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Current studies on facial growth and development have been largely based on European populations. Less studied are African populations, who because of their distinct genetic makeup and environmental conditions, provide deeper insights into patterns of facial development. Patterns of facial shape development in African populations remain largely uncharacterised. Our study aimed to establish facial growth and development trajectories based on a cohort of 2874 Bantu Africans from Tanzania aged 6–18 years, with particular focus on identifying morphogenetic processes that lead to observed developmental shape changes. Procrustes ANCOVA suggested sexually dimorphic patterns of facial shape development (p = 0.0036). The forehead was relatively contracted during development in both sexes. The glabella region was more anteriorly displaced in females due to expansion in the region laterosuperior to the eyes. Nasal protrusion increased with development, which was found to arise from local expansion in the nasal alae and columella. Local expansion in the upper and lower labial regions resulted in forward displaced lips in both sexes, with the effect more pronounced in males. The mentum was displaced more anteriorly in females due to comparatively more expanded mental regions with development. The lateral facial region corresponding to the underlying body of the mandible were developmentally expanded but were posteriorly positioned due to protrusive growth of surrounding structures. Generalised additive modelling of Procrustes variance suggested that facial variation decreased non‐linearly with age (p < 0.05). Relative principal component analysis suggested that variations in facial outline shape were developmentally constrained, whereas nasolabial and mental regions, where developmental changes were significant, became morphologically diversified with development. In contrast to simple descriptive illustration of facial shape development, we gained transformative insights into patterns of facial shape development by analysing morphogenetic processes and variational properties. Our analytical framework is broadly applicable to morphometric studies on ontogenetic shape changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Primary pulmonary lymphoepithelioma‐like carcinoma (PLELC) is a subtype of lung carcinoma associated with the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). The clinical predictive biomarkers of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in PLELC require further investigation. Methods: We prospectively analysed EBV levels in the blood and immune tumor biomarkers of 31 patients with ICB‐treated PLELC. Viral EBNA‐1 and BamHI‐W DNA fragments in the plasma were quantified in parallel using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: Progression‐free survival (PFS) was significantly longer in EBNA‐1 high or BamHI‐W high groups. A longer PFS was also observed in patients with both high plasma EBNA‐1 or BamHI‐W and PD‐L1 ≥ 1%. Intriguingly, the tumor mutational burden was inversely correlated with EBNA‐1 and BamHI‐W. Plasma EBV load was negatively associated with intratumoral CD8+ immune cell infiltration. Dynamic changes in plasma EBV DNA level were in accordance with the changes in tumor volume. An increase in EBV DNA levels during treatment indicated molecular progression that preceded the imaging progression by several months. Conclusions: Plasma EBV DNA could be a useful and easy‐to‐use biomarker for predicting the clinical activity of ICB in PLELC and could serve to monitor disease progression earlier than computed tomography imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear graphite plays a crucial role in thermal-spectrum thorium molten salt reactors (TMSRs) as both the neutron moderator and the construct for the coolant flowing channel. When subjected to irradiation and elevated temperatures, graphite components experience considerable deformation due to a combination of dimensional changes, thermal expansion, irradiation creep, elastic deformation, and changes in thermomechanical characteristics. The lifespan of the graphite component is a limiting factor in TMSR designs as it strongly correlates with the dimensional changes of the graphite. To evaluate the thermal and mechanical reactions of graphite component under TMSR core conditions, it is necessary to couple models of thermal-hydraulics, neutronics, and thermal-mechanics. This paper presents an enhanced methodology for analyzing the deformation of graphite components using the finite element method. Then, this method was applied to analyze a 10-year deformation history of a hexagonal prism assembly (HPA) and it was compared with the traditional hexagonal round channel assembly (RCA). The results demonstrate that the stress–strain field of both types of graphite components undergo significant variations with the increasing neutron fluence from irradiation. HPA graphite exhibits a slower deformation as compared to RCA graphite when subjected to identical operating conditions. In this case, HPA graphite has a lifespan of approximately 10 years, while RCA graphite lasts only 8.8 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Melons (Cucumis melo L.) are among the most commonly consumed fruits but they are highly susceptible to mechanical damage and rot during storage and transportation. New processed products are needed to avoid postharvest fruit loss and to increase health benefits. Fermentation is an effective means of utilizing the nutrients and improving flavor. RESULTS: Fermented melon juice (MJ) was prepared using three potential probiotics Lactiplantibacillus plantarum CICC21824 (LP), Lactiplantibacillus plantarum GB3‐2 (LG), and Lactiplantibacillus pentosus XZ‐34 (LX). The nutrition, flavor characteristics, and digestive properties of different fermented MJs were compared. The results demonstrated that, in comparison with mono‐fermentation, mixed fermentation by LG and LX could increase the level of organic acids and phenolic acids. Correspondingly, antioxidant capacity was improved significantly and positively correlated with p‐coumaric acid and cinnamic acid content. The production of alcohols and acids was more strongly enhanced by mixed culture fermentation, whereas mono‐fermentation reduced the content of esters, especially ethyl acetate and isopropyl acetate. Aldehydes and ketones increased significantly in fermented MJ, and damascenone and heptanal could be the characteristic aroma compounds. CONCLUSION: Mixed fermented MJ provides more beneficial phytochemicals, better flavor, and stronger antioxidant properties than mono‐fermentation. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Document-level relation extraction aims to uncover relations between entities by harnessing the intricate information spread throughout a document. Previous research involved constructing discrete syntactic matrices to capture syntactic relationships within documents. However, these methods are significantly influenced by dependency parsing errors, leaving much of the latent syntactic information untapped. Moreover, prior research has mainly focused on modeling two-hop reasoning between entity pairs, which has limited applicability in scenarios requiring multi-hop reasoning. To tackle these challenges, a syntax-enhanced multi-hop reasoning network (SEMHRN) is proposed. Specifically, the approach begins by using a dependency probability matrix that incorporates richer grammatical information instead of a sparse syntactic parsing matrix to build the syntactic graph. This effectively reduces syntactic parsing errors and enhances the model's robustness. To fully leverage dependency information, dependency-type-aware attention is introduced to refine edge weights based on connecting edge types. Additionally, a part-of-speech prediction task is included to regularize word embeddings. Unrelated entity pairs can disrupt the model's focus, reducing its efficiency. To concentrate the model's attention on related entity pairs, these related pairs are extracted, and a multi-hop reasoning graph attention network is employed to capture the multi-hop dependencies among them. Experimental results on three public document-level relation extraction datasets validate that SEMHRN achieves a competitive F1 score compared to the current state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermented foods have shown promise in preventing or treating ulcerative colitis (UC) via regulating intestinal flora and correcting metabolic disorders. However, the prevention effect of fermented Wallace melon juice (FMJ) on UC is unclear. In this study, the effects of FMJ on dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)‐induced UC were investigated via 16S rRNA sequencing and non‐targeted metabolomics. The results showed that FMJ was effective in alleviating the symptoms of UC, reducing histological damage and oxidative stress, decreasing the levels of pro‐inflammatory cytokines. After FMJ treatment, the level of propionic acid, butyric acid, and valeric acid increased by 14.1%, 44.4%, and 52.4% compared to DSS‐induced UC mice. Meanwhile, the levels of harmful bacteria such as Oscillospira, Bacteroidetes, and Erysipelotrichaceae and Clostridium decreased, while the levels of beneficial bacteria such as Akkermansia, Lactobacillus, and Bifidobacterium increased. Fecal metabolomics analysis identified 31 differential metabolites, which could regulate metabolic disorders in UC mice by controlling the primary bile acid biosynthesis, purine metabolism, and pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis pathway. Additionally, the abundances of butyric acid, bile acids, and pantothenic acid were positively correlated with Allobaculum, Bifidobacterium, and other beneficial bacteria (R2 > 0.80, p < 0.01). The results indicated that FMJ played a role in regulating the structure of intestinal flora, which in turn helped in repairing metabolic disorders and alleviated colitis inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To reveal the overall sperm retrieval rate (SRR) and range in patients with azoospermia factor c (AZFc) microdeletion azoospermia by microdissection testicular sperm extraction (mTESE) and discuss the differences of preoperative patient factors among studies with various SRRs. Patients and Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science and Embase until February 2023. All studies reporting SRRs by mTESE and required parameters of patients with AZFc microdeletions were included. The primary outcome was the SRR and, if available, the pregnancy rate (PR) and live‐birth rate (LBR) after intracytoplasmic sperm injection were also investigated as secondary outcomes. Results: Eventually 11 cohort studies were included in this review. A total number of 441 patients underwent mTESE and in 275 of them sperm was obtained, reaching an overall SRR of 62.4%. The SRRs among studies had a wide range from 25.0% to 85.7%. The studies reporting higher SRRs generally had older mean ages, and higher follicle‐stimulating hormone and testosterone levels. Only four studies provided practical data on pregnancies and live‐born children of patients with AZFc microdeletions, so the overall PR and LBR were unavailable. Conclusions: The overall SRR of patients with AZFc microdeletion azoospermia was 62.4%. The effect of patient factors in SR needs further evidence in future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-centered chemodynamic therapy (CDT) holds significant potential for tumor-specific treatment. However, insufficient endogenous H 2 O 2 and extra glutathione within tumor microenvironment (TME) severely deteriorate the CDT's effectiveness. Herein, rich-Zn-Co 3 O 4 / N -doped porous carbon (Zn-Co 3 O 4 /NC) was fabricated by two-step pyrolysis, and applied to build high-efficiency nano-platform for synergistic cancer therapy upon combination with glucose oxidase (GOx), labeled Zn-Co 3 O 4 /NC-GOx for clarity. Specifically, the multiple enzyme-like activities of the Zn-Co 3 O 4 /NC were scrutinously investigated, including peroxidase-like activity to convert H 2 O 2 to O 2 ∙−, catalase-like activity to decompose H 2 O 2 into O 2 , and oxidase-like activity to transform O 2 to O 2 ∙−, which achieved the CDT through the catalytic cascade reaction. Simultaneously, GOx reacted with intracellular glucose to produce gluconic acid and H 2 O 2 , realizing starvation therapy. In the acidic TME, the Zn-Co 3 O 4 /NC-GOx rapidly caused intracellular Zn2+ pool overload and disrupted cellular homeostasis for ion-intervention therapy. Additionally, the Zn-Co 3 O 4 /NC exhibited glutathione peroxidase-like activity, which consumed glutathione in tumor cells and reduced the ROS consumption for ferroptosis. The tumor treatments offer some constructive insights into the nanozyme-mediated catalytic medicine, coupled by avoiding the TME limitations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gold nanostructures and a Nafion modified screen-printed carbon electrode (Nafion/AuNS/SPCE) were developed to assess the cell viability of Parkinson's disease (PD) cell models. The electrochemical measurement of cell viability was reflected by catecholamine neurotransmitter (represented by dopamine) secretion capacity, followed by a traditional tetrazolium-based colorimetric assay for confirmation. Due to the capacity to synthesize, store, and release catecholamines as well as their unlimited homogeneous proliferation, and ease of manipulation, pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells were used for PD cell modeling. Commercial low-differentiated and highly-differentiated PC12 cells, and home-made nerve growth factor (NGF) induced low-differentiated PC12 cells (NGF-differentiated PC12 cells) were included in the modeling. This approach achieved sensitive and rapid determination of cellular modeling and intervention states. Notably, among the three cell lines, NGF-differentiated PC12 cells displayed the enhanced neurotransmitter secretion level accompanied with attenuated growth rate, incremental dendrites in number and length that were highly resemble with neurons. Therefore, it was selected as the PD-tailorable modeling cell line. In short, the electrochemical sensor can be used to sensitively determine the biological function of neuron-like PC12 cells with negligible destruction and to explore the protective and regenerative impact of various substances on nerve cell model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) is a globally prevalent, irreversible