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Abstract Background Directly discharging livestock and poultry slaughter blood without proper treatment can cause severe ecological damage. Exploring the use of microorganisms to break down waste blood into smaller molecules such as peptides and amino acids, as well as investigating the possibility of transforming these small molecules into water-soluble fertilizers containing amino acids, holds significant research value in the comprehensive utilization of livestock and poultry blood. Results In this study, a single strain of Bacillus pumilus NWMCC0302, which has effectively degraded bovine blood, was isolated from abattoir blood sludge using casein agar plates and Columbia blood agar plates. The degradation test was carried out using bovine raw blood as a nitrogen source in the medium, and the results showed that the strain degraded 53.83% of bovine blood under optimal degradation conditions. The whole genome sequencing of Bacillus pumilus NWMCC0302 was conducted using the second-generation DNBSEQ platform and the third-generation PacBio platform, employing high-throughput sequencing technology. The size of the strain's entire genome was determined to be 3 868 814 bp with a G-C content of 41.63%. The total gene length accounted for 88.98% of the genome length at 3 442 341 bp and encoded 4 113 genes. The strain contained 79 tRNAs, 24 rRNAs, 7 sRNAs, and 296 repetitive sequences. The gene data obtained from sequencing were also functionally annotated using the COG, KEGG, and VFDB databases. In the COG database, 310 genes were involved in amino acid transport and metabolism, including 10 catabolic proteins related to COGs. In the KEGG database, were 201 genes involved in amino acid metabolism pathways, including 8 genes in nitrogen metabolism pathways and 2 genes in oxidative pathways. The VFDB database contains two lysostaphin genes and one serine protease-hydrolyzed ClpP gene. Conclusions In summary, Bacillus pumilus NWMCC0302 was screened for its efficient ability to degrade bovine blood. Additionally, the genetic information of Bacillus pumilus NWMCC0302 was revealed at the genetic level, providing a feasible experimental method for applying this strain to the degradation of blood from slaughtered livestock and poultry. Moreover, it is a potential functional strain for producing amino acid-containing water-soluble fertilisers.

Abstract Background Ectopic thyroid tissue is a developmental disorder and is extraordinarily rare to occur in the central airway. To our knowledge, nearly few reports of primary ectopic thyroid carcinoma in the central airway with a normal eutopic thyroid gland have been published to date. This is the second case about malignant central airway obstruction caused by primary ectopic thyroid carcinoma. Case presentation 65-year-old male was admitted to hospital for coughing accompanied by wheezing that recent exacerbated at night.The chest computed tomography scan revealed a soft tissue-density mass within the central trachea.The mass was removed and pathological analysis showed that it was ectopic thyroid carcinoma surprisingly. The goitrous thyroid gland was found in its expected location. Conclusion Ectopic thyroid carcinoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a pathological mass located in central airway.

In the present study, we examined the morphological variations within Sanicula caerulescens and determined the identity of S. oviformis through observations of herbarium specimens (including type material) and field studies of plants in their type locality. Our findings revealed that S. oviformis, originally described from Nanchuan County in southern Chongqing, is conspecific with S. caerulescens. This species is mainly distributed in Chongqing, Guizhou, western Hunan, Sichuan and north-eastern Yunnan in China, as well as in Hà Giang in Vietnam. Key morphological characters of leaves, inflorescences and fruits confirm this synonymy. Based on these findings, we propose reducing S. oviformis to a synonym of S. caerulescens. Additionally, the geographical distribution of S. caerulescens is clarified.

Abstract Background Citrus reticulata Blanco ‘Orah’ is one of the most widely grown citrus varieties in southern China. It has been proven that microbial and organic manure fertilization improve the yields and appearances of ‘Orah’ fruits. However, details regarding the mechanisms underlying the effects of combined fertilization on the agronomic traits and rhizosphere bacterial community of plants still need to be elucidated. Results This study compared the rhizosphere bacterial community and carotenoids of ‘Orah’ with (WYT group) and without (WYCK group) combined fertilization in a local orchard in Wuming town from Nanning, Guangxi, China. The WYT group was sprayed with 50 ml Strongreen and 250 g of Yumeiren five times while WYCK group did not sprayed. Combined fertilization increased fruit weight and the Citrus color index (CCI) significantly (p

Abstract Background For critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI), there remains controversy regarding the predictive factors affecting the discontinuation of continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). This study aims to explore factors associated with successful CRRT discontinuation in AKI patients and to develop predictive models for successful discontinuation. Methods We conducted a retrospective study on adult patients with AKI who received CRRT, sourced from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC-IV) database. Successful discontinuation of CRRT was defined as no CRRT requirement within 72 h after stopping CRRT. Predictive factors for successful discontinuation of CRRT were analyzed. Additionally, we utilized machine learning algorithms to develop predictive models, including logistic regression (LR), decision tree (DT), random forest (RF), XGBoost, and K-nearest neighbor (KNN). Results A total of 599 patients were included, of whom 475 (79.3%) successfully discontinued CRRT. Urine output, non-renal SOFA score, bicarbonate, systolic blood pressure, and blood urea nitrogen were identified as risk factors for successful CRRT discontinuation. The KNN model exhibited the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) (0.870), followed by LR (0.739), DT (0.691), RF (0.847), and XGBoost (0.830). When incorporating all available variables, the AUCs for the LR, DT, RF, XGBoost, and KNN models were 0.708, 0.674, 0.875, 0.866, and 0.816, respectively. Considering the performance of the models in both scenarios, the ensemble learning models (RF and XGBoost) were demonstrated superior performance. Conclusions Our results identified factors associated with successful discontinuation of CRRT in AKI patients. Additionally, we developed promising machine learning models which provided a reference for future research.

Abstract Objective The CHOP combined chemotherapy regimen (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) is commonly used to treat non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL). While these drugs are effective for cancer treatment, they may have side effects on the reproductive system that are poorly studied. This study used a mouse model to investigate the mechanisms of reproductive function impairment induced by the CHOP regimen and developed a predictive model for assessing reproductive damage with a non-invasive procedure. Methods From 2022 to 2023, we statistically analyzed the changes of reproductive function of NHL patients before and after receiving CHOP regimen in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University. The NHL mouse model was established and divided into CHOP treatment group and control group. The weight of testis and epididymis, sperm quality and motility were compared between the two groups. Histopathological examination of testicular tissue was performed to determine pathological changes. ELISA was used to measure the expression of cytokines and cytokine pathways in serum, protein expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry, and protein and mRNA levels of cytokines and pathways were evaluated by Western blotting and qPCR. Using stepwise regression method to select important factors, a prediction model of reproductive system damage was constructed. Results Fifty-two NHL patients included in the questionnaire showed significant reproductive system damage after CHOP regimen treatment. The weight of testis and epididymis, as well as the number and vitality of sperm in the mouse model treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Serum LH, FSH, estradiol and progesterone levels decreased significantly, while inhibin B levels increased significantly. There was no significant change in testosterone or prolactin levels. Inflammatory markers such as CSF-1, IL-1, IL-6, TGF-β1 and GDNF increased significantly, while the level of SOD1 decreased significantly. Immunohistochemical staining analysis showed that CAMP, Caspase3, CSF-1, GDNF, IL-1, IL-6, PRKACB, TGF-β1 and TXNDC5 were all expressed in spermatocytes, and the expression of therapeutic histones was significantly higher than that of the control group. Western blot analysis further detected the protein expression, and QPCR detected the mRNA content. The results showed that the expression of histone and mRNA in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group. Stepwise regression method determined that estradiol (E2) was the most important variable in the prediction model, and the AUC for predicting reproductive damage was 1. Conclusions The CHOP regimen induces male reproductive toxicity, potentially mediated through alterations in hormone levels and increased expression of inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress. Using E2 as the sole predictor in the model accurately predicts the extent of reproductive damage, offering a non-invasive method for detecting reproductive system damage.

