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BackgroundSo far, there have been no published population studies on the relationship between a COVID-19 infection and public risk perception, information source, knowledge, attitude, and behaviors during the COVID-19 outbreak in China. ObjectiveThis study aims to understand the relationships between COVID-19 infection; four personal nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs; handwashing, proper coughing habits, social distancing, and mask wearing); and public risk perception, knowledge, attitude, and other social demographic variables. MethodsAn online survey of 8158 Chinese adults between February 22 and March 5, 2020, was conducted. Bivariate associations between categorical variables were examined using Fisher exact test. We also explored the determinants of four NPIs as well as their association with COVID-19 infection using logistic regression. ResultsOf 8158 adults included, 57 (0.73%) were infected with COVID-19. The overwhelming majority of respondents showed a positive attitude (n=8094, 99.2%), positive risk perception (n=8146, 99.9%), and high knowledge levels that were among the strongest predictors of the four adopted NPIs (handwashing: n=7895, 96.8%; proper coughing: 5997/6444, 93.1%; social distancing: n=7104/8158, 87.1%; and mask wearing: 5011/5120, 97.9%). There was an increased risk of COVID-19 infection for those who did not wash their hands (2.28% vs 0.65%; risk ratio [RR] 3.53, 95% CI 1.53-8.15; P=.009), did not practice proper coughing (1.79% vs 0.73%; RR 2.44, 95% CI 1.15-5.15; P=.03), did not practice social distancing (1.52% vs 0.58%; RR 2.63, 95% CI 1.48-4.67; P=.002), and did not wear a mask (7.41% vs 0.6%; RR 12.38, 95% CI 5.81-26.36; P

Abstract Objectives Our study aims to explore the clinical characteristics of Omicron infection in pediatric liver transplant recipients (PLTRs), after the national COVID-19 outbreak. Additionally, we will investigate changes in vaccine coverage and parental attitudes towards vaccinating their children after this current outbreak. Methods We conducted a web-based questionnaire survey to gather information on Omicron infection, vaccination status, and guardian attitude among PLTRs. Besides, utilized valid questionnaire and long-term follow-up information processing techniques, and performed statistical analysis of relevant parameters. Results 528 valid questionnaires were collected, among which, 251 responses replied Omicron infection status. The Omicron infection rate in Chinese PLTRs was 56.2% (141/251), similar to the report in the normal population (around 60%). 99.3% of infected PLTRs presented mild symptoms, mostly with fever (78.0%), followed by Cough (76.6%), with a mean RTPCR conversion time of 7 days; the overall PLTRs’ vaccination rate in this study was 13.3%, similar to that of our previous study (9.4%). Besides, we found no significant differences of either infection rate or clinical symptoms between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. Moreover, the study showed 61.6% of guardians supported COVID-19 inoculation despite the outbreak of Omicron status. Conclusions The symptoms of Omicron infection in Chinese PLTRs were relatively mild, vaccine immunization had a limited effect on PLTRs’ defense against Omicron infection, besides, their guardians supported the inoculation policy with a caution. Clinical trial registration http://www.chictr.org.cn , identifier ChiCTR2200055968.

Abstract Background Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a rare but the most aggressive type of thyroid carcinoma. Nevertheless, limited advances were made to reduce mortality and improve survival over the last decades. Therefore, identifying novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for ATC patients is still needed. Materials and methods RNA sequencing data and corresponding clinical features were available from GEO and TCGA databases. We integrated WGCNA and PPI network analysis to identify hub genes associated with ATC development, and RT-qPCR was employed for data verification. Univariate and LASSO Cox regression analyses were used to generate prognostic signatures. Results Based on PPI and WGCNA, 6 hub genes were identified, namely KIF2C, PBK, TOP2A, CDK1, KIF20A, and ASPM, which play vital roles in ATC development. Subsequently, RT-qPCR experiments showed that most of these genes were significantly upregulated in CAL-62 cells compared to Nthy-ori 3–1 cells. Moreover, a prognostic signature featuring GPSM2, FGF5, ASXL3, CYP4B1, CLMP, and DUXAP9 was generated, which was also verified by RT-qPCR results and proved as an independent predictor of poorer prognosis of ATC. Additionally, a nomogram incorporating the risk score and clinicopathological parameters was further constructed for accurate prediction of 1-, 3- and 5-year survival probabilities of ATC. Conclusions Our study identified 6 key genes critical to ATC development and constructed a prognostic signature. These findings provide reliable biomarkers and a relatively comprehensive tumorigenesis profile of ATC, which may inform future strategies for clinical diagnosis and pharmaceutical design.

The structure changes and hydrogen permeation behavior of Titanium alloy TA17 in simulated water environment of small modular reactor (SMR) at 320 °C for 8000h was investigated. We found a corrosion layer consist of TiO2 and FeTiO3 with a good hydrogen permeation resistance. The structure and hydrogen permeation resistance change with the increase of corrosion period. At the first corrosion period of 3000h, FeTiO3 grows rapidly with an exponential parameter of 0.663 fitted by parabolic law. As the initial TiO2 layer destroyed, the deuterium permeation flux increases. After the thickness of FeTiO3 reaches a limit at corrosion time of 4000h, there exists a dynamic balance between the growth and the dissolution of FeTiO3, result in a small fluctuant deuterium permeation flux at corrosion periods of 5000–8000h. The deuterium permeation flux of the corrosion layer can be two orders of magnitude lower to that of Titanium alloy TA17 substrate. The formation process of corrosion layer and its effect on hydrogen permeation resistance are discussed in detail.

Abstract This study aimed to identify the specific site of pulmonary vein conduction recovery after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of atrial fibrillation (AF) for improved outcomes and reduced recurrence. Patients who underwent RFA for AF at our institution were included. The ablation procedure was guided by the ablation index (AI) and left, and right atrial pressures were monitored before and after ablation. Additionally, the recovery time of the sinoatrial node under Burst 400/300 ms stimulation was examined. Among 60 repeat procedure patients, 48 had paroxysmal and 12 had persistent AF. The recovery sites were 36.6% in the left anterior superior, 35% in the right anterior superior, 20% in the left anterior inferior, 20% in the right anterior inferior, 13.3% in the right top, and 11.6% in the left top. Preoperative and postoperative left and right atrial pressures were significantly higher in the persistent AF group compared with the paroxysmal AF group (P

Abstract Hepatitis B is one of the public health priorities worldwide, especially in the Southwest China. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between genotypes and drug resistance mutations among HBV patients in Southwest China, with the objective of providing guidance for clinical antiviral treatment. A total of 4266 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients treated in the Qianjiang Hospital of Chongqing University were included in our study from 2014 to 2020. Both genotypes and drug-resistant mutations of CHB patients were determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Genotype B and genotype C were the main HBV genotypes in our study. We found 54 mutation patterns, including 9 single-site mutations and 45 multiple-site mutations, accounting for 57.64% and 42.36%, respectively. rtM204I/V/S (485/1936) was the most common single-site mutation type, and rtL180M + rtM204I/V (482/1936) was the most common multiple-site mutation type. 1372 CHB patients were resistant to LAM + LDT, and 342 CHB patients were resistant to ADV. There was only 1 CHB patient who exhibited resistance to LAM + LDT + ADV + ETV, with a specific mutation pattern of rtA181T + rtT184L + rtM204V. Our study demonstrated trends in genetic mutations and drug resistance in CHB patients to enable timely adjustment of antiviral treatment strategies.

