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Abstract Background C-X-C receptor 4(CXCR4) is widely considered to be a highly conserved G protein-coupled receptor, widely involved in the pathophysiological processes in the human body, including fibrosis. However, its role in regulating macrophage-related inflammation in the fibrotic process of prostatitis has not been confirmed. Here, we aim to describe the role of CXCR4 in modulating macrophage M1 polarization through glycolysis in the development of prostatitis fibrosis. Methods Use inducible experimental chronic prostatitis as a model of prostatic fibrosis. Reduce CXCR4 expression in immortalized bone marrow-derived macrophages using lentivirus. In the fibrotic mouse model, use adenovirus carrying CXCR4 agonists to detect the silencing of CXCR4 and assess the in vivo effects. Results In this study, we demonstrated that reducing CXCR4 expression during LPS treatment of macrophages can alleviate M1 polarization. Silencing CXCR4 can inhibit glycolytic metabolism, enhance mitochondrial function, and promote macrophage transition from M1 to M2. Additionally, in vivo functional experiments using AAV carrying CXCR4 showed that blocking CXCR4 in experimental autoimmune prostatitis (EAP) can alleviate inflammation and experimental prostate fibrosis development. Mechanistically, CXCR4, a chemokine receptor, when silenced, weakens the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway as its downstream signal, reducing c-MYC expression. PFKFB3, a key enzyme involved in glucose metabolism, is a target gene of c-MYC, thus impacting macrophage polarization and glycolytic metabolism processes.

Understanding the variability of bio-optical properties in coastal seas is essential to assessing the impact of natural and anthropogenic activities on the quality of the coastal environments and their resources. This study investigated the vertical distribution of bio-optical properties and their potential driving forces in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) using a bio-optical dataset collected during the winter dry season. The hydrographic and biogeochemical properties observed across the GBA exhibited significant spatial variability, allowing the classification of the waters into three distinct regions: estuarine diluted water (EDW), Guangdong coastal current water (GCCW), and dense shelf water (DSW). Our findings show that EDW exhibited beam attenuation and optical backscatter coefficients an order of magnitude greater compared to the other two regions, which was attributed to factors such as higher concentrations of suspended particulate matter and organic material from estuarine sources. In contrast, the GCCW was characterized by lower salinity, temperature, and suspended particulate matter and displayed reduced turbidity near the coast, whereas nutrient-rich GCCW waters transported to the mid-shelf region supported increased phytoplankton biomass and a greater abundance of micro-phytoplankton. By exploring the bio-optical characteristics and their underlying processes in the GBA, this study enhances our understanding of the complex dynamics shaping the optical properties of coastal waters in this heavily urbanized region.

Background In-stent restenosis (ISR) is the primary cause of stroke recurrence after intracranial stenting. Drug-eluting stents (DES) have recently shown great potential for reducing restenosis. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DES compared with bare-metal stents (BMS) for intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS).Methods We systematically searched the MEDLINE (Ovid), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase (Ovid) and Web of Science databases for studies published from inception through 10 October 2023, comparing DES with BMS for the treatment of symptomatic severe ICAS. We included randomised controlled trials and cohort studies that compared DES and BMS in adult patients with ICAS. The primary outcomes were stroke or death within 30 days and ISR within 1 year. Secondary outcomes included procedure-related adverse events, technical success, functional evaluation findings, restenosis degree and other safety endpoints within 1 year. Subgroup analyses were conducted across different study types.Results A total of 510 participants fulfilling all eligibility criteria were enrolled in four studies. DES had a similar rate of any stroke or death within 1 month (3 studies, 476 participants: risk ratio (RR): 1.00; 95% CI: 0.46 to 1.11; p=1.00; I2=31%) to that of the BMS group and had a significantly lower rate of ISR within 1 year (4 studies, 429 participants: RR: 0.23; 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.41; p

Abstracts: This study investigated the effects of sequential high-pressure homogenization followed by heat treatment on the physicochemical properties and lipidomic characteristics of liquid egg (LE) and liquid egg yolk (LEY). After treatment, homogenization and heat-treated liquid egg (H-LE) and homogenization and heat-treated liquid egg yolk (H-LEY) exhibited significantly enhanced flowability and thermal stability, with gelation temperatures increasing from 65°C to 82°C for H-LE and from 82°C to 95°C for H-LEY. In vitro digestion analysis revealed that H-LE demonstrated a 14.8 % higher hydrolysis degree compared to unmodified controls, indicating enhanced digestibility. Quantitative lipidomics analysis using LC-MS/MS identified 894 lipid molecules across 25 subclasses, with minimal changes in total lipid abundance after modification. However, significant decreases were observed in specific phospholipids, particularly 14 phosphatidylserine species in H-LE and 10 phosphatidylcholine species in H-LEY, suggesting selective phospholipid hydrolysis. While the modification process reduced overall lipid unsaturation, the content of nutritionally valuable polyunsaturated fatty acids (DHA, EPA, LA, and ARA) remained largely unchanged, though their molecular forms shifted from triglycerides to phospholipids, particularly in H-LE. Notably, PE-EPA content increased significantly in both modified products (from 39.75 % to 43.34 % in H-LE and from 34.58 % to 36.53 % in H-LEY). These findings demonstrate that combined high-pressure homogenization and heat treatment effectively improves egg liquid functionality while maintaining essential nutritional components, offering potential for developing enhanced egg-based products with superior processing characteristics and bioavailability.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) exhibit high chemical stability and porosity, and have been widely applied in various fields including selective adsorption and separation, sensors, and catalysis. When combined with Fe3O4, they effectively address issues such as aggregation of Fe3O4 particles and the difficulty in recovering MOFs as catalysts. Therefore, in this study, we used a simple solvothermal method as a catalyst to synthesize a high specific surface area magnetic composite Fe3O4@MOF-74, which was used to catalyze the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) and amino black 10B in wastewater. We activated Na2S2O8 to generate radicals for oxidizing and degrading BPA and amino black 10B. Experimental results showed that at 35 °C, with Fe3O4@MOF-74 (Fe3O4: MOF-74=1:1) concentration of 0.2 g/L and Na2S2O8 concentration of 2 g/L, the catalytic effect is efficient and economical. Meanwhile, removal rates of BPA and amino black 10B exceeded 95.58 % over a broad pH range (pH 3–9). Furthermore, even after multiple cycles of use, Fe3O4@MOF-74 maintained catalytic degradation rates of BPA and amino black 10B above 93.24 % and 95.01 %, respectively. Additionally, in water samples, removal rates of BPA and amino black 10B exceeded 91.55 %. This study provides a new and efficient catalyst material for wastewater treatment, which is expected to play an important role in environmental remediation.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is a common urological malignancy that is involved in tumor genesis and development. However, few studies have focused on the predictive role of the global histone modification status in ccRCC. A total of 621 patients with complete transcript information and corresponding clinical profiles were obtained from TCGA-KIRC, GSE22541, and EMTAB3267 cohorts. A total of 122 histone modification relevant pathways were derived from MSigDB, and their activation status was quantified using GSVA. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and filtrated using univariate Cox regression analysis. The signature was built relied on the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis, and evaluated from survival difference, chemotherapy response, and activated pathways. A novel nomogram was established to quantify the probability of death in different patients. Seven risky and fifty-eight protective genes were used in LASSO analysis, and six genes were used to build the histone modification gene (HiMG) signature, which showed significant independent prognostic potential in all three cohorts. The nomogram showed acceptable incremental predictions. CKS2 (p = 0.004) and PD1 (p = 0.002) expression were significantly higher in grade 3 ccRCC than in grades 1–2. CKS2 siRNA in renal cancer cells caused reductions in cellular proliferation, migration, and invasion. Patients with low HiMG may be potential responders to rapamycin, erlotinib and FH535, while AZD6482 and CHIR-99,021 may be more suitable for patients with high HiMG levels. ccRCC histone modification distribution and a clinical signature for prognosis prediction, clinical decision making, and molecular mechanism exploration, were established for risk stratification and personalized treatments.

