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As a reactor which can reusing low-abundance 235U resources, fast reactor construction is an important part of China’s three-step nuclear energy process. Due to high burnup and strong irradiation of the spent fuel oxides of fast reactor, the dry reprocessing method based on molten salt electrolytic refining has unique advantages such as the ability to handle the widest range of fuel types and higher stability of the reaction system. Before the electrolytic refining step, the oxide spent fuel needs to be reduced to metal through electrical or thermal reduction. Thermal reduction requires the use of calcium, lithium, and magnesium as reducing agents. Compared with other alkali metal reduction process, lithium reduction process at high temperature has the advantages of simple recovery process, moderate temperature and lower equipment requirements, it may become the future tendency of thermal reduction. In this paper, the research progress of lithium high-temperature chemical reduction of spent fuel in dry reprocessing and compared the characteristics of lithium thermal reduction processes in various countries was investigated. The mechanism of high-temperature reduction with lithium was deduced based on thermodynamic calculation, and the influencing factors of reaction were discussed from the perspective of kinetics. Finally, the relevant research on the electrolytic recovery of residual salt from thermal reduction was described. The different reaction routes and technological process of lithium thermal reduction were summarized. The shortcomings of existing research were summarized, and the trend of lithium thermal reduction in the future was prospected. It gave a reference for the research of the process flow in China’s dry reprocessing.

Abstract Persistent macrophage activation and cytokine storms are critical causes for the rapid disease progression and high mortality rate of Secondary Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (sHLH). Identification of key regulatory factors that govern the activation of macrophages is vital. Plasma exosomal circular RNAs (circRNAs) are considered important biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for various diseases, however, their function in sHLH is still unclear. In this study, we demonstrated for the first time that circMETTL3, derived from METTL3, is upregulated in sHLH patient plasma exosomes, which may plays an important role in the diagnosis of sHLH. Significantly, we also revealed that a novel peptide encoded by circMETTL3, METTL3-156aa, is an inducer of M1 macrophage polarization, which is responsible for the development of cytokine storms during sHLH. We then identified that METTL3-156aa binding with lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) and promotes M1 macrophage polarization by enhancing macrophage glycolysis. Additionally, the glycolysis metabolite lactate upregulates the cleavage factor SRSF10 expression by lactylation. This results in increased splicing of the pre-METTL3 mRNA, leading to an enchance in the production of cirMETTL3. Therefore, our results suggest that the circMETTL3/METTL3-156aa/LDHA/Lactate/SRSF10 axis forms a positive feedback loop and may be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of sHLH.

Abstract The bride price, as an informal institution originated from traditional culture, is pervasive in many areas of the developing world in a form of a payment from the family of the groom to that of the bride at marriage. We study the effects of bride price on parents' health in China. Using information on bride price payment and various health measures from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, we find that the bride price significantly reduces self‐reported health among the grooms' parents after addressing the endogeneity issue with average sex ratio within a family computed as an instrumental variable. The reductions are heterogenous across urban and rural areas. Mechanism analysis suggests the negative health outcomes are driven by family debt, heavier psychological stress and longer work hours caused by bride price payments.

Objective To explore how to identify rare unexpected antibodies using routine serology methods in blood transfusion department of grassroots hospitals. Methods A patient with gastrointestinal bleeding with inconsistent forward and reverse blood typing, positive antibody screening and incompatible blood matching in our hospital was selected as the research object. Mixed human O cell absorption method was used for blood type identification, and 10-panel reagent red blood cells, manual polybrene test, 2-mercaptoethanol(2-ME) test, blind match and pedigree study were used to explore the antibody characteristics. Results The serological test results of the patient′s serum were as follows: The blood group was type B and RhD positive, and negative for direct antiglobulin test; The antibody was IgM; The likelihood of this antibody being anti-s, anti-Fya or anti-k was low, and compound antibodies could not be excluded; The blood of the patient did not match with blood samples of 20 blood donors in the major side, while it matched with all the blood samples of her three sisters. Conclusion When the antibodies of high-prevalence antigen series in plasma cannot be identified, the matched blood may be found tthrough family survey for irradiation and transfusion.

Abstract Aims To assess the correlation between high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP) and the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among individuals with diabetes. Methods A total of 1,555 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were enrolled in this cross-sectional study after excluding individuals without diabetes and those who lacked data on Hs-CRP, diabetes and CVD. All participants were divided into four groups based on quartiles of Hs-CRP: Q1 (≤ 1.20 mg/L), Q2 (1.20–2.86 mg/L), Q3 (2.86–6.40 mg/L), and Q4 (> 6.40 mg/L). Logistic regression analysis, subgroup analysis and restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis were used to evaluate the correlation between Hs-CRP and the prevalence of CVD in individuals with diabetes. Results In univariate logistic regression analysis, a higher level of Hs-CRP was associated with a higher prevalence of CVD (P

In engineering practice, slope stability is commonly assessed using a two-dimensional (2D) analysis under the assumption of plane strain conditions. However, when dealing with the complex surface geometries of three-dimensional (3D) slopes, especially under short-term heavy rainfall conditions, relying solely on a 2D cross-sectional analysis may not always yield conservative results compared to 3D slope stability assessments. To investigate the applicability of using 2D cross-sections to represent 3D slopes, this study examines the influence of surface geometries on 3D slope stability. By varying the degree and frequency of surface undulations along a certain longitudinal length of the slope, as well as different variations in slope gradient, the impacts of these factors on the safety factor of 3D slopes under rainfall conditions are analyzed. The findings indicate that for 3D slopes with significant surface undulations and high-frequency variations, the safety factor is generally lower compared to that obtained from the 2D cross-sectional analysis. Furthermore, the variation in slope gradient has a more pronounced effect on the safety factor of 3D slopes compared to surface undulations, particularly when the slope gradients are larger than 50°. Therefore, the influence of spatial dimensions on the stability of slopes can be significant when dealing with complex surface geometries of 3D large-scale slopes. It is highly recommended to conduct both 3D and 2D analyses to ensure the accuracy of the slope stability analysis.

Abstract The aims of this study were to determine whether human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs) modified by miRNA-25-3p (miR-25-3p) overexpression could promote venous endothelial cell proliferation and attenuate portal endothelial cell injury. HucMSCs and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were isolated and cultured from human umbilical cord and characterized. Lentiviral vectors expressing miRNA-25-3p were transfected into hucMSCs and confirmed by PCR. We verified the effect of miR-25-3p-modified hucMSCs on HUVEC by cell co-culture and cell supernatant experiments. Subsequently, exosomes of miR-25-3p-modified hucMSCs were isolated from cell culture supernatants and characterized by WB, NTA and TEM. We verified the effects of miR-25-3p-modified exosomes derived from hucMSCs on HUVEC proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis by in vitro cellular function experiments. Meanwhile, we further examined the downstream target genes and signaling pathways potentially affected by miR-25-3p-modified hucMSC-derived exosomes in HUVEC. Finally, we established a rat portal vein venous thrombosis model by injecting CM-DiR-labeled hucMSCs intravenously into rats and examining the homing of cells in the portal vein by fluorescence microscopy. Histological and immunohistochemical experiments were used to examine the effects of miRNA-25-3p-modified hucMSCs on the proliferation and damage of portal vein endothelial cells. Primary hucMSCs and HUVECs were successfully isolated, cultured and characterized. Primary hucMSCs were modified with a lentiviral vector carrying miR-25-3p at MOI 80. Co-culture and cell supernatant intervention experiments showed that overexpression of miRNA-25-3p in hucMSCs enhanced HUVEC proliferation, migration and tube formation in vitro. We successfully isolated and characterized exosomes of miR-25-3p-modified hucMSCs, and exosome intervention experiments demonstrated that miR-25-3p-modified exosomes derived from hucMSCs similarly enhanced the proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of HUVECs. Subsequent PCR and WB analyses indicated PTEN/KLF4/AKT/ERK1/2 as potential pathways of action. Analysis in a rat portal vein thrombosis model showed that miR-25-3p-modified hucMSCs could homing to damaged portal veins. Subsequent histological and immunohistochemical examinations demonstrated that intervention with miR-25-3p overexpression-modified hucMSCs significantly reduced damage and attenuated thrombosis in rat portal veins. The above findings indicate suggest that hucMSCs based on miR-25-3p modification may be a promising therapeutic approach for use in venous thrombotic diseases.