eye disease leading to blindness. Previous neuroimaging studies demonstrated that PACG patients were associated with gray matter function changes. However, whether the white matter(WM) function changes in PACG patients remains unknown. The purpose of the study is to investigate WM function changes in the PACG patients. Methods: In total, 40 PACG patients and 40 well-matched HCs participated in our study and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans. We compared between-group differences between PACG patients and HC in the WM function using amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF). In addition, the SVM method was applied to the construction of the PACG classification model. Results: Compared with the HC group, ALFF was attenuated in right posterior thalamic radiation (include optic radiation), splenium of corpus callosum, and left tapetum in the PACG group, the results are statistically significant (GRF correction, voxel-level P < 0.001, cluster-level P < 0.05). Furthermore, the SVM classification had an accuracy of 80.0% and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.86 for distinguishing patients with PACG from HC. Conclusion: The findings of our study uncover abnormal WM functional alterations in PACG patients and mainly involves vision-related regions. These findings provide new insights into widespread brain damage in PACG from an alternative WM functional perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elastic least-squares reverse time migration (ELSRTM) has the potential to provide higher-quality migration images related to the lithology and fluid by imaging multi-component seismic data than conventional elastic reverse time migration (ERTM). Oil and gas are widely stored in fractures and sedimentary rocks. The sedimentary rocks and the rocks with fractures will produce anisotropy. The anisotropy effect should be corrected in migration. In order to correct the anisotropic effect to the images of ELSRTM, a new anisotropic ELSRTM scheme is developed to image the multi-component seismic data in vertical transverse isotropic (VTI) media. This new ELSRTM method can invert high-quality images and correct the anisotropic effect in VTI media. Many ELSRTM methods assume that the density is constant. However, the constant-density assumption will generate false migration results when the density of media is variation. We derive the elastic VTI de-migration operator in the media with density variations based on Born approximation. The adjoint state equations and gradient formulas with respect to medium images in VTI media with density variations are also derived by the adjoint state method. Using the new elastic de-migration operator, adjoint state equations, and gradients in VTI media with density variations, we can produce high-resolution subsurface elastic reflectivity images. Numerical examples from the graben VTI model and modified HESS VTI model demonstrate that the proposed ELSRTM can not only generate the images with high quality but also correct the anisotropic effect in VTI media with density variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three tetrazole-based carboxylic acids, 3,3-di(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)pentanedioic acid (H4L1), 2-(5-pyridin-4-yl-tetrazol-2-yl)propionic anion (HL2), and 5-(2-pyridyl)tetrazole-2-acetic acid (HL3), were selected as ligands to synthesize three new Pb(II)-coordination polymers, [Pb2(L1)] · H2O (1), [Pb(L2)(NO3−)] (2), and [Pb(L3)2(H2O)] · H2O (3). These metal-organic frameworks have been characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The results demonstrated that 1 displayed a 3-D network, while 2 and 3 show 2-D framework and 1-D chain, respectively. The differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analyses gave thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG). The results showed that 1–3 may be promising high-energy materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous expansion of the network scale, network technology is also constantly developing. However, with the continuous deterioration of the security environment, the problem of network safety is improving. The traditional single security method has greatly improved the network's stability, but due to the lack of effective cooperation, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand the state changes of the entire network at all times. In such a large environment, research on network security situational awareness can obtain theoretical value and has certain application prospects. The current understanding of cybersecurity situational awareness is not deep enough. Most cases are built in a single-source environment and cannot accurately reflect the perception of attack phases and sequences. To solve this problem, a new model of network safety situation awareness based on multisource data fusion was proposed. The model can effectively perceive the attack stages and sequences and provide an early warning, which is of great importance to improve the network security situation awareness and maintain the network security environment. On the basis of extracting the degree of dissimilarity, in this paper, the fusion-based method is used to generate the attack trajectory, thus forming the multisource data fusion and reconstruction algorithm and finally forming the network security situational awareness model. Compared with the single-source data fusion and reconstruction algorithm, this method has better performance. The final result shows that when the original number of alarms was 1237, after multisource data fusion, the number of alarms was reduced to 124. Moreover, on the basis of multisource data fusion, the detection rate of the number of alarms reached 86.67%, which was 26.67% higher than that of single-source data fusion; the false alarm rate was 5.63%, which was 1.19% lower than that of single-source data fusion. In addition, when using the trajectory reconstruction method to reconstruct the trajectory, the accuracy of the multisource data fusion algorithm was also 1.18% higher than that of the single source, and the completeness also increased by 2.53% compared with the single source. Therefore, the proposed algorithm has higher efficiency, and it is helpful to establish and study the network safety situation consciousness model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is the most common chronic degenerative joint disease and places a substantial burden on the public health resources in China. The purpose of this study is to preliminarily evaluate whether infrared laser moxibustion (ILM) is non-inferior to traditional moxibustion (TM) in the treatment of KOA. Materials and methods: In the designed Zelen-design randomized controlled non-inferiority clinical trial, a total of 74 patients with KOA will be randomly allocated to one of two interventions: ILM treatment or TM treatment. All participants will receive a 6-week treatment and a follow-up 4 weeks after treatment. The primary outcomes will be the mean change in pain scores on the numeric rating scale (NRS) measured at baseline and the end of last treatment at week 6. The secondary outcomes will be the pain scores on the NRS from weeks 1 to 5 after the start of treatment and the changes from baseline