Biomass ironmaking is crucial for carbon reduction in the ironmaking industry. To understand this process better, the iron production capacity and energy requirements of biomass were studied. A thermodynamic equilibrium model and energy consumption model for the biomass and iron oxide reduction system at 100–1300 °C was established by the minimum free Gibbs energy method. The effects of factors such as biomass type, temperature, and initial amount of iron oxide on the system were analyzed. The research results indicated that the maximum ironmaking capacity of biomass was determined by the element content of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in biomass and temperature. The equilibrium H2/(H2 + H2O) and CO/(CO + CO2) at the maximum iron yield were affected not by the biomass species and element content, but by temperature. The reduction capacity of the ten selected biomass types decreased with a temperature increase from 700 °C to 1300 °C. For the 1 kg of pine sawdust and iron oxide system, the maximum equilibrium state amount of metallic iron was 23.05 mol at 718 °C, and the minimum system energy consumption per ton Fe was 1.16 GJ at 800 °C and 1.18 GJ at 900 °C. These research results will provide a key basis for a deeper understanding of the intrinsic mechanism of biomass ironmaking.

To examine the bio-optical response to coastal upwelling, we measured inherent optical properties (IOPs) and biogeochemical parameters simultaneously off Hainan Island in the northwest part of the South China Sea (SCS) during late summer 2013. Bio-optical relationships between IOPs and phytoplankton were used for calculating vertical profiles of the total chlorophyll a concentration (Chl-a) and the absorption by coloured detrital matter (CDM). These bio-optical properties, which showed distinct horizontal and vertical distributions across the continental shelf, were strongly influenced by upwelling processes, as well as the shelf topography. Phytoplankton biomass and CDM absorption in surface waters showed much higher values along the coast, with their spatial distributions related to topographic variability. Vertical distributions of phytoplankton were characterised by a subsurface chlorophyll maximum (SCM) layer. The strongest SCM (Chl-a = 4.22 mg m−3) was observed at 24 m depth in coastal waters near the northeast cape of Hainan Island. The depth of the SCM varied between 16 and 60 m at different stations, appearing to coincide with the isotherm of 22 °C. The SCM depth was inversely correlated with the magnitude of the SCM. Different shapes of Chl-a profiles were observed, which suggested that the vertical distributions of phytoplankton biomass were driven by different environmental factors. Elevated concentrations of CDM were mainly observed near the bottom, which suggest that the benthic nepheloid layer may be an important source of detrital material. The relationship between the absorption coefficient of CDM at 443 nm, aCDM(443), and Chl-a exhibited distinct differences between waters in upper ocean and in bottom layers, with the threshold depth being modulated by shelf topography. Our results highlight the utility of bio-optical observations with high resolution for better understanding the coupling between physical forcing and biogeochemical variability.

Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death due to a single infection prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Screening of tuberculosis patients in a large population is of paramount importance for disease treatment and control, especially with an economical, accurate, and easy-to-operate method. Based on cough sounds, we proposed DMRNet to distinguish between patients with tuberculosis, other respiratory diseases, and healthy individuals. DMRNet comprises four convolutional blocks and six identification blocks and incorporates dynamic convolution into the first three convolutional blocks to promote feature extraction. After the second and third dynamic convolutions, a polarized self-attention mechanism was added to reduce the information loss caused by the dimensionality reduction. Finally, a multihead self-attention layer is added to the fourth convolutional block and the last three identification blocks to enhance the aggregation of global information. Using a dataset with 1323 cough sound fragments, the results achieved the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of tuberculosis screening were 94.32%, 97.73%, and 99.43%, respectively. Compared with reported studies, the proposed model demonstrated better accuracy and reliability. Cough sound-based DMRNet analysis is a promising method for tuberculosis screening, especially in densely populated areas. Owing to its convenience, low equipment requirements, and low cost, it is expected to become an effective tool for community tuberculosis screening.

In recent years, explosion shock wave has been considered as a signature injury of the current military conflicts. Although strong shock wave is lethal to the human body, weak shock wave can cause many more lasting consequences. To investigate the protection ability and characteristics of flexible materials and structures under weak shock wave loading, the blast wave produced by TNT explosive is loaded on the polyurethane foam with the density of 200.0 kg/m3 (F-200) and 400.0 kg/m3 (F-400), polyurea with the density of 1100.0 kg/m3 (P-1100) and structures composed of the two materials, which are intended for individual protection. Experimental results indicate that the shock wave is attenuated to weak pressure disturbance after interacting with the flexible materials which are not damaged. The shock wave protective capability of single-layer materials is dependent on their thickness, density and microscopic characteristics. The overpressure, maximum pressure rise rate and impulse of transmitted wave decrease exponentially with increase in sample thickness. For the same thickness, F-400 provides better protective capability than F-200 while P-1100 shows the best protective capability among the three materials. In this study, as the materials are not destroyed, F-200 with a thickness more than 10.0 mm, F-400 with a thickness more than 4.0 mm, and P-1100 with a thickness more than 1.0 mm can attenuate the overpressure amplitude more than 90.0%. Further, multi-layer flexible composites are designed. Different layer layouts of designed structures and layer thickness of the single-layer materials can affect the protective performance. Within the research range, the structure in which polyurea is placed on the impact side shows the optimal shock wave protective performance, and the thicknesses of polyurea and polyurethane foam are 1.0 mm and 4.0 mm respectively. The overpressure attenuation rate reached maximum value of 93.3% and impulse attenuation capacity of this structure are better than those of single-layer polyurea and polyurethane foam with higher areal density.

Abstract Traditionally, the clinical evaluation of respiratory diseases was pulmonary function testing, which can be used for the detection of severity and prognosis through pulmonary function parameters. However, this method is limited by the complex process, which is impossible for patients to monitor daily. In order to evaluate pulmonary function parameters conveniently with less time and location restrictions, cough sound is the substitute parameter. In this paper, 371 cough sounds segments from 150 individuals were separated into 309 and 62 as the training and test samples. Short-time Fourier transform (STFT) was applied to transform cough sound into spectrogram, and ResNet50 model was used to extract 2048-dimensional features. Through support vector regression (SVR) model with biological attributes, the data were regressed with pulmonary function parameters, FEV1, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC, FVC, FVC%, and the performance of this models was evaluated with fivefold cross-validation. Combines with deep learning and machine learning technologies, the better results in the case of small samples were achieved. Using the coefficient of determination (R2), the ResNet50 + SVR model shows best performance in five basic pulmonary function parameters evaluation as FEV1(0.94), FEV1%(0.84), FEV1/FVC(0.68), FVC(0.92), and FVC%(0.72). This ResNet50 + SVR hybrid model shows excellent evaluation of pulmonary function parameters during coughing, making it possible to realize a simple and rapid evaluation for pneumonia patients. The technology implemented in this paper is beneficial in judge the patient's condition, realize early screening of respiratory diseases, evaluate postoperative disease changes and detect respiratory infectious diseases without time and location restrictions.

Ce doped Lu3Al5O12 (Ce:LuAG) transparent ceramics are considered as promising color converters for solid-state lighting because of their excellent luminous efficiency, high thermal quenching temperature, and good thermal stability. However, Ce:LuAG ceramics mainly emit green light. The shortage of red light as well as the expensive price of Lu compounds are hindering their application for white lighting. In this work, transparent (Lu,Gd)3Al5O12–Al2O3 (LuGAG–Al2O3) nanoceramics with different replacing contents of Gd3+ (10%–50%) were successfully elaborated via a glass-crystallization method. The obtained ceramics with full nanoscale grains are composed of the main LuGAG crystalline phase and secondary Al2O3 phase, exhibiting eminent transparency of 81.0%@780 nm. After doping by Ce3+, the Ce:LuGAG–Al2O3 nanoceramics show a significant red shift (510 nm→550 nm) and make up for the deficiency of red light component in the emission spectrum. The Ce:LuAG–Al2O3 nanoceramics with 20% Gd3+ show high internal quantum efficiency (81.5% in internal quantum efficiency (IQE), 96.7% of Ce:LuAG–Al2O3 nanoceramics) and good thermal stability (only 9% loss in IQE at 150 ℃). When combined with blue LED chips (10 W), 0.3%Ce:LuGAG–Al2O3 nanoceramics with 20% Gd3+ successfully realize the high-quality warm white LED lighting with a color coordinate of (0.3566, 0.435), a color temperature of 4347 K, CRI of 67.7, and a luminous efficiency of 175.8 lm·W−1. When the transparent 0.3%Ce:LuGAG–Al2O3 nanoceramics are excited by blue laser (5 W·mm−2), the emission peak position redshifts from 517 to 570 nm, the emitted light exhibits a continuous change from green light to yellow light, and then to orange-yellow light, and the maximum luminous efficiency is up to 234.49 lm·W−1 (20% Gd3+). Taking into account the high quantum efficiency, good thermal stability, and excellent and adjustable luminous properties, the transparent Ce:LuGAG–Al2O3 nanoceramics with different Gd3+ substitution contents in this paper are believed to be promising candidates for high-power white LED/LD lighting.

