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Abstract Circular RNA (circRNA) plays a pivotal role in breast cancer onset and progression. Understanding the biological functions and underlying molecular mechanisms of dysregulated circRNAs in breast cancer is crucial for elucidating its pathogenesis and identifying potential therapeutic targets. In this study, we investigated the role and molecular mechanism of circGSK3β in breast cancer. We found that circGSK3β is highly expressed in breast cancer cell lines, where it promotes cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, thereby driving breast cancer progression. Furthermore, we observed a close association between circGSK3β expression levels and immune evasion in breast cancer cells. Mechanistically, circGSK3β acts as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) by interacting with miR-338-3p, thereby promoting breast cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Additionally, circGSK3β positively regulates the expression of the target gene PRMT5 through its interaction with miR-338-3p. This, in turn, enhances H3K4me3 recruitment to the promoter region of PD-L1, resulting in upregulation of PD-L1 expression and consequent immune evasion in breast cancer. In summary, our findings underscore the significance of the circGSK3β-miR-338-3p-PRMT5-H3K4me3 axis in promoting breast cancer progression and immune evasion. CircGSK3β emerges as a critical player in breast cancer pathogenesis, potentially serving as a diagnostic and prognostic marker, and offering novel insights into the role of circRNAs in breast cancer progression.

Abstract African swine fever (ASF) is a highly fatal hemorrhagic disease affecting domestic pigs caused by African swine fever virus (ASFV). Genetic analysis of ASFV isolates to date has identified 24 geographically related genotypes with various subgroups, but only genotype I and II ASFVs have been reported outside Africa. ASFV genotype II and genotype I viruses were reported in China in 2018 and 2021, respectively. In this study, unique and highly conserved noncoding regions were found between MGF_505-9R and MGF_505-10R in the 188 genomes of ASFV genotypes I and II. A pair of primers was designed on the basis of this region. By optimizing the reaction system and conditions, a SYBR Green I fluorescence PCR assay that can distinguish between ASFV genotypes I and II was established, and the sensitivity, reproducibility and specificity were evaluated. The detection limit was 1 TCID50/0.1 mL for both genotypes, with no cross-reactivity observed with other common pig pathogens. The intra- and interbatch variation coefficients were both less than 1.2%. Clinical sample detection analysis revealed 47 positive cases out of 100, including 3 for genotype I and 44 for genotype II, aligning with results from the WOAH-recommended and national standard methods. The method developed in this study allows for the differentiation of ASFV genotypes I and II without the need for genome sequencing, offering a convenient and rapid approach for ASFV detection and genotype identification.

Abstract Unimolecular reduction and bimolecular reductive coupling of carbon monoxide (CO) represent important ways to synthesize organic feedstocks. Reductive activation of CO through open-shell pathways, though rare, can help overcome the barriers of many traditional organometallic elementary reactions that are hard to achieve. Herein we successfully achieve the unimolecular reduction of CO to (TPP)RhCH2OSiR1R2R3 (TPP = 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin), and the release of products CH3OSiR1R2R3, TEMPO-CH2OSiR1R2R3 and BrCH2OSiR1R2R3 in near-quantitative yield under visible light (420–780 nm), which involves radical formation from Rh-C bond homolysis. Bimolecular CO reductive coupling products, (TPP)RhCOCH2OSiR1R2R3, are then obtained via a radical mechanism. Subsequent treatment with n-propylamine, BrCCl3 or TEMPO under thermal or photochemical conditions afford small-molecule bimolecular reductive coupling products. To the best of our knowledge, homogeneous systems which reductively couple CO under photochemical conditions have not been reported before. Here, the use of an open-shell transition metal complex, that delivers more than one kind of small-molecule CO reductive coupling products bearing different functional groups, provides opportunities for useful CO reductive transformations.

Shield tail grouting is an important measure to control tunnelling-induced ground deformation by injecting prepared grouting materials to fill the tail gap. The working performance of grout is usually invisible and hard to obtain in construction. This paper carries out an experimental study to investigate the tail grout behavior in ground. In the current research, a testing device is developed to explore the grout behavior in varying soils. The grout working performance is evaluated not only by the liquid grout properties such as fluidity, consistency, bleeding rate, stone rate and compressed deformation but also solid grout properties such as unconfined compressive strength and permeability. Three typical grouts are chosen and their behaviors in the various soils are observed. To take an insight on the behaviors, scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry analysis are employed. The microstructure of solid grout is a sign of its working performance. The observation shows that the solid grout micro-structure is influenced by grout proportions, pressure, and ground permeabilities. The experimental results are applied in the case of Beijing Metro Line 12 for validation and as a result, the ground movement is inhibited due to high performance of tail grout.

Gelatine (GL) is widely available as a microencapsulated material that prevents the decomposition of canthaxanthin (CX). However, there are still disadvantages such as instability, poor safety, and chromium overload. Our study aimed to determine the effects of using Lignosulfonate (LS) as a potential substitute to GL microencapsulation of CX on the productive performance, egg quality, yolk colour, and serum biochemical indicators of laying hens, as well as the optimal dosage. 1458 healthy ISA brown hens were divided into 9 treatments (162 birds in each group): basal diet containing 0 mg/kg CX (Control), basal diet containing 2 mg/kg GL-microencapsulated CX (GMC2), 4 mg/kg GL-microencapsulated CX (GMC4), 6 mg/kg GL-microencapsulated CX (GMC6), 8 mg/kg GL-microencapsulated CX (GMC8), basal diet containing 2 mg/kg LS-microencapsulated CX (LMC2), 4 mg/kg LS-microencapsulated CX (LMC4), 6 mg/kg LS-microencapsulated CX (LMC6), 8 mg/kg LS-microencapsulated CX (LMC8). The productive performance of each group was recorded daily for 4 weeks. Egg samples were collected and analysed weekly. Serum samples were taken at the end of the experimental period. The results showed that CX-containing diets had no significant effects on laying performance and egg quality (p > .05). The yolk colour level of the CX group was higher than the control group (p

Ordinary polymers have poor adaptability in high-temperature and high-salt reservoir environments due to their properties. Organic/inorganic composite copolymer microspheres have the advantages of both of them, which are expected to break through their applicability limitations in such oil reservoirs. Therefore, its preparation and performance have always been of great concern to researchers. In this paper, AM/AMPS/Si-St ternary copolymers were synthesized by precipitation polymerization; then modified nano-silica particles were added to synthesize AM/AMPS/Si-St/g-SiO2 organic/inorganic composite quaternary copolymers. FT-IR and SEM characterized the copolymers to confirm that they were prepared successfully. Experiments were carried out to investigate the concentration and ratio of monomers, which showed that the Weissenberg effect could be avoided. The number of polymer molecules could be stabilized under AM concentration of 12 wt%, AM/AMPS/Si-St ratio of 8:1:1, nano silica of 3.3% and the modification conditions of KH570:SiO2 = 1:1. The experiments of temperature and salt resistance of two copolymers were evaluated and compared were conducted by using viscosity and particle size as parameters. The results showed that quaternary copolymers could increase the viscosity retention rate by about 10% compared with ternary copolymers under high content of Na+ and Mg2+. When the two copolymers were placed at 150°C, the appearance and morphology of the terpolymer changed obviously. Through the SEM image of the quaternary copolymers, it could be seen that although the spherical shape of the microsphere had been gradually lost, no degradation occurred, and the stable time of the modified microspheres had been effectively extended.