to endpoints (weeks 6 and 10) in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), SF-36, knee circumference, and 6-min walking test. In addition, safety assessment will be performed throughout the trial. Conclusion: The results of our study will help determine whether a 6-week treatment with ILM is non-inferior to TM in patients with KOA, therefore providing evidence to verify if ILM can become a safer alternative for TM in clinical applications in the future. Trial registration: Clinical Trial Registration Platform (ChiCTR2200065264); Pre-results. Registered on 1 November 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: We sought to identify and optimise a universally available histological marker for pericytes in the human brain. Such a marker could be a useful tool for researchers. Further, identifying a gene expressed relatively specifically in human pericytes could provide new insights into the biological functions of this fascinating cell type. Methods: We analysed single‐cell RNA expression profiles derived from different human and mouse brain regions using a high‐throughput and low‐cost single‐cell transcriptome sequencing method called EasySci. Through this analysis, we were able to identify specific gene markers for pericytes, some of which had not been previously characterised. We then used commercially (and therefore universally) available antibodies to immunolabel the pericyte‐specific gene products in formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) human brains and also performed immunoblots to determine whether appropriately sized proteins were recognised. Results: In the EasySci data sets, highly pericyte‐enriched expression was notable for SLC6A12 and SLC19A1. Antibodies against these proteins recognised bands of approximately the correct size in immunoblots of human brain extracts. Following optimisation of the immunohistochemical technique, staining for both antibodies was strongly positive in small blood vessels and was far more effective than a PDGFRB antibody at staining pericyte‐like cells in FFPE human brain sections. In an exploratory sample of other human organs (kidney, lung, liver, muscle), immunohistochemistry did not show the same pericyte‐like pattern of staining. Conclusions: The SLC6A12 antibody was well suited for labelling pericytes in human FFPE brain sections, based on the combined results of single‐cell RNA‐seq analyses, immunoblots and immunohistochemical studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the chiral unitary approach, we evaluate the hidden strange B c -like molecular states of b c ¯ s s ¯ systems B ¯ s D ¯ s , B ¯ s ∗ D ¯ s , B ¯ s D ¯ s ∗ , and B ¯ s ∗ D ¯ s ∗ coupled to the non-strange channels. The S-wave scattering amplitudes are calculated based on the vector meson exchange, four pseudoscalar mesons contact interactions, and four vector mesons contact interactions obtained from the extended local hidden gauge approach. We find six states below the threshold of the most relevant channel. The binding energies of these states are around 1–10 MeV and the widths are around 0.2–0.7 MeV. Our research is a supplement to the mass spectra of B c -like states, which may be useful for the experimental search in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Blood transfusion after kidney transplantation may increase the risk of sensitization and development of de novo human leukocyte antigen (HLA) donor-specific antibodies (DSAs). This study aimed to evaluate whether blood transfusion during the first year after kidney transplantation influences the development of de novo DSAs and clinical outcomes of kidney transplantation recipients. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included nonsensitized first-time kidney transplantation recipients at Tianjin First Central Hospital from 2010 to 2022. The incidence of de novo DSA development and clinical outcomes between the groups were compared. Luminex single antigen beads were used to monitor DSAs. Results: Of the 538 non-HLA-sensitized kidney transplantation recipients included in the study, 164 patients who received at least one unit of leukoreduced red blood cell transfusion within the first year (the transfused group), whereas the remaining 374 patients received no blood transfusion (the non-transfused group). Our analysis showed that there was a significant difference in the development of de novo DSAs and de novo anti-class I HLAAb between the two groups. Indeed, the transfused recipients had a higher serum creatinine and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at 1-, 6-, and 12-month (all p > 0.05) after transplantation. Futhermore, a higher incidence of CMV infection, antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), hyper acute rejection (HAR), and delayed graft function (DGF) was identified in the transfused group (all p < 0.05). The graft survival was lower in the transfused group compared with patients in the non-transfused group (P 0.002). Blood transfusion posttransplantation was a risk factor for de novo DSAs development but not an independent predictive factor for AMR and graft loss (odds ratio = 2.064 [1.243-3.429], p = 0.005). Conclusions: Our study showed that blood transfusion after transplantation is associated with the occurrence of de novo DSAs increasing an immunological risk for poor clinical outcomes for kidney transplantation recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kink oscillations of solar coronal loops are of intense interest due to their potential for diagnosing plasma parameters in the corona. The accurate measurement of the kink oscillation damping time is crucial for precise seismological diagnostics, such as the transverse density profile, and for the determination of the damping mechanism. Previous studies of large-amplitude rapidly decaying kink oscillations have shown that both an exponential damping model and a generalized model (consisting of Gaussian and exponential damping patterns) fit observed damping profiles sufficiently well. However, it has recently been shown theoretically that the transition from the decaying regime to the decayless regime could be characterized by a superexponential damping model. In this work, we reanalyse a sample of decaying kink oscillation events, and utilize the Markov chain Monte Carlo Bayesian approach to compare the exponential, Gaussian–exponential, and superexponential damping models. It is found that in 7 out of 10 analysed oscillations, the preferential damping model is the superexponential one. In two events, the preferential damping is exponential, and in one it is Gaussian–exponential. This finding indicates the plausibility of the superexponential damping model. The possibility of a non-exponential damping pattern needs to be taken into account in the analysis of a larger number of events, especially in the estimation of the damping time and its associated empirical scalings with the oscillation period and amplitude, and in seismological inversions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate that a tripodal hexaurea receptor can selectively bind PO43− anions via 12 hydrogen bonds with up to 3.8 × 106 M−1 binding affinity in DMSO, which is 38-fold stronger than SO42−. This receptor facilitates the extraction of PO43− from strongly basic