed. We found that these LNG fueling station emission can be categorized into 3 grades, as low, medium and high, corresponding to emission rates below 0.1 kg/h; between 0.1 and 1 kg/h and above 1 kg/h, which can be characterized by the measured average methane concentration enhancement.

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of percutaneous thrombectomy for treating postpartum iliofemoral vein thrombosis. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on patients with continuous postpartum acute symptomatic iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis who were treated in our center, including all patients who underwent pharmacomechanical thrombolysis (PMT) or only catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) (study group), and patients that received simple anticoagulation treatment (control group). We evaluated the incidence of lower extremity postthrombotic syndrome, recanalization rate of lower extremity veins, and complications in the study and control groups. Results Overall, 72 postpartum women were included in this study, including the PMT combined with CDT group (14 cases, 15 limbs), CDT alone group (26 cases, 27 limbs), and anticoagulant therapy alone group (32 cases, 34 limbs). The thrombectomy group completed the treatment with a technical success rate of 100%, and no serious bleeding complications occurred. The patency rate of lower limb veins in the thrombectomy group was 85.09 ± 16.51% after treatment and 82.60 ± 21.45% after 1 year. At the 1-year follow-up, the Villalta score in the study group was lower (1.90 ± 2.45 vs 8.50 ± 5.33, P

Atom interferometry-based sensors have demonstrated remarkable precision, making them attractive for diverse applications compared to traditional sensors. However, practical experiments inevitably encounter noise, which limits precision. We investigate the performance of two commonly used methods, ellipse fitting (EF) and fringe fitting (FF), for differential phase estimation in a dual atom interferometer under various noise conditions. We comprehensively analyze the efficacy of these methods for each type of Gaussian noise, including phase noise, amplitude noise, and offset noise. Using a colored noise model, we investigate the Allan deviation results. Our investigations will offer valuable insights for future quantum sensing based on dual interferometers.

Sea ice affects the Earth’s energy balance and ocean circulation and is crucial to the global climate system. However, research on the decadal variations in the mean sea-level pressure patterns in recent winters (2001–2020) and the characteristics of sea ice motion (SIM) in the Western Arctic region is very limited. In this study, we utilized the Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis method to investigate the potential impacts of Arctic Oscillation (AO) and Arctic Dipole (AD) on the Beaufort High (BH) during the period 2001–2020 and discuss the changes in SIM intensity in the Western Arctic. The results indicate that the negative phases of AO and AD are connected with (tend to bring about) a higher BH, strengthening anticyclonic circulation in the Arctic region. Conversely, the positive phases of AO and AD led to the collapse of the BH, resulting in a reversal of sea ice movement. Additionally, during the period 2001–2020, the BH consistently explained 67% of the sea ice motion (had the highest explanatory degree for sea ice advection within the region (weighted average 61.71%)). Meanwhile, the sea ice advection has become more sensitive to change in various atmospheric circulations. This study contributes to an in-depth understanding of the response of sea ice motion to atmospheric circulation in the Western Arctic in recent years, offering more explanations for the anomalous movement of sea ice in the Western Arctic.

Abstract Capabilities to directly assimilate radar data are implemented within the local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF) and the gain‐form LETKF (LGETKF) algorithms of the Joint Effort for Data assimilation Integration (JEDI) system. The capabilities are evaluated for the analysis and forecast of a severe convection case of 20 May 2019 in the Southern Great Plains using the limited area model version of the FV3 dynamical core (FV3‐LAM) from a recent release for Short‐Range Weather Application (SRW App). The LETKF and LGETKF implementations are shown to produce analyses and short‐range forecasts comparable to those using the ensemble square‐root Kalman Filter (EnSRF) within the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation (GSI) framework used by current NCEP operational models. In addition, LGETKF retaining only 60% variances for model‐space vertical localization performs similarly to LGETKF retaining 99% of variance and LETKF using observation error‐based vertical localization. JEDI LETKF shows better parallel scalability than LGETKF and GSI EnSRF.