Abstract Background The efficacy of current surgery and chemotherapy for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is limited due to heterogenous and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs), which are regarded as an M2 tumor-promoting phenotype, are crucial in the development of the immunosuppressive TME. Targeting TAM reprograming is a promising strategy in anti-tumor therapy since reprogramming techniques provide the opportunity to actively enhance the antitumor immunological activity of TAM in addition to eliminating their tumor-supportive roles, which is rarely applied in TNBC clinically. However, how to drive M2 macrophages reprogramming into M1 with high potency remains a challenge and the molecular mechanisms how M2 macrophages polarized into M1 are poorly understood. Here, we identified a new immunoregulatory molecular PepO that was served as an immunoregulatory molecule governed the transformation of tumor-promoting M2 to tumor-inhibitory M1 cells and represented an effective anti-tumor property. Results At the present study, we identified a new immunoregulatory molecular PepO, as a harmless immunoregulatory molecule, governed the transformation of tumor-promoting M2 to tumor-inhibitory M1 cells efficiently. PepO-primed M2 macrophages decreased the expression of tumor-supportive molecules like Arg-1, Tgfb, Vegfa and IL-10, and increased the expression of iNOS, Cxcl9, Cxcl10, TNF-α and IL-6 to inhibit TNBC growth. Moreover, PepO enhanced the functions of macrophages related to cell killing, phagocytosis and nitric oxide biosynthetic process, thereby inhibiting the development of tumors in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, PepO reprogramed TAMs toward M1 by activating PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway via TLR4 and suppressed the function of M2 by inhibiting JAK2-STAT3 pathway via TLR2. The PI3K inhibitor LY294002 abrogated the role of PepO in switching M2 macrophages into M1 and in inhibiting TNBC growth in vivo. And PepO failed to govern the M2 macrophages to reprogram into M1 macrophages and inhibit TNBC when TLR2 or TLR4 was deficient. Moreover, PepO enhanced the antitumor activity of doxorubicin and the combination exerted a synergistic effect on TNBC suppression. Conclusions Our research identified a possible macrophage-based TNBC immunotherapeutic approach and suggested a novel anticancer immunoregulatory molecular called PepO.

A novel shear thickening gel with micro-scale hard/soft interface structure and low reaction temperature was proposed in this article. The gel was named TH and used as core material within Kevlar fabrics. Storage modulus of TH was proved to increase by around two orders with increasing of shear frequency, and dynamic properties indicated that TH could dissipate or store more energy. TH can adhere with Kevlar fabrics well and satisfactorily fulfill the gap between fabrics. As a result, shock wave peak pressure and positive impulse decreased markedly. Wavelet decomposition analysis show that high frequency energy was filtered by protection materials. Meanwhile, impact resistance test suggested the existence of TH changed the stress propagation routes and avoided pulling out for Kevlar fabrics. Samples filled with TH demonstrated a better shock wave mitigation ability and impact resistance. Energy dissipation structures with TH have a promising prospect in the application of defending area.

In the field of specialty electronics and communications, there is a critical demand for magnesium (Mg) alloy sheets that possess exceptional mechanical properties and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE). This paper aims to develop a cost-effective and straightforward process for preparing a research proposal that combines excellent mechanical properties and EMI SE. After undergoing extrusion treatment, the Mg–6Zn–1La-0.5Zr alloy demonstrates an apparent bimodal microstructure, with an average grain size of approximately 2.55 μm. Subsequently, following a 37% rolling treatment, the grain size increases to about 5.29 μm. This increase in grain size is attributed to grain growth resulting from holding prior to the multi-pass rolling treatment. Notably, the Mg–6Zn–1La-0.5Zr alloy, subjected to extrusion and 75% rolling treatment, exhibits remarkable mechanical properties and EMI SE, with ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS), and elongation (EL) values of 337.5 MPa, 227.3 MPa, and 12.5%, respectively. Furthermore, the EMI SE ranges from 79 dB to 110 dB within the frequency range of 30–1500 MHz. The exceptional mechanical properties are attributed to the synergistic effects of various strengthening mechanisms, including grain boundary strengthening, second phase strengthening, dislocation strengthening, heterogeneous deformation-induced strengthening, and texture. Similarly, the superior EMI SE is attributed to the alloy's higher electrical conductivity, strong basal texture, and uniformly diffused second phase.

ABSTRACT: Micro-organisms on the eggshell surface of affect the quality of the egg. Sometimes, these microbes even pose a serious threat to the health of the egg's consumer. Bacterial 16S rDNA and fungal internal transcribed spacer region were sequenced to analyze the microbial diversity on the shell surface of the eggs collected from 4 distinct regions of China: Guyuan (GY; 1.5 million hens), Langfang (LF; 0.1 million hens), Beihai (BH; 1.2 million hens), and Dongguan (DG; 0.2 million hens). The results showed a higher bacterial and fungal abundance on the eggs collected from the northern and southern China farms, respectively. The dominant bacterial phylum detected across all egg samples was Firmicutes. In addition, the shell surfaces of the DG and LF samples harbored abundant levels of Proteobacteria. The dominant fungal phyla detected across all egg samples were Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. The bacterial compositions on eggshell surfaces differed significantly across all geographic regions, and the fungal composition differed significantly between samples collected from the southern and northern farms (P < 0.05). The abundance and composition of microbial colonies on the eggshell surface varied based on their geographical location (climate and environment) and farming scale (management). Our findings provide an important reference for optimizing the cleaning and disinfection methods for fresh eggs collected from different sources.

This research introduces an innovative construction method based on magnesia expansive agent concrete for the seamless construction of hundred-meter scale super-length raft structures, corroborated by the on-site test. The basic principle of this construction method is to use the pre compression stress generated by magnesia expansive agent to offset temperature and shrinkage stress. A temperature-strain monitoring system was employed to gather data, affirming the technique’s applicability and safety. Through the examination of temperature and strain dispersion trends in super-length raft structure, recommendations for the configuration of temperature-strain sensors have been put forth. Through the scrutiny of the temporal evolution pattern of temperature, the specific temporal and spatial coordinates that warrant particular vigilance during the surveillance of the raft’s inner-surface temperature difference were identified. Upon evaluating the correlation between strain dispersion and strain-temperature differential in the raft’s thickness dimension, a novel temperature control index (the bottom-surface temperature difference) was introduced. The threshold for this metric was established at 30°C, derived from empirical test outcomes conducted on-site. Furthermore, the critical regions for monitoring the bottom-surface temperature difference were specified.

Background: Carotid arterial atherosclerotic stenosis is a well-recognized pathological basis of ischemic stroke; however, its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play fundamental roles in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Organelle dynamics have been reported to affect atherosclerosis development. However, the association between organelle dynamics and various cellular stresses in atherosclerotic progression remain ambiguous. Methods: In this study, we conducted transcriptomics and bioinformatics analyses of stable and vulnerable carotid plaques. Primary VSMCs were isolated from carotid plaques and subjected to histopathological staining to determine their expression profiles. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER), mitochondria, and lysosome dynamics were observed in primary VSMCs and VSMC cell lines using live-cell imaging. Moreover, the mechanisms underlying disordered organelle dynamics were investigated using comprehensive biological approaches. Results: ER whorls, a representative structural change under ER stress, are prominent dynamic reconstructions of VSMCs between vulnerable and stable plaques, followed by fragmented mitochondria and enlarged lysosomes, suggesting mitochondrial stress and lysosomal defects, respectively. Induction of mitochondrial stress alleviated ER stress and autophagy in an eukaryotic translation initiation factor (eIF)-2α-dependent manner. Furthermore, the effects of eIF2α on ER stress, mitochondrial stress, and lysosomal defects were validated using clinical samples. Conclusion: Our results indicate that morphological and functional changes in VSMC organelles, especially in ER whorls, can be used as reliable biomarkers for atherosclerotic progression. Moreover, eIF2α plays an important role in integrating multiple stress-signaling pathways to determine the behavior and fate of VSMCs.