Abstract Allergic rhinitis (AR) resulted in impairing human health and quality of life seriously. There is currently no definitive remedy for AR. Recent studies have shown that autophagy may regulate airway inflammation. Our comprehension of autophagy and its molecular mechanism in the field of AR condition remains incomplete. Our research endeavors to bridge this knowledge deficit by investigating the correlation between AR and autophagy. The AR-related gene expression profile GSE50223 was screened and downloaded. The “limma” package of R software was utilized to identify differentially expressed genes associated with autophagy. GO, KEGG, and Gene set enrichment analyses were conducted. A PPI network of differentially expressed autophagy-related genes were established and further identified through the CytoHubba algorithm. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was employed to evaluate the diagnostic effectiveness of the hub genes and to examine the relationship between autophagy-related genes and AR. Finally, qRT-PCR was carried out to confirm the chosen autophagy-related genes using clinical samples. 21 autophagy-related genes in allergic rhinitis were identified. BECN1, PIK3C3, GABARAPL2, ULK2, and UVRAG were considered as significant differentially expressed autophagy-related genes. However, additional molecular biological experiments will be necessary to elucidate the underlying mechanism connecting autophagy and AR.

Abstract Repairing bone defects is a complex cascade reaction process, as immune system regulation, vascular growth, and osteogenic differentiation are essential. Thus, developing a tissue-engineered biomaterial that caters to the complex healing process of bone regeneration remains a major clinical challenge. In the study, Ca2+-TA-rGO (CTAG)/GelMA hydrogels were synthesized by binding Ca2+ using metal chelation to graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets reduced by tannic acid (TA-rGO) and doping them into gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels. TA and rGO exhibited biocompatibility and immunomodulatory properties in this composite, while Ca2+ promoted bone formation and angiogenesis. This novel nanocomposite hydrogel demonstrated good mechanical properties, degradability, and conductivity, and it could achieve slow Ca2+ release during bone regeneration. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments revealed that CTAG/GelMA hydrogel modulated macrophage reprogramming and induced a shift from macrophages to healing-promoting M2 macrophages during the inflammatory phase, promoted vascular neovascularization, and facilitated osteoblast differentiation during bone formation. Moreover, CTAG/GelMA hydrogel could downregulate the NF-κB signaling pathway, offering new insights into regulating macrophage reprogramming-osteogenic crosstalk. Conclusively, this novel multifunctional nanocomposite hydrogel provides a multistage treatment for bone and orchestrates macrophage reprogramming-osteogenic crosstalk to boost bone repair. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Upgrades to advanced scientific user facilities such as next-generation x-ray light sources, nanoscience centers, and neutron facilities are revolutionizing our understanding of materials across the spectrum of the physical sciences, from life sciences to microelectronics. However, these facility and instrument upgrades come with a significant increase in complexity. Driven by more exacting scientific needs, instruments and experiments become more intricate each year. This increased operational complexity makes it ever more challenging for domain scientists to design experiments that effectively leverage the capabilities of and operate on these advanced instruments. Large language models (LLMs) can perform complex information retrieval, assist in knowledge-intensive tasks across applications, and provide guidance on tool usage. Using x-ray light sources, leadership computing, and nanoscience centers as representative examples, we describe preliminary experiments with a Context-Aware Language Model for Science (CALMS) to assist scientists with instrument operations and complex experimentation. With the ability to retrieve relevant information from facility documentation, CALMS can answer simple questions on scientific capabilities and other operational procedures. With the ability to interface with software tools and experimental hardware, CALMS can conversationally operate scientific instruments. By making information more accessible and acting on user needs, LLMs could expand and diversify scientific facilities’ users and accelerate scientific output.

Abstract Soil microbial growth, a vital biogeochemical process, governs both the accrual and loss of soil carbon. Here, we investigate the biogeography of soil microbiome potential growth rates and show that microbiomes in resource-rich (high organic matter and nutrients) and acid-neutral soils from cold and humid regions exhibit high potential growth. Conversely, in resource-poor, dry, hot, and hypersaline soils, soil microbiomes display lower potential growth rates, suggesting trade-offs between growth and resource acquisition or stress tolerance. In addition, the potential growth rates of soil microbiomes positively correlates with genome size and the number of ribosomal RNA operons but negatively correlates with optimum temperature, biomass carbon-to-phosphorus and nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratios. The spatial variation of microbial potential growth rates aligns with several macroecological theories. These findings not only enhance our understanding of microbial adaptation to diverse environments but also aid in realistically parameterizing microbial physiology in soil carbon cycling models.

Currently, little is known about the characteristics of oxide films on Ti alloys exposed to the secondary circuit water environment of small modular reactors (SMRs). In this study, multiple microstructural characterization techniques were employed to meticulously characterize the oxide film characteristics of the TA16 alloy after 6000 h and 8000 h of exposure to a simulated SMR secondary circuit water environment. The results indicate that the oxide films on the 6000 h specimen are composed of a microcrystalline anatase TiO2 interior layer and a coarse-grained anatase TiO2 exterior layer, while the oxide film on the 8000 h specimen typically consists of a microcrystalline anatase TiO2 inner layer, an NiFe2O4 middle layer, and a coarse-grained anatase TiO2 outer layer. As the corrosion time is extended to 8000 h, the presence of NiFe2O4 oxide particles can be attributed to oxide deposition by the 316L stainless steel autoclave used in the corrosion experiments, which results in the migration of Ni and Fe ions onto the surface of the Ti alloy.

Joint replacement surgery, essential for managing joint diseases, requires improvements in tribocorrosion performance to ensure surgical success and longevity of joint implants. Transition-metal light-element (TMLE) compound coatings, known for their high hardness and chemical stability, have been extensively researched and applied for surface protection of joint implants. However, these coatings typically lack a lubrication phase, leading to high friction coefficients and severe corrosion wear, which makes long-term effective protection challenging. A promising approach is to utilize the natural lubricating proteins present in body fluids, which are continuously available and can thus address long-term service issues of TMLE coatings. In this work, we utilized micro-arc oxidation (MAO) technology to develop an underlying morphology, then conformally deposited a TiB2 layer, resulting in a cratered dual-layer TiB2/MAO coating. This unique cratered dual-layer structure not only preserves the high hardness and wear resistance of TiB2 but also aims to (1) absorb wear particles to prevent abrasive wear and (2) increase surface energy to optimize protein lubrication capacity. Consequently, the TiB2/MAO coating exhibits low friction coefficients and wear rates in protein-containing simulated body fluids. Furthermore, the dual-layer TiB2/MAO coating demonstrates excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. This dual-layer coating design synergistically combines the superior intrinsic properties of material with unique structural construction, while also harnessing continuously available external proteins as lubricants to further optimize performance, thereby introducing an advanced strategy for developing protective coatings for implant materials.

