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Abstract Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a common chronic condition that poses a significant threat to human health. Mitochondrial dysfunction, particularly involving the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU), plays a key role in its pathogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the MCU gene on hepatic lipid metabolism in mice fed a high-fat diet. Using MCU knockout and wild-type mice, subjected to either a high-fat or normal diet for 14 weeks, we observed notable Steatosis and liver weight gain in MCU-deficient mice. Liver function markers, serum triglycerides, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) levels, and ApoB protein expression were all significantly elevated. Mechanistic studies revealed that MCU deletion led to mitochondrial dysfunction, increased oxidative stress. These findings highlight the critical role of the MCU gene in maintaining hepatic lipid balance and suggest its potential as a therapeutic target for managing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Abstract Magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents can enhance diagnostic precision but often face limitations such as short imaging windows, low tissue specificity, suboptimal contrast enhancement, or potential toxicity, which affect resolution and long-term monitoring. Here, we present a protein contrast agent based on lanmodulin, engineered with a single-point mutation at position 108 from N to D to yield maximum gadolinium binding sites. After loading with Gd3+ ions, the resulting protein complex, LanND-Gd, exhibits efficient renal clearance, high relaxivity, and prolonged renal retention compared to commercial agents. LanND-Gd enables high-performance visualization of whole-body structures and brain vasculature in male mice at a resolution finer than one hundred micrometers. In male ischemia mouse models, LanND-Gd also improves kidney dysfunction monitoring while minimizing risks of neural toxicity or immunogenic reactions. This protein-based contrast agent offers superior image quality, improved biocompatibility, and extended imaging timeframes, promising significant advancements in magnetic resonance-based diagnostics and patient outcomes.

Objective: Studies have shown a correlation between obesity and mitochondrial calcium homeostasis, yet it is unclear whether and how Mcu regulates adipocyte lipid deposition. This study aims to provide new potential target for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases, and to explore the function of Mcu in adipose tissue. Methods: We firstly investigated the role of mitoxantrone, an Mcu inhibitor, in the regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism in mouse adipocytes (3T3-L1 cells). Secondly, C57BL/6J mice were used as a research model to investigate the effects of Mcu inhibitors on fat accumulation and glucose metabolism in mice on a high-fat diet (HFD), and by using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, adipose tissue-specific Mcu knockdown mice (Mcufl/+ AKO) and Mcu knockout of mice (Mcufl/fl AKO) were obtained, to further investigate the direct effects of Mcu on fat deposition, glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in mice on a high-fat diet. Results: We found the Mcu inhibitor reduced adipocytes lipid accumulation and adipose tissues mass in mice fed an HFD. Both Mcufl/+ AKO mice and Mcufl/fl AKO mice were resistant to HFD-induced obesity, compared to control mice. Mice with Mcufl/fl AKO showed improved glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity as well as reduced hepatic lipid accumulation. Mechanistically, inhibition of Mcu promoted mitochondrial biogenesis and adipocyte browning, increase energy expenditure and alleviates diet-induced obesity. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates a link between adipocyte lipid accumulation and mCa2+ levels, suggesting that adipose-specific Mcu deficiency alleviates HFD-induced obesity and ameliorates metabolic disorders such as insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis. These effects may be achieved by increasing mitochondrial biosynthesis, promoting white fat browning and enhancing energy metabolism.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a potentially serious disease that affects 30 % of the global population and poses a significant risk to human health. However, to date, no safe, effective and appropriate treatment modalities are available. In recent years, ferroptosis has emerged as a significant mode of cell death and has been found to play a key regulatory role in the development of NAFLD. In this study, we found that arbutin (ARB), a natural antioxidant derived from Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.), inhibits the onset of ferroptosis and ameliorates high-fat diet-induced NAFLD in vivo and in vitro. Using reverse docking, we identified the demethylase fat mass and obesity-related protein (FTO) as a potential target of ARB. Subsequent mechanistic studies revealed that ARB plays a role in controlling methylation of the SLC7A11 gene through inhibition of FTO. In addition, we demonstrated that SLC7A11 could alleviate the development of NAFLD in vivo and in vitro. Our findings identify the FTO/SLC7A11 axis as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of NAFLD. Specifically, we show that ARB alleviates NAFLD by acting on the FTO/SLC7A11 pathway to inhibit ferroptosis.