aqueous solutions into chloroform using liquid–liquid extraction, followed by its release as the H2PO4− anion into an acidic solution. This pH-dependent phosphate extraction successfully enables selective separation of phosphate and sulfate anions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Loss of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) at the blood–brain barrier contributes to amyloid-β (Aβ) brain accumulation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Using transgenic human amyloid precursor protein (hAPP)-overexpressing mice (Tg2576), we previously showed that Aβ triggers P-gp loss by activating the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway, which leads to P-gp degradation. Furthermore, we showed that inhibiting the ubiquitin-activating enzyme (E1) prevents P-gp loss and lowers Aβ accumulation in the brain of hAPP mice. Based on these data, we hypothesized that repurposing the FDA-approved proteasome inhibitor, bortezomib (Velcade®; BTZ), protects blood–brain barrier P-gp from degradation in hAPP mice in vivo. Methods: We treated hAPP mice with the proteasome inhibitor BTZ or a combination of BTZ with the P-gp inhibitor cyclosporin A (CSA) for 2 weeks. Vehicle-treated wild-type (WT) mice were used as a reference for normal P-gp protein expression and transport activity. In addition, we used the opioid receptor agonist loperamide as a P-gp substrate in tail flick assays to indirectly assess P-gp transport activity at the blood–brain barrier in vivo. We also determined P-gp protein expression by Western blotting, measured P-gp transport activity levels in isolated brain capillaries with live cell confocal imaging and assessed Aβ plasma and brain levels with ELISA. Results: We found that 2-week BTZ treatment of hAPP mice restored P-gp protein expression and transport activity in brain capillaries to levels found in WT mice. We also observed that hAPP mice displayed significant loperamide-induced central antinociception compared to WT mice indicating impaired P-gp transport activity at the blood–brain barrier of hAPP mice in vivo. Furthermore, BTZ treatment prevented loperamide-induced antinociception suggesting BTZ protected P-gp loss in hAPP mice. Further, BTZ-treated hAPP mice had lower Aβ40 and Aβ42 brain levels compared to vehicle-treated hAPP mice. Conclusions: Our data indicate that BTZ protects P-gp from proteasomal degradation in hAPP mice, which helps to reduce Aβ brain levels. Our data suggest that the proteasome system could be exploited for a novel therapeutic strategy in AD, particularly since increasing Aβ transport across the blood–brain barrier may prove an effective treatment for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bimetallic M20 and M21 compounds, {[Cu3Ag17{S2P(OiPr)2}12]0.5 [Cu4Ag16{S2P(OiPr)2}12]0.5} ({[1a]0.5[1b]0.5}) and [Cu4Ag17{S2P(OiPr)2}12](PF6) (2), have been structurally characterized, in which the Cu(I) ions are randomly distributed on the eight outer positions capping the eight-electron [Ag13]5+ core. DFT calculations show that the statistical disorder results from the nearly neutral preference of copper to occupy any of the eight outer positions. Surprisingly, the UV–Vis absorption spectra of the M20 and M21 bimetallic nanoclusters display an almost identical absorption profile as that of their homometallic [Ag20{S2P(OiPr)2}12] and [Ag21{S2P(OiPr)2}12]+ relatives. This is rationalized by TD-DFT calculations, which show that the frontier orbitals of such eight-electron alloys are largely independent from the nature of the capping metal ions. A blue-shifted absorption is observed upon replacing by Au the central Ag atom in 2, forming the trimetallic compound [Cu4AuAg16{S2P(OiPr)2}12](PF6) (3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: In vivo haploid induction has been extended from maize to monocotyledonous plants like rice, wheat, millet and dicotyledonous plants such as tomato, rapeseed, tobacco and cabbage. Accurate identification of haploids is a crucial step of doubled haploid technology, where a useful identification marker is very pivotal. R1‐nj is an extensively used visual marker for haploid identification in maize. RFP and eGFP have been shown to be feasible in identifying haploid. However, these methods are either limited to specific species, or require specific equipment. It still lacks an efficient visual marker that is practical across different crop species. In this study, we introduced the RUBY reporter, a betalain biosynthesis system, into maize and tomato haploid inducers as a new marker for haploid identification. Results showed that expression of RUBY could result in deep betalain pigmentation in maize embryos as early as 10 days after pollination, and enabled 100% accuracy of immature haploid embryo identification. Further investigation in tomato revealed that the new marker led to deep red pigmentation in radicles and haploids can be identified easily and accurately. The results demonstrated that the RUBY reporter is a background‐independent and efficient marker for haploid identification and would be promising in doubled haploid breeding across different crop species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recombination is common in plant viruses such as geminiviruses, but the ecological and pathogenic consequences have been explored only in a few cases. Here, we found that a new begomovirus, tomato yellow leaf curl Shuangbai virus (TYLCSbV), probably originated from the recombination of Ageratum yellow vein China virus (AYVCNV) and tobacco curl shoot virus (TbCSV). Agrobacterium‐mediated inoculation showed that TYLCSbV and AYVCNV have similar levels of infectivity on tomato and tobacco plants. However, the two viruses exhibit contrasting specificities for vector transmission, that is, TYLCSbV was efficiently transmitted by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean (MED) rather than by the whitefly B. tabaci Middle East‐Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1), whereas AYVCNV was more efficiently transmitted by MEAM1. We also showed that the transmission efficiencies of TYLCSbV and AYVCNV are positively correlated with the accumulation of the viruses in whitefly whole bodies and organs/tissues. The key coat protein amino acids that determine their accumulation are between positions 147 and 256. Moreover, field surveys suggest that MED has displaced MEAM1 in some regions where TYLCSbV was collected. Viral competition assays indicated that TYLCSbV outcompeted AYVCNV when transmitted by MED, while the outcome was the opposite when transmitted by MEAM1. Our findings suggest that recombination has resulted in a shift of vector specificity that could provide TYLCSbV with a potential selective transmission advantage, and the population shift of whitefly cryptic species could have influenced virus evolution towards an extended trajectory of transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)/Smad3 signaling has been shown to play important roles in fibrotic and inflammatory diseases. However, the role of Smad3 in dyslipidemia and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in type 2 diabetes remains unclear, and whether targeting Smad3 has a therapeutic effect on these metabolic abnormalities remains unexplored. These topics were