Abstract Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most prevalent and lethal malignancies affecting the female reproductive system, due to its tendency for metastasis and recurrence. This study identified the overexpression of LINC01320 (or long intergenic nonprotein coding RNA 1320) in tissues of ovarian cancer through the analysis of patient samples and online datasets. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that silencing of LINC01320 expression led to inhibition of proliferation and metastasis of OC cells. RNA pull-down followed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (RNA pull-down-LC-MS/MS) revealed that LINC01320 interacted with purine-rich element binding protein B (PURB), a transcriptional repressor. Furthermore, the RNA-seq analysis identified damage-specific DNA binding protein 2 (DDB2) as a major common target of LINC01320 and PURB. Mechanistically, LINC01320 could recruit PURB to the promoter region of DDB2 to repress DDB2 transcription; thus, promoting the expression of NEDD4L and impeding the TGF-β/SMAD signaling pathway, and ultimately facilitating the progression of OC. Finally, rescue experiments confirmed the involvement of the DDB2/NEDD4L/TGF-β axis in LINC01320-mediated OC progression. In conclusion, this study unveils for the first time the pivotal function of the LINC01320/PURB/DDB2/NEDD4L/TGF-β axis and explores its prospective clinical implications in OC.

Abstract Background Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) is the standard treatment for locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). However, the optimal radiotherapy regimen, particularly in terms of total dose and planned range of irradiation field, remains unclear. This phase III clinical trial aimed to compare the survival benefits between different radiation doses and different target fields. Methods This trial compared two aspects of radiation treatment, total dose and field, using a two‐by‐two factorial design. The high‐dose (HD) group received 59.4 Gy radiation, and the standard‐dose (SD) group received 50.4 Gy. The involved field irradiation (IFI) group and elective nodal irradiation (ENI) group adopted different irradiation ranges. The participants were assigned to one of the four groups (HD+ENI, HD+IFI, SD+ENI and SD+IFI). The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoints included progression‐free survival (PFS). The synergy indexwas used to measure the interaction effect between dose and field. Results The interaction analysis did not reveal significant synergistic effects between the dose and irradiation field. In comparison to the target field, patients in IFI or ENI showed similar OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.80‐1.23, p = 0.930) and PFS (HR = 1.02, 95% CI: 0.82–1.25). The HD treatment did not show significantly prolonged OS compared with SD (HR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.72–1.11, p = 0.318), but it suggested improved PFS (25.2 months to 18.0 months). Among the four groups, the HD+IFI group presented the best survival, while the SD+IFI group had the worst prognosis. No significant difference in the occurrence of severe adverse events was found in dose or field comparisons. Conclusions IFI demonstrated similar treatment efficacy to ENI in CCRT of ESCC. The HD demonstrated improved PFS, but did not significantly improve OS. The dose escalation based on IFI (HD+IFI) showed better therapeutic efficacy than the current recommendation (SD+ENI) and is worth further validation.

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

To investigate the effect of salt stress on the germination of sesame, a mixed salt solution of sodium chloride and calcium chloride was used as the culture medium to analyze the changes and correlations in growth characteristics, total phenolic content, total flavone content, antioxidant capacity, and antioxidant enzyme activity during the germination process of sesame. The results showed that salt stress could promote sesame germination and the accumulation of phenol and flavone, and improve the ABTS+ free radicals scavenging rate and the iron ion reduction ability of sesame. The effect of salt stress on antioxidant enzyme activity varied by enzyme species, and the treatment had a more obvious promoting effect on SOD and CAT activities compared with APX and POD activities. The correlation analysis results demonstrated that the total phenol of sesame cultured under salt stress was positively correlated with its total flavonoids, ABTS+ free radical scavenging rate, iron ion reducing ability, and POD enzyme activity. The correlation between total phenol and iron ion reducing ability, SOD activity and DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging ability, POD activity and iron ion reducing ability of sesame was enhanced by salt stress treatment. This study could lay a foundation for further deciphering the physiological mechanism of salt stress on sesame germination, and provide theoretical basis for the development of sesame functional foods.

Impellers are crucial components in centrifugal compressors, and their precision and performance determine the compressor’s work efficiency. The traditional impeller error compensation method only compensates for dimensional errors without considering aerodynamic performance, which leads to a performance loss after compensation. This study proposes a novel optimal compensation method for centrifugal impellers that comprehensively considers the aerodynamic performance and dimensional accuracy. First, a nonlinear mapping relationship between the key geometric parameters of the blade and the aerodynamic performance was established. Then, using on-machine measurement data, the impeller machining error was calculated, and a mirror compensation surface was generated. Finally, based on the mapping model, the second-generation non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm was used to optimize the control points of the mirror compensation surface, and thereby obtain the optimal compensation surface. The experimental results showed that, after optimal compensation, the impeller dimensional error was reduced by 90.17 %, the total pressure ratio increased by 2.89 %, and the isentropic efficiency increased by 7.29 %. Compared to the traditional mirror compensation method, the dimensional accuracy, total pressure ratio, and isentropic efficiency were improved by 28.57 %, 1.56 %, and 4.24 %, respectively. Therefore, this compensation method can simultaneously improve the dimensional accuracy and aerodynamic performance of impellers.

Highly sensitive to climate change and glacier melt, alpine wetlands on the Tibetan Plateau have important implications for carbon storage and animal habitat. However, long-term accurate mapping and changes of wetlands on the Tibetan Plateau remain knowledge gaps. Here, we qualify wetlands' spatial and temporal changes between 1990 and 2020 using Landsat imagery with an optimized random forest model. We find that the total area of marsh, floodplain, and swamp wetlands was approximately 8.25 × 104 (2.68% of the plateau area), 6.99 × 104 (2.27%), and 8.47 × 104 km2 (2.75%) in 1990, 2000, and 2020, respectively. The total area of wetlands decreased by about 1.29 × 104 km2 (−15.7%) between 1990 and 2000 but increased by about 1.52 × 104 km2 (21.7%) between 2000 and 2020. Marsh and floodplain wetlands show a decrease followed by an increase, while swamps continue to increase. The high-density wetlands are mainly distributed in the Yangtze and Yellow River basins, especially with marsh and floodplain wetlands >40%, and Brahmaputra high-density swamps ∼40%. Conversion of wetland types occurred in a relatively high proportion of all periods, but there was a gradual downward trend. The proportion of conversions from wetlands to nonwetlands decreased and the proportion of conversions within wetlands increased. This study elucidates the distribution characteristics, area change, and type conversion of wetlands on the Tibetan Plateau, which provides scientific support for the development and use of alpine wetlands and governmental risk decision making.