Abstract Rain is a common weather phenomenon, and the challenge of removing rain streaks from a single image is crucial due to its detrimental impact on image quality and the extraction of valuable background information. Existing methods commonly rely on specific assumptions regarding rain models, which restricts their ability to accommodate a wide range of real-world scenarios. To overcome this limitation, these methods often require complex optimization techniques or stepwise refinement strategies. In this paper, we propose a novel wide rectangular regional block and dual attention complementary enhancement deraining kernel prediction subnet to meet the challenge. The network called WRRDANet consists of a kernel prediction subnet and pixel-wise dilation filtering. In the kernel prediction subnet, we capture more specific contextual background information and complex pixel-wise kernels. Afterward, the learned pixel-wise multi-scale kernels from the kernel prediction subnet are used to perform dilation filtering on the original rainy image, effectively restoring richer background details by expanding the scope of deraining to a larger extent. We conducted a comprehensive evaluation using synthetic and real rainfall datasets to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach. The results, both qualitatively and quantitatively, indicate that our approach outperforms other popular rain removal methods.

Abstract Single B-cell antibody generation technology is an advanced method that offers several advantages, including rapid production, high efficiency, and high yield. The antibodies generated via this technique retain their natural conformation and are well suited for applications in pathogen diagnosis, disease treatment, and investigations of virus cross-species transmission mechanisms. Our study aimed to establish a platform for generating single B-cell antibodies specifically targeting the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) 146S antigen in mice. Female BALB/c mice were immunized with inactivated O-type FMDV 146S antigen, and spleen cells were collected for further analysis. Flow cytometric sorting was performed using a biotin-labeled O-type FMDV 146S antigen as a decoy to identify and select CD19 + /CD21/35 + /CD43-/IgM-/Biotin + antigen-specific individual B cells. The gene sequences encoding the variable regions of the heavy and light chains of the murine IgG antibodies were obtained via single-cell nested PCR amplification. Separate constructs were created for the heavy and light chain plasmids to ensure the proper expression of intact IgG antibodies. These plasmids were cotransfected into human embryonic kidney 293T (HEK293T) cells, leading to the successful production and purification of 15 specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 10 which exhibited activity in ELISA tests, and six antibodies that displayed activity in IFA tests. These findings highlight the successful development of a method for generating mouse-derived single B-cell antibodies that target FMDV. This achievement provides a solid foundation for diagnostic techniques and the analysis of antigenic structural variations.

The degradation of micropollutants in water via ultraviolet (UV)-based advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) is strongly dependent on the water matrix. Various reactive radicals (RRs) formed in UV-AOPs have different reaction selectivities toward water matrices and degradation efficiencies for target micropollutants. Hence, process selection and optimization are crucial. This study developed a facilitated prediction method for the photon fluence-based rate constant for micropollutant degradation (k′p,MP) in various UV-AOPs by combining model simulation with portable measurement. Portable methods for measuring the scavenging capacities of the principal RRs (RRSCs) involved in UV-AOPs (i.e., HO·, SO4·−, and Cl·) using a mini-fluidic photoreaction system were proposed. The simulation models consisted of photochemical, quantitative structure–activity relationship, and radical concentration steady-state approximation models. The RRSCs were determined in eight test waters, and a higher RRSC was found to be associated with a more complex water matrix. Then, by taking sulfamethazine, caffeine, and carbamazepine as model micropollutants, the k′p,MP values in various UV-AOPs were predicted and further verified experimentally. A lower k′p,MP was found to be associated with a higher RRSC for a stronger RR competition; for example, k′p,MP values of 130.9 and 332.5 m2·einstein–1, respectively, were obtained for carbamazepine degradation by UV/H2O2 in the raw water (RRSC = 9.47 × 104 s−1) and sand-filtered effluent (RRSC = 2.87 × 104 s−1) of a drinking water treatment plant. The developed method facilitates process selection and optimization for UV-AOPs, which is essential for increasing the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of water treatment.

Abstract Objectives This study aims to describe the differences in body composition among different body parts of the elderly in the community and its relationship with sarcopenia. Methods Elderly people aged ≥65 underwent bioelectric impedance analysis testing and were categorized into a sarcopenia group, possible sarcopenia group, and control group. The characteristics of body composition indicators in different parts and their relationship with different stages of sarcopenia were analyzed. Results The sarcopenia group illustrated the lowest values of FFM, FFM%, BFM, BFM%, ICW, and limb PhA, along with higher ECW/TBW in the trunk and left leg compared to the control group. The possible sarcopenia group showed lower FFM% in limbs and trunk, and higher BFM% compared to the control group. Gender differences in elderly body composition were observed, with an increase in BFM% in various body parts posing a risk factor for possible sarcopenia in elderly males, whereas an increase in BFM% except in the left arm was a protective factor for sarcopenia in elderly females. Conclusion The body composition of the elderly in the community varied significantly in different stages of sarcopenia and genders, which correlated with sarcopenia.

Cadmium (Cd)-contaminated soils may pose a significant threat on human health. They are often treated with quick lime (CaO) and reactive magnesia (MgO), but these treatments often result in low strength. Hence, in this study, partial and full carbonation are used to enhance the stabilization/solidification of CaO- and MgO-treated Cd-contaminated soils, aiming to achieve CO2 sequestration, strength improvement, and Cd immobilization. Performance of treated contaminated soils is evaluated through unconfined compressive strength (UCS), leaching, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) tests. The results indicate that carbonation significantly enhances the UCS of both CaO- and MgO-treated Cd-contaminated soils. After carbonation, MgO-treated soils exhibit higher UCS than CaO-treated soils. Partial and full carbonation yield similar UCS in CaO-treated soils, while full carbonation results in higher UCS in MgO-treated soils. For CaO-treated soils, partial carbonation keeps Cd leachability below the 1 mg/kg limit, but full carbonation increases it beyond this limit. In contrast, fully carbonated MgO-treated soils maintain Cd leachability below the limit, though partial carbonation leads to higher leachability. Formation of Ca and Mg carbonates contributes to the strength improvement of soils. Cd(OH)2 and its complex, as well as CdCO3 exist in partially and fully carbonated soils, lowering leached Cd concentration. Overall, partial carbonation is better for CaO-treated soils, while full carbonation is preferable for MgO-treated soils.

In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as an effective approach for treating tumors, with programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)/programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) being a promising strategy. However, suboptimal therapeutic efficacy limits its clinical benefit. Understanding the regulation mechanism of PD-L1 expression is crucial for improving anti-PD-L1/PD-1 therapy and developing more effective tumor immunotherapy. Previous studies have revealed that resistance to PD-L1/PD-1 blockade therapy arises from the upregulation of CD38 on tumor cells induced by ATRA and IFN-β, which mediates the inhibition of CD8+ T cell function through adenosine receptor signaling, thereby promoting immune evasion.Yet, the precise role of CD38 in regulating PD-L1 on malignant tumor cells and its impact on CD8+ T cells through PD-L1 remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that CD38 is highly expressed in malignant tumors (lung cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, cervical cancer) and upregulates PD-L1 protein expression, impairing CD8+ T cell function. Mechanistically, CD38 phosphorylates GSK3β via the adenosine-activated cAMP-PKA signaling pathway, leading to GSK3β inactivation and enhanced PD-L1 stability and expression, facilitating tumor immune escape. Furthermore, we identify PRMT5 as a novel CD38-interacting molecule that symmetrically dimethylates CD38 arginine position 58, augmenting PD-L1 stability and expression through the ADO-cAMP-GSK3β signaling axis. This inhibits CD8+ T cell-mediated tumor cell killing, enabling tumor cells to evade immune surveillance. Our findings suggest that targeting the CD38 R58 site offers a new avenue for enhancing anti-PD-L1/PD-1 therapy efficacy in tumor treatment.

