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Little is known about the role that combined sleep behaviors play in the association with chronic liver disease (CLD) risk. We included 408,560 participants initially free of CLD from the UK Biobank. A healthy sleep pattern was defined by early chronotype, sleep duration of 7–8 h/day, no insomnia, no snoring, and no excessive daytime sleepiness. Cox regression models were used to examine the association of healthy sleep pattern with incident CLD and their interaction with PNPLA3 genetic risk. During a median 12.5 years of follow-up, we documented 10,915 incident all-cause CLD cases, including 388 viral hepatitis, 4782 non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), 1356 cirrhosis, 973 alcoholic liver disease, and 725 liver cancer cases. Compared to participants with a healthy sleep score of 0–1, the hazard ratio (HR) (95 % confidence interval [CI]) for those with a sleep score of 5 was 0.54 (0.49, 0.60) for CLD, 0.52 (0.30, 0.90) for viral hepatitis, 0.47 (0.41, 0.55) for NAFLD, 0.57 (0.43, 0.75) for cirrhosis, 0.32 (0.23, 0.44) for alcoholic liver disease, and 0.53 (0.37, 0.77) for liver cancer. Healthy sleep pattern and PNPLA3 genetic risk exerted significant additive effects on CLD risk (relative excess risk due to the interaction: 0.05; attributable proportion due to the interaction: 13 %). Measurement error was unavoidable for self-reported data on sleep behaviors. Our analyses provide evidence that healthy sleep pattern was inversely associated with the development of CLD, and participants with higher genetic risk were more likely to develop CLD when exposed to the unhealthy sleep pattern. • Adherence to a healthy sleep pattern was associated with a reduced risk of chronic liver diseases. • Healthy sleep pattern and genetic predisposition may synergistically influence the risks of chronic liver diseases. • Our findings underscore the importance of extensive intervention targeting sleep behaviors should be undertaken to reduce the risk of chronic liver diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Telomere length has been linked to various health outcomes. To comprehensively investigate the causal effects of telomere length throughout the human disease spectrum, we conducted a phenome-wide Mendelian randomization study (MR-PheWAS) and a systematic review of MR studies. Methods We conducted a PheWAS to screen for associations between telomere length and 1 035 phenotypes in the UK Biobank (n = 408 354). The exposure of interest was the genetic risk score (GRS) of telomere length. Observed associations passing multiple testing corrections were assessed for causality by 2-sample MR analysis. A systematic review of MR studies on telomere length was performed to harmonize the published evidence and complement our findings. Results Of the 1 035 phenotypes tested, PheWAS identified 29 and 78 associations of telomere length GRS at a Bonferroni- and false discovery rate-corrected threshold; 24 and 66 distinct health outcomes were causal in the following principal MR analysis. The replication MR using data from the FinnGen study provided evidence of causal effects of genetically instrumented telomere length on 28 out of 66 outcomes, including decreased risks of 5 diseases in respiratory diseases, digestive diseases, and myocardial infarction, and increased risks of 23 diseases, mainly comprised neoplasms, diseases of the genitourinary system, and essential hypertension. A systematic review of 53 MR studies found evidence to support 16 out of the 66 outcomes. Conclusions This large-scale MR-PheWAS identified a wide range of health outcomes that were possibly affected by telomere length, and suggested that susceptibility to telomere length may vary across disease categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manganese oxides are highly reactive minerals and influence the geochemical cycling of carbon, nutrients, and numerous metals in natural environments. Natural Mn oxides are believed to be dominantly formed by biotic processes. A marine Mn-oxidizing fungus Neoroussoella solani MnF107 was isolated and characterized in this study. SEM observations show that the Mn oxides are formed on the fungal hyphal surfaces and parts of the hypha are enveloped by Mn oxides. TEM observations show that the Mn oxides have a filamentous morphology and are formed in a matrix of EPS enveloping the fungal cell wall. Mineral phase analysis of the fungal Mn oxides by XRD indicates that it is poorly crystalline. Chemical oxidation state analysis of the fungal Mn oxides confirms that it is predominantly composed of Mn(IV), indicating that Mn(II) has been oxidized to Mn (IV) by the fungus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single molecule localization microscopy offers resolution nearly down to the molecular level with specific molecular labelling, and is thereby a promising tool for structural biology. In practice, however, the actual value to this field is limited primarily by incomplete fluorescent labelling of the structure. This missing information can be completed by merging information from many structurally identical particles in a particle fusion approach similar to cryo-EM single-particle analysis. In this paper, we present a data analysis of particle fusion results of fluorescently labelled Nup96 nucleoporins in the Nuclear Pore Complex to show that Nup96 occurs in a spatial arrangement of two rings of 8 units with two Nup96 copies per unit giving a total of 32 Nup96 copies per pore. We use Artificial Intelligence assisted modeling in Alphafold to extend the existing cryo-EM model of Nup96 to accurately pinpoint the positions of the fluorescent labels and show the accuracy of the match between fluorescent and cryo-EM data to be better than 3 nm in-plane and 5 nm out-of-plane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyphantria cunea is a globally distributed quarantine plant pest. In a previous study, the Cordyceps javanica strain BE01 with a strong pathogenic effect on H. cunea was identified, and overexpression of the subtilisin-like serine protease CJPRB of this strain was found to accelerate the death of H. cunea (previous research results). In this study, the active recombinant CJPRB protein was obtained through the Pichia pastoris expression system. It was found that CJPRB protein administration to H. cunea via infectation, feeding and injection was able to induce changes in protective enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and the expression of immune defense-related genes in H. cunea. In particular, CJPRB protein injection induced a more rapid, widespread and intense immune response in H. cunea compared to the other two treatment methods. The results suggest that the CJPRB protein may play a role in eliciting a host immune response during infectation by C. javanica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pericarp of chili pepper contains phenols and alkylamides, which are potential sources of antioxidant compounds. Although these compounds are recognized as primary antioxidants in chili pepper, there is limited knowledge about their use in real food systems. The purpose of this study was to identify and isolate the polyphenol fractions (PF) and alkylamide fraction (AF) from chili pepper and assess their impact on the shelf-life of refrigerated chicken breast meat over a 12-day period with analysis at 4-day intervals. Through the use of HPLC-MS2, 10 polyphenols and 2 alkylamides were identified in both pepper fractions. The study examined four treatments: Control, AF at 30 mg/mL, PF at 1.5 mg/mL, and PF at 6 mg/mL. All treatments significantly reduced the levels of bacteria, such as psychrotrophic, lactic acid, and Pseudomonas spp, as well as yeasts-molds, compared to the control group during the storage period. Additionally, the levels of total volatile basic nitrogen, protein oxidation, and Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance were significantly lower in PF at 6 mg/mL and PF at 1.5 mg/mL treatments compared to those of the control and AF at 30 mg/mL. Furthermore, PF at 6 mg/mL and PF at 1.5 mg/mL had a favorable effect on sensory attributes, with PF at 6 mg/mL significantly improving sensory scores. The findings of this study suggest that using PF as a natural preservative can enhance the shelf-life of chicken breast meat. • Chili pepper extract was fractionated into polyphenol fraction (PF) and alkylamide fraction (AF).). • PF and AF was added to grounded chicken breast meat as natural preservative at 4 °C for 12 days of storage. • 6 mg/mL of PF extract showed strong antioxidant and antibacterial activities than other fractions. • Both the PF and AF fractions extended the shelf-life of chicken breast meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary We present a fast particle fusion method for particles imaged with single-molecule localization microscopy. The state-of-the-art approach based on all-to-all registration has proven to work well but its computational cost scales unfavorably with the number of particles N , namely as N 2. Our method overcomes this problem and achieves a linear scaling of computational cost with N by making use of the Joint Registration of Multiple Point Clouds (JRMPC) method. Straightforward application of JRMPC fails as mostly locally optimal solutions are found. These usually contain several overlapping clusters that each consist of well-aligned particles, but that have different poses. We solve this issue by repeated runs of JRMPC for different initial conditions, followed by a classification step to identify the clusters, and a connection step to link the different clusters obtained for different initializations. In this way a single well-aligned structure is obtained containing the majority of the particles. Results We achieve reconstructions of experimental DNA-origami datasets consisting of close to 400 particles within only 10 min on a CPU, with an image resolution of 3.2 nm. In addition, we show artifact-free reconstructions of symmetric structures without making any use of the symmetry. We also demonstrate that the method works well for poor data with a low density of labeling and for 3D data. Availability and implementation The code is available for download from https://github.com/wexw/Joint-Registration-of-Multiple-Point-Clouds-for-Fast-Particle-Fusion-in-Localization-Microscopy. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "Particle fusion of super-resolution data reveals the unit structure of Nup96 in Nuclear Pore Complex" published in Scientific Reports. The correction addresses an error in Figure 4 of the original article, where the atomic model was missing. The corrected version of Figure 4 is provided, showing the overlay of fluorophore positions from SMLM particle fusion data and the SNAP-tag derived from cryo-EM data. The original article has been corrected. [Extracted from the article]

Faeces Vespertilionis is a commonly used fecal traditional Chinese medicine. Traditionally, it is identified relying only on morphological characters. This poses a serious challenge to the composition analysis accuracy of this complex biological mixture. Thus, for quality control purposes, an accurate and effective method should be provided for taxonomic identification of Faeces Vespertilionis. In this study, 26 samples of Faeces Vespertilionis from ten provinces in China were tested using DNA metabarcoding. Seven operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected as belonging to bats. Among them, Hipposideros armiger (Hodgson, 1835) and Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Schober and Grimmberger, 1997) were the main host sources of Faeces Vespertilionis samples, with average relative abundances of 59.3% and 24.1%, respectively. Biodiversity analysis showed that Diptera and Lepidoptera were the most frequently consumed insects. At the species level, 19 taxa were clearly identified. Overall, our study used DNA metabarcoding to analyze the biological composition of Faeces Vespertilionis, which provides a new idea for the quality control of this special traditional Chinese medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graph: Figure 4Overlay of the fluorophore positions from the SMLM particle fusion data (pink) and the SNAP-tag derived from the cryo-EM data (purple). These authors contributed equally: Sjoerd Stallinga and Bernd Rieger. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is an effective inducer of pro-inflammatory cytokines regulating innate and adaptive immunity. Inflammation could be a double-edged sword, promoting or inhibiting tumour growth. To date, the roles and mechanisms of IL-33 in tumours remain controversial. Here, we examined the effect of exogenous IL-33 on the biological characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the possible mechanism of action.Methods: In this study, IL-33 expression in the tissues of 69 HCC patients was detected and its relationship with prognosis was evaluated. After establishing a mouse HCC model and IL-33 treatment operation, the infiltration of splenic myeloid-derived suppressor (MDSCs), dendritic (DCs), regulatory T, and natural killer (NK) cells was detected by flow cytometry analysis, and the vascular density of the tumour tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry to reveal the mechanism of IL-33 in HCC proliferation. Finally, the Cancer Genome Atlas database was used to analyse Gene Ontology terms the and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes pathway. Moreover, the chi-square test, two-tailed unpaired Student's t-test, and multiple t-tests were performed using SPSS version 23.0 and GraphPad Prism 8.0 software.Results: The IL-33 expression level was negatively correlated with the overall survival of HCC patients, suggesting its potential clinical significance in the prognosis of HCC. We found that systemic IL-33 administration significantly promoted the tumour size in vivo. Furthermore, the IL-33-treated mice presented decreased frequencies of tumouricidal NK and CD69+ CD8+ T cells. After IL-33 treatment, the incidence of monocytic MDSCs and conventional DCs increased, while that of granulocytic MDSCs decreased. Moreover, IL-33 promoted the formation of intracellular neovascularization. Therefore, IL-33 accelerated HCC progression by increasing the accumulation of immunosuppressive cells and neovascularization formation. Finally, we found that the transcription of IL-33 was closely related to the PI3K-Akt and MAPK pathways in Gene Set Enrichment Analysis plots, which were involved in the tumourigenesis and pathogenesis of HCC.Conclusions: Taken together, IL-33 may be a key tumour promoter of HCC proliferation and tumourigenicity, an important mediator, and a potential therapeutic target for regulating HCC progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine adenovirus-3 (BAdV-3) is a non enveloped, icosahedral DNA virus containing a genome of 34446 bps. The intermediate region of BAdV-3 encodes pIX and IVa2 proteins. Here, we report the characterization of BAdV-3 IVa2. Anti-IVa2 serum detected a 50 kDa protein at 24–48 h post infection in BAdV-3 infected cells. The IVa2 localizes to nucleus and nucleolus of BAdV-3 infected cells. Analysis of mutant IVa2 demonstrated that amino acids 1–25 and 373–448 are required for nuclear and nucleolar localization of IVa2, respectively. The nuclear import of IVa2 utilize importin α -1 of importin nuclear import pathway. Although deletion/substitution of amino acids 4–18 is sufficient to abrogate the nuclear localization of IVa2, amino acids 1–25 are required for nuclear localization of a cytoplasmic protein. Furthermore, we demonstrate that amino acids 1–25 and 120–140 of IVa2 interact with importin α-1 and pV proteins, respectively in BAdV-3 infected cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the use of chimeric antigen receptor-modified T (CAR-T)-cells in the treatment of hematological tumors has been successful and has become a clinical hotspot in tumor immunotherapy. However, their wide application is limited by inherent risks such as graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and the amount of time it takes to produce CAR-T cells. Natural killer (NK) cells can be xenografted and have the potential to become off-the-shelf products, making CAR-NK cell therapies universal products. These products may be safer than CAR-T cell therapy. Considering that the fundamental researche is still in its infancy, this review focuses on clinical achievements and new strategies for improving the safety and efficacy of CAR-NK cell therapy, as well as the corresponding challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial community structure and metabolic activities have profound impacts on biogeochemical processes in marine sediments. Functional bacteria such as nitrate- and sulfate-reducing bacteria respond to redox gradients by coupling specific reactions amenable to relevant energy metabolisms. However, similar functional patterns have not been observed for sedimentary archaea (except for anaerobic methanotrophs and methanogens). We coupled taxonomic composition with comprehensive geochemical species to investigate the participation of distinct bacteria and archaea in sedimentary geochemical cycles in a sediment core (300 cm) from Pearl River Estuary (PRE). Geochemical properties (NO3−, dissolved Mn and Fe, SO42+, NH4+; dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), δ13CDIC, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total organic carbon (TOC), δ13CTOC, and fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM)) exhibited strong depth variability of different trends. Bacterial 16S rRNA- and dsrB gene abundance decreased sharply with depth while archaeal and bathyarchaeotal 16S rRNA gene copies were relatively constant. This resulted in an increase in relative abundance of archaea from surface (11.6%) to bottom (42.8%). Network analysis showed that bacterial groups of Desulfobacterales, Syntrophobacterales and Gammaproteobacteria were significantly (P < 0.0001) associated with SO42− and dissolved Mn while archaeal groups of Bathyarchaeota, Group C3 and Marine Benthic Group D (MBGD) showed close positive correlations (P < 0.0001) with NH4+, δ13CTOC values and humic-like FDOM. Our study suggested that these bacterial groups dominated in redox processes relevant to sulfate or metal oxides, while the archaeal groups are more like to degrade recalcitrant organic compounds in anaerobic sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional fermentation of Chinese vinegar is characterized by low mechanization degree, resulting in great demands on the labor force and low production efficiency. Bioreactors present an alternative route to enhancing vinegar production. In this study, we investigated the changing dynamics in the major quality indicators of vinegar during solid-state vinegar fermentation using a rotary drum bioreactor (RDB) and traditional fermentation (TF). The bioactive and volatile aroma compounds generated by both methods were determined and compared. Our analysis revealed identical trends in the alcohol, reducing sugar, total acid, and amino nitrogen contents obtained using both fermentation methods. The total acid content of raw vinegar produced in the RDB was 5.1% higher than that produced by TF, and the fermentation cycle was 6 days shorter. The main organic acids detected were acetic and lactic acid, and the total phenolic, flavonoid, ligustrazine, acetoin, and diacetyl levels tended to increase in the RDB. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analyses showed that the main volatile flavor components (VFCs) were identical for both fermentation methods. In particular, we detected 64 and 60 VFCs after RDB fermentation and TF, respectively. The major VFCs detected in the early, middle, and late fermentation periods were alcohols, esters, and acids, respectively. These results indicate that the RDB showed better fermentation performance than that of TF, thereby demonstrating considerable potential for producing high-quality vinegar in industrial applications. • The quality change dynamics of vinegar produced by an RDB were firstly reported. • The total acid content of raw vinegar in the RDB was 5.1% higher than that in TF. • The fermentation time of vinegar in RDB was 6 days shorter than that in TF. • The bioactive component contents were higher in the RDB than those in TF. • 64 and 60 volatile flavor compounds were found in vinegar by RDB fermentation and TF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semantic segmentation of remote sensing ship targets is one of the most challenging works in image processing, especially for small and multi‐scale ship target detection. To solve these problems, an efficient method based on convolutional neural networks (CNN) to detect ship targets is proposed. This method introduces the attention model to the network to enhance the characteristics of small targets and combines atrous convolution with traditional CNN to increase the receptive field. To preserve the information lost by pooling, the proposed method uses the passthrough layer method to retain more features and concatenate the high‐ and low‐resolution features. To verify the effectiveness of the method proposed in this study, the performance was evaluated by using precision, recall, F1‐Score, mean intersection‐over‐union (IoU), and pixel accuracy measurements. These performances are all higher than the traditional semantic segmentation network SegNet. Mean IoU increases to 0.783 and pixel accuracy increases to 0.935. This method can conclusively identify ship targets in remote sensing images and has a certain reference value for remote sensing target detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light is an important environmental factor, which mainly inhibits hypocotyl elongation through various photoreceptors. In contrast, brassinosteroids (BRs) are major hypocotyl elongation-promoting hormones in plants, which could optimize photomorphogenesis concurrent with external light. However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying the antagonism of light and BR signaling remain largely unknown. Here we show that the Arabidopsis red light receptor phyB is involved in inhibition of BR signaling via its direct interaction with the BR transcription factor BES1. In our study, the phyB mutant displays BR hypersensitivity, which is repressed in transgenic plants overexpressing phyB, suggesting that phyB negatively regulates the BR signaling pathway. In addition, protein interaction results show that phyB directly interacts with dephosphorylated BES1, the physiologically active form of BES1 induced by BR, in a red light-dependent manner. Genetic analyses suggest that phyB may act partially through BES1 to regulate BR signaling. Transcriptomic data and quantitative real-time PCR assay further show that phyB-mediated red light inhibits BR signaling by repressing expression of BES1 target genes, including the BR biosynthesis genes DWF4, the SAUR family and the PRE family genes required for promoting cell elongation. Finally, we found that red light treatment inhibits the DNA-binding activity of BES1 and photoactivated phyB represses the transcriptional activity of BES1 under red light. Taken together, we suggest that the interaction of phyB with dephosphorylated BES1 may allow plants to balance light and BR signaling by repressing transcriptional activity of BES1 to regulate expression of its target genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The real-time determination of meat quality is important to both consumers and meat producers. In this study, a portable optical device was developed based on dual-band visible/near-infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopy to realize the real-time and simultaneous detection of multiple quality attributes of pork. A ‘response correction’ algorithm was proposed to fuse two separate spectral regions into a contiguous one that covers the entire Vis/NIR region. Then, partial least square regression (PLSR) models based on single and dual spectral regions for each attribute were developed and their results were compared. Finally, an improved competitive adaptive reweighted sampling algorithm (ICARS) was proposed to select specific wavelengths for each attribute. The optimized calibration models using these selected informative variables exhibited better performance than those with full band spectra. The results demonstrated that the developed device in tandem with the proposed algorithm could help realize the real-time detection of multiple quality attributes of meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptochromes (CRYs) are blue light photoreceptors that mediate a variety of light responses in plants and animals, including photomorphogenesis, flowering, and circadian rhythms. The signaling mechanism by which Arabidopsis thaliana cryptochromes CRY1 and CRY2 promote photomorphogenesis involves direct interactions with COP1, a RING motif-containing E3 ubiquitin ligase, and its enhancer SPA1. Brassinosteroid (BR) is a key phytohormone involved in the repression of photomorphogenesis, and here, we show that the signaling mechanism of Arabidopsis CRY1 involves the inhibition of BR signaling. CRY1 and CRY2 physically interact with BES1-INTERACTING MYC-LIKE1 (BIM1), a basic helix-loop-helix protein. BIM1, in turn, interacts with and enhances the activity of BRI1-EMS SUPPRESSOR1 (BES1), a master transcription factor in the BR signaling pathway. In addition, CRY1 and CRY2 interact specifically with dephosphorylated BES1, the physiologically active form of BES1 that is activated by BR in a blue light-dependent manner. The CRY1-BES1 interaction leads to both the inhibition of BES1 DNA binding activity and the repression of its target gene expression. Our study suggests that the blue light-dependent, BR-induced interaction of CRY1 with BES1 is a tightly regulated mechanism by which plants optimize photomorphogenesis according to the availability of external light and internal BR signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The L6 region of bovine adenovirus-3 (BAdV-3) encodes unspliced and spliced proteins named 22K and 33K, respectively. Earlier, anti-22K sera detected two proteins of 42- and 37-kDa in infected cells and 42-kDa protein in transfected cells. Here, we demonstrate that 22K protein localizes to the nucleus of BAdV-3 infected or transfected cells. Analysis of mutant 22K proteins suggested that amino acids 231–250 of non-conserved C-terminus of 22K are required for nuclear localization. The nuclear import of 22K appears to utilize multiple importin (α-5 and α-7) of importin α/β nuclear import pathway. Mutational analysis of 22K identified four basic residues 238 RRRK 241 , which apparently are essential for the nuclear localization of 22K. Our results suggest that the nuclear localization of 22K appear essential for virus replication and production of progeny BAdV-3. Furthermore, we demonstrate that N-terminus amino acid 35–65 conserved in 22K and 33K interact with 52K protein in BAdV-3 infected cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apples are rich in vitamins and dietary fiber and are one of the essential fruits in people's daily diet. China has always been a big apple consumer, and with the improvement of people's life quality, nutrition, and health requirements, the demand for high-quality apples has increased year by year. Apple mold heart disease is one of the main diseases affecting apple quality. However, this disease cannot be easily detected from the surface, so it is difficult to detect mold heart disease. Therefore, this paper focuses on the analysis of seven non-destructive detection technologies, including near infrared spectroscopy technology, hyperspectral technology, Raman spectroscopy technology, electronic nose technology, acoustic technology, electrical technology, and magnetic technology, summarizes their application status in the detection of apple mold heart disease, and then analyzes their advantages and disadvantages. Combined with the current rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, this paper proposes the future development trends of using non-destructive technologies to detect apple mold heart disease. It is expected to provide basic theory and application