The helium (He) content in the natural gas of the Neogene Yancheng Formation in the Huangqiao area of Subei Basin ranges from 1.05% to 1.40%, which is generally higher than the industrial grade, indicating a crust and mantle composite type of helium resource. However, current research on the main controlling factors of helium enrichment and the evaluation of exploration targets from this source is relatively weak. Therefore, the study systematically analyzed the helium genesis, source, and trapping characteristics of typical helium-rich gas reservoirs in the Huangqiao area. It focused on the influence of mantle-derived faults on the transport and accumulation of helium-rich gas reservoirs and the trapping conditions within the Yancheng Formation. An enrichment model for helium-rich gas reservoirs in the Yancheng Formation of the Huangqiao area was proposed. The results show that: (1) The Nanxinjie deep fault in the Huangqiao area was active during the sedimentation of the Yancheng Formation, resulting in upwelling of mantle-derived materials, accompanied by volcanic activities and migration of CO2, N2, and helium along the fault to shallow layers. (2) The burial depth of the Yancheng Formation in the Huangqiao area ranges from 370 to 400 m. The thickness of the bottom sandstone of the Yancheng Formation is about 40 m, capped with 10 to 40 m of mudstone. The reservoir and cap combination is favorable for enrichment, and the helium-rich layers pinch out from east to west. (3) The Yancheng Formation in the Huangqiao area exhibits a monoclinal structure as a whole, with the bottom interface displaying angular unconformity with the underlying strata. Through seismic calibration and interpretation, the lithological and stratigraphic composite trap area of the helium-rich gas layer was outlined. The helium-rich gas reservoir of the Yancheng Formation in the Huangqiao area is characterized by fault-communicated mantle transport, sandstone reservoirs, mudstone cap layers, as well as lithological and stratigraphic composite traps for enrichment. This understanding is significant for the evaluation of favorable helium exploration targets in the Huangqiao area.

Abstract Coherent X-ray scattering (CXS) techniques are capable of interrogating dynamics of nano- to mesoscale materials systems at time scales spanning several orders of magnitude. However, obtaining accurate theoretical descriptions of complex dynamics is often limited by one or more factors—the ability to visualize dynamics in real space, computational cost of high-fidelity simulations, and effectiveness of approximate or phenomenological models. In this work, we develop a data-driven framework to uncover mechanistic models of dynamics directly from time-resolved CXS measurements without solving the phase reconstruction problem for the entire time series of diffraction patterns. Our approach uses neural differential equations to parameterize unknown real-space dynamics and implements a computational scattering forward model to relate real-space predictions to reciprocal-space observations. This method is shown to recover the dynamics of several computational model systems under various simulated conditions of measurement resolution and noise. Moreover, the trained model enables estimation of long-term dynamics well beyond the maximum observation time, which can be used to inform and refine experimental parameters in practice. Finally, we demonstrate an experimental proof-of-concept by applying our framework to recover the probe trajectory from a ptychographic scan. Our proposed framework bridges the wide existing gap between approximate models and complex data.

Abstract Acetone serves as an important solvent and building block for the chemical industry, but the current industrial synthesis of acetone is generally accompanied by the energy-intensive and costly cumene process used for phenol production. Here we propose a sustainable route for acetone synthesis via propane wet reforming at a moderate temperature of 350 oC with the use of platinum-tin nanoparticles supported on γ-aluminium oxide (PtSn/γ-Al2O3) as catalyst. We achieve an acetone productivity of 858.4 μmol/g with a selectivity of 57.8% among all carbon-based products and 99.3% among all liquid products. Detailed spectroscopic and controlled experiments reveal that the acetone is formed through a tandem catalytic process involving propene and isopropanol as intermediates. We also demonstrate facile ketone synthesis via wet reforming with the use of different alkanes (e.g., n-butane, n-pentane, n-hexane, n-heptane, and n-octane) as substrates, proving the wide applicability of this strategy.

With large-scale distributed photovoltaic (DPV) access to the distribution network, the problems of node voltage overruns and increased network losses, as well as the traditional centralized control with low reliability, high computational and communication pressure, and poor scalability, can no longer meet the requirements of distribution network operation and control in the context of the increasing DPV penetration. To this end, a collaborative optimal control strategy for PV distribution networks based on distributed model predictive control (DMPC) is proposed for fast recovery of voltage overruns and reduction of network losses. Firstly, based on the analysis of voltage overruns in distribution networks containing distributed PV, a voltage control model of the PV system is established and a distributed model predictive controller is designed. The controller solves for the control quantities of each region through the state and prediction information in the system, while considering the coupling information of adjacent control regions to achieve the cooperative optimization of the control objectives. Secondly, the distributed PV active and reactive power output constraints as well as capacity limitations are considered, and the objective function is transformed into a quadratic constrained quadratic programming (QCQP) problem to solve the control commands to achieve the optimal control of the PV distribution network. Finally, the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed optimal control strategy are verified through the simplified topology of actual distribution lines in a region of Gansu Province as an example simulation.

Abstract Emergent superconductivity at the LaAlO3/KTaO3 interfaces exhibits a mysterious dependence on the KTaO3 crystallographic orientations. Here by soft X-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we directly resolve the electronic structure of the LaAlO3/KTaO3 interfacial superconductors and the non-superconducting counterpart. We find that the mobile electrons that contribute to the interfacial superconductivity show strong k ⊥ dispersion. Comparing the superconducting and non-superconducting interfaces, the quasi-three-dimensional electron gas with over 5.5 nm spatial distribution ubiquitously exists and shows similar orbital occupations. The signature of electron-phonon coupling is observed and intriguingly dependent on the interfacial orientations. Remarkably, the stronger electron-phonon coupling signature correlates with the higher superconducting transition temperature. Our observations help scrutinize the theories on the orientation-dependent superconductivity and offer a plausible and straightforward explanation. The interfacial orientation effect that can modify the electron-phonon coupling strength over several nanometers sheds light on the applications of oxide interfaces in general.

China is a hotspot of relict plant species that were once widespread throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Recent research has demonstrated that the occurrence of long-term stable refugia in the mountainous regions of central and south-western China allowed their persistence through the late Neogene climate fluctuations. One of these relict lineages is Dipteronia, an oligotypic tree genus with a fossil record extending to the Paleocene. Here, we investigated the genetic variability, demographic dynamics and diversification patterns of the two currently recognized Dipteronia species (Dipteronia sinensis and D. dyeriana). Molecular data were obtained from 45 populations of Dipteronia by genotyping three cpDNA regions, two single copy nuclear genes and 15 simple sequence repeat loci. The genetic study was combined with niche comparison analyses on the environmental space, ecological niche modeling, and landscape connectivity analysis. We found that the two Dipteronia species have highly diverged both in genetic and ecological terms. Despite the incipient speciation processes that can be observed in D. sinensis, the occurrence of long-term stable refugia and, particularly, a dispersal corridor along Daba Shan-west Qinling, likely ensured its genetic and ecological integrity to date. Our study will not only help us to understand how populations of Dipteronia species responded to the tectonic and climatic changes of the Cenozoic, but also provide insight into how Arcto-Tertiary relict plants in East Asia survived, evolved, and diversified.

Abstract Collisions between objects are a relatively common phenomenon in nature. Analyses of collision processes can greatly contribute to solving problems such as impact-rub faults and particle impacts. The coefficient of restitution is a critical parameter in the analysis of collision processes. Many experiments have shown that the coefficient of restitution is closely related to the plate thickness, and the smaller the plate thickness, the more inaccurate the coefficient of restitution predicted by the existing model, which seriously affects the process of collision analysis. To remedy this shortcoming, this paper proposes a plate thickness influence factor with the ratio of sphere diameter to plate thickness as the variable. The plate thickness influence factor can optimize the coefficient of restitution model to effectively predict the coefficient of restitution of impacting elastoplastic spheres with finite plate thickness. Finally, the validity of the new model is verified using a large amount of experimental data.