Pseudoaneurysm of the vertebral artery is a rare cause of posterior circulation stroke. Treatment for this condition can be achieved through microscopic surgery or endovascular therapy. We report a case of a 36-year-old middle-aged male patient who presented with left limb numbness as the sole complaint. On a magnetic resonance imaging examination, multiple infarcts were observed in the left cerebellar tonsil. A subsequent head and neck computed tomography angiography examination led to the diagnosis of a pseudoaneurysm in the left vertebral artery. Following standard antiplatelet therapy, the patient underwent endovascular intervention. The patient’s left limb numbness gradually subsided after surgery. A follow-up angiography performed 1 week after discharge showed no recurrence. These findings suggest that covered stent placement is an effective method of treating pseudoaneurysm of the vertebral artery.

Abstract As a significant infectious disease in livestock, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) imposes substantial economic losses on the swine industry. Identification of diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets has been a focal challenge in PPRS prevention and control. By integrating metabolomic and lipidomic serum analyses of clinical pig cohorts through a machine learning approach with in vivo and in vitro infection models, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is discovered as a serum metabolic biomarker for PRRS virus (PRRSV) clinical diagnosis. PRRSV promoted LPA synthesis by upregulating the autotaxin expression, which causes innate immunosuppression by dampening the retinoic acid‐inducible gene I (RIG‐I) and type I interferon responses, leading to enhanced virus replication. Targeting LPA demonstrated protection against virus infection and associated disease outcomes in infected pigs, indicating that LPA is a novel antiviral target against PRRSV. This study lays a foundation for clinical prevention and control of PRRSV infections.

ABSTRACT The emergence and spread of the African swine fever virus (ASFV) posed a significant threat to the global swine breeding industry, calling for innovative approaches benefiting viral containment and control. A recent study (Z. Zheng, L. Xu, H. Dou, Y. Zhou, X., et al., Microbiol Spectr 12: e02164-23, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.02164-23) established a multiplexed CRISPR-Cas system targeting the genome of ASFV and tested the consequent antiviral activity both in vitro and in vivo. Application of this system showed a significant reduction of viral replication in vitro, while the germline-edited pigs expressing this system exhibited normal growth with continuous guide RNA expression. Although no survival advantage was observed upon ASFV challenge compared with nonengineered pigs, this marks the first attempt of germline editing to pursue ASFV resistance and paves the way for future disease-resistant animal breeding approaches utilizing CRISPR-Cas technology.

ObjectiveThis study points to probing the inclination and mapping knowledge domain of acupuncture for Parkinson’s disease through bibliometrics.MethodsA search was conducted on 1 February 2024 using the Web of Science to identify papers published on acupuncture for Parkinson’s disease. The analysis included scientific research, countries, organizations, authors/cited authors, keywords, journals, and cited references. Bibliometric data were analyzed using VOSviewer software, CiteSpace, GraphPad Prism, and Scimago Graphica. The studies on acupuncture for Parkinson’s disease were visualized as a network map according to the publication year.ResultsThe cumulative publication trend on acupuncture for Parkinson’s disease is increasing year by year. China is the leading contributor in this field. International collaboration is predominantly concentrated in Europe, while institutional collaboration is chiefly limited to Chinese universities specializing in traditional Chinese medicine. Park HJ is the most prolific author, with “Movement Disorders” being the journal with the most publications. “Brain Research” is identified as a key journal, reflecting a focus on neuroscience. Kim SN is the most cited author, while Eisenberg DM is a prominent author in this field. Research topics such as mouse models, systematic reviews, and non-motor symptoms are frequently explored, with messenger RNA of substantia nigra emerging as a notable keyword in this field. Choi YG’s 2009 paper, published in the Neuroscience Letters journal, is a critical reference in this field. Key papers include Eisenberg DM’s 1998 study on randomized trials of acupuncture for non-motor symptoms of PD, as well as research focusing on the neuroinflammatory regulatory mechanisms of acupuncture for PD.ConclusionThe bibliometric analysis offers an exhaustive generality of the advancement and worldwide trends in acupuncture treatments for Parkinson’s disease, shedding light on potential avenues for prospective research.

Abstract Widespread distribution of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) has led to catastrophic losses to the global pig farming industry. As a result, there is an urgent need for rapid, sensitive and accurate tests for PEDV to enable timely and effective interventions. In the present study, we develop and validate a floating gate carbon nanotubes field-effect transistor (FG CNT-FET)-based portable immunosensor for rapid identification of PEDV in a sensitive and accurate manner. To improve the affinity, a unique PEDV spike protein-specific monoclonal antibody is prepared by purification, and subsequently modified on FG CNT-FET sensor to recognize PEDV. The developed FET biosensor enables highly sensitive detection (LoD: 8.1 fg/mL and 100.14 TCID50/mL for recombinant spike proteins and PEDV, respectively), as well as satisfactory specificity. Notably, an integrated portable platform consisting of a pluggable FG CNT-FET chip and a portable device can discriminate PEDV positive from negative samples and even identify PEDV and porcine deltacoronavirus within 1 min with 100% accuracy. The portable sensing platform offers the capability to quickly, sensitively and accurately identify PEDV, which further points to a possibility of point of care (POC) applications of large-scale surveillance in pig breeding facilities.

The investigation and research of the distribution, biological characteristics, water environment and sediment environmental elements of the seagrass bed in Caofeidian was conducted to define the distribution area of the seagrass bed, classify its coverage, analyze and study the ecological characteristics of the seagrass bed and the characteristics of key environmental impact factors. This provides technical references for understanding the resource and environmental background of the Caofeidian seagrass bed, delimiting the protection area, marine ecological restoration, and blue carbon research. The results show that the dominant species of the Caofeidian seagrass bed is eelgrass, The average plant height is 75.00±6.15 cm/shoot. Moreover, there are differences among different sites. The overall average stem density is 261.26±48.50 shoots/m2, and the total average aboveground and belowground biomass are 302.53±71.79 g DW/m2 and 114.71±27.40 g DW/m2, respectively. The distribution area of the seagrass bed is 42.90 km2, with dense area, relatively dense area, general area, relatively sparse area and sparse area accounting for 13.09%, 12.93%, 18.82%, 18.75% and 36.40%, respectively. The seagrass is distributed in two regions, northern and southern, with dense area and relatively dense area mostly distributed in the northern region. The difference in water environment between the grass bed area and the bare sand area is not significant, while the difference in sediment environment between the grass bed area and the bare sand area is significant. Water temperature, nutrient salts, transparency, water flow, and human engineering activities are key factors that affect the growth of seagrass in the Caofeidian sea area.