Treg cells can be functionally altered by epigenetic modulators. Here the authors show that the histone H3K36 methyltransferase Setd2 is important for the survival of Treg cells and for the regulation of IL-33 mediated Th2 responses in mice and SETD2 expression is increased in Treg cells from human colorectal cancer tissue.

Abstract The active traffic management system disseminates traffic information to drivers to guide their route choice, so as to alleviate traffic congestion. Most drivers are highly dependent on mobile navigation APP, and the display form of mobile navigation information is of great importance. In order to improve drivers’ compliance with guidance information, this research accommodates for information that disseminate time attribute (when to provide the traffic information) and display format attribute (voice navigation or not, flat map or three‐dimensional [3D] map) and also explores the interaction effects between individual and trip characteristics. A revealed preference (RP) and stated preference (SP) survey consisting of 831 respondents is conducted in Nanjing, China. Then three kinds of panel logit model are established to fit the survey data. According to the model results, it is found that drivers with aggressive style are more sensitive to travel time, and drivers who are familiar with the road network are more sensitive to the 3D map with voice navigation format. The results of parameter estimation are also used for the trade‐off analysis of various exogenous variables. The findings of this study provide useful insights for the development of mobile navigation APPs, personalized path recommendation and congestion pricing strategies.

Abstract Background The distribution of allergens has geographic characteristics. Local epidemiological data provides evidence-based strategies for the prevention and management of allergic diseases. Age and sex differences may exist in the prevalence of sensitivity to various allergens. We investigated the distribution of common allergens in allergic children in Shanghai, southeastern China. Methods 39,926 children 1 month to 18 years of age diagnosed with allergic diseases were tested for the presence of serum-specific Immunoglobulins E (sIgE) to 17 allergens common to this region, using a reversed enzyme allergosorbent test. Results 25,757 (64.5%) of the subjects showed elevated sIgE to at least one of the tested allergens. House mite and dust mite were the most common aeroallergens, while egg and milk were the most common food allergens. The most common aeroallergens and food allergens were similar among each allergic disease. By age-group analysis, the positive rates of aeroallergens were higher at older age. Several peaks of sensitization to food allergens were observed in children between 1 and 3 years of age for eggs, milk, nut, crab and shrimp. In addition, the sensitization to beef and mango was highest in children 3–6 years of age. The rate of positive sIgE detection was higher in males than females for all the tested allergens except cockroach, trees and beef. Considering the interplay between sex and ages and other related components (including season, monthly temperature, humidity, air quality index, test rate of patients), the sIgE positive rates of the main aeroallergens increased with age, while the main food allergens decreased; males are more sensitive to several aeroallergens (including dust mite, house mite, cat epithelium, dog epithelium and mulberry). Conclusions House mite, dust mite, milk, and egg are major allergens in Shanghai. Children at younger age are more sensitive to food allergens, while increasing overall prevalence of sensitization can be found with increasing age. Boys have higher positive rates of sIgE responses than girls. Knowledge of the prevalence of allergen sensitization in different age groups and sex may help facilitate diagnosis and intervention efforts to mitigate the impact of allergic diseases in this large geographical region. This approach may be extrapolated to other regions.

Vehicle trajectory data are critical to urban active traffic management and simulation applications. Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) data can provide partial vehicle trajectory information by matching the detected vehicle license plates through time series. However, the trajectory extracted from ALPR data tend to be sparse and incomplete due to technical and financial constraints. This paper deals with the problem of sparse trajectory reconstruction based on ALPR data. Firstly, the multiple travel activities of the vehicle are divided based on the reasonable travel time threshold, and the incomplete vehicle trajectory is identified. Then, candidate trajectories are generated by an improved K-shortest-path (KSP) algorithm based on space-time prism theory. Finally, the auto-encoder model is utilized to select the candidate trajectory with optimal decision indicators, which realizes the vehicle trajectory reconstruction. The proposed method was implemented on a realistic urban traffic network in Ningbo, China. The verification results show that the proposed method has a comprehensive accuracy of 85% and good robustness. From the comparison with the baseline algorithm, it can be seen that the proposed method still has high accuracy in low ALPR coverage rate, and there exists a minimum required ALPR coverage rate (50% in the test network) for reconstructing trajectories accurately.

ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the associations of caesarean delivery (CD) with risk of wheezing diseases and changes of immune cells in children.DesignThe cross-sectional study was conducted between May, 2020 and April, 2021.Setting and participantsThe study was conducted in Shanghai Children’s Medical Center, Shanghai, China. A total of 2079 children with a mean age of 36.97 ± 40.27 months and their guardians were included in the present study via face-to-face inquiry and physical examination by clinicians.MethodsLogistic regression was applied to estimate odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association between CD and first episode of wheezing (FEW) or asthma. Models were adjusted for premature or full-term delivery, exclusive breastfeeding (at least 4 months) or not.ResultsAmong the 2079 children, 987 children (47.47%) were born by CD and 1092 (52.53%) by vaginal delivery (VD). Children delivered by caesarean had significantly lower gestational age (P

It is different from the previous supervised learning algorithm based on personal travel questionnaire, the aim of this study is to develop an unsupervised learning methodology to estimate the docked bike-sharing users' trip purposes using IC card data, which trip purposes were unknown from the dataset. The present study is able to extract the trip-chains, which is used to understand the complete individual trip process. A rigorous method is then proposed to interpret the purpose of each leg of the trip-chain using a continuous hidden Markov model (CHMM). This method effectively combines the Gaussian mixture model and the hidden Markov model, and realizes the inference based on trip-chains. It is intended to enhance the understanding of docked bike-sharing users' transfer intention, which is different from most trip motivation recognition methods. The Gaussian mixture layer uses the feature space constructed by the spatial and temporal information on trip-chains from the IC card data, as well as the land-use characteristics of the docked bike-sharing docking stations to complete the transfer of the trip-chains to the trip modes. The hidden Markov structure can realize the process from the trip modes to the trip purposes. The IC card data of docked bike-sharing usage in Nanjing, China is used to interpret the specific steps of the proposed model. A questionnaire survey is conducted to obtain the real trip purposes, which is compared with the estimated results from the model to verify the effectiveness of the model. The results show that the accuracies of single trip recognition and chain trip recognition are 0.770 and 0.756, respectively. Compared with the baseline algorithm, the model also shows good performance. Therefore, the proposed approach can be used to discover and interpret the trip purpose using the IC card data.

Abstract Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular Gram-negative bacterium that causes the zoonotic disease tularemia. We identified the transcription elongation factor GreA as a virulence factor in our previous study, but its role was not defined. Here, we investigate the effects of the inactivation of the greA gene, generating a greA mutant of F. tularensis subsp. novicida. Inactivation of greA impaired the bacterial invasion into and growth within host cells, and subsequently virulence in mouse infection model. A transcriptomic analysis (RNA-Seq) showed that the loss of GreA caused the differential expression of 196 bacterial genes, 77 of which were identified as virulence factors in previous studies. To confirm that GreA regulates the expression of virulence factors involved in cell invasion by Francisella, FTN_1186 (pepO) and FTN_1551 (ampD) gene mutants were generated. The ampD deletion mutant showed reduced invasiveness into host cells. These results strongly suggest that GreA plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Francisella by affecting the expression of virulence genes and provide new insights into the complex regulation of Francisella infection.