Abstract Image steganography aims to hide secret data in the cover media for covert communication. Though many deep‐learning‐based image steganography methods have been presented, these approaches suffer from the inefficiency of building long‐distance connections between the cover and secret images, leading to noticeable modification traces and poor steganalysis resistance. To improve the visual imperceptibility of generated stego images, it is essential to establish a global correlation between the cover and secret images. In this way, the secret image can be dispersed throughout the cover image globally. To bridge this gap, a novel image steganography framework called HiiT is proposed, which takes advantage of CNN and Transformer to learn both the local and global pixel correlation in image hiding. Specifically, a new Transformer structure called Inception Transformer is proposed, which incorporates the Inception Net in the attention‐based Transformer architecture. The Inception Net can learn different scaled image features using multiple convolution kernels, while the attention mechanism can learn the global pixel correlation. By this, the proposed Inception Transformer learns the long‐distance pixel dependency between the cover and secret images. Furthermore, we propose a ‘Skip Connection’ mechanism in the proposed Inception Transformer, which merges the low‐level visual features and high‐level semantic features and achieves better model performance. In detail, The HiiT generates higher‐quality stego images with 45.46 PSNR and 0.9915 SSIM. Besides, accurately restored secret images achieve 47.27 PSNR and 0.9952 SSIM. Extensive experimental results show the proposed HiiT significantly improves the image‐hiding performance compared with state‐of‐the‐art methods.

Abstract Due to the increasing sophistication of face forgery techniques, the images generated are becoming more and more realistic and difficult for human eyes to distinguish. These face forgery techniques can cause problems such as fraud and social engineering attacks in facial recognition and identity verification areas. Therefore, researchers have worked on face forgery detection studies and have made significant progress. Current face forgery detection algorithms achieve high detection accuracy within-dataset. However, it is difficult to achieve satisfactory generalization performance in cross-dataset scenarios. In order to improve the cross-dataset detection performance of the model, this paper proposes a multi-feature fusion network based on two-stream extraction and multi-scale enhancement. First, we design a two-stream feature extraction module to obtain richer feature information. Secondly, the multi-scale feature enhancement module is proposed to focus the model more on information related to the current sub-region from different scales. Finally, the forgery detection module calculates the overlap between the features of the input image and real images during the training phase to determine the forgery regions. The method encourages the model to mine forgery features and learns generic and robust features not limited to a particular feature. Thus, the model achieves high detection accuracy and performance. We achieve the AUC of 99.70% and 90.71% on FaceForensics++ and WildDeepfake datasets. The generalization experiments on Celeb-DF-v2 and WildDeepfake datasets achieve the AUC of 80.16% and 65.15%. Comparison experiments with multiple methods on other benchmark datasets confirm the superior generalization performance of our proposed method while ensuring model detection accuracy. Our code can be found at: https://github.com/1241128239/MFNet .

In Software-Defined Networks (SDNs), determining how to efficiently achieve Quality of Service (QoS)-aware routing is challenging but critical for significantly improving the performance of a network, where the metrics of QoS can be defined as, for example, average latency, packet loss ratio, and throughput. The SDN controller can use network statistics and a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) method to resolve this challenge. In this paper, we formulate dynamic routing in an SDN as a Markov decision process and propose a DRL algorithm called the Asynchronous Advantage Actor-Critic QoS-aware Routing Optimization Mechanism (AQROM) to determine routing strategies that balance the traffic loads in the network. AQROM can improve the QoS of the network and reduce the training time via dynamic routing strategy updates; that is, the reward function can be dynamically and promptly altered based on the optimization objective regardless of the network topology and traffic pattern. AQROM can be considered as one-step optimization and a black-box routing mechanism in high-dimensional input and output sets for both discrete and continuous states, and actions with respect to the operations in the SDN. Extensive simulations were conducted using OMNeT++ and the results demonstrated that AQROM 1) achieved much faster and stable convergence than the Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) and Advantage Actor-Critic (A2C), 2) incurred a lower packet loss ratio and latency than Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), DDPG, and A2C, and 3) resulted in higher and more stable throughput than OSPF, DDPG, and A2C.

Abstract Background Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease (ADPKD) is a prevalent genetic disorder characterized by the formation of renal cysts leading to kidney failure. Despite known genetic underpinnings, the variability in disease progression suggests additional regulatory layers, including epigenetic modifications. Methods We utilized various ADPKD models, including Pkd1 and Ezh2 conditional knockout (Pkd1 delta/delta :Ezh2 delta/delta) mice, to explore the role of Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) in cystogenesis. Pharmacological inhibition of EZH2 was performed using GSK126 or EPZ-6438 across multiple models. Results EZH2 expression was significantly upregulated in Pkd1 −/− cells, Pkd1 delta/delta mice, and human ADPKD kidneys. EZH2 inhibition attenuates cyst development in MDCK cells and a mouse embryonic kidney cyst model. Both Ezh2 conditional knockout and GSK126 treatment suppressed renal cyst growth and protected renal function in Pkd1 delta/delta mice. Mechanistically, cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway increased EZH2 expression. EZH2 mediated cystogenesis by enhancing methylation and activation of STAT3, promoting cell cycle through p21 suppression, and stimulating non-phosphorylated β-catenin in Wnt signaling pathway. Additionally, EZH2 enhanced ferroptosis by inhibiting SLC7A11 and GPX4 in ADPKD. Conclusion Our findings elucidate the pivotal role of EZH2 in promoting renal cyst growth through epigenetic mechanisms and suggest that EZH2 inhibition or ablation may serve as a novel therapeutic approach for managing ADPKD.

Abstract Objective This study aims to compare the efficacy of the Age-adjusted Charlson Comorbidity Index (ACCI) and the Elixhauser-Van Walraven Comorbidity Index (ECI-VW) in predicting mortality risk among patients undergoing heart valve surgery. Methods Clinical data were extracted from the INSPIRE Database using R language. The Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) Curve was employed to assess the predictive accuracy of ACCI and ECI-VW for in-hospital all-cause mortality and post-surgical all-cause mortality at 7 and 28 days. Subgroup analysis was conducted to validate the application efficacy, and the optimal cutoff value was identified. Results The study included 996 patients, with 931 survivors and 65 cases of in-hospital all-cause mortality. The area under the curve (AUC) for ACCI in predicting in-hospital all-cause mortality was 0.658 (95% CI: 0.584, 0.732), while the AUC for ECI-vw in predicting the same outcome was 0.663 (95% CI: 0.584, 0.741). For predicting all-cause mortality within 7 days post-surgery, the AUC of ACCI was 0.680 (95% CI: 0.04, 0.56), and for ECI-vw, it was 0.532 (95% CI: 0.353, 0.712). Regarding the prediction of all-cause mortality within 28 days after surgery, the AUC for ACCI was 0.724 (95% CI: 0.622, 0.827), and for ECI-vw, it was 0.653 (95% CI: 0.538, 0.69). Patients were categorized into two groups based on the ACCI cutoff value of 3.5, including Group 1 (ACCI 3.5 points, 173 cases). The overall survival rate for these two patient groups was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, revealing that the 28-day postoperative survival rate for patients in Group 1 was significantly higher than that for patients in Group 2 (P

Abstract The Eastern Mausoleum of Qin State is a significant component of the Qin Dynasty's royal tombs, reflecting the social development level during the Warring States period (475 BC ~ 221 BC) in China. At the onset of our investigation, we mapped the site's boundaries utilizing Corona satellite imagery and employed the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Moisture Index (NDMI) to identify archaeological features. Additionally, this study is the first to propose the use of thermal infrared band data from the SDGSAT-1 satellite to explore thermal archaeological traces, demonstrating their viability for archaeological site analysis. Subsequently, electromagnetic (EM) prospection was utilized to validate the presence of an ancient burial chamber passage. Landscape monitoring and analysis of the No.1 Mausoleum were performed using Corona and Google Earth images, revealing the accuracy of the Geomancy Theory of Chinese mausoleums through dynamic remote sensing of surface changes. Furthermore, our employment of space-to-ground observational modalities and resultant Digital Elevation Models (DEM) have been used to provided new insights into the application of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geomancy in archaeology, thereby emphasizing the pivotal role of site selection in heritage preservation. This research underscores the promise of synergistic space-ground observations in both exploiting the archaeological riches of cultural heritage sites and ensuring the enduring conservation of these irreplaceable patrimonial assets.