Abstract Background RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) regulators are considered post-transcriptional regulators that affect several biological functions, and their role in immunity, in particular, is emerging. However, the role of m6A regulators in respiratory allergic diseases remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of key m6A regulators in mediating respiratory allergic diseases and immune microenvironment infiltration characteristics. Methods We downloaded gene expression profiles of respiratory allergies from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and we performed hierarchical clustering, difference analysis, and construction of predictive models to identify hub m6A regulators that affect respiratory allergies. Next, we investigate the underlying biological mechanisms of key m6A regulators by performing PPI network analysis, functional enrichment analysis, and immune microenvironment infiltration analysis. In addition, we performed a drug sensitivity analysis on the key m6A regulator, hoping to be able to provide some implications for clinical medication. Results In this study, we identified four hub m6A regulators that affect the respiratory allergy and investigated the underlying biological mechanisms. In addition, studies on the characteristics of immune microenvironment infiltration revealed that the expression of METTL14, METTL16, and RBM15B correlated with the infiltration of the mast and Th2 cells in respiratory allergy, and METTL16 expression was found to be significantly negatively correlated with macrophages for the first time (R = -0.53, P

Abstract Targeting the niche components surrounding glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) helps to develop more effective glioblastoma treatments. However, the mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between GSCs and microenvironment remain largely unknown. Clarifying the extracellular molecules binding to GSCs marker CD133 helps to elucidate the mechanism of the communication between GSCs and the microenvironment. Here, it is found that the extracellular domain of high mannose type CD133 physically interacts with Collagen 1 (COL1) in GSCs. COL1, mainly secreted by cancer‐associated fibroblasts, is a niche component for GSCs. COL1 enhances the interaction between CD133 and p85 and activates Akt phosphorylation. Activation of Akt pathway increases transcription factor ATF4 protein level, subsequently enhances SLC1A5‐dependent glutamine uptake and glutathione synthesis. The inhibition of CD133‐COL1 interaction or down‐regulation of SLC1A5 reduces COL1‐accelerated GSCs self‐renewal and tumorigenesis. Analysis of glioma samples reveals that the level of COL1 is correlated with histopathological grade of glioma and the expression of SLC1A5. Collectively, COL1, a niche component for GSCs, enhances the tumorigenesis of GSCs partially through CD133‐Akt‐SLC1A5 signaling axis, providing a new mechanism underlying the cross‐talk between GSCs and extracellular matrix (ECM) microenvironment.

Infection with the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus typically causes severe hepatopancreatic damage in Penaeus vannamei, often resulting in acute shrimp mortality. Therefore, protecting the shrimp’s hepatopancreas is crucial for enhancing their disease resistance. Previous research has demonstrated that the probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum Ep-M17 inhibits the growth of V. parahaemolyticus E1 in vitro. However, it remains uncertain whether Ep-M17 can provide protective benefits to the shrimp’s hepatopancreas. To address this knowledge gap, our present study investigated the histological changes, enzyme activity, gene transcription, and metabolite levels in the hepatopancreas of shrimp after a 4-week diet supplemented with Ep-M17. The results revealed that incorporating Ep-M17 into the shrimp’s diet alleviated the damage by V. parahaemolyticus E1 infection in hepatopancreatic cells. In addition, the inclusion of Ep-M17 notably boosted the effectiveness of immunodigestive enzymes such as SOD, AKP, and CAT. Furthermore, Ep-M17 stimulated gene transcription in crucial immune response-related signalling pathways like the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway and the antigen processing and presentation pathway. Moreover, the incorporation of Ep-M17 into shrimp diets increased the levels of β-alanine, and histidine in the hepatopancreas, enhancing anti-inflammatory capacity and improving the shrimp’s immune response. Overall, the results indicate that incorporating Ep-M17 into the diet can enhance shrimp disease resistance by bolstering both immune response and metabolic activity within the hepatopancreas. These results underscore the importance of probiotics in controlling aquatic animal diseases and highlight Ep-M17 as a promising dietary supplement for enhancing shrimp health and immunity in aquaculture.

Utilizing the Marangoni effect, miniaturized machineries can be endowed with self-propulsion. Here, the authors report high-performance Marangoni hydrogel rotors with asymmetric porosity and drag reduction profile and demonstrate multiple potential functionalities.

Based on the deforming technique of severe plastic deformation (SPD), the grain refinement of a Mg-9Gd-3Y-2Zn-0.5Zr alloy treated with decreasing temperature reciprocating upsetting-extrusion (RUE) and its influence on the mechanical properties and wear behavior of the alloy were studied. The RUE process was carried out for 4 passes in total, starting at 0 °C and decreasing by 10 °C for each pass. The results showed that as the number of RUE passes increased, the grain refinement effect was obvious, and the second phase in the alloy was evenly distributed. Room temperature tensile properties of the alloy and the deepening of the RUE degree showed a positive correlation trend, which was due to the grain refinement, uniform distribution of the second phase and texture weakening. And the microhardness of the alloy showed that the microhardness of RUE is the largest in 2 passes. The change in microhardness was the result of dynamic competition between the softening effect of DRX and the work hardening effect. In addition, the wear resistance of the alloy showed a positive correlation with the degree of RUE under low load conditions. When the applied load was higher, the wear resistance of the alloy treated with RUE decreased compared to the initial state alloy. This phenomenon was mainly due to the presence of oxidative wear on the surface of the alloy, which could balance the positive contribution of severe plastic deformation to wear resistance to a certain extent.

BackgroundAsthma is a heterogeneous disease, and the involvement of neurogenic inflammation is crucial in its development. The standardized treatments focus on alleviating symptoms. Despite the availability of medications for asthma, they have proven to be inadequate in controlling relapses and halting the progression of the disease. Therefore, there is a need for novel drug targets to prevent asthma.MethodsWe utilized Mendelian randomization to investigate potential drug targets for asthma. We analyzed summary statistics from the UK Biobank and then replicated our findings in GWAS data by Demenais et al. and the FinnGen cohort. We obtained genetic instruments for 734 plasma and 73 brain proteins from recently reported GWAS. Next, we utilized reverse causal relationship analysis, Bayesian co-localization, and phenotype scanning as part of our sensitivity analysis. Furthermore, we performed a comparison and protein–protein interaction analysis to identify causal proteins. We also analyzed the possible consequences of our discoveries by the given existing asthma drugs and their targets.ResultsUsing Mendelian randomization analysis, we identified five protein–asthma pairs that were significant at the Bonferroni level (P < 6.35 × 10−5). Specifically, in plasma, we found that an increase of one standard deviation in IL1R1 and ECM1 was associated with an increased risk of asthma, while an increase in ADAM19 was found to be protective. The corresponding odds ratios were 1.03 (95% CI, 1.02–1.04), 1.00 (95% CI, 1.00–1.01), and 0.99 (95% CI, 0.98–0.99), respectively. In the brain, per 10-fold increase in ECM1 (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.03–1.08) and PDLIM4 (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.04–1.07) increased the risk of asthma. Bayesian co-localization found that ECM1 in the plasma (coloc.abf-PPH4 = 0.965) and in the brain (coloc.abf-PPH4 = 0.931) shared the same mutation with asthma. The target proteins of current asthma medications were found to interact with IL1R1. IL1R1 and PDLIM4 were validated in two replication cohorts.ConclusionOur integrative analysis revealed that asthma risk is causally affected by the levels of IL1R1, ECM1, and PDLIM4. The results suggest that these three proteins have the potential to be used as drug targets for asthma, and further investigation through clinical trials is needed.