Abstract As an emerging application, generative AI has attracted many users to conduct question and answer (Q&A), which may lead to their defection from social Q&A communities. Based on the push-pull-mooring (PPM) model, this research examined user migration intention from social Q&A communities to generative AI. Data were analyzed using a mixed method of SEM and fsQCA. The results revealed that migration intention is influenced by a combination of push factors (information overload and community fatigue), pull factors (perceived anthropomorphism, perceived accuracy, perceived trustworthiness, and flow experience), and mooring factor (social influence). The fsQCA results identified three main paths leading to migration intention. These results imply that Q&A communities need to reduce information overload and mitigate users’ fatigue in order to retain them and achieve a sustainable development.

Abstract Background Continuous monocropping obstacles are common in plants, especially medicinal plants, resulting in disease outbreaks and productivity reductions. Foliar disease, mainly caused by Fusarium oxysporum, results in a severe decrease in the yield of Pseudostellaria heterophylla annually. Determining an effective biomethod to alleviate this disease is urgently needed to improve its productivity and quality. Results This study screened thirty-two keystone bacterial genera induced by pathogens in P. heterophylla rhizosphere soil under continuous monocropping conditions. Pseudomonas, Chryseobacterium, and Flavobacterium, referred to as the beneficial microbiota, were significantly attracted by pathogen infection. The P. palleroniana strain B-BH16-1 can directly inhibit the growth and spore formation of seven primary pathogens of P. heterophylla foliar disease by disrupting fusaric acid production via the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In addition, strain B-BH16-1 enhances the disease resistance of P. heterophylla by obliterating the pathogen and assembling beneficial microbiota. Conclusion Pathogen-induced Pseudomonas reshaped phyllosphere microbial communities via direct antagonism of pathogens and indirect disruption of the pathogen virulence factor biosynthesis to enhance disease suppression and improve yields. These results show that inhibiting pathogen virulence biosynthesis to reshape the plant microbial community using disease-induing probiotics will be an innovative strategy for managing plant disease, especially under continuous monoculture conditions.

Multiphase microfluidic has emerged as a powerful platform to produce novel materials with tailor-designed functionalities, as microfluidic fabrication provides precise controls over the size, component, and structure of resultant materials. Recently, functional materials with well-defined micro-/nanostructures fabricated by microfluidics find important applications as environmental and energy materials. This review first illustrated in detail how different structures or shapes of droplet and jet templates are formed by typical configurations of microfluidic channel networks and multiphase flow systems. Subsequently, recent progresses on several representative energy and environmental applications, such as water purification, water collecting and energy storage, were overviewed. Finally, it is envisioned that integrating microfluidics and other novel materials will play increasing important role in contributing environmental remediation and energy storage in near future.

A method of quadrupole inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (Q-ICP-MS) based on oxygen reaction mode was established for the accurate determination of trace impurity elements in superalloys. The effect of the collision/reaction mode on the removal of mass spectral interference was investigated. By contrast, the polyatomic mass spectral interference on the target element Cd can be effectively removed under oxygen dynamic reaction cell (DRC-O2) mode. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) peaked when the gas flow was 2 mL/min, and the detection limit was approximately three orders of magnitude lower than that under standard (STD) mode. In addition, the elimination mechanism of mass spectrometric interference was studied. It was found that for the element X (X=Rb, Nb, Mo, Cs, Ta, W or U), the conversion of the interferent species XO to the non-interferent species XOO is a spontaneous reaction when the bond energy of X−O bond is higher than that of O−O bond. Therefore, it is easier to generate ions of XOO species when there is adequate O2 present in the ion source, so as to eliminate XO interference. Based on these results, experiments were carried out to determine elements of Rb, Nb, Mo, Cs, Ta, W and U. The matrix simulated solutions containing high concentration of Mo, Nb, Ta, and W were used to evaluate the methodological parameters for the measurement of trace Cd, Ag, Au, and Hg impurities, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) of the trance elements is 0.08-0.31 μg/g, the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the measurement is 2.3%-3.1% (n=6), and the spiked recovery is in the range of 98%-103%. The reliability of the method was further verified by certified superalloy reference materials. Finally, the trace impurities in three types of superalloy samples were measured. The results indicated that the proposed method can achieve rapid, reliable analysis with low detection limit. Besides, it can meet the measurement requirement of trace impurities when the main elements of Mo, Nb, Ta and W exist in superalloy.

Abstract Purpose Our study aimed to develop and validate a homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) scoring algorithm in the Chinese breast cancer population. Methods and materials Ninety-six in-house breast cancer (BC) samples and 6 HRD-positive standard cells were analyzed by whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Besides, 122 BCs from the TCGA database were down-sampled to ~ 1X WGS. We constructed an algorithm named AcornHRD for HRD score calculated based on WGS at low coverage as input data to estimate large-scale copy number alteration (LCNA) events on the genome. A clinical cohort of 50 BCs (15 cases carrying BRCA mutation) was used to assess the association between HRD status and anthracyclines-based neoadjuvant treatment outcomes. Results A 100-kb window was defined as the optimal size using 41 in-house cases and the TCGA dataset. HRD score high threshold was determined as HRD score ≥ 10 using 55 in-house BCs with BRCA mutation to achieve a 95% BRCA-positive agreement rate. Furthermore, the HRD status agreement rate of AcornHRD is 100%, while the ShallowHRD is 60% in standard cells. BRCA mutation was significantly associated with a high HRD score evaluated by AcornHRD and ShallowHRD (p = 0.008 and p = 0.003, respectively) in the TCGA dataset. However, AcornHRD showed a higher positive agreement rate than did the ShallowHRD algorithm (70% vs 60%). In addition, the BRCA-positive agreement rate of AcornHRD was superior to that of ShallowHRD (87% vs 13%) in the clinical cohort. Importantly, the high HRD score assessed by AcornHRD was significantly correlated with a residual cancer burden score of 0 or 1 (RCB0/1). Besides, the HRD-positive group was more likely to respond to anthracycline-based chemotherapy than the HRD-negative group (pCR [OR = 9.5, 95% CI 1.11–81.5, p = 0.040] and RCB0/1 [OR = 10.29, 95% CI 2.02–52.36, p = 0.005]). Conclusion Using the AcornHRD algorithm evaluation, our analysis demonstrated the high performance of the LCNA genomic signature for HRD detection in breast cancers.

Building facade structures serve as important data support for three-dimensional (3D) building modelling. A building facade structure extraction method based on 3D Laser Point Cloud Data (LPCD) by considering semantic information is proposed. The proposed method mainly involves three steps. First, an improved 3D LPCD semantic segmentation method is introduced to extract and label point clouds as the building structure and walls. Second, structure line segments are recognized from the initial building facade structure based on the Regulated Block RANSAC (RB-RANSAC) algorithm. Third, geometric information such as distance, vector and positional relationship between structure line segments is considered to optimize the initial building facade structure. The proposed method can effectively extract and fit segment structures by considering the semantic and geometric information, obtaining significantly accurate and concise building facade structures. Case studies on 3D LPCD of local buildings and open-source datasets (Semantic3D) prove the extraction accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a significant global public health burden, affecting over 10% of the world’s population. Its high morbidity, multifactorial complications, and substantial mortality impose significant burdens on healthcare systems and patients, necessitating considerable investment in healthcare resources. Renal fibrosis (RF) is a key pathological feature and driver of CKD progression. Extensive research indicates that autophagy participates in the complete pathogenesis of RF. Under physiological conditions, autophagy is essential for maintaining renal cellular homeostasis. However, under pathological conditions, perhaps aberrant and sustained activation of autophagy contributes to oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation, etc. Ultimately, they accelerate the development of RF. The role of autophagy in RF is currently controversial. This review investigates the molecular mechanisms by which intrinsic renal cell autophagy contributes to RF across diverse disease models, suggesting that autophagy and its associated regulatory pathways represent potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for CKD.