Abstract Weiyang Palace, the royal palace of the Western Han Dynasty, is a part of the Silk Roads: the Routes Network of Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor on the World Heritage list. The south palace wall of Weiyang Palace is a well-preserved earthen heritage site within the palace, but it is undergoing continuous deterioration due to the influence of vegetation and external environmental factors. This study pioneers the integration of high-resolution three-dimensional LiDAR scanning with multi-source data analysis, including unprecedented on-site botanical surveys, to explore the subtle effects of different vegetation types on the structural integrity of the south palace wall. Through contour line analysis and facade grid analysis, we extracted the deterioration locations of typical sections of the earthen heritage sites. And we classified the overlying vegetation types on the wall using an object-oriented classification algorithm. Our findings reveal a complex interaction between vegetation and earthen structures: paper mulberry exhibits protective qualities against erosion, while Ziziphus jujuba significantly exacerbates structural vulnerabilities. The methodologies applied in this study for extracting deterioration at earthen heritage sites and integrating multi-source spatial data can serve as a technical application model for monitoring and analyzing the driving forces of earthen heritage sites along the entire Silk Road network, thereby better guiding the conservation of earthen heritage sites.

Abstract Ancient murals embody profound historical, cultural, scientific, and artistic values, yet many are afflicted with challenges such as pigment shedding or missing parts. While deep learning-based completion techniques have yielded remarkable results in restoring natural images, their application to damaged murals has been unsatisfactory due to data shifts and limited modeling efficacy. This paper proposes a novel progressive reasoning network designed specifically for mural image completion, inspired by the mural painting process. The proposed network comprises three key modules: a luminance reasoning module, a sketch reasoning module, and a color fusion module. The first two modules are based on the double-codec framework, designed to infer missing areas’ luminance and sketch information. The final module then utilizes a paired-associate learning approach to reconstruct the color image. This network utilizes two parallel, complementary pathways to estimate the luminance and sketch maps of a damaged mural. Subsequently, these two maps are combined to synthesize a complete color image. Experimental results indicate that the proposed network excels in restoring clearer structures and more vivid colors, surpassing current state-of-the-art methods in both quantitative and qualitative assessments for repairing damaged images. Our code and results will be publicly accessible at https://github.com/albestobe/PRN .

Abstract Enhance the efficiency of tibial transverse transport by employing customized 3D-printed osteotomy guide plates and striving to improve precision through CT evaluation for enhanced guide design. 17 diabetic foot patients were treated with the plate for tibial transverse transport. Preoperatively, we collected DICOM data from the affected tibia’s CT and designed the geometric parameters of the tibial cortical bone window. A customized 3D-printed osteotomy guide plate was then fabricated using 3D printing technology. Postoperative X-ray and CT evaluations, conducted at two and five weeks post-surgery, assessed five crucial geometric parameters of the bone window. Measurements included the distance from the upper edge of the tibial cortical bone window to the tibial plateau, the distance from the anterior edge of the tibial cortical bone window to the bone ridge, the height of the tibial cortical bone window, the center-to-center distance between the 4.0 mm diameter Schanz pin and the osteotomy Kirschner pin, and the center-to-center distance of the 4.0 mm diameter Schanz pin. These measured parameters were subsequently compared to the preoperative design parameters. The Clinical trial registration number is ChiCTR2400087174. CT measurements showed no significant differences (P > 0.05) from preoperative design parameters across the five evaluated aspects. The average osteotomy duration was 35 ± 15 min with no bone window fractures. The bone window aligned effectively with the tibial shaft, achieving complete incorporation after distraction. A 4 to 8-month postoperative follow-up confirmed full healing of the tibial surgical wound and diabetic foot wounds. Utilizing customized 3D-printed osteotomy guide plates in tibial transverse bone transport surgery enables accurate translation of preoperative virtual designs into real-time procedures, enhancing surgical efficiency and quality.

Abstract Background The kidney is exceptionally vulnerable during sepsis, often resulting in sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI), a condition that not only escalates morbidity but also significantly raises sepsis-related mortality rates. Circular RNA circ_001653 has been previously reported to be upregulated in the serum of SA-AKI patients, while the role and underlying mechanism of circ_001653 in SA-AKI remains unknown. In this study, we aimed to explore the functional role and the molecular mechanism of circ_001653 in the pathogenesis of SA-AKI. Methods LPS-stimulated HK-2 cells and ligation and perforation of cecum (CLP)-induced rats were used as in vitro and in vivo models of SA-AKI. The target gene expression levels were measured using qRT-PCR and western blot. Renal function (BUN, sCr, uNGAL, and uKIM-1), and renal pathological changes were detected in septic mice. TUNEL and EdU assays were conducted to measure apoptosis and proliferation rates in vitro. DCFH-DA staining was used to detect ROS levels in vitro and in vivo. Oxidative stress markers (SOD, GSH-Px, MDA, and SOD), and inflammation markers (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) were determined using commercial kits both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, gain-and-loss-of-function assays and mechanistic experiments were conducted to explore the regulatory role of circ_001653 in SA-AKI pathogenesis. Results Data showed that circ_001653 expression was high in LPS-stimulated HK-2 cells and CLP-induced rat renal tissue and was mainly localized in the cytoplasm. Notably, circ_001653 silencing alleviated SA-AKI by reducing apoptosis and alleviating oxidative stress and inflammation in HK-2 cells and renal tissue of rats. Mechanistically, it was found that circ_001653 alleviated SA-AKI by recruiting BUD13 to activate the KEAP1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. Conclusions To summarize, our study is the first to reveal elevated expression of circ_001653 in sepsis-associated AKI, and its downregulation effectively attenuates AKI by reducing apoptosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Mechanistically, circ_001653 exerts its effects by recruiting BUD13 to activate the KEAP1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. These findings suggest circ_001653 as a potential therapeutic target for the drug development of sepsis-associated AKI.

Abstract Background Radiation-induced skin injury is a significant adverse reaction to radiotherapy. However, there is a lack of effective prevention and treatment methods for this complication. Ferulic acid (FA) has been identified as an effective anti-radiation agent. Conventional administrations of FA limit the reaching of it on skin. We aimed to develop a novel FA hydrogel to facilitate the use of FA in radiation-induced skin injury. Methods We cross-linked carbomer 940, a commonly used adjuvant, with FA at concentrations of 5%, 10%, and 15%. Sweep source optical coherence tomography system, a novel skin structure evaluation method, was applied to investigate the influence of FA on radiation-induced skin injury. Calcein-AM/PI staining, CCK8 assay, hemolysis test and scratch test were performed to investigate the biocompatibility of FA hydrogel. The reducibility of DPPH and ABTS radicals by FA hydrogel was also performed. HE staining, Masson staining, laser Doppler blood flow monitor, and OCT imaging system are used to evaluate the degree of skin tissue damage. Potential differentially expressed genes were screened via transcriptome analysis. Results Good biocompatibility and in vitro antioxidant ability of the FA hydrogels were observed. 10% FA hydrogel presented a better mechanical stability than 5% and 15% FA hydrogel. All three concentrations of FA remarkably promoted the recovery of radiation-induced skin injury by reducing inflammation, oxidative conidiation, skin blood flow, and accelerating skin tissue reconstruction, collagen deposition. FA hydrogel greatly inhibiting the levels of NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-18, pro-IL-1β and IL-1β in vivo and vitro levels through restraining the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. Transcriptome analysis indicated that FA might regulate wound healing via targeting immune response, inflammatory response, cell migration, angiogenesis, hypoxia response, and cell matrix adhesion. Conclusions These findings suggest that the novel FA hydrogel is a promising therapeutic method for the prevention and treatment of radiation-induced skin injury patients. Graphical Abstract

