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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease involving multiple systems and organs, with pulmonary involvement known to be associated with disease prognosis and mortality. Acute lupus pneumonitis (ALP) resembling miliary tuberculosis (TB) is rare. Here, we present a case of ALP mimicking miliary TB and review the literature. A 19-year-old male student was referred to our hospital with fever. Although the patient met the diagnostic criteria for SLE, diffuse miliary nodules in both lungs were observed on a chest computed tomography scan. A series of tests, including pathological testing of bronchoscopy brushes, T-lymphocyte culture + interferon assay (A + B), tuberculin test, detection of mycobacterium TB DNA, and acid-fast bacilli smear in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, were unable to confirm the presence of TB infection. We considered the patient to have ALP. After beginning ALP therapy, his symptoms disappeared, and the imaging and hematological results returned to normal. Miliary TB and ALP have similar clinical manifestations and imaging changes, which make diagnosis difficult. This case highlights the need to ensure accurate diagnosis and treatment to improve prognosis.

Background Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) has an increasing incidence as aging advances. As the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution theory is of great significance in guiding PMOP prevention and treatment, studying the associated factors of yang-deficiency constitution, a common imbalanced constitution in PMOP patients, will contribute to the development of personalized treatment of PMOP. Objective To perform an analysis of the distribution of TCM constitution and associated factors of yang-deficiency constitution in PMOP patients in the community. Methods From November 2017 to July 2018, an interviewer-administered questionnaire survey for screening PMOP was conducted with a random sample of residents (45-80 years old) from 10 communities of Beijing's Chaoyang and Fengtai Districts. The general data collected include age, age at menopause, retirement status, types of job (mental, physical, or both) , educational level, monthly household income, height, weight, body mass index (BMI) , grip strength-weight index, history of fractures, history of falls, family history of osteoporosis, nighttime sleep duration, habits of eating leftovers, diet type (meat-based, plant-based, or meat-plant based) . TCM constitution was analyzed using the TCM Constitution Questionnaire. The associated factors of yang-deficiency constitution in PMOP cases were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression. Results Four hundred and thirty-two cases were found with PMOP, four of them were excluded due to missing data of TCM constitution, and the other 428 cases were finally included. The residents with gentleness constitution numbered the most (n=175) . Among residents with biased constitution, those with yang-deficiency constitution numbered the most (n=107) . Through multivariate Logistic regression analysis, it was found that BMI

Background: Purely suprasellar and some complex intra-suprasellar Rathke cleft cysts (RCCs) are commonly treated via extended endonasal endoscopic approach or traditional transcranial approach. The feasibility of the trans-eyebrow supraorbital keyhole approach (TSKA) for RCCs was evaluated in this retrospective study. Methods: A cohort of 16 patients (11 females and 5 males) with RCC was surgically treated via TSKA between January 2013 and November 2021. The medical data and follow-up results were analyzed. Results: Eight patients had a purely suprasellar RCC, and 8 patients had an intra-suprasellar RCC with most of pituitary gland occupying the sellar floor. The mean maximal size of the cysts was 15.4 (range 7–29) mm. Postoperatively, complete cyst drainage was achieved in 15 (93.7%) patients. Preoperative headache, visual dysfunction, and hypopituitarism improved in 12 (100.0%), 3 (75.0%) and 3 (75.0%) patients, respectively, and hyperprolactinemia normalized in all patients. Except 2 (12.5%) cases of transient diabetes insipidus (TDI), no other complications were observed. During the mean follow-up period of 41.0 (range 4–102) months, 1 (6.3%) radiological recurrence was found. Conclusions: For the treatment of purely suprasellar and some intra-suprasellar RCCs with most of the pituitary occupying the sellar floor, the endoscopic TSKA has the advantage of the minimal invasiveness, excellent visualization of the intrasellar compartment, no additional damage to the underlying pituitary gland, and no risk of CSF leakage. TDI or DI is relative commonly found in treatment of these RCCs. During surgery, care should be taken to avoid damage to the surrounding structures, including the pituitary stalk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the development of a gene editing system in the economic macroalga Neopyropia yezoensis using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. The study aims to improve breeding strategies for N. yezoensis, which has high economic value and unique biological properties. The successful editing of a target gene in N. yezoensis using CRISPR/Cas9 lays the foundation for molecular breeding and positions the species as a potential model organism for marine algae studies. The study demonstrates the efficiency of the gene editing system and its potential impact on the seaweed industry. [Extracted from the article]

Aniba rosaeodora essential oil (RO) has been traditionally used in natural medicine as a substitute for antibiotics due to its notable antidepressant and antibacterial properties. Salmonella , a prevalent pathogen in foodborne illnesses, presents a major challenge to current antibiotic treatments. However, the antibacterial efficacy and mechanisms of action of RO against Salmonella spp. remain underexplored. This study aims to elucidate the chemical composition of RO, evaluate its antibacterial activity and mechanisms against Salmonella in vitro , and further delineate its anti-inflammatory mechanisms in vivo during Salmonella infection. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was utilized to characterize the chemical constituents of RO. The antibacterial activity of RO was assessed using minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and time-kill assays. Various biochemical assays were employed to uncover the potential bactericidal mechanisms. Additionally, mouse and chick models of Salmonella infection were established to investigate the prophylactic effects of RO treatment. RO exhibited significant antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with an MIC of 4 mg·mL−1 for Salmonella spp. RO treatment resulted in bacterial damage through the disruption of lipid and purine metabolism. Moreover, RO reduced injury and microbial colonization in infected mice and chicks. RO treatment also modulated the host inflammatory response by inhibiting proinflammatory pathways. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that RO is effective against Salmonella infection, highlighting its potential as an alternative to antibiotics for antibacterial therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rupture of intracranial aneurysm (IA) is the primary reason contributing to the occurrence of life‐threatening subarachnoid hemorrhages. The oxidative stress‐induced phenotypic transformation from the contractile phenotype to the synthetic phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) plays a pivotal role in IA formation and rupture. Our study aimed to figure out the role of phoenixin‐14 in VSMC phenotypic switching during the pathogenesis of IA by using both cellular and animal models. Primary rat VSMCs were isolated from the Willis circle of male Sprague‐Dawley rats. VSMCs were stimulated by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to establish a cell oxidative damage model. After pretreatment with phoenixin‐14 and exposure to H2O2, VSMC viability, migration, and invasion were examined through cell counting kit‐8 (CCK‐8), wound healing, and Transwell assays. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in VSMCs was evaluated by using 2′,7′‐Dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH‐DA) fluorescence probes and flow cytometry. Rat IA models were established by ligation of the left common carotid arteries and posterior branches of both renal arteries. The histopathological changes of rat intracranial blood vessels were observed through hematoxylin and eosin staining. The levels of contractile phenotype markers (alpha‐smooth muscle actin [α‐SMA] and smooth muscle 22 alpha [SM22α]) in VSMCs and rat arterial rings were determined through real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR) and western blot analysis. Our results showed that H2O2 stimulated the production of intracellular ROS and induced oxidative stress in VSMCs, while phoenixin‐14 pretreatment attenuated intracellular ROS levels in H2O2‐exposed VSMCs. H2O2 exposure promoted VSMC migration and invasion, which, however, was reversed by phoenixin‐14 pretreatment. Besides, phoenixin‐14 administration inhibited IA formation and rupture in rat models. The decrease in α‐SMA and SM22α levels in H2O2‐exposed VSMCs and IA rat models was antagonized by phoenixin‐14. Collectively, phoenixin‐14 ameliorates the progression of IA through preventing the loss of the contractile phenotype of VSMCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air conditioning contributes a high percentage of energy consumption over the world. The efficient prediction of energy consumption can help to reduce energy consumption. Traditionally, multidimensional air conditioning energy consumption data could only be processed sequentially for each dimension, thus resulting in inefficient feature extraction. Furthermore, due to reasons such as implicit correlations between hyperparameters, automatic hyperparameter optimization (HPO) approaches can not be easily achieved. In this paper, we propose an auto-optimization parallel energy consumption prediction approach based on reinforcement learning. It can parallel process multidimensional time series data and achieve the automatic optimization of model hyperparameters, thus yielding an accurate prediction of air conditioning energy consumption. Extensive experiments on real air conditioning datasets from five factories have demonstrated that the proposed approach outperforms existing prediction solutions, with an increase in average accuracy by 11.48% and an average performance improvement of 32.48%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]