references for the intelligent detection of apple mold heart disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we report the establishment and characterization of a new epithelial cell line, goose embryonated epithelial cell line (GEE), derived from embryonic goose tissue. The purified GEE cell line can efficiently grow over 65 passages in the M199 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum at 37°C. Immunofluorescence assay was used to identify purified GEE cells as epithelial cell line by detecting expression of the Keratin-18 and -19. Further characterizations demonstrated that the GEE cell line can be continuously subcultured with (i) a high capacity to replicate for over 65 passages, (ii) a spontaneous epithelial-like morphology, (iii) constant chromosomal features and (iv) without an evidence of converting to tumorigenic cells either in vitro or in vivo study. Moreover, the GEE cell line can be effectively transfected with plasmids expressing reporter genes of different avian viruses, such as VP3, VP1 and F of goose parvo virus (GPV), duck hepatitis virus (DHV), and Newcastle disease virus (NDV), respectively. Finally, the established GEE cell line was evaluated for avian viruses infection susceptibility. Our results showed that the tested GPV, DHAV and NDV were capable to replicate in the new cell line with titers a comparatively higher to the ones detected in the traditional culture system. Accordingly, our established GEE cell line is apparently a suitable in vitro model for transgenic, and infection manipulation studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new experimental protocol is explored to characterize electrical properties of hydrocarbon-bearing mudrocks at nano/micro scales. Two current flow regimes of peak force - tunneling atomic force microscopy (PF-TUNA) have been used: (1) the vertical out-of-plane current regime with hundred micrometer diameter top electrodes obtains homogenized conductivity quantitatively, (2) the horizontal in-plane current regime was shown powerful to visualize the conductive paths (related to connectivity and tortuosity) for heterogeneous and anisotropic shales. Results show that the approach works well with one to two layers of adsorbed water (25–55% relative humidity) under low frequency (0.5–20 Hz) for shale rocks. Current maps with sub-nanometer resolution emphasize the dominant role of hydrated ions associated with the hydrophilic clay minerals in driving the dielectric response of shales, while conductivity of pyrite and kerogen cannot be neglected for mature organic-rich shale conductive network. The acquired I-V curves at microscale provide a reliable mean to evaluate homogenized conductivity of such multiscale multi-component heterogeneous material under controlled environmental conditions. The procedure discussed herein serves as a complement for fine grained rocks and minerals of ionic-electronic hybrid conductive mechanism under partially water saturation. These results can be used to develop accurate electrical models, specifically for shale rocks with heterogeneous and sophisticated microstructure. The methodology can be also extended to other micro- or meso-porous geomaterials such as cementitious and bituminous nanoporous media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart films allow consumers to visually determine food freshness. We aimed to improve the surface contact area of gas permeation in anthocyanin (AH)-induced smart films by introducing nanocellulose (NC) prepared by sulfuric acid (CNSA), citric acid (CNCA), and TEMPO (CNF) to improve their sensitivity. The film matrix was composed of PVA. The structure, functionality, and sensitivity of films were compared. The results showed that films incorporating CNSA and CNCA had larger surface areas and stronger intermolecular interactions. Sensitivity tests showed a color change from blue-violet to yellow in PVA/AH-CNSA and -CNCA films at 131 ppm of ammonia, occurring within 4 min of exposure. Shrimp freshness was further monitored using the films, with three stages of shrimp freshness (fresh, sub-fresh, and spoiled) differentiated clearly via distinct color changes. A strong correlation between freshness indexes and color parameters was established. The PVA/AH-CNSA and -CNCA films are suitable for real-time monitoring seafood freshness. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To shorten the preparation time of porous starch while simultaneously ensuring its adsorption performance, we treated corn starch with a combination of microwave and complex enzymatic (α-amylase and amyloglucosidase) hydrolysis. Specifically, we investigated the effect of microwave and enzymatic hydrolysis on the structure, physicochemical properties, and adsorption capability of the prepared porous starch. The results showed that the porous starch prepared by combined treatment had denser pores, no new groups were produced in the porous starch, the relative crystallinity, gelatinization temperature, and solubility increased, while the gelatinization enthalpy and swelling power decreased. Compared to enzymatic hydrolysis, the combined treatment yielded starch samples with a larger specific surface area and pore capacity, and the adsorption performance was significantly improved, with water and oil absorption rates increasing from 110.99 % and 133.11 % to 128.29 % and 143.3 %, respectively. These findings indicate that the synergistic processing of microwave and enzymatic hydrolysis has great potential as a productive and rapid method for the preparation of porous starch. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Short‐term clinical trials have shown the effectiveness of low‐carbohydrate diets (LCDs) and low‐fat diets (LFDs) for weight loss and cardiovascular benefits. We aimed to study the long‐term associations among LCDs, LFDs, and mortality among middle‐aged and older people. Methods: This study included 371,159 eligible participants aged 50–71 years. Overall, healthy and unhealthy LCD and LFD scores, as indicators of adherence to each dietary pattern, were calculated based on the energy intake of carbohydrates, fat, and protein and their subtypes. Results: During a median follow‐up of 23.5 years, 165,698 deaths were recorded. Participants in the highest quintiles of overall LCD scores and unhealthy LCD scores had significantly higher risks of total and cause‐specific mortality (hazard ratios [HRs]: 1.12–1.18). Conversely, a healthy LCD was associated with marginally lower total mortality (HR: 0.95; 95% confidence interval: 0.94, 0.97). Moreover, the highest quintile of a healthy LFD was associated with significantly lower total mortality by 18%, cardiovascular mortality by 16%, and cancer mortality by 18%, respectively, versus the lowest. Notably, isocaloric replacement of 3% energy from saturated fat with other macronutrient subtypes was associated with significantly lower total and cause‐specific mortality. For low‐quality carbohydrates, mortality was significantly reduced after replacement with plant protein and unsaturated fat. Conclusions: Higher mortality was observed for overall LCD and unhealthy LCD, but slightly lower risks for healthy LCD. Our results support the importance of maintaining a healthy LFD with less saturated fat in preventing all‐cause and cause‐specific mortality among middle‐aged and older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly porous off-stoichiometric tungsten trioxide (WO 3-σ ) with hollow and yolk-shell structures have been successfully synthesized via a selective leaching strategy, following hydrogenation using PbWO 4 spheres as the starting material. It was found that the yolk-shell WO 3-σ could be obtained from hollow WO 3-σ by dividing the continuous leaching process into two intervallic processes. The unique structural features and high conductivity facilitate both ion and electron transport, greatly enhancing reversible lithium storage capacity. In comparisons of the hollow WO 3-σ and yolk-shell WO 3-σ , the yolk-shell structure exhibited more long-term stability due to extra spatial elasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary cell culture was derived from duck embryonic tissue, digested with collagenase type I. The existence of cell colonies with epithelial-like morphology, named duck embryo epithelial (DEE), were purified and optimally maintained at 37 °C in M199 medium supplemented with 5% fetal bovine serum. The purified cells were identified as epithelial cell line by detecting Keratin—18 expression using immunofluorescence assay. Our findings demonstrated that DEE cell line can be propagated in culture with (i) a great capacity to adhere, (ii) a great proliferation activity, and (iii) a population doubling time of approximately 18 h. Chromosomal features of the DEE cell line were remained constant after the 50th passage. Further characterizations of DEE cell line showed that cell line can normally be grown even after several passages and never converted to tumorigenic cells either in vitro or in vivo study. Susceptibility of DEE cell line was determined for transfection and duck hepatitis A type 1 virus (DHAV-1)-infection. Interestingly, the 50% egg lethal dose (ELD 50 ) of the propagated virus in DEE cell line was higher than ELD 50 of the propagated virus in embryonated eggs. Finally, DEE cell line was evaluated to be used as a candidate for DHAV-1 vaccine development. Our results showed that the propagated DHAV-1 vaccine strain SDE