Search

Abstract Objectives To develop and validate nomograms combining radiomics and semantic features to identify the invasiveness and histopathological risk stratification of thymic epithelial tumors (TET) using contrast-enhanced CT. Methods This retrospective multi-center study included 224 consecutive cases. For each case, 6764 intratumor and peritumor radiomics features and 31 semantic features were collected. Multi-feature selections and decision tree models were performed on radiomics features and semantic features separately to select the most important features for Masaoka–Koga staging and WHO classification. The selected features were then combined to create nomograms for the two systems. The performance of the radiomics model, semantic model, and combined model was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs). Results One hundred eighty-seven cases (56.5 years ± 12.3, 101 men) were included, with 62 cases as the external test set. For Masaoka–Koga staging, the combined model, which incorporated five peritumor radiomics features and four semantic features, showed an AUC of 0.958 (95% CI: 0.912–1.000) in distinguishing between early-stage (stage I/II) and advanced-stage (III/IV) TET in the external test set. For WHO classification, the combined model incorporating five peritumor radiomics features and two semantic features showed an AUC of 0.857 (0.760–0.955) in differentiating low-risk (type A/AB/B1) and high-risk (B2/B3/C) TET. The combined models showed the most effective predictive performance, while the semantic models exhibited comparable performance to the radiomics models in both systems (p > 0.05). Conclusion The nomograms combining peritumor radiomics features and semantic features could help in increasing the accuracy of grading invasiveness and risk stratification of TET. Critical relevance statement Peripheral invasion and histopathological type are major determinants of treatment and prognosis of TET. The integration of peritumoral radiomics features and semantic features into nomograms may enhance the accuracy of grading invasiveness and risk stratification of TET. Key Points Peritumor region of TET may suggest histopathological and invasive risk. Peritumor radiomic and semantic features allow classification by Masaoka–Koga staging (AUC: 0.958). Peritumor radiomic and semantic features enable the classification of histopathological risk (AUC: 0.857). Graphical Abstract

Abstract Background Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a serious problem in the adolescent population worldwide. Childhood trauma and bullying have been identified as risk factors for NSSI. We explored the relationships among Childhood trauma, Bullying victimization and the severity of NSSI behaviours, and test the effect of Bullying victimization in mediating the association between Childhood trauma and the NSSI behaviours. Methods A total of 123 adolescents were recruited. They were diagnosed with depression or depressive episodes of bipolar disorder and had experienced NSSI in the last year. They were assessed using the Chinese version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-C), the Revised Olweus Bullying Victimization Questionnaire (OBVQ-R), and the Adolescent Self-Harm Questionnaire (ASHQ). Results Females presented a significantly greater prevalence of sexual abuse and relationship bullying than boys. Individuals in the younger age group (10–14 years) presented a greater incidence of emotional neglect, verbal bullying, relationship bullying, and total bullying, and their NSSI score was also higher than that of those in the older age group (15–19 years). Only children show a greater prevalence of sexual abuse than nononly children. Single-parent families scored higher on emotional abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect and physical bullying than two-parent families. There was a significant positive correlation between each dimension of childhood trauma and all the dimensions of bullying, between childhood trauma and NSSI, and between bullying and NSSI. Childhood trauma can not only directly affect the severity of NSSI but also indirectly aggravate the severity of NSSI through bullying victimization. The mediating effects of bullying victimization on emotional abuse, physical abuse, emotional neglect and physical neglect were 14%, 21%, 20%, 13% and 20%, respectively. Conclusion There was a significant positive correlation between childhood trauma and bullying, between childhood trauma and NSSI, and between bullying and NSSI. Childhood trauma can not only directly affect the severity of NSSI but also indirectly aggravate the severity of NSSI through bullying victimization. Bullying victimization played the partial mediating effects between Childhood trauma and NSSI.

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

Inhibiting the death receptor 3 (DR3) signaling pathway in group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) presents a promising approach for promoting mucosal repair in individuals with ulcerative colitis (UC). Paeoniflorin, a prominent component of Paeonia lactiflora Pall., has demonstrated the ability to restore barrier function in UC mice, but the precise mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to delve into whether paeoniflorin may promote intestinal mucosal repair in chronic colitis by inhibiting DR3 signaling in ILC3s. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to random allocation into 7 distinct groups, namely the control group, the 2 % dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) group, the paeoniflorin groups (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg), the anti-tumor necrosis factor-like ligand 1A (anti-TL1A) antibody group, and the IgG group. We detected the expression of DR3 signaling pathway proteins and the proportion of ILC3s in the mouse colon using Western blot and flow cytometry, respectively. Meanwhile, DR3-overexpressing MNK-3 cells and 2 % DSS-induced Rag1−/− mice were used for verification. The results showed that paeoniflorin alleviated DSS-induced chronic colitis and repaired the intestinal mucosal barrier. Simultaneously, paeoniflorin inhibited the DR3 signaling pathway in ILC3s and regulated the content of cytokines (Interleukin-17A, Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, and Interleukin-22). Alternatively, paeoniflorin directly inhibited the DR3 signaling pathway in ILC3s to repair mucosal damage independently of the adaptive immune system. We additionally confirmed that paeoniflorin-conditioned medium (CM) restored the expression of tight junctions in Caco-2 cells via coculture. In conclusion, paeoniflorin ameliorates chronic colitis by enhancing the intestinal barrier in an ILC3-dependent manner, and its mechanism is associated with the inhibition of the DR3 signaling pathway.

ABSTRACTThis study aims to summarize the clinical characteristics and prognosis of Listeria monocytogenes (LM) meningitis in children in Chongqing, China. A retrospective analysis of the clinical data and follow-up results of 20 LM meningitis patients admitted to the Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University (CHCMU) from January 2012 to December 2022 was performed. The LM meningitis incidence rate was between 0 and 14.3 per 100,000 persons. The median age at onset was 8.98 months. There were five neonate cases, which all had perinatal abnormalities. Seven non-neonatal cases (7/15, 46.7%) had a documented history of contaminated food intake. One case had primary immunodeficiency. The most common symptoms were fever (20/20), altered consciousness (19/20), and vomiting (15/20). Seven cases had seizures, eight cases had cranial nerve involvement, eight cases had positive Babinski sign, and 10 cases had positive meningeal signs. The most common complications were hyponatremia (6/20), hypokalemia (6/20), respiratory failure (5/20), subdural effusion (3/20), and hydrocephalus (2/20). Treatment primarily involved monotherapy or combination therapy with meropenem (15/20) and ampicillin (10/20). Fifteen cases were treated with monotherapy or combination therapy using vancomycin. Twelve cases were successfully followed up from 10 months to 9 years and 6 months, and all had favorable long-term outcomes. LM meningitis incidence in children is low and with nonspecific clinical manifestations. Strengthening food hygiene and safety education, and avoiding infections during pregnancy are important to prevent LM infection in neonates and high-risk individuals. Meropenem and ampicillin are the preferred treatments. Early diagnosis and treatment can improve prognosis.IMPORTANCEThe incidence of LM meningitis is extremely low, and there is currently no standardized treatment. We conducted a retrospective analysis of ten years of data from CHCMU regarding diagnosed LM meningitis cases, aiming to provide clinical evidence for the diagnosis and treatment.