An important prerequisite for improving the reliability of lung cancer surveillance and clinical interventions is accurate lung nodule segmentation. Although deep learning is effective at performing medical image segmentation, lung CT image heterogeneity, nodule size, shape, and location variations, convolutional localized feature extraction characteristics, the receptive field limitations of continuous downsampling, lesion edge information losses, fuzzy boundary segmentation challenges, and the low segmentation accuracy achieved when segmenting lung CT images using deep learning remain. An edge-enhanced multiscale Sobel coordinate attention-atrous spatial convolutional pooling pyramid V-Net (SCA-VNet) algorithm for lung nodule segmentation was proposed to solve these problems. First, a residual edge enhancement module was designed, which was used to enhance the edges of the original data. Using an edge detection operator in combination with a residual module, this module could reduce data redundancy and alleviate the gray level similarity between the foreground and background. Then, a 3D atrous spatial convolutional pooling pyramid module set different expansion rates, which could obtain feature maps under different receptive fields and capture the multiscale information of the segmentation target. Finally, a three-dimensional coordinate attention network (3D CA-Net) module was added to the encoding and decoding paths to extract channel weights from multiple dimensions. This step propagated the spatial information in the coding layer to the subsequent layers, and it could reduce the loss of information during the forward propagation process. The proposed method achieved a Dice coefficient of 87.50% on the lung image database consortium and image database resource initiative (LIDC-IDRI). It significantly outperformed the existing lung nodule segmentation models (UGS-Net, REMU-Net, and multitask models) and compared favorably with the Med3D, CENet, and PCAM_Net segmentation models in terms of their Dice coefficients, which were 3.37%, 2.2%, and 1.43%, respectively. The experimental results showed that the proposed SCA-VNet model attained improved lung nodule segmentation accuracy and laid a good foundation for improving the early detection rate of lung cancer.

Abstract African Swine Fever virus (ASFV), the causative agent of African swine fever, is a highly lethal hemorrhagic virus affecting domestic pigs and wild boars. The primary target cells for ASFV infection are porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs), which are difficult to obtain and maintain in vitro, and less subjective to genetic editing. To overcome these issues and facilitate ASFV research, we obtained a subclonal cell line PK1-C5 by subcloning LLC-PK1 cells that support stable ASFV proliferation. This consequential cell line exhibited high ASFV infection levels and similar viral growth characteristics to PAMs, while also allowing high-efficiency genomic editing through transfection or lentivirus transduction of Cas9. Taken together, our study provided a valuable tool for research aspects including ASFV-host interactions, pathogenicity, and vaccine development.

Abstract Purpose To create radiomics signatures based on habitat to assess the instant response in lung metastases of colorectal cancer (CRC) after radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Methods Between August 2016 and June 2019, we retrospectively included 515 lung metastases in 233 CRC patients who received RFA (412 in the training group and 103 in the test group). Multivariable analysis was performed to identify independent risk factors for developing the clinical model. Tumor and ablation regions of interest (ROI) were split into three spatial habitats through K-means clustering and dilated with 5 mm and 10 mm thicknesses. Radiomics signatures of intratumor, peritumor, and habitat were developed using the features extracted from intraoperative CT data. The performance of these signatures was primarily evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) via the DeLong test, calibration curves through the Hosmer-Lemeshow test, and decision curve analysis. Results A total of 412 out of 515 metastases (80%) achieved complete response. Four clinical variables (cancer antigen 19–9, simultaneous systemic treatment, site of lung metastases, and electrode type) were utilized to construct the clinical model. The Habitat signature was combined with the Peri-5 signature, which achieved a higher AUC than the Peri-10 signature in the test set (0.825 vs. 0.816). The Habitat+Peri-5 signature notably surpassed the clinical and intratumor radiomics signatures (AUC: 0.870 in the test set; both, p

Dredged marine soils (DMS) have poor engineering properties, which limit their usage in construction projects. This research examines the application of reactive magnesia (rMgO) containing supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) to stabilize DMS under ambient and carbon dioxide (CO2) curing conditions. Several proprietary experimental tests were conducted to investigate the stabilized DMS. Furthermore, the carbonation-induced mineralogical, thermal, and microstructural properties change of the samples were explored. The findings show that the compressive strength of the stabilized DMS fulfilled the 7-d requirement (0.7–2.1 MPa) for pavement and building foundations. Replacing rMgO with SCMs such as biochar or ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBS) altered the engineering properties and particle packing of the stabilized soils, thus influencing their performances. Biochar increased the porosity of the samples, facilitating higher CO2 uptake and improved ductility, while GGBS decreased porosity and increased the dry density of the samples, resulting in higher strength. The addition of SCMs also enhanced the water retention capacity and modified the pH of the samples. Microstructural analysis revealed that the hydrated magnesium carbonates precipitated in the carbonated samples provided better cementation effects than brucite formed during rMgO hydration. Moreover, incorporating SCMs reduced the overall global warming potential and energy demand of the rMgO-based systems. The biochar mixes demonstrated lower toxicity and energy consumption. Ultimately, the rMgO and biochar blend can serve as an environmentally friendly additive for soft soil stabilization and permanent fixation of significant amounts of CO2 in soils through mineral carbonation, potentially reducing environmental pollution while meeting urbanization needs.

Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) is an emerging pathogen that can cause severe diarrhoea and high mortality in suckling piglets. Moreover, evidence of PDCoV infection in humans has raised concerns regarding potential public health risks. To identify potential therapeutic targets for PDCoV, we performed a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 library screening to find key host factors important to PDCoV infection. Several host genes in this screen were enriched, including ANPEP, which encodes the PDCoV receptor aminopeptidase N (APN). Furthermore, we discovered C16orf62, also known as the VPS35 endosomal protein sorting factor like (VPS35L), as an important host factor required for PDCoV infection. C16orf62 is an important component of the multiprotein retriever complex involved in protein recycling in the endosomal compartment and its gene knockout led to a remarkable decrease in the binding and internalization of PDCoV into host cells. While we did not find evidence for direct interaction between C16orf62 and the viral s (spike) protein, C16orf62 gene knockout was shown to downregulate APN expression at the cell surface. This study marks the first instance of a genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9-based screen tailored for PDCoV, revealing C16orf62 as a host factor required for PDCoV replication. These insights may provide promising avenues for the development of antiviral drugs against PDCoV infection.

Folliculin interacting protein 1 (FNIP1), a novel folliculin interacting protein 1, is a key regulatory factor for mitochondrial function. FNIP1 mainly responds to energy signal transduction through physical interactions with 5′-AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK). Simultaneously, it affects the transcription of mitochondria-associated genes by regulating the lysosomal localization of mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (mTORC1). This article takes FNIP1 as the core and first introduces its involvement in the development of B cells and invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, muscle fiber type conversion, and the thermogenic remodeling of adipocytes by regulating mitochondrial function. In addition we discuss the detailed impact of upstream regulatory factors of FNIP1 on its function. Finally, the impact of FNIP1 on the prognosis and treatment of clinically related metabolic diseases is summarized, aiming to provide a new theoretical basis and treatment plans for the diagnosis and treatment of such diseases.

Increasing genetic and phenotypic data size is critical for understanding the genetic determinants of diseases. Evidently, establishing practical means for collaboration and data sharing among institutions is a fundamental methodological barrier for performing high-powered studies. As the sample sizes become more heterogeneous, complex statistical approaches, such as generalized linear mixed effects models, must be used to correct for the confounders that may bias results. On another front, due to the privacy concerns around Protected Health Information (PHI), genetic information is restrictively protected by sharing according to regulations such as Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This limits data sharing among institutions and hampers efforts around executing high-powered collaborative studies. Federated approaches are promising to alleviate the issues around privacy and performance, since sensitive data never leaves the local sites. Motivated by these, we developed FedGMMAT, a federated genetic association testing tool that utilizes a federated statistical testing approach for efficient association tests that can correct for confounding fixed and additive polygenic random effects among different collaborating sites. Genetic data is never shared among collaborating sites, and the intermediate statistics are protected by encryption. Using simulated and real datasets, we demonstrate FedGMMAT can achieve the virtually same results as pooled analysis under a privacy-preserving framework with practical resource requirements.