Thermochemical energy storage (TCES) is one of the key technologies facilitating the integration of renewable energy sources and mitigating the climate crisis. Recently, Li4SiO4 has been reported to be a promising heat carrier material for TCES applications, owing to its moderate operation temperature and stability. During the synthetic processes, the properties of the Si source used directly influence the performance of derived Li4SiO4 materials; however, the internal relations and effects are not yet clear. Hence, in this work, six kinds of SiO2 sources with different phases, morphology, particle size, and surface area were selected to synthesize a Li4SiO4-based TCES heat carrier. The physicochemical properties of the SiO2 and the corresponding derived Li4SiO4 were characterized, and the comprehensive performance (e.g., heat storage/releasing capacity, rate, and cyclic stability) of the Li4SiO4 samples was systematically tested. It was found that the silica microspheres (SPs), which possess an amorphous phase, uniform micro-scale structure, and small particle size, could generate Li4SiO4 TCES materials with a highest initial capacity of 777.7 kJ/kg at 720 °C/900 °C under pure CO2. As a result, the SP-L showed an excellent cumulative heat storage amount of 5.84 MJ/kg within 10 heat-releasing/storage cycles, which was nearly 1.5 times greater than the value of Li4SiO4 derived from commonly used silicon dioxide. Furthermore, the effects of the utilized Si source on the performance of as-prepared Li4SiO4 and corresponding mechanisms were discussed, which offers guidance for the future selection of Si sources to produce high-performance Li4SiO4-based TCES heat carriers.

Zwitterionic polymers have attracted research attention in recent years owing to their unique molecular structures. In the same repeat unit, positive and negative charges are simultaneously located on a pair of cationic and anionic groups; therefore, zwitterionic polymers have a large dipole moment and numerous charged groups. Although the molecular chain of the zwitterionic polymer can be maintained in an electrically neutral state overall, the coexistence of the oppositely charged groups confers extremely high polarity and excellent hydrophilicity to the polymer. At the same time, the electricality of the polymer can be further regulated by the environmental pH and salt ions, which greatly broadens the scope of applications in different fields. This review introduces various structures of zwitterionic polymers and analyzes the reasons why zwitterionic polymers exhibit pH responsiveness, anti-polyelectrolyte effects, and superior electrical conductivity. The application fields are also summarized by generalizing the research status of zwitterionic polymers, including applications in antifouling coatings, drug delivery, wastewater treatment, and sensors, etc.

Trichomes provide an excellent model for studying cell differentiation and proliferation. The aboveground tissues of plants with long dense trichomes (LDTs) can cause skin itching in people working in a zucchini field, in which management, pollination, and fruit harvesting are difficult. In this study, an F2 population was constructed with the LDT inbred line “16” and the sparse micro trichome (SMT) inbred line “63” for QTL analysis of type I and II trichome density. Two QTLs were identified on chromosomes 3 and 15 using the QTL-seq method. Additionally, 191 InDel markers were developed on 20 chromosomes, a genetic map was constructed for QTL mapping, and three QTLs were identified on chromosomes 3, 6, and 15. Two QTLs, CpTD3.1 and CpTD15.1, were identified in both QTL-seq and genetic map-based QTL analyses, and CpTD15.1 was the major-effect QTL. The stability of CpTD3.1 and CpTD15.1 was confirmed using data from F2 plants under different environmental conditions. The major-effect QTL CpTD15.1 was located between markers chr15-4991349 and chr15-5766791, with a physical distance of 775.44 kb, and explained 12.71%–29.37% of the phenotypic variation observed in the three environments. CpTD3.1 was located between markers chr3-218350 and chr3-2891236, in a region with a physical distance of 2,672.89 kb, and explained 5.00%–10.64% of the phenotypic variation observed in the three environments. The functional annotations of the genes within the CpTD15.1 region were predicted, and five genes encoding transcription factors regulating trichome development were selected. Cp4.1LG15g04400 encoded zinc finger protein (ZFP) and harbored nonsynonymous SNPs in the conserved ring finger domain between the two parental lines. There were significant differences in Cp4.1LG15g04400 expression between “16” and “63”, and a similar pattern was found between germplasm resources of LDT lines and SMT lines. It was presumed that Cp4.1LG15g04400 might regulate trichome density in zucchini. These results lay a foundation for better understanding the density of multicellular nonglandular trichomes and the regulatory mechanism of trichome density in zucchini.

Introduction Cerebrovascular intervention is an excellent option to treat cerebrovascular diseases. Interventional access is a prerequisite and a foundation for cerebrovascular intervention, which is crucial to the success of an intervention. Although transfemoral arterial access (TFA) has become a popular and acceptable method of access for cerebrovascular angiography and intervention in clinical practice, it has some drawbacks that limit the usage in cerebrovascular interventions. Therefore, transcarotid arterial access (TCA) has been developed in cerebrovascular interventions. We aim to conduct a systematic review to compare the safety and efficacy of TCA with TFA for cerebrovascular intervention.Methods and analysis In this protocol, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols were followed. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials will be searched mainly from 1 January 2004, to the formal search date. Additionally, reference lists and clinical trial registries will be searched. We will include clinical trials with more than 30 participants, which reported the endpoints of stroke, death and myocardial infarction. Two investigators will independently select studies, extract data and assess bias risk. A standardised mean difference with 95% CI will be presented for continuous data, and a risk ratio with 95% CI will be presented for dichotomous data. On inclusion of sufficient studies, subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis will be conducted. The funnel plot and Egger’s test will be used to assess publication bias.Ethics and dissemination As only published sources will be used in this review, ethical approval is not required. We will publish the results in a peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration number CRD42022316468.

Abstract Purpose Compressed Sensing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (CS-MRI) is a promising technique to accelerate dynamic cardiac MR imaging (DCMRI). For DCMRI, the CS-MRI usually exploits image signal sparsity and low-rank property to reconstruct dynamic images from the undersampled k-space data. In this paper, a novel CS algorithm is investigated to improve dynamic cardiac MR image reconstruction quality under the condition of minimizing the k-space recording. Methods The sparse representation of 3D cardiac magnetic resonance data is implemented by synergistically integrating 3D total generalized variation (3D-TGV) algorithm and high order singular value decomposition (HOSVD) based Tensor Decomposition, termed k-t TGV-TD method. In the proposed method, the low rank structure of the 3D dynamic cardiac MR data is performed with the HOSVD method, and the localized image sparsity is achieved by the 3D-TGV method. Moreover, the Fast Composite Splitting Algorithm (FCSA) method, combining the variable splitting with operator splitting techniques, is employed to solve the low-rank and sparse problem. Two different cardiac MR datasets (cardiac perfusion and cine MR datasets) are used to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. Results Compared with the state-of-art methods, such as k-t SLR, 3D-TGV, HOSVD based tensor decomposition and low-rank plus sparse method, the proposed k-t TGV-TD method can offer improved reconstruction accuracy in terms of higher peak SNR (PSNR) and structural similarity index (SSIM). The proposed k-t TGV-TD method can achieve significantly better and stable reconstruction results than state-of-the-art methods in terms of both PSNR and SSIM, especially for cardiac perfusion MR dataset. Conclusions This work proved that the k-t TGV-TD method was an effective sparse representation way for DCMRI, which was capable of significantly improving the reconstruction accuracy with different acceleration factors.

At present, alloys are affected by various stress states during their deformation process. Various stresses can facilitate alloy deformation at the same time, and the influence of these stresses on material deformation is difficult to clarify. It is essential to clarify the difference in the deformation mechanism of an alloy in a single stress state In this work, the internal deformation mechanism of the Mg-13Gd-4Y–2Zn-0.5Zr alloy under two stress states at different deformation temperatures was studied by compression and torsion experiments. The results show that the grain is slightly deformed under shear stress deformation, and the long period stacking ordered (LPSO) phases of different forms show smaller kink angles, fewer kink times, and larger relative width ratios of the kink bands. Under compressive stress deformation, the grain is obviously compressed along the CD direction and presents a streamline, and the LPSO phase is severely kinked. Different stress states have a great influence on dislocation slip, and the shear stress state can easily provoke the initiation of non-basal slip. Non-basal slip has difficulty starting under compressive stress, which leads to dislocation packing. The dynamic recrystallization (DRX) fraction of compressive stress deformation is higher than that of shear stress deformation. Shear and compressive stress deformation alloys activate different kinds of twinning. In shear stress deformed alloys, tensile twins usually occur in grains with a small basal slip Schmid factor (SF). However, compression twins are activated in the compressive stress deformation alloy and occur in grains with larger SF values. When the slip is not fully coordinated with the deformation, kinking and twining occur to coordinate the deformation.