The aim of this phantom study was to assess the detectability and volumetric accuracy of pulmonary nodules on photon-counting detector CT (PCD-CT) at different low-dose levels compared to conventional energy-integrating detector CT (EID-CT). In-house fabricated artificial nodules of different shapes (spherical, lobulated, spiculated), sizes (2.5–10 mm and 5–1222 mm3), and densities (−330 HU and 100 HU) were randomly inserted into an anthropomorphic thorax phantom. The phantom was scanned with a low-dose chest protocol with PCD-CT and EID-CT, in which the dose with PCD-CT was lowered from 100% to 10% with respect to the EID-CT reference dose. Two blinded observers independently assessed the CT examinations of the nodules. A third observer measured the nodule volumes using commercial software. The influence of the scanner type, dose, observer, physical nodule volume, shape, and density on the detectability and volumetric accuracy was assessed by a multivariable regression analysis. In 120 CT examinations, 642 nodules were present. Observer 1 and 2 detected 367 (57%) and 289 nodules (45%), respectively. With PCD-CT and EID-CT, the nodule detectability was similar. The physical nodule volumes were underestimated by 20% (range 8–52%) with PCD-CT and 24% (range 9–52%) with EID-CT. With PCD-CT, no significant decrease in the detectability and volumetric accuracy was found at dose reductions down to 10% of the reference dose (p > 0.05). The detectability and volumetric accuracy were significantly influenced by the observer, nodule volume, and a spiculated nodule shape (p < 0.05), but not by dose, CT scanner type, and nodule density (p > 0.05). Low-dose PCD-CT demonstrates potential to detect and assess the volumes of pulmonary nodules, even with a radiation dose reduction of up to 90%.

Abstract Background Motion artifacts affect the images of coronary calcified plaques. This study utilized convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to classify the motion-contaminated images of moving coronary calcified plaques and to determine the influential factors for the classification performance. Methods Two artificial coronary arteries containing four artificial plaques of different densities were placed on a robotic arm in an anthropomorphic thorax phantom. Each artery moved linearly at velocities ranging from 0 to 60 mm/s. CT examinations were performed with four state-of-the-art CT systems. All images were reconstructed with filtered back projection and at least three levels of iterative reconstruction. Each examination was performed at 100%, 80% and 40% radiation dose. Three deep CNN architectures were used for training the classification models. A five-fold cross-validation procedure was applied to validate the models. Results The accuracy of the CNN classification was 90.2 ± 3.1%, 90.6 ± 3.5%, and 90.1 ± 3.2% for the artificial plaques using Inception v3, ResNet101 and DenseNet201 CNN architectures, respectively. In the multivariate analysis, higher density and increasing velocity were significantly associated with higher classification accuracy (all P 0.05). Conclusions The CNN achieved a high accuracy of 90% when classifying the motion-contaminated images into the actual category, regardless of different vendors, velocities, radiation doses, and reconstruction algorithms, which indicates the potential value of using a CNN to correct calcium scores.

Zhang et al. develop a natural language processing approach, based on the BERT model, to extract linguistic information from chest X-ray radiography reports. The authors establish a 25-label classification system for abnormal findings described in the reports and validate their model using data from multiple sites.

Objectives: To determine the association between radiomics signature (Rad-signature) of pericoronary tissue (PCT) in coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR), and explore the influential factors of functional ischemia.Methods: We retrospectively included 350 patients who underwent CCTA from 2 centers, consisting of the training (n = 134), validation (n = 66), and testing (with CCTA and invasive coronary angiography, n = 150) groups. After evaluating coronary stenosis level in CCTA (anatomical CT), pericoronary fat attenuation index (FAI), and CT-FFR, we extracted 1,691 radiomic features from PCT. By accumulating and weighting the most contributive features to functional ischemia (CT-FFR ≤ 0.8) the Rad-signature was established using Boruta integrating with a random forest algorithm. Another 45 patients who underwent CCTA and invasive FFR were included to assure the performance of Rad-signature.Results: A total of 1046 vessels in 350 patients were analyzed, and functional ischemia was identified in 241/1046 (23.0%) vessels and 179/350 (51.1%) patients. From the 47 features highly relevant to functional ischemia, the top-8 contributive features were selected to establish Rad-signature. At the vessel level, the area under the curve (AUC) of Rad-signature to discriminate functional ischemia was 0.83, 0.82, and 0.82 in the training, validation, and testing groups, higher than 0.55, 0.55, and 0.52 of FAI (p < 0.001), respectively, and was higher than 0.72 of anatomical CT in the testing group (p = 0.017). The AUC of the combined model (Rad-signature + anatomical CT) was 0.86, 0.85, and 0.83, respectively, significantly higher than that of anatomical CT and FAI (p < 0.05). In the CCTA-invasive FFR group, using invasive FFR as the standard, the mean AUC of Rad-signature was 0.83 ± 0.02. At the patient level, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that Rad-signature of left anterior descending (LAD) [odds ratio (OR) = 1.72; p = 0.012] and anatomical CT (OR = 3.53; p < 0.001) were independent influential factors of functional ischemia (p < 0.05). In the subgroup of nonobstructive (stenosis

In recent decades, rapid urbanization has been linked to negative impacts on people’s mental health. However, the healing potential of urban parks as central features of cityscapes has not been fully explored from the perspective of audio-visual integration. This gap limits designers’ ability to leverage parks’ healing systems to their full potential. To address this gap, this study used the Mindwave monitoring and recovery component scale to evaluate the healing function of urban parks in Chengdu, specifically focusing on audio-visual integration. Based on audio-visual scene combination samples collected through shooting and recording, we found that: (1) The visual and audio qualities of birdsong (the sky above the blue space and the green space) can significantly differ. (2) Birdsong and conversation seem to provide healing effects from seemingly contradictory dimensions of “quiet” and “social”, with gender differences as the primary influencing factor. (3) Visible children laughing at low levels (30% and 50%) has a more negative impact than invisible traffic noise at the same sound pressure level. (4) Audio-visual interaction does not always have a positive effect, with the visibility of the sound source as the primary influencing factor. (5) An increase in audio proportion did not necessarily correspond to a linear increase in the healing effect. Through exploring the influence of audio-visual combination scenes on healing effects in urban parks, this study provides an empirical basis for park design and planning that considers audio-visual healing effects. It offers insights into designing healing systems for parks and urban areas as well.

Abstract Background Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has been increasingly developed and studied in cardiac imaging. This systematic review summarizes the latest progress of image segmentation, quantification, and the clinical application of AI in evaluating cardiac adipose tissue. Methods We exhaustively searched PubMed and the Web of Science for publications prior to 30 April 2021. The search included eligible studies that used AI for image analysis of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) or pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT). The risk of bias and concerns regarding applicability were assessed with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) tool. Results Of the 140 initially identified citation records, 19 high-quality studies were eligible for this systematic review, including 15 (79%) on the image segmentation and quantification of EAT or PCAT and 4 (21%) on the clinical application of EAT or PCAT in cardiovascular diseases. All 19 included studies were rated as low risk of bias in terms of flow and timing, reference standards, and the index test and as having low concern of applicability in terms of reference standards and patient selection, but 16 (84%) studies did not conduct external validation. Conclusion AI technology can provide accurate and quicker methods to segment and quantify EAT and PCAT images and shows potential value in the diagnosis and risk prediction of cardiovascular diseases. AI is expected to expand the value of cardiac adipose tissue imaging.