BackgroundInfluenza infection causes a huge burden every year, affecting approximately 8% of adults and approximately 25% of children and resulting in approximately 400,000 respiratory deaths worldwide. However, based on the number of reported influenza cases, the actual prevalence of influenza may be greatly underestimated. The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence rate of influenza and determine the true epidemiological characteristics of this virus.MethodsThe number of influenza cases and the prevalence of ILIs among outpatients in Zhejiang Province were obtained from the China Disease Control and Prevention Information System. Specimens were sampled from some cases and sent to laboratories for influenza nucleic acid testing. Random forest was used to establish an influenza estimation model based on the influenza-positive rate and the percentage of ILIs among outpatients. Furthermore, the moving epidemic method (MEM) was applied to calculate the epidemic threshold for different intensity levels. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to identify the annual change in influenza incidence. The seasonal trends of influenza were detected by wavelet analysis.ResultsFrom 2009 to 2021, a total of 990,016 influenza cases and 8 deaths were reported in Zhejiang Province. The numbers of estimated influenza cases from 2009 to 2018 were 743,449, 47,635, 89,026, 132,647, 69,218, 190,099, 204,606, 190,763, 267,168 and 364,809, respectively. The total number of estimated influenza cases is 12.11 times the number of reported cases. The APC of the estimated annual incidence rate was 23.33 (95% CI: 13.2 to 34.4) from 2011 to 2019, indicating a constant increasing trend. The intensity levels of the estimated incidence from the epidemic threshold to the very high-intensity threshold were 18.94 cases per 100,000, 24.14 cases per 100,000, 141.55 cases per 100,000, and 309.34 cases per 100,000, respectively. From the first week of 2009 to the 39th week of 2022, there were a total of 81 weeks of epidemics: the epidemic period reached a high intensity in 2 weeks, the epidemic period was at a moderate intensity in 75 weeks, and the epidemic period was at a low intensity in 2 weeks. The average power was significant on the 1-year scale, semiannual scale, and 115-week scale, and the average power of the first two cycles was significantly higher than that of the other cycles. In the period from the 20th week to the 35th week, the Pearson correlation coefficients between the time series of influenza onset and the positive rate of pathogens, including A(H3N2), A (H1N1)pdm2009, B(Victoria) and B(Yamagata), were − 0.089 (p = 0.021), 0.497 (p

Abstract. Background:. Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) were not complex, and the endothelial barrier was destroyed in the pathogenesis progress of acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Previous studies have demonstrated that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which was secreted by bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, could decrease endothelial apoptosis. We investigated whether mTOR/STAT3 signaling acted in HGF protective effects against oxidative stress and mitochondria-dependent apoptosis in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endothelial barrier dysfunction and ALI mice. Methods:. In our current study, we introduced LPS-induced PMEVCs with HGF treatment. To investigate the effects of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathway in endothelial oxidative stress and mitochondria-dependent apoptosis, mTOR inhibitor rapamycin and STAT3 inhibitor S3I-201 were, respectively, used to inhibit mTOR/STAT3 signaling. Moreover, lentivirus vector-mediated mTORC1 (Raptor) and mTORC2 (Rictor) gene knockdown modifications were introduced to evaluate mTORC1 and mTORC1 pathways. Calcium measurement, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitochondrial membrane potential and protein, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and endothelial junction protein were detected to evaluate HGF effects. Moreover, we used the ALI mouse model to observe the mitochondria pathological changes with an electron microscope in vivo. Results:. Our study demonstrated that HGF protected the endothelium via the suppression of ROS production and intracellular calcium uptake, which lead to increased mitochondrial membrane potential (JC-1 and mitochondria tracker green detection) and specific proteins (complex I), raised anti-apoptosis Messenger Ribonucleic Acid level (B-cell lymphoma 2 and Bcl-xL), and increased endothelial junction proteins (VE-cadherin and occludin). Reversely, mTOR inhibitor rapamycin and STAT3 inhibitor S3I-201 could raise oxidative stress and mitochondria-dependent apoptosis even with HGF treatment in LPS-induced endothelial cells. Similarly, mTORC1 as well as mTORC2 have the same protective effects in mitochondria damage and apoptosis. In in vivo experiments of ALI mouse, HGF also increased mitochondria structural integrity via the mTOR/STAT3 pathway. Conclusion:. In all, these reveal that mTOR/STAT3 signaling mediates the HGF suppression effects to oxidative level, mitochondria-dependent apoptosis, and endothelial junction protein in ARDS, contributing to the pulmonary endothelial survival and barrier integrity.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus exhibits severe pathogenicity in humans and animals worldwide. In this study, genome sequencing and comparative analyses were conducted for in-depth characterization of the virulence factor (VF) repertoire of V. parahaemolyticus strain LC, which presented significant virulence to shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. Strain LC, harboring two circular chromosomes and three linear plasmids, demonstrated ≥98.14% average nucleotide identities with 31 publicly available V. parahaemolyticus genomes, including 13, 11, and 7 shrimp-, human-, and non-pathogenic strains, respectively. Phylogeny analysis based on dispensable genes of pan-genome clustered 11 out of 14 shrimp-pathogenic strains and 7 out of 11 clinical strains into two distinct clades, indicating the close association between host-specific pathogenicity and accessory genes. The VFDB database revealed that 150 VFs of LC were mainly associated with the secretion system, adherence, antiphagocytosis, chemotaxis, motility, and iron uptake, whereas no homologs of the typical pathogenic genes pirA, pirB, tdh, and trh were detected. Four genes, mshB, wbfT, wbfU, and wbtI, were identified in both types of pathogenic strains but were absent in non-pathogens. Notably, a unique cluster similar to Yen-Tc, which encodes an insecticidal toxin complex, and diverse toxin–antitoxin (TA) systems, were identified on the mobile genetic elements (MGEs) of LC. Conclusively, in addition to the common VFs, various unique MGE-borne VFs, including the Yen-Tc cluster, TA components, and multiple chromosome-encoded chitinase genes, may contribute to the full spectrum of LC virulence. Moreover, V. parahaemolyticus demonstrates host-specific virulence, which potentially drives the origin and spread of pathogenic factors.