in DEE cell line was able to protect ducklings against DHAV-1 challenge. Taken together, our findings suggest that the DEE cell line can serve as a valuable tool for DHAV-1 propagation and vaccine production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we report on the ortho-hexaclaval and size-controlled spherical PbWO4 micro- and mesocrystals synthesized by the surfactant-assisted solvothermal method with cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), deionized water or ethylene glycol solvents. The resulting hierarchical PbWO4 crystals were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction. Experimental results indicated that CTAB played a critical role in the formation of specific structures. Finally, the optical properties were investigated at room temperature by means of ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance and photoluminescence measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well established that mixture of inorganic ions including heavy metals can be simply separated into components by using a conducting polymer membrane (CPM) system because each component has a unique charge or size of hydrated radius. However, studies about organic ion separations with the CPM system were hardly found even though organic ions are used in so many fields. Unlike inorganic ions, organic ions usually have complex characters can cause some specific interactions with the membrane and the specific interactions can affect their transport. However, in the case that the specific interactions are weak enough, the organic ion transport may be similar to that of inorganic ions. Thus, investigation of the organic ion transport should be done case by case. In this study, we investigated the transport phenomenon of an organic ion which has weak specific interactions with the membrane under different applied potentials and demonstrated its transport mechanism in detail. Benzylamine (BA) was chosen as the transporting ion and the experimental results showed that its transport was similar to that of inorganic ions even though it has different characters with them. In addition, we compared the transport property of BA to that of methylene blue (MB) which has a strong specific interaction with the membrane under same applied potential and suggested a possibility that organic ions could be separated based on the membrane selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to construct the recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid of ORF2 gene harboring enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) report gene. ORF2 gene of porcine circovirus type 2 cloned by PCR was ligated to the expression vector pEGFP-Nl, which contains enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) report gene, the recombinant eukaryotic expression plasmid pEGFP-Nl-ORF2 was constructed successfully and was transfected into prepared duck myocardial cells (DMCs) by lipofectin. According to the result, the fluorescence expression was directly detected with fluorescence microscope, and the expression of ORF2 were analyzed by RT-PCR and indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) respectively. About 48 h after transfection, green fluorescent can be observed on transfected cells; T-PCR and IFA were positive. This indicated that ORF2 gene of PCV2 was expressed efficiently in transfected duck myocardial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon emission trading mechanism is an important market-based instrument to address global climate change. The auction ratio and price of carbon emission allowances (CEA) are cores of the carbon emission trading mechanism. What combination of CEA auction ratio and auction price is most conducive to carbon emission reduction for emission control enterprises? There are still relatively few studies conducted on this issue, and there is no clear answer from the views of theory and practice. In this paper, the AIM/Enduse model was used to analyze the changes and differences of installed power capacity, power supply, energy consumption and carbon emissions in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Great Bay Area (GBA) with different combinations of CEA auction ratios and prices. Moreover, the best pathway of energy transition was explored in the power industry of the GBA, and the best combination of CEA auction ratios and prices was identified in the GBA. The results show that: (1)The carbon emission constraint starts to work only when the auction ratio of CEA is increased to 50% and the auction price is increased to 60 CNY/ton (Scenario p 3). When the auction ratio of CEA is 100% and the auction price reaches 120 CNY/ton (Scenario p 5), a low-carbon transition of the power sector in the GBA can be achieved. (2) Under scenario p 5 , the total cost of power transition rises and then falls. And the cost of carbon in the power sector increases exponentially as the auction ratio of CEA and the auction price rise. However, the growth in the cost of power supply is relatively flat, which shows that appropriate carbon trading mechanism can improve the economic benefits of power sectors. With the increase of installed capacity of clean low-carbon energy generation and power supply, as well as the decrease of local power cost in the GBA, the proportion of outsourcing power can be appropriately reduced in the future, with an aim to reduce the external dependence of electricity to ensure the security of energy supply. In the end, it suggests that cities in the GBA should give full play to their regional advantages and establish a unified carbon emission trading market in the GBA as soon as possible. This study provides a theoretical basis for the supplementation and improvement of China's carbon emission trading mechanism. • What is the best combinations of CEA auction ratios and auction prices in the GBA? This paper gives a clear answer. • The best transition pathway of the power industry under technological progress and carbon trading policy was suggested. • With the decrease of local power cost, the proportion of outsourcing power can be appropriately reduced in the future. • Provides a theoretical basis for the supplementation and improvement of China's carbon emission trading mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: High low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol has been associated with an increased risk of coronary artery diseases (CAD) including acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, whether lipids lowering drug treatment is causally associated with decreased risk of AMI remains largely unknown. We used Mendelian randomization (MR) to evaluate the influence of genetic variation affecting the function of lipid-lowering drug targets on AMI. Methods: Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with lipids as instruments were extracted from the Global Lipids Genetics Consortium (GLGC). The genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for AMI were obtained from UK Biobank. Two sample MR analysis was used to study the associations between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides (TG) with AMI (n = 3,927). Genetic variants associated with LDL cholesterol at or near drug target gene were used to mimic drug effects on the AMI events in drug target MR. Results: Genetically predicted higher LDL-C (per one SD increase in LDL-C of 38.67 mg/dL, OR 1.006, 95% CI 1.004–1.007) and TG (per one SD increase in TG of 90.72 mg/dL, 1.004, 1.002–1.006) was associated with increased risk of AMI, but decreased risk for higher HDL-C (per one SD increase in HDL-C of 15.51 mg/dL, 0.997, 0.995–0.999) in univariable MR. Association remained significant for LDL-C, but attenuated toward the null for HDL-C and TG in multivariable MR. Genetically proxied lower LDL-C with genetic variants at or near the PCSK9 region (drug target of evolocumab) and NPC1L1 (drug target of ezetimibe) were associated with decreased risk of AMI (0.997, 0.994–0.999 and 0.986, 0.975–0.998, respectively), whereas genetic variants at HMGCR region (drug target of statin) showed marginal association with AMI (0.995, 0.990-1.000). After excluding drug target-related SNPs, LDL-C related SNPs outside the drug target region remained a causal effect on AMI (0.994, 0.993–0.996). Conclusions: The findings suggest that genetically predicted LDL-C may play a predominant role in the development of AMI. The drug MR results imply that ezetimibe and evolocumab may decrease the risk of AMI due to their LDL-C lowering effect, and there are other non-drug related lipid lowering pathways that may be causally linked to AMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Observational studies have suggested that the use of antihypertensive drugs was associated with the risk of frailty; however, these findings may be biased by confounding and reverse causality. This study aimed to explore the effect of genetically predicted lifelong lowering blood pressure (BP) through different antihypertensive medications on frailty. One‐sample Mendelian randomization (MR) and summary data‐based MR (SMR) were applied. We utilized two kinds of genetic instruments to proxy the antihypertensive medications, including genetic variants within or nearby drugs target genes associated with systolic/diastolic BP, and expression level of the corresponding gene. Among 298,618 UK Biobank participants, one‐sample MR analysis observed that genetically proxied BB use (relative risk