investigated in this study in Smad3 knockout (KO)-db/db mice and by treating db/db mice with a Smad3-specific inhibitor SIS3. Compared to Smad3 wild-type (WT)-db/db mice, Smad3 KO-db/db mice were protected against dyslipidemia and NAFLD. Similarly, treatment of db/db mice with SIS3 at week 4 before the onset of type 2 diabetes until week 12 was capable of lowering blood glucose levels and improving diabetic dyslipidemia and NAFLD. In addition, using RNA-sequencing, the potential Smad3-target genes related to lipid metabolism was identified in the liver tissues of Smad3 KO/WT mice, and the regulatory mechanisms were investigated. Mechanistically, we uncovered that Smad3 targeted peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta (PPARδ) to induce dyslipidemia and NAFLD in db/db mice, which was improved by genetically deleting and pharmacologically inhibiting Smad3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between blood transfusion following kidney transplantation (KT) and the development of de novo donor-specific antibodies (dnDSA) is controversial. This was investigated by conducting a meta-analysis of studies on patients who underwent KT with or without blood transfusion, and by evaluating the effect of post-KT blood transfusion on clinical outcomes of kidney transplant recipients. Relevant studies in the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were identified from inception to July 1, 2022. Two reviewers independently extracted data from the selected articles and estimated study quality. A fixed effects or random effects model was used to pool data according to the heterogeneity among studies. Data included in the meta-analysis were derived from 11 studies with a total of 19,543 patients including 6191 with and 13,352 without blood transfusion postKT. We assessed the pooled associations between blood transfusion and occurrence of dnDSA and clinical outcomes of transplant recipients. Blood transfusion was strongly correlated with the development of dnDSA (relative risk [RR] 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17-1.67; P < 0.05). Patients with blood transfusion had a higher risk of developing anti-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I dnDSA than non-transfused patients (RR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.14-2.69; P < 0.05) as well as significantly higher rates of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) (RR = 1.41, 95% CI: 1.21-2.35; P < 0.05) and graft loss (RR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.30-2.35; P < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the development of anti-HLA antibodies, anti-HLA class II dnDSA, and anti-HLA class I and II dnDSA; delayed graft function; T cell-mediated rejection; acute rejection; borderline rejection; or patient death. Our results suggest that blood transfusion was associated with dnDSA development in KT recipients. The findings of this systematic review also suggest that post-KT blood transfusion recipients have a higher risk of AMR, and graft loss compared with non-transfused patients. Evidence from this meta-analysis indicates that the use of blood transfusion post-KT is associated with a significantly higher risk of immunological sensitization. More and higher quality results from large randomized controlled trials are still needed to inform clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regulating lithium deposition and stripping behavior during cycles is critical for constructing high-performance and stable lithium metal anodes (LMAs). Herein, a three-dimensional (3D) flexible hierarchical carbon clothes/carbon nanotube (CC/CNTs) host decorated with uniform lithiophilic Ag nanoseeds is obtained via a facile ultrafast Joule heating (UJH) method. Benefiting from high conductivity and large space for Li storage, the as-prepared CC/CNTs@Ag-Li anode displays favorable cycling efficiency and long-life stability. Moreover, the planted Ag lithiophilic sites can efficiently alleviate the growth of lithium dendrites. The synergistic effect of 3D conductive CC/CNTs and Ag nanoseeds endows the skeleton to guide the uniform deposition of Li during the plating/stripping process. The full cells assembled with LiFePO4 (LFP) cathode and CC/CNTs@Ag-Li anode present a high discharge capacity of 155.9 mA h g−1 at 0.1 C and a good capacity retention of 91.4% after 80 cycles at 1 C. The novel design strategy sheds new light on the synthesis of novel alkali metal anodes for energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a surface modified and sulfide electrolyte-infiltrated LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 cathode to inhibit the interface side reactions and enhance the physical contact. The Li 10 GeP 2 S 12 -infiltrated electrode using LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 cathode with Li 1.5 Al 0.5 Ge 1.5 (PO 4) 3 coating exhibits outstanding rate performance, excellent capacity retention and low interface impedance. [Display omitted] Sulfide-based all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLBs) with high-voltage Ni-rich layered cathodes have shown great potential in energy storage systems. However, the application of ASSLBs is hindered by severe interface issues and poor solid–solid contact between cathodes and sulfide electrolytes. In this work, a suitably thin Li 1.5 Al 0.5 Ge 1.5 (PO 4) 3 (LAGP) coating (0.41 mS cm−1) is introduced onto the surface of single-crystal LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 particles to mitigate interface side reactions. Subsequently, sheet-type electrodes are fabricated by the infiltration of Li 10 GeP 2 S 12 to fill the voids and achieve highly dense solid–solid contact, thus preventing contact loss. The Li 10 GeP 2 S 12 -infiltrated ASSLBs with a LAGP buffer layer display a high initial discharge capacity of 141.5 mAh g−1 at 0.05 C and ultrastable cycling for 100 cycles at 0.1 C. An effective fabrication method for highly dense electrodes is proposed in this work, which provides a new direction for scalable industrial production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tudigou porphyry Cu deposit is located in the central part of the southern Qinling belt. Copper mineralization is closely associated with monzogranite porphyry. Zircon LA–ICP–MS U–Pb dating of monzogranite porphyry suggests that the ages of magmatism at Tudigou vary between 150 ± 1 and 148 ± 1 Ma and overlap with the molybdenite Re–Os age of 150–148 Ma, indicating that the Tudigou intrusion and associated mineralization formed during the Late Jurassic. The enrichment in large‐ion lithophile elements, depletion in high‐field‐strength elements, high Ba/Th and La/Yb ratios, and negative correlation between Dy/Yb and La/Sm ratios, together with narrow ranges of εHf(t) values (εHf(t) = −4.0 to +1.4) suggest monzogranite porphyry was derived from a metasomatized lithospheric mantle with minor crustal components contribution, which is also evidenced by the lead isotopic result. The La/Yb ratios of 30 Mesozoic plutons in the southern Qinling belt were used to calculate the Moho depth, which suggests that the magmatism and mineralization in the region occurred during lithosphere thinning in response to the tectonic transition from compression to extension transitional regime. The