Abstract Lenvatinib is a targeted drug used for first-line treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A deeper insight into the resistance mechanism of HCC against lenvatinib is urgently needed. In this study, we aimed to dissect the underlying mechanism of lenvatinib resistance (LR) and provide effective treatment strategies. We established an HCC model of acquired LR. Cell counting, migration, self-renewal ability, chemoresistance and expression of stemness genes were used to detect the stemness of HCC cells. Molecular and biochemical strategies such as RNA-sequencing, immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry and ubiquitination assays were used to explore the underlying mechanisms. Patient-derived HCC models and HCC samples from patients were used to demonstrate clinical significance. We identified that increased cancer stemness driven by the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) pathway activation is responsible for acquired LR in HCC. Phosphorylated non-muscle myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9) at Ser1943, p-MYH9 (Ser1943), could recruit ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22) to deubiquitinate and stabilize HIF-1α in lenvatinib-resistant HCC. Clinically, p-MYH9 (Ser1943) expression was upregulated in HCC samples, which predicted poor prognosis and LR. A casein kinase-2 (CK2) inhibitor and a USP22 inhibitor effectively reversed LR in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, the p-MYH9 (Ser1943)/USP22/HIF-1α axis is critical for LR and cancer stemness. For the diagnosis and treatment of LR in HCC, p-MYH9 (Ser1943), USP22, and HIF-1α might be valuable as novel biomarkers and targets.

Abstract Background Internet gaming disorder (IGD), recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), significantly impacts adolescent mental and physical health. With a global prevalence of 3.05%, rates are higher in Asia, especially among adolescents and males. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated IGD due to increased gaming time from isolation and anxiety. Vulnerable groups include adolescents with poor academic performance, introverted personalities, and comorbid mental disorders. IGD mechanisms remain unclear, lacking prospective research. Based on Skinner’s reinforcement theory, the purpose of this study is to explore the mechanisms of IGD from individual and environmental perspectives, incorporating age-related changes and game features, and to develop intelligent monitoring models for early intervention in high-risk adolescents. Methods This prospective cohort study will investigate IGD mechanisms in middle and high school students in Shenzhen, China. Data will be collected via online surveys and Python-based web scraping, with a 3-year follow-up and assessments every 6 months. Unstructured data obtained through Python-based web scraping will be structured using natural language processing techniques. Collected data will include personal characteristics, gaming usage, academic experiences, and psycho-behavioral-social factors. Baseline data will train and test predictive models, while follow-up data will validate them. Data preprocessing, normalization, and analysis will be performed. Predictive models, including Cox proportional hazards and Weibull regression, will be evaluated through cross-validation, confusion matrix, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, area under the curve (AUC), and root mean square error (RMSE). Discussion The study aims to understand the interplay between individual and environmental factors in IGD, incorporating age-related changes and game features. Active monitoring and early intervention are critical for preventing IGD. Despite limitations in geographic scope and biological data collection, the study’s innovative design and methodologies offer valuable contributions to public health, promoting effective interventions for high-risk individuals.

Abstract Hierarchical Bi2Fe4O9/BiOI S-scheme nanoflower heterostructures are prepared by hydrothermal method, which exhibit exceptional photo-piezoelectric catalytic performance. The tight binding between the sheets ensures the efficient electron transport, and provides a large interface area and adequate reaction sites for photo-piezoelectric catalytic reactions. At the same time, because the water flow in the water body produces hydraulic shear force on the material, the material produces piezoelectric effect. Bi2Fe4O9/BiOI exhibit a remarkable degradation efficiency of 99.4% for tetracycline and a hydrogen production rate of 4089.36 µmol h−1 g−1. The observed behavior can be explained by the combined influence of the formation of S-scheme structure and the process of photo-piezoelectric catalysis, confirmed by in-situ XPS, transient/steady-state fluorescence and piezoelectric response force test. The excellent stability of the material suggests its possible use in the sectors of energy and environment. This work introduces novel concepts for the future advancement of photo-piezoelectric synergistic catalysis.

The global food crisis has intensified with climate change, and hybrid rice (Oryza sativa L.) is expected to play a crucial role in ensuring world food security. This study analyzed the parental origins and variety characteristics of 930 hybrid rice varieties bred in Sichuan Province, a typical low-light region and one of the main production areas for hybrid rice, from 2002 to 2022. The results indicate that these varieties were hybridized using 329 direct female and 539 direct male parents. Notably, the female parent Peiai 64 and the male parents Yuehesimiao and Fenghuazhan demonstrated a higher probability of breeding rice varieties with high yield and good quality. An ideal panicle type should possess more grains, a lower 1000-grain weight, a higher seed setting percentage, and greater grain density. It is recommended to increase the utilization of excellent parents in Sichuan Province, such as parents with ideal panicle type to improve resistance to climate change, particularly global dimming.

Introduction:: Accurate identification of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in primary care and rural areas can be a challenging task. However, recent advancements in computer vision offer the potential for automated systems to detect PAH from echocardiography. Objectives:: Our aim was to develop a precise and efficient diagnostic model for PAH tailored to the unique requirements of intelligent diagnosis, especially in challenging locales like high-altitude regions. Methods:: We proposed the Chamber Attention Network (CAN) for PAH identification from echocardiographic images, trained on a dataset comprising 13,912 individual subjects. A convolutional neural network (CNN) for view classification was used to select the clinically relevant apical four chamber (A4C) and parasternal long axis (PLAX) views for PAH diagnosis. To assess the importance of different heart chambers in PAH diagnosis, we developed a novel Chamber Attention Module. Results:: The experimental results demonstrated that: 1) The substantial correspondence between our obtained chamber attention vector and clinical expertise suggested that our model was highly interpretable, potentially uncovering diagnostic insights overlooked by the clinical community. 2) The proposed CAN model exhibited superior image-level accuracy and faster convergence on the internal validation dataset compared to the other four models. Furthermore, our CAN model outperformed the others on the external test dataset, with image-level accuracies of 82.53% and 83.32% for A4C and PLAX, respectively. 3) Implementation of the voting strategy notably enhanced the positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of individual-level classification results, enhancing the reliability of our classification outcomes. Conclusions:: These findings indicate that CAN is a feasible technique for AI-assisted PAH diagnosis, providing new insights into cardiac structural changes observed in echocardiography.

Objective: To evaluate various treatment methods for benign rectal anastomotic stricture (AS) following surgery for colorectal cancer. Method: A systematic review of the literature was conducted, focusing on studies that reported outcomes of different treatment modalities for benign AS. The PubMed, Embase, Scopus, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Cochrane Library databases were searched from January 2000 to December 2023. The inclusion criteria were studies involving human subjects, published in English, and reporting on therapeutic outcomes for benign AS. Results: A total of 19 papers identified a range of therapeutic strategies, including nonoperative anastomotic dilation, endoscopic balloon dilation (EBD), transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS), self-expandable metal stents (SEMS), endoscopic incision (EI) and newer techniques such as prostate resection instrumentation. Nonoperative anastomotic dilation can serve as an initial treatment for lower AS. EI demonstrated promise in cases where EBD was ineffective, providing an alternative method for managing AS. TAMIS and SEMS showed higher efficacy in refractory cases, with TAMIS being particularly effective for severe fibrotic or completely closed AS. The use of rigid instrumentation with an electric knife for transanal incisions demonstrated precision but lacked the flexibility needed for complex procedures. Conclusion: While traditional methods such as nonoperative anastomotic dilation and EBD remain first-line treatments for benign AS, advanced techniques such as EI, TAMIS, and SEMS offer promising alternatives, particularly in refractory cases. The choice of treatment should be tailored to individual patient conditions, with consideration for the technical expertise required and the potential for complications.