ratios, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.65–0.90; p = 0.001) and CCB use (0.83; 0.72–0.95; p = 0.007), equivalent to a 10‐mm Hg reduction in systolic BP, was significantly associated with lower risk of pre‐frailty. In addition, although not statistically significant, the effect directions of systolic BP through ACEi variants (0.72; 0.39–1.33; p = 0.296) or thiazides variants (0.74; 0.53–1.03; p = 0.072) on pre‐frailty were also protective. Similar results were obtained in analyses for diastolic BP. SMR of expression in artery showed that decreased expression level of KCNH2, a target gene of BBs, was associated with lower frailty index (beta −0.02, p = 2.87 × 10−4). This MR analysis found evidence that the use of BBs and CCBs was potentially associated with reduced frailty risk in the general population, and identified KCNH2 as a promising target for further clinical trials to prevent manifestations of frailty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's pilot emission trading schemes (CP-ETS) have been operating for five years since the first pilot ETS launched its carbon market in 2013. The seven pilots have a common framework but different details. In this study, an assessment model which is used to evaluate mitigation efficiency, is constructed by combining the DID method and an evaluation matrix. Results show that the five CP-ETS have been effective in promoting emission reduction, whereas the pilot ETS of Shanghai and Chongqing have failed to drive the covered enterprises to reduce their GHG emission directly. Our findings reveal that at least three key elements, namely, allowance cap, the covered enterprises' potential emission reduction capacity, and economic structure stability, affect the mitigation efficiency of the CP-ETS. The mitigation efficiency of the CP-ETS may be enhanced by conducting a pre-evaluation of the potential mitigation capacity of the covered enterprises, setting a mechanism for the evaluation and adjustment of the allowance cap, and employing financial tools to maintain the carbon price within a reasonable range that most covered enterprises can afford. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the Chinese economy enters the stage of new normal, high-quality economic development has become the current priority. Economic development should not be achieved at the cost of environment and resources. Clarifying the interactive relationship between water environment pollution and the quality of economic growth can help realize water environment protection and sustainable economic development. Based on the data of 30 provinces and cities in China, this paper studies the bidirectional mechanism between water environmental pollution and the quality of economic growth with the dynamic simultaneous equations model. The paper concludes that environmental pollution and the quality of regional economy growth have strong hysteretic nature; And that water environmental pollution and the development of regional economy display the relationship of bidirectional feedback. Discharge of pollutants into the water environment can inhibit high-quality development of regional economy. As the intensity of water environmental pollution increases by 1%, the quality of regional economic growth decreases by 0.0230%; Hence as the quality of regional economic growth increases by 1%, the intensity of water environmental pollution increases by 0.148%. Therefore, sustainable economic development should be attached with due significance, by removing the factors of environmental pollution, timely adjusting environmental policies, and promoting harmony between ecological environment and economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sterilisation technologies are essential to eliminate foodborne pathogens from food contact surfaces. However, most of the current sterilisation methods involve high energy and chemical consumption. In this study, a photodynamic inactivation coating featuring excellent antibacterial activity was prepared by dispersing curcumin as a plant-based photosensitiser in a chitosan solution. The coating generated abundant reactive oxygen species (ROS) after light irradiation at 420 nm, which eradicated ≥99.999 % of Escherichia coli O157:H7. It was also found that ROS damaged the cell membrane, leading to the leakage of cell contents and cell shrinkage on the basis of chitosan. In addition, the production of ROS first excited the bacterial antioxidant defence system resulting in the increase of peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). ROS levels exceed its capacity, causing damage to the defence system and further oxidative decomposition of large molecules, such as DNA and proteins, eventually leading to the death of E. coli O157:H7. We also found the curcumin/chitosan coating could effectively remove E. coli O157:H7 biofilms by oxidative of extracellular polysaccharides and proteins. All the contributors made the chitosan/curcumin coating an efficient detergent comparable with HClO. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The promotion of low-carbon coordinated development in various major function-oriented zones is a measure in China to address the problem of climate change. In this study, we selected the optimized development, key development, key ecological function, and main agricultural production zones of Guangdong province as the research objects. We built a calculate-and-correct model of carbon emissions at district/county scales based on different data sources. Carbon pressure, per capita carbon emission, and carbon intensity were used as the measurement indices, and three quantitative formulas were established to calculate the carbon compensation amount in the different major function-oriented zones. We then investigated the spatial and temporal disparities in the carbon emissions and interregional carbon compensation in the zones. We drew three conclusions. First, there were substantial spatial differences in the total carbon emissions, per capita carbon emissions, carbon pressure, and carbon intensity in the four major function-oriented zones. Second, we comprehensively compared the carbon compensation results calculated by the three carbon emission measurement indices and found that carbon emission pressure was the best measurement index. The results of carbon compensation accounted by the carbon pressure indicated that the optimized development zone was the key pay compensation area, the key development zone was the compensation balance area, and the ecological development zone was the key receive compensation area. Third, compared to the results of previous research, our results were more in line with the expectations. The proportion of the compensation in the gross domestic product of each of the four major function-oriented zones was much higher than that obtained from previous research, and carbon compensation played a remarkable role in promoting regional coordinated development. Thus, this research provided a novel concept and quantitative research tool for interregional carbon compensation. Image 10 • Provide a novel concept and quantitative research tool for interregional carbon compensation. • Carbon emission pressure is the best measurement index to calculate the carbon compensation amount. • Considerable carbon emission differences exist between the four major function-oriented zones. • The optimized development zone compensates for the ecological functional zone. • Carbon compensation plays a remarkable role in promoting regional coordinated development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient detoxification is the key factor for phytophagous insect to adapt to phytochemicals. However, the role of uridine diphosphate (UDP)-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) in insect anti-defense to phytochemical flavone is largely unknown. In this study, 52 UGT genes were identified in Spodoptera litura and they presented evident gene duplication. UGT played a crucial part in larval tolerance to flavone because the enzyme activity and transcriptional level of 77 % UGT members were remarkably upregulated by flavone administration and suppression of UGT enzyme activity and gene expressions significantly increased larval susceptibility to flavone. Bacteria coexpressing UGTs had high survival rates under flavone treatment and flavone was dramatically metabolized by UGT recombinant cells, which indicated the involvement of UGTs in flavone detoxification. What's more, ecdysone pathway was activated by flavone. Topical application of 20-hydroxyecdysone highly upregulated UGT enzyme activity and more than half of UGT expressions. The effects were opposite when ecdysone receptor (EcR) and ultraspiracle (USP)-mediated ecdysone signaling pathway was inhibited. Furtherly, promoter reporter assays of 5 UGT genes showed that their transcription activities were notably increased by cotransfection with EcR and USP. In consequence, this study suggested that UGTs were involved in flavone detoxification and their transcriptional expressions were regulated by ecdysone pathway. • Fifty-two UGTs were identified in S. litura genome. • Seventy-seven percent of UGTs were significantly upregulated by flavone. • UGTs contributed to flavone tolerance in S. litura. • Ecdysone pathway regulated UGT expression in response to flavone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pericarp of Szechuan pepper is rich in phenols and alkylamides, making it