A 24-year-old male patient complained of mild knee pain after jogging. The subsequent knee MRI demonstrated bilateral lateral thickened tibiofemoral cartilages, evidenced by deformities of the bilateral subchondral bone beneath the lateral femoral condyle cartilage. The corresponding dislocations of almost all the left lateral meniscus and part of the right lateral meniscus to the center of the joint were detected. After excluding diagnoses of congenital ring-shaped meniscus, bucket handle tear of the C-shaped lateral meniscus, and central tear of the discoid meniscus, the displacement of all or part of the lateral meniscus into the intercondylar notch was considered a consequence of congenital thickening of the lateral superior and inferior cartilage. This case may report a new variant of knee joint pathology.

Along with the intensification of global ecological problems, corporate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues have attracted extensive attention from the investment community, and solving these issues is crucial for sustainable development. However, little is known about the research on equity structure reform on corporate ESG performance, especially state-owned capital on private firms' ESG performance. To this end, we utilize the panel data of 1,589 privately listed firms in China from 2013 to 2021 to explore the impact of state-owned capital on the ESG performance of private firms. The findings suggest that state-owned capital significantly improves the ESG performance of private firms. In addition, the results of mechanism analysis indicate that state-owned capital stimulates ESG performance through the dual path of improving the mitigation of external financial constraint problems and internal control environment problems. We also find that firms' external environmental shocks enhance the extent to which state capital injection into private firms enhances ESG performance, and these external environmental shocks include the strength of environmental regulation in the region, whether the firms' attribute is that of heavily polluting industries, and the strength of external media attention. In summary, our findings support the conjecture that state capital injection into private firms will be followed by enhanced ESG performance, and the external environment is a factor that influences this process. Our study may provide lessons for the sustainable development of private firms and dig deeper into the internal root causes and external shock factors.

The incidence of multiple primary tumors(MPTs) is on the rise in recent years, but patients having four or more primary tumors is still rare. Lynch syndrome (LS) patients have a high risk of developing MPTs. NGS sequencing could identify the genetic alterations in different tumors to make a definite diagnosis of uncommon cases in clinical practice. Here, we report the case of a 66-year-old female patient who develops four MPTS between the ages of 41 and 66, that is sigmoid colon cancer, acute non-lymphocytic leukemia, urothelial carcinoma and ascending colon cancer. She has survived for more than 26 years since the first discovery of tumor. Targeted sequencing indicates that she has a pathogenic germline mutation in the exon 13 of MSH2, and her 2020 ureteral cancer sample and 2023 colon cancer sample have completely different mutation profiles. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of multiple primary tumors with an acute non-lymphocytic leukemia in LS patients.

Carbon dots (CDs) with different structures were prepared by electrolysis (PE-CDs) and hydrothermal (PH-CDs) methods using proanthocyanidins as precursors. The smaller size and lower zeta potential enabled the PE-CDs treated rice seedlings to exhibit greater resistance to salt stress. The fresh weight of rice seedlings under salt stress was significantly increased by spraying CDs every other day for two weeks. PE-CDs treated group exhibited a faster electron transport rate, and the SOD activity and flavonoid content were 2.5-fold and 0.23-fold higher than those of the salt stress-treated group. Furthermore, the metabolomics and transcriptomics analysis revealed that the PsaC gene of photosystem I was significantly up-regulated under PE-CDs treatment, which accelerated electron transfer in photosystem I. The up-regulation of BX1 and IGL genes encoding indole synthesis allowed rice to enhance stress tolerance through tryptophan and benzoxazine biosynthesis pathways. These findings offer help in purposefully synthesizing CDs and boosting food production.

Abstract mRNA vaccines are becoming a feasible alternative for treating cancer. To develop mRNA vaccines against LUAD, potential antigens were identified and LUAD ferroptosis subtypes distinguished for selecting appropriate patients. The genome expression omnibus, cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and FerrDB were used to collect gene expression profiles, clinical information, and the genes involved in ferroptosis, respectively. cBioPortal was used to visualize and compare genetic alterations, GEPIA2 to calculate prognostic factors of the selected antigens, and TIMER to visualize the relationship between potential antigens and tumor immune cell infiltration. Consensus clustering analysis was utilized to identify ferroptosis subtypes and their prognostic value assessed by Log-rank and cox regression tests. The modules of ferroptosis-related gene screening were conducted by weight gene co-expression network analysis. The LUAD ferroptosis landscape was visualized through dimensionality reduction and graph learning. Six tumor antigens had obvious LUAD-mutations, positively correlated with different antigen-presenting cells, and might induce tumor cell ferroptosis. LUAD patients were stratified into three ferroptosis subtypes (FS1, FS2, and FS3) according to diverse molecular, cellular, and clinical characteristics. FS3 showed the highest tumor mutation burden and the most somatic mutations, deemed potential indicators of mRNA vaccine effectiveness. Moreover, different ferroptosis subtypes expressed distinct immune checkpoints and immunogenic cell death modulators. AGPS, NRAS, MTDH, PANX1, NOX4, and PPARD are potentially suitable for mRNA vaccinations against LUAD, specifically in patients with FS3 tumors. This study defines vaccination candidates and establishes a theoretical basis for LUAD mRNA vaccinations.

Abstract Accurately obtaining accurate information about the future traffic flow of all roads in the transportation network is essential for traffic management and control applications. In order to address the challenges of acquiring dynamic global spatial correlations between transportation links and modeling time dependencies in multi-step prediction, we propose a spatial linear transformer and temporal convolution network (SLTTCN). The model is using spatial linear transformers to aggregate the spatial information of the traffic flow, and bidirectional temporal convolution network to capture the temporal dependency of the traffic flow. The spatial linear transformer effectively reduces the complexity of data calculation and storage while capturing spatial dependence, and the time convolutional network with bidirectional and gate fusion mechanisms avoids the problems of gradient vanishing and high computational cost caused by long time intervals during model training. We conducted extensive experiments using two publicly available large-scale traffic data sets and compared SLTTCN with other baselines. Numerical results show that SLTTCN achieves the best predictive performance in various error measurements. We also performed attention visualization analysis on the spatial linear transformer, verifying its effectiveness in capturing dynamic global spatial dependency.

Spatiotemporal (ST) remote sensing satellites (RSSs) play essential roles in numerous fields including environmental monitoring, agriculture, urban planning, disaster management, and scientific research. The Fengyun III E satellite, also known as FY-3E, is dedicated to advancing numerical weather prediction and offers distinctive capabilities in weather forecasting, tropical cyclone, and other extreme meteorological event warnings, climate monitoring, as well as solar and space weather observation. Given the escalating concerns surrounding global warming, high-temperature predictions (HTPs) have emerged as a pressing issue. Nonetheless, ongoing challenges persist, encompassing inaccurate identification of satellite images, sluggish HTP speeds, heightened risks linked to meteorological information fusion, and disparities in interpreting conflicting ST RSS data from various satellites. To address these challenges, an FY-3E RSS data-based HTP model grounded in multigranularity (MG) picture fuzzy (PF) probabilistic rough sets (PRSs) is proposed, complemented by an improved sixfold strategy consensus-reaching process (6FS-CRP) to facilitate meteorologists in consensus reaching. Initially, the concept of adjustable MG PF PRSs is introduced by integrating picture fuzzy sets with PRSs. Subsequently, a clustering algorithm based on trust similarity analysis is employed as the clustering method within the proposed framework, alongside the incorporation of 6FS-CRP. Following this, the 6FS-CRP algorithm is seamlessly integrated into the adjustable MG PF PRS model, thereby introducing the PF 6FS-CRP application on HTPs. Finally, leveraging satellite data from the China Meteorological Data Service Centre, the proposed model is applied to satellite image analysis, weather forecasting, and HTPs, thereby validating its feasibility and effectiveness.