Breast phyllodes tumor (PT) is a rare fibroepithelial neoplasm with potential malignant behavior. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play multifaceted roles in various cancers, but their involvement in breast PT remains largely unexplored. In this study, microarray was leveraged for the first time to investigate the role of lncRNA in PT. We identified lncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 was significantly upregulated in malignant PT, and its overexpression endowed PT with high tumor grade and adverse prognosis. Furthermore, we elucidated that ZFPM2-AS1 promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of malignant PT in vitro. Targeting ZFPM2-AS1 through nanomaterial-mediated siRNA delivery in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model could effectively inhibit tumor progression in vivo. Mechanistically, our findings showed that ZFPM2-AS1 is competitively bound to CDC42, inhibiting ACK1 and STAT1 activation, thereby launching the transcription of TNFRSF19. In conclusion, our study provides evidence that ZFPM2-AS1 plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of breast PT, and suggests that ZFPM2-AS1 could serve as a prognostic indicator for patients with PT as well as a promising novel therapeutic target.

Abstract. Background:. Although overnight fasting is recommended prior to endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), the benefits and safety of high-carbohydrate fluid diet (CFD) intake 2 h before ERCP remain unclear. This study aimed to analyze whether high-CFD intake 2 h before ERCP can be safe and accelerate patients' recovery. Methods:. This prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial involved 15 tertiary ERCP centers. A total of 1330 patients were randomized into CFD group (n = 665) and fasting group (n = 665). The CFD group received 400 mL of maltodextrin orally 2 h before ERCP, while the control group abstained from food/water overnight (>6 h) before ERCP. All ERCP procedures were performed using deep sedation with intravenous propofol. The investigators were blinded but not the patients. The primary outcomes included postoperative fatigue and abdominal pain score, and the secondary outcomes included complications and changes in metabolic indicators. The outcomes were analyzed according to a modified intention-to-treat principle. Results:. The post-ERCP fatigue scores were significantly lower at 4 h (4.1 ± 2.6 vs. 4.8 ± 2.8, t = 4.23, P

Abstract Background Dexmedetomidine (Dex), midazolam, and propofol are three distinct sedatives characterized by varying pharmacological properties. Previous literature has indicated the positive impact of each of these sedatives on ICU patients. However, there is a scarcity of clinical evidence comparing the efficacy of Dex, midazolam, and propofol in reducing mortality among people with epilepsy (PWE). This study aimed to assess the impact of Dex, midazolam, and propofol on the survival of PWE. Methods The data were retrospectively retrieved from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care (MIMIC)-IV database (version 2.0). PWE were categorized into Dex, midazolam, and propofol groups based on the intravenously administered sedatives. PWE without standard drug therapy were included in the control group. Comparative analyses were performed on the data among the groups. Results The Dex group exhibited a significantly lower proportion of in-hospital deaths and a markedly higher in-hospital survival time compared to the midazolam and propofol groups (p

The adoptive transfer of autologous, long-lived, gene-repaired T cells is a promising way to treat inherited T-cell immunodeficiencies. However, adoptive T-cell therapies require a large number of T cells to be manipulated and infused back into the patient. This poses a challenge in primary immunodeficiencies that manifest early in childhood and where only small volumes of blood samples may be available. Our protocol describes the ex vivo expansion of potentially long-lived human T memory stem cells (TSCM), starting from a limited number of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Using the perforin gene as an example, we provide detailed instructions for precise gene repair of human T cells and the expansion of TSCM. The efficiency of precise gene repair can be increased by suppressing unintended non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) events. Our protocol yields edited T-cell populations that are ready for phenotyping, genome-wide off-target analysis, and functional characterization.

ABSTRACT Cell therapy represents a promising treatment modality. A critical component in the production of cell therapy products is maintaining the sterility of cell therapy clean rooms (CTCRs). This study aimed to evaluate the environmental microbial load within CTCRs. We systematically monitored microbial load in CTCRs, following established guidelines. Cultured microbial samples underwent metagenomic sequencing, and alpha and beta diversity analyses, functional annotation, and resistance gene profiling were performed using various bioinformatics tools to assess microbial diversity and function. From November 2023 to January 2024, we collected 42 environmental microbial colony samples from various sources within the CTCR and performed metagenomic sequencing on 39 samples. Alpha diversity analysis revealed no significant differences among surface, settle_plate, and airborne categories, but significant disparities within surface subgroups were revealed. Beta diversity analysis showed notable differences between surface and airborne categories and among surface subgroups. Species distribution analysis identified Bacillus as the predominant genus on surfaces. Functional annotation and resistance gene analysis indicated distinct resistance patterns, with significant variations between subgroups, such as microscopes and transfer windows, and hands and other Grade_B environments. Resistance to hydrogen peroxide was notably higher in the transfer window group. These findings highlight the importance of stringent disinfection protocols and enhanced hand hygiene to maintain sterility in CTCRs. These findings provide valuable insights for implementing effective measures to maintain cleanliness throughout CTCRs. The annotation and study of resistance genes can help rapidly identify methods to control cellular contamination under circumstances of environmental microbial pollution.IMPORTANCEMaintaining the sterility of cell therapy clean rooms (CTCRs) is crucial for the production of safe and effective cell therapy products. Our study systematically evaluated the environmental microbial load within CTCRs, revealing significant microbial diversity and distinct resistance patterns to disinfection methods. These findings underscore the need for stringent disinfection protocols and enhanced hand hygiene practices to ensure CTCR sterility. By identifying key microbial species and their resistance genes, our research provides essential insights into controlling contamination and safeguarding the production environment, ultimately contributing to the reliability and success of cell therapy treatments.

The limited solubility of lignin in commonly used solvents poses a challenge for its depolymerization into high-value monomers. This paper investigates the solubility of alkali lignin in water, methanol, ethanol, acetone, 1,4-dioxane, and their binary solution, and examines their impact on lignin depolymerization. The distribution of depolymerization products was correlated with the chemical structure changes in various solvent. Among the solvents tested, water-acetone mixtures demonstrated exceptional solubility for alkali lignin (95.24%) and provide the highest yield of bio-oil and phenolic monomers. The enhanced solubility of guaiacol units in acetone, combined with the addition of water in the co-solvent system dramatically improved the solubility of alkali lignin. Moreover, formic acid donated hydrogen protons to facilitate lignin depolymerization and prevented the repolymerization of unstable intermediates. Optimal reaction conditions were achieved at 300 °C for 120 mins using a mixed solvent composed of water, acetone, and formic acid in a ratio of 5:5:1 (v/v/v), corresponding to the highest yield of bio-oil with 81.45 wt%, the lowest yield of residue with 6.20 wt%, and a phenolic monomer content of 57.48%. Furthermore, this co-solvent system revealed satisfactory adaptability for converting various lignin into phenolic monomers.