Abstract Background Salt stress threaten the growth of plants, and even aggravate plant disease. In this article, salt-tolerant Trichoderma strain was isolated, and its potential to alleviate salt stress and diminish cucumber root rot caused by Fusarium oxysporum was evaluated. Results Twenty-seven Trichoderma isolates were isolated from samples of sea muds and algae collected from the South Sea of China. Among these, the isolate HN082102.1 showed the most excellent salt tolerance and antagonistic activity against F. oxysporum causing root rot in cucumber and was identified as T. atroviride. Its antagonism ability may be due to mycoparasitism and inhibition effect of volatile substances. The application of Trichoderma mitigated the adverse effects of salt stress and promoted the growth of cucumber under 100 mM and 200 mM NaCl, especially for the root. When T. atroviride HN082102.1 was applied, root fresh weights increased by 92.55 and 84.86%, respectively, and root dry weights increased by 75.71 and 53.31%, respectively. Meanwhile, the application of HN082102.1 reduced the disease index of cucumber root rot by 63.64 and 71.01% under 100- and 0-mM saline conditions, respectively, indicating that this isolate could inhibit cucumber root rot under salt stress. Conclusions This is the first report of salt-tolerant T. atroviride isolated from marine habitat showing antagonistic activity to F. oxysporum, and the results provide evidence for the novel strain T. atroviride HN082102.1 in alleviating salt stress and diminishing cucumber root rot, indicating that T. atroviride strain HN082102.1 can be used as biological control agent in saline alkali land.

Abstract This paper presents a refined full‐domain model for the fluidic‐thermal coupled analyses of a 15‐kW 30,000‐rpm high‐speed permanent magnet synchronous machine (HS‐PMSM) considering the heat generation and dissipation of the bearing components. In order to analyse the heat dissipation capacities of the bearing components, firstly, the fluid flow conditions inside the bearings with different revolution and rotation ratios are researched, and the most serious case is taken in the full‐domain calculations. Secondly, the three‐dimensional (3D) full‐domain model is established, and the fluidic‐thermal analyses are conducted based on the basic principles of numerical heat transfer and CFD. During calculations, in order to obtain the temperature rise precisely, the angular contact ball bearings are well modelled with all the internal components including the oil films, and the frictional loss in the bearings are computed by the Palmgren model. A 15‐kW 30,000‐rpm HS‐PMSM prototype is established and tested to verify the full domain thermal modelling methodologies and indirectly validate the bearing performance calculations. Finally, a self‐ventilated structure is employed to prevent the bearing temperature rise, and the cooling effectiveness is validated by numerical calculations.

Background/objective: We investigated the efficacy of combined pigtail catheter crushing and AngioJet mechanical aspiration of thrombi in the treatment of acute iliofemoral deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Methods: Eighty-two patients with acute iliofemoral DVT were retrospectively divided into a pigtail catheter + AngioJet group (group A, 42 cases) and an AngioJet-only group (group B, 40 cases). The difference in the circumference of the healthy limbs before and after treatment, immediate thrombus clearance rate in the lower limbs, recannalization percentage of venous lumen, and duration of postoperative hematuria were compared to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the combination method. Results: The technical success rate was 100%, no serious bleeding complications occurred, lower extremity symptoms were effectively alleviated, and post-treatment recannalization percentage of venous lumen were similarly high in both groups. Group A fared significantly better than group B in immediate thrombus clearance (P