PurposeGlobally, intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a common cerebrovascular disease. At the beginning of 2020, due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the allocation of medical resources and the patient treatment and referrals were affected to varying degrees. We aimed to determine the characteristics and prognoses and associated factors of patients with ICH.Patients and MethodsThe baseline demographic characteristics and ICH outcomes were compared between patients diagnosed with ICH between January and June 2020 (the 2020 group) and between January and June 2019 (the 2019 group). COVID-19 positive patients were excluded from the study. A 30-day data from patients in the 2019 and 2020 groups were analyzed to create survival curves for these patients. We also used regression models to identify the significant determinants of poor outcomes [modified Rankin score (mRS): 3–6] and death.ResultsThe number of patients diagnosed with ICH was slightly lower in the 2020 group (n = 707) than in the 2019 group (n = 719). During the lockdown period (February 2020), the admission rates for ICH decreased greatly by 35.1%. The distribution of the patients' domicile (P = 0.002) and the mRS (P < 0.001) differed significantly between the years. The survival curve revealed that the highest risk of death was in the acute stage (especially in the first 5 days) of ICH. At 30 days, mortality was 19.8% in February 2019 and 29.4% in February 2020 (P = 0.119). Multivariate analysis revealed age, baseline mRS, postoperative complications, massive brainstem hemorrhage, and creatinine as factors significantly associated with poor outcomes and death following ICH. Neurosurgery and massive supratentorial hemorrhage were only correlated with the risk of death.ConclusionDuring the lockdown period, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a decrease in the admission rates and severe conditions at admission due to strict traffic constraints for infection control. This led to high mortality and disability in patients with ICH. It is necessary to ensure an effective green channel and allocate adequate medical resources for patients to receive timely treatment and neurosurgery.

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is having a dramatic impact on acute stroke care. Its effects may accompany stroke care for a long time. We compared the treatment, short-term and long-term functional outcomes of patients with AIS from 2019 to 2020. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 epidemic on mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in patients in our hospital.MethodsWe collected information on subjects treated with MT in 2019–2020, including age, sex, time from the onset to arterial sheath insertion, time from the onset to recanalization, the rate of lung infection and hemorrhagic transformation, modified Rankin scale (mRS), NHISS, and ASPECTS.ResultsThe number of patients with MT decreased significantly by 26.6% in 2020 (p = 0.025). The pretreatment ASPECTS score for 2020 was significantly higher than 2019 (p = 0.004). Besides, the patients were more likely to develop lung infection (65 vs. 54.1%, p = 0.042) and had a higher risk of hemorrhagic transformation (47.4% vs. 30.4%, p = 0.005) in 2019. The discharged mRS reflected the worse short-term functional prognosis of patients with MT in 2019 (66 vs. 44.9%, p = 0.046). In the subgroup analysis of bridging thrombolysis (BT), more patients with BT are expected to have a poor short-term functional prognosis in 2020, according to the discharged mRS (62.5 vs. 37.5%, p = 0.024). However, there was no difference in mRS at 180 days between the two groups (p = 0.094).ConclusionFor patients with MT, both short- and long-term functional outcomes were not significantly affected due to the mild condition of patients admitted to hospital in 2020. For patients with BT, the COVID-19 pandemic has prolonged the green channel time of stroke, leading to a poor short-term functional prognosis of patients with stroke in the pandemic period. There was no difference in the effectiveness of direct MT and BT during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ship tracking provides crucial on-site microscopic kinematic traffic information which benefits maritime traffic flow analysis, ship safety enhancement, traffic control, etc., and thus has attracted considerable research attentions in the maritime surveillance community. Conventional ship tracking methods yield satisfied results by exploring distinct visual ship features in maritime images, which may fail when the target ship is partially or fully sheltered by obstacles (e.g., ships, waves, etc.) in maritime videos. To overcome the difficulty, we propose an augmented ship tracking framework via the kernelized correlation filter (KCF) and curve fitting algorithm. First, the KCF model is introduced to track ships in the consecutive maritime images and obtain raw ship trajectory dataset. Second, the data anomaly detection and rectification procedure are implemented to rectify the contaminated ship positions. For the purpose of performance evaluation, we implement the proposed framework and another three popular ship tracking models on the four typical ship occlusion videos. The experimental results show that our proposed framework successfully tracks ships in maritime video clips with high accuracy (i.e., the average root mean square error (RMSE), root mean square percentage error (RMSPE), mean absolute deviation (MAD) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) are less than 10), which significantly outperforms the other popular ship trackers.

Background: Stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) is associated with poor prognosis after acute ischemic stroke (AIS).Purpose: This study aimed to describe the parameters of coagulation function and evaluate the association between the fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) and SAP in patients with AIS.Patients and methods: A total of 932 consecutive patients with AIS were included. Coagulation parameters were measured at admission. All patients were classified into two groups according to the optimal cutoff FAR point at which the sum of the specificity and sensitivity was highest. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to balance potential confounding factors. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to identify predictors of SAP.Results: A total of 100 (10.7%) patients were diagnosed with SAP. The data showed that fibrinogen, FAR, and D-dimer, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) were higher in patients with SAP, while albumin was much lower. Patients with SAP showed a significantly increased FAR when compared with non-SAP (P < 0.001). Patients were assigned to groups of high FAR (≥0.0977) and low FAR (

BackgroundTo establish a machine-learning-derived nomogram based on radiomic features and clinical factors to predict post-surgical 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.MethodsPatients with >2 years post-surgical prognosis results of lung adenocarcinoma were included in Hospital-1 for model training (n = 100) and internal validation (n = 50), and in Hospital-2 for external testing (n = 50). A total of 1,672 radiomic features were extracted from 3D segmented CT images. The Rad-score was established using random survival forest by accumulating and weighting the top-20 imaging features contributive to PFS. A nomogram for predicting PFS was established, which comprised the Rad-score and clinical factors highly relevant to PFS.ResultsIn the training, internal validation, and external test groups, 69/100 (69%), 37/50 (74%) and 36/50 (72%) patients were progression-free at two years, respectively. According to the Rad-score, the integral of area under the curve (iAUC) for discriminating high and low risk of progression was 0.92 (95%CI: 0.77-1.0), 0.70 (0.41-0.98) and 0.90 (0.65-1.0), respectively. The C-index of Rad-score was 0.781 and 0.860 in the training and external test groups, higher than 0.707 and 0.606 for TNM stage, respectively. The nomogram integrating Rad-score and clinical factors (lung nodule type, cM stage and histological type) achieved a C-index of 0.845 and 0.837 to predict 2-year PFS, respectively, significantly higher than by only radiomic features (all p < 0.01).ConclusionThe nomogram comprising CT-derived radiomic features and risk factors showed a high performance in predicting post-surgical 2-year PFS of patients with lung adenocarcinoma, which may help personalize the treatment decisions.

Objective European lung cancer screening studies using computed tomography (CT) have shown that a management protocol based on measuring lung nodule volume and volume doubling time (VDT) is more specific for early lung cancer detection than a diameter-based protocol. However, whether this also applies to a Chinese population is unclear. The aim of this study is to compare the diagnostic performance of a volume-based protocol with a diameter-based protocol for lung cancer detection and optimize the nodule management criteria for a Chinese population.Methods This study has a population-based, prospective cohort design and includes 4000 participants from the Hexi district of Tianjin, China. Participants will undergo low-dose chest CT at baseline and after 1 year. Initially, detected lung nodules will be evaluated for diameter and managed according to a routine diameter-based protocol (Clinical Practice Guideline in Oncology for Lung Cancer Screening, Version 2.2018). Subsequently, lung nodules will be evaluated for volume and management will be simulated according to a volume-based protocol and VDT (a European lung nodule management protocol). Participants will be followed up for 4 years to evaluate lung cancer incidence and mortality. The primary outcome is the diagnostic performance of the European volume-based protocol compared to diameter-based management regarding lung nodules detected using low-dose CT.Results The diagnostic performance of volume- and diameter-based management for lung nodules in a Chinese population will be estimated and compared.Conclusions Through the study, we expect to improve the management of lung nodules and early detection of lung cancer in Chinese populations.