The catalytic performance of metal‒organic frameworks can be tuned by introducing defects in their structure. Here, the authors introduce defects and impregnate ruthenium nanoparticles in cationic metal-organic frameworks, which enables enhanced recyclability and catalytic performance in D-glucose hydrogenation.

At present, there are great technical difficulties in achieving microstructure and mechanical properties uniformity in large-size billets prepared by severe plastic deformation technology. How to improve the process route to realize the microstructure and mechanical properties uniformity of the billets has become an urgent problem to be solved at present. In this paper, GWZ932K alloy is used for two reciprocating upsetting-extrusion (RUE) deformation methods with a cumulative strain of 5.38. The influence of isothermal temperature reciprocating upsetting-extrusion (IT-RUE) and decreasing temperature reciprocating upsetting-extrusion (DT-RUE) on the microstructure and mechanical properties uniformity of GWZ932K alloy is discussed in detail. The results show both IT-RUE and DT-RUE deformation methods can effectively refine grains. IT-RUE can prepare Mg alloy billet with uniform microstructure and mechanical properties from center region (CR) to edge region (ER). The microstructure and mechanical properties of the billet prepared by DT-RUE show obvious gradient characteristics from CR to ER. After 4 passes IT-RUE deformation, double-peak textures appear on the (0001) basal texture of the ER, middle region (1/2R) and CR, which is mainly attributed to the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behavior. It should be noted that changes in the deformation temperature will not cause changes in the DRX mechanism. The deformation mechanisms of continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) and discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) jointly promote grain refinement.

As the voltage level of the grid continuously rises, more and more new insulating materials with better performance are put into use. Nevertheless, air gaps often appear in insulating materials due to poor material quality, structural design flaws, etc. High-field-strength air gaps will produce partial discharge or even breakdown, resultingss in electrical equipment failure. In addition, during operation, organic insulating materials are simultaneously exposed to high temperatures, mechanical stress, electrical stress, and moisture. Consequently, aging is inevitable. The aging of insulation materials is the root cause of the reduced insulation properties of the degradation of the insulation properties of electrical equipment in long-term operation. In order to improve the safety performance of power equipment and assure the safety of power grids, the detection and identification of internal structural defects and aging states of insulating materials have always been hot issues in related fields. However, structural defects inside the insulation materials used in power equipment, which are tiny (microns to millimeters), are exceedingly challenging to detect. While there are various destructive methods for detecting the aging status, non-destructive in-line inspection methods are still less commonly reported. In recent years, some scholars have begun to try to use terahertz spectroscopy to detect insulating materials. Numerous scholars have discovered that terahertz spectroscopy can not only detect structural defects inside insulating materials but can also detect non-destructive testing on the degree of material aging and even the type of material, which has excellent engineering value and promotion prospects. In order to help relevant researchers understand the application of this emerging technology in the field of insulating materials, this paper reviews the basic principles of terahertz detection and its applications in air gap detection, moisture detection, and aging analysis of insulating materials. Existing problems and future development directions are discussed.

Seasonal patterns of marine net primary production (NPP) are crucial for understanding the marine ecosystem and biogeochemical cycles. Uncoupling of seasonal variations between NPP and phytoplankton chlorophyll-a over different areas has attracted much attention. In this study, following a review of previous studies, monthly climatological NPP data from 2003 to 2020, estimated using the Size-fractioned Phytoplankton Pigment Absorption (aph)-based NPP Model (SABPM), were selected to study the seasonal variability of NPP in the South China Sea (SCS). Results showed the spatial differences of NPP seasonality and its departures from climatology in extreme El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) years. Cluster analysis for climatological monthly data identified significant differences of NPP seasonality in five typical regions. In coastal regions along the northern SCS and off eastern Vietnam, NPP exhibited the most obvious seasonal cycle with maximum (minimum) values in summer (winter), attributable mainly to river discharge and summer upwelling. In regions off northwestern Luzon and coast of southern SCS, NPP showed peaks in winter, which were related to strong mixing and upwelling. In northwestern SCS, NPP was high during May–September in phase with sea surface temperature and the primary controlling factors were found to be shallow nutricline depth and wind-driven mixing. Owing to the deep nutricline depth in the central basin, NPP exhibited little seasonal variability; only a weak signal was observed in spring in phase with photosynthetically active radiation. Local dynamics on regulating the nutrient supply and light availability contribute to these regional differences in NPP seasonality, which could also be affected by extreme climate events. The largest anomalies of the NPP seasonal cycle coincide with 2015/2016 ENSO and super IOD in 2020. During these events, enhanced (weakened) westerly winds caused fall (rise) of SLA and increase (decrease) of NPP in coastal regions along the northern SCS and that off eastern Vietnam. Overall, the aph-based model shows a new perspective to study the spatiotemporal variations of NPP in the SCS.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia, and its early detection is critical for preventing complications and optimizing treatment. In this study, a novel AF prediction method is proposed, which is based on investigating a subset of the 12-lead ECG data using a recurrent plot and ParNet-adv model. The minimal subset of ECG leads (II &V1) is determined via a forward stepwise selection procedure, and the selected 1D ECG data is transformed into 2D recurrence plot (RP) images as an input to train a shallow ParNet-adv Network for AF prediction. In this study, the proposed method achieved F1 score of 0.9763, Precision of 0.9654, Recall of 0.9875, Specificity of 0.9646, and Accuracy of 0.9760, which significantly outperformed solutions based on single leads and complete 12 leads. When studying several ECG datasets, including the CPSC and Georgia ECG databases of the PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology Challenge 2020, the new method achieved F1 score of 0.9693 and 0.8660, respectively. The results suggested a good generalization of the proposed method. Compared with several state-of-art frameworks, the proposed model with a shallow network of only 12 depths and asymmetric convolutions achieved the highest average F1 score. Extensive experimental studies proved that the proposed method has a high potential for AF prediction in clinical and particularly wearable applications.

In this paper, the dynamic stress intensity factor (DSIF) at the crack tip of a PMMA beam containing an internal offset crack under impact loading was investigated by using a transmission digital caustic test system combined with high-speed camera. Firstly, the stress intensity factor, as well as velocity, of the mixed-mode crack tip under static and dynamic loading were derived based on the transmission caustic method; secondly, a drop hammer loading test was conducted on the different specimens with biased cracks in the beam using the transmission caustic test system to obtain the dynamic fracture mechanics parameters of internal crack initiation and expansion; then, the crack initiation angle and expansion path analysis of the impact-generated expansion cracks were performed based on the theoretical analysis and the differences between the fracture process and that of the specimens containing internal symmetric cracks were discussed. The results show that the different locations of the internal off-set cracks make the stress redistribution process inside the beam and the stress state at the crack tip during the crack extension process different, and the fracture process and fracture mechanics parameters are different from those of the specimens with internal symmetric cracks, the results of the caustic test are in good agreement with the numerical analysis. The research results can provide guidance for the study of the fracture process of brittle materials such as PMMA containing internal defects.

Background Surgical site infections (SSI) are common complications after surgery, which cause other complications and increase medical costs. However, the effect of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) for the prevention of SSI at stoma reversal remains inconclusive, with controversial results. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of NPWT following stoma reversal in colorectal surgery to prevent SSI and other wound complications. Methods We conducted a systematic search of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases for articles published up to July 2022 and identified relevant studies reporting the NPWT administration following stoma reversal in colorectal surgery compared with non-pressure dressing. The primary outcome was the incidence of SSI, and the secondary outcomes were hematoma, seroma, and length of hospital stay (LOS). Results Nine studies were included in the meta-analysis, with 825 patients with (n = 310) or without (n = 515) NPWT. Pooled SSI rate was lower in the NPWT group than in the non-pressure dressing group (OR = 0.50; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.84; P = 0.01). There was no significant effect on hematoma (OR = 0.21; 95% CI: 0.03, 1.27; P = 0.09), seroma (OR = 0.26; 95% CI: 0.05, 1.28; P = 0.1) and LOS (MD = −0.16, 95% CI: −0.83, 0.51; P = 0.64). Conclusion The use of NPWT following stoma reversal in colorectal surgery reduced the incidence of SSI. However, this conclusion needs to be interpreted with caution, and further studies should be conducted to confirm in higher-quality RCTs.