Introduction: There is still a lack of sensitive predictive tools for stroke outcomes. High galectin-3 concentration is associated with an increased risk of stroke. This study investigated the relationship between blood galectin-3 levels and stroke prognosis. Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched as of May 2021. Data from eligible studies on the relationship between galectin-3 and stroke prognosis were extracted for the meta-analysis. Results: The outcomes included the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), mortality rate, and prognostic accuracy of galectin-3 on mRS after stroke. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI were used to assess the association between galectin-3 and the prognostic outcomes. Subgroup analysis based on the study design was performed to evaluate the correlation of galectin-3 with mRS and mortality. A random-effects model was adopted for this meta-analysis. A total of 5 studies involving 3607 stroke patients were included. Higher serum galectin-3 level was associated with mRS (OR [95% CI]: 2.02 [1.08, 3.77]) and mortality (OR [95% CI]: 2.17 [1.17, 4.02]) after stroke. Subgroup analysis revealed a similar relationship between galectin-3 and mRS for both prospective and retrospective studies. There were no associations between galectin-3 level and mortality rate in prospective studies. Galectin-3 had a good predictive ability on mRS after stroke (AUC: 0.88, 95% CI:0.85, 0.91). Conclusion: Elevated blood galectin-3 levels were associated with prognostic outcomes after stroke, including functional outcome mRS and mortality rate. Moreover, galectin-3 had a good predictive ability for the prognosis of stroke.

Due to the high energy density, large potential reserves and only release CO2 and water after combustion, natural gas hydrate (NGH) is considered as the most likely new clean energy source to replace traditional fossil energy (crude oil, natural gas, etc.). However, unlike the exploitation of traditional fossil energy, the essence of natural gas hydrate exploitation is to induce the production of methane by artificially decompose the natural gas hydrate and to simultaneously collect the generated methane. Because of the uncontrollable decomposition, the methane percolation and the gas collection efficiency, methane emission is inevitably occurred during natural gas hydrate exploitation, which could significantly affect the environmental friendliness of natural gas hydrate. In this review, the methane emission detection was divided into three interfaces: Seafloor and sediment, seawater, atmosphere. Meanwhile, according the summary and analysis of existing methane emission detection technologies and devices, it was concluded that the existing detection technologies can identify and quantify the methane emission and amount in the three interfaces, although the accuracy is different. For natural gas hydrate exploitation, quantifying the environmental impact of methane emission and predicting the diffusion path of methane, especially the methane diffusion in strata and seawater, should be the focus of subsequent research.

China’s power system will face more constraints of the carbon emission reduction policy under the goal of “double carbon”, it is particularly important to study the impact of carbon constraints on the capital structure of power enterprises. Commencing the viewpoint of static and dynamic, this research regards the implementation of China’s carbon pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment, using DID method, sys-GMM model and some robustness tests to examine how the carbon constraint affects the capital structure of power companies from 2008 to 2020. The empirical results show that the financial leverage is significantly reduced after the implementation of China’s carbon pilot policy. Moreover, the mandatory implementation of carbon emission trading mechanism makes heavy emission enterprises such as power enterprises face greater pressure on emission reduction, resulting in an increase in the risk of financial distress, reducing debt financing and equity financing of power enterprises, which promotes enterprises to decrease financial leverage. In addition, the article verifies another possibility, the enhancement of carbon constraints leads to the reduction of carbon-intensive investment rather than the increase of financial distress risk, so as to reduce the asset-liability ratio. However, the coefficient of interactive items is not significant. Further analysis indicates that the decline of financial leverage is unlikely to be caused by changes in investment.

Background: We aimed to investigate whether susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) and contrast-enhanced 3D-T1WI can differentiate Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome-Related Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (AR-PCNSL) from cerebral toxoplasmosis. Methods: This was a prospective cohort study. 20 AIDS patients were divided into AR-PCNSL group (13 cases) and cerebral toxoplasmosis group (7 cases) based on pathology results. We analyzed the appearance of lesions on SWI and enhanced 3D T1WI and ROC curves in the diagnosis of AR-PCNSL and cerebral toxoplasmosis. Results: Cerebral toxoplasmosis was more likely to show annular enhancement (p = 0.002) and complete smooth ring enhancement (p = 0.002). It was also more likely to present a complete, smooth low signal intensity rim (LSIR) (p = 0.002) and an incomplete, smooth LSIR (p = 0.019) on SWI. AR-PCNSL was more likely to present an incomplete, irregular LSIR (p