Visual ship tracking provides crucial kinematic traffic information to maritime traffic participants, which helps to accurately predict ship traveling behaviors in the near future. Traditional ship tracking models obtain a satisfactory performance by exploiting distinct features from maritime images, which may fail when the ship scale varies in image sequences. Moreover, previous frameworks have not paid much attention to weather condition interferences (e.g., visibility). To address this challenge, we propose a scale-adaptive ship tracking framework with the help of a kernelized correlation filter (KCF) and a log-polar transformation operation. First, the proposed ship tracker employs a conventional KCF model to obtain the raw ship position in the current maritime image. Second, both the previous step output and ship training sample are transformed into a log-polar coordinate system, which are further processed with the correlation filter to determine ship scale factor and to suppress the negative influence of the weather conditions. We verify the proposed ship tracker performance on three typical maritime scenarios under typical navigational weather conditions (i.e., sunny, fog). The findings of the study can help traffic participants efficiently obtain maritime situation awareness information from maritime videos, in real time, under different visibility weather conditions.

As one of the pivotal signal molecules, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has been demonstrated to play important roles in many physiological processes of plants. Continuous monitoring of H2O2 in vivo could help understand its regulation mechanism more clearly. In this study, a disposable electrochemical microsensor for H2O2 was developed. This microsensor consists of three parts: low-cost stainless-steel wire with a diameter of 0.1 mm modified by gold nanoparticles (disposable working electrode), an untreated platinum wire with a diameter of 0.1 mm (counter electrode), and an Ag/AgCl wire with a diameter of 0.1 mm (reference electrode), respectively. The microsensor could detect H2O2 in levels from 10 to 1000 µM and exhibited excellent selectivity. On this basis, the dynamic change in H2O2 in the vein of tomato leaf under high salinity was continuously monitored in vivo. The results showed that the production of H2O2 could be induced by high salinity within two hours. This study suggests that the disposable electrochemical microsensor not only suits continuously detecting H2O2 in microscopic plant tissue in vivo but also reduces the damage to plants. Overall, our strategy will help to pave the foundation for further investigation of the generation, transportation, and elimination mechanism of H2O2 in plants.

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is highly prevalent and heterogeneous among adult acute leukemias. Current chemotherapeutic approaches for AML often face the challenge of drug resistance, and AML immune cells play an important role in the regulation of AML drug resistance. Thus, it is of key significance to explore the regulatory mechanisms of immune cells in AML to alleviate chemotherapy resistance in AML., Methods: Based on AML single-cell transcriptomic data, this study revealed the differences in the expression of immune cell subpopulations and marker genes in AML patients in the complete remission group (CR) compared to AML patients in the non-complete remission group (non-CR) after chemotherapy. Functional enrichment by clusterprofiler revealed the regulatory functions of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in AML. AUCell enrichment scores were used to assess the immunoregulatory functions of immune cells. Pseudotime analysis was used to construct immune cell differentiation trajectories. CellChat was used for cellular communication analysis to elucidate the interactions between immune cells. Survival analysis with the R package "survival" revealed the role of immune cell marker genes on AML prognosis. Finally, the wound healing and trans-well assay were performed., Results: Single-cell clustering analysis revealed that NK/T cells and macrophage cells subpopulations were significantly higher in non-CR AML patients than in CR AML. AUCell enrichment analysis revealed that FCAR+ and FCGR3A+ macrophages were significantly more active in the non-CR group and correlated with processes regulating cellular energy metabolism and immune cell activity. Differentially expressed NK cell marker genes between CR and non-CR groups mainly included HBA1 , S100A8 , and S100A9 , which were associated with cancer drug resistance regulation, these marker genes of ( FCAR , FCGR3A , PREX1 , S100A8 and S100A9 ) were upregulated in human chronic myeloid leukemia cells (HAP1) and silencing of S100A8 affected migration and invasion of HAP1 cells. In particular, the differentiation pathways of macrophages and NK cells in non-CR differed from those of patients in the CR group. Cellular communication analyses showed that ligand-receptor pairs between NK cells and macrophage cells mainly included HLA-E-KLRK1, HLA-E-KLRC1, HLA-E-CD94:NKG2A, CLEC2B-KLRB1. In addition, LGALS9-CD45, CCL3L1- CCR1, CCL3-CCR1 between these two immune cells mainly regulate secreted signaling to mediate AML progression. Marker genes in NK/T cells and macrophage cells were significantly associated with AML prognosis., Conclusion: This study reveals the potential role of NK cells and macrophages in AML chemoresistance through the analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing data. This provides new ideas and insights into the key mechanisms of immune cells in AML treatment., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2024 Gao et al.)

Objective: We investigated neonatal seizures in three probands admitted to the neonatal intensive care units and their affected family members., Methods: Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed along with confirmation by Sanger sequencing and segregation analysis. Copy number variant (CNV) analysis was also conducted. Neuroimaging, electroencephalography, and metabolic analysis revealed clinical phenotypes., Results: Bi-allelic variants c.1025T>C and c.1150G>A in MOCS1 were found in twin girls with molybdenum cofactor deficiency. The c.1025T>C variant was novel. A c.877C>T variant in KCNQ2 co-segregated with seizures in a family. A de novo 6.25 Mb duplication on 2q24.3 encompassing SCN1A, SCN2A, and SCN3A was identified in a proband who demonstrated normal development without seizures on follow-up., Significance: WES facilitated the molecular diagnosis of neonatal seizures in the study participants. Variants in the KCNQ2 and MOCS1 genes were classified as likely pathogenic based on our findings. The individual with a duplication of the sodium channel gene cluster on 2q24.3 exhibited additional phenotypes. Our investigation expanded the genotype-phenotype spectrum., (© 2024 International League Against Epilepsy.)

Zn as an essential element has the potential to protect against mercury (Hg) toxicity in rice. However, the antagonistic effects between Zn and Hg in rice and their mechanisms remain unknown. This study proposed a promising strategy for Zn application to mitigate Hg accumulation and toxicity in rice and revealed the underlying molecular mechanisms. The findings revealed that Zn supplementation significantly reduced the uptake and transportation of both IHg and MeHg in rice, thereby alleviating Hg phytotoxicity. In particular, Zn profoundly mitigated Hg-induced oxidative damage to rice, which was attributed to the redistribution of Hg and Zn in the root and Zn competing for binding sites on glutathione. The co-binding of Zn 2+ and HgCH 3 + within the same active sites of Zn transporters can promote the transfer of regions with a high charge density distribution at the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level. This process facilitates proton attack on the Hg-C bond, thereby enhancing MeHg demethylation in rice. By elucidating the molecular mechanisms of Zn, IHg, and MeHg interactions in rice, this study offers new insights for developing efficient strategies to mitigate Hg risks while boosting the Zn content in crops, thereby fortifying food safety.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR)-mediated astrocytic activation is closely related to central sensitization of chronic migraine (CM). Xiongzhi Dilong decoction (XZDL), originated from Xiongzhi Shigao decoction of Yi-zong-jin-jian, has been confirmed to relieve CM in experiment and clinic. However, its underlying mechanism for treating CM has not been elucidated., Aim of the Study: To reveal the underlying mechanisms of XZDL to alleviate CM in vivo focusing mainly on α7nAChR-mediated astrocytic activation and central sensitization in TNC., Materials and Methods: CM rat model was established by subcutaneous injection of nitroglycerin (NTG) recurrently, and treated with XZDL simultaneously. Migraine-like behaviors of rats (ear redness, head scratching, and cage climbing) and pain-related reactions (mechanical hind-paw withdrawal threshold) of rats were evaluated before and after NTG injection and XZDL administration at different points in time for nine days. The immunofluorescence single and double staining were applied to detect the levels of CGRP, c-Fos, GFAP and α7nAChR in NTG-induced CM rats. ELISA kits were employed to quantify levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in medulla oblongata of CM rats. The expression levels of target proteins were examined using western blotting. Finally, methyllycaconitine citrate (MLA, a specific antagonist of α7nAChR) was applied to further validate the mechanisms of XZDL in vivo., Results: XZDL significantly attenuated the pain-related behaviors of the NTG-induced CM rats, manifesting as constraints of aberrant migraine-like behaviors including elongated latency of ear redness and decreased numbers of head scratching and cage climbing, and increment of mechanical withdrawal threshold. Moreover, XZDL markedly lowered levels of CGRP and c-Fos, as well as inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) in CM rats. Furthermore, XZDL significantly enhanced α7nAChR expression and its co-localization with GFAP, while markedly inhibited the expression of GFAP and the activation of JAK2/STAT3/NF-κB pathway in the TNC of CM rats. Finally, blocking α7nAChR with MLA reversed the effects of XZDL on astrocytic activation, central sensitization, and the pain-related behaviors in vivo., Conclusion: XZDL inhibited astrocytic activation and central sensitization in NTG-induced CM rats by facilitating α7nAChR expression and suppressing JAK2/STAT3/NF-κB pathway, implying that the regulation of α7nAChR-mediated astrocytic activation represents a novel mechanism of XZDL for relieving CM., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Experimental evolution is a powerful approach for scrutinizing and dissecting the development of antimicrobial resistance; nevertheless, it typically demands an extended duration to detect evolutionary changes. Here, a centrifugal microfluidics system is designed to accelerate the process. Through a simple step of on-chip centrifugation, a highly condensed bacterial matrix of ∼10 12 cells/mL at the enrichment tip of the chip channel is derived, enabling bacteria encapsulated to survive in antimicrobial concentrations several times higher than the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and rapidly develop resistance in the first 10 h. After 48 h of on-chip evolution, the E. coli strain demonstrated a 64 to 128-fold reduction in sensitivity to disinfectants (triclosan) as well as antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and amikacin), a rate substantially swifter compared to conventional continuous inoculation-based experimental evolution. The speed and simplicity of this microfluidic system suggest its broad application for uncovering resistance mechanisms and identifying targets of biocides and antibiotics.