ABSTRACT: Mesocarp color is an important agronomic trait of Cucurbita maxima and is determined mainly by the contents and compositions of the carotenoids. The two inbred lines with significant differences in fruit flesh color were used in the study, the orange ‘312-1’ and white ‘98-2’. Changes in seven carotenoid contents and compositions in the flesh of fruit produced by inbred lines ‘312-1’ and ‘98-2’ were analyzed during fruit development. The expression of eight key carotenoid biosynthesis genes in the fruit flesh were investigated during five fruit development stage in two inbred lines. As the flesh color intensified, the orange flesh color of ‘312-1’ was determined mainly by the increased contents of lutein, β-carotene and zeaxanthin and the lack of carotenoid accumulation led to the formation of white flesh in ‘98-2’ fruit. The expression of the LCY-e and CHYb genes was significantly stronger in ‘312-1’ than in ‘98-2’, and their expression was strongly correlated with lutein and β-carotene contents during fruit development. This study provides a deep understanding of the molecular mechanism of carotenoid biosynthesis in fruit flesh and provides a basis for additional studies on the highly refined improvement of squash quality.

Aims: Metabolic switching during heart development contributes to postnatal cardiomyocyte (CM) cell cycle exit and loss of regenerative capacity in the mammalian heart. Metabolic control has potential for developing effective CM proliferation strategies. We sought to determine whether lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) regulated CM proliferation by inducing metabolic reprogramming. Methods and results: LDHA expression was high in P1 hearts and significantly decreased during postnatal heart development. CM-specific LDHA knockout mice were generated using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. CM-specific LDHA knockout inhibited CM proliferation, leading to worse cardiac function and a lower survival rate in the neonatal apical resection model. In contrast, CM-specific overexpression of LDHA promoted CM proliferation and cardiac repair post-MI. The α-MHC-H2B-mCh/CAG-eGFP-anillin system was used to confirm the proliferative effect triggered by LDHA on P7 CMs and adult hearts. Metabolomics, proteomics and Co-IP experiments indicated that LDHA-mediated succinyl coenzyme A reduction inhibited succinylation-dependent ubiquitination of thioredoxin reductase 1 (Txnrd1), which alleviated ROS and thereby promoted CM proliferation. In addition, flow cytometry and western blotting showed that LDHA-driven lactate production created a beneficial cardiac regenerative microenvironment by inducing M2 macrophage polarization. Conclusions: LDHA-mediated metabolic reprogramming promoted CM proliferation by alleviating ROS and inducing M2 macrophage polarization, indicating that LDHA might be an effective target for promoting cardiac repair post-MI.

Pulmonary function testing (PFT) has important clinical value for the early detection of lung diseases, assessment of the disease severity, causes identification of dyspnea, and monitoring of critical patients. However, traditional PFT can only be carried out in a hospital environment, and it is challenging to meet the needs for daily and frequent evaluation of chronic respiratory diseases. In this study, we propose a novel method for accurately assessing pulmonary function by analyzing recorded forced cough sounds by mobile device without time and location restrictions. In the experiment, 309 clips of cough sound segments were separated from 133 patients who underwent PFT by using Audacity software. There are 247 clips of training samples and 62 clips of testing samples. Totally 52 features were extracted from the dataset, and principal component analysis (PCA) was used for feature reduction. Combined with biological attributes, the normalized features were regressed by using machine learning models with pulmonary function parameters (i.e., FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, FEV1%, and FVC%). And a 5-fold cross-validation was applied to evaluate the performance of the regression models. As described in the experimental result, the result of coefficient of determination (R2) indicates that the support vector regression (SVR) model performed best in assessing FVC (0.84), FEV1% (0.61), and FVC% (0.62) among these models. The gradient boosting regression (GBR) model performs best in evaluating FEV1 (0.86) and FEV1/FVC (0.54). The result confirmed that the proposed method was capable of accurately assessing pulmonary function with forced cough sound. Besides, the cough sound sampling by a smartphone made it possible to conduct sampling and assess pulmonary function frequently in the home environment.

Atherosclerosis (AS) is a common cardiovascular disease with complex pathogenesis, in which multiple pathways and their interweaving regulatory mechanism remain unclear. The primary transcription factor NF-κB plays a critical role in AS via modulating the expression of a series of inflammatory mediators under various stimuli such as cytokines, microbial antigens, and intracellular stresses. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, caused by the disrupted synthesis and secretion of protein, links inflammation, metabolic signals, and other cellular processes via the unfolded protein response (UPR). Both NF-κB and ER stress share the intersection regarding their molecular regulation and function and are regarded as critical individual contributors to AS. In this review, we summarize the multiple interactions between NF-κB and ER stress activation, including the UPR, NLRP3 inflammasome, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, which have been ignored in the pathogenesis of AS. Given the multiple links between NF-κB and ER stress, we speculate that the integrated network contributes to the understanding of molecular mechanisms of AS. This review aims to provide an insight into these interactions and their underlying roles in the progression of AS, highlighting potential pharmacological targets against the atherosclerotic inflammatory process.

This paper aims to solve the problems of the low quality and shallow depth of the traditional straw return method. According to the requirements of the new furrow burial and return agronomic model, a corn straw ditch-buried returning machine was designed that could simultaneously complete the processes of picking, conveying, ditching, soil-covering and pressing. Key components were theoretically analyzed and designed, such as the pickup device, ditching device and straw-guiding soil-covering and pressing device. Based on a field experiment, the main factors influencing the effects of straw picking, soil ditching and straw return were studied. Both forward speed and pickup device speed significantly affected the straw picking rate. The ditching area, ditching width consistency factor and ditching depth stability factor gradually decreased with increasing forward speed and gradually increased with increasing trenching device speed. There was a significant interaction among the forward speed, pickup device speed and ditching device speed. At a forward speed of 1.68 m/s, the picking device speed was 330 r/min, the ditching device speed was 290 r/min, and the highest straw return rate was 93.65%.

Abstract The quiescent/slow‐cycling state preserves the self‐renewal capacity of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and leads to the therapy resistance of CSCs. The mechanisms maintaining CSCs quiescence remain largely unknown. Here, it is demonstrated that lower expression of MAN1A1 in glioma stem cell (GSC) resulted in the formation of high‐mannose type N‐glycan on CD133. Furthermore, the high‐mannose type N‐glycan of CD133 is necessary for its interaction with DNMT1. Activation of p21 and p27 by the CD133–DNMT1 interaction maintains the slow‐cycling state of GSC, and promotes chemotherapy resistance and tumorigenesis of GSCs. Elimination of the CD133–DNMT1 interaction by a cell‐penetrating peptide or MAN1A1 overexpression inhibits the tumorigenesis of GSCs and increases the sensitivity of GSCs to temozolomide. Analysis of glioma samples reveals that the levels of high‐mannose type N‐glycan are correlated with glioma recurrence. Collectively, the high mannose CD133–DNMT1 interaction maintains the slow‐cycling state and tumorigenic potential of GSC, providing a potential strategy to eliminate quiescent GSCs.