Francisella tularensis is a highly infectious intracellular pathogen that infects a wide range of host species and causes fatal pneumonic tularemia in humans. ftlA was identified as a potential virulence determinant of the F. tularensis live vaccine strain (LVS) in our previous transposon screen, but its function remained undefined. Here, we show that an unmarked deletion mutant of ftlA was avirulent in a pneumonia mouse model with a severely impaired capacity to infect host cells. Consistent with its sequence homology with GDSL lipase/esterase family proteins, the FtlA protein displayed lipolytic activity in both E. coli and F. tularensis with a preference for relatively short carbon-chain substrates. FtlA thus represents the first F. tularensis lipase to promote bacterial infection of host cells and in vivo fitness. As a cytoplasmic protein, we found that FtlA was secreted into the extracellular environment as a component of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). Further confocal microscopy analysis revealed that the FtlA-containing OMVs isolated from F. tularensis LVS attached to the host cell membrane. Finally, the OMV-associated FtlA protein complemented the genetic deficiency of the ΔftlA mutant in terms of host cell infection when OMVs purified from the parent strain were co-incubated with the mutant bacteria. These lines of evidence strongly suggest that the FtlA lipase promotes F. tularensis adhesion and internalization by modifying bacterial and/or host molecule(s) when it is secreted as a component of OMVs.Emerging Microbes & Infections (2017) 6, e66; doi:10.1038/emi.2017.53; published online 26 July 2017

Abstract Leaf endospheres harbor diverse bacterial communities, comprising generalists and specialists, that profoundly affect ecosystem functions. However, the ecological dynamics of generalist and specialist leaf-endophytic bacteria and their responses to climate change remain poorly understood. We investigated the diversity and environmental responses of generalist and specialist bacteria within the leaf endosphere of mangroves across China. Our findings show a predominance of specialists in the mangrove leaf endosphere. Temperature is the key factor driving community dissimilarity in both groups, yet it negatively influences the alpha diversity. Soil nutritional factors, particularly phosphate for generalists and total organic carbon for specialists are critical in shaping the functional profiles. Interestingly, temperature has a limited impact on functional profiles. Stochastic processes govern community assembly in both bacterial groups, altering the β-nearest taxon indices as temperatures increase. Our findings indicate that the halophytic leaf endosphere favors microbial niche specialization, due to its unique microenvironment and discrete niches, showing thermal sensitivity in terms of the microbial community profile. This study provides insights into niche differentiation and environmental adaptation mechanisms of leaf endophytic microbes in woody halophytes in response to environmental perturbations.

Breast cancer is a leading cause of mortality among women, underscoring the critical need for accurate and early diagnosis to enhance treatment efficacy. Traditional imaging techniques are limited in their ability to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions, particularly in the early stages, for there are very few images available for the lesion area and the resolution of these images is poor. This paper introduces a novel lesion diffusion model that dynamically amplifies lesion areas, providing a multi-frame analysis to improve classification accuracy. By integrating time-aware motion modeling, the proposed method tracks temporal changes in lesions, Generating a sequence of magnified frames highlighting subtle lesion features. Tested on the BUSI breast ultrasound dataset, our model achieved a 10.269% improvement in classification accuracy over baseline methods, with an average gain of 4.645% across multiple frames. The results demonstrate the model’s ability to enhance the claim and diagnostic utility of breast cancer images after magnification This dynamic lesion amplification approach presents a significant advancement in computer-aided breast cancer diagnostics, offering new possibilities for improving early-stage detection.

ObjectiveMaternal moderate-intensity exercise during pregnancy has important health benefits for the offspring, however, less is known about its association with offspring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study aimed to explore the association between maternal exercise during pregnancy and ADHD among preschool children in Southwest China.MethodsA web-based cross-sectional study was performed in 2021, and the revised Conners Parental Symptom Questionnaire and maternal exercise during pregnancy were obtained through a self-reported structured questionnaire. A binary logistic regression model was used to assess the association between maternal exercise during pregnancy and the likelihood of childhood ADHD after adjustment for covariates.ResultsA total of 4,184 preschool children aged 3–6 years were included in our final analysis. Children whose mothers exercised for