The ability to achieve independent complex amplitude control across multiple channels can significantly increase the information capacity of photonic devices. Diffraction inherently holds numerous channels, which are good candidates for dense light manipulation in angular space. However, no convenient method is currently available for attaining this. Here, a flexible interference approach utilizing silicon-based transmission-type heterogeneous-gradient supercell metasurfaces is proposed. By simply designing the phases of the meta-atoms' radiations within a supercell, the complex amplitude of each diffraction channel can be individually and analytically controlled. Crucially, the complex amplitudes of multiple diffraction channels can be simultaneously controlled in a non-interleaved manner, where the number of channels is determined by the number of effective adjusting degrees of freedom (DoF). As a proof-of-concept validation, several meta-devices are experimentally demonstrated in the terahertz regime, which can generate multiple vortex beams, focal points, and splitting beams in different desired diffraction angles. This advancement heralds a new pathway for the development of multifunctional photonic devices with enhanced channel capacity, offering significant potential for both research and practical applications in photonics., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Background: This study aimed to identify large duplications (>5 Mb) that are harmless through long-term clinical follow-ups of fetuses and phenotype analyses of carrier family members., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed fetuses undergoing prenatal diagnosis and who had >5 Mb chromosomal duplications. Routine karyotyping and single-nucleotide polymorphism array analysis were performed to identify the source and location information of the duplicated segments. Genotype-phenotype analyses were conducted based on genetic information and phenotypes during postnatal follow-up., Results: Eight eligible cases were included. All fetuses carried maternal or paternal duplications ranging in length from 5.3 to 12.2 Mb. The locations were as follows: 2q32.3q33.1 (Chr2:192322509-199548704), 4q22.1 (Chr4: 88347368-93602855), 4q34.2q35.2 (Chr4:176956406-189189971), 4q34.3q35.2 (Chr4:180613345-189353740), 5p14.3p14.1 (Chr5:19093749-28557664), 10q22.2q23.2 (Chr10:77448435-88786593), 12q21.31q21.32 (Chr12:81983257-87322734), and 13q14.11q14.2 (Chr13: 40825382-47633710). Karyotyping revealed that these duplications occurred within their respective chromosomal regions, except in pedigrees 6 and 7. In the eight pedigrees, the coordinates and lengths of duplicated segments in family members were matched with those in fetuses. Neither the fetuses nor other carriers were clinically symptomatic., Conclusion: Our findings revealed that the eight pedigrees carrying duplications >5 Mb were asymptomatic, providing new data to inform genetic counseling for the observed segments., Impact: We focused on unrelated fetuses among eight pedigrees who carried duplications of different chromosomal segments. These duplications had been stably transmitted through 2 or 3 generations of normal individuals. Importantly, phenotypic abnormalities were lacking, which was unexpected given that the maximum segment size was approximately 12.2 Mb. We found that duplications in these regions were benign in the context of prenatal genetic counseling. These results provide a foundation for addressing genotype-phenotype correlations. To our knowledge, this is the first description of normal phenotypes in individuals with duplications in these regions., Competing Interests: Competing interests The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest concerning the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Consent to participate Written informed consent was obtained from the patients. Ethical approval This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University). The approval number is (B)KY2021023., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to the International Pediatric Research Foundation, Inc.)

In an effort to identify novel antibacterial agents, we presented two series of aminoguanidine derivatives that were designed by incorporating 1,2,4-triazol moieties. All compounds exhibited strong in vitro antibacterial activity against a variety of testing strains. Compound 5f was identified as a potent antibacterial agent with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 2-8 µg/mL against S. aureus, E. coli, S. epidermidis, B. subtilis, C. albicans, multi-drug resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli and low toxicity (Hela > 100 µM). Membrane permeability and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image studies demonstrated that compound 5f permeabilized bacterial membranes, resulting in irregular cell morphology and the rapid death of bacteria. The results of the present study suggested that aminoguanidine derivatives with 1,2,4-triazol moieties were the intriguing scaffolds for the development of bactericidal agents., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The size of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) largely decides their properties and applications, making the rapid screening of AuNP size important. Despite the fact that AuNP-amplified electrochemiluminescence (ECL) is widely used in various ECL sensing applications, the mechanism of ECL enhancement remains elusive, especially the quantitative relationship between the enhanced ECL intensity and the size of AuNPs. In this work, taking quasispherical and citrate-stabilized AuNPs as model nanoparticles, we have reported that the ECL intensity of the S 2 O 8 2- -O 2 system enhanced significantly with the increasing AuNP size. AuNPs acted as bielectrocatalysts for reducing the S 2 O 8 2- and O 2 . The further study of enhancement mechanism demonstrates that AuNPs with increasing size facilitate the electron transfer and promote the generation of radicals required for the ECL emission, which produces more emitters-singlet oxygen. Meanwhile, the high surface density of citrate on small AuNPs suppresses the ECL signal by forming an electrostatic barrier. On the basis of the above phenomena, an ECL-based rapid AuNP size screening approach has been established. The accuracy of this platform is verified by the consistent results in comparison to transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements. This work not only provides deep insight into the correlation between the AuNP size and the ECL enhancement but also contributes an alternative to the TEM technique for the rapid AuNP size screening. Additionally, this study also extends the exploration of ECL-based structure analysis techniques toward nanomaterials through clarifying the structure-electrocatalytic activity correlation.