Abstract Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), as a key node in numerous carcinogenic signaling pathways, is activated in various tumor tissues and plays important roles in tumor formation, metastasis, and drug resistance. STAT3 is considered a potential subtarget for tumor therapy. Noncoding RNA (ncRNA) is a special type of RNA transcript. Transforming from “junk” transcripts into key molecules involved in cell apoptosis, growth, and functional regulation, ncRNA has been proven to be closely related to various epithelial–mesenchymal transition and drug resistance processes in tumor cells over the past few decades. Research on the relationship between transcription factor STAT3 and ncRNAs has attracted increased attention. To date, existing reviews have mainly focused on the regulation by ncRNAs on the transcription factor STAT3; there has been no review of the regulation by STAT3 on ncRNAs. However, understanding the regulation of ncRNAs by STAT3 and its mechanism is important to comprehensively understand the mutual regulatory relationship between STAT3 and ncRNAs. Therefore, in this review, we summarize the regulation by transcription factor STAT3 on long noncoding RNA, microRNA, and circular RNA and its possible mechanisms. In addition, we provide an update on research progress on the regulation of STAT3 by ncRNAs. This will provide a new perspective to comprehensively understand the regulatory relationship between transcription factor STAT3 and ncRNAs, as well as targeting STAT3 or ncRNAs to treat diseases such as tumors.

This study presents the biomimetic design of the structure and controller of AutoLEE-II, a self-balancing exoskeleton developed to assist patients in performing multiple rehabilitation movements without crutches or other supporting equipment. Its structural design is founded upon the human body structure, with an eliminated axis deviation and a raised CoM of the exoskeleton. The controller is a physical parameter-independent controller based on the CoM modification. Thus, the exoskeleton can adapt to patients with different physical parameters. Five subjects underwent exoskeleton-assisted rehabilitation training experiments, including squatting, tilting, and walking trainings. The results showed that the exoskeleton can assist patients in completing various rehabilitation exercises and help them maintain their balance during the rehabilitation training. This helpful role of the exoskeleton in rehabilitation training is analyzed through an electromyography (EMG) data analysis. The findings revealed that wearing the exoskeleton can reduce the activity of the lower limb muscles by approximately 20–30% when performing the same rehabilitation exercises.

In the continuously evolving context of urbanization, more people flock to cities for job opportunities and an improved quality of life, resulting in undeniable pressure on transportation networks. This leads to severe daily commuting challenges for residents. To mitigate this urban traffic pressure, most cities have adopted urban dockless bicycle sharing systems (UDBSS) as an effective measure. However, making accurate decisions regarding UDBSS demand in different city locations is crucial, as incorrect choices can worsen transportation problems, causing difficulties in finding bicycles or excessive deployments leading to disorderly accumulation. To address this decision-making challenge, it is essential to consider uncertain factors like daily weather, temperature, and workdays. To tackle this effectively, we construct an adjustable multi-granularity (MG) complex intuitionistic fuzzy (CIF) information system using complex intuitionistic fuzzy sets (CIFSs). This system objectively determines classification thresholds using an evaluation-based three-way decision (TWD) method, creating adjustable MG CIF probabilistic rough sets (PRSs). Additionally, to recognize the irrationality of decision-makers (DMs), we propose a method that combines prospect theory (PT) with regret theory (RT), providing a more comprehensive understanding of the influence of DMs' psychological factors on decision outcomes. Building upon these foundations, we present static rebalancing strategies for UDBSS based on MG PRSs and prospect-regret theory (P-RT) within the CIF information system. Finally, using UDBSS data collected from various sensors, we conduct experimental analysis to verify its feasibility and stability. In summary, this approach considers residents’ daily usage preferences, including bicycles utilization and return, with the aim of minimizing unmet resident demands and predicting usage patterns for the next day. It effectively addresses the issue of UDBSS distribution inefficiencies and holds a significant advantage in prediction, making it suitable for broader applications in transportation systems and contributing to the establishment of more advanced modern intelligent transportation systems (MITSs) in the future.

Graphene with excellent mechanical and physical properties has shown its great application potential in aluminum matrix composites. In this paper, graphene oxide nanosheets with negative charges were fabricated by the Hummers' method and they are absorbed on the treated aluminum powders with positive charges by electrostatic self-assembly. Then, graphene reinforced aluminum matrix composites (Gr/Al) were prepared by powder metallurgy. The effects of the Gr content on mechanical performance and corrosion resistance were investigated. The results show that Gr is distributed at the boundary and bonds well with aluminum in Gr/Al composite. Mechanical properties of the composite initially increase then decrease with the increase of Gr content. When the Gr content reaches 0.3 wt%, the ultimate tensile strength reaches 110 MPa and the wear coefficient is 0.39. However, the corrosion resistance decreases with increasing the Gr content and the corrosion mechanism is also investigated in details.

In this study, the effects of three cultivation methods (hydroponics germination promotion + germination insertion treatment, hydroponic germination promotion + germination post-insertion treatment, and substrate cultivation treatment) on seed germination, seedling establishment, and growth of Zostera marina were studied at 15 ℃, and the cultivation costs and physiological responses of Z. marina seedlings to different cultivation methods were analyzed. The experiment lasted for 42 days. The results revealed that there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) in the seed germination rate and seedling establishment rate of Z. marina between treatments of hydroponic germination promotion + germination insertion and hydroponic germination promotion + germination post-insertion. The average of the two cultivation methods reached 54.8% and 46.5%, which were 1.3 and 1.6 times higher than those under the substrate cultivation treatment, respectively (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences (P < 0.05) in the growth indices of Z. marina seedlings between the two cultivation methods of hydroponic germination promotion + germination insertion and hydroponic germination promotion + hydroponic germination post-insertion, but the average were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those under the substrate cultivation treatment. Specifically, the average of root production rate was 1.6 times higher than that under the substrate cultivation treatment. Principal component analysis revealed that the physiological state of Z. marina seedlings was best under the hydroponics germination promotion + substrate implantation treatment. The contributions of the total nitrogen and soluble sugar contents were greater under the two treatments with an average of 16.6% and 15.0%, respectively, which were 1.2 times greater than those under the substrate cultivation treatment (P < 0.05). The analysis of cultivation costs showed that the treatment of germination promotion + germination post-insertion cultivation had the lowest cultivation costs (3.6 Yuan/plant), which was 81.9% of that under the treatment of germination promotion + germination insertion cultivation. The results showed that the hydroponic germination promotion + germination post-insertion treatment is a suitable method for cultivating Z. marina seedlings, mainly by enhancing the formation of nonstructural carbohydrates and increasing the photosynthetic pigment content of seedlings.

This study presents an optimized design for a Segmented Sinusoidal Parameter Winding with Magnetic Wedge Variable Reluctance Resolver (SSPWMW-VRR), addressing challenges like winding asymmetry and harmonic distortion in conventional designs. By integrating particle swarm optimization (PSO) for winding design, magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) analysis for leakage flux, and machine learning techniques (XGBoost and Multi-Layer Perceptron), the stator slot shape was fine-tuned for improved accuracy. XGBoost outperformed MLP in prediction accuracy with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.1172. Finite element analysis (FEA) simulations and experimental validation demonstrated a reduction in position errors from ±30′ in conventional VRRs to ±5′ in the optimized design, along with significant harmonic reduction.