Polysaccharides are one of the main constituents of Cordyceps cicadae (C. cicadae), and they show various biological activities. In the present study, C. cicadae fruiting bodies were used as raw materials to extract polysaccharides using an aqueous two-phase system, along with cellulase and pectinase, aiming to provide references for the further development, utilization, and in-depth research of C. cicadae polysaccharides. Effects of cellulase and pectinase addition amounts and (NH4)2SO4 and polyethylene glycol (PEG) mass fractions on the polysaccharide-extraction rates were analyzed by single-factor experiments. The conditions for C. cicadae polysaccharide extraction were optimized by response-surface methodology, and the antioxidant, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic properties of the polysaccharides were evaluated in vitro. The optimal conditions for C. cicadae polysaccharide extraction were as follows: Cellulase addition amount 2.01%, pectinase addition amount 2.07%, (NH4)2SO4 mass fraction 17.72%, and PEG mass fraction 20.87%, the polysaccharide-extraction rate reached 25.34% under these conditions. When the C. cicadae polysaccharide concentration was 1.0~5.0 mg/mL, the maximum Fe2+-chelating and ABTS+ radical-clearance abilities were 16.33%±1.68% and 17.38%±3.07%, respectively. The determination of total reducing power showed that the maximum absorbance of C. cicadae polysaccharides was 0.53±0.005. The maximum inhibitory rates of C. cicadae polysaccharides for α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities were 30.96%±4.53% and 49.40%±1.30% respectively, the maximum adsorption rates of C. cicadae polysaccharides for sodium cholate, sodium taurocholate, and cholesterol were 47.24%±1.89%, 44.88%±0.82%, and 70.19%±2.54% respectively. The results indicated that C. cicadae polysaccharides demonstrate effective antioxidant, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic abilities in vitro. This study will provide a theoretical basis for developing C. cicadae polysaccharide-related products, especially for clinical applications.

Summary: Despite extensive global research into genetic predisposition for severe COVID-19, knowledge on the role of rare host genetic variants and their relation to other risk factors remains limited. Here, 52 genes with prior etiological evidence were sequenced in 1,772 severe COVID-19 cases and 5,347 population-based controls from Spain/Italy. Rare deleterious TLR7 variants were present in 2.4% of young (

ABSTRACT Harmful algal blooms (HABs) often occur in estuaries due to their unique environmental heterogeneity, posing significant environmental and human health risks. However, there is limited understanding of the community composition and community‐level change points (thresholds) of harmful microalgae in subtropical estuaries. This study explored harmful microalgae community structure and thresholds in the Dafengjiang River estuary using a metabarcoding approach. The results revealed 63 harmful microalgae species, and major species included Guinardia flaccida, Prorocentrum cordatum, Thalassiosira punctigera, Pseudo‐nitzschia galaxiae and T. gravida. Nonparametric change‐point analysis and threshold indicator taxa analysis (TITAN) showed threshold responses of harmful microalgae community structure to ammonium (57.5–60 μg·L−1), total phosphorus (27.8–28.5 μg·L−1) and dissolved inorganic phosphorus (14.5–28 μg·L−1) along the salinity gradient. Wider environmental thresholds were also found in hypersaline areas. Additionally, Pyrodinium bahamense, Pfiesteria piscicida, Skeletonema tropicum and T. punctigera were sensitive to environmental changes and thus could be used as bioindicators. Overall, our study unveiled diverse abrupt transitions of harmful microalgal communities, providing a risk assessment for human health and ecological safety in subtropical estuary ecosystems.

ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy of robotic-assisted single-incision-plus-one-port laparoscopic choledochal cyst excision (R-SILC + 1) and single-incision laparoscopic choledochal cyst (SILC) in treating pediatric choledochal cyst (CDC).MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of patients diagnosed with CDC in our hospital from June 2021 to October 2023. Among them, patients underwent either R-SILC + 1 or SILC procedures. Demographic parameters, operative details, and postoperative outcomes were studied.ResultsA total of forty-nine patients were included, with 23 children undergoing R-SILC + 1 and 26 children undergoing SILC. There were no statistically significant differences in demographic data, postoperative pain scores, and postoperative complication rates between the two groups (all p > 0.05). Compared with the SILC group, the R-SILC + 1 group demonstrated less intraoperative bleeding volume (10.4 ± 3.6 vs. 15.0 ± 3.6 ml, p

ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to develop a prediction nomogram based on clinical factors to assess the risk of postoperative complications in children with congenital choledochal cyst.MethodsThe clinical data from 131 children who underwent choledochal cyst resection and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy in our hospital between January 2016 and December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The general information, clinical symptoms, procedure, biochemical indicators, and imaging data were recorded. A prolonged hospital stay induced by postoperative complications or a follow-up over 6 months was assessed as the event outcome. A logistics regression analysis was performed to screen for risk factors with statistical significance in inducing postoperative complications. Then, with the dataset split into the training group and internal validation group, the nomogram for the prediction of postoperative complications was developed based on a computer algorithm. In addition, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration curve were performed for nomogram verification.ResultsOf 131 children, the multivariate logistics regression analysis suggested that age ≤2 years [odds ratio (OR) 0.93; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15–5.65; p = 0.938], Todani classification type 1 (OR 36.58; 95% CI 4.14–871.74; p = 0.005), cyst wall thickness >0.4 cm (OR 10.82; 95% CI 2.88–49.13; p

ABSTRACT Microbial immigration is an ecological process in natural environments; however, the ecological trade-off mechanisms that govern the balance between species extinction and migration are still lacking. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms underlying the migration of diazotrophic communities from soil to leaves across six natural mangrove habitats in southern China. The results showed that the diazotrophic alpha and beta diversity exhibited significant regional and locational variations. The diazotrophic species pool gradually increased from the leaves to nonrhizosphere soil at each site, exhibiting a vertical distribution pattern. Mantel test analyses suggested that climate factors, particularly mean annual temperature, significantly influenced the structure of the diazotrophic community. The diazotrophic community assembly was mainly governed by dispersal limitation in soil and root samples, whereas dispersal limitation and ecological drift were dominant in leaves. Partial least squares path modeling revealed that the species pool and soil properties, particularly the oxidation-reduction potential and pH, were closely linked to the species-immigration ratio of diazotrophic communities. Our study provides novel insights for understanding the ecological trait diversity patterns and spread pathways of functional microbial communities between below- and aboveground habitats in natural ecosystems.IMPORTANCEEnvironmental selection plays key roles in microbial transmission. In this study, we have provided a comprehensive framework to elucidate the driving patterns of the ecological trade-offs in diazotrophic communities across large-scale mangrove habitats. Our research revealed that Bradyrhizobium japonicum, Marinobacterium lutimaris, and Agrobacterium tumefaciens were more abundant in root-associated soil than in leaves by internal and external pathways. The nonrhizospheric and rhizospheric soil samples harbored the most core amplicon sequence variants, indicating that these dominant diazotrophs could adapt to broader ecological niches. Correlation analysis indicated that the diversities of the diazotrophic community were regulated by biotic and abiotic factors. Furthermore, this study found a lower species immigration ratio in the soil than in the leaves. Both species pool and soil properties regulate the species-immigration mechanisms of the diazotrophic community. These results suggest that substantial species immigration is a widespread ecological process, leading to alterations in local community diversity across diverse host environments.

Abstract The spread of blast dust throughout the tunnel becomes a common problem in drill and blast tunneling,the key to breaking through the problem is the creation of a dust control area on the working face.In view of this key problem, a wet string grid dust removal crawler vehicle was developed, the power of the vehicle came from the diesel generator, and further, the air cooler of the diesel generator was used to generate airflow, and the suction process formed by the on-board axial flow fan was coupled to create a dust control area of the working face after blasting.The results show that when the frequency of the axial flow fan is adjusted to 30 Hz, the airflow speed of the wet chord grid section reaches 3.34 m/s, and the dust removal efficiency is the highest, with a value of 94.3%.Compared with the non-use of the dust removal vehicle, when the air outlet of the air cooler is front, horizontal front, horizontal rear, the dust concentration is reduced by 74.37, 92.39 and 50.53%.Finally, the optimized wet grid dust removal crawler was installed in the Dading tunnel, and the actual dust reduction efficiency was about 78.49%. The results obtained provide an important technical way to improve the working environment of the drilling and blasting construction tunnel.