Abstract In recent years, the application of Neural Combinatorial Optimization (NCO) techniques in Combinatorial Optimization (CO) has emerged as a popular and promising research direction. Currently, there are mainly two types of NCO, namely, the Constructive Neural Combinatorial Optimization (CNCO) and the Perturbative Neural Combinatorial Optimization (PNCO). The CNCO generally trains an encoder-decoder model via supervised learning to construct solutions from scratch. It exhibits high speed in construction process, however, it lacks the ability for sustained optimization due to the one-shot mapping, which bounds its potential for application. Instead, the PNCO generally trains neural network models via deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to intelligently select appropriate human-designed heuristics to improve existing solutions. It can achieve high-quality solutions but at the cost of high computational demand. To leverage the strengths of both approaches, we propose to hybrid the CNCO and PNCO by designing a hybrid framework comprising two stages, in which the CNCO is the first stage and the PNCO is the second. Specifically, in the first stage, we utilize the attention model to generate preliminary solutions for given CO instances. In the second stage, we employ DRL to intelligently select and combine appropriate algorithmic components from improvement pool, perturbation pool, and prediction pool to continuously optimize the obtained solutions. Experimental results on synthetic and real Capacitated Vehicle Routing Problems (CVRPs) and Traveling Salesman Problems(TSPs) demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid framework with the assistance of automated algorithm design.

Abstract Loop closure detection is a key technology for robotic navigation. Existing research primarily focuses on feature extraction from global scenes but often neglects local overhead occlusion scenes. In these local scenes, objects such as vehicles, trees, and buildings vary in height, creating a complex multi-layered structure with vertical occlusions. Current methods predominantly employ a single-level extraction strategy to construct descriptors, which fails to capture the characteristics of occluded objects. This limitation results in descriptors with restricted descriptive capabilities. This paper introduces a descriptor named Hierarchy Scan Context (HSC) to address this shortfall. HSC effectively extracts height feature information of objects at different levels in overhead occlusion scenes through hierarchical division, demonstrating enhanced descriptive capabilities. Additionally, a time series enhancement strategy is proposed to reduce the number of algorithmic missed detections. In the experiments, the proposed method is validated using a self-collected dataset and the public KITTI and NCLT datasets, demonstrating superior performance compared to competitive methods. Furthermore, the proposed method also achieves an average maximum F1 score of 0.92 in experiments conducted on nine selected road segments with overhead occlusion.

Objective To explore the predictive factors of acute kidney injury （AKI） in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis plus ascites and establish a new prediction model. Methods Fom January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2022, the relevant clinical data were retrospectively reviewed for 1350 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis admitted into Department of Infection of First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University. According to the diagnostic criteria for AKI of International Ascites Club in 2015, they were divided into two groups of AKI and non-AKI. According to the types of variables, the data differences between two groups were compared by χ2, T and Mann-Whitney U. The risk factors for AKI were screened by binary Logistic regression and ROC curve was plotted for evaluating the diagnostic value of each risk factor for AKI. An end-stage liver disease model was utilized for predicting AKI and short-term outcomes. Results Among 446 patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis and ascites, 111 cases developed AKI. The results of multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that prothrombin activity （OR = 1.031, 95%CI: 1.005-1.058）, blood urea nitrogen （BUN） （OR = 1.305, 95%CI:1.175-1.450）, MELD score （OR = 1.181, 95%CI: 1.100-1.267） and moderate ascites （OR = 7.218, 95%CI: 2.170-24.008） were independent risk factors for AKI （P＜0.05）. In ROC curve, AUC value of four-party combined predictor was the greatest （AUC = 0.895）. Conclusion Prothrombin activity, BUN, MELD score and ascitic severity are independent risk factors for AKI in patients with hepatitis B cirrhosis plus ascites. And combined prediction model established by these four factors has a high predictive value.

Abstract Methionine, an indispensable amino acid crucial for dietary balance, intricately governs metabolic pathways. Disruption in its equilibrium has the potential to heighten homocysteine levels in both plasma and tissues, posing a conceivable risk of inducing inflammation and detriment to the integrity of vascular endothelial cells. The intricate interplay between methionine metabolism, with a specific focus on S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM), and the onset of thoracic aortic dissection (TAD) remains enigmatic despite acknowledging the pivotal role of inflammation in this vascular condition. In an established murine model induced by β-aminopropionitrile monofumarate (BAPN), we delved into the repercussions of supplementing with S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) on the progression of TAD. Our observations uncovered a noteworthy improvement in aortic dissection and rupture rates, accompanied by a marked reduction in mortality upon SAM supplementation. Notably, SAM supplementation exhibited a considerable protective effect against BAPN-induced degradation of elastin and the extracellular matrix. Furthermore, SAM supplementation demonstrated a robust inhibitory influence on the infiltration of immune cells, particularly neutrophils and macrophages. It also manifested a notable reduction in the inflammatory polarization of macrophages, evident through diminished accumulation of MHC-IIhigh macrophages and reduced expression of inflammatory cytokines such as IL1β and TNFα in macrophages. Simultaneously, SAM supplementation exerted a suppressive effect on the activation of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells within the aorta. This was evidenced by an elevated proportion of CD44- CD62L + naïve T cells and a concurrent decrease in CD44 + CD62L- effector T cells. In summary, our findings strongly suggest that the supplementation of SAM exhibits remarkable efficacy in alleviating BAPN-induced aortic inflammation, consequently impeding the progression of thoracic aortic dissection.

Abstract In animals, evolutionarily conserved Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) catalyzes histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) and PRC1 functions in recruitment and transcriptional repression. However, the mechanisms underlying H3K27me3-mediated stable transcriptional silencing are largely unknown, as PRC1 subunits are poorly characterized in fungi. Here, we report that in the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe oryzae, the N-terminal chromodomain and C-terminal MRG domain of Eaf3 play key roles in facultative heterochromatin formation and transcriptional silencing. Eaf3 physically interacts with Ash1, Eed, and Sin3, encoding an H3K36 methyltransferase, the core subunit of PRC2, and a histone deacetylation co-suppressor, respectively. Eaf3 co-localizes with a set of repressive Ash1-H3K36me2 and H3K27me3 loci and mediates their transcriptional silencing. Furthermore, Eaf3 acts as a histone reader for the repressive H3K36me2 and H3K27me3 marks. Eaf3-occupied regions are associated with increased nucleosome occupancy, contributing to transcriptional silencing in M. oryzae. Together, these findings reveal that Eaf3 is a repressive H3K36me2 reader and plays a vital role in Polycomb gene silencing and the formation of facultative heterochromatin in fungi.

Abstract Background and aim Bismuth and non-bismuth quadruple therapy are the guideline-recommended first-line therapy in children with Helicobacter pylori infection in areas with high antibiotic resistance. However, their efficacy in children is uncertain and there are few well-designed studies. Here, we evaluated the eradication rates of standard triple therapy, bismuth-based quadruple therapy and sequential therapy in children with H. pylori infection. Methods A randomised controlled trial was conducted in children infected with H. pylori in West China Second Hospital. They were randomly assigned to 14-day standard triple therapy (omeprazole + amoxicillin + clarithromycin), 14-day bismuth quadruple therapy (bismuth + omeprazole + amoxicillin + clarithromycin) and 10-day sequential therapy (omeprazole + amoxicillin for 5 days followed by omeprazole + clarithromycin + metronidazole for 5 days). The eradication rate was assessed by a 13C-urea breath test 4 to 6 weeks after therapy completion. Symptom improvement and adverse events were compared among the groups. Results In total, 132 patients were enrolled. The eradication rates of 14-day standard triple therapy, 14-day bismuth quadruple therapy and 10-day sequential therapy were 70.0%, 78.9% and 50.0% in per-protocol analysis and 63.6%, 68.2% and 43.2% in intention-to-treat analysis, respectively. Symptom improvement and adverse drug event rates were similar in the three groups. Conclusion The three therapeutic regimens evaluated in this study are equally not recommendable for H. pylori infection treatment due to unsatisfactory eradication rates. The high prevalence of clarithromycin resistance makes the use of clarithromycin-based quadruple therapy not advisable, even in combination with amoxicillin and bismuth salts.