Waste slag and rubber particles are commonly used to modify concrete, offering benefits such as reduced cement consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions during cement production. In this study, these two environmentally friendly, sustainable waste materials were proposed for the preparation of mortar intended for snow-melting pavements. A series of experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the material and to determine whether its compressive and flexural strengths meet the requirements of pavement specifications. The mortar’s suitability for snow-melting pavements was assessed based on its thermal conductivity, impermeability, and freeze–thaw resistance. The results indicate that slag, when used in different volume fractions, can enhance the compressive and flexural strength of the mortar. Slag also provides excellent thermal conductivity, impermeability, and resistance to freeze–thaw cycles, contributing to the overall performance of snow-melting pavements. When the slag content was 20%, the performance was optimal, with the compressive strength and flexural strength reaching 58.5 MPa and 8.1 MPa, respectively. The strength loss rate under freeze–thaw cycles was 8.03%, the thermal conductivity reached 2.2895 W/(m * K), and the impermeability pressure value reached 0.5 MPa. Conversely, the addition of rubber particles was found to decrease the material’s mechanical and thermal properties. However, when used in small amounts, rubber particles improved the mortar’s impermeability and resistance to freeze–thaw cycles. When the rubber content was 5% by volume, the impermeability pressure value reached 0.5 MPa, which was 166.7% lower than that of ordinary cement mortar. Under freeze–thaw cycles, the strength loss rate of the test block with a rubber content of 25% volume fraction was 9.83% lower than that of ordinary cement mortar.

One of the major factors hindering efficient livestock production is the presence of high-impact infectious animal diseases, such as foot and mouth disease (FMD), lumpy skin disease (LSD), and bovine ephemeral fever (BEF), which are notable viral infections affecting cattle in Egypt, leading to significant economic losses. FMD is caused by the foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) of the genus Aphthovirus in the Picornaviridae family. LSD is caused by lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) of Capripox genus within the Poxviridae family, subfamily Chordopoxvirinae. BEF is caused by bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) of genus Ephemerovirus in the Rhabdoviridae family. FMD is a highly contagious viral infection of domestic and wild cloven-hooved animals and can spread through the wind. On the other hand, LSD and BEF are arthropod-borne viral diseases that mainly affect domestic cattle and water buffalo. Despite government vaccination efforts, these three viral diseases have become widespread in Egypt, with several reported epidemics. Egypt’s importation of large numbers of animals from different countries, combined with unregulated animal movements through trading and borders between African countries and Egypt, facilitates the introduction of new FMDV serotypes and lineages not covered by the current vaccination plans. To establish an effective control program, countries need to assess the real epizootic situation of various infectious animal diseases to develop an efficient early warning system. This review provides information about FMD, LSD, and BEF, including their economic impacts, causative viruses, global burden, the situation in Egypt, and the challenges in controlling these diseases.

African swine fever is an extremely infectious viral disease that can cause nearly 100% mortality in domestic pigs. In this study, we isolated an ASFV strain HB31A and characterized it using hemadsorption assay, immunofluorescence assay, and electron microscopy. We then performed animal experiments on 20-day-old pigs through intramuscular and oronasal inoculations with HB31A. Pigs in the intramuscular group exhibited more consistent clinical disease, with an incubation period of 4.33 ± 0.47 days and a 100% mortality rate within 6.67 (±0.47) days post-inoculation (dpi). In contrast, the oronasal group experienced a longer course of disease, with an incubation period of 6.00 ± 0.82 days. Two out of three pigs in the oronasal group died at 8 and 10 dpi, while the surviving pig exhibited chronic disease and persistent infection, intermittently excreting ASFV through the oral, nasal, and rectal pathways. Virus DNA was found in oral, nasal, and rectal swabs at 1–3 dpi in the intramuscular group and at 3–5 dpi in the oronasal group. In summary, HB31A is highly lethal to domestic pigs, and field-infected pigs have the potential to develop non-lethal, chronic disease and persistent infection, with intermittent viral shedding, even when infected with a highly virulent strain. These findings offer a valuable understanding of the viral dynamics and pathogenicity of ASFV and highlight the difficulties in diagnosing, preventing, and controlling African swine fever.

The two patients included in the study had mixed and refractory post-tuberculosis tracheobronchial stenosis (PTTS), having experienced unsuccessful interventional therapies such as balloon dilation and V-shaped stent placement before the operation. Following the secure placement of L-shaped silicone stents, examinations with a fiberbronchoscope during the first and third months post-operation revealed a significant reduction in bronchial mucosa inflammation for both patients. Additionally, the opening diameter of the upper and lower branch segments increased, and chest CT scans indicated a noticeable absorption of left pulmonary lesions. Three months post-operation, fiberbronchoscopy confirmed the stable fixation of the stent without any movement. The patients exhibited substantial improvements in pulmonary function, dyspnea index, and blood gas analysis, with no reported adverse complications. After 7 months, a follow-up fiberbronchoscope for one case revealed excellent stent fixation. Simultaneously, the chest CT scan indicated favorable re-expansion. The placement of L-shaped silicone stents proves effective in preventing displacement, alleviating airway stenosis or obstruction, and ensuring the safety and efficacy of PTTS treatment – particularly in cases where V-shaped silicone stent placement has failed. To our knowledge, this is the first study describing the L-shaped silicone stent in two patients with PTTS.

African swine fever (ASF) is an acute hemorrhagic and devastating infectious disease affecting domestic pigs and wild boars. It is caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV), which is characterized by genetic diversity and sophisticated immune evasion strategies. To facilitate infection, ASFV encodes multiple proteins to antagonize host innate immune responses, thereby contributing to viral virulence and pathogenicity. The molecular mechanisms employed by ASFV-encoded proteins to modulate host antiviral responses have not been comprehensively elucidated. In this study, it was observed that the ASFV MGF505–6R protein, a member of the multigene family 505 (MGF505), effectively suppressed the activation of the interferon-beta (IFN-β) promoter, leading to reduced mRNA levels of antiviral genes. Additional evidence has revealed that MGF505–6R antagonizes the cGAS-STING signaling pathway by interacting with the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) for degradation in the autophagy-lysosomal pathway. The domain mapping revealed that the N-terminal region (1–260aa) of MGF505–6R is the primary domain responsible for interacting with STING, while the CTT domain of STING is crucial for its interaction with MGF505–6R. Furthermore, MGF505–6R also inhibits the activation of STING by reducing the K63-linked polyubiquitination of STING, leading to the disruption of STING oligomerization and TANK binding kinase 1 (TBK1) recruitment, thereby impairing the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3). Collectively, our study elucidates a novel strategy developed by ASFV MGF505–6R to counteract host innate immune responses. This discovery may offer valuable insights for further exploration of ASFV immune evasion mechanisms and antiviral strategies.

ObjectiveThis research aims to explore the trends and knowledge domain of acupuncture for cerebral infarction through bibliometrics.MethodsPublications related to acupuncture for cerebral infarction were retrieved from the Web of Science core collection database from 1993 to December 31, 2023. A domain knowledge graph was then constructed using VOSviewer, CiteSpace, GraphPad Prism, and Scimago Graphica.ResultsThe cumulative publication trend shows a steady increase over the years, with China being the most productive country. Notably, Europe exhibits significant close collaboration. Institutional cooperation is primarily observed among Chinese universities specializing in traditional Chinese medicine. Tao Jing is the most prolific author, with his highest number of publications is in “Stroke” journal, and Acupuncture Electro Therapeutics Research is the significant journal. Zhang SH is the most cited author, and Si QM is a prominent author in this field. Rehabilitation treatment after cerebral infarction emerges as a prevalent research focus, with nerve regeneration being a keyword. Long EZ's 1989 paper, published in the journal Stroke, holds significant importance. The prominent papers are Donnan et al. and Wu et al., which covers the following topics: “population-based study,” “Baihui Acupoint,” “memory deficits,” “neurotrophic factor,” and “randomized trial.”ConclusionThis bibliometric analysis of acupuncture for cerebral infarction offers insights into the Web of Science database, delineates a knowledge map of countries, authors, institutions, cited authors, keywords, cited references in the field of acupuncture for cerebral infarction, which has a momentous guiding significance for quickly and accurately positioning the key information in the field.