To study the seasonal change rules of water quality indicators and water chemical control mechanisms in the nearby city river Xinbian River, in Suzhou City, Anhui Province, China, nine points were selected and periodically sampled for 12 months. Totally 108 water samples were collected, and basic physical–chemical indicators and routine ions (e.g., Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, SO42−, Cl−, F−, NO3−, CO32−, and HCO3−) were measured. Piper diagram, Gibbs diagram, and ion ratio method were used. The result shows that the seasonal and upstream-to-downstream variations in pH were less varied, whereas the fluctuation in dissolved oxygen was large. Four ions, namely, SO42-, F−, Cl−, and Na+ generally first decreased overall and then changed from spring to winter. The maximum contents of SO42- (406.03 mg/L), Cl− (250.22 mg/L), and Na+ (269.99 mg/L) in single water samples appeared at the S9 sampling point (Suzhou control gate) in March 2020. The dominant hydrochemical types in summer were Na–Ca–HCO3 and Na–Mg–SO4, while Na–Mg–SO4 and Na–Mg–HCO3 were the main hydrochemical types in the other seasons. The control factors of water chemical composition vary according to the season. However, rock weathering (e.g., silicate dissolution) is the dominant control factor of water chemistry in the studied river section. HIGHLIGHTS The annual water quality indicators of a proposed surface water source in a severely water-deficient city were tested.; The seasonal change characteristics of water quality indicators and their control mechanisms were revealed.; Both natural and human factors that affect water quality have been comprehensively analyzed.;

Rinsing during surimi protein processing can result in the loss of essential nutrients, such as fats and minerals. Therefore, supplementing functional fats in a stable form can make up for the fat loss of surimi during the rinsing process. This research aimed to investigate the effects of incorporating pre-emulsified flaxseed oil with different concentrations of rutin (0, 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5%, dissolved in flaxseed oil, w/v) to Nemipterus virgatus surimi on the gelatinization properties, lipid oxidation, and in vitro static simulated digestion characteristics of surimi gels. The results indicated that the addition of 1.5% rutin significantly improved the water-holding capacity and decreased the cooking loss rate of surimi gel (p < 0.05). The results of optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed that the addition of 1.5% rutin promoted a denser network structure of surimi gel. Furthermore, the incorporation of rutin effectively slowed lipid oxidation in pre-emulsified flaxseed oil surimi gel. Compared with the gel group containing only pre-emulsified flaxseed oil, the addition of rutin significantly reduced the levels of volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARSs) in the gel and also mitigated the decline in acidity (p < 0.05). Moreover, the addition of rutin significantly inhibited the decrease in pH of surimi gel during storage (p < 0.05). In vitro static simulated digestion demonstrated that the addition of 1.5% rutin enhanced the protein digestibility from 71.2% to 77.2% of the surimi gel. Therefore, adding pre-emulsified oil containing an appropriate amount of rutin to surimi can not only compensate for the fat loss during the surimi rinsing process but also effectively improve the quality characteristics of surimi gels. This research will provide a theoretical basis for the effective addition of functional lipids in surimi products and the development of nutritious and healthy surimi products.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study is to compare the intraoperative and postoperative outcomes of a trans-umbilical single-site plus one robot-assisted surgery and a trans-umbilical single-site laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of choledochal cysts.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 49 children diagnosed with choledochal cysts who were admitted to our hospital between June 2020 and December 2023. Among these patients, 24 underwent a trans-umbilical single-site plus one Da Vinci robot-assisted surgery (the robot group) and 25 underwent a trans-umbilical single-site laparoscopic-assisted surgery (the laparoscopic group). We compared differences in intraoperative and postoperative outcomes between the two groups.ResultsThere was no significant difference between the two groups of patients in terms of gender, age, weight, clinical symptoms, maximum cyst diameter, type, postoperative complications, and facial expression, leg movement, activity, crying, and comfortability (FLACC) scoring (p > 0.05). Compared with the patients in the laparoscopic group, those in the robot group had less intraoperative bleeding [10 (8–12) vs. 15 (11.5–18) ml, p

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Delamination is a common defect in carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) during the molding process. Accurately understanding the formation and evolution mechanisms of drilling damage in CFRP with delamination defects is helpful for effectively suppressing drilling defects with delamination. In this study, a macro-micro finite element model (FEM) of CFRP with prefabricated delamination defects during drilling is established to simulate and analyze the damage formation and evolution behavior. The circular polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films are employed to simulate the delamination defects in CFRP. These samples with different sizes of prefabricated delamination defects are prepared for the drilling experiments. The results show that the maximum errors of the thrust force and the exit damage factor between the simulation and experiments are 8.75% and 4.2% respectively, indicating good reliability of the simulation model. Under the condition of CFRP with delamination defects, as the size of the delamination defects increases, the maximum thrust force decreases, while the maximum delamination propagation length and exit damage increase. Compared to the case without delamination defects, when the delamination diameter is 7 mm, the delamination propagation percentage and the maximum stress in CFRP increase by 52.17% and 155.4% respectively, and the maximum increment of the exit delamination damage factor is 38%.