BackgroundPseudostellaria heterophylla is used in traditional Chinese medicine, so ensuring an adequate supply of plant material with high levels of bioactive components is important.MethodsUsing an optimized maximum entropy niche model and assays of bioactive components from cultivation samples, this study started from the plant’s natural distribution area and estimated correlations of ecological factors with not only abundance of the plant but also abundance of polysaccharides and heterophyllin B. These correlations were combined with the spatial analysis function in ArcGIS to generate maps of the suitability of different habitats in China for cultivating P. heterophylla under current climate conditions and different models of climate change.ResultsThe following ecological factors emerged as particularly important for habitat suitability: precipitation of driest month and driest quarter, annual precipitation, annual mean temperature, temperature seasonality, and mean temperature of coldest quarter, contributing to a cumulative total of 87%. Under current climate conditions, optimum habitats of P. heterophylla were mainly distributed in the southwestern region (Guizhou) and eastern regions (Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangsu) of China, and only 0.197×106 km2 of these areas were optimum habitat. In future climate change scenarios, the optimal habitat area of P. heterophylla exhibited an increase across different time periods under the SSP5-8.5 climate scenario. By the 2090s, distribution area of high heterophyllin B content under SSP5-8.5 climate scenarios will increase significantly, distribution area of high polysaccharide content had little change under all three climate scenarios (SSP 1-2.6, 2-4.5, 5-8.5). The center of mass of suitable habitat migrates southwestward under scenario SSP 1-2.6 and SSP 2-4.5, while it migrates northward under scenario SSP 5-8.5. Under the three climate scenarios, the center of mass of suitable habitat migrated consistently with that of high polysaccharide content but differed from that of high heterophyllin B content.ConclusionThese findings provide a crucial foundation for cultivating P. heterophylla with superior medicinal properties, developing adaptive management strategies to enhance conservation efforts, and ensuring sustainable utilization in the face of global climate change.

Abstract Multimodal machine learning, as a prospective advancement in artificial intelligence, endeavors to emulate the brain's multimodal learning abilities with the objective to enhance interactions with humans. However, this approach requires simultaneous processing of diverse types of data, leading to increased model complexity, longer training times, and higher energy consumption. Multimodal neuromorphic devices have the capability to preprocess spatio‐temporal information from various physical signals into unified electrical signals with high information density, thereby enabling more biologically plausible multimodal learning with low complexity and high energy‐efficiency. Here, this work conducts a comparison between the expression of multimodal machine learning and multimodal neuromorphic computing, followed by an overview of the key characteristics associated with multimodal neuromorphic devices. The bio‐plausible operational principles and the multimodal learning abilities of emerging devices are examined, which are classified into heterogeneous and homogeneous multimodal neuromorphic devices. Subsequently, this work provides a detailed description of the multimodal learning capabilities demonstrated by neuromorphic circuits and their respective applications. Finally, this work highlights the limitations and challenges of multimodal neuromorphic computing in order to hopefully provide insight into potential future research directions.

IntroductionGastrodiae Rhizoma (referred to Tianma in Chinese), the dried tuber of Gastrodia elata Bl. (Orchidaceae), is utilized as a medicine-food homology product. Sulfur fumigation is commonly employed in the processing of Gastrodiae Rhizoma (GR). Polysaccharides are a crucial active substance produced in GR, yet the impacts of sulfur fumigation on them remain unelucidated.MethodsThis study aimed to optimize the hot water extraction conditions of polysaccharides from sulfur-fumigated GR (SGCPs) and nonsulfur-fumigated GR (NGCPs). The research explored the effects of sulfur fumigation on the structure and antioxidant activity of GR polysaccharides.Results and discussionThe results showed that the optimal extraction conditions for SGCPs and NGCPs were 67°C for 31 min with a liquid-to-material ratio of 15 mL/g and 64°C for 32 min with a liquid-to-material ratio of 17 mL/g, respectively. Compared with NGCPs, SGCPs exhibited significantly reduced DPPH radical, hydroxyl radical, ABTS+ radical scavenging activity, and Fe2+ chelating ability. Moreover, both NGCPs and SGCPs offered significant protective effects against H2O2−induced oxidative damage in RAW264.7 cells, but the protective effect of SGCPs was significantly lower than that of NGCPs. NMR analyses revealed that the main chain connections of SGCP3 and NGCP3 were both →4)-α-D-Glcp-(1→, and sulfur fumigation increased the number of repeating unit structures →4)-D-Glcp-(1 → in GR polysaccharides. SGCP3 and NGCP3 had the same monosaccharides composition but different molar ratios, with molecular weights of 727,650 and 39,991 Da, respectively. In general, sulfur fumigation reduced the antioxidant activities of GR polysaccharides by altering their structure and composition.

The Vav family of guanosine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) regulates the phosphorylation of tyrosinase, influencing various physiological and pathological processes by modulating the binding of Rho GTPases to GDP/GTP. Recent research has highlighted the critical role of Vav family activation in tumorigenesis, neurological disorders, immune-related dysfunctions, and other diseases. This review offers a comprehensive overview of the structure and function of Vav proteins and their significant impact on the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. In addition, we pay attention to the development of diagnostic and therapeutic targets centered around Vav proteins.

Background: Lung cancer causes significant mortality, with invasion and metastasis being the main features that cause most cancer deaths. Lymph node metastasis is the primary metastatic route in non-small cell carcinoma (NSCLC) and influences the staging and prognosis of NSCLC. Cumulative studies have reported that Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) is involved in the progression of various cancers. However, few studies have discussed the function of CEACAM1 in lymphangiogenesis in NSCLC. Here, we examined how CEACAM1 influences lymphangiogenesis in NSCLC. Methods: A total of 30 primary squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) patients diagnosed with LN metastasis were prospectively selected. LUSC tumor tissues, para-cancerous tissues, and positive lymph node tissues were harvested. The expression and subcellular location of CEACAM1, CD31, and LVYE1 in clinical samples were detected by immunohistochemistry. Next, the CEACAM1 and hsa-miR-423-5p expressions were detected by qPCR. The protein expression of lymphangiogenesis-associated proteins and critical cytokines of the NF–κB pathway in HDLECs was detected by Western blot. A tube formation assay was performed to detect the lymphangiogenesis in different groups. The interaction between CEACAM1 and hsa-miR-423-5p was verified using a dual luciferase assay. Results: CEACAM1 was found to be a potential gene associated with lung cancer prognosis. It was positively correlated with angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. Then, we detected the function of CEACAM1 in lymphangiogenesis and found that CEACAM1 promoted lymphangiogenesis. hsa-miR-423-5p overexpression inhibited lymphangiogenesis via targeting CEACAM1. Finally, we observed that CEACAM1 can activate the NF–κB pathway and, therefore, promote lymphangiogenesis. Conclusion: We found that CEACAM1 enhanced lymphangiogenesis in NSCLC via NF-kB activation and was repressed by miR-423-5p. This suggests the value of CEACAM1 as a new therapeutic marker in NSCLC.