Artificial intelligence (AI) aided cardiac arrhythmia (CA) classification has been an emerging research topic. Existing AI-based classification methods commonly analyze electrocardiogram (ECG) signals in lower dimensions, using one-dimensional (1D) temporal signals or two-dimensional (2D) images, which, however, may have limited capability in characterizing lead-wise spatiotemporal correlations, which are critical to the classification accuracy. In addition, existing methods mostly assume that the ECG data are linear temporal signals. This assumption may not accurately represent the nonlinear, nonstationary nature of the cardiac electrophysiological process. In this work, we have developed a three-dimensional (3D) recurrence plot (RP)-based deep learning algorithm to explore the nonlinear recurrent features of ECG and Vectorcardiography (VCG) signals, aiming to improve the arrhythmia classification performance. The 3D ECG/VCG images are generated from standard 12 lead ECG and 3 lead VCG signals for neural network training, validation, and testing. The superiority and effectiveness of the proposed method are validated by various experiments. Based on the PTB-XL dataset, the proposed method achieved an average F1 score of 0.9254 for the 3D ECG-based case and 0.9350 for the 3D VCG-based case. In contrast, recently published 1D and 2D ECG-based CA classification methods yielded lower average F1 scores of 0.843 and 0.9015, respectively. Thus, the improved performance and visual interpretability make the proposed 3D RP-based method appealing for practical CA classification.

ObjectiveClival chordoma is a locally aggressive tumor with low metastatic potential. In the past decade, endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) for clival chordoma has had a higher resection rate and a lower morbidity rate than transcranial approaches. Here, we present our initial single-center experience after EEA of clival chordomas.Patients and methodsThis study retrospectively analyzed 17 consecutive patients with clival chordoma who received EEA in our department between March 2015 and September 2021. The operation was performed by a single surgeon with EEA. The clinical and pathological characteristics were analyzed along with the surgical outcomes and complications.ResultsA total of 17 consecutive patients with clival chordoma received EEA with a median follow-up of 29.2 months (range 1-79). Gross total resection (GTR) was performed in 7 cases (41%), subtotal resection (STR) in 7 case (41%) and partially resection (PR) in 3 cases (18%). Cerebrospinal fluid leakage occurred in 2 cases (12%) and meningitis developed in 3 patients (18%) which were all successfully treated with intravenous antibiotics without any complications. There were no perioperative deaths or new focal neurological deficits postoperatively. Four in 7 patients with STR have had radiotherapy while the other three chose to be monitored. Till the last follow-up, three patients in STR group who received radiotherapy (3 in 4) had no tumor regrowth, while one in STR group with radiotherapy (1 in 4) showed tumor progression. Two patients in STR group without radiotherapy (2 in 3) showed stable tumor while the left one (1 in 3) showed tumor progression. One patient in the PR group died of tumor progression 2 years postoperation and the other one showed tumor progression and died of lung cancer 1 year postoperation. In addition, 1 in 7 patients with GTR had tumor recurrence in situ after 10 months and developed surgical pathway seeding in the spinal canal in C1 after 16 months. No recurrence occurred in the other 6 cases with GTR during the follow-up.ConclusionAlthough more cases are needed, our case series showed EEA is a safe and reliable method for clival chordoma with high resection rates and low morbidity rates. GTR without tumor residuum would improve the outcome.

ABSTRACT Streptococcus pneumoniae is a leading bacterial cause of a wide range of infections, and pneumococcal pneumosepsis causes high mortality in hosts infected with antibiotic-resistant strains and those who cannot resolve ongoing inflammation. The factors which influence the development and outcome of pneumosepsis are currently unclear. IL-6 is critical for maintaining immune homeostasis, and we determined that this cytokine is also essential for resisting pneumosepsis, as it inhibits macrophage pyroptosis and pyroptosis-related inflammation injury in the lung. IL-6 affected infection outcomes in mice and exerted a protective role, primarily via macrophages. We further found that IL-6 deficiency led to increased lung macrophage death and aggravated lung inflammation, and that exogenous administration of IL-6 protein could decrease macrophage death and alleviate lung tissue inflammation. IL-6 also protected Streptococcus pneumoniae-induced lung macrophage death and lung inflammation injury by inhibiting gasdermin E (GSDME)- and gasdermin D (GSDMD)-mediated pyroptosis. Together, these data reveal a novel mechanism for the development of pneumosepsis and the critical protective role of IL-6. These findings may assist in the early identification and treatment of pneumococcal pneumosepsis. IMPORTANCE Pneumococcal pneumonia has been a significant cause of morbidity and mortality throughout human history. Failing to control pneumococcal pneumonia and resolve ongoing inflammation in a host can cause sepsis, namely pneumococcal pneumosepsis, and death ensues. Few theories have suggested an optimally therapeutic option for this infectious disease. The interleukin-6 (IL-6, a cytokine featuring pleiotropic activity) theory, proposed here, implies that IL-6 acts as a protector against pneumococcal pneumosepsis. IL-6 prevents lung macrophage death and lung inflammation injury by inhibiting a caspase-3-GSDME-mediated switch from apoptosis to pyroptosis and inhibiting caspase-1-GSDMD-mediated classic pyroptosis during pneumococcal pneumosepsis. Thus, IL-6 is an important determinant for controlling bacterial invasion and a homeostatic coordinator of pneumococcal pneumosepsis. This study clarifies a novel mechanism of occurrence and development of pneumonia and secondary sepsis following a Streptococcus pneumoniae infection. It is important for the early identification and treatment of pneumococcal pneumosepsis.

Surface proteins are a type of proteins expressed on the surface of bacteria that play an important role in cell wall synthesis, maintenance of cell morphology, and signaling with the host. Our previous study showed that the probiotic Lactobacillus plantarum HC-2 improved the growth performance and immune response of Litopenaeus vannamei. To further investigate the probiotic mechanism, we determined the automatic aggregation ability of the bacteria and surface hydrophobicity of HC-2 after being treated with 5 M of lithium chloride (LiCl) and observed the morphology and adhesion of the bacteria to HCT116 cells. The results showed that with the removal of the HC-2 surface protein, the auto-aggregation ability and surface hydrophobicity of HC-2 decreased, and the crude mucus layer coated on the bacterial surface gradually dissociated. The adhesion rate of HC-2 to HCT116 cells decreased from 98.1 to 20.9%. Moreover, a total of 201 unique proteins were identified from the mixture of the surface proteins by mass spectrometry (MS). Several proteins are involved in transcription and translation, biosynthetic or metabolic process, cell cycle or division, cell wall synthesis, and emergency response. Meanwhile, a quantitative real-time PCR qPCR_ showed that HC-2 was mainly colonized in the midgut of shrimp, and the colonization numbers were 15 times higher than that in the foregut, while the colonization rate in the hindgut was lower. The adhesion activity measurement showed that the adhesion level of HC-2 to crude intestinal mucus of L. vannamei was higher than that of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and collagen, and the adhesion capacity of the bacterial cells decreased with the extension of LiCl-treatment time. Finally, we identified the elongation factor Tu, Type I glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, small heat shock protein, and 30S ribosomal protein from the surface proteins, which may be the adhesion proteins of HC-2 colonization in the shrimp intestine. The above results indicate that surface proteins play an important role in maintaining the cell structure stability and cell adhesion. Surface proteomics analysis contributes to describing potential protein-mediated probiotic-host interactions. The identification of some interacting proteins in this work may be beneficial to further understand the adhesion/colonization mechanism and probiotic properties of L. plantarum HC-2 in the shrimp intestine.

Modeling sea surface height (SSH) and tides is important but challenging in shelf seas. The Eastern China Seas (ECSs) is such a shelf sea with large inter-model deviations in prior studies. In order to assess and compare the possible uncertainty sources, numerical scenarios of varying the open boundary forcing, bottom roughness length scale, atmospheric forcing, grid resolution, and regional bathymetry were conducted in a hydrodynamic model of the ECSs. Results indicate that bathymetry data and open boundary forcing with inadequate accuracy generate uncertainties in SSH and tides locally and throughout the basin. An increase in bottom roughness enhances tidal dissipation and shifts amphidromes to the left relative to the incoming Kelvin waves, causing SSH variations in the ECSs. Refining the model resolution from 4 to 2 km mainly affects nearshore SSH and tides due to minor changes in depicted coastlines. Using different reanalysis meteorological data appears more important on the episodic than annual scale. It is highlighted that some uncertainty sources have opposing effects on SSH or tides and counteract their individual biases, making it difficult to achieve a realistic simulation. For example, increasing bottom roughness can not only compensate effects of overestimated tidal amplitude at open boundaries, but also balance out the overestimated M2 phase along the West Coast of Korea in a coarser-resolution model. Based on findings in this study, suggestions are provided for further reducing uncertainties in SSH and tide modeling in the ECSs and other shelf seas.