IntroductionSepsis poses a serious threat to individual life and health. Early and accessible diagnosis and targeted treatment are crucial. This study aims to explore the relationship between microbes, metabolic pathways, and blood test indicators in sepsis patients and develop a machine learning model for clinical diagnosis.MethodsBlood samples from sepsis patients were sequenced. α-diversity and β-diversity analyses were performed to compare the microbial diversity between the sepsis group and the normal group. Correlation analysis was conducted on microbes, metabolic pathways, and blood test indicators. In addition, a model was developed based on medical records and radiomic features using machine learning algorithms.ResultsThe results of α-diversity and β-diversity analyses showed that the microbial diversity of sepsis group was significantly higher than that of normal group (p < 0.05). The top 10 microbial abundances in the sepsis and normal groups were Vitis vinifera, Mycobacterium canettii, Solanum pennellii, Ralstonia insidiosa, Ananas comosus, Moraxella osloensis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus hominis, Camelina sativa, and Cutibacterium acnes. The enriched metabolic pathways mainly included Protein families: genetic information processing, Translation, Protein families: signaling and cellular processes, and Unclassified: genetic information processing. The correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) between IL-6 and Membrane transport. Metabolism of other amino acids showed a significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) with Cutibacterium acnes, Ralstonia insidiosa, Moraxella osloensis, and Staphylococcus hominis. Ananas comosus showed a significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) with Poorly characterized and Unclassified: metabolism. Blood test-related indicators showed a significant negative correlation (p < 0.05) with microorganisms. Logistic regression (LR) was used as the optimal model in six machine learning models based on medical records and radiomic features. The nomogram, calibration curves, and AUC values demonstrated that LR performed best for prediction.DiscussionThis study provides insights into the relationship between microbes, metabolic pathways, and blood test indicators in sepsis. The developed machine learning model shows potential for aiding in clinical diagnosis. However, further research is needed to validate and improve the model.

This study systematically introduces the development of the world’s first full-link and full-system ground demonstration and verification system for the OMEGA space solar power satellite (SSPS). First, the OMEGA 2.0 innovation design was proposed. Second, field-coupling theoretical models of sunlight concentration, photoelectric conversion, and transmitting antennas were established, and a systematic optimization design method was proposed. Third, a beam waveform optimization methodology considering both a high beam collection efficiency and a circular stepped beam shape was proposed. Fourth, a control strategy was developed to control the condenser pointing toward the sun while maintaining the transmitting antenna toward the rectenna. Fifth, a high-efficiency heat radiator design method based on bionics and topology optimization was proposed. Sixth, a method for improving the rectenna array’s reception, rectification, and direct current (DC) power synthesis efficiencies is presented. Seventh, high-precision measurement technology for high-accuracy beam-pointing control was developed. Eighth, a smart mechanical structure was designed and developed. Finally, the developed SSPS ground demonstration and verification system has the capacity for sun tracking, a high concentration ratio, photoelectric conversion, microwave conversion and emission, microwave reception, and rectification, and thus satisfactory results were obtained.

Abstract Multiple studies have shown knockdown of chromobox 7 (CBX7) promotes the regenerative capacity of various cells or tissues. We examined the effect of CBX7 on hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration after 2/3 hepatectomy in a mouse model. For in vitro experiments, NCTC 1469 and BNL CL.2 hepatocytes were co-transfected with siRNA-CBX7-1 (si-CBX7-1), siRNA-CBX7-2 (si-CBX7-2), pcDNA-CBX7, si-BMI1-1, si-BMI1-2, pcDNA-BMI1, or their negative control. For in vivo experiments, mice were injected intraperitoneally with lentivirus-packaged shRNA and shRNA CBX7 before hepatectomy. Our results showed that CBX7 was rapidly induced in the early stage of liver regeneration. CBX7 regulated hepatocyte proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis of NCTC 1469 and BNL CL.2 hepatocytes. CBX7 interacted with BMI1 and inhibited BMI1 expression in hepatocytes. Silencing BMI1 aggregated the inhibitory effect of CBX7 overexpression on hepatocyte viability and the promotion of apoptosis. Furthermore, silencing BMI1 enhanced the regulatory effect of CBX7 on Nrf2/ARE signaling in HGF-induced hepatocytes. In vivo, CBX7 silencing enhanced liver/body weight ratio in PH mice. CBX7 silencing promoted the Ki67-positive cell count and decreased the Tunel-positive cell count after hepatectomy, and also increased the expression of nuclear Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO-1. Our results suggest that CBX7 silencing may increase survival following hepatectomy by promoting liver regeneration.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of combining traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), specifically Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), with Western medicine (WM), compared to WM alone to treat breast cancer endocrine therapy-related osteoporosis (BCET-OP) by meta-analysis. Methods: Thirty-eight randomized controlled trials involving 2170 participants were analyzed. Eight databases were searched for articles published between inception and December 2023. Quality assessment was performed using the Risk of Bias 2 tool. Results: Significant increases were observed in the TCM-WM group in lumbar vertebrae bone mineral density (BMD) (P

Abstract Toxic metals are vital risk factors affecting serum ion balance; however, the effect of their co-exposure on serum ions and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. We assessed the correlations of single metal and mixed metals with serum ion levels, and the mediating effects of mineralocorticoids by investigating toxic metal concentrations in the blood, as well as the levels of representative mineralocorticoids, such as deoxycorticosterone (DOC), and serum ions in 471 participants from the Dongdagou–Xinglong cohort. In the single-exposure model, sodium and chloride levels were positively correlated with arsenic, selenium, cadmium, and lead levels and negatively correlated with zinc levels, whereas potassium and iron levels and the anion gap were positively correlated with zinc levels and negatively correlated with selenium, cadmium and lead levels (all P

Abstract Evidence for the involvement of N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) modification in the etiology and progression of liver fibrosis has emerged and holds promise as a therapeutic target. Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) mRNA-binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) is a newly identified m6A-binding protein that functions to enhance mRNA stability and translation. However, its role as an m6A-binding protein in liver fibrosis remains elusive. Here, we observed that IGF2BP2 is highly expressed in liver fibrosis and activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), and inhibition of IGF2BP2 protects against HSCs activation and liver fibrogenesis. Mechanistically, as an m6A-binding protein, IGF2BP2 regulates the expression of Aldolase A (ALDOA), a key target in the glycolytic metabolic pathway, which in turn regulates HSCs activation. Furthermore, we observed that active glycolytic metabolism in activated HSCs generates large amounts of lactate as a substrate for histone lactylation. Importantly, histone lactylation transforms the activation phenotype of HSCs. In conclusion, our findings reveal the essential role of IGF2BP2 in liver fibrosis by regulating glycolytic metabolism and highlight the potential of targeting IGF2BP2 as a therapeutic for liver fibrosis.