Zirconia is a ceramic material with fine properties for dental restorations, but the color of zirconia does not match natural teeth color. In this study, the effect of zirconia doped with different rare earth oxides on the color of denture manufactured by Digital Light Processing (DLP) method was investigated. Experimental results showed that the color of the ceramic parts after sintering could cover Vita 3D colorimetric plate for natural teeth, and the color accuracy was within 1.5 NBS. Meanwhile, the forming accuracy of the denture reached 67.7 μm, and the three-point bending strength was 520.32 ± 35.44–649.10 ± 42.31 MPa, which met the requirements of triple crown in dentistry. This study establishes a method to achieve colors of natural teeth using DLP technology, and the results of this study have important leading implications for the use of additive manufacturing technology to fabricate natural-color ceramic dentures for dental applications.

Abstract Production of electrical energy in an environmental‐friendly manner is important for meeting the increasing demand of electricity in smart vehicles and energy devices. Benefitted from its moderate working temperatures and high conversion efficiency, proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has received broad attention and commercialized rapidly in the past decades. Herein, we comprehensively review the advanced types of electrolytes and their underlying working mechanisms to offer a considerate guidance to develop novel electrolytes with high proton conductivity and wide working temperature window. Moreover, to rationally design cost‐effective and robust electrodes, the well‐developed anode and cathode and their fundamental working principles are elaborately reviewed and discussed. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of overall structure, fabricating approaches of functional components of PEMFC and their corresponding influencing factors are minutely reviewed and analyzed with the aim of tuning cell performance and preparing PEMFC in a high‐throughput way. Lastly, we highlight the conclusions of this review and present the penitential developing directions.

Background: Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is the main treatment for elderly patients with non-metastatic rectal cancer who are ineligible for or decline surgery, but the optimal modality remains unclear. Objectives: This study was to validate the safety and efficacy of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) guided radiotherapy in older patients. Design: An exploratory analysis of a single-arm, multicenter, Phase II trial. Methods: Patients aged over 70 and diagnosed with rectal cancer were enrolled and evaluated by CGA. CGA-guided radiotherapy was individually conducted in a multidisciplinary setting. Patients in fit, intermediate, and frail groups were scheduled to receive CRT, long-course radiotherapy, and short-course radiotherapy (SCRT) alone respectively. Patients who were unfit for or refused surgery were analyzed for acute toxicities and survival outcomes. Results: In a total of 109 enrolled patients, 47 individuals who did not undergo surgery were included, with 26, 9, and 12 categorized into fit, intermediate, and frail groups. Only 11 (23.4%) grade 3 or above toxicities were observed overall. Within a median follow-up of 69.0 months, the 3-year overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates were 44.3% (95% CI: 32.1%–61.2%), 25.5% (95% CI: 15.7%–41.6%) and 61.0% (95% CI: 47.8%–77.6%) in total. The 5-year OS, PFS, and CSS reached 15.0% (95% CI: 7.4%–30.3%), 14.6% (95% CI: 7.3%–29.4%), and 36.2% (95% CI: 22.0%–59.4%), with no significant difference among the three subgroups. SCRT ( p

IntroductionThe proliferation of social media platforms has facilitated the spread of fake news, posing significant risks to public perception and societal stability. Existing methods for multimodal fake news detection have made important progress in combining textual and visual information but still face challenges in effectively aligning and merging these different types of data. These challenges often result in incomplete or inaccurate feature representations, thereby limiting overall performance.MethodsTo address these limitations, we propose a novel framework named MCOT (Multimodal Fake News Detection with Contrastive Learning and Optimal Transport). MCOT integrates textual and visual information through three key components: cross-modal attention mechanism, contrastive learning, and optimal transport. Specifically, we first use cross-modal attention mechanism to enhance the interaction between text and image features. Then, we employ contrastive learning to align related embeddings while distinguishing unrelated pairs, and we apply optimal transport to refine the alignment of feature distributions across modalities.ResultsThis integrated approach results in more precise and robust feature representations, thus enhancing detection accuracy. Experimental results on two public datasets demonstrate that the proposed MCOT outperforms state-of-the-art methods.DiscussionOur future work will focus on improving its generalization and expanding its capabilities to additional modalities.

IntroductionThe placental vascular system plays an important role in the development of pregnancy hypertension in preeclampsia. The gene profiles of whole placental tissue (containing blood vessels and many other structural components) and pure vascular tissue should be very different. All previous reports using RNA-seq analysis in the placenta have tested its whole tissue or the villous part, and thus the gene profiles in the pure placental blood vessels are unknown.MethodsThis study was the first to address this point with RNA-seq in human placenta at the transcript level. Isolated placental micro-vessels from normal and preeclamptic pregnancies were used for RNA-seq analysis, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) verification, and vascular function tests. Furthermore, a vascular function-centric core network was constructed to show the gene-gene interactions and gene-function associations in the placental vessel system.ResultsDifferential expression analysis identified a total of 486 significantly changed transcripts. Bioinformatics analysis further confirmed that multiple genes were highly related to blood vessel and placental phenotypes. Several hub genes, including ELMO1, YWHAE, and IL6ST, were significantly reduced in the placental vessels in preeclampsia. Vascular tension experiments showed that angiotensin II-mediated vasoconstriction and exogenous NO donor sodium nitroprusside-induced vasodilation were decreased, while phenylephrine-mediated vascular responses were unchanged in placental micro-vessels in preeclampsia.DiscussionThe results provide important insights into the pathological process in the placental vasculature in preeclampsia and offer great potential for further investigation of these molecular targets in the human placental vascular system.

BackgroundGastrodiae rhizoma (GR) refers to the dried tuber of Gastrodia elata Bl. and has been used for many centuries to treat brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, major depressive disorder, and cerebral ischemia. However, the processing of GR is complex and varied, resulting in unstable clinical treatment effects. The processing protocols significantly affect the active ingredients and curative effects of GR. We can optimize the processing of GR by identifying quality markers to treat brain diseases.MethodsFresh tubers of G. elata Bl. were processed under eight different protocols, and their resulting contents of potentially bioactive compounds were compared using liquid chromatography mass spectrometry to screen the potential quality markers of GR through stoichiometric analysis. The potential quality markers of GR targeting Alzheimer’s disease, major depressive disorder, and cerebral ischemia were identified by network pharmacology, and the potentially neuroprotective effects of these components were validated through simulated docking to likely protein targets. Finally, a fit degree analysis was carried out using different composition ratios and proportions of the disease component degree value, and the therapeutic effects of different processing methods on Alzheimer’s disease, major depressive disorder, and cerebral ischemia were outlined clearly.ResultsWe identified 32 potential therapeutic components and screened 13 quality markers in GR, of which five quality markers (galactinol, glucosyringic acid, parishins C and E, and S-(4-hydroxybenzyl)-glutathione) showed efficacy against all three brain diseases. Furthermore, steaming and microwave-drying during processing can optimize the components of these quality markers for treating the three diseases.ConclusionProcessing protocols significantly affect the therapeutic components of GR and may also impact its effectiveness in treating brain diseases. Accordingly, optimizing the processing methods of GR to correspond to different therapeutic purposes may improve its efficacy against brain diseases.

