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Topological materials with well-defined surfaces and edges have become a prominent research topic. As topological insulators, MnBi2Te4 thin films, with their unique surfaces, exhibit exceptional electron transport properties and good applicability in low-noise, high-sensitivity photoelectric detection. This paper reports a straightforward, efficient, and cost-effective thermal evaporation method for preparing quantum MnBi2Te4 thin films, along with an investigation into their photoelectric detection performance. These films can be used to fabricate array devices, with the resulting photodetectors achieving a response current of 97 mA W−1 at room temperature and a response speed of <1 ms. Moreover, they demonstrate stability in the air for >30 d, with the photoelectric performance degrading by <15%. Our research introduces a new application for topological materials in photoelectric detection and establishes a strong foundation for the design and development of high-performance photodetectors in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of calcium oxalate (CaOx) urolithiasis between men and women is considerably different. However, the full-scale metabolic changes between genders with CaOx urolithiasis have not been reported. The metabolic profiles in 112 urine samples obtained from 61 males and 51 females diagnosed with CaOx stones were characterized using electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Univariate, multivariate, and bioinformatic analyses were employed to reveal the differential metabolites and perturbed metabolic pathways between genders. In total, 30 dysregulated metabolites were identified as differential metabolites between males and females with CaOx urolithiasis. The primary metabolic pathways were caffeine metabolism, metabolic pathways, and biosynthesis of amino acids. Furthermore, 10 potential metabolites which were mostly contributed to separating the males and female were selected using feature weight calculation. These compounds included creatinine, 3-methylhistidine, n-acetylneuraminic acid, decanoyl-l-carnitine, cortisone, nicotine, 1-methyluric acid, androsterone sulfate, citramalic acid, and 1,7-dimethylxanthine. Finally, a subset of the differential metabolites was identified by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, including creatinine, 3-methylhistidine, n-acetylneuraminic acid, decanoyl-l-carnitine, and 1-methyluric acid (area under the curve = 0.924, 0.844, 0.846, 0.814, 0.814). These metabolites had higher risks in the CaOx stone formation of males than females. The study showed that there were a group of differential metabolites between the males and females with CaOx stones. A subset of these compounds was more closely and positively related to renal stone formation in males than females. Moreover, these metabolites may be the cause of the differences in the incidence of CaOx urolithiasis between genders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contamination of aquatic environments by heavy metals can have detrimental effects on fish, impacting their growth and overall health, including the regulation of antioxidant genes. An investigation was carried out to assess the distribution and habitat of Gymnocypris eckloni in the Yellow River basin. Simultaneously, heavy metal concentrations in its habitat and in selected locations within the upper Yellow River were measured. In an effort to explore the potential roles of specific genes in antioxidant responses, G. eckloni was exposed to low concentrations of copper (Cu2+) and lead (Pb2+) for varying durations (12, 24, and 48 hours). The mRNA levels of GeCu/Zn-SOD, GeMn-SOD, GeHsp90, and GeMT were quantified in the gills, kidneys, and liver through qRT-PCR. The findings suggest that the habitat of G. eckloni is generally safe; however, occasional exceedances of safety standards could pose a potential threat to its growth. Importantly, the expression of GeCu/Zn-SOD, GeMn-SOD, GeHsp90, and GeMT exhibited responses to the low concentrations of copper-induced and lead-induced stress. Notably, GeCu/Zn-SOD, GeMn-SOD, and GeMT demonstrated heightened sensitivity to lead compared to copper. Furthermore, the expression of these genes displayed tissue-specific responses under identical metal stress conditions. These results indicate that GeCu/Zn-SOD, GeMn-SOD, GeHsp90, and GeMT genes have the potential to serve as early, sensitive biomarkers for the detection of metal toxicity induced by Cu2+ and Pb2+. This study also provides valuable insights into the functioning of antioxidant genes under oxidative stress in fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prediction of drug combinations is of great clinical significance. In many diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and stomach ulcers, the simultaneous use of two or more drugs has shown clear efficacy. It has greatly reduced the progression of drug resistance. This review presents the latest applications of methods for predicting the effects of drug combinations and the bioactivity databases commonly used in drug combination prediction. These studies have played a significant role in developing precision therapy. We first describe the concept of synergy. we study various publicly available databases for drug combination prediction tasks. Next, we introduce five algorithms applied to drug combinatorial prediction, which include traditional machine learning methods, deep learning methods, mathematical methods, systems biology methods and search algorithms. In the end, we sum up the difficulties encountered in prediction models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the distribution characteristics and antibiotic resistance patterns of uropathogens in patients with upper urinary calculi and urinary tract infections, data on sex, age, positive midstream urine culture results and drug sensitivity results were collected. The statistical program SPSS 26.0 was used for statistical analysis. Among the 1414 positive urine samples, the most common pathogens were Escherichia coli (36.4%), Enterococcus faecalis (13.8%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (7.5%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (5.0%), Streptococcus agalactiae (3.4%) and Enterococcus faecium (3.3%). The incidences of E. coli (48.6%), K. pneumoniae (6.3%) and Proteus mirabilis (4.2%) were higher in female patients than in male patients (23.2%, 3.5%, 0.6%, respectively; P<0.05). E. faecalis was detected more frequently in the young group (16.0%) than in the elderly group (11.2%; P<0.01). Most of the isolates were resistant to levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin, while few were resistant to imipenem, meropenem, cefoperazone/sulbactam, piperacillin/tazobactam and amikacin. The bacterial spectra in patients with urinary stones varied by sex and age, which should be taken into consideration during treatment. The proportion of E. faecium showed an upward trend, while those of S. epidermidis and S. agalactiae demonstrated downward trends in the study period. Regardless, carbapenems, cefoperazone/sulbactam, piperacillin/tazobactam and amikacin are good choices for serious cases.