Glycogen-autophagy (‘glycophagy’) is a selective autophagy process involved in delivering glycogen to the lysosome for bulk degradation. Glycophagy protein intermediaries include STBD1 as a glycogen tagging receptor, delivering the glycogen cargo into the forming phagosome by partnering with the Atg8 homolog, GABARAPL1. Glycophagy is emerging as a key process of energy metabolism and development of reliable tools for assessment of glycophagy activity is an important priority. Here we show that antibodies raised against the N-terminus of the GABARAPL1 protein (but not the full-length protein) detected a specific endogenous GABARAPL1 immunoblot band at 18kDa. A stable GFP-GABARAPL1 cardiac cell line was used to quantify GABARAPL1 lysosomal flux via measurement of GFP puncta in response to lysosomal inhibition with bafilomycin. Endogenous glycophagy flux was quantified in primary rat ventricular myocytes by the extent of glycogen accumulation with bafilomycin combined with chloroquine treatment (no effect observed with bafilomycin or chloroquine alone). In wild-type isolated mouse hearts, bafilomycin alone and bafilomycin combined with chloroquine (but not chloroquine alone) elicited a significant increase in glycogen content signifying basal glycophagy flux. Collectively, these methodologies provide a comprehensive toolbox for tracking cardiac glycophagy activity to advance research into the role of glycophagy in health and disease.

Renal calyceal neck atresia is a rare disorder. There is no clear guidance for standard treatment of this condition. The Memokath™ 045 temperature-controlled memory alloy stent is commonly used in the treatment of urethral strictures, but it has not been used for treating calyceal neck atresia. We present a case of a 44-year-old female patient with left lumbar pain who underwent two stages of treatment to resolve calyceal neck atresia located at the upper calyx of her left kidney. The first procedure was transurethral ureteroscopy combined with percutaneous recanalization of the left upper calyx calyceal neck atresia. One 6 F internal stent and one 8 F internal stent were placed, and she was discharged with a left nephrostomy tube. After her urinary tract infection was fully resolved, the patient returned for the second procedure of percutaneous upper renal calyx calyceal neck metal stent implantation. The temporary stents and nephrostomy tube were successfully removed. Our findings suggest that the Memokath™ 045 temperature-controlled memory alloy stent is an effective choice for treating calyceal neck atresia.

ABSTRACT: Stress is known to disrupt the intestinal barrier and induce intestinal dysfunction. A critical role for gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH) in stress has emerged. However, whether GnIH mediates stress-induced intestinal dysfunction remains unknown. The present study explored this question through in vivo and in vitro experiments in hens. Our in vivo experiments showed that continuous intraperitoneal injection of GnIH not only significantly increased the concentration of stress hormones in serum, but also significantly elevated the mRNA expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in the duodenum and jejunum. Moreover, morphological and molecular analyses revealed that GnIH disrupted the physical and chemical barriers of the intestine and dramatically increased inflammatory factor levels in the intestine and serum of hens. Interestingly, the microbiomics results showed that GnIH altered the structure and composition of the gut flora in the cecum, revealing an increased abundance of harmful intestinal bacteria such as Desulfovibrionaceae. Similar results were found in in vitro studies in which the GnIH-induced intestinal mucosal barrier was disrupted, and inflammation increased in jejunal explants, although no significant difference was found in the expression of GR between the control and GnIH groups. Our results demonstrated that GnIH not only directly damaged intestinal barriers and elevated intestinal inflammation but also mediated stress and microflora imbalance-induced intestinal function disorder, suggesting that GnIH is a potential therapeutic target for gut dysfunction, stress-induced intestinal function disorder, and inflammatory bowel disease in animals and humans.

Objectives The objective of this study is to investigate the relationships between fear of cancer recurrence (FCR), social support and resilience, and further determine whether resilience mediates social support and FCR among Chinese patients with gastric cancer undergoing chemotherapy.Design Multicentre cross-sectional survey.Setting Four hospitals in Jiangsu Province, China, with grade-A tertiary hospital settings.Participants 755 patients with gastric cancer on chemotherapy across four hospitals in China were included from March 2021 to September 2022.Outcome measures The Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) were used to test the model’s constructs. Statistical analyses were conducted by using IBM SPSS V.26.0 software. PROCESS V.3.4 macro was used to analyse the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between social support and FCR.Results The mean scores for SSRS, CD-RISC and FoP-Q-SF in patients with gastric cancer receiving chemotherapy were 41.55±7.79, 54.83±18.46 and 30.91±10.11, respectively. 43.3% (n=327) had psychological dysfunction, 56.8% (n=429) had low to medium resilience and 99.1% (n=748) had medium to robust social support. Significant differences exist among three variables, resilience positively correlated with social support, while FCR negatively correlated with resilience and social support (p

Accurately predicting grape yield in vineyards is essential for strategic decision-making in the wine industry. Current methods are labour-intensive, costly, and lack spatial coverage, reducing accuracy and cost-efficiency. Efforts to automate and enhance yield estimation focus on scaling fruit weight assessments. Machine learning, particularly deep learning, shows promise in improving accuracy through automatic feature extraction and hierarchical representation. However, most of these methods have been developed for analyses at a particular time point and solutions able to consider temporal information captured across sequential frames are currently poorly developed. This paper addresses this gap by introducing a system for yield estimation, utilising publicly available data repositories, such as Embrapa WGISD, alongside an in-house dataset collected by a Blackmagic camera at the pre-harvest stage. We introduce a system that utilises bunch weight regression to estimate grape yield. Bunch weight estimates are obtained by summing samples randomly drawn from the grape bunch weight distribution through empirical calibration. Grapevine bunches are identified and segmented using Mask R-CNN with Swin Transformer, and a SiamFC-based tracking mechanism is employed to estimate the number of unique bunches per panel or row. The number of berries for each tracked bunch is determined using a density approach known as multitask point supervision. In our experiments, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed system for yield estimation, achieving harvested weight errors of less than 5% in two of the three vineyard panels. Larger harvest weight errors (around 15%) were observed due to inaccuracies in tracking certain bunches caused by dense concentration of bunches in one panel. However, these errors should be contrasted with the current practice error of up to 30%, highlighting the potential of machine vision for hands-off yield estimation at scale.

Abstract Observational evidence and climate model experiments suggest a slowdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) since the mid-1990s. Increased greenhouse gases and the declined anthropogenic aerosols (AAs) over North America and Europe are believed to contribute to the AMOC slowdown. Asian AAs continue to increase but the associated impact has been unclear. Using ensembles of climate simulations, here we show that the radiative cooling resulting from increased Asian AAs drives an AMOC reduction. The increased AAs over Asia generate circumglobal stationary Rossby waves in the northern midlatitudes, which shift the westerly jet stream southward and weaken the subpolar North Atlantic westerlies. Consequently, reduced transport of cold air from North America hinders water mass transformation in the Labrador Sea and thus contributes to the AMOC slowdown. The link between increased Asian AAs and an AMOC slowdown is supported by different models with different configurations. Thus, reducing emissions of Asian AAs will not only lower local air pollution, but also help stabilize the AMOC.