a potential source of antioxidant compounds. Despite being recognized as the primary antioxidants in Szechuan pepper, there is still limited knowledge about their application in real food systems. This study aims to identify, separate, and apply polyphenol and alkylamide fractions derived from Szechuan extracts to beef meat. Using HPLC-MS2, we identified 5 phenols and 11 alkylamides in Szechuan extracts. The quality of the minced meat was evaluated based on color, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), conjugated dienes, carbonyl content, Sulfhydryl content, microbiological content, and total volatile basic nitrogen content (TVB-N). Compared to the polyphenol fraction (1.25 mg/mL), alkylamide fraction (25 mg/mL), and control samples, beef samples incorporated with the polyphenol fraction (6.25 mg/mL) significantly reduced carbonyl content, TBARS, and TVB-N values at the end of storage. Furthermore, they exhibited a significant slowdown in microbial development, improved meat color stability, and preserved pH. Therefore, the use of Szechuan pepper fractions as natural preservatives in meat and meat products is an important area of research and has the potential to enhance the safety and quality of meat products. • Five polyphenols and 11 alkylamides were identified • All pepper fractions inhibited protein oxidation • All pepper fractions inhibited lipid oxidation • pH and color of meat was preserved • Polyphenol fractions played the better role for antioxidant activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Evidence is limited regarding the association of healthy lifestyle including sleep pattern with the risk of complicated type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among patients with hypertension. We aimed to investigate the associations of an overall healthy lifestyle including a healthy sleep pattern with subsequent development of T2DM among participants with hypertension compared to normotension, and to estimate how much of that risk could be prevented. Methods: This study examined six lifestyle factors with T2DM cases among hypertension (227,966) and normotension (203,005) and their interaction in the UK Biobank. Low-risk lifestyle factors were defined as standard body mass index (BMI), drinking alcohol in moderation, nonsmoking, engaging in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity, eating a high-quality diet, and maintaining a healthy sleep pattern. Results: There were 12,403 incident T2DM cases during an average of 8.63 years of follow-up. Compared to those with 0 low-risk lifestyle factors, HRs for those with 5–6 were 0.14 (95% CI 0.10 to 0.19) for hypertensive participants, 0.13 (95% CI 0.08 to 0.19) for normotensive participants, respectively (ptrend < 0.001). 76.93% of hypertensive participants were considerably less likely to develop T2DM if they adhered to five healthy lifestyle practices, increased to 81.14% if they followed 6-factors (with a healthy sleep pattern). Compared with hypertension adults, normotensive people gain more benefits if they stick to six healthy lifestyles [Population attributable risk (PAR%) 83.66%, 95% CI 79.45 to 87.00%, p for interaction = 0.0011]. Conclusions: Adherence to a healthy lifestyle pattern including a healthy sleep pattern is associated with lower risk of T2DM in hypertensives, and this benefit is even further in normotensives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background To establish a polysocial risk score (PsRS) incorporating various social factors for capturing the dementia risk and investigate the benefits of favorable social conditions across different genetic backgrounds. Methods This prospective cohort study comprised 345 439 participants initially free of dementia from the UK Biobank. A total of 10 social factors were summed to create a PsRS. A polygenic risk score (PRS) was constructed based on genome-wide significant variants. Results During a median follow-up of 12.5 years, we documented 4 595 incident all-cause dementia events including 2 067 Alzheimer's disease (AD) events and 1 028 vascular dementia (VD) events. Each additional PsRS was associated with a 19% increased risk of all-cause dementia (hazard ratio [HR], 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17 to 1.21), a 13% increased risk of AD (1.13; 1.10 to 1.16), and a 24% increased risk of VD (1.24; 1.19 to 1.29). 29% (24% to 33%) of dementia cases, 22% (14% to 29%) of AD cases, and 39% (28% to 48%) of VD cases were associated with a disadvantageous social environment. In addition, among participants at a high genetic risk, the low social risk was linked to a lower incidence rate of all-cause dementia, AD, and VD compared to those who had a high social risk, with reductions of 67.8%, 64.5%, and 84.2%, respectively. Conclusions The PsRS could be effectively used in discriminating individuals at high risk of dementia. Around a quarter of dementia events could have a connection with a disadvantageous social environment, especially for those genetically susceptible to dementia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To grow in various harsh environments, extremophiles have developed extraordinary strategies such as biofilm formation, which is an extremely complex and progressive process. However, the genetic elements and exact mechanisms underlying extreme biofilm formation remain enigmatic. Here, we characterized the biofilm-forming ability of Deinococcus radiodurans in vitro under extreme environmental conditions and found that extremely high concentrations of NaCl or sorbitol could induce biofilm formation. Meantime, the survival ability of biofilm cells was superior to that of planktonic cells in different extreme conditions, such as hydrogen peroxide stress, sorbitol stress, and high UV radiation. Transcriptome profiles of D. radiodurans in four different biofilm development stages further revealed that only 13 matched genes, which are involved in environmental information processing, carbohydrate metabolism, or stress responses, share sequence homology with genes related to the biofilm formation of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. Overall, 64% of the differentially expressed genes are functionally unknown, indicating the specificity of the regulatory network of D. radiodurans. The mutation of the drRRA gene encoding a response regulator strongly impaired biofilm formation ability, implying that DrRRA is an essential component of the biofilm formation of D. radiodurans. Furthermore, transcripts from both the wild type and the drRRA mutant were compared, showing that the expression of drBON1 (Deinococcus radioduransBON domain-containing protein 1) significantly decreased in the drRRA mutant during biofilm development. Further analysis revealed that the drBON1 mutant lacked the ability to form biofilm and DrRRA, and as a facilitator of biofilm formation, could directly stimulate the transcription of the biofilm-related gene drBON1. Overall, our work highlights a molecular mechanism mediated by the response regulator DrRRA for controlling extreme biofilm formation and thus provides guidance for future studies to investigate novel mechanisms that are used by D. radiodurans to adapt to extreme environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The associations between intensity of stair climbing and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and how these vary by underlying disease susceptibility are not fully understood. We aim to evaluate the intensity of stair climbing and risk of ASCVD types and whether these vary with the presence of ASCVD risk factors. This prospective study used data of 458,860 adult participants from the UK Biobank. Information about stair climbing, sociodemographic, and lifestyle factors was collected at baseline and a resurvey 5 years after baseline. ASCVD was defined as coronary artery disease (CAD), ischemic stroke (IS), or acute complications. Associations between flights of stair climbing and ASCVD were examined as hazard ratios (HRs) from Cox proportional hazards models. The modification role of disease susceptibility on such associations was assessed by analyses stratified by levels of genetic risk score (GRS), 10-year risks of ASCVD, and self-reported family history of ASCVD. During a median of 12.5 years of follow-up, 39,043 ASCVD, 30,718 CAD, and 10,521 IS cases were recorded. Compared with the reference group (reported climbing stairs 0 times/day at baseline), the multivariable-adjusted HRs for ASCVD were 0.97 (95% CI, 0.93–1.01), 0.84 (0.82–0.87), 0.78 (0.75–0.81), 0.77 (0.73–0.80) and 0.81 (0.77–0.85) for stair climbing of 1–5, 6–10, 11–15, 16–20 and ≥21 times/day, respectively. Comparable results were obtained for CAD and IS. When stratified by different disease susceptibility based on the GRS for CAD/IS, 10-year risk, and family history of ASCVD, the protection association of stair climbing was attenuated by increasing levels of disease susceptibility. Furthermore, compared with people who reported no stair climbing (<5 times/d) at two examinations, those who climbed stairs at baseline and then stopped at resurvey experienced a 32% higher risk of ASCVD (HR 1.32, 95% CI:1.06–1.65). Climbing more than five flights of stairs (approx 50 steps) daily was associated with a lower risk of ASCVD types independent of disease susceptibility. Participants who stopped stair climbing between baseline and resurvey had a higher risk of ASCVD compared with those who never climbed