calculated oxygen fugacity of the Late Mesozoic porphyry deposits in the Qinling–Dabie orogen have identical ΔFMQ values (averaging +1.4 to +2.4). However, the V/Sc ratios (the proxy for water content) are distinct among different deposit sizes, indicating that the dissolved water in the magma plays a critical role in porphyry‐type mineralization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hedychium wangmoense F.J. Mou & X. Hu (Zingiberaceae), a new species from southwest Guizhou Province, China, is described and illustrated, including the information on its phenology, distribution, habitat, and conservation status. Hedychium wangmoense is morphologically most similar to H. forrestii by having involute bracts, large labella and wide lateral staminodes, but can be distinguished from it by its orange-pink and faintly fragrant flowers (vs. white and fragrant flowers), longer corolla tubes, wider lateral staminodes, larger labella, longer stamens, as well as glabrous bracts (vs. pilose bracts). A key to species of Hedychium in China is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with single-component seismic data, multicomponent seismic data contain more P- and S-wave information. Making full use of multicomponent seismic data can improve the accuracy of seismic exploration. Elastic reverse-time migration (ERTM) is the most advanced migration technology for imaging multicomponent seismic data from complex subsurface structures. However, most conventional ERTM methods often use the adjoint operator of forward operator for approximation to the inverse operator. When the multicomponent seismic data suffer from a finite recording aperture, limited bandwidth, and imperfect illumination, the image quality of conventional ERTM is greatly reduced. In this study, we propose an elastic least-squares reverse-time migration (ELSRTM) scheme to improve the image quality of ERTM through multiple iterations. We first review the ERTM method; then, we derive the Born modeling equations, adjoint wave equations, and gradient equations of P- and S-wave images of ELSRTM. The new gradient equations, which use the time derivative of stress to replace the spatial derivative of particle velocity for improving the accuracy of gradients near the boundary, are also proposed. We compare the performance of ERTM with ELSRTM via synthetic experiments in numerical examples. Synthetic examples reveal that ELSRTM can generate high-quality images with higher resolution, fewer artifacts, and more balanced amplitude than ERTM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the settlement of saturated clay ground under the time-dependent loading, the unified hardening (UH) constitutive model considering the time effect was used to describe the elastic visco-plasticity of the soil and Hansbo's flow equation was applied to reflect non-Darcian flow. Thus, the classical Terzaghi consolidation equation was modified considering the influence of gravitational stress of the ground. The finite volume method was introduced to solve the numerical solution of the modified equation, and the corresponding program was compiled based on the above algorithm. The applicability of the present program was validated by comparing with the existing results in the literature. Then the effect of some parameters on the consolidation behaviour was investigated. The calculated results showed that the excess pore water pressure in the ground is accumulated at the initial stage of loading. Furthermore, when the viscosity of the soil is considered, the maximum excess pore water pressure in the ground away from the permeable boundary can even exceed the load imposed on the upper surface of the ground. In addition, prolonging the construction period, thickening the soil layer, increasing the secondary consolidation coefficient and the parameters of Hansbo's flow will delay the consolidation process of ground. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective was to study the influence of pathological factors of glomerular lesion (GL), tubulointerstitial lesion (TIL), and arteriosclerotic lesion on the blood pressure (BP) of lupus nephritis (LN). Methods: The pathological data and clinical characteristics of 69 LN patients who underwent their first renal biopsy in Chengdu Second People's Hospital from 2012 to 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. The revised 2018 ISN/RPS classification criteria of LN were used to assess the GL and TIL. The lesion index of interlobar/arcuate artery and arteriolar was calculated. Multiple linear regressions were used to analyze the effects of GL, TIL, and vascular lesion (VL) on estimated glomerular filtration rate, systolic BP (SBP), and proteinuria. Results: TIL and VL scores were different between the various grades of BP (p = 0.009, 0.019). After adjusting for gender and age, multiple linear regression showed that only TIL was linearly correlated with SBP (p = 0.022). Conclusion: After adjusting for gender and age, TIL is related to SBP and has a linear relationship with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is commonly believed that the spontaneous p‐doping in Sn‐based perovskites is caused by Sn vacancies. By performing rigorous first‐principles calculations for a prototypical Sn‐based perovskite CsSnI3, we reveal that, in fact, the defects dominating p‐doping are Cs vacancies. The reason that adding extra Sn2+ could reduce p‐doping is that Cs and Sn present the same changing trend in terms of chemical potentials, and thus inhibiting the formation of Sn vacancies will also limit the formation of Cs vacancies. Moreover, we show that I vacancies are the dominant nonradiative recombination centers, and can result in sizable nonradiative losses, which explains why the experimentally measured carrier lifetime is only a few nanoseconds even if p‐doping is suppressed. This work provides new insights into the origins of p‐doping and nonradiative recombination in CsSnI3, and suggests that minimizing the formation of Cs and I vacancies is critical to realizing the best device performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is commonly believed that the spontaneous p‐doping in Sn‐based perovskites is caused by Sn vacancies. By performing rigorous first‐principles calculations for a prototypical Sn‐based perovskite CsSnI3, we reveal that, in fact, the defects dominating p‐doping are Cs vacancies. The reason that adding extra Sn2+ could reduce p‐doping is that Cs and Sn present the same changing trend in terms of chemical potentials, and thus inhibiting the formation of Sn vacancies will also limit the formation of Cs vacancies. Moreover, we show that I vacancies are the dominant nonradiative recombination centers, and can result in sizable nonradiative losses, which explains why the experimentally measured carrier lifetime is only a few nanoseconds even if p‐doping is suppressed. This work provides new insights into the origins of p‐doping and nonradiative recombination in CsSnI3, and suggests that minimizing the formation of Cs and I vacancies is critical to realizing the best device performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Compared with acoustic seismic data, multi‐wave and multi‐component seismic data can offer some special media properties. Elastic reverse time