As urbanization accelerates, the evolving dynamics of village growth and decline have garnered widespread attention. Rural housing, as the most significant asset in villages, serves as the primary indicator of socioeconomic development in rural areas. However, the extensive scale, diversity, and widespread distribution of villages make conducting a nationwide census of rural buildings a notably costly and time-intensive endeavor. Although deep-learning techniques have been successfully applied by numerous researchers to map building footprints, the majority of this work is concentrated in urban areas, leaving large-scale datasets for rural buildings notably lacking. In this article, an exhaustive database of rural architecture has been established, featuring diverse rural building annotations from the majority of provinces in the mainland China. Moreover, a real-time online platform for remote sensing image interpretation, integrating instance segmentation and boundary regularization, has been developed to streamline the extraction of building footprints from high-resolution imagery. The experimental results from predicting 43 992 rural building instances nationwide demonstrated that 33 210 were accurately identified, achieving a precision of 0.776, a recall of 0.755, and an F1-score of 0.765. Building upon this work, the maps of rural building areas and quantity are produced to clearly demonstrate the distribution of rural houses in parts of China. These data products can serve as vital supplements to public data products, such as nighttime light data, land cover maps, national statistical yearbooks, and road network data, particularly in the field of rural studies.

Many failures of semiconductor-based oxide confined vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) are closely related to the generation and expansion of defects in the device structure. However, existing research has predominantly focused on the static study of defect morphology, with little attention given to analyzing the dynamic process of defect expansion, which limited our ability to predict device random failures due to lack of understandings on defect generation and expansion. To address this issue, we present a macroscopic phenomenological evolution model that describes the dynamic expansion of defects in VCSELs, in which the expansion of defects is treated as an anisotropic lattice strain diffusion process. We further exploit a diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) method in solving the diffusion equation, which describes the random propagation and aggregation of strain in the vicinity of highly strained areas, resulting in defect formation when the stress from accumulated strain surpasses the bonding force of the atoms in the lattice. Our simulation result manages to replicate the dendritic expansion morphology of defects, aligning with experimental observations very well. Our model also predicts an accelerated defect expansion process, which is again consistent with the experimental result. This model finds relevance in applications such as random failure prediction through device aging, burn-in condition setting in device screening, and device structural and/or material design improvement for mitigating defect expansion.

Abstract Dysregulation of wild-type p53 turnover is a key cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet its mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we report that WD repeat and SOCS box containing protein 2 (WSB2), an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is an independent adverse prognostic factor in HCC patients. WSB2 drives HCC tumorigenesis and lung metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, WSB2 is a new p53 destabilizer that promotes K48-linked p53 polyubiquitination at the Lys291 and Lys292 sites in HCC cells, leading to p53 proteasomal degradation. Degradation of p53 causes IGFBP3-dependent AKT/mTOR signaling activation. Furthermore, WSB2 was found to bind to the p53 tetramerization domain via its SOCS box domain. Targeting mTOR with everolimus, an oral drug, significantly blocked WSB2-triggered HCC tumorigenesis and metastasis in vivo. In clinical samples, high expression of WSB2 was associated with low wild-type p53 expression and high p-mTOR expression. These findings demonstrate that WSB2 is overexpressed and degrades wild-type p53 and then activates the IGFBP3-AKT/mTOR axis, leading to HCC tumorigenesis and lung metastasis, which indicates that targeting mTOR could be a new therapeutic strategy for HCC patients with high WSB2 expression and wild-type p53.

The pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals has highlighted rural electricity consumption patterns, necessitating innovative analytical approaches. This paper introduces a novel method for predicting rural electricity consumption by leveraging deep convolutional features extracted from satellite imagery. The study employs a pretrained remote sensing interpretation model for feature extraction, streamlining the training process and enhancing the prediction efficiency. A random forest model is then used for electricity consumption prediction, while the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) model assesses the feature importance. To explain the human geography implications of feature maps, this research develops a feature visualization method grounded in expert knowledge. By selecting feature maps with higher interpretability, the “black-box” model based on remote sensing images is further analyzed and reveals the geographical features that affect electricity consumption. The methodology is applied to villages in Xinxing County, Guangdong Province, China, achieving high prediction accuracy with a correlation coefficient of 0.797. The study reveals a significant positive correlations between the characteristics and spatial distribution of houses and roads in the rural built environment and electricity demand. Conversely, natural landscape elements, such as farmland and forests, exhibit significant negative correlations with electricity demand predictions. These findings offer new insights into rural electricity consumption patterns and provide theoretical support for electricity planning and decision making in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Traditional Chinese villages, recognized as national heritage sites, are invaluable cultural assets. Since 2012, efforts have focused on their preservation, though issues remain such as prioritizing authenticity over usability and material over cultural elements. This paper adopts the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach, emphasizing the integration of physical heritage with daily life to shift value assessment. The fundamental argument of this paper is that the HUL method can serve as a new tool for preserving the historical heritage and landscape of rural areas, particularly in the context of assessing and formulating preservation frameworks for traditional Chinese villages. Through the case study of Tangfang village’s new conservation plan, the research demonstrates that the value of traditional villages lies in the continuous interaction between daily activities and physical space, including landscape, functional, and spiritual dimensions. The study concludes that a preservation framework based on local residents’ daily lives ensures more effective heritage conservation and landscape preservation by addressing both material and human values.

IntroductionWith the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, machine learning algorithms have been widely applied at various stages of stroke diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis, demonstrating significant potential. A correlation between stroke and cytokine levels in the human body has recently been reported. Our study aimed to establish machine-learning models based on cytokine features to enhance the decision-making capabilities of clinical physicians.MethodsThis study recruited 2346 stroke patients and 2128 healthy control subjects from Chongqing University Central Hospital. A predictive model was established through clinical experiments and collection of clinical laboratory tests and demographic variables at admission. Three classification algorithms, namely Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Support Vector Machine, were employed. The models were evaluated using methods such as ROC curves, AUC values, and calibration curves.ResultsThrough univariate feature selection, we selected 14 features and constructed three machine-learning models: Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RF), and Gradient Boosting Machine (GBM). Our results indicated that in the training set, the RF model outperformed the GBM and SVM models in terms of both the AUC value and sensitivity. We ranked the features using the RF algorithm, and the results showed that IL-6, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-2 had high importance scores and ranked at the top. In the test set, the stroke model demonstrated a good generalization ability, as evidenced by the ROC curve, confusion matrix, and calibration curve, confirming its reliability as a predictive model for stroke.DiscussionWe focused on utilizing cytokines as features to establish stroke prediction models. Analyses of the ROC curve, confusion matrix, and calibration curve of the test set demonstrated that our models exhibited a strong generalization ability, which could be applied in stroke prediction.