Introduction Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) inform healthcare decisions. It is now apparent that some published RCTs contain false data and some appear to have been entirely fabricated. Systematic reviews are performed to identify and synthesise all RCTs that have been conducted on a given topic. While it is usual to assess methodological features of the RCTs in the process of undertaking a systematic review, it is not usual to consider whether the RCTs contain false data. Studies containing false data therefore go unnoticed and contribute to systematic review conclusions. The INveStigating ProblEmatic Clinical Trials in Systematic Reviews (INSPECT-SR) project will develop a tool to assess the trustworthiness of RCTs in systematic reviews of healthcare-related interventions.Methods and analysis The INSPECT-SR tool will be developed using expert consensus in combination with empirical evidence, over five stages: (1) a survey of experts to assemble a comprehensive list of checks for detecting problematic RCTs, (2) an evaluation of the feasibility and impact of applying the checks to systematic reviews, (3) a Delphi survey to determine which of the checks are supported by expert consensus, culminating in, (4) a consensus meeting to select checks to be included in a draft tool and to determine its format and (5) prospective testing of the draft tool in the production of new health systematic reviews, to allow refinement based on user feedback. We anticipate that the INSPECT-SR tool will help researchers to identify problematic studies and will help patients by protecting them from the influence of false data on their healthcare.Ethics and dissemination The University of Manchester ethics decision tool was used, and this returned the result that ethical approval was not required for this project (30 September 2022), which incorporates secondary research and surveys of professionals about subjects relating to their expertise. Informed consent will be obtained from all survey participants. All results will be published as open-access articles. The final tool will be made freely available.

ABSTRACTArbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) could establish symbiosis with plant roots, which enhances plant resistance to various stresses, including drought stress and salt stress. Besides AMF, chemical stimulants such as trehalose (Tre) can also play an important role in helping plants alleviate damage of adversity. However, the mechanism of the effect of AMF combined with chemicals on plant stress resistance is unclear. The objective of this study was to explore the synergistic effects of Claroideoglomus etunicatum AMF and exogenous Tre on the antioxidant system, osmoregulation, and resistance-protective substance in plants in response to salt stress. Tomato seedlings were inoculated with Claroideoglomus etunicatum and combined with exogenous Tre in a greenhouse aseptic soil cultivation experiment. We measured the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiont development, organic matter content, and antioxidant enzyme activity in tomato seedlings. Both AMF and Tre improved the synthesis of chlorophyll content in tomato seedlings; regulated the osmotic substance including soluble sugars, soluble protein, and proline of plants; and increased the activity of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, and catalase. The combination of AMF and Tre also reduced the accumulation of malondialdehyde and alleviated the damage of harmful substances to plant cells in tomato seedlings. We studied the effects of AMF combined with extraneous Tre on salt tolerance in tomato seedlings, and the results showed that the synergistic treatment of AMF and Tre was more efficient than the effects of AMF inoculation or Tre spraying separately by regulating host substance synthesis, osmosis, and antioxidant enzymes. Our results indicated that the synergistic effects of AMF and Tre increased the plant adaptability against salt damage by enhancing cell osmotic protection and cell antioxidant capacity.IMPORTANCEAMF improve the plant adaptability to salt resistance by increasing mineral absorption and reducing the damage of saline soil. Trehalose plays an important role in plant response to salt damage by regulating osmotic pressure. Together, the use of AMF and trehalose in tomato seedlings proved efficient in regulating host substance synthesis, osmosis, and antioxidant enzymes. These synergistic effects significantly improved seedling adaptability to salt stress by enhancing cell osmotic protection and cell antioxidant capacity, ultimately reducing losses to crops grown on land where salinization has occurred.

Aimed at the problem that a large number of hyperspectral remote sensing images were rich in spectral and spatial information, and the labeled samples available for image classification were far less than unlabeled samples, a semisupervised spectral-spatial classification algorithm was proposed by fusing spectral measure-based label transfer and Tri-training.A spectral measure-based label transfer method was proposed for our algorithm.The transferred labels and predicted labels for Tri-training algorithm were used to predict the labels of expanded unlabeled samples, which can promoted the prediction accuracies of labels for expanded unlabeled samples.Meanwhile, our algorithm selectel expanded samples based on spatial correlation, and used spectral and spatial features to improve the accuracy of image classification.Experimental study was executed on two public hyperspectral remote sensing image datasets, and the results showed that the proposed algorithm outperform tri-training algorithm.

Abstract The rapid expansion of large-scale pig farming has brought about a surge in viral diseases with high morbidity rates and diverse manifestations. This widespread occurrence of multiple viral diseases in pig farms has inflicted severe economic losses on the global swine industry. Consequently, there is an urgent need for eco-friendly and efficient antiviral drugs that can effectively combat viruses and prevent diseases such as PEDV, PRRSV, PRV, and other viral infections. To this end, we conducted a study on the antiviral activity and cytotoxicity of eleven different Chinese herbal extracts (CHE) against PRV. In vitro testing of several extracts, namely, Echinacea, Ilex purpurea Hassk, Ganoderma lucidum Kars, Taraxacum mongolicum, and Ilex rotunda Thunb, exhibited remarkable inhibition of PRV infection without causing any cytotoxic effects. Specifically, their antiviral selectivity indexes were significantly higher, with values ranging from 6- to 144-fold. The antiviral efficacy of five CHEs was evaluated against other RNA viruses, including PRRSV and PEDV. The extracts showed substantial inhibition of PEDV and PRRSV proliferation. Echinacea and Ilex purpurea Hassk extracts exhibited the highest virus inhibitory effects. To understand the antiviral mechanisms underlying their potent activity, a time-of-addition experiment was conducted. The results indicated that these extracts effectively targeted the early infection and postinfection stages of PRV, PEDV, and PRRSV. The study found that the Chinese herbal extracts, Echinacea and Ilex purpurea Hassk, had both direct and indirect effects on virus particles and cellular targets, demonstrating broad-spectrum antiviral activity against multiple clinical strains of PRV and PEDV. These findings provide a strong foundation for the development of herbal medicines to prevent and treat infections caused by PRV, PEDV and PRRSV in the swine industry. The identified extracts show great promise for the formulation of effective and environmentally friendly antiviral interventions. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Background The main types of PD-L1 in the blood include soluble PD-L1 (sPD-L1), exosomal PD-L1 (exoPD-L1), and PD-L1 in circulating tumor cells (CTCs). However, the predictive and prognostic values of these three indicators in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy are unclear, warranting a systematic meta-analysis. Methods A systematic literature search was performed in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) values were extracted from the included studies to investigate the correlation between the three PD-L1 indicators and overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival (PFS). The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to examine the quality of the included studies. Subgroup analyses were employed to investigate the heterogeneity. The publication bias of the included studies was assessed using Begg's and Egger's tests. P 0.05) or PFS (HR = 1.62, 95% CI = 0.92–2.86, P > 0.05). Meanwhile, the upregulated pre-treatment exoPD-L1 levels were significantly associated with poor PFS (HR = 4.44, 95% CI = 2.87–6.89, P