Background: In the previous study, Puerariae Lobatae Radix (named Gegen in Chinese) water extract attenuated M3 receptor agonist carbachol-induced detrusor contraction after 3-week oral administration in a hypertension-associated OAB (overactive bladder) model. This research aimed to investigate the active ingredients from Gegen water extract against OAB.Methods: Bioassay-guided fractionation was performed by using preparative HPLC for fast isolation of fractions followed by screening their ex vivo activity through carbachol-induced bladder strip contraction assay. Chemicals in each active fraction were analyzed by HPLC-UV. Urine metabolites were quantified by LC-MS/MS after sub-acute administration. Thermal shift assay with the recombinant human M3 receptor protein was performed, and molecular docking analysis was used for molecular modelling of M3 receptor inhibition.Results: Bioassay-guided fractionation results for isolating M3 receptor inhibitors indicated that four compounds were identified as active ingredients of Gegen water extract, and their inhibition potency on carbachol-induced detrusor contraction was ranked in descending order according to their inhibition concentrations as follows: genistein > daidzein > biochanin A >> puerarin. Daidzein in urine reached an ex vivo effective concentration to inhibit detrusor contraction, but others did not. Daidzein concentration-dependently increased the melt temperature (Tm) of recombinant human M3 receptor protein with a positive binding (ΔTm = 2.12 °C at 100 μg/ml). Molecular docking analysis showed that daidzein can potently bind to the ligand binding pocket of the M3 receptor via hydrogen bonding.Conclusion: Puerarin and its derivatives were pro-drugs, and daidzein was their in vivo active form via M3 receptor inhibition for treating OAB.

An hourly rainfall of 201.9 mm fell in Zhengzhou on 20 July 2021, breaking the hourly rainfall record of mainland China and causing severe urban flooding and human casualties. This observation-based study investigates the associated convective-scale and mesoscale dynamics and microphysical processes using disdrometer and polarimetric radar observations aided by retrievals from the Variational Doppler Radar Analysis System. The synoptic flow forcing brought abundant moisture from the oceans and converged at Zhengzhou; then, the extreme rainfall was produced by a slow-moving convective storm that persisted throughout the hour over Zhengzhou. Unusually high concentrations of raindrops of all sizes (showing combined properties of maritime and continental convection) are revealed by the disdrometer data, whereas the polarimetric radar data suggest that both ice-based and warm rain processes were important contributors to the total rainfall. High precipitation efficiency was achieved with an erect updraft at the low levels, whereas enhanced easterly inflows kept the storm moving slowly. The interaction between convective-scale and mesoscale dynamics and microphysical processes within the favorable synoptic conditions led to this extremely heavy rainfall.

Abstract Background Lockdown policies were widely adopted during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic to control the spread of the virus before vaccines became available. These policies had significant economic impacts and caused social disruptions. Early re-opening is preferable, but it introduces the risk of a resurgence of the epidemic. Although the World Health Organization has outlined criteria for re-opening, decisions on re-opening are mainly based on epidemiologic criteria. To date, the effectiveness of re-opening policies remains unclear. Methods A system dynamics COVID-19 model, SEIHR(Q), was constructed by integrating infection prevention and control measures implemented in Wuhan into the classic SEIR epidemiological model and was validated with real-world data. The input data were obtained from official websites and the published literature. Results The simulation results showed that track-and-trace measures had significant effects on the level of risk associated with re-opening. In the case of Wuhan, where comprehensive contact tracing was implemented, there would have been almost no risk associated with re-opening. With partial contact tracing, re-opening would have led to a minor second wave of the epidemic. However, if only limited contact tracing had been implemented, a more severe second outbreak of the epidemic would have occurred, overwhelming the available medical resources. If the ability to implement a track-trace-quarantine policy is fixed, the epidemiological criteria need to be further taken into account. The model simulation revealed different levels of risk associated with re-opening under different levels of track-and-trace ability and various epidemiological criteria. A matrix was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the re-opening policies. Conclusions The SEIHR(Q) model designed in this study can quantify the impact of various re-opening policies on the spread of COVID-19. Integrating epidemiologic criteria, the contact tracing policy, and medical resources, the model simulation predicts whether the re-opening policy is likely to lead to a further outbreak of the epidemic and provides evidence-based support for decisions regarding safe re-opening during an ongoing epidemic. Keyords COVID-19; Risk of re-opening; Effectiveness of re-opening policies; IPC measures; SD modelling.