Abstract Background and Aims Oncogenesis and tumor development have been related to oxidative stress (OS). The potential diagnostic utility of OS genes in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, remains uncertain. As a result, this work aimed to create a novel OS related‐genes signature that could be used to predict the survival of HCC patients and to screen OS related‐genes drugs that might be used for HCC treatment. Methods We used The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to acquire mRNA expression profiles and clinical data for this research and the GeneCards database to obtain OS related‐genes. Following that, biological functions from Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were performed on differentially expressed OS‐related genes (DEOSGs). Subsequently, the prognostic risk signature was constructed based on DEOSGs from the TCGA data that were screened by using univariate cox analysis, and the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression, and multivariate cox analysis. At the same time, we developed a prognostic nomogram of HCC patients based on risk signature and clinical‐pathological characteristics. The GEO data was used for validation. We used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, calibration curves, and Kaplan–Meier (KM) survival curves to examine the prediction value of the risk signature and nomogram. Finally, we screened the differentially expressed OS genes related drugs. Results We were able to recognize 9 OS genes linked to HCC prognosis. In addition, the KM curve revealed a statistically significant difference in overall survival (OS) between the high‐risk and low‐risk groups. The area under the curve (AUC) shows the independent prognostic value of the risk signature model. Meanwhile, the ROC curves and calibration curves show the strong prognostic power of the nomogram. The top three drugs with negative ratings were ZM‐336372, lestaurtinib, and flunisolide, all of which inversely regulate different OS gene expressions. Conclusion Our findings indicate that OS related‐genes have a favorable prognostic value for HCC, which sheds new light on the relationship between oxidative stress and HCC, and suggests potential therapeutic strategies for HCC patients.

Autism is a widespread neurodevelopmental disorder. Although the research on autism spectrum disorders has been increasing in the past decade, there is still no specific answer to its mechanism of action and treatment. As a pro-inflammatory microRNA, miR-301a is abnormally expressed in various psychiatric diseases including autism. Here, we show that miR-301a deletion and inhibition exhibited two distinct abnormal behavioral phenotypes in mice. We observed that miR-301a deletion in mice impaired learning/memory, and enhanced anxiety. On the contrary, miR-301a inhibition effectively reduced the maternal immune activation (MIA)-induced autism-like behaviors in mice. We further demonstrated that miR-301a bound to the 3′UTR region of the SOCS3, and that inhibition of miR-301a led to the upregulation of SOCS3 in hippocampus. The last result in the reduction of the inflammatory response by inhibiting phosphorylation of AKT and STAT3, and the expression level of IL-17A in poly(I:C)-induced autism-like features in mice. The obtained data revealed the miR-301a as a critical participant in partial behavior phenotypes, which may exhibit a divergent role between gene knockout and knockdown. Our findings ascertain that miR-301a negatively regulates SOCS3 in MIA-induced autism in mice and could present a new therapeutic target for ameliorating the behavioral abnormalities of autism.

This work presents an optimal design method of antenna aperture illumination for microwave power transmission with an annular collection area. The objective is to maximize the ratio of the power radiated on the annular collection area to the total transmitted power. By formulating the aperture amplitude distribution through a summation of a special set of series, the optimal design problem can be reduced to finding the maximum ratio of two real quadratic forms. Based on the theory of matrices, the solution to the formulated optimization problem is to determine the largest characteristic value and its associated characteristic vector. To meet security requirements, the peak radiation levels outside the receiving area are considered to be extra constraints. A hybrid grey wolf optimizer and Nelder–Mead simplex method is developed to deal with this constrained optimization problem. In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method, numerical experiments on continuous apertures are conducted; then, discrete arrays of isotropic elements are employed to validate the correctness of the optimized results. Finally, patch arrays are adopted to further verify the validity of the proposed method.

Abstract Background The use of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) is a burgeoning method for the treatment of liver cirrhosis. However, the secretory phenotype and regulatory ability of UC-MSCs are easily affected by their microenvironment. Ensuring a specific microenvironment to enhance the UC-MSCs phenotype is a potential strategy for improving their therapeutic efficacy. The aim of this study was to explore therapeutic UC-MSCs phenotypes for improving liver fibrosis. Methods RNA-sequencing was used to analyze the response pattern of UC-MSCs after exposure to the serum of cirrhotic patients with HBV. Using immunohistochemistry, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and immunofluorescence techniques, we evaluated the therapeutic effect of UC-MSCs pretreated with interferon alpha 2 (IFN-α2) (pre-MSCs) in an animal model of cirrhosis. Immunoblotting, ELISA, and other techniques were used to analyze the signaling pathways underlying the IFN-induced changes in UC-MSCs. Results UC-MSCs exposed to the serum of patients with hepatitis B-induced cirrhosis showed an enhanced response to type I IFN. The activated type I IFN signal induced the highest secretion of colony-stimulating factor 3 (CSF-3), interleukin (IL)-8, and chemokine (C–C motif) ligand 20 (CCL20) by the UC-MSCs. Pre-MSCs showed a higher therapeutic efficacy than untreated UC-MSCs in an animal model of liver fibrosis. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that pre-MSCs could recruit neutrophils resulting in an increase in the secretion of matrix metalloprotease 8 that alleviated fibrosis. When neutrophils in animals were depleted, the therapeutic effect of pre-MSCs on fibrosis was inhibited. IFN-α2 altered the secretory phenotype of UC-MSCs by activating phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 and 2 (p-STAT1 and p-STAT2). Conclusions Pre-MSCs exhibited enhanced secretion of CSF-3, IL-8, and CCL20 and recruited neutrophils to alleviate fibrosis. This new strategy can improve cell therapy for liver cirrhosis. Graphical abstract

Abstract To investigate the regulatory mechanisms and effects of LIM and SH3 protein 1 (LASP1) on osteoarthritis (OA). IL‐1β was used to induce OA in cell models. Viability and apoptosis of chondrocytes were assessed. The expressions of tumor necrsis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and IL‐6 were measured by ELISA kit, and Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR) and Western blot were performed to test the expression of related proteins. The STRING database was used to predict the relationship between LASP1 and DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1). The tight junction protein 2 (TJP2) and Gene Expression Omnibus data were analyzed for differential OA genes. Methylation‐specific PCR detected methylation of the TJP2 promoter region, and chromatin immunoprecipitation detected the enrichment of DNMT1 in the TJP2 promoter region. Safranin O‐Fast Green staining and hematoxylin and eosin staining were used to determine the OARSI score and evaluate the pathological conditions of the joint tissues. LASP1 was highly expressed in IL‐1β‐induced cell models. Silencing of LASP1 promoted chondrocyte proliferation and expression of Collagen II and Aggrecan and inhibited chondrocyte apoptosis, inflammatory factors, and matrix metalloprotein expression. TJP2 is weakly expressed in OA models, and LASP1 promotes methylation of the TJP2 promoter region by interacting with DNMT1. Silencing of LASP1 attenuated IL‐1β‐induced chondrocyte degeneration by promoting TJP2 expression. Similarly, silencing LASP1 promotes TJP2 expression to alleviate articular cartilage injury in mice with OA. Silencing of LASP1 inhibited the methylation of the TJP2 promoter region by interacting with DNMT1, thereby alleviating articular cartilage damage in OA mice.