The disorder of group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3) subgroup, such as the predominance of NCR - ILC3 but the depletion of NCR + ILC3, is unfavorable to damaged intestinal barrier repair, which leads to the prolongations and obstinacy of ulcerative colitis (UC). Our previous studies had shown that luteolin promoted NCR - ILC3 differentitating into NCR + ILC3 to improving the depletion of NCR + ILC3 in UC mice, while the mechanism is unclear. This article aimed to explore the underlying mechanism of luteolin enhancing the proportion NCR + ILC3. UC mice model was established with 2% DSS and Notch signaling was blocked, then luteolin was used to intervene. The results showed that the effect of luteolin on ameliorating disease symptoms in UC mice, including inhibiting the weight loss, reducing the pathological damage of colon mucosa, etc., was diminished with blocking Notch signaling pathway. In addition, luteolin increased the proportion of NCR + ILC3, NCR + MNK3 and IL-22 + ILC3, decreased intestinal permeability, promoted mucin secretion, and promoted ZO-1 and Occludin expression, the above effect of luteolin was neutralized by Notch inhibitor LY-411575. Luteolin activated the abnormally blocked Notch signaling pathway in UC mice. And molecular docking predicted the affinity of luteolin for RBPJ to be -7.5 kcal·mol -1 in mouse, respectively; the affinity of luteolin for Notch1 and RBPJ was respectively scored to be -6.4 kcal·mol -1 and -7.7 kcal·mol -1 homo sapiens. These results proved that luteolin is positive for enhancing the proportion of NCR + ILC3 via Notch signaling, and it provides a basis for targeting NCR + ILC3 for restoring intestinal barrier function to alleviating ulcerative colitis., (Copyright © 2024 China Pharmaceutical University. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The lack of stable anode materials with high capacity and fast redox kinetics has hindered the application of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) for energy storage. Metal-phase molybdenum disulfide (1T-MoS 2 ) is recognized as a promising energy storage material because of its combination of excellent physical and electrochemical properties. In this paper, we report the insertion of ammonium ions (NH 4 + ) into the MoS 2 interlayer and effective complexation with graphene oxide (GO). The MoS 2 layer spacing was effectively enlarged from 0.67 nm to 1.1 nm by NH 4 + insertion, and this method not only maintains the stability of the 1T phase and reduces the energy barriers for Li + insertion and de-embedding, but also improves the diffusion kinetics of Li + . The Li + diffusion coefficients of the prepared 1T-MoS2/G composites were confirmed to be enhanced by three orders of magnitude by constant current intermittent titration technique tests. Compared with the conventional preparation method, the mechanism of action of NH 4 + insertion provides a new regulation strategy. In addition, electrochemical studies showed that the specific capacity of the prepared 1T-MoS2/G electrode was 1533 mAh/g for 180 cycles at 0.1 A/g and 1679 mAh/g for 800 cycles at 0.5 A/g. Thus, the strategy of introducing NH 4 + intercalation to improve the cycling stability of MoS 2 raises the prospect of practical application of layered metal sulfide anodes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The engineering application of volatile fatty acids (VFA) production from food waste (FW) can significantly enhance resource utilization. Enhancing VFA production is crucial for advancing this engineering application. This study presented a economically-feasible method to achieve high VFA production from FW: Conducting fermentation at pH 9 and 37 ℃ with addition of 20 % anaerobic sludge significantly increased the conversion of FW to VFAs (80.56 g COD/L, accounting for 87.37 % of the soluble chemical oxygen demand), while also increasing the content of NH 4 + -N (2658.15 mg/L). Macrotranscriptomic sequencing showed that Anaerosalibacter, Amphibacillus, Wansuia, Clostridiisalibacter, unclassified Tissierellia, Massilibacterium, unclassified Bacteroidales, and Tissierellia were the key active microorganisms for VFA production. The expression abundance of functional enzymes and genes related to VFA production pathways increased during the fermentation. This study significantly advanced the practical application of VFA production from FW, offering both theoretical insights and bacterial resources., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

In this study, we used the whole-exome sequencing (WES) approach to obtain genomic profiles from 92 marrow samples of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients before haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. We identified 129 mutations in 45 driver genes. Fifty-five patients (59.8%) carried at least 1 driver mutation. The splicing factor U2AF1 was the most frequently mutated in the cohort (21 cases, 23%), followed by BCOR (9 cases, 10%), ASXL1 (8 cases, 9%), TET2 (6 cases, 7%), NPM1 (5 cases, 5%), RUNX1 (5 cases, 5%), and SETBP1 (5 cases, 5%). WES also identified 49 possible oncogenic variants in six genes (PIEZO1, LOXHD1, MYH13, DNAH5, DPH1, and USH2A) that were associated with overall survival (OS) or relapse-free survival (RFS) in MDS after transplantation. Multivariate analysis showed mutations in DNAH5 and USH2A to be independent risk factors for OS. Mutations in DNAH5 and LOXHD1 were risk factors for worse RFS. The Molecular International Prognostic Scoring System retained its independent prognostic significance for RFS after multivariate analysis., (© 2024 British Society for Haematology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: Cardiac cephalalgia, once seen as a rare symptom of coronary artery disease, is now more recognized. It often comes with chest discomfort and autonomic dysfunction, worsened by physical activity. However, not all cases have chest symptoms or are activity induced. This report presents a case of cardiac cephalalgia and reviews 46 previous cases., Method: We discuss a unique case where a patient had headache attacks without chest symptoms, autonomic dysfunction, or triggers. We reviewed English case reports of cardiac cephalalgia from 1982 to 2022 using PubMed ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed )., Results: A 69-year-old man presented with a sudden headache without triggers or typical symptoms. Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) showed diffuse stenosis in the left anterior descending and the first diagonal branch arteries. His headache improved after percutaneous coronary intervention. Cardiac cephalalgia is usually marked by severe headaches, autonomic signs, and often affects the occipital region. Electrocardiogram (ECG) might not always show abnormalities, and chest pain is not always present. In such cases, elevated cardiac enzymes can be crucial for diagnosis., Conclusion: When a headache is the sole symptom of an acute coronary event, consider moderate to severe intensity, older age at onset, occipital localization, and autonomic signs. ECG, cardiac enzymes, and coronary CTA are valuable for accurate diagnosis and treatment., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Drought is a major abiotic stress that limits the growth and yield of alfalfa, a vital forage legume. The plant metalloproteinase Filamentation temperature-sensitive H (FtsH) is an ATP- and Zn 2+ -dependent enzyme that plays a significant character in the plant's response to environmental stress. However, its functional role in drought resistance remains largely unexplored. This study investigates the drought tolerance role of alfalfa MsFtsH8 by analyzing the growth, physiology, and gene expression of overexpressing plants under drought conditions. The results demonstrated that both MsFtsH8 -overexpressing Arabidopsis and alfalfa plants exhibited superior growth condition and enhanced membrane stability. The overexpressing alfalfa plants also showed reduced MDA levels, higher proline content, lower H 2 O 2 accumulation, an increased activity of antioxidant-related enzymes (SOD, POD, and CAT) activity, and an elevated expression of antioxidant-related genes. These results indicated that the overexpression of MsFtsH8 enhanced growth, improved osmotic regulation, reduced ROS levels, and increased antioxidative capacity, ultimately leading to greater drought tolerance in alfalfa. Our findings suggest that MsFtsH8 mitigates oxidative damage caused by drought by modulating the plant's antioxidant system, thus improving drought tolerance in alfalfa. This study provides a molecular basis and candidate genes for enhancing drought resistance in alfalfa through genetic engineering.