Abstract Background The genus Hydrocotyle Tourn. ex L. is a key group for further study on the evolution of Apiales, comprising around 170 species globally. Previous studies mainly focused on separate sections and provided much information about this genus, but its infrageneric relationships are still confusing. In addition, the genetic basis of its adaptive evolution remains poorly understood. To investigate the phylogeny and evolution of the genus, we selected ten representative species covering two of three diversity distribution centers and exhibiting rich morphology diversity. Comparative plastome analysis was conducted to clarify the structural character of Hydrocotyle plastomes. Positive selection analyses were implemented to assess the evolution of the genus. Phylogenetic inferences with protein-coding sequences (CDS) of Hydrocotyle and 17 related species were also performed. Results Plastomes within Hydrocotyle were generally conservative in structure, gene order, and size. A total of 14 regions (rps16-trnK, trnQ-rps16, atpI-atpH, trnC-petN-psbM, ycf3-trnS, accD-psaI-ycf4, petA-psbJ, rps12-rpl20, rpl16 intron, rps3-rpl16 intron, rps9-rpl22, ndhF-rpl32, ndhA intron, and ycf1a) were recognized as hotspot regions within the genus, which suggested to be promising DNA barcodes for global phylogenetic analysis of Hydrocotyle. The ycf15 gene was suggested to be a protein-coding gene for Hydrocotyle species, and it could be used as a DNA barcode to identify Hydrocotyle. In phylogenetic analysis, three monophyletic clades (Clade I, II, III) were identified with evidence of rapid radiation speciation within Clade I. The selective pressure analysis detected that six CDS genes (ycf1b, matK, atpF, accD, rps14, and psbB) of Hydrocotyle species were under positive selection. Within the genus, the last four genes were conservative, suggesting a relation to the unique evolution of the genus in Apiales. Seven genes (atpE, matK, psbH, ycf1a, ycf1b, rpoA, and ycf2) were detected to be under some degree of positive selection in different taxa within the genus Hydrocotyle, indicating their role in the adaptive evolution of species. Conclusions Our study offers new insights into the phylogeny and adaptive evolution of Hydrocotyle. The plastome sequences could significantly enhance phylogenetic resolution and provide genomic resources and potential DNA markers useful for future studies of the genus.

Abstract Background No research report has been conducted to investigate the impact of oxidation balance score (OBS) on the estimated pulse wave velocity(ePWV).We aimed to examine the association between OBS and ePWV. Method We evaluated data for 13,073 patients from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The exposure variable was OBS. The outcome variables was combination of ePWV and arterial stiffness. Results We observed a significant negative correlation between OBS (Per 1SD increase) and ePWV in the gradually adjusted models. Based on the aforementioned results, a two-piecewise logistic regression adjusted model was subsequently employed to establish the association between OBS and elevated ePWV, and the inflection point was determined as 5. The increased risk of elevated ePWV (OR:0.70; 95%CI:0.51–0.94) gradually decreases with the increase of OBS on the left side of the inflection point; however, when OBS exceeds 5, this decrease in risk of elevated ePWV(OR:1.00; 95%CI:0.96–1.04) is no longer observed (P for log likelihood ratio test = 0.028). Conclusions There exists a significant association between OBS and ePWV in the context of American adults. Specifically, OBS exhibits a negative correlation with ePWV; however, when considering an elevated ePWV, a saturation effect is observed in relation to OBS.

Bile acids (BAs) are synthesized by the host liver from cholesterol and are delivered to the intestine, where they undergo further metabolism by gut microbes and circulate between the liver and intestines through various transporters. They serve to emulsify dietary lipids and act as signaling molecules, regulating the host's metabolism and immune homeostasis through specific receptors. Therefore, disruptions in BA metabolism, transport, and signaling are closely associated with cholestasis, metabolic disorders, autoimmune diseases, and others. Botanical triterpenoids and steroids share structural similarities with BAs, and they have been found to modulate BA metabolism, transport, and signaling, potentially exerting pharmacological or toxicological effects. Here, we have updated the research progress on BA, with a particular emphasis on new-found microbial BAs. Additionally, the latest advancements in targeting BA metabolism and signaling for disease treatment are highlighted. Subsequently, the roles of botanical triterpenoids in BA metabolism, transport, and signaling are examined, analyzing their potential pharmacological, toxicological, or drug interaction effects through these mechanisms. Finally, a research paradigm is proposed that utilizes the gut microbiota as a link to interpret the role of these important natural products in BA signaling.

Abstract Image hiding is a task that hides secret images into cover images. The purposes of image hiding are to ensure the secret images are invisible to the human and the secret images can be recovered. The current state‐of‐the‐art steganography methods run the risk of secret information leakage. A safe image hiding network (SIHNet) is presented to reduce the leakage of secret information. Based on some phenomena of image hiding methods which use invertible neural network, a reversible secret image processing (SIP) module is proposed to make the secret images suitable for hiding and make the stego images leak less secret information. Besides, a reversible lost information hiding (LIH) module is used to hide the lost information into the cover images, thus the method can recover the secret images better than the method that uses random noise to replace the lost information. Experimental results show that SIHNet outperforms other state‐of‐the‐art methods on the PSNR and SSIM values of the recovered secret images and the stego images. Besides, residual images of other state‐of‐the‐art methods all contain information about secret images while residual images of SIHNet leak almost no secret information. Thus the method can prevent the listener of transmission channel from obtaining the information of the secret image through the residual image, which means SIHNet performs better in security than other state‐of‐the‐art methods.

AIM: To describe the multimodal imaging features, treatment, and outcomes of patients diagnosed with adult-onset Coats disease. METHODS: This retrospective study included patients first diagnosed with Coats disease at ≥18 years of age between September 2017 and September 2021. Some patients received anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy (conbercept, 0.5 mg) as the initial treatment, which was combined with laser photocoagulation as needed. All the patients underwent best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and intraocular pressure examinations, fundus color photography, spontaneous fluorescence tests, fundus fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT angiography, and other examinations. BCVA alterations and multimodal image findings in the affected eyes following treatment were compared and the prognostic factors were analyzed. RESULTS: The study included 15 patients who were aged 24-72 (57.33±12.61)y at presentation. Systemic hypertension was the most common associated systemic condition, occurring in 13 (86.7%) patients. Baseline BCVA ranged from 2.0 to 5.0 (4.0±1.1), which showed improvement following treatment (4.2±1.0). Multimodal imaging revealed retinal telangiectasis in 13 patients (86.7%), patchy hemorrhage in 5 patients (33.3%), and stage 2B disease (Shield's staging criteria) in 11 patients (73.3%). OCT revealed that the baseline central macular thickness (CMT) ranged from 129 to 964 µm (473.0±230.1 µm), with 13 patients (86.7%) exhibiting a baseline CMT exceeding 250 µm. Furthermore, 8 patients (53.3%) presented with an epiretinal membrane at baseline or during follow-up. Hyper-reflective scars were observed on OCT in five patients (33.3%) with poor visual prognosis. Vision deteriorated in one patient who did not receive treatment. Final vision was stable in three patients who received laser treatment, whereas improvement was observed in one of two patients who received anti-VEGF therapy alone. In addition, 8 of 9 patients (88.9%) who received laser treatment and conbercept exhibited stable or improved BCVA. CONCLUSION: Multimodal imaging can help diagnose adult-onset Coats disease. Anti-VEGF treatment combined with laser therapy can be an option for improving or maintaining BCVA and resolving macular edema. The final visual outcome depends on macular involvement and the disease stage.