Abstract Background As a rapid‐progressing tumor, breast malignant phyllodes tumors (PTs) are challenged by the lack of effective therapeutic strategies and suitable prognostic markers. This study aimed to clarify the role and mechanism of CD146 on promoting PTs malignant progression, and to identify a novel prognosis marker and treatment target of breast malignant PTs. Methods The expression and prognostic significance of CD146 in PTs was detected through single‐cell RNA‐sequencing (scRNA‐seq), immunostaining, real‐time PCR and other methodologies. Functional experiments including proliferation assay, colony formation assay, transwell assay, and collagen contraction assay were conducted to validate the role of CD146 in malignant progression of PTs. The efficacy of anti‐CD146 monoclonal antibody AA98 against malignant PTs was corroborated by a malignant PT organoid model and a PT patient‐derived xenograft (PDX) model. Transcriptome sequencing, proteomic analysis, co‐immunoprecipitation, and pull‐down assay was employed to identify the modulating pathway and additional molecular mechanism. Results In this study, the scRNA‐seq analysis of PTs disclosed a CD146‐positive characteristic in the α‐SMA+ fibroblast subset. Furthermore, a progressive elevation in the level of CD146 was observed with the malignant progression of PTs. More importantly, CD146 was found to serve as an independent predictor for recurrence in PT patients. Furthermore, CD146 was found to augment the viability and invasion of PTs. Mechanistically, CD146 acted as a protective “shield” to prevent the degradation of Discoidin, CUB, and LCCL domain‐containing protein 2 (DCBLD2), thereby activating the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway and enhancing malignant behaviors of PT cells. In the malignant PT organoid and PDX model, a significant suppression of malignant PT growth was observed after the application of AA98. Conclusions These findings suggested that CD146 served as an efficacious marker for predicting PT malignant progression and showed promise as a prognosis marker and treatment target of breast malignant PTs. The study further unveiled the essential role of the CD146‐DCBLD2/PI3K/AKT axis in the malignant progression of PTs.

Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) therapy improves liver function in liver cirrhosis patients. This study aimed to elucidate the therapeutic mechanism underlying cell therapy by analyzing changes in the modification and expression of proteins 1 month post-treatment with UC-MSCs. This prospective study included 11 cirrhosis patients who received MSC injection. The laboratory indexes before and after treatment were collected to evaluate the clinical treatment effect of UC-MSCs, and the protein expression and lactylation modification in the liver were comprehensively revealed. Meanwhile, weighted gene co-expression network analysis was used to analyze the co-expression protein modules and their relationship with clinical features. The patients with liver cirrhosis showed an improvement trend after receiving UC-MSC treatment; specifically, the liver protein synthesis function was significantly improved and the coagulation function was also significantly improved. Proteomics combined with lactic acid proteomics revealed 160 lysine lactylation (Kla) sites of 119 proteins. Functional analysis showed that the lactylation-modified proteins were enriched in the pathway of glucose and other substances’ metabolism, and many key enzymes of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis were lactated. UC-MSC therapy has a certain clinical effect in the treatment of liver cirrhosis and may act by regulating material metabolism, because the lactylation protein points to energy metabolism.

Abstract The primitive Wigner-Seitz cell and corresponding first Brillouin zone (FBZ) are typically used in calculations of lattice vibrational and transport properties as they contain the smallest number of degrees of freedom and thus have the cheapest computational cost. However, in complex materials, the FBZ can take on irregular shapes where lattice symmetries are not apparent. Thus, conventional cells (with more atoms and regular shapes) are often used to describe materials, though dynamical and transport calculations are more expensive. Here we discuss an efficient anharmonic lattice dynamic method that maps conventional cell dynamics to primitive cell dynamics based on translational symmetries. Such symmetries have not been utilized in typical lattice dynamical calculations. This leads to phase interference conditions that act like conserved quantum numbers and a conservation rule for phonon scattering that is hidden in conventional dynamics which significantly reduces the computational cost. We demonstrate this method for phonon transport in a variety of materials with inputs from first-principles calculations and attribute its efficiency to reduced scattering phase space and fewer summations in scattering matrix element calculations.

Abstract Background Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a common pathogen that often causes diarrhea in piglets. Since bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics, phages have become a promising alternative therapy. However, the therapy of oral phage often fails to achieve the desired effect. A novel phage named A221 was isolated by using E. coli GXXW-1103 as host strain, characterized by electron microscopy, genomic sequencing and analyzed by measuring lysis ability in vitro. Results Phage A221 was identified as a member of Ackermannviridae, Aglimvirinae, Agtrevirus with 153297 bp genome and effectively inhibited bacterial growth in vitro for 16 h. This study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effect of oral microencapsulated phage A221 on E. coli GXXW-1103 infections in weaned piglets. The protective effect of phage was evaluated by body weight analysis, bacterial load and histopathological changes. The results showed that with the treatment of phage A221, the body weight of piglets increased, the percentage of Enterobacteriaceae in duodenum decreased to 0.64%, the lesions in cecum and duodenum were alleviated, and the bacterial load in the jejunal lymph nodes, cecum and spleen were also significantly different with infected group (P

Background: Humankind have been struggling with colorectal cancer (CRC) for long period with its rapid progression and invasive metastasis. By hyperactivating IL-6/STAT3 signaling, CRC facilitates the capacity of angiogenesis to plunder massive nutrients and develops gradually under harsh condition. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas database was analyzed for acquiring interferon-γ inducible protein 10 (IFITM10) expression levels and their correlation with clinical outcomes. The cell angiogenic ability were assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and tube formation assay. Immunofluorescence, Western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay were using to assess potential mechanism. Results: In our study, we find that IFITM10 is upregulated in CRC and is positively related with tumor angiogenesis. We also find that IFITM inhibition decreased STAT3 phosphorylation level and IFITM10-mediated angiogenesis depends on STAT3 activation. Furthermore, our data suggests that IFITM10 may be a key prognostic biomarker in colorectal cancer. Conclusion: Together, our study suggests that IFITM10 enhance angiogenesis through STAT3 activation during CRC progression, which highlighting its potency as a therapeutic target for colorectal cancer.

China’s rural areas have long been backward in development, and many villages have completed poverty alleviation with the help of the government. Facing the requirements of sustainable development, it is necessary to change the development path, continuously increase social capital, and effectively connect with government investment resources. The existing research and practice mostly construct the strategy of social capital from the inside of the village, lacking interaction with the superior government. This paper argues for the method of planners’ intervention. The advantage is that it links the power of government and villagers, creates a perceptible, experiential, valuable material environment, and promotes collective action. Through this process, the knowledge interaction and social relations in the village can be improved. The purpose of this paper is to study how participatory planning affects the content and mechanism of this process mentioned above. Taking Hongtang village as a case study, we analyze the in-depth changes that participatory planning has brought to the rural space and social level. In the participatory planning practice of Hongtang village, college rural planners took a small vegetable garden as the breakthrough point to stimulate villagers’ participation. In the process of the upgrade, planners evolved the interaction between the village committee and villagers in the path of IMEE, which is “Intervene, Motivate, Enable, Empower”. Moreover, planners always maintained contact with the higher-level government. Through the upgrade of small vegetable gardens, the villagers’ initiative was brought into practice, the social capital was fully explored, and an effective link with the government’s resource allocation was realized.

The duty-cycle randomness (DCR) of the Bragg grating of the distributed feedback (DFB) lasers introduced by the fabrication process is inevitable, even with state-of-the-art technologies such as electron beam lithography and dry or wet etching.This work investigates the impact of grating DCR on DFB laser performance through numerical simulations. The result reveals that such randomness causes a reduction in the side mode suppression ratio (SMSR), and deteriorates the noise characteristics, i.e., broadens the linewidth and increases the relative intensity noise (RIN). With the grating DCR, the effective grating coupling coefficient decreases as evidenced by the reduced Bragg stopband width. However, the longitudinal spatial hole burning (LSHB) effect in the DFB lasers can somewhat be diminished by the grating DCR. The seriousness of these effects depends on different grating structures and their coupling strengths. Our simulation shows that a degradation of 17 dB can be brought to the SMSR of the uniform grating DFB lasers with their duty cycles taking a deviation of ±25% in a uniformly distributed random fashion. It also broadens the linewidth of the quarter-wavelength phase-shifted DFB lasers by more than 2.5 folds. The impact of this effect on the RIN is moderate—less than 2%. All the performance deteriorations can partially be attributed to the effective reduction in the grating coupling coefficient of around 20% by such a DCR.