The olfactory system of insects is crucial in modulating behaviors such as host seeking, mating, and oviposition. Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) are involved in semiochemical recognition. OBPs recognize and bind odorants and transport them to odorant receptors located in olfactory neurons. Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is a widely used predacious biological control agent for many agricultural and forestry pests. This study identified 19 OBPs in H. axyridis based on the antennal and whole-body transcriptomes of adults and obtained all the full-length open reading frames, including 11 ‘Classic’ OBPs, 7 ‘Minus-C’ OBPs and 1 ‘Plus-C’ OBP. They encoded 125 to 241 amino acid proteins with molecular weights ranging from 13.75 to 27.75 kDa and isoelectric points ranging from 4.15 to 8.80. Phylogenetic analyses were used to study the relationships between H. axyridis OBPs and OBPs from other species of Coleoptera. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) analysis showed that HaxyOBP2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14, and 15 were highly expressed in antennae of both adult females and males. Moreover, HaxyOBP2, 3, 5, 12, and 15 were more abundantly expressed in antennae than other body parts, while HaxyOBP13 and HaxyOBP14 were expressed predominantly, and at similar levels, in the head and antennae. The other OBP genes were highly expressed in non-olfactory tissues including the thorax, abdomen, legs, and wings. These results provide valuable information for further study of H. axyridis olfaction, which may ultimately enhance its use as a biocontrol agent.

Abstract Background Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) and sleep disturbances have been reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The influence of vitamin A (VA) levels on sleep regulation and sleep disturbances in ASD has garnered concern. The present study aimed to characterize the association of VA levels with sleep disturbances in children with ASD. Methods This cross-sectional study compared children with ASD (n = 856) to typically developing children (TDC; n = 316). We used the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire to assess sleep disturbances, Childhood Autism Rating Scale to evaluate the severity of autism symptoms, and Autism Behavior Checklist and Social Responsiveness Scale to assess autism behaviors. Serum VA levels were estimated using high-performance liquid chromatography. Multivariable linear regression and two-way analysis of variance were performed to investigate if VAD was related to sleep disturbances in children with ASD. Results Children with ASD had lower serum VA levels and a higher prevalence of sleep disturbances than TDC did. The incidence of VAD in ASD children with sleep disturbances was higher, and the symptoms more severe than those without sleep disturbances and TDC. Interestingly, the interaction between VAD and sleep disturbances was associated with the severity of autism symptoms. Conclusion VAD and sleep disturbances are associated with the core symptoms of ASD in children. Regular monitoring of sleep and VA levels may be beneficial for children with ASD. Trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, registration number: ChiCTR-ROC-14005442 , registration date: December 9th 2014.

The opportunistic pathogen Vibrio alginolyticus is gaining attention because of its disease-causing risks to aquatic animals and humans. In this study, seven Vibrio strains isolated from different shrimp hatcheries in Southeast China were subjected to genome sequencing and subsequent comparative analysis to explore their intricate relationships with shrimp aquaculture. The seven isolates had an average nucleotide identity of ≥ 98.3% with other known V. alginolyticus strains. The species V. alginolyticus had an open pan-genome, with the addition of ≥ 161 novel genes following each new genome for seven isolates and 14 publicly available V. alginolyticus strains. The percentages of core genes of the seven strains were up to 83.1–87.5%, indicating highly conserved functions, such as chitin utilization. Further, a total of 14 core genes involved in the chitin degradation pathway were detected on the seven genomes with a single copy, 12 of which had undergone significant purifying selection (dN/dS < 1). Moreover, the seven strains could utilize chitin as the sole carbon-nitrogen source. In contrast, mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were identified in seven strains, including plasmids, prophages, and genomic islands, which mainly encoded accessory genes annotated as hypothetical proteins. The infection experiment showed that four of the seven strains might be pathogenic because the survival rates of Litopenaeus vannamei postlarvae were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) when compared to the control. However, no obvious correlation was noted between the number of putative virulence factors and toxic effects of the seven strains. Collectively, the persistence of V. alginolyticus in various aquatic environments may be attributed to its high genomic plasticity via the acquisition of novel genes by various MGEs. In view of the strong capability of chitin utilization by diverse vibrios, the timely removal of massive chitin-rich materials thoroughly in shrimp culture systems may be a key strategy to inhibit proliferation of vibrios and subsequent infection of shrimp. In addition, transcontinental transfer of potentially pathogenic V. alginolyticus strains should receive great attention to avoid vibriosis.

Abstract The flux‐modulated permanent magnet (FMPM) in‐wheel motor has provided a promising solution to drive electric vehicles (EVs) because of its salient features such as tight structure, high power (torque) density, and high transmission efficiency. But it easily causes excessive temperature rise and limits the torque output due to the poor heat dissipation capacity inside the in‐wheel cavity. In this regard, a 3D fluidic‐thermal coupled model integrating computational fluid dynamics and numerical heat transfer is proposed and validated by experimental results on a 2.1 kW, 1800 rpm PM motor prototype. The temperature rise distribution of a 22.6 kW, 600 rpm FMPM in‐wheel motor under an existing natural cooling structure is then numerically investigated. It is revealed that it is difficult to satisfy the thermal requirements of the motor using only natural cooling approach. Consequently, a self‐ventilated cooling system and a non‐contact lead‐in (NCLI) system are used to maintain the temperature rise. In addition, to further improve the heat dissipation capacity, the NCLI structure is modified with water cooling channels separated by orifice plates to limit the excessive motor temperature rise. The motor temperature rises under different cooling schemes are analyzed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed cooling structures.

Abstract Background Patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) often suffer from opportunistic infections and related primary central nervous system lymphoma (AR-PCNSL). Both diseases showed multiple ring enhancement lesions in conventional magnetic resonance (MR). It is very difficult to make the differential diagnosis. We aimed to investigate whether multimodal MR (diffusion weighted imaging (DWI)/ apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), 3D pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (3D-pCASL) and susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI)) combined with conventional MR can differentiate AR-PCNSL from infections. Methods This was a prospective study. We recruited 19 AIDS patients who were divided into AR-PCNSL group (9 cases) and infection group (10 cases) by pathological results. We analyzed whether there was statistical (Fisher’s method) difference in multimodal MR between the two groups. We analyzed whether multimodal MR combined with conventional MR could improve the diagnosis of AR-PCNSL. Results The lesions were more likely involved the paraventricular (0.020) and corpus callosum (0.033) in AR-PCNSL group in conventional MR. In multimodal MR, AR-PCNSL group showed low ADC value, with p values of 0.001. Infection group more inclined to high ADC value, with p was 0.003. In multimodal MR, AR-PCNSL group had more low signal intensity (grade 2–3) in the degree of intratumoral susceptibility signal intensity in SWI (SWI-ITSS), with p values of 0.001. The sensitivity, specificity of conventional MR in the diagnosis of AR-PCNSL was 88.9 and 70.0%. The conventional MR sequence combined with DWI/ADC sequence in the diagnosis of AR-PCNSL had a sensitivity of 100.0%, and a specificity of 60.0%. The sensitivity and specificity of the conventional MR sequence combined with the SWI-ITSS sequence in the diagnosis of AR-PCNSL were 100 and 70.0%. The conventional MR combined with ADC or SWI-ITSS improved the diagnosis of AR-PCNSL. Conclusion Multimodal MR could distinguish AR-PCNSL from infectious lesions. The multimodal MR (DWI/ADC or SWI-ITSS) combined with conventional MR could improve the diagnosis of AR-PCNSL. The ADC value should be attached importance in clinical work. When distinguishing AR-PCNSL from toxoplasmosis or tuberculoma, SWI should be used to obtain a correct diagnosis.

Objective: This retrospective nonrandomized study investigated the outcomes of endovascular therapy for long-segment iliac artery occlusion involving the iliac artery opening. Methods: During a 5-year period (from Mar 2012 to Mar 2017), 32 patients (two women and 30 men; mean age, 69.0 years; range, 51–90 years) received endovascular therapy, with or without catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT), for long-segment iliac artery occlusion (mean lesion length, 129.8 mm; range, 74.7–189.3 mm). Results: The technical success rate was 90.6% (29 of 32). The major complication rate was 3.5%, but no in-hospital mortality was recorded. The access site complication rate was 10.3%. The clinical symptoms of 29 patients were significantly improved. All 29 patients were followed up for 6–40 months, with an average of 16.7 ± 10.9 months. The primary patency rates were 96.6 ± 3.4% at 6 months, 86.6 ± 7.3% at 12 months, 79.4 ± 9.6% at 24 months, and 66.2 ± 14.5% at 36 months. Conclusions: Depending on the characteristics of the disease, endovascular treatment with an individualized, rational choice of approach and with fine-tuning of the operation is a safe and effective treatment for long-term iliac artery occlusion involving the opening of the iliac arteries. Customization of the treatment is also the key to a successful operation and to ensuring good postoperative efficacy.

Abstract Background Sepsis remains a leading cause of death in critically ill patients. It is well known that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising therapy partly due to their paracrine-mediated immunoregulatory function. Previous study demonstrated that transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-β1) is an important cytokine secreted by MSCs and that it participates in MSC-mediated macrophage phenotype switch from pro-inflammatory to pro-resolution. In addition, the transformation of macrophage phenotype may be a potential treatment for sepsis. However, the therapeutic effect of overexpressing TGF-β1 in MSCs (MSC-TGF-β1) on sepsis is not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of TGF-β1 overexpressing MSCs on organ injury in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced septic mice and to detect the changes in macrophage phenotype during this process. Methods Mouse MSCs stably transfected with TGF-β1 were constructed and injected into CLP-induced septic mice via tail vein. After 24 h, the mice were sacrificed; then, the histopathology of the organ was evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. Inflammatory cytokines were detected by ELISA. Macrophage infiltration and phenotype transformation in the tissues were determined by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. In addition, we performed adoptive transfer of mouse peritoneal macrophage pretreated with TGF-β1 overexpressing MSCs in septic mice. Results We found that infusion of TGF-β1 overexpressing MSCs attenuated the histopathological impairment of the organ, decreased the pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and inhibited macrophage infiltration in tissues. TGF-β1 overexpressing MSCs induced macrophage phenotypes changed from pro-inflammatory to pro-resolution in inflammatory environment. The adoptive transfer of mouse peritoneal macrophages pretreated with TGF-β1 overexpressing MSCs also relieved organ damage in CLP-induced septic mice. Conclusion Under septic conditions, TGF-β1 overexpressing MSCs can enhance the therapeutic effects of MSCs on organ injury and inflammation as a result of reduced macrophage infiltration and induced macrophages transformation, the adoptive transfer of macrophages treated with TGF-β1 overexpressing MSCs also relieved organ damage. This will provide new hope for the treatment of sepsis.

Abstract Background In this study, we aimed to describe the prevalence, clinical presentation and risk factors of paradoxical tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS) cases in China. Methods We performed a descriptive analysis of demographic and clinical data of HIV/TB coinfected patients receiving ART at Beijing Ditan Hospital between January 2014 and October 2018. Results Of 199 patients included, 45 (22.6%) developed paradoxical TB-IRIS, and 19 (9.5%) TB-IRIS cases presented miliary TB. The pre-ART CD4 count lower than 50 cells/mm3 was found to be significantly associated with development of TB-IRIS. Similarly, patients with higher than 4-fold increase in CD4 cell count after antiretroviral therapy (ART) had significantly higher odds of having TB-IRIS. When patients aged 25–44 years were utilized as the control group, youths (

Abstract Background T helper 17 cells (Th17)/regulatory T cells (Treg), as subtypes of CD4+ T cells, play an important role in the inflammatory response of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, there is still a lack of effective methods to regulate the differentiation balance of Th17/Treg. It was proven that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could regulate the differentiation of CD4+ T cells, but the mechanism is still unclear. TGFβ1, a paracrine cytokine of MSCs, could also regulate the differentiation of Th17/Treg but is lowly expressed in MSCs. Therefore, mouse MSCs (mMSCs) overexpressing TGFβ1 were constructed by lentivirus transduction and intratracheally transplanted into LPS-induced ARDS mice in our study. The aim of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic effects of mMSCs overexpressing TGFβ1 on inflammation and immunoregulation by impacting the Th17/Treg balance in LPS-induced ARDS mice. Methods mMSCs overexpressing TGFβ1 were constructed using lentiviral vectors. Then, mouse bone-marrow-derived MSCs (mBM-MSC) and mBM-MSC-TGFβ1 (mBM-MSC overexpressing TGFβ1) were transplanted intratracheally into ARDS mice induced by lipopolysaccharide. At 3 and 7 days after transplantation, the mice were sacrificed, and the homing of the mMSCs was assayed by ex vivo optical imaging. The relative numbers of Th17 and Treg in the lungs and spleens of mice were detected by FCM. IL-17A and IL-10 levels in the lungs of mice were analysed by western blot. Permeability and inflammatory cytokines were evaluated by analysing the protein concentration of BALF using ELISA. Histopathology of the lungs was assessed by haematoxylin and eosin staining and lung injury scoring. Alveolar lung fibrosis was assessed by Masson’s trichrome staining and Ashcroft scoring. The mortality of ARDS mice was followed until 7 days after transplantation. Results The transduction efficiencies mediated by the lentiviral vectors ranged from 82.3 to 88.6%. Overexpressing TGFβ1 inhibited the proliferation of mMSCs during days 5–7 (p 0.05). Compared to that in the LPS + mBM-MSC-NC group mice, engraftment of mMSCs overexpressing TGFβ1 led to much more differentiation of T cells into Th17 or Treg (p 0.05). Conclusion MSCs overexpressing TGFβ1 could regulate lung inflammation and attenuate lung injuries by modulating the imbalance of Th17/Treg in the lungs of ARDS mice.