Objective To evaluate the benefits of mobile health APP in improving the rate of standardized treatment of gonorrhea. Methods This study included 80 doctors from People's Hospital of Shenzhen Luohu district. These doctors were randomly divided into two groups, 40 doctors in the intervention and 40 doctors in the control group. In the intervention group, online video training on the latest treatment guidelines of gonorrhea was given to the doctors, using mobile health app, for the total of 18 months, while the control group was trained using traditional offline courses. The rates of standardized treatment of gonorrhea were compared before and after the training in both groups. Results Prior to the training, the rates of standardized treatment of gonorrhea did not differ significantly between the two groups (χ2=0.06, P=0.801). After the training, the rate of standardized treatment of gonorrhea was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the controls (χ2=8.71, P=0.003), although both training approaches improved the rates of standardized treatment (both P

Abstract Background Birth defects are the leading cause of mortality in newborn babies and children under five years old. In response, the Chinese government has implemented a three-tiered prevention strategy, which has brought ethical concerns about fetuses with birth defects. This study aims to explore the attitudes toward fetuses with birth defects among health professionals engaged in maternal and child health services. Methods A qualitative study was conducted among 13 health professionals engaged in maternal and child health services in Hunan Province, China. The questions were designed to elicit the participants' work experience and attitudes toward fetuses with birth defects. The data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, and NVivo 12 was used for data coding and analysis. A thematic analysis approach was employed following the SRQR checklist. Results Five themes and 13 attributes were generated regarding health professionals' perspectives on fetuses with birth defects. The five themes included: (1) severity and curability of diseases (two attributes), (2) family relations (four attributes), (3) medical assessments (two attributes), (4) social situations (three attributes), (5) self-value orientations (three attributes). The findings showed that the majority of health professionals held the view that a fetus with a curable disease could be born, whereas a fetus with severe disability and teratogenesis should be terminated. Twelve out of the 13 health professionals believed that parents should be the decision-makers, while only one thought that the family should make a decision together. Conclusions Attitudes toward birth defects were influenced by various factors, indicating the complexity of real-world cases identified in this study. The findings highlight the dilemmas faced by both families and health professionals regarding birth defects. Adequate medical knowledge and support from society are crucial to inform decision-making among family members. Additionally, standardized norms and policies for birth defects are needed. Establishing an ethics committee for prenatal diagnosis is necessary to address current ethical issues in this field.

Abstract Aphids cause enormous financial losses to various crop plants on a global scale. Moreover, aphids are vectors for many plant viral diseases that can further hasten crop yield losses. Aphids secrete saliva during feeding that contains effectors that can regulate plants' defense responses and their underlying mechanisms. Although much research has been undertaken to determine the mechanisms contributing to plant-aphid interactions, our understanding of defense mechanisms against aphids is insufficient. The presence of piercing-sucking mouthparts in aphids makes the identification of aphid resistance more challenging, hindering our understanding of the mechanisms of plant resistance to aphids. In this article, we consolidate and assess the evidence that is currently available on plant-aphid interactions, address the gaps in our understanding, and propose new research directions. As an outcome, we present an in-depth review of the molecular mechanisms of aphid resistance in crops from five perspectives: physical protection against aphids using volatile compounds, PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI), effector-triggered immunity (ETI), plant hormone signaling and the inheritance of induced resistance through epigenetics.

Abstract Background Postoperative radiotherapy can significantly reduce keloid recurrence. However, consensus on the optimal radiotherapy dose and treatment schedule remains elusive. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of surgery followed by a short-course of radiotherapy administered every other day for keloid treatment. Materials/Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis of 498 patients with keloids treated at our institution between January 2010 and December 2017. All patients underwent electron beam irradiation at a dose of 16 Gy, delivered in four fractions every other day, starting within 24 h post-surgery. The primary endpoint of the study was the local control rate. Results A total of 130 (26.5%) keloids recurred after a median follow-up of 68.1months (42.6-129.9 months). The local control rates at 1 year, 3 years and 5 years for all patients were 89.5%, 82.5% and 81%, respectively. The highest recurrence rate was observed in keloids located in the chest region (50.8%), followed by the suprapubic (47.8%), head and neck (38.8%), limbs (33.3%) and ear (14%). Both multivariate and univariate analyses identified the presence of pain and or pruritus as an independently prognostic factor for keloid recurrence (p

Abstract Antimicrobial proteins contribute to host-microbiota interactions and are associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but our understanding on antimicrobial protein diversity and functions remains incomplete. Ribonuclease 4 (Rnase4) is a potential antimicrobial protein with no known function in the intestines. Here we find that RNASE4 is expressed in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) including Paneth and goblet cells, and is detectable in human and mouse stool. Results from Rnase4-deficient mice and recombinant protein suggest that Rnase4 kills Parasutterella to modulate intestinal microbiome, thereby enhancing indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) expression and subsequently kynurenic and xanthurenic acid production in IECs to reduce colitis susceptibility. Furthermore, deceased RNASE4 levels are observed in the intestinal tissues and stool from patients with IBD, correlating with increased stool Parasutterella. Our results thus implicate Rnase4 as an intestinal antimicrobial protein regulating gut microbiota and metabolite homeostasis, and as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for IBD.

Ti-5321 alloy formed by laser cladding has good mechanical properties. By subsequent heat treatment of the alloy, not only can rich microstructures be obtained, but its strength, toughness, or damage tolerance performance can also be improved. Four typical microstructures, including basket-weave structure, large layer structure, ultrafine needle-like structure, and rod-like structure were constructed through different heat treatments. Basket-weave structure is composed of slender lamellar α, which has the best plasticity and toughness. Due to the large orientation difference between adjacent lamellar α and the susceptibility to multiple slip during crack propagation, this will greatly increase the crack propagation resistance and the curvature of the crack propagation path, which is beneficial for improving the damage tolerance performance of the alloy. Large layer structure is composed of large layer α and ultrafine needle-like α, with the highest strength. The orientation difference between adjacent large layer α is extremely small and prone to {10–11} pyramidal slip. The crack propagation resistance is reduced, which in turn damages the damage tolerance performance of the alloy. Ultrafine needle-like structure is entirely composed of ultrafine needle-like α, with high strength and extremely low plasticity and toughness. The orientation difference between adjacent needle-like α is single, making it prone to pyramidal slip and first-order pyramidal slip. The strength of rod-like structure matches well with its plasticity and toughness. There are multiple slip systems in rod-like structure and there is significant difference in orientation between adjacent α. Large orientation differences will have certain hindering effect on crack deflection.

Abstract Owing to low cost, high flexibility and delivery efficiency, effectively addressing the challenges of “last-mile” delivery. While collaborative truck-drone delivery systems have been proposed to overcome limitations such as limited battery life and payload capacity, they are not well-suited for large and heavy parcel delivery. To solve the issue, a pioneering heterogeneous multi-drone delivery system. In this system, the mother drone handles the delivery of large and heavy parcels, releasing small drones to manage the delivery of smaller and lighter parcels. To address the complexities of this multi-drone delivery system, we introduce a divide-and-conquer framework consisting of two integral phases. The first phase, the task allocation phase, generates multiple task allocation schemes, while the second phase, the single-drone route planning phase, produces high-quality routes for each individual drone. Two phases are performed in an iterative manner until the predefined stopping criteria are satisfied. In the task allocation phase, we propose a simulated annealing algorithm (SA) to facilitate task allocation among multiple drones, utilizing transfer and recombination operators to generate high-quality solutions. After obtaining the task allocation scheme, a satisfactory route of a mother drone is generated by a variable neighborhood descent algorithm (VND). A desirable route for each single small drone is produced by dynamic programming (DP).Extensive experiments are conducted, demonstrating the outstanding optimization and time efficiency of the proposed two-phase optimization method by the fact that it obtains within a 4.89% gap from the optimal solution generated by CPLEX in 15.48 s for instance up to 125 nodes.