IntroductionWith the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence and prevalence of acute pharyngitis (AP) have increased significantly. Tinosporae Radix (TR) is a vital medication utilized in the treatment of pharyngeal and laryngeal ailments, especially AP. The study endeavors to explore unclear molecular mechanisms of TR in addressing AP.MethodsNetwork pharmacology and metabolomics analyses of effect of TR on AP were conducted, and apossible pathway was validated both in vivo using the acute pharyngitis rat model and in vitro using the LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells model, through techniques such as histopathological examinations, immunohistochemical technology, ELISA, RT-qPCR, and Western blotting to systematically explore the possible mechanisms underlying the inhibition of AP by TR.Results and discussionNetwork pharmacology analysis identified several key targets, including PIK3CA, IL6, AKT1, TNF, and PTGS2, alongside pivotal signaling pathways such as IL-17, TNF, Hepatitis B, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), Influenza A, and the PI3K-Akt pathway. Most of them are closely associated with inflammation. Then, wide-target metabolomics analysis showed that TR downregulated substances within the glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway, and modulated the PI3K-Akt pathway. The integrated findings from network pharmacology and metabolomics underscored the pivotal role of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and the attenuation of inflammatory responses. Finally, in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that TR can inhibit inflammatory factors such as IL-6, TNF - α, and COX-2, downregulate targets such as PI3K and AKT on the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and thereby alleviate the inflammatory response of AP. Our study demonstrated that TR exerts an anti-AP effect through suppression of release of inflammatory factors and modulation of glycerophospholipid metabolism via suppressing the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway.

Effects of stress on obesity have been thoroughly studied in high-fat diet fed mice, but not in normal diet fed mice, which is important to clarify because even on a normal diet, some individuals will become obese under stress conditions. Here we compared mice that showed substantial weight gain or loss under chronic mild stress while on a normal diet; we compared the two groups in terms of cognitive function, hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal signaling, neurogenesis and activation of microglia in hippocampus, gene expression and composition of the gut microbiome. Chronic mild stress induced diet-independent obesity in approximately 20% of animals, and it involved inflammatory responses in peripheral and central nervous system as well as hyperactivation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal signaling and of microglia in the hippocampus, which were associated with cognitive deficits and impaired hippocampal neurogenesis. It significantly increased in relative abundance at the phylum level (Firmicutes), at the family level (Prevotellaceae ucg − 001 and Lachnospiraceae NK4a136), at the genus level (Dubosiella and Turicibacter) for some enteric flora, while reducing the relative abundance at the family level (Lactobacillaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae), at the genus level (Bacteroidota, Alistipes, Alloprevotella, Bifidobacterium and Desulfovibrio) for some enteric flora. These results suggest that stress, independently of diet, can induce obesity and cognitive decline that involve dysfunctional gut microbiota. These insights imply that mitigation of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal signaling and microglial activation as well as remodeling of gut microbiota may reverse stress-induced obesity and associated cognitive decline.

Abstract Long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can crucially regulate activation and transformation of cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) but have not been systematically investigated at single cell resolution. Here, by utilizing integrated single‐cell sequencing datasets, we screened the aberrantly expressed lncRNAs in CAFs, which are the major component of tumor microenvironment. Our findings revealed a consistent CAF‐specific downregulation of Maternally Expressed Gene 3 (MEG3) expression and increased MEG3+ proportion at the pan‐cancer level, which may be attributed to m6A‐related post‐transcriptional modifications. Through activation trajectory analysis of the major CAF subtypes, it was determined that elevated MEG3 expression in CAFs leads to an increase in PDGFRA expression. This, in turn, promotes CAF activation and transformation into an MEG3+ adipogenic CAF (MACAF) subtype, which is more sensitive to Dasatinib. MACAF‐related cell–cell interactions highlighted that MACAF could enhance the epithelial‐mesenchymal transition process in tumor cells via the TGF‐β pathway, promoting tumor cell migration and possibly contributing to tumor progression and invasiveness. Notably, patients with higher MACAF scores experience unfavorable prognoses and poor response rates to checkpoint inhibitor‐based immunotherapy, suggesting a correlation between MACAF and immunosuppressive microenvironment shaping. Our findings provide novel insights of the MEG3 in CAF activation and highlight the potential value of the MACAF score for therapeutic strategies design involving Dasatinib and immunotherapy.

BackgroundHelicobacter pylori (H. pylori) eradication has been reported to affect gut microbiota distribution. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of probiotic supplementation on the gastrointestinal microbiota during eradication and the efficacy of bismuth-containing quadruple therapy.MethodsOne hundred treatment-naïve H. pylori-positive patients were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive 14-day bismuth-containing quadruple therapy (esomeprazole, bismuth, amoxicillin, and clarithromycin) combined with the probiotic (Bifidobacterium animalism subsp. lactis BLa80) or placebo. The Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) was completed before and after treatment. Stool samples were collected for 16S rRNA gene sequencing at weeks 0, 2, and 10.ResultsNo significant difference in the eradication rate was observed between the two groups. The incidence of adverse events, especially nausea (p = 0.029), was lower in the probiotic group. After treatment, the GSRS score decreased significantly in the probiotic group (p = 0.039). The gut microbiota underwent considerable changes immediately following eradication treatment, predominantly characterized by an increase in Proteobacteria at the expense of commensal Firmicutes and Bacteroidota, but gradually returned to baseline after eight weeks. By week 10, beneficial genera such as Lachnoclostridium, Parasutterella, Hungatella, and Akkermansia were notably enriched in the probiotic group. Additionally, the correlation networks in the probiotic group were closer to their initial levels at week 10 compared to the placebo group.ConclusionDisturbances in the gut microbiota following H. pylori treatment appeared to be temporary, and probiotic supplementation could mitigate antibiotic-induced alterations in the gut microbiota. This study also provided evidence supporting the effectiveness of probiotics in alleviating gastrointestinal symptoms.

Abstract Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common primary liver cancer and its prognosis remains poor. Although growing numbers of studies have verified the involvement of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in various cancer types, their specific functions in ICC remain elusive. Herein, a circRNA, circUGP2 is identified by circRNA sequencing, which is downregulated in ICC tissues and correlated with patients’ prognosis. Moreover, circUGP2 overexpression suppresses tumor progression in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, circUGP2 functions as a transcriptional co‐activator of PURB over the expression of ADGRB1. It can also upregulate ADGRB1 expression by sponging miR‐3191‐5p. As a result, ADGRB1 prevents MDM2‐mediated p53 polyubiquitination and thereby activates p53 signaling to inhibit ICC progression. Based on these findings, circUGP2 plasmid is encapsulated into a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) system, which has successfully targeted tumor site and shows superior anti‐tumor effects. In summary, the present study has identified the role of circUGP2 as a tumor suppressor in ICC through regulating ADGRB1/p53 axis, and the application of LNP provides a promising translational strategy for ICC treatment.