Microorganisms, especially rare microbial species, are crucial in estuarine ecosystems for driving biogeochemical processes and preserving biodiversity. However, the understanding of the links between ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) and the diversity of rare bacterial taxa in estuary ecosystems remains limited. Employing high-throughput sequencing and a variety of statistical methods, we assessed the diversities and assembly process of abundant and rare bacterioplankton and their contributions to EMF in a subtropical estuary. Taxonomic analysis revealed Proteobacteria as the predominant phylum among both abundant and rare bacterial taxa. Notably, rare taxa demonstrated significantly higher taxonomic diversity and a larger species pool than abundant taxa. Additionally, our findings highlighted that deterministic assembly processes predominantly shape microbial communities, with heterogeneous selection exerting a stronger influence on rare taxa. Further analysis reveals that rare bacterial beta-diversity significantly impacts to EMF, whereas alpha diversity did not. The partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) analysis demonstrated that the beta diversity of abundant and rare taxa, as the main biotic factor, directly affected EMF, while temperature and total organic carbon (TOC) were additional key factors to determine the relationship between beta diversity and EMF. These findings advance our understanding of the distribution features and ecological knowledge of the abundant and rare taxa in EMF in subtropical estuaries, and provide a reference for exploring the multifunctionality of different biospheres in aquatic environments.

Abstract Vibrio is a salt‐tolerant heterotrophic bacterium that occupies an important ecological niche in marine environments. However, little is known about the contribution of resource diversity to the marine Vibrio diversity and community stability. In this study, we investigated the association among resource diversity, taxonomic diversity, phylogenetic diversity, and community stability of marine Vibrio in the Beibu Gulf. V. campbellii and V. hangzhouensis were the dominant groups in seawater and sediments, respectively, in the Beibu Gulf. Higher alpha diversity was observed in the sediments than in the seawater. Marine Vibrio community assembly was dominated by deterministic processes. Pearson's correlation analysis showed that nitrite (NO2−‐N), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), ammonium (NH4+‐N), and pH were the main factors affecting marine Vibrio community stability in the surface, middle, and bottom layers of seawater and sediment, respectively. Partial least‐squares path models (PLS‐PM) demonstrated that resource diversity, water properties, nutrients, and geographical distance had important impacts on phylogenetic and taxonomic diversity. Regression analysis revealed that the impact of resource diversity on marine Vibrio diversity and community stability varied across different habitats, but loss of Vibrio diversity increases community stability. Overall, this study provided insights into the mechanisms underlying the maintenance of Vibrio diversity and community stability in marine environments.

Exosomes play a crucial role in facilitating intercellular communication within organisms. Emerging evidence indicates that a distinct variant of programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), found on the surface of exosomes, may be responsible for orchestrating systemic immunosuppression that counteracts the efficacy of anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) checkpoint therapy. Specifically, the presence of PD-L1 on exosomes enables them to selectively target PD-1 on the surface of CD8+ T cells, leading to T cell apoptosis and impeding T cell activation or proliferation. This mechanism allows tumor cells to evade immune pressure during the effector stage. Furthermore, the quantification of exosomal PD-L1 has the potential to serve as an indicator of the dynamic interplay between tumors and immune cells, thereby suggesting the promising utility of exosomes as biomarkers for both cancer diagnosis and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapy. The emergence of exosomal PD-L1 inhibitors as a viable approach for anti-tumor treatment has garnered significant attention. Depleting exosomal PD-L1 may serve as an effective adjunct therapy to mitigate systemic immunosuppression. This review aims to elucidate recent insights into the role of exosomal PD-L1 in the field of immune oncology, emphasizing its potential as a diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic tool in lung cancer.