migration is a high‐precision migration method to image multi‐wave and multi‐component seismic data. Anisotropy widely exists in the earth, and it is important to take anisotropy into account and correct the anisotropy effect for obtaining high‐quality image results during migration. However, accurate elastic reverse time migration in anisotropic media is still a challenging task, particularly for areas with irregular surface topography. To resolve these issues, a new elastic reverse time migration method is developed to correct the anisotropy effect in vertical transversely isotropic media with surface topography. We first use the modified pseudo‐acoustic wave equations of vertical transversely isotropic media to assist the elastic wavefield separation in vertical transversely isotropic media for suppressing the crosstalk artefacts between different wave modes and further generating high‐quality images. We then use a topography‐related filter to remove the influence of surface topography on the migration results of elastic reverse time migration. The advantage of the proposed topography‐related filter is that we do not need to make any changes to the conventional finite‐difference method based on regular grids but can calculate the wavefield in the areas with irregular surface topography efficiently. The synthetic examples with different surface topographies models demonstrate that our proposed elastic reverse time migration method can correct the anisotropy effect effectively, remove the influence of surface topography on elastic reverse time migration results, and generate high‐quality images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of chemical components in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is the functional basis for its therapy achievement, and the absorbed components under disease conditions mainly contribute to the therapeutic effects. Fructus Arctii (FA) was widely used in traditional Chinese medicine preparation (TCMP) to clear heat or treat influenza. To date, the chemical profile (in vitro and in vivo) and anti-influenza mechanism of FA are still unrevealed, limiting its clinical applications. In this work, an integrated strategy combining pharmacological evaluations, chemical profiling, serum pharmacochemistry, and network pharmacology (PCSN strategy) is proposed and applied to investigate chemical components (in vitro and in vivo), anti-influenza effects, and potential mechanisms of FA. First, the anti-influenza effects of FA were evaluated using an H1N1 virus-infected mouse model. Second, the chemical compounds of FA in vitro and in the disease model were profiled and characterized using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. Lastly, the targets and potential mechanisms are predicted based on the absorbed components and a network pharmacology method. As a result, FA (20 g crude drug kg−1 day−1) could significantly improve the survival rate and ameliorate lung inflammation caused by the H1N1 virus. Moreover, a total of 123 compounds (53 potential novel compounds) were identified or tentatively characterized in FA. Furthermore, 124 xenobiotics (38 prototypes and 86 metabolites) were tentatively characterized in the infected mice. The xenobiotics were unitized to predict targets and mechanisms in treating influenza. It was found that FA could target EGFR, CASP3, MAPK1, PTGS2, PIK3CA, ESR1, etc., which are mainly involved in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, progesterone-mediated oocyte maturation, etc. Among them, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway (correlated to PI3K complex) and TNF signalling pathway, are regarded as the core pathways for FA in the treatment of influenza. It is the first time that chemical information is obtained on FA in vitro and in vivo, and the anti-influenza effects and the potential mechanism of FA were also evaluated. Moreover, the potential novel compounds for further validation of FA are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Angiotensin II type-1 receptor antibodies (AT1R-Ab) and endothelin-1 type-A receptor antibodies (ETAR-Ab) are non-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies that can elicit adverse effects on kidney transplantation (KT) outcomes. We investigated the correlation between levels of AT1R-Ab and ETAR-Ab and postoperative outcomes in KT recipients. Methods: Pre-KT and post-KT serum from 79 patients was collected. Post-KT serum was collected within 1 year after KT or simultaneously as the biopsy. Levels of AT1R-Ab and ETAR-Ab were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. AT1R-Ab >17.0 U/mL and ETAR-Ab >10.0 U/mL was considered to denote positivity according to manufacturer recommendations. We measured donor-specific antibodies against human leukocyte antigens (HLA-DSA) levels using LABScreen™ single-antigen kits. Results: Seventy-nine (54 men, 25 women) formed the study cohort. Seven (8.7%) patients were positive for AT1R-Ab, 25 (31.6%) patients were positive for both AT1R-Ab and ETAR-Ab, and 47 (59.5%) were negative for both antibodies at all time points. No patients died during the study period. Patients with both AT1R-Ab and ETAR-Ab were associated with a higher prevalence of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate, but not allograft loss or delayed graft function. AT1R-Ab were associated with T-cell-mediated rejection, but the association was not significant. HLA-DSA were associated significantly with a higher creatinine level in serum at 12 months and 24 months in patients with AT1R-Ab and/or ETAR-Ab. Conclusions: AT1R-Ab, ETAR-Ab, and HLA-DSA were associated with a higher prevalence of AMR and decline in graft function. Measurement of levels of AT1R-Ab and ETAR-Ab in KT patients may be useful for stratification of immunological risk and identification of patients at a high risk of adverse graft outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the efficiency and accuracy of plane segmentation for indoor point clouds, this paper proposes a fast and precise plane segmentation framework which mainly consists of two steps: plane rough segmentation and precise segmentation. In the rough segmentation stage, the point clouds are firstly voxelized, then the original plane is extracted roughly according to the plane normal vector and nearest voxels conditions. Based on the results of rough segmentation, a further operation composed of downsampling and density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) is adopted to produce efficient and precise segmentation. Finally, to correct the over-segmentation, the distance and normal vector angle thresholds between planes are taken into consideration. The experimental results show that the proposed method improves the efficiency and accuracy of indoor point cloud plane segmentation, and the average intersection-over-union (IoU) achieves 0.8653. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Donor-specific HLA antibodies are important risk factors in antibody-mediated rejection and graft loss after renal transplantation and are associated with higher rejection rates and lower graft survival. Most de novo donor specific antibodies (dnDSA) after renal transplantation are directed toward donor HLA-DQ antigens. An HLA-DQ antigen is a heterodimer consisting of an