【Objective】By analyzing the genetic variation characteristics and heterosis of natural hybridization in Rhododendron, a theoretical basis is provided for hybrid breeding and new variety selection of Rhododendron.【Method】Thirty-six natural hybrids of Rhododendron delavayi and Rhododendron irroratum were taken as the research materials. The phenotypic traits of Rhododendron corollas such as inflorescence shape, flower color, corolla diameter, and number of floret were analyzed, and their genetic diversity, coefficient of variation and heterosis were studied.【Result】The inflorescence shapes mainly were divided into three types, among which flat inflorescences accounted for 83.33%, and the flower color differentiation was most obvious, with pink accounting for 61.11%, and white and light yellow accounting for a relatively small proportion. The differentiation of the corolla throat spots and corolla honeydew spots in hybrids was also obvious. The colorful ribbed stripes on the back of corolla were differentiated from the deep red and light yellow of the parent into the pink, deep red, purplish red and light yellow. The pink ribbed stripes were the most common, accounting for 58.33%. The corolla posture was differentiated into three types: fully wavy, wavy on the edge, and nearly flat. Among them, there were more plants with wavy edges on the corolla, accounting for 86.11%. By calculation, it could be inferred that the Shannon-Wiener diversity of corolla color, corolla throat spot and corolla honeydew spot was higher than 1.0. The frequency distribution of quantitative traits in the corolla followed a normal distribution, it was in conformity with typical genetic characteristics of quantitative traits. The coefficient of genetic variation ranged from 11.17% to 26.7%. The heterosis index of corolla diameter was positive (106.66%), while the heterosis index of other trait indicators was negative, ranging from88.91% to 98.97%. The index of the pedicel length was the smallest. The HH was between 11.11% and 55.56%, while the LL was between 13.89% and 58.33%. The HH of the corolla diameter was the highest.【Conclusion】Therefore, the corolla phenotypic traits of the natural hybrids of Rhododendron delavayi and Rhododendron irroratum have rich variation characteristics, with the potential for breeding excellent germplasm. The hybrids have a certain degree of HH, and phenotypic traits like corolla diameter exhibit excellent traits. However, some traits also have a certain proportion of LL, and the rate of deterioration is also relatively high.

Abstract Dust pollution from Chinese open-pit coal mines (OPCMs) threatens the coexistence of resource development and environmental protection. This research introduces a new approach to designing OPCMs based on meteorological indicators for dust removal and diffusion. It analyzes the production, distribution, and dust emission features of large-scale OPCMs in China. The factors affecting dust dispersion and atmospheric pollution characteristics were also examined. The findings reveal a surge in the number and output of OPCMs, intensifying the conflict between resource development and environmental protection. Notably, over 80% of OPCMs are in arid and semi-arid regions, exacerbating the challenge. Microclimate effects, including circulation and inversion effects, further amplify dust pollution. Regional and seasonal dust pollution patterns were identified, with the southern region experiencing the highest pollution levels, followed by the northern and central regions. Seasonally, dust pollution exhibits the following pattern: winter > autumn > spring > summer. An alarming decline in atmospheric self-cleaning capacity over the past two decades underscores the pressing challenges ahead for dust control. The increase in air stagnation days/events highlights the urgency for effective dust prevention and control measures. This research suggests considering meteorological elements in OPCM design for dust control. Optimizing mining operations based on weather forecasts enables the utilization of natural conditions for effective dust prevention and control. The results provide insights for dust prevention and control in open-pit mines to foster green and climate-smart mining.

Abstract With the rapid development of technologies such as autonomous driving and robotic navigation, the demand for accurate and reliable positioning results with BDS has increased. The current status and future development of BDS high precision services are reviewed. The operational PPP-B2b of BDS-3 achieves positioning accuracy at decimeter-level within 14 min and has the drawbacks in regional coverage and long convergence time compared with the international counterparts, such as CLAS of QZSS and HAS of Galileo. A development frame for multi-layer BDS high-precision services is proposed by considering its construction cost, compatibility of user terminal, operating maintenance burden, and service level. The global high-precision service with the improved orbit and clock accuracy enhanced with the inter-satellite link is taken as the most fundamental layer. By incorporating inter-satellite link observations, the orbit errors URE and clock errors are significantly reduced to approximately 0.05 m and 0.16 ns, respectively, which will expand PPP service to global. Based on this, the regional PPP-AR and PPP-RTK services with improved convergence performance are taken as the second layer. With PPP-AR, the convergence time drops to 10 min. With PPP-RTK, the convergence time would be further shortened to less than 3 min. The LEO enhanced PPP service is taken as the third layer which overcomes both drawbacks of the long convergence time of the inter-satellite link enhanced service (the first layer) and the regional coverage of the PPP-AR/PPP-RTK services (the second layer). The simulation results show that by introducing a LEO constellation of 288 satellites, the LEO enhanced PPP can achieve positioning accuracy better than 5 cm within approximately 1 min. In addition, the integration of LEO constellation and PPP-RTK is further proposed to enable instantaneous convergence. The implementation challenges are also presented.

Abstract Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic autoimmune disease, is marked by impaired immune tolerance and heightened activity in both innate and adaptive immune systems. Hallmarks of SLE include elevated type I interferons and autoantibody production, though the exact causes of SLE remain elusive despite advances in research techniques. Crucial to SLE research is understanding its pathogenesis and developing effective diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Recent studies have highlighted a significant link between mitochondrial abnormalities and SLE's development and progression. Mitochondrial dysfunction plays a key role in SLE pathogenesis through various mechanisms such as mitochondrial DNA mutations, oxidative stress, immune metabolic reprogramming, and cellular death. These factors collectively contribute to the loss of self‐tolerance, increased autoantibody production, and impaired clearance of immune complexes, leading to their deposition. This triggers sustained inflammatory responses and damages multiple organs. This review focuses on the diagnostic and therapeutic approaches related to mitochondrial abnormalities in SLE. Targeting mitochondrial pathways presents a promising strategy for treating SLE, potentially improving prognosis and quality of life for those affected. Future research should further investigate the role of mitochondria in the onset and progression of SLE, providing new avenues for understanding and managing this complex disease.

Objective: Opera Heritage in China is a rich and diverse cultural tradition passed down through generations. Today, Opera Heritage remains an essential part of Chinese culture and is celebrated through performances, festivals, and other cultural events. Efforts are being made to preserve and promote Opera Heritage through innovative technologies and approach such as digital archives, virtual reality, and community-based heritage management. Analysis: In this study, we suggested the SMART model that seeks to integrate these technologies and approaches into the preservation and promotion of Opera Heritage, ensuring that this rich cultural tradition can be enjoyed by future generations. We employed an ‘opera heritage’ using the Smart model in this study. In this research, "Smart Heritage" was defined as heritage experiences that used the word "Smart Heritage" or "similar terms" to describe the smart model. Findings: Opera Heritage analysis paid close attention to cutting-edge tools to record developments that showcase technical independence. Due to language barriers, this article could only interpret a clear convergence between SMART and opera heritage protection. For China's Opera Heritage to be properly archived and protected, a holistic and cooperative strategy that incorporates cutting-edge technologies and community-based heritage management practises are essential. Conclusion:Innovating technologies such as virtual reality and digital archives have been employed in efforts to promote and preserve China's rich Opera Heritage. This study emphasises the necessity for an extensive strategy for the efficient preservation and protection of Opera Heritage and suggests the SMART model to incorporate these methods. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2024-05-02-09 Full Text: PDF

Abstract Background Early identification of high-risk individuals with cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity (CIN) is crucial for avoiding CIN and improving prognosis. In this study, we developed and validated a CIN prediction model based on general clinical data, laboratory indications, and genetic features of lung cancer patients before chemotherapy. Methods We retrospectively included 696 lung cancer patients using platinum chemotherapy regimens from June 2019 to June 2021 as the traing set to construct a predictive model using Absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, cross validation, and Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) to select important variables. We prospectively selected 283 independent lung cancer patients from July 2021 to December 2022 as the test set to evaluate the model’s performance. Results The prediction model showed good discrimination and calibration, with AUCs of 0.9217 and 0.8288, sensitivity of 79.89% and 45.07%, specificity of 94.48% and 94.81%, in the training and test sets respectively. Clinical decision curve analysis suggested that the model has value for clinical use when the risk threshold ranges between 0.1 and 0.9. Precision-Recall (PR) curve shown in recall interval from 0.5 to 0.75: precision gradually declines with increasing Recall, up to 0.9. Conclusions Predictive models based on laboratory and demographic variables can serve as a beneficial complementary tool for identifying high-risk populations with CIN.