The co-solvent system of tert-butanol and water is commonly employed in the field of freeze-drying pharmaceuticals. Investigating the phase composition and behavior of this system at low temperatures contributes to furthering its applications. In this study, THz-TDS was used to investigate the melting process of the frozen tert-butanol-water binary system for the first time. Utilizing the THz fingerprint peaks, we discovered that following the initial freezing, the system only formed metastable dihydrate tert-butanol, but near the melting point, it transformed into stable heptahydrate tert-butanol. This transition did not occur at high tert-butanol contents. Combining DFT calculations, all observed absorption peaks were attributed to the low-frequency vibration modes of each crystal. A phase diagram of the tert-butanol-water binary system was constructed based on the difference in absorbance intensity between the solid and liquid phases. The results demonstrate the potential of THz spectroscopy for applications in pharmaceutical freeze-drying., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To develop and validate nomograms combining radiomics and semantic features to identify the invasiveness and histopathological risk stratification of thymic epithelial tumors (TET) using contrast-enhanced CT., Methods: This retrospective multi-center study included 224 consecutive cases. For each case, 6764 intratumor and peritumor radiomics features and 31 semantic features were collected. Multi-feature selections and decision tree models were performed on radiomics features and semantic features separately to select the most important features for Masaoka-Koga staging and WHO classification. The selected features were then combined to create nomograms for the two systems. The performance of the radiomics model, semantic model, and combined model was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs)., Results: One hundred eighty-seven cases (56.5 years ± 12.3, 101 men) were included, with 62 cases as the external test set. For Masaoka-Koga staging, the combined model, which incorporated five peritumor radiomics features and four semantic features, showed an AUC of 0.958 (95% CI: 0.912-1.000) in distinguishing between early-stage (stage I/II) and advanced-stage (III/IV) TET in the external test set. For WHO classification, the combined model incorporating five peritumor radiomics features and two semantic features showed an AUC of 0.857 (0.760-0.955) in differentiating low-risk (type A/AB/B1) and high-risk (B2/B3/C) TET. The combined models showed the most effective predictive performance, while the semantic models exhibited comparable performance to the radiomics models in both systems (p > 0.05)., Conclusion: The nomograms combining peritumor radiomics features and semantic features could help in increasing the accuracy of grading invasiveness and risk stratification of TET., Critical Relevance Statement: Peripheral invasion and histopathological type are major determinants of treatment and prognosis of TET. The integration of peritumoral radiomics features and semantic features into nomograms may enhance the accuracy of grading invasiveness and risk stratification of TET., Key Points: Peritumor region of TET may suggest histopathological and invasive risk. Peritumor radiomic and semantic features allow classification by Masaoka-Koga staging (AUC: 0.958). Peritumor radiomic and semantic features enable the classification of histopathological risk (AUC: 0.857)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a nomogram model constructed using Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging (DKI) and 3D Arterial Spin Labeling (3D-ASL) functional imaging techniques in distinguishing between cerebral alveolar echinococcosis (CAE) and brain metastases (BM)., Methods: Prospectively collected were 24 cases (86 lesions) of patients diagnosed with CAE and 16 cases (69 lesions) of patients diagnosed with BM at the affiliated hospital of Qinghai University from 2018 to 2023, confirmed either pathologically or through comprehensive diagnosis. Both patient groups underwent DKI and 3D-ASL scanning. DKI parameters (Kmean, Dmean, FA, ADC) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) were analyzed for the parenchymal area, edema area, and symmetrical normal brain tissue area in both groups. There were 155 lesions in total in the two groups of patients. We used SPSS to randomly select 70% as the training set (108 lesions) and the remaining 30% as the test set (47 lesions) and performed a difference analysis between the two groups. The independent factors distinguishing CAE from BM were identified using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Based on these factors, a diagnostic model was constructed and expressed as a nomogram., Result: Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified nDmean1 and nCBF1 in the lesion parenchyma area, as well as nKmean2 and nDmean2 in the edema area, as independent factors for distinguishing CAE from BM. The model's performance, measured by the area under the ROC curve (AUC), had values of 0.942 and 0.989 for the training and test sets, respectively. Calibration curves demonstrated that the predicted probabilities were highly consistent with the actual values, and DCA confirmed the model's high clinical utility., Conclusion: The nomogram model, which incorporates DKI and 3D-ASL functional imaging, effectively distinguishes CAE from BM. It offers an intuitive, accurate, and non-invasive method for differentiation, thus providing valuable guidance for subsequent clinical decisions., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Twenty-eight isoaurone derivatives with 1,2,4-triazole moieties were synthesized using a fragment-based design strategy, and their anti-inflammatory activity was investigated. The anti-inflammatory effect of the most active derivative, 14e (41.82 %), was dose-dependent and higher than the values for celecoxib (31.82 %). Compound 14e was almost non-toxic and inhibited different concentrations of nitric oxide (NO). The western blotting results demonstrated that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression was elevated when the macrophages were exclusively treated with LPS. However, compound 14e effectively suppressed the LPS-induced COX-2 upregulation. Subsequent investigation revealed that 14e is a promising compound capable of inhibiting the downstream signaling of COX-2. With the above interesting biological profile, molecular 14e could be a promising lead to develop novel anti-inflammatory agents., (© 2024 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.)