Abstract Purpose The onset of OA is affected by a variety of factors, which eventually lead to the loss of cartilage in the joints, the formation of osteophytes, the loss of normal knee mobility, and pain and discomfort, which seriously affects the quality of life. HUC-MSCs can promote cartilage production and have been widely used in research in the past decade. This article systematically summarizes that it is well used in basic research and clinical studies to promote inflammatory chondrogenesis in the treatment of OA. Provide a theoretical basis for clinical treatment. Patients and methods This study collected CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, and articles related to the treatment of OA with HUC-MSCs since their publication, excluding non-basic and clinical studies such as reviews and meta-analysis. A total of 31 basic experimental studies and 12 clinical studies were included. Systematically analyze the effects of HUC-MSCs on inhibiting inflammatory factors, promoting chondrocyte production, and current clinical treatment. Results HUC-MSCs can reduce inflammatory factors such as MMP-13, ADAMTS-5, IL-1β, IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, induced conversion from M1 to M2 in OA to protect cartilage damage and reduce OA inflammation. Synthesize ColII, SOX9, and aggrecan at the same time to promote cartilage synthesis. Conclusion HUC-MSCs not only have typical stem cell biological characteristics, but also have rich sources and convenient material extraction. Compared with stem cells from other sources, HUC-MSCs have stronger proliferation, differentiation, and immune regulation abilities. Furthermore, there are no ethical issues associated with their use. Safety: Primarily attributed to pain, the majority of individuals experience recovery within 24 h following injection. HUC-MSCs possess the ability to alleviate pain, enhance knee joint function, and potentially postpone the need for surgical intervention in both non-surgical and other cases, making them highly deserving of clinical promotion and application.

Abstract Background Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a highly aggressive malignant tumor, and its diagnosis is still a challenge. This study aimed to identify a novel bile marker for CCA diagnosis based on proteomics and establish a diagnostic model with deep learning. Methods A total of 644 subjects (236 CCA and 408 non-CCA) from two independent centers were divided into discovery, cross-validation, and external validation sets for the study. Candidate bile markers were identified by three proteomics data and validated on 635 clinical humoral specimens and 121 tissue specimens. A diagnostic multi-analyte model containing bile and serum biomarkers was established in cross-validation set by deep learning and validated in an independent external cohort. Results The results of proteomics analysis and clinical specimen verification showed that bile clusterin (CLU) was significantly higher in CCA body fluids. Based on 376 subjects in the cross-validation set, ROC analysis indicated that bile CLU had a satisfactory diagnostic power (AUC: 0.852, sensitivity: 73.6%, specificity: 90.1%). Building on bile CLU and 63 serum markers, deep learning established a diagnostic model incorporating seven factors (CLU, CA19-9, IBIL, GGT, LDL-C, TG, and TBA), which showed a high diagnostic utility (AUC: 0.947, sensitivity: 90.3%, specificity: 84.9%). External validation in an independent cohort (n = 259) resulted in a similar accuracy for the detection of CCA. Finally, for the convenience of operation, a user-friendly prediction platform was built online for CCA. Conclusions This is the largest and most comprehensive study combining bile and serum biomarkers to differentiate CCA. This diagnostic model may potentially be used to detect CCA.

Abstract The aim was to investigate the association between mixed exposure to phthalates and serum thyroid function among US adolescents. The study used 2007–2008 survey data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Data on urinary phthalates metabolites and serum thyroid function indicators were collected. The weighted multivariable linear regression models and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) analyses were used to analyze the relationship between phthalates metabolites and thyroid function. A total of 356 adolescents aged 12–19 years were included in the analysis. Linear regression models showed that mono-(carboxyisoctyl) phthalate (MCOP) was positively correlated with total triiodothyronine (TT3) (β = 0.045, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.022, 0.068) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) (β = 0.1461, 95% CI 0.059, 0.232), while mono-(carboxyisononyl) phthalate (MCNP) was negatively correlated with TSH (β = − 0.119, 95% CI − 0.196, − 0.042). BKMR analyses showed phthalate metabolites mixtures have significantly positive overall effect on TT3. Exposure to phthalate mixtures might be positively correlated with increased TT3 serum level in US adolescents. The study provided evidence for the association between mixed phthalates exposure and thyroid health in adolescent population.

Formability of copper sheet is generally affected by microstructure and crystallographic texture. In this study, the effects of two different microstructure and textures on the deep drawability of C10200 copper sheets were analyzed by the optical microscopy (OM), the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) technique. The results show that the first rolling reduction rate before intermediate annealing decreased, and the strong {001} (Cube) texture was formed after final annealing. When the second rolling reduction decreased, Cube texture was weak and final annealing textures dominated by {123} (S), {112} (Copper) and {110} (Brass) components were obtained. The texture difference had a great influence on the deep drawing quality. Strong Cube texture was unfavorable for deep drawing because of the more heterogeneous strain distribution resulted from the remarkable planar anisotropy, while the coexistence of S, Copper, Brass, and {110} (Goss) texture components was conducive to improving the average r-values, which was beneficial to the deep drawability.

BackgroundCervical cancer is currently the second leading cause of cancer death among women from developing countries (1). However, there is a lack of effective treatment methods, and the existing treatments often result in significant adverse reactions and high chances of recurrence, which ultimately impact the prognosis of patients. As a result, the application of nanotechnology, specifically nanoparticle-based approaches, in the diagnosis and treatment of cervical cancer has gained significant attention. This study aims to examine the current research status and future development trends of nanotechnology in relation to cervical cancer using a bibliometric perspective.MethodsA bibliometric analysis was performed to gather relevant research papers from the Web of Science database. VOSviewer and CiteSpace were utilized to conduct quantitative analysis and identify hot topics in the field, focusing on countries, institutions, journals, authors, and keywords.ResultA total of 997 eligible literature were retrieved. From January 1, 2014 to September 20, 2023, the overall number of publications showed an upward trend. The paper mainly comes from China (n=414). The main institution is the Chinese Academy of Sciences (n=62), and 60% of the top 10 institutions in the number of documents issued are from China. First authors Ma, Rong (n=12) and Alifu, Nuernisha (n=12). The journal with the highest publication volume is ACS Applied Materials&INTERFACES (n=35), and the journal with the highest citation frequency is BIOMATERIALS (n=508). “Nanoparticles (n=295)”, “cervical cancer (n=248)”, and “drug delivery (n=218)” are the top three most frequently occurring keywords. In recent years, photothermal therapy and indocyanine green have become research hotspots.ConclusionThe application of nanotechnology in the field of cervical cancer has garnered considerable attention. Nanoparticles-based methods for diagnosis, administration, and treatment have proven to be instrumental in enhancing the sensitivity of cervical cancer detection, improving the accuracy and efficiency of administration, and reducing drug toxicity. Enhancing treatment efficacy and improving patient prognosis have emerged as current research priorities and future directions.