stairs. [Display omitted] • This large cohort of UK adults demonstrated that climbing more than five flights of stairs daily was associated with over a 20% lower risk of ASCVD. • The associations were broadly concordant in populations with varying susceptibilities to ASCVD. • Participants who discontinued stair climbing between the baseline and resurvey exhibited a higher risk of ASCVD in comparison to those who never engaged in stair climbing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spodoptera litura , a polyphagous lepidopteran pest, demonstrates a remarkable capacity to adapt to varying host plants by efficiently detoxifying phytochemicals. However, the underlying mechanism for this adaptation is not well understood. Herein, twenty eplison glutathione S -transferase genes (GSTes) were characterized and their roles in phytochemical tolerance were analyzed in S. litura. Most of the GSTe genes were mainly expressed in the larval midgut and fat body. Exposure to the phytochemicals, especially xanthotoxin, induced the expression of most GSTe genes. Molecular docking analysis revealed that xanthotoxin could form stable bonds with six xanthotoxin-responsive GSTes, with binding free energies ranging from −36.44 to −68.83 kcal mol−1. Knockdown of these six GSTe genes increased the larval susceptibility to xanthotoxin. Furthermore, xanthotoxin exposure significantly upregulated the expression of two transcription factor genes CncC and MafK. Silencing of either CncC or MafK reduced the expression of GSTe16 , which exhibited the largest change in response to xanthotoxin. Additionally, analysis of the promoter sequence of GSTe16 revealed the presence of seven CncC/Maf binding sites. Luciferase reporter assays showed that CncC and MafK enhanced the expression of GSTe16 , leading to the increased xanthotoxin tolerance in S. litura. These findings provide insight into the functions and transcriptional regulatory mechanisms of GSTes, thereby enhancing our understanding of the role of GSTs in the adaptation of lepidopteran pests to phytochemicals. [Display omitted] • More than half of the GSTes were primarily expressed in larval midgut and fat body. • Six GSTes including GSTe16 were involved in xanthotoxin tolerance. • Xanthotoxin could stably bind to these six GSTes in molecular docking. • GSTe16 was transcriptionally regulated by CncC and MafK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Growing evidence has shown that alterations in the gut microbiota composition were associated with a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions. However, whether such associations reflect causality remains unknown. We aimed to reveal the causal relationships among gut microbiota, metabolites, and neuropsychiatric disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and schizophrenia (SCZ).Methods: A two-sample bi-directional Mendelian randomization analysis was performed by using genetic variants from genome-wide association studies as instrumental variables for gut microbiota, metabolites, AD, MDD, and SCZ, respectively.Results: We found suggestive associations of host-genetic-driven increase in Blautia (OR, 0.88; 95%CI, 0.79-0.99; P = 0.028) and elevated γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (0.96; 0.92-1.00; P = 0.034), a downstream product of Blautia-dependent arginine metabolism, with a lower risk of AD. Genetically increased Enterobacteriaceae family and Enterobacteriales order were potentially associated with a higher risk of SCZ (1.09; 1.00-1.18; P = 0.048), while Gammaproteobacteria class (0.90; 0.83-0.98; P = 0.011) was related to a lower risk for SCZ. Gut production of serotonin was potentially associated with an increased risk of SCZ (1.07; 1.00-1.15; P = 0.047). Furthermore, genetically increased Bacilli class was related to a higher risk of MDD (1.07; 1.02-1.12; P = 0.010). In the other direction, neuropsychiatric disorders altered gut microbiota composition.Conclusions: These data for the first time provide evidence of potential causal links between gut microbiome and AD, MDD, and SCZ. GABA and serotonin may play an important role in gut microbiota-host crosstalk in AD and SCZ, respectively. Further investigations in understanding the underlying mechanisms of associations between gut microbiota and AD, MDD, and SCZ are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Two kinds of porous carbons were derived from biomass using hydrothermal carbonization and KOH activation. • The carbons have the hierarchical micro/meso/macroporous structure with interpenetrating network. • The EDLC properties of porous carbons were studied. • The enhanced mechanisms of mesoporous and heteroatom-doping were clarified. • A high energy density of 9.58 W h kg−1 with a powder density of 500 W kg−1 can be achieved. Abstract Two kinds of porous carbons derived from Osmanthus fragrans and Sterculia lychnophora, respectively, are prepared by hydrothermal carbonization and KOH activation. The characterizations of electron microscopy and N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms show that both Osmanthus fragrans -derived porous carbon and Sterculia lychnophora -derived porous carbon have the hierarchical micro/meso/macroporous structure with interpenetrating network, but pore structure is mainly the micropore for Osmanthus fragrans -derived porous carbon, while more mesopore for Sterculia lychnophora -derived porous carbon. The surface chemical analysis reveals that Sterculia lychnophora -derived porous carbon has C N and more oxygen-containing groups in comparison with the Osmanthus fragrans -derived porous carbon. When used as electrode materials for EDLC, the Sterculia lychnophora -derived porous carbon electrodes deliver higher specific capacitance, higher capacitance retention and better cycling stability than Osmanthus fragrans -derived porous carbon. The superior electrochemical performance of Sterculia lychnophora -derived porous carbon is mainly attributed to the abundant mesopore, doping of N atom as well as more oxygen-containing groups. Finally, symmetrical supercapacitors are assembled by Sterculia lychnophora -derived porous carbon electrodes and release a high energy density of 9.58 W h kg−1 with a powder density of 500 W kg−1. The results showed that preparation of porous carbon materials from biomass is effectively procedure to improve high performance ELDC devices, and the selection of biomass precursors is the key in the preparation high performance electrode materials for ELDC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women worldwide. Though improved treatments and prolonged overall survival, breast cancer survivors (BCSs) persistently suffer from various unmet supportive care needs (USCNs) throughout the disease. This scoping review aims to synthesize current literature regarding USCNs among BCSs. Methods: This study followed a scoping review framework. Articles were retrieved from Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Medline from inception through June 2023, as well as reference lists of relevant literature. Peer-reviewed journal articles were included if USCNs among BCSs were reported. Inclusion/exclusion criteria were adopted to screen articles' titles and abstracts as well as to entirely assess any potentially pertinent records by two independent researchers. Methodological quality was independently appraised following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools. Content analytic approach and meta-analysis were performed for qualitative and quantitative studies respectively. Results were reported according to the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. Results: A total of 10,574 records were retrieved and 77 studies were included finally. The overall risk of bias was low to moderate. The self-made questionnaire was the most used instrument, followed by The Short-form Supportive Care Needs Survey questionnaire (SCNS-SF34). A total of 16 domains of USCNs were finally identified. Social support (74%), daily activity (54%), sexual/intimacy (52%), fear of cancer recurrence/ spreading (50%), and information support (45%) were the top unmet supportive care needs. Information needs and psychological/emotional needs appeared most frequently. The USCNs was found to be significantly associated with demographic factors, disease factors, and psychological factors. Conclusion: BCSs are experiencing a large number of USCNs in fearing of cancer recurrence, daily activity, sexual/intimacy, psychology and information, with proportions ranging from 45% to 74%. Substantial heterogeneity in study populations and assessment tools was observed. There is a need for further research to identify a standard evaluation tool targeted to USCNs on BCSs. Effective interventions based on guidelines should be formulated and conducted to decrease USCNs among BCSs in the future. Highlights: A total of 16 domains of USCNs were finally identified. Social support, fear of cancer recurrence, and daily activity were the top unmet supportive care needs among breast cancer survivors. Information needs and psychological needs were reported frequently. Unmet supportive care needs were significantly affected by demographic factors, disease factors, and psychological factors. Substantial heterogeneity in study populations and assessment was observed. Assessment tools that specifically to unmet supportive care needs in breast cancer survivors were absent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]