Aroma is one of the most noticeable characteristics when consuming Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) and is crucial for consumer satisfaction and the development of industry. In this study, we utilized fingerprints and the sensomics approach to analyze volatiles in the hepatopancreas of E. sinensis from Chongming and Taixing. GC-IMS indicated that the odor profile was dominated by pungent (-), buttery (+), and fruity (+) from Chongming and was more prone to alcoholic (-), solvent (-), and aldehydic (+) in Taixing. Moreover, PLS-DA modeling identified 2-acetylthiazole and toluene as the primary differential compounds. Subsequently, fifteen active-aroma compounds with FD values of >4 was recombined in an odorless matrix to simulate the odor profile of the hepatopancreas. Notably, removing methional may significantly decrease the intensity of the fatty and toasted odors. The findings reveal the odor profile of hepatopancreas and establish a theoretical foundation for subsequent studies on flavor., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing financial interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The prognosis after brain metastasis of alveolar echinococcosis is inferior, but there is currently no effective method to predict brain metastasis., Purpose: To explore the value of a nomogram constructed based on a CT plain scan and enhanced imaging features combined with clinical indicators in predicting brain metastasis of hepatic alveolar echinococcosis (HAE)., Materials and Methods: The imaging characteristics and clinical indicators of 116 patients diagnosed with HAE in the Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University from 2015 to 2022 were retrospectively collected. The data were randomly divided into a training set and a validation set according to 7:3, and the difference between the two groups was analyzed. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to obtain independent predictors of brain metastasis in HAE, and a prediction model was constructed based on this and expressed in the form of a nomogram. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and calibration curve (CRC) were used to evaluate model performance, and decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to assess the clinical value of the predictive model., Result: A total of 116 HAE patients were included (average age 38.07±15.09 years old, 54 males and 62 females, 81 patients (70 %) in the training set, and 35 patients (30 %) in the validation set). There was no statistically significant difference between CT plain scan and enhanced imaging features combined with clinical indicators between the training set and the validation set (p > 0.05). After statistical analysis, it was found that whether there is invasion of the inferior vena cava, whether there is invasion of the hepatic artery, and whether there is metastasis to other organs are independent predictors of brain metastasis in HAE. A prediction model was built based on these three variables. The area under the ROC curve (AUC), cutoff value, sensitivity, and specificity of the training set and validation set were 0.922 and 0.886, 0.6934 and 0.6643, 75.00 and 84.62, 94.34 and 81.82, respectively. CRC shows good consistency between the predicted probability and the actual value of the sample. DCA showed that the clinical value of the model was high., Conclusion: The nomogram constructed based on imaging features combined with clinical indicators can effectively predict whether HAE will develop brain metastasis, which is helpful for clinicians to quickly screen out high-risk patients with HAE developing brain metastases, evaluate patient prognosis, and is more conducive to the realization of individualized and precise medical decisions., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the predictive performance and methodological quality of post-stroke readmission prediction models, identify key predictors associated with readmission, and provide guidance for selecting appropriate risk assessment tools., Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted from inception to February 1, 2024. Two independent researchers screened the literature and extracted relevant data using the CHARMS checklist., Results: Eleven studies and 16 prediction models were included, with sample sizes ranging from 108 to 803,124 cases and outcome event incidences between 5.2% and 50.0%. The four most frequently included predictors in the models were length of stay, hypertension, age, and functional disability. Twelve models reported an area under the curve (AUC) ranging from 0.520 to 0.940, and five models provided calibration metrics. Only one model included both internal and external validation, while six models had internal validation. Eleven studies were found to have a high risk of bias (ROB), predominantly in the area of data analysis., Conclusion: This systematic review included 16 readmission prediction models for stroke, which generally exhibited good predictive performance and can effectively identify high-risk patients likely to be readmitted. However, the generalizability of these models remains uncertain due to methodological limitations. Rather than developing new readmission prediction models for stroke, the focus should shift toward external validation and the iterative adaptation of existing models. These models should be tailored to local settings, extended with new predictors if necessary, and presented in an interactive graphical user interface., (© 2024 The Author(s). Public Health Nursing published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Supramolecular polymers are typical self-assemblies, in which repeating monomer units are bonded together with dynamic and reversible noncovalent interactions. Supramolecular polymers can combine the advantages of polymer science and supramolecular chemistry. Aggregation-induced emission (AIE) means that a molecule remains faintly emissive in the dispersed state but intensively luminescent in a highly aggregated state. AIE has brought new opportunities and further development potential to the field of polymeric chemistry. The integration of AIE luminogens with supramolecular interactions can provide new vitality for supramolecular polymers. Therefore, it is essential for scientists to understand the preparation and applications of AIE-active supramolecular polymers. This review focuses on the recent advanced progress in the preparation of AIE-active supramolecular polymers. In addition, we summarize the newly developed supramolecular polymers with an AIE nature and their applications in chemical sensing, and in vitro and in vivo imaging, as well as the visualization of their structure and properties. Finally, the development trends and challenges of AIE-active supramolecular polymers are prospected.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a common environmental pollutant and industrial chemical that has been associated with adverse health effects, especially on organ systems. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current findings on organ system damage caused by TCE exposure and the underlying mechanisms involved. Numerous studies have shown that TCE exposure may cause damage to multiple organ systems, mainly the skin, liver, kidney, and circulatory system. The mechanisms leading to TCE-induced organ system damage are complex and diverse. TCE is metabolized in vivo to reactive intermediates, through which TCE can induce oxidative stress, interfere with cell signaling pathways, and promote inflammatory responses. In addition, studies have shown that TCE interferes with DNA repair mechanisms, leading to genotoxicity and potentially carcinogenic effects. This review highlights the importance of understanding the deleterious effects of TCE exposure on organ systems and provides insights into the underlying mechanisms involved. Further research is needed to elucidate the full range of organ system damage caused by TCE and to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We propose an innovative design for interdigital transducers (IDTs), enabling phase modulation of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) with a dislocated electrode structure. By designing the size and arrangement of these dislocated IDTs, a novel type of Airy SAWs can be generated, exhibiting self-accelerating, self-bending, and self-healing characteristics. The acceleration of the generated Airy SAW is 0.081 cm -1 . Furthermore, particles and bubbles can be precisely manipulated using the generated Airy SAW. The proposed dislocated IDTs could be used for generation of many other types of SAWs, hence holding great promise for applications including SAW shaping, particle manipulation/sorting, and acoustic sensing/detection.

Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) carried by gut pathogens may pose a threat to the host and ecological environment. However, few studies focus on the effects of cold stress on intestinal bacteria and ARGs in plateau animals. Here, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing and gene chip technique to explore the difference of gut microbes and ARGs in plateau pika under 4 °C and 25 °C. The results showed that tetracycline and aminoglycoside resistance genes were the dominant ARGs in pika intestine. Seven kinds of high-risk ARGs (aadA-01, aadA-02, ermB, floR, mphA-01, mphA-02, tetM-02) existed in pika's intestine, and cold had no significant effect on the composition and structure of pika's intestinal ARGs. The dominant phyla in pika intestine were Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. Cold influenced 0.47 % of pika intestinal bacteria in OTU level, while most other bacteria had no significant change. The diversity and community assembly of intestinal bacteria in pika remained relatively stable under cold conditions, while low temperature decreased gut microbial network complexity. In addition, low temperature led to the enrichment of glycine biosynthesis and metabolism-related pathways. Moreover, the correlation analysis showed that eight opportunistic pathogens (such as Clostridium, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, etc.) detected in pika intestine might be potential hosts of ARGs., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Upstream Binding Transcription Factor ( UBTF ) gene encodes two nucleolar proteins, UBTF1 and UBTF2. UBTF1 regulates rRNA transcription by RNA polymerase I, while UBTF2 regulates mRNA transcription by RNA polymerase II. A recurrent de novo dominant mutation c.628G>A (p.Glu210Lys) has been identified as a gain-of-function mutation associated with childhood onset neurodegeneration with brain atrophy (CONDBA). Evidence from large-scale population databases and Ubtf +/- mouse models indicates that UBTF haploinsufficiency is not tolerated., Methods: Three unrelated patients with global developmental delay and distinctive facial features were recruited for the study. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed to identify potential genetic abnormalities. Additionally, copy number variation analysis was conducted based on the WES data., Results: All three patients exhibited intellectual disabilities, social challenges and developmental delays in language and gross motor skills. Distinctive facial features included a wide forehead, sparse eyebrows, hypertelorism, narrow palpebral fissures, single-fold eyelids, a flat nasal bridge, anteverted nares, a long philtrum and a thin upper lip. Additionally, patient C presented with more severe language delay, recurrent hepatic dysfunction and an atrial septal defect. Patient A was found to have a nonsense variant, c.1327C>T (p.R443Ter), in the exon 13 of UBTF . Patients B and C both carried a heterozygous deletion encompassing the UBTF gene., Conclusion: In this study, we analysed the detailed phenotypes associated with UBTF haploinsufficiency, which, to our knowledge, have not been previously reported. We propose that UBTF haploinsufficiency-related global developmental delay and distinctive facial features, without neuroregression, constitute a new syndrome distinct from CONDBA., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

In reinforcement learning, the Markov Decision Process (MDP) framework typically operates under a blocking paradigm, assuming a static environment during the agent's decision-making and stationary agent behavior while the environment executes its actions. This static model often proves inadequate for real-time tasks, as it lacks the flexibility to handle concurrent changes in both the agent's decision-making process and the environment's dynamic responses. Contemporary solutions, such as linear interpolation or state space augmentation, attempt to address the asynchronous nature of delayed states and actions in real-time environments. However, these methods frequently require precise delay measurements and may fail to fully capture the complexities of delay dynamics. However, these methods frequently require precise delay measurements and may fail to fully capture the complexities of delay dynamics. To address these challenges, we introduce a minimal information set that encapsulates concurrent information during agent-environment interactions, serving as the foundation of our real-time decision-making framework. The traditional blocking-mode MDP is then reformulated as a Minimal Information State Markov Decision Process (MISMDP), aligning more closely with the demands of real-time environments. Within this MISMDP framework, we propose the "Minimal information set for Real-time tasks using Actor-Critic" (MRAC), a general approach for addressing delay issues in real-time tasks, supported by a rigorous theoretical analysis of Q-function convergence. Extensive experiments across both discrete and continuous action space environments demonstrate that MRAC outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms, delivering superior performance and generalization in managing delays within real-time tasks., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors disclosed no relevant relationships., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)