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Abstract Background Rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic autoimmune disease, is characterized by synovial hyperplasia and cartilage erosion. Here, we investigated the potential mechanism of action of quercetin, the main component of flavonoids, in treating rheumatoid arthritis. Object To examine the anti-arthritic effects of quercetin and elucidate the specific mechanisms that differentiate its metabolic effects on autoimmune and inflammatory responses at the synovial cell level. Methods We created a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model in Wistar rats, which were administered quercetin (50 or 100 mg/kg) continuously for four weeks via stomach perfusion. The arthritis score, histopathological staining, radiological assessment, and serum biochemical parameters were used to study the impact of quercetin on disease improvement. Additionally, immunofluorescence was employed to detect JAK1/STAT3/HIF-1α expression in rat joints. Moreover, the effects of quercetin (20, 40, and 80 µmol/L) on the properties and behavior of synovial fibroblasts were evaluated in an in vitro MH7A cell model using flow cytometry, CCK8, and transwell assays. Further, the mRNA expression levels of inflammatory cytokines IL1β, IL6, IL17, and TNFα were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR. Glucose, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase, pyruvate, pyruvate dehydrogenase, and adenosine triphosphate assay kits were employed to measure the metabolic effects of quercetin on synovial fibroblasts. Finally, immunoblotting was used to examine the impact of quercetin on the JAK1/STAT3/HIF-1α signaling pathway in synovial fibroblasts. Results In vivo experiments confirmed the favorable effects of quercetin in CIA rats, including an improved arthritis score and reduced ankle bone destruction, in addition to a decrease in the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, and TNF-α in serum. Immunofluorescence verified that quercetin may ameliorate joint injury in rats with CIA by inhibiting JAK1/STAT3/HIF-1α signaling. Various in vitro experiments demonstrated that quercetin effectively inhibits IL-6-induced proliferation of MH7A cells and reduces their migratory and invasive behavior, while inducing apoptosis and reducing the expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL1β, IL6, IL17, and TNFα at the mRNA level. Quercetin caused inhibition of glucose, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase, pyruvate, and adenosine triphosphate and increased pyruvate dehydrogenase expression in MH7A cells. It was further confirmed that quercetin may inhibit energy metabolism and inflammatory factor secretion in MH7A cells through JAK1/STAT3/HIF-1α signaling. Conclusions Quercetin’s action on multiple target molecules and pathways makes it a promising treatment for cartilage injury in rheumatoid arthritis. By reducing joint inflammation, improving joint metabolic homeostasis, and decreasing immune system activation energy, quercetin inhibits the JAK1/STAT3/HIF-1α signaling pathway to improve disease status.

A case of Bowen's disease of toe is reported. A 39-year-old woman presented with red asymptomatic lesion on the medial side of the left big toe for over a month. Topical treatment with glucocorticoid was not effective. A similar rash appeared on the same area 5 to 6 years ago, and was surgically removed. Clinical examination revealed a demarcated red plaque 1.5 cm×1.5 cm in diameter, with dark red crust in the center, on her big left toe. The histopathological examination of the skin lesion showed heteroplasia of the squamous epithelium in the epidermis. The diagnosis was Bowen's disease. Following removal of lesion with electrocauterization, 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic (ALA-PDT) was given 4 times. The lesion completely subsided with no recurrence during 1-year telephone follow-up.

ObjectiveDermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is a moderately malignant soft tissue sarcoma with localized infiltrative growth. The extensive surgical scope and high recurrence rate of DFSP brings dysfunctional, aesthetic, psychological and economic problems to patients. The aim of this study is to explore the global publication characteristics, research hotspots and future trends of DFSP over the past 32 years via an intuitive visualized way.MethodsThe Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database was searched for papers related to DFSP published from 1990 to 2022. Then bibliometric analysis of these publications was performed, including collaborative networks, co-citation analysis of journals and references, and cluster analysis of keywords.ResultsA total of 1588 papers were retrieved between 1990-2022. The United States was the most prolific country, followed by China. The article Imatinib Mesylate in Advanced Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans: Pooled Analysis of Two Phase II Clinical Trials, received most citations. Research hotspots and future trends are mainly focused on disease diagnosis, COL1A1-PDGFB fusion gene, drug and surgical treatment, fibrosarcomatous transformation, and immunotherapy.ConclusionThe research on DFSP faces several clinical challenges. This study provides novel insights into future research directions and scientific decisions for DFSP.

BackgroundEpithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE), is an uncommon, intermediate-grade malignant vascular tumor that can manifest in diverse organs, including the liver, lungs, and bones. Given its unique malignancy profile and rarity, there lacks a consensus on a standardized treatment protocol for EHE, particularly for hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (HEHE). This study aims to elucidate factors influencing the clinical prognosis of EHE by analyzing data from the SEER database, complemented with insights from a departmental cohort of 9 HEHE cases. Through this, we hope to shed light on potential clinical outcomes and therapeutic strategies for HEHE.MethodsUsing SEER data from 22 registries, we analyzed 313 liver cancer patients with ICD-O-3 9130 and 9133 histology. Twelve variables were examined using Cox regression and mlr3 machine learning. Significant variables were identified and compared. Clinical data, imaging characteristics, and treatment methods of nine patients from our cohort were also presented.ResultIn univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, Age, Sex, Year of diagnosis, Surgery of primary site, Chemotherapy, and Median household income were closely related to survival outcomes. Among the ten survival-related machine learning models, CoxPH, Flexible, Mboost, and Gamboost stood out based on Area Under the Curve(AUC), Decision Curve Analysis(DCA), and Calibration Curve Metrics. In the feature importance analysis of these four selected models, Age and Surgery of primary site were consistently identified as the most critical factors influencing prognosis. Additionally, the clinical data of nine patients from our cohort not only demonstrated unique imaging characteristics of HEHE but also underscored the importance of surgical intervention.ConclusionFor patients with resectable HEHE, surgical treatment is currently a highly important therapeutic approach.

Abstract The coupled analysis of multi-field heat and mass transfer in geothermal reservoirs is a pivotal concern within the realm of geothermal rock exploitation. It holds significant implications for the assessment of thermal energy capacity and the formulation of reservoir optimization strategies in the context of geothermal rock resources. Parameters governing production, along with fracture network characteristics (such as injection well temperature, injection well pressure, fracture width, and fracture network density), exert an influence on enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) heat production. In this study, aiming to comprehend the dynamic heat generation of EGS during prolonged exploitation, a coupling of various fields including permeation within the rock formations of geothermal reservoirs and the deformation of these rocks was achieved. In this study, we formulated the governing equations for the temperature field, stress field, and permeability field within the geothermal reservoir rock. Subsequently, we conducted numerical simulations to investigate the heat transfer process in an enhanced geothermal system. We analyzed the effects of injection well temperature, injection well pressure, primary fracture width, and secondary fracture density on the temperature distribution within the reservoir and the thermal power output of the production well. The research findings underscore that ill-conceived exploitation schemes markedly accelerate the thermal breakthrough rate of production wells, resulting in a diminished rate of geothermal resource extraction from the geothermal reservoir rock. Variations in influent well temperature and secondary fracture density exhibit an approximately linear impact on the output from production wells. Crucially, injection well pressure and primary fracture width emerge as pivotal factors influencing reservoir output response, with excessive widening of primary fractures leading to premature thermal breakthrough in production wells.

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to determine the role and regulatory mechanism of miR-380 in cholangiocarcinoma. Methods The TargetScan database and a dual-luciferase reporter assay system were used to determine if LIS1 was a target gene of miR-380. The Cell Counting Kit 8 assay, flow cytometry, and Transwell assay were used to detect the effects of miR-380 and LIS1 on the proliferation, S-phase ratio, and invasiveness of HCCC-9810/HuCCT1/QBC939 cells. Western blotting was used to determine the effect of miR-380 on MMP-2/p-AKT. Immunohistochemistry detected the regulatory effect of miR-380 on the expression of MMP-2/p-AKT/LIS1. Results Expression of miR-380 in cholangiocarcinoma was decreased but expression of LIS1 was increased. LIS1 was confirmed to be a target gene of miR-380. Transfection with miR-380 mimics inhibited the proliferation, S-phase arrest, and invasion of HCCC-9810/HuCCT1/QBC939 cells, and LIS1 reversed these inhibitory effects. miR-380 inhibitor promoted proliferation, S-phase ratio, and invasiveness of HCCC-9810/HuCCT1/QBC939 cells. si-LIS1 salvaged the promotive effect of miR-380 inhibitor. Overexpression of miR-380 inhibited expression of MMP-2/p-AKT/LIS1, but miR-380 inhibitor promoted their expression. Conclusion An imbalance of miR-380 expression is closely related to cholangiocarcinoma, and overexpression of miR-380 inhibits the expression of MMP-2/p-AKT by directly targeting LIS1.

ABSTRACTHepatitis E virus (HEV) variants infecting humans belong to two species: Paslahepevirus balayani (bHEV) and Rocahepevirus ratti (rat hepatitis E virus; rHEV). R. ratti is a ubiquitous rodent pathogen that has recently been recognized to cause hepatitis in humans. Transmission routes of rHEV from rats to humans are currently unknown. In this study, we examined rHEV exposure in cats and dogs to determine if they are potential reservoirs of this emerging human pathogen. Virus-like particle-based IgG enzymatic immunoassays (EIAs) capable of differentiating rHEV & bHEV antibody profiles and rHEV-specific real-time RT–PCR assays were used for this purpose. The EIAs could detect bHEV and rHEV patient-derived IgG spiked in dog and cat sera. Sera from 751 companion dogs and 130 companion cats in Hong Kong were tested with these IgG enzymatic immunoassays (EIAs). Overall, 13/751 (1.7%) dogs and 5/130 (3.8%) cats were sero-reactive to HEV. 9/751 (1.2%) dogs and 2/130 (1.5%) cats tested positive for rHEV IgG, which was further confirmed by rHEV immunoblots. Most rHEV-seropositive animals were from areas in or adjacent to districts reporting human rHEV infection. Neither 881 companion animals nor 652 stray animals carried rHEV RNA in serum or rectal swabs. Therefore, we could not confirm a role for cats and dogs in transmitting rHEV to humans. Further work is required to understand the reasons for low-level seropositivity in these animals.

PurposeTo compare the dietary inflammatory index (DII), triglyceride glucose index (TyG), waist triglyceride index (WTI), and body mass index (BMI) in predicting the survival of chronic kidney disease (CKD).MethodologyInclusion of 23,099 participants from the NHANES database who met specific criteria. Baseline was established using quartiles of DII index. The relationship between DII index, WTI index, TyG index, and BMI index with mortality rate in CKD patients was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves. Univariate and multivariate COX regression risk models were used to study the relationship between DII index, WTI index, and TyG index with mortality risk in CKD patients. Stratification of eGFR by age and gender was conducted to investigate the association between DII index, WTI index, and TyG index with mortality risk in CKD patients. Restricted cubic spline analysis was used to study the correlation between DII index, WTI index, and TyG index with mortality risk in CKD patients.ResultsThe incidence of CKD increased with the increase of DII index, WTI index and TyG index. After multivariable adjustment, the fourth quartile of DII index, TyG index and WTI index showed the highest risk for CKD [DII: hazard ratio (HR) 1.36, 95% confidential interval (CI) (1.23–1.51); TyG: HR 1.21; 95% CI (1.07–1.37); WTI: HR 1.29; 95% CI (1.13–1.46)]. There was no difference in the risk of developing CKD between the obese group (BMI ≥24 kg/m2) and the normal weight group (P>0.05).ConclusionThis study has identified a significant association between elevated DII index, WTI index, and TyG index with the risk of CKD. Furthermore, the DII index demonstrated superior prognostic capability in predicting CKD compared to other indicators.

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy and safety of Shengjiang powder as a treatment for DKD.MethodsA comprehensive search was performed in eight databases from their inception to December 30, 2023, to identify relevant RCTs. The inclusion criteria were diagnosis of DKD and intervention including TCM that contained Shengjiang powder. Two researchers independently conducted literature screening and data extraction, utilizing the Rob2 tool and GRADE to assess the quality of the RCTs. Meta-analysis was carried out using RevMan 5.4.1 and Stata 15.0.ResultsAs a result of the search, 23 RCTs comprising 1,682 patients. The interventions resulted in significant reductions in all the assessed indicators: 24-h urinary protein, UAER, mALB, BUN, Scr, FBG, 2hPG, HbA1c, total cholesterol, and Triglycerides. Together the results showed that Shengjiang powder, in conjunction with conventional therapy, is an effective treatment of DKD. Subgroup analyses, considering duration, stage, blood glucose control levels, baseline blood glucose levels, and baseline Scr levels indicated that shorter duration treatment had a greater effect on UAER, 2hPG, and HbA1c. Additionally, Shengjiang powder was more effective in reducing 24-h urinary protein, Scr, and 2hPG in stage IV patients compared to corresponding values at other stages. However, with respect to FBG, the treatment was more effective in stage II/III. Shengjiang powder also, reduced Scr levels significantly in patients with higher baseline Scr and reduced urinary protein excretion with stricter blood glucose control. The interventions had additional lipid-regulating effects in cases with looser blood glucose control and led to a remarkable reduction in BUN and Scr levels in patients with FBG > 11.1 mmol/L.ConclusionShengjiang powder may supplement conventional therapy, thus benefiting DKD patients in terms of reducing urinary protein, stabilizing kidney function, and improving blood glucose and lipid metabolism. Considering the significant heterogeneity among studies and limited quality of some reports, our conclusions need to be further verified through analyses utilizing larger, multi-center samples of higher quality.Systematic Review Registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42024490795.

BackgroundMetronidazole (MTZ) is among the first-line drugs against the human gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). MTZ is used as a prodrug that is activated by an oxygen-insensitive enzyme NADPH nitroreductase (RdxA). Loss-of-function mutations in rdxA make H. pylori MTZ resistant; however, experimental proof is lacking.MethodsWe collected 139 gastric biopsy samples from patients suspected of H. pylori infection in Shanghai, and amplified Hp-specific rdxA gene from 134 samples. All these rdxA genes were sequenced and phylogenetically compared. The effect of mutations on RdxA function was measured by expressing them in Escherichia coli DH5α by using the MTZ sensitivity test.ResultsIn total, 134 gastric biopsy samples were identified as H. pylori positive. Of the 134 samples, 74 and 6 had point mutations at the various sites or promoter region of rdxA, generating truncated and extended fused proteins, respectively. The remaining 54 were full-length with single nucleotide variation (SNV) compared with the wild-type RdxA from H. pylori, with 49 clustering with hpEastAsia, 3 with hpEurope, and 2 with hpNEAfrica. All 134 rdxA were expressed in E. coli DH5α; 22 and 112 resultant strains showed MTZ-sensitive and MTZ-resistant phenotypes, respectively. Comparative analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the functional and inactivated RdxA revealed 14 novel mutations in RdxA, 5 of which conferred MTZ resistance: S18F, D59S, L62I, S79N, and A187V.ConclusionThe occurrence of MTZ resistance induced by site-mutation of RdxA in patients with H. pylori infection was 83.6% (112/134) in the Shanghai region. The major form of loss-of-function mutation was truncation of RdxA translation at a rate of 58/112 (51.8%). Molecular detection reliably determined the resistance of H. pylori to MTZ. Thus, the functional mutants involved in MTZ resistance facilitate clinical diagnosis and medication based on sequence analysis.

Addressing the threats of climate change, pollution, and overfishing to marine ecosystems necessitates a deeper understanding of coastal and oceanic fluid dynamics. Within this context, Lagrangian Coherent Structures (LCS) emerge as essential tools for elucidating the complexities of marine fluid dynamics. Methods used to detect LCS include geometric, probabilistic, cluster-based and braid-based approaches. Advancements have been made to employ Finite-time Lyapunov Exponents (FTLE) to detect LCS due to its high efficacy, reliability and simplicity. It has been proven that the FTLE approach has provided invaluable insights into complex oceanic phenomena like shear, confluence, eddy formations, and oceanic fronts, which also enhanced the understanding of tidal-/wind-driven processes. Additionally, FTLE-based LCS were crucial in identifying barriers to contaminant dispersion and assessing pollutant distribution, aiding environmental protection and marine pollution management. FTLE-based LCS has also contributed significantly to understanding ecological interactions and biodiversity in response to environmental issues. This review identifies pressing challenges and future directions of FTLE-based LCS. Among these are the influences of external factors such as river discharges, ice formations, and human activities on ocean currents, which complicate the analysis of ocean fluid dynamics. While 2D FTLE methods have proven effective, their limitations in capturing the full scope of oceanic phenomena, especially in 3D environments, are evident. The advent of 3D LCS analysis has marked progress, yet computational demands and data quality requirements pose significant hurdles. Moreover, LCS extracted from FTLE fields involves establishing an empirical threshold that introduces considerable variability due to human judgement. Future efforts should focus on enhancing computational techniques for 3D analyses, integrating FTLE and LCS into broader environmental models, and leveraging machine learning to standardize LCS detection.

BackgroundKaposiform hemangioendothelioma (KHE) is a rare vascular tumor with a high risk of mortality. Few studies with large samples of KHE have been reported. KHE may develop into the Kasabach–Merritt phenomenon (KMP), which is characterized by thrombocytopenia and consumptive coagulopathy. The features of severe symptomatic anemia and life-threatening low platelets make the management of KHE associated with KMP challenging.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the clinical characteristics of patients with KHE and discuss the treatment experience for different risk groups of KHE.MethodsThrough a retrospective review of 70 patients diagnosed with KHE between 2017 and 2022 in our center, we classify lesions into three clinicopathological stages based on the tumor involving depth, and divided the severity of KHE into three levels by estimating clinicopathological stages and severity of thrombocytopenia. Treatments of different severity groups were estimated with sufficient data.ResultsIn our cohort, 27% were neonates, and KHE lesion occurred at birth in 84% of patients. There was a slight male predominance (32 girls and 38 boys). Common clinical characteristics included associated coagulation disorder (100%), locally aggressive cutaneous blue–purple mass (89%), thrombocytopenia (78%), and local pain or joint dysfunction (20%). The lower extremities were the dominant location (35%), followed by the trunk (29%), the maxillofacial region and neck (24%), and the upper extremities (10%). Of the total cohort, 78% developed KMP; the median age at which thrombocytopenia occurred was 27.8 days. The median platelet count of patients who were associated with KMP was 24,000/µL in our cohort. Ninety-two percent of patients were given surgery treatment and 89% of these patients were given high-dose methylprednisolone (5-6 mg/kg daily) before surgery. In 55 patients with KMP, 36% were sensitive to high-dose corticosteroid therapy. Patients from the low-risk group (eight cases) underwent operation, all of whom recovered without recurrence after a maximum follow-up of 5 years. Out of 26 patients from the high-risk group, 25 underwent surgery treatment, with 1 case undergoing secondary surgery after recurrence and 1 case taking sirolimus. Out of 36 cases from the extremely high-risk group, 32 underwent surgery (including 2 cases who underwent external carotid artery ligation and catheterization), 3 of whom underwent secondary operation after recurrence, and the remaining 4 cases took medicine. The mean length of having sirolimus was 21 months; two cases stopped taking sirolimus due to severe pneumonia. Two cases died at 1 and 3 months after discharge.ConclusionsOur study describes the largest assessment of high-risk patients with KHE who have undergone an operation to date, with 5 years of follow-up to track recovery, which provides invaluable knowledge for the future treatment of patients with KHE and KMP from different risk groups: Early surgical intervention may be the most definitive treatment option for most patients with KHE; multimodality treatment is the best choice for the extremely high-risk group.

Recent progress in targeted metabolic therapy of cancer has been limited by the considerable toxicity associated with such drugs. To address this challenge, we developed a smart theranostic prodrug system that combines a fluorophore and an anticancer drug, specifically 6-diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine (DON), using a thioketal linkage (TK). This system enables imaging, chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, and on-demand drug release upon radiation exposure. The optimized prodrug, DON-TK-BM3, incorporating cyanine dyes as the fluorophore, displayed potent reactive oxygen species release and efficient tumor cell killing. Unlike the parent drug DON, DON-TK-BM3 exhibited no toxicity toward normal cells. Moreover, DON-TK-BM3 demonstrated high tumor accumulation and reduced side effects, including gastrointestinal toxicity, in mice. This study provides a practical strategy for designing prodrugs of metabolic inhibitors with significant toxicity stemming from their lack of tissue selectivity.

In this paper, an improved adaptive coding and modulation scheme with hybrid switching standard is proposed for UAV-to-Ground free space optical (FSO) communication to mitigate the degradation of turbulence intensity variation. In order to improve bits efficiency in different turbulence, a channel estimator based on Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) and a hybrid switching standard based on frame error rate (FER) of LDPC decoding are applied. Simulation results show that the GRU estimator achieves approximately 34.9% improvement in training time compared to the LSTM estimator, without degradation in system performance. Moreover, the hybrid switching standard significantly improves the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) switching threshold deviation of the ACM scheme from 1.8 dB and 4 dB, which were observed in moderate turbulence conditions, to an average of 0.35 dB. This improvement allows for the effective implementation of the ACM scheme in different turbulence intensities at a relatively small cost, thereby enhancing the communication quality of FSO systems in atmospheric channels characterized by turbulent variations.

Abstract The effects of calcium phosphate (CaP) materials on macrophage polarization state vary with their physicochemical properties. The study aims to elucidate the impact of phosphate ion‐mediated energy metabolism on M2 macrophage polarization and the corresponding regulatory mechanism. The phosphate ions released from CaP ceramic as bioenergetic factor is identified; its concentration is closely associated with the polarized state. After being taken up by the sodium‐dependent phosphate transporter 1, extracellular phosphate ions produce energy via oxidative phosphorylation by facilitating tricarboxylic acid flux, thereby contributing to M2 macrophage polarization. Further mechanistic analysis reveals that the elevation of the bioenergetic basis can drive macrophage M2 polarization via the AMP‐activated protein kinase‐mammalian target of rapamycin (AMPK‐mTOR) axis. Another regulatory effect is that of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a signaling molecule. Intracellular ATP is released into the extracellular space and degraded to adenosine, which serves as a signaling molecule through the A2b adenosine receptor to activate the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) pathway, thereby promoting M2 macrophage polarization. Overall, these findings may transform the existing knowledge on cell metabolism and energy homeostasis from bystanders to pivotal factors guiding M2 macrophage polarization and have implications for the future design of biomimetic CaP scaffolds.

In this study, we systematically investigated the emulsifying capabilities of myofibrillar protein (MP)- and MP peptide (MPP)-based conjugates synthesized through intensification techniques: water bath (WB), microwave, ultrasound, and the combined ultrasound-microwave (UM) methods. Compared with WB, microwave, and ultrasound treatments, the combined UM treatment greatly promoted the glycation reaction because ultrasound and microwave mutually reinforced modification effects. The resultant conjugate structure tended to unfold with more flexible conformation and homogeneous morphology. Moreover, the emulsifying properties of conjugates developed with single and combined ultrasound-assisted glycation displayed substantial improvement, and pre-hydrolysis further enhanced these performances, as observed in the Principal Component Analysis as well. Remarkably, MPP grafted by maltodextrin with the assistance of a combined UM field produced the smallest and most uniform emulsion system, positioning it as the most efficient emulsifier among all the fabricated glycoconjugates. Our study highlighted the potential of synergistically applying ultrasound and microwave techniques to develop a well-performance glycation with an ideal conjugate structure, in which they would be associated into a strong film that provided the robust physical barrier, creaming stability, heat retention, and oxidation resistance. These findings offered a basis for better utilizing complex ultrasonic technology to develop novel and improved MP-based food products.

This study investigated the grafting chlorogenic acid (CA) onto myosin, utilizing various techniques including conventional method, ultrasound, microwave, and combination of ultrasound and microwave (UM). The grafting efficiency was as follows: conventional method

Breast cancer seriously threatens women's physical and mental health. Mammography is one of the most effective methods for breast cancer diagnosis via artificial intelligence algorithms to identify diverse breast masses. The popular intelligent diagnosis methods require a large amount of breast images for training. However, collecting and labeling many breast images manually is extremely time consuming and inefficient. In this paper, we propose a distributed multi-latent code inversion enhanced Generative Adversarial Network (dm-GAN) for fast, accurate and automatic breast image generation. The proposed dm-GAN takes advantage of the generator and discriminator of the GAN framework to achieve automatic image generation. The new generator in dm-GAN adopts a multi-latent code inverse mapping method to simplify the data fitting process of GAN generation and improve the accuracy of image generation, while a multi-discriminator structure is used to enhance the discrimination accuracy. The experimental results show that the proposed dm-GAN can automatically generate breast images with higher accuracy, up to a higher 1.84 dB Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR) and lower 5.61% Fréchet Inception Distance (FID), as well as 1.38x faster generation than the state-of-the-art.

Abstract A challenge in developing proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) is the establishment of a universal platform applicable in multiple scenarios for precise degradation of proteins of interest (POIs). Inspired by the addressability, programmability, and rigidity of DNA frameworks, we develop covalent DNA framework-based PROTACs (DbTACs), which can be synthesized in high-throughput via facile bioorthogonal chemistry and self-assembly. DNA tetrahedra are employed as templates and the spatial position of each atom is defined. Thus, by precisely locating ligands of POI and E3 ligase on the templates, ligand spacings can be controllably manipulated from 8 Å to 57 Å. We show that DbTACs with the optimal linker length between ligands achieve higher degradation rates and enhanced binding affinity. Bispecific DbTACs (bis-DbTACs) with trivalent ligand assembly enable multi-target depletion while maintaining highly selective degradation of protein subtypes. When employing various types of warheads (small molecules, antibodies, and DNA motifs), DbTACs exhibit robust efficacy in degrading diverse targets, including protein kinases and transcription factors located in different cellular compartments. Overall, utilizing modular DNA frameworks to conjugate substrates offers a universal platform that not only provides insight into general degrader design principles but also presents a promising strategy for guiding drug discovery.

The degradative solvent extraction of low rank coal is the use of solvents to extract low rank coal under mild conditions, through the dehydration and multi-stage separation of the raw coal： the extraction products with no water content, no ash content, high calorific value properties and excellent thermoplastic properties， and low moisture of the extractive residual coal can be obtained. At the same time, the products have practical application advantages in many fields such as coal coking, advanced fuel and carbon material preparation, which have high added value, and the solvent in this technology has the advantage of being recyclable. Therefore, degradative solvent extraction is one of the effective ways to realize the graded fractionated conversion and utilization of low-rank coal. This review firstly introduces the existing low rank coal upgrading methods, and then reviews the development of degradative solvent extraction, focusing on the various influencing factors, reaction mechanisms, existing processes and product utilization of low rank coal upgrading by degradative solvent extraction. Finally, using the "Web of Science core collection" as the data source, the knowledge graph of coal solvent extraction was carved using CiteSpace scientometric software, and the research themes were analyzed to summarize the research directions and predict the research hotspots, providing some reference value for the research of degradative solution extraction of low-rank coal. The comprehensive analysis shows that: the selection of new low-cost green solvents, structural characterization and high-value utilization of extraction products have high research trends, while in-depth research on extraction mechanism and targeted regulation of extractant properties is needed to further promote the process of large-scale production.

As video platforms such as Douyin, also known as TikTok's Chinese version, continue to grow, there is an increasing interest in the study of green advertising videos to understand their audiovisual features and their impact on audience engagement. In this research, we specifically focus on green advertising within the automotive industry. Drawing on literature from sustainability, green advertising, and communication studies, we identified seven audiovisual aspects and three persuasive strategies pertinent to green automotive advertising videos. Utilizing a mixed-methods video analysis framework, we analyzed a dataset of 2,553 green automotive advertising videos on Douyin over three years from 15 June 2020 to 15 June 2023. These videos exhibited higher loudness, a faster pace, and longer durations compared to their non-green counterparts. We categorized three distinct types of green advertising videos on Douyin and established that specific audiovisual features and persuasive strategies are significantly correlated with audience engagement levels. This study not only delineates the audiovisual characteristics of green automotive advertising in China's digital space but also contributes to the broader discourse on sustainable marketing practices on social networks like TikTok. The findings extend image-centric research to video content and provide marketers with data-driven insights for crafting effective content creation strategies on Douyin.

PurposeIn patients with resectable esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), neoadjuvant therapy increased the curative resection rate, disease-free survival, and overall survival for patients with resectable ESCC. However, the efficacy of neoadjuvant therapy varies among different patients. We aim to compare the differences in the characteristics of peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets before and after neoadjuvant therapy in patients with different curative efficacy.MethodThis study enrolled 266 ESCC patients who received neoadjuvant therapy and esophagectomy from August 2018 to August 2022. The postoperative pathological results divided patients into the major pathological response (MPR) and non-MPR groups. Compare the differences in peripheral blood T lymphocyte subsets and analyze the trend of changes in T lymphocyte subsets at different phases of treatment. Propensity score matching was used to reduce the influence of potential confounding factors.ResultsPrior to the neoadjuvant therapy, particularly before the second cycle, the MPR group exhibited significantly higher ratios of CD4/CD8 (P=0.009) and helper T cells (TH ratio, P=0.030) compared to the non-MPR group. In contrast, the suppressor T cell ratio (TS ratio) was lower (P=0.016) in the MPR group. The difference in peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets between the two groups of patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is significant.ConclusionIn peripheral blood, T lymphocyte subsets varied significantly based on the effectiveness of neoadjuvant treatment. Prior to the second cycle of neoadjuvant therapy, a higher CD4/CD8 and TH ratio, coupled with a decreased TS ratio, might suggest enhanced treatment outcomes.

Abstract The new low‐cost clean pre‐desulfation technology is very important in pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy. However, traditional reactors have low space‐time yield and desulfation rate, resulting in high energy consumption and SO2 emissions in the industrial desulfation processes. Herein, dual rotating liquid film reactors (RLFRs) and lime are proposed to construct a recyclable, ultra‐fast, and value‐added desulfation method. Parameter optimization and kinetic calculations prove that the above reactions are controlled by internal diffusion, revealing that RLFR promotes the mass transfer and reaction rate. The new process greatly shortens the desulfation time of lead paste from 40 min to 10 s with a high desulfation rate of 99.7%, and the sulfation time of lime from 30 min to 30 s with a sulfation rate of 98.6% with a net profit of 55.99 ¥/ton by cost accounting. Moreover, ten batches of continuous scale‐up experiments demonstrate the stability of processes, the desulfation and sulfation rates are kept at 99.7% and 98.2%, which greatly reduces the emissions of waste desulfate liquor. This work provides a new universal strategy for a sustainable, low‐cost, and clean desulfation method of waste resources to achieve technical and economic feasibility.

ABSTRACTPersistent high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is the pivotal cause of cervical carcinogenesis. HPV types distribution varies greatly by region, and its long-term changes of prevalence remain to be fully characterized in China. Here, the largest population of 198,111 consecutive women who underwent routine cervical screening were investigated from 2015 to 2021 in Guangzhou, south China. The results showed that the overall HPV prevalence was 21.66% (42,911/198,111), and the annual prevalence increased significantly from 2015 to 2021 (p

Abstract Background To explore the clinical prognostic utility of the preoperative cholesterol-to-lymphocyte ratio (CLR) in outcomes for colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM) patients receiving simultaneous resection of the primary lesion and liver metastases. Methods A total of 444 CRLM patients receiving simultaneous resections were enrolled. The optimal cut-off value for CLR was determined using the highest Youden’s index. Patients were divided into the CLR 0.1). Compared with patients with CLR

Curcumin is a bioactive molecule with limited industrial application because of its instability and poor solubility in water. Herein, curcumin-loaded Pickering emulsion was produced using purified bacterial cellulose from fermented kombucha (KBC). The morphology, particle size, stability, rheological properties, and antioxidant activities of the curcumin-loaded Pickering emulsion were investigated. The fluorescence microscope and scanning electron microscopy images showed that the curcumin-loaded Pickering emulsion formed circular droplets with good encapsulation. The curcumin-load Pickering emulsion exhibited better stability under a wide range of temperatures, low pH, sunlight, and UV-365 nm than the free curcumin, indicating that the KBC after high-pressure homogenization improved the stability of the CPE. The encapsulated curcumin retained its antioxidant capacity and exhibited higher functional potential than the free curcumin. The study demonstrated that the KBC could be an excellent material for preparing a Pickering emulsion to improve curcumin stability and antioxidant activity.

With the rapid advancements in computer vision, using deep learning for strawberry disease recognition has emerged as a new trend. However, traditional identification methods heavily rely on manual discernment, consuming valuable time and imposing significant financial losses on growers. To address these challenges, this paper presents BerryNet-Lite, a lightweight network designed for precise strawberry disease identification. First, a comprehensive dataset, encompassing various strawberry diseases at different maturity levels, is curated. Second, BerryNet-Lite is proposed, utilizing transfer learning to expedite convergence through pre-training on extensive datasets. Subsequently, we introduce expansion convolution into the receptive field expansion, promoting more robust feature extraction and ensuring accurate recognition. Furthermore, we adopt the efficient channel attention (ECA) as the attention mechanism module. Additionally, we incorporate a multilayer perceptron (MLP) module to enhance the generalization capability and better capture the abstract features. Finally, we present a novel classification head design approach which effectively combines the ECA and MLP modules. Experimental results demonstrate that BerryNet-Lite achieves an impressive accuracy of 99.45%. Compared to classic networks like ResNet34, VGG16, and AlexNet, BerryNet-Lite showcases superiority across metrics, including loss value, accuracy, precision, F1-score, and parameters. It holds significant promise for applications in strawberry disease identification.

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and hemorrhagic disease caused by infection with the African swine fever virus (ASFV), resulting in a mortality rate of up to 100%. Currently, there are no effective treatments and commercially available vaccines for ASF. Therefore, it is crucial to identify biochemicals derived from host cells that can impede ASFV replication, with the aim of preventing and controlling ASF. The ASFV is an acellular organism that promotes self-replication by hijacking the metabolic machinery and biochemical resources of host cells. ASFV specifically alters the utilization of glucose and glutamine, which are the primary metabolic sources in mammalian cells. This study aimed to investigate the impact of glucose and glutamine metabolic dynamics on the rate of ASFV replication. Our findings demonstrate that ASFV infection favors using glutamine as a metabolic fuel to facilitate self-replication. ASFV replication can be substantially inhibited by blocking glutamine metabolism. The metabolomics analysis of the host cell after late-stage ASFV infection revealed a significant disruption of normal glutamine metabolic pathways due to the abundant expression of PLA (phenyllactic acid). Pretreatment with PLA also inhibited ASFV proliferation and glutamine consumption following infection. The metabolomic analysis also showed that PLA pretreatment greatly slowed down the metabolism of amino acids and nucleotides that depend on glutamine. The depletion of these building blocks directly hindered the replication of ASFV by decreasing the biosynthetic precursors produced during the replication of ASFV’s progeny virus. These findings provide valuable insight into the possibility of pursuing the development of antiviral drugs against ASFV that selectively target metabolic pathways.

Summary: Background: Mediastinal neoplasms are typical thoracic diseases with increasing incidence in the general global population and can lead to poor prognosis. In clinical practice, the mediastinum's complex anatomic structures and intertype confusion among different mediastinal neoplasm pathologies severely hinder accurate diagnosis. To solve these difficulties, we organised a multicentre national collaboration on the basis of privacy-secured federated learning and developed CAIMEN, an efficient chest CT-based artificial intelligence (AI) mediastinal neoplasm diagnosis system. Methods: In this multicentre cohort study, 7825 mediastinal neoplasm cases and 796 normal controls were collected from 24 centres in China to develop CAIMEN. We further enhanced CAIMEN with several novel algorithms in a multiview, knowledge-transferred, multilevel decision-making pattern. CAIMEN was tested by internal (929 cases at 15 centres), external (1216 cases at five centres and a real-world cohort of 11 162 cases), and human–AI (60 positive cases from four centres and radiologists from 15 institutions) test sets to evaluate its detection, segmentation, and classification performance. Findings: In the external test experiments, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for detecting mediastinal neoplasms of CAIMEN was 0·973 (95% CI 0·969–0·977). In the real-world cohort, CAIMEN detected 13 false-negative cases confirmed by radiologists. The dice score for segmenting mediastinal neoplasms of CAIMEN was 0·765 (0·738–0·792). The mediastinal neoplasm classification top-1 and top-3 accuracy of CAIMEN were 0·523 (0·497–0·554) and 0·799 (0·778–0·822), respectively. In the human–AI test experiments, CAIMEN outperformed clinicians with top-1 and top-3 accuracy of 0·500 (0·383–0·633) and 0·800 (0·700–0·900), respectively. Meanwhile, with assistance from the computer aided diagnosis software based on CAIMEN, the 46 clinicians improved their average top-1 accuracy by 19·1% (0·345–0·411) and top-3 accuracy by 13·0% (0·545–0·616). Interpretation: For mediastinal neoplasms, CAIMEN can produce high diagnostic accuracy and assist the diagnosis of human experts, showing its potential for clinical practice. Funding: National Key R&D Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, and Beijing Natural Science Foundation.

Background & Aims: Rat hepatitis E virus (Rocahepevirus ratti; HEV-C1) is an emerging cause of hepatitis E that is divergent from conventional human-infecting HEV variants (Paslahepevirus balayani; HEV-A). Validated serological assays for HEV-C1 are lacking. We aimed to develop a parallel enzymatic immunoassay (EIA) system that identifies individuals with HEV-C1 exposure. We also aimed to conduct the first HEV-C1 seroprevalence study in humans using this validated EIA system. Methods: Expressed HEV-A (HEV-A4 p239) and HEV-C1 (HEV-C1 p241) peptides were characterised. Blood samples were simultaneously tested in HEV-A4 p239 and HEV-C1 p241 IgG EIAs. An optical density (OD) cut-off-based interpretation algorithm for identifying samples seropositive for HEV-A or HEV-C1 was validated using RT-PCR-positive infection sera. This algorithm was used to measure HEV-C1 seroprevalence in 599 solid organ transplant recipients and 599 age-matched immunocompetent individuals. Results: Both peptides formed virus-like particles. When run in HEV-A4 p239 and HEV-C1 p241 EIAs, HEV-A and HEV-C1 RT-PCR-positive samples formed distinct clusters with minimal overlap in a two-dimensional plot of optical density values. The final EIA interpretation algorithm showed high agreement with RT-PCR results (Cohen’s κ = 0.959) and was able to differentiate HEV-A and HEV-C1 infection sera with an accuracy of 94.2% (95% CI: 85.8–98.4%). HEV-C1 IgG seroprevalence was 7/599 (1.2%) among solid organ transplant recipients and 4/599 (0.7%) among immunocompetent individuals. Five of 11 (45.5%) of these patients had history of transient hepatitis of unknown cause. Conclusions: HEV-C1 exposure was identified in 11/1198 (0.92%) individuals in Hong Kong indicating endemic exposure. This is the first estimate of HEV-C1 seroprevalence in humans. The parallel IgG EIA algorithm is a valuable tool for investigating epidemiology and risk factors for HEV-C1 infection. Impact and Implications: Rat hepatitis E virus has recently been discovered to infect humans, but antibody tests for this infection are lacking, making it difficult to gauge how common this infection is. We developed an antibody test algorithm that can identify individuals with past rat hepatitis E virus exposure. We used this algorithm to estimate rat hepatitis E exposure rates in humans in Hong Kong and found that approximately 1% of all tested people had been exposed to this virus previously.

In the context of cattle farm environments, intricate environmental interferences have presented challenges that impede seamless data acquisition. This paper introduces a novel approach, the integration of a fusion gate transformation mechanism and a variational autoencoder GAN, which we term GCT-VAE-GAN, aimed at enhancing low-light images from cattle farm settings. Initially, our approach involves the design of an encoding network tasked with augmenting the original images. Subsequently, we advance our methodology by formulating a generative network to effectively address the challenges of image diversification and poor image quality. Notably, the inclusion of an attention mechanism block within the FFN layer facilitates the fusion of these extracted features, resulting in the generation of high-quality images. Furthermore, to achieve proficient image discrimination, we implement a dual-discriminator structured discriminative network for the conclusive image discrimination task. The culmination of our approach involves the formulation of a comprehensive joint loss function, thereby constituting the core of the model’s loss module. Moreover, through comparative experiments, we aptly demonstrate the remarkable superiority of the GCT-VAE-GAN approach. The conducted experiments reveal the model’s consistent performance and resilience under varying illumination scenarios. The outcomes of our study underscore its significant relevance in elevating the quality of low-light images within cattle farm contexts. Furthermore, our approach exhibits the potential to enhance the efficacy of computer vision tasks, signifying a notable stride toward improved agricultural imaging techniques.

Cattle’s individual identification plays a crucial role in effectively managing large farms. To enhance agricultural efficiency, promote the digital transformation of animal husbandry, and improve animal welfare, it is essential to employ advanced identification technologies capable of real-time monitoring of cattle individual. This paper introduces a novel network called Open Pose Mask R-CNN (OP-Mask R-CNN) for individual cattle identification, which combines Open Pose with the Mask R-CNN network. Three key strategies are presented to improve the identification of individual cattle. First, optimize the number of convolutional layers in the Mask R-CNN backbone network, i.e., ResNet101. Second, introduce an Open Pose-based bovine skeleton feature extraction method. Finally, construct a fusion mechanism that combines the attention module, the convolutional block attention module (CBAM), the open pose module, and the ResNet101. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method achieves a 5.6% increase in recognition accuracy and improves recognition speed compared to the original Mask R-CNN model. This work strikes a balance between accuracy and complexity, facilitating the development of a lightweight bovine individual recognition technique.

The tumor recurrence and drug resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) threatened patients a lot. The mechanism should be further explored. The information of expression status and survival were available in public databases. The Western blot and immunohistochemistry staining displayed the level of related proteins. CCK-8, colony-formation assays, transwell assay and wound healing assay were performed to illustrate the ability of tumor growth, invasion and migration. In vivo model was established to verify our cell experiments. In our study, we revealed that proteasome 26S subunit, non-ATPase 12 (PSMD12) was high expressed in HCC tissues and positive related to the survival. In vitro experiments suggested that PSMD12 knockdown attenuated tumor cell growth, invasion and migration. Moreover, PSMD12 interference blocked the activation of MEK-ERK pathway. The ERK inhibitor could alleviate the tumor-promoting effect in PSMD12-overexpression cells. In addition, kinesin family member 15 (KIF15) was also observed to be highly expressed in HCC and be harmful to the survival. The public database, the images of immunohistochemistry and the western blot illustrated that PSMD12 and KIF15 was positive correlated. KIF15 knockdown impaired tumor progression and tumor-promoting effect of PSMD12. The xenograft models supported the results of cell experiments. In conclusion, PSMD12 could activated MEK-ERK pathway via KIF15 upregulation, thereby promoting tumor progression.

Enzalutamide (ENZ) is a second-generation androgen receptor (AR) antagonist used for the treatment of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) and reportedly prolongs survival time within a year of starting therapy. However, CRPC patients can develop ENZ resistance (ENZR), mainly driven by abnormal reactivation of AR signaling, involving increased expression of the full-length AR (ARfl) or dominantly active androgen receptor splice variant 7 (ARv7) and ARfl/ARv7 heterodimers. There is currently no efficient treatment for ENZR in CRPC. Herein, a small molecule LLU-206 was rationally designed based on the ENZ structure and exhibited potent inhibition of both ARfl and constitutively active ARv7 to inhibit PCa proliferation and suppress ENZR in CRPC. Mechanically, LLU-206 promoted ARfl/ARv7 protein degradation and decreased ARfl/ARv7 heterodimers through mouse double minute 2-mediated ubiquitination. Finally, LLU-206 exhibited favorable pharmacokinetic properties with poor permeability across the blood–brain barrier, leading to a lower prevalence of adverse effects, including seizure and neurotoxicity, than ENZ-based therapies. In a nutshell, our findings demonstrated that LLU-206 could effectively inhibit ARfl/ARv7-driven CRPC by dual-targeting of ARfl/ARv7 heterodimers and protein degradation, providing new insights for the design of new-generation AR inhibitors to overcome ARfl/ARv7-driven CRPC.

The islands and offshore fish farming platforms in the deep sea can form a land-sea networked fishery microgrids to realize the complementary supply of energy. The fishery microgrid contains a high proportion of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar and waves, and mixed AC and DC loads such as feed machine, energy storage, and fishery robot. Due to the harsh operating environment, the possibility of equipment damage increases, and the requirements for system stability are higher. In this paper, firstly, the definition of transient stability of land-sea networked fishery microgrids is given. Then, the key features of the fishery microgrid is introduced, and the influence of the microsource interface type, control strategy, current limiting mechanism and load characteristics on the transient stability is expounded. The definition of power Angle of fishery microgrid and the characterization of instability system are given. Next, the research trends of transient stability are sorted out, evaluated and discussed from two aspects: approaches of transient stability analysis and methods to improve transient stability. Finally, the key issues that need to be solved urgently in the research on the transient stability of the land-sea networked fishery microgrids are summarized, and the relevant research directions are prospected.

The sloshing response is crucial to the design and operation of aquaculture vessels and affects the safety of the culture equipment and the efficiency of the culture operation. A 1/50 scaled model was utilized to investigate the coupled sloshing response characteristics of a novel aquaculture vessel in a wave basin. Two wave directions (beam and head wave) and two filling levels (81.5% and 47.4%) are taken into account. The time-domain and frequency-domain characteristics of the sloshing response under the linear regular wave and extreme operational sea state were investigated using regular wave tests and irregular wave tests, respectively. The sloshing mechanism in the aquaculture tanks is complicated, due to the coupling effect between external waves, ship motion, and internal sloshing. In linear regular waves, the wave frequency mode dominates the sloshing response, which is larger under beam wave conditions than under head wave conditions and larger under half load conditions than full load conditions. The irregular wave test results confirmed the regular wave test conclusions, but the sloshing response has stronger nonlinearity, higher natural modes appeared, and the amplitude of the higher natural modes is also relatively larger.

Bioactive glasses (BG), notably 63s BG, possess distinct properties such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, and the ability to boost cellular interactions. Our research concentrated on formulating polycaprolactone (PCL) porous scaffolds enriched with 63s BG to gauge their combined mechanical and biological potentials. Using twin-screw extrusion, we created composites containing 5%, 10%, and 20% 63s BG. These were transformed into cylindrical scaffolds using 3D printing. Our assessments involved melt flow, SEM, XRD, water contact angle metrics, DSC, and extracorporeal degradation. After co-culturing with MC3T3-E1 cells, an uptick in alkaline phosphatase activity was noted. Preliminary findings demonstrated that as 63s BG content increased, the properties of the composites improved. Yet, they fell short of replicating the mechanical nuances of cortical bone, rendering them inapt for load-bearing orthopedic applications but suitable for mending minor bone defects or cartilage. In summary, while 63s BG brings about significant advancements in scaffold attributes, attaining the mechanical traits ideal for certain medical purposes remains elusive. This investigation offers foundational insights for the evolution of optimized bone tissue engineering materials.

Cattle behavior classification technology holds a crucial position within the realm of smart cattle farming. Addressing the requisites of cattle behavior classification in the agricultural sector, this paper presents a novel cattle behavior classification network tailored for intricate environments. This network amalgamates the capabilities of CNN and Bi-LSTM. Initially, a data collection method is devised within an authentic farm setting, followed by the delineation of eight fundamental cattle behaviors. The foundational step involves utilizing VGG16 as the cornerstone of the CNN network, thereby extracting spatial feature vectors from each video data sequence. Subsequently, these features are channeled into a Bi-LSTM classification model, adept at unearthing semantic insights from temporal data in both directions. This process ensures precise recognition and categorization of cattle behaviors. To validate the model’s efficacy, ablation experiments, generalization effect assessments, and comparative analyses under consistent experimental conditions are performed. These investigations, involving module replacements within the classification model and comprehensive analysis of ablation experiments, affirm the model’s effectiveness. The self-constructed dataset about cattle is subjected to evaluation using cross-entropy loss, assessing the model’s generalization efficacy across diverse subjects and viewing perspectives. Classification performance accuracy is quantified through the application of a confusion matrix. Furthermore, a set of comparison experiments is conducted, involving three pertinent deep learning models: MASK-RCNN, CNN-LSTM, and EfficientNet-LSTM. The outcomes of these experiments unequivocally substantiate the superiority of the proposed model. Empirical results underscore the CNN-Bi-LSTM model’s commendable performance metrics: achieving 94.3% accuracy, 94.2% precision, and 93.4% recall while navigating challenges such as varying light conditions, occlusions, and environmental influences. The objective of this study is to employ a fusion of CNN and Bi-LSTM to autonomously extract features from multimodal data, thereby addressing the challenge of classifying cattle behaviors within intricate scenes. By surpassing the constraints imposed by conventional methodologies and the analysis of single-sensor data, this approach seeks to enhance the precision and generalizability of cattle behavior classification. The consequential practical, economic, and societal implications for the agricultural sector are of considerable significance.

Abstract A non‐equal gap distance dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) between cone‐shape and a cylinder‐shaped electrodes is reported. The DBD is driven by a nanosecond voltage pulse. When the pulse frequency is 500 Hz or lower, ladder‐shape plasma with multiple plasma layers is generated within the gap, with a distance increasing from 1 to 7 mm. According to high‐speed photographs of the plasma captured by an intensified charge‐coupled camera detector camera, the ladder‐shaped plasma is formed owing to propagation of ring‐shaped plasma from the region of the short‐gap distance to the region of long‐gap distance with regular variations in its propagation speed. The propagation speed drops to zero and lasts for about 20–30 ns at the region of each plasma layer, which results in bright plasma layers. The electric field of the plasma layer at the region of the different gap distance is evaluated according to the optical emission intensity ratio R391/394 of N2+ at 391 nm and N2 at 394 nm. The obtained electric field drops from 8.1 to 6.4 kV/mm when the plasma is propagated from regions of gap distance of 2–5 mm. When the pulse frequency is increased to 1 kHz or higher, the discharge changes into a filamentary mode and the multiple‐layer plasma disappears.

Abstract Background Lipofibromatosis is a rare, benign, soft tissue tumor that usually presents in children. Low incidence and lack of specificity in clinical presentation make its diagnosis difficult. Case presentation This is a case report of a patient with a giant lipofibromatosis on the back that resembles an infantile hemangioma, which posed great difficulty in diagnosis due to atypical clinical manifestations. After the postoperative pathological and immunohistochemical examination and fluorescence in situ hybridization, the patient was finally diagnosed with lipofibromatosis. Conclusions The incidence of fibromatosis was low. This case presents an atypical clinical manifestation since the tumor growth was on the back, and this can easily cause misdiagnosis. This case suggests that the diagnosis of lipofibromatosis depends on the pathology and fluorescence in situ hybridization.

BackgroundLynch syndrome is a genetic disease characterized by abnormal DNA replication caused by germline variation in the mismatch repair (MMR) gene. There are rare non-classical phenotypes with loss of MMR protein expression and inconsistent microsatellite stability (MSS) in Lynch syndrome-related colorectal cancers. However, the difference between microsatellite instability (MSI) of extraintestinal tumors in a patient with Lynch syndrome has been closely studied. Herein, we reported the non-classical phenotypes of mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) and MSI in four cases of Lynch syndrome in patients with colorectal cancer and other primary and metastatic tumors.MethodsA retrospective analysis was conducted on four patients diagnosed with Lynch syndrome between 2018 and 2022 in the Department of Pathology of the Rocket Forces Specialized Medical Center. A one-step immunohistochemical (IHC) assay was employed to detect loss in the expression of Lynch syndrome-associated MMR proteins (MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6). MSI detection was performed in both primary and metastatic tumors at different sites in the four patients using NCI 2B3D (BAT25, BAT26, D2S123, D17S250, and D5S346) and single nucleotide site (BAT25, BAT26, NR21, NR24, NR27, and MONO27) methods. In addition, related MMR gene germline variation, somatic mutations, and MLH1 gene promoter methylation were analyzed using next-generation sequencing and TaqMan probe-based methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MethyLight).ResultsTwo of the four patients were heterozygous for MSH6 germline pathogenic variation, and the other two were heterozygous for MSH2 germline pathogenic variation. In all cases, IHC detection of protein expression of the MMR gene with germline variation was negative in all primary and metastatic tumors; non-classical phenotypes of dMMR and MSI were present between primary and metastatic tumors at different sites. dMMR in Lynch colorectal cancer demonstrated high MSI, whereas MSI in primary and metastatic tumors outside the intestine mostly exhibited MSS or low MSI.ConclusionsThe non-classical dMMR and MSI phenotype are mostly observed in Lynch syndrome, even in the context of MMR protein expression loss. Extraintestinal tumors infrequently present with a high degree of MSI and often exhibit a stable or low degree of MSI.

EIDD-2801 is an orally bioavailable prodrug, which will be applied for emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of COVID-19. To investigate the optimal parameters, EIDD-2801 was optimized via a four-step synthesis with high purity of 99.9%. The hydroxylamination procedure was telescoped in a one-pot and the final step was precisely controlled on reagents, temperature and reaction time. Compared to the original route, the yield of the new route was enhanced from 17% to 58% without column chromatography. The optimized synthesis has been successfully determinated on a decagram scale: the first step at 200 g and the final step at 20 g. Besides, the relationship between yield and temperature, time, and reagents in the deprotection step was investigated via Shapley value explanation and machine learning approach-decision tree method. The results revealed that reagents have the greatest impact on yield estimation, followed by the temperature.

To provide service of all-weather, full automation and high precision deformation monitoring and to furthest reduce the effects of space environment factors on the high precision real-time positioning, on the digital CDRadio edge of RTK GNSS core analytic computing technology fusion algorithm is used, and “the Beidou high-precision geological disaster monitoring system with edge calculation based on broadcasting RTK”is developed, which is characterized by the independent intellectual property rights and structure open. The system can run stably for a long time, and can satisfy the functional requirements and non-functional requirements of all users. Taking the unstable slope of block 8 in the Gemstone Garden in Changzhou District of Wuzhou as an example, the monitoring results from May to November 2020 are analyzed. The monitoring data show that the whole slope body is in the stage of slow development, and the front edge of the slope top has a tendency of peristatically moving and sinking. The whole slope body tends to develop towards the southeast direction. Through the establishment of a good system information interaction platform, the statistical analysis information formed by the system is transmitted to users in a high speed and convenient way, which effectively improves the users' system management, decision-making and application ability. It can fully mine the data resources of the system, provide real-time forecasting services, effectively improve the accuracy and reliability of information collection, transmission, processing, analysis and forecast, comprehensively improve the ability of geological disaster monitoring, early warning and forecast management, and better provide scientific basis for the decision-making and command of management departments at all levels in emergency rescue and disaster relief.

Ferritinophagy, a form of autophagy, is also an important part of ferroptosis, a type of regulated cell death resulting from abnormal iron metabolism involving the production of reactive oxygen species. As ferroptosis, autophagy and cancer have been revealed, ferritinophagy has attracted increasing attention in cancer development. In this review, we discuss the latest research progress on ferroptosis, autophagy-associated ferroptosis led by ferritinophagy, the regulators of ferritinophagy and promising cancer treatments that target ferritinophagy. Ferritinophagy is at the intersection of ferroptosis and autophagy and plays a significant role in cancer development. The discussed studies provide new insights into the mechanisms of ferritinophagy and promising related treatments for cancer.

Background & Aims: HEV variants such as swine genotypes within Paslahepevirus species balayani (HEV-A) and rat HEV (Rocahepevirus ratti; HEV-C1) cause chronic hepatitis E in immunocompromised individuals. There are few reliable and accessible small animal models that accurately reflect chronic HEV infection. We aimed to develop an immunocompromised rat model of chronic hepatitis E infection. Methods: In this animal model infection study, rats were immunosuppressed with a drug combination (prednisolone, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil) commonly taken by transplant recipients. Rats were challenged with human- and rat-derived HEV-C1 strains or a human-derived HEV-A strain. Viral load, liver function, liver histology, humoural, and cellular immune responses were monitored. Results: A high-dose (HD) immunosuppressive regimen consistently prolonged human- and rat-derived HEV-C1 infection in rats (up to 12 weeks post infection) compared with transient infections in low-dose (LD) immunosuppressant-treated and immunocompetent (IC) rats. Mean HEV-C1 viral loads in stool, serum, and liver tissue were higher in HD regimen-treated rats than in LD or IC rats (p

Several studies have revealed that fruit-zone leaf removal could change the microclimate of grapevine growth, thereby causing complex effects on fruit composition. This study analyzed the profiles of volatiles in Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) grapes exposed to leaf removal treatment at different phenological periods in three continuous years. The treatments (leaf removal before flowering, after flowering, and veraison) were applied to Cabernet Sauvignon grapevines grown in Yantai (Shandong, China). Berry samples were harvested at maturation to determine the chemical composition, including total soluble solids, phenols, and volatiles. Leaf removal (particularly before flowering) could increase total soluble solids and phenols (anthocyanins, flavonols, and tartaric esters). Volatiles greatly changed in the different years, and leaf removal before flowering could increase the concentration of amino acid-derived volatiles and isoprene-derived volatiles compared with leaf removal after flowering or at veraison. This research provides a basis for further studies on optimizing Cabernet Sauvignon aroma and breeding in vineyards.

Lipid ordering in cell membranes has been increasingly recognized as an important factor in establishing and regulating a large variety of biological functions. Multiple investigations into lipid organization focused on assessing ordering from temperature-induced phase transitions, which are often well outside the physiological range. However, particular stresses elicited by environmental factors, such as hypo-osmotic stress or protein insertion into membranes, with respect to changes in lipid status and ordering at constant temperature are insufficiently described. To fill these gaps in our knowledge, we exploited the well-established ability of environmentally sensitive membrane probes to detect intramembrane changes at the molecular level. Our steady state fluorescence spectroscopy experiments focused on assessing changes in optical responses of Laurdan and diphenylhexatriene upon exposure of red blood cells to hypo-osmotic stress and pore-forming toxins at room temperature. We verified our utilized experimental systems by a direct comparison of the results with prior reports on artificial membranes and cholesterol-depleted membranes undergoing temperature changes. The significant changes observed in the lipid order after exposure to hypo-osmotic stress or pore-forming toxins resembled phase transitions of lipids in membranes, which we explained by considering the short-range interactions between membrane components and the hydrophobic mismatch between membrane thickness and inserted proteins. Our results suggest that measurements of optical responses from the membrane probes constitute an appropriate method for assessing the status of lipids and phase transitions in target membranes exposed to mechanical stresses or upon the insertion of transmembrane proteins.

Landslides are a major concern in the mountainous regions of southwest China, leading to significant loss of life and property damage. Therefore, it is crucial to identify potential landslides for early warning and mitigation. stacking-InSAR, a technique used for landslide identification in a wide area, has been found to be faster than conventional time-series InSAR. However, the dense vegetation in southwest China mountains has an adverse impact on the coherence of stacking-InSAR, resulting in more noise and inaccuracies in landslide identification. To address this problem, this paper proposes an improved seasonal interferometry stacking-InSAR method. It uses Sentinel-1 satellite data from 2017 to 2022. The study area is the river valley section of the G213 road from Wenchuan County to Mao County. The study reveals the characteristics of seasonal decoherence in the steep mountainous region, and identifies a total of 21 potential landslides using the improved method. Additionally, optical satellite imagery and LiDAR data were used to assist in the identification of potential landslides. The results of the conventional stacking-InSAR method and the improved seasonal interferometry stacking-InSAR method are compared, showing that the latter is more effective in noise suppression caused by low coherence. Their standard deviations were reduced by 46%, 22%, 10%, and 14%, respectively, using the quantitative statistics for the four tested areas. The proposed method provides an efficient and effective approach for detecting potential landslides in the mountainous regions of southwest China. It can serve as a valuable technical reference for future landslide identification studies in this area.

As researchers globally work towards a fully digital representation of the earth and its processes – i.e. a true Digital Earth – the need grows for software and systems to link disparate computer simulation models of various parts of the earth in a reliable and highly functional way. Web services have been demonstrated as an effective way to share and reuse models as they enable communication and interoperation among applications via the Internet. However, even using well-designed software tools, it remains a daunting process to publish heterogeneous environmental models as web services and provide long-term maintenance in response to changing computational environments. We present an approach that enables environmental models to be published as long-term functional web services on the same platform regardless of execution mode, programming language, and computational environment conflicts. The approach adopts the OpenGMS Wrapper System (OGMS-WS) for service publishing and Docker containers for model isolation. A streamflow prediction service is developed using this approach and is applied to analyze historical streamflow trends in Bangladesh. We demonstrate that this approach can lower the barrier to deploying heterogeneous environmental models as long-term functional web services, contributing to the development of a Digital Earth.