Search

Abstract Background Non-pharmaceutical measures and travel restrictions have halted the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and influenza. Nonetheless, with COVID-19 restrictions lifted, an unanticipated outbreak of the influenza B/Victoria virus in late 2021 and another influenza H3N2 outbreak in mid-2022 occurred in Guangdong, southern China. The mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unknown. To better prepare for potential influenza outbreaks during COVID-19 pandemic, we studied the molecular epidemiology and phylogenetics of influenza A(H3N2) and B/Victoria that circulated during the COVID-19 pandemic in this region. Methods From January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2022, we collected throat swabs from 173,401 patients in Guangdong who had acute respiratory tract infections. Influenza viruses in the samples were tested using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, followed by subtype identification and sequencing of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes. Phylogenetic and genetic diversity analyses were performed on both genes from 403 samples. A rigorous molecular clock was aligned with the phylogenetic tree to measure the rate of viral evolution and the root-to-tip distance within strains in different years was assessed using regression curve models to determine the correlation. Results During the early period of COVID-19 control, various influenza viruses were nearly undetectable in respiratory specimens. When control measures were relaxed in January 2020, the influenza infection rate peaked at 4.94% (39/789) in December 2021, with the influenza B/Victoria accounting for 87.18% (34/39) of the total influenza cases. Six months later, the influenza infection rate again increased and peaked at 11.34% (255/2248) in June 2022; influenza A/H3N2 accounted for 94.51% (241/255) of the total influenza cases in autumn 2022. The diverse geographic distribution of HA genes of B/Victoria and A/H3N2 had drastically reduced, and most strains originated from China. The rate of B/Victoria HA evolution (3.11 × 10−3, P

Abstract Therapeutic agents targeting cytokine-cytokine receptor (CK-CKR) interactions lead to the disruption in cellular signaling and are effective in treating many diseases including tumors. However, a lack of universal and quick access to annotated structural surface regions on CK/CKR has limited the progress of a structure-driven approach in developing targeted macromolecular drugs and precision medicine therapeutics. Herein we develop CytoSIP (Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), Interface, and Phenotype), a rich internet application based on a database of atomic interactions around hotspots in experimentally determined CK/CKR structural complexes. CytoSIP contains: (1) SNPs on CK/CKR; (2) interactions involving CK/CKR domains, including CK/CKR interfaces, oligomeric interfaces, epitopes, or other drug targeting surfaces; and (3) diseases and phenotypes associated with CK/CKR or SNPs. The database framework introduces a unique tri-level SIP data model to bridge genetic variants (atomic level) to disease phenotypes (organism level) using protein structure (complexes) as an underlying framework (molecule level). Customized screening tools are implemented to retrieve relevant CK/CKR subset, which reduces the time and resources needed to interrogate large datasets involving CK/CKR surface hotspots and associated pathologies. CytoSIP portal is publicly accessible at https://CytoSIP.biocloud.top , facilitating the panoramic investigation of the context-dependent crosstalk between CK/CKR and the development of targeted therapeutic agents.

BackgroundAccurate detection of influenza virus in clinical samples requires correct execution of all aspects of the detection test. If the viral load in a sample is below the detection limit, a false negative result may be obtained. To overcome this issue, we developed a modified transport medium (MTM) for clinical sample transportation to increase viral detection sensitivity.MethodWe first validated the MTM using laboratory-stocked influenza A viruses (IAVs: H1N1, H3N2, H7N3, H9N2) and influenza B viruses (IBVs: Yamagata, Victoria). We also tested clinical samples. A total of 110 patients were enrolled and a pair of samples were collected to determine the sensitivity of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) following MTM treatment.ResultAfter 24 h culturing in MTM, the viral loads were increased, represented by a 10-fold increase in detection sensitivity for H1N1, H9N2, and IBVs, a 100-fold increase for H3N2, and a 1,000-fold increase for H7N3. We further tested the effects of MTM on 19 IAV and 11 IBV stored clinical samples. The RT-PCR results showed that the positive detection rate of IAV samples increased from 63.16% (12/19) without MTM culturing to 78.95% (15/19) after 48 h culturing, and finally 89.47% (17/19) after 72 h culturing. MTM treatment of IBV clinical samples also increased the positive detection rate from 36.36% (4/11, 0 h) to 63.64% (7/11, 48 h) to 72.73% (8/11, 72 h). For clinical samples detected by RT-PCR, MTM outperformed other transport mediums in terms of viral detection rate (11.81% increase, P=0.007).ConclusionOur results demonstrated that the use of MTM for clinical applications can increase detection sensitivity, thus facilitating the accurate diagnosis of influenza infection.

Abstract The impairment of sperm maturation is one of the major pathogenic factors in male subfertility, a serious medical and social problem affecting millions of global couples. Regrettably, the existing research on sperm maturation is slow, limited, and fragmented, largely attributable to the lack of a global molecular view. To fill the data gap, we newly established a database, namely the Sperm Maturation Database (SperMD, http://bio-add.org/SperMD ). SperMD integrates heterogeneous multi-omics data (170 transcriptomes, 91 proteomes, and five human metabolomes) to illustrate the transcriptional, translational, and metabolic manifestations during the entire lifespan of sperm maturation. These data involve almost all crucial scenarios related to sperm maturation, including the tissue components of the epididymal microenvironment, cell constituents of tissues, different pathological states, and so on. To the best of our knowledge, SperMD could be one of the limited repositories that provide focused and comprehensive information on sperm maturation. Easy-to-use web services are also implemented to enhance the experience of data retrieval and molecular comparison between humans and mice. Furthermore, the manuscript illustrates an example application demonstrated to systematically characterize novel gene functions in sperm maturation. Nevertheless, SperMD undertakes the endeavor to integrate the islanding omics data, offering a panoramic molecular view of how the spermatozoa gain full reproductive abilities. It will serve as a valuable resource for the systematic exploration of sperm maturation and for prioritizing the biomarkers and targets for precise diagnosis and therapy of male subfertility.

Abstract Medical AI has transformed modern medicine and created a new environment for future doctors. However, medical education has failed to keep pace with these advances, and it is essential to provide systematic education on medical AI to current medical undergraduate and postgraduate students. To address this issue, our study utilized the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology model to identify key factors that influence the acceptance and intention to use medical AI. We collected data from 1,243 undergraduate and postgraduate students from 13 universities and 33 hospitals, and 54.3% reported prior experience using medical AI. Our findings indicated that medical postgraduate students have a higher level of awareness in using medical AI than undergraduate students. The intention to use medical AI is positively associated with factors such as performance expectancy, habit, hedonic motivation, and trust. Therefore, future medical education should prioritize promoting students’ performance in training, and courses should be designed to be both easy to learn and engaging, ensuring that students are equipped with the necessary skills to succeed in their future medical careers.

With the exponential expansion of e-commerce, an immense volume of historical sales data has been generated and amassed. This influx of data has created an opportunity for more accurate sales forecasting. While various sales forecasting methods and models have been applied in practice, existing ones often struggle to fully harness sales data and manage significant fluctuations. As a result, they frequently fail to make accurate predictions, falling short of meeting enterprise needs. Therefore, it is imperative to explore new models to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of sales forecasting. In this paper, we introduce a model tailored for sales forecasting based on a Transformer with encoder–decoder architecture and multi-head attention mechanisms. We have made specific modifications to the standard Transformer model, such as removing the Softmax layer in the last layer and adapting input embedding, position encoding, and feedforward network components to align with the unique characteristics of sales forecast data and the specific requirements of sales forecasting. The multi-head attention mechanism in our proposed model can directly compute the dot product results in a single step, addressing long-term time-dependent computation challenges while maintaining lower time complexity and greater interpretability. This enhancement significantly contributes to improving the model’s accuracy and efficiency. Furthermore, we provide a comprehensive formula representation of the model for the first time, facilitating better understanding and implementation. We conducted experiments using sales datasets that incorporate various factors influencing sales forecasts, such as seasons, holidays, and promotions. The results demonstrate that our proposed model significantly outperforms seven selected benchmark methods, reducing RMSLE, RMSWLE, NWRMSLE, and RMALE by approximately 48.2%, 48.5%, 45.2, and 63.0%, respectively. Additionally, ablation experiments on the multi-head attention and the number of encoder–decoders validate the rationality of our chosen model parameters.

In recent years, the development of the Internet of Things has challenged traditional energy supply methods. Suddenly rising maintenance costs and serious environmental pollution have led to great concern over energy supply methods such as wired transmission and batteries. Fluid energy is a kind of clean energy widely existing in nature, which can effectively reduce costs and environmental pollution. In the field of collecting fluid energy, fluid energy converters based on triboelectric nanogenerators (FEC-TENGs) have always been a research hotspot. This paper reviews the latest research progress of FEC-TENGs. Firstly, the basic working principle and working mode of FEC-TENGs are introduced. Then, the theoretical process and application examples of converting fluid energy into electrical energy or electrical signals are analyzed in detail. According to the calculation process of energy conversion efficiency and the performance evaluation parameters, the structural design, performance output, and application fields of FEC-TENGs are summarized. Finally, this paper points out the challenges and shortcomings of the current FEC-TENGs and provides our views on the future development of this field.

To investigate the genetic basis of processing quality- and yield-related traits in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L., AABBDD), a systematic analysis of wheat processing quality- and yield-related traits based on genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of 285 regional test lines of wheat from Hebei province, China, was conducted. A total of 87 quantitative trait loci (QTL), including twenty-one for water absorption (WA), four for wet gluten content, eight for grain protein content, seventeen for dough stability time (DST), thirteen for extension area (EA), twelve for maximum resistance (MR), five for thousand-grain weight (TGW), one for grain length, and six for grain width were identified. These QTL harbored 188 significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Twenty-five SNPs were simultaneously associated with multiple traits. Notably, the SNP AX-111015470 on chromosome 1A was associated with DST, EA, and MR. SNPs AX-111917292 and AX-109124553 on chromosome 5D were associated with wheat WA and TGW. Most processing quality-related QTL and seven grain yield-related QTL identified in this study were newly discovered. Among the surveyed accessions, 18 rare superior alleles were identified. This study identified significant QTL associated with quality-related and yield-related traits in wheat, and some of them showed pleiotropic effects. This study will facilitate molecular designs that seek to achieve synergistic improvements of wheat quality and yield.

We utilize a femtosecond laser-inscribed small-period long-period fiber grating (SP-LPFG) to induce a nonlinear polarization rotation (NPR) effect for mode-locking pulses in a normal dispersion erbium-doped fiber laser (EDFL). The SP-LPFG has a length of 2.5 mm and a period of 25 μm. At wavelengths of 1556 nm and 1561 nm, it exhibits polarization-dependent loss (PDL) values of 20 dB and 14.5 dB, respectively, sufficient to trigger the NPR mechanism. With the pump power increased to 500 mW, the laser achieves normal dispersion mode-locked pulses centered at 1575 nm in the L-band, with a 3 dB bandwidth of 1.35 nm and a pulse width of 1.61 ps. The radio frequency (RF) spectrum reveals an signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of up to 63.6 dB, demonstrating the excellent stability of the laser operation. This SP-LPFG holds promising applications, paving the way for efficient, compact, and stable normal dispersion ultrafast fiber lasers.

ABSTRACT: Objective: This study aimed to reveal the geographic accessibility of dental clinics for most municipalities in Japan in 2015 and to explore the association between dental accessibility and dental caries status in 3-year-old children. Methods: We computed the accessibility index and accessibility index rate for the population outside a 1-km radius of dental clinics using a geographic information system. We also used spatial autocorrelation analysis (Moran's I statistic) to examine the spatial clustering patterns of dental accessibility in Japanese municipalities. In addition, we adjusted the prevalence of dental caries for most municipalities using empirical Bayesian estimation. Finally, we applied multiple linear regression to scrutinise the associations between dental caries status, including the prevalence of dental caries and decayed and filled teeth (dft), and dental accessibility, with adjustments made for other sociodemographic variables. Results: The distribution of dental accessibility in Japanese municipalities is relatively unequal. Dental accessibility is decent in the 3 metropolitan areas around Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya but poor in the Tohoku and Kyushu regions. In addition, dental accessibility is significantly related to the prevalence of dental caries and dft after adjusting for other sociodemographic variables (P < .005). Conclusions: This study suggests that dental accessibility is considerably connected to the dental caries status of 3-year-old children after excluding financial burden. Preschool children in areas with poor dental accessibility are likely to have poor dental caries status. We also verified the inequality of dental accessibility amongst Japanese municipalities. For the future development of primary oral health care, more attention should be paid to people with a disadvantage in terms of dental accessibility.

Direct current triboelectric nanogenerators (DC-TENGs) are a groundbreaking technology to capture micromechanical energy from the natural environment, which is crucial for directly powering sensor networks. However, the research bottleneck in enhancing the triboelectric electrification capability and charge storage capability of dielectrics has hindered the overall performance breakthroughs of the DC-TENG. Here, a field emission model-based DC-TENG (FEM-TENG) is proposed, inspired by lightning rods. The enhanced local electric field between dielectric materials and electrodes induces strong electron tunneling, which improves charge neutralization on the surface of materials and their internal charge storage space, thereby utilizing the dielectric volume effect effectively and strengthening triboelectricity. Guided by the field emission model, the FEM-TENG with a historic crest factor of 1.00375 achieves a groundbreaking record of an average power density of 16.061 W m−2 Hz−1 (1,591 W m−3 Hz−1), which is 5.36-fold of the latest DC-TENG. In particular, the FEM-TENG with high durability (100%) truly realizes the collection of breeze energy and continuously drives 50 thermohygrometers. Four additional applications exemplify the FEM-TENG, enabling comprehensive sensing of land, water, and air. This work proposes a paradigm strategy for the in-depth utilization of dielectric films, aiming to enhance the output power of DC-TENGs.

Abstract In this study, to achieve accurate tracking of the desired trajectory during passive control of the lower limb rehabilitation robot, an adaptive sliding mode controller based on disturbance observer and radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) is proposed for the lower limb rehabilitative robot in the presence of uncertain parameters and external bounded disturbances. First, the Euler–Lagrange dynamic model of the lower limb rehabilitative robot is described. Second, a sliding mode controller is designed to stabilize the system with an improved sliding mode reach rate under the assumption that all parameters of the dynamics model are known. To achieve a sliding mode controller without the above assumptions, the proposed adaptive RBFNN and the disturbance observers are employed to compensate for disturbances and the uncertainties in the robot's dynamic mode via feedforward loops. The Lyapunov stability theory is used to prove that the proposed controller has accomplished a significant control effect with excellent performance and the output tracking error can be converted to a very small neighborhood through reasonable design parameters. Finally, the performance of the controller based on the state feedback and state observer are demonstrated by numerical simulations, respectively.

Abstract The COVID‐19 pandemic comes across the gradual rise of the influenza virus, and the co‐circulation of the two viruses is inevitable. The dangers of co‐infection are becoming clearer, but the disease burden of co‐circulation in the near further is unknown. In the intersection era of big data and machine learning development, it is important to distinguish the impact factors of co‐prevalence and apply appropriate methods to advance projecting future risks.

The role of gut microbiota in terms of host health is becoming increasingly important. In this study, the comparative effects of tea polyphenols (TPs) on weight loss and lipid metabolism on conventionalized mice (CVZ) and pseudo germ-free (PGF) mice (treated with antibiotics) were investigated. Our findings revealed that high fat (HF) diet considerably increased the body weight, total fat and upsurge lipid indices in CVZ mice but PGF mice were not sensitive to the effect of HF diet as CVZ mice. After the dietary administration of TP, body weight, perirenal fat and epididymal fat, liver weight, glucose (GLU) level, total chloestrol (TC level), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) level significantly lowered in PGF mice as compared to CVZ mice group. However, the area of fat cells and triglyceride (TG) level were significantly increased in PGF mice. In CVZ mice, TP intervention resulted in a considerable drop in the Firmicutes/Bacteroides ratio as compared to PGF mice. The intestinal flora of PGF mice was severely reduced after antibiotic treatment, while TP administration restored intestinal diversity; the abundance of Akkermansia and Lactobacillus increased, whereas the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae and Prevotella reduced. Overall, we can assume that PGF obese mice administered with TP have less anti-obesity effects compared to obese CVZ mice.

In 2003, Kandelia obovata was identified as a new mangrove species differentiated from Kandelia candel. However, little is known about their chloroplast (cp) genome differences and their possible ecological significance. In this study, 25 whole cp genomes, with seven samples of K. candel from Malaysia, Thailand, and Bangladesh and 18 samples of K. obovata from China, were sequenced for comparison. The cp genomes of both species encoded 128 genes, namely 83 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNA genes, and eight rRNA genes, but the cp genome size of K. obovata was ~2 kb larger than that of K. candle due to the presence of more and longer repeat sequences. Of these, tandem repeats and simple sequence repeats exhibited great differences. Principal component analysis based on indels, and phylogenetic tree analyses constructed with homologous protein genes from the single-copy genes, as well as 38 homologous pair genes among 13 mangrove species, gave strong support to the separation of the two species within the Kandelia genus. Homologous genes ndhD and atpA showed intraspecific consistency and interspecific differences. Molecular dynamics simulations of their corresponding proteins, NAD(P)H dehydrogenase chain 4 (NDH-D) and ATP synthase subunit alpha (ATP-A), predicted them to be significantly different in the functions of photosynthetic electron transport and ATP generation in the two species. These results suggest that the energy requirement was a pivotal factor in their adaptation to differential environments geographically separated by the South China Sea. Our results also provide clues for future research on their physiological and molecular adaptation mechanisms to light and temperature.

The primary goal of modern wheat breeding is to develop new high-yielding and widely adaptable varieties. We analyzed four yield-related agronomic traits in 502 wheat accessions under normal conditions (NC) and drought treatment (DT) conditions over three years. The genome-wide association analysis identified 51 yield-related and nine drought-resistance-related QTL, including 13 for the thousand-grain weight (TGW), 30 for grain length (GL), three for grain width (GW), five for spike length (SL) and nine for stress tolerance index (STI) QTL in wheat. These QTL, containing 72 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), explained 2.23 – 7.35% of the phenotypic variation across multiple environments. Eight stable SNPs on chromosomes 2A, 2D, 3B, 4A, 5B, 5D, and 7D were associated with phenotypic stability under NC and DT conditions. Two of these stable SNPs had association with TGW and STI. Several novel QTL for TGW, GL and SL were identified on different chromosomes. Three linked SNPs were transformed into kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers. These results will facilitate the discovery of promising SNPs for yield-related traits and/or drought stress tolerance and will accelerate the development of new wheat varieties with desirable alleles.

IntroductionSARS-CoV-2 has ravaged the world and undergone multiple mutations during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 7 April 2022, an epidemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (BA.2) variant broke out in Guangzhou, China, one of the largest transportation and logistical hubs of the country.MethodsTo fast curtained the Omicron epidemic, based on the routine surveillance on the risk population of SARS-CoV-2 infection, we identify key places of the epidemic and implement enhanced control measures against Omicron.ResultsTransmission characteristics of the Omicron variant were analyzed for 273 confirmed cases, and key places involved in this epidemic were fully presented. The median incubation time and the generation time were 3 days, and the reproduction number Rt was sharply increased with a peak of 4.20 within 2 days. We tried an all-out effort to tackle the epidemic in key places, and the proportion of confirmed cases increased from 61.17% at Stage 2 to 88.89% at Stage 4. Through delimited risk area management, 99 cases were found, and the cases were isolated in advance for 2.61 ± 2.76 days in a lockdown zone, 0.44 ± 1.08 days in a controlled zone, and 0.27 ± 0.62 days in a precautionary zone. People assigned with yellow code accounted for 30.32% (84/277) of confirmed COVID-19 cases, and 83.33% of them were detected positive over 3 days since code assignment. For the districts outside the epicenter, the implementation duration of NPIs was much shorter compared with the Delta epidemic last year.ConclusionBy blocking out transmission risks and adjusting measures to local epidemic conditions through the all-out effort to tackle the epidemic in key places, by delimiting risk area management, and by conducting health code management of the at-risk population, the Omicron epidemic could be contained quickly.

Cytokinin is an important endogenous hormone in plants performing a wide spectrum of biological roles. The type-A response regulators (RRAs) are primary cytokinin response genes, which are important components of the cytokinin signaling pathway and are involved in the regulation of plant growth and development. By analysis of the whole genome sequence of wheat, we identified 20 genes encoding RRAs which were clustered into eight homologous groups. The gene structure, conserved motifs, chromosomal location, and cis-acting regulatory elements of the TaRRAs were analyzed. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) results showed that the expression levels of most of the TaRRAs increased rapidly on exogenous cytokinin application. Moreover, the TaRRA family members displayed different expression profiles under the stress treatments of drought, salt, cold, and heat. This study provides valuable insights into the RRA gene family in wheat and promotes the potential application of these genes in wheat genetic improvement.

AimThe aroma-producing strain of Geotrichum candidum GDMCC60675 was taken as the research object, the composition of aroma-producing substances of G. candidum was studied, and the target strains of G. candidum suitable for food additives were screened out by mutagenesis.MethodsMutants were obtained by space breeding. The colony morphology and cell morphology of the mutant strain were identified, the phylogenetic tree of the two strains was constructed, and the whole-genome sequences of the wild strain and the mutant strain were compared. The aroma components and key odor compounds of the two strains were analyzed and compared by HS-SPME-GC-MS and E-nose detection, and the data were processed by using the relative odor activity value (ROAV) analysis method.ResultsA mutant strain of G. candidum was found with different characteristics of aroma production compared with wild-type G. candidum. It was found that its colony morphology and cell morphology were similar. However, it was found that the aroma-producing substances produced by the two strains were different, and the key difference compound was phenyl ethyl alcohol, which also proved that the two strains were different, and the main aroma note was different.

Abstract Starch is the main component of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grain and a key factor in determining wheat processing quality. The Wx gene is the gene responsible for amylose synthesis. An ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenized population was generated using common wheat cv. Gao 8901, a popular and high-quality cultivar in China. A waxy mutant (Wx-null) was isolated by screening M3 seeds with KI-I2 staining of endosperm starch. No obvious waxy proteins in Wx-null line were detected using Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). DNA sequencing revealed three SNPs and a 3-bp InDel in the first exon, and a 16-bp InDel at the junction region of the first Wx-A1 intron from the Wx-null line. Six SNPs were identified in Wx-B1 gene of Wx-null line compared to the wild-type Gao 8901, including four missense mutations. One nonsense mutation was found at position 857 in the fourth exon, which resulted in a premature stop codon. Expression levels of Wx genes were dramatically reduced in the Wx-null line. There were no detectable differences in granule size and morphology between Wx-null and wild-type, but the Wx-null line contained more B-type starch granules. The amylose content of the Wx-null line (0.22%) was remarkably lower compared to the wild-type Gao 8901 (24.71%). Total starch is also lower in the Wx-null line. The Wx-null line may provide a potential waxy material with high agronomic performance in wheat breeding programs.

Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) is characterized by heterogeneous inflammatory endotypes of unknown etiology. Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are multifunctional innate T cells that exhibit Th1-, Th2-, and Th17-like characteristics. We investigated functional relationships between iNKT cells and inflammatory subtypes of CRSwNP. Eighty patients with CRSwNP and thirty-two control subjects were recruited in this study. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the frequencies and functions of iNKT cells and their subsets in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and tissues. Polyp tissue homogenates were used to study the multifunctionality of iNKT cells. iNKT cells were significantly increased in polyps (0.41%) than in control mucosa (0.12%). iNKT cells were determined in the paucigranunlocytic (n=20), eosinophilic (n=22), neutrophilic (n=23), and mixed granulocytic (n=13) phenotypes of CRSwNP. The percentages of iNKT cells and HLA-DR+PD-1+ subsets were lower in eosinophilic or mixed granulocytic polyps than those of other phenotypes. iNKT cells and subsets were enriched in polyp tissues than in matched PBMCs. The evaluation of surface markers, transcription factors, and signature cytokines indicated that the frequencies of iNKT2 and iNKT17 subsets were significantly increased in eosinophilic and neutrophilic polyps, respectively, than in the paucigranulocytic group. Moreover, the production of type 2 (partially dependent on IL-7) and type 17 (partially dependent on IL-23) iNKT cells could be stimulated by eosinophilic and neutrophilic homogenates, respectively. Our study revealed that type 2 and type 17 iNKT cells were involved in eosinophilic and neutrophilic inflammation, respectively, in CRSwNP, while different inflammatory microenvironments could modulate the functions of iNKT cells, suggesting a role of iNKT cells in feedback mechanisms and local inflammation.

Based on the photovoltaic properties and tandem solar cells theory, Gallium Indium Arsenide/Germanium Stannide (GaInAs/GeSn)-based double-junction (DJ) solar cells have been numerically simulated for the first time. In this study, we explore the band gap combination under lattice matching and obtain the content of In/Sn at optimal efficiency, which is expressed as Ga _0.84 In _0.16 As/Ge _0.93 Sn _0.07 DJ solar cell (1.20/0.58 eV). Afterward, it is optimized in terms of variation in the doping contents and active layer thickness. To take full advantage of the electron mobility of the material, the optimal ‘inverted doping profile’ concentration N _a(d) is 1.5(5)/5(20) × 10 ^18 cm ^−3 . In addition, the reasonable p ( n ) layer thickness could be comprised of 0.2–0.8(0.2–1)/0.5–3(1–4) μ m of the DJ solar cells with less material consumption. When the p ( n ) layer thickness is 0.30(0.25)/0.9(1.35) μ m, the tandem device can achieve an optimal efficiency of 31.00% with 28.98 mA cm ^−2 ( J _sc ), 1.25 V ( V _oc ) and 85% ( FF ). This study highlights that GeSn materials have the potential to combine with III–V materials to form low-cost and high-efficiency tandem devices.

The processing quality of wheat is affected by seed storage substances, such as protein and starch. High-molecular-weight glutenin subunits (HMW-GSs) are the major components of wheat seed storage proteins (SSPs); they are also key determinators of wheat end-use quality. However, the effects of HMW-GSs absence on the expression of other storage substances and the regulation mechanism of HMW-GSs are still limited. Previously, a wheat transgenic line LH-11 with complete deletions of HMW-GSs was obtained through introducing an exogenous gene Glu-1Ebx to the wild-type cultivar Bobwhite by transgenic approach. In this study, comparative seed transcriptomics and proteomics of transgenic and non-transgenic lines at different seed developmental stages were carried out to explore the changes in genes and proteins and the underlying regulatory mechanism. Results revealed that a number of genes, including genes related to SSPs, carbohydrates metabolism, amino acids metabolism, transcription, translation, and protein process were differentially enriched. Seed storage proteins displayed differential expression patterns between the transgenic and non-transgenic line, a major rise in the expression levels of gliadins were observed at 21 and 28 days post anthesis (DPA) in the transgenic line. Changes in expressions of low-molecular-weight glutenins (LMW-GSs), avenin-like proteins (ALPs), lipid transfer proteins (LTPs), and protease inhibitors (PIs) were also observed. In addition, genes related to carbohydrate metabolism were differentially expressed, which probably leads to a difference in starch component and deposition. A list of gene categories participating in the accumulation of SSPs was proposed according to the transcriptome and proteome data. Six genes from the MYB and eight genes from the NAC transcription families are likely important regulators of HMW-GSs accumulation. This study will provide data support for understanding the regulatory network of wheat storage substances. The screened candidate genes can lay a foundation for further research on the regulation mechanism of HMW-GSs.

Cereal β-glucan is a type of valuable dietary fiber that mainly exists in the aleurone, subaleurone, and endosperm of some cereal grains. β-Glucan is acknowledged as a functional food ingredient owing to its multiple health benefits, including the prevention of diabetes, reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease, antitumor effects, antioxidant activities, and immunostimulation. It is well documented that cellulose synthase-like CslF/H/J genes encode synthases responsible for β-glucan biosynthesis in cereal grains. Recently, β-glucan has been widely applied as an emulsion stabilizer, thickening agent, fat substitute, and bioactive ingredient in the food industry due to its water solubility, viscosity, gelation property, and health benefits. Therefore, the present paper aims to review the molecular characteristics, synthase gene family, and food application of cereal β-glucan in recent years.

Objective We investigated the effect of untransplantable bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in acute lung injury (ALI) and whether BMSCs attenuate damage of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to alveolar type II epithelial cells (AECIIs). Methods ALI models were prepared by nebulizing LPS and then BMSCs were infused 1 hour later. We observed histopathological changes of lung tissue and evaluated inflammatory exudation by the wet/dry weight ratio, bronchiolar lavage fluid cell count, and protein concentration determination. Inflammatory and vascular factors were detected by immunohistochemistry and western blotting. For in vitro experiments, AECIIs were stimulated with 10 μg/mL LPS for 4 hours and then BMSCs were seeded in transit inserts to co-culture for 24 hours. The activity of AECIIs was detected. Results In the LPS + BMSCs group, histopathological examination showed that the degree of lung injury was significantly reduced compared with the LPS group. Protein expression of inflammatory and vascular factors was significantly lower with treatment. Optical density values and cell viability of the LPS + BMSCs group were significantly higher than those of the LPS group. Conclusions Untransplanted-BMSCs can inhibit the inflammatory response in ALI and promote repair of AECIIs. This might be due to substances secreted by BMSCs and interaction between these substances.

BackgroundGrowing evidence emphasizes the importance of xanthophyll carotenoids and omega-3 fatty acids in eye health. However, the beneficial effects of such supplementation have not been thoroughly discussed among adults with high screen exposure. Current trial evidence on lutein bioavailability is contradictory, and the interactions of dietary intervention with host-related factors remain elusive. This study aims to investigate the comparative effectiveness of supplementation with macular xanthophylls and omega-3 fatty acids on macular pigment optical density (MPOD) and visual function, access the bioavailability of free lutein and lutein ester, and explore the complex interplay between genetic variations, intestinal microbiota, and the dietary intervention in Chinese adults with long-term exposure to digital devices.MethodsThe Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Omega-3 (LZO) clinical trial is a 24-week multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 600 participants recruited from research centers, universities, and communities. Individuals are eligible to participate if they are aged over 18 years and use digital devices for over 8 h daily in the last 2 years, and will be randomized to six arms. A total of three visits will be scheduled at baseline, 12 and 24 weeks. The primary outcome is the change in MPOD over the 24-week intervention. The secondary outcomes are changes in visual function (visual acuity, best-corrected visual acuity, contrast and glare sensitivity, critical flicker fusion, reaction time, visuognosis persistence, symptoms and signs of dry eye, retinal thickness, and optical quality), and changes in serum lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations, and erythrocyte membrane omega-3 fatty acids. Genetic variations will be determined using genome-wide genotyping at baseline. 16S rRNA gene sequencing will be utilized to assess microbiome compositional changes before and after intervention.DiscussionThe trial is anticipated to establish early interventions to prevent photochemical ocular damage and delay the onset of vision impairment in young adults with long-term repeated exposure to screen-based electronic devices, and provide valuable insights for the development of precision nutrition strategies for maintaining eye health.Clinical trial registrationwww.clinicaltrials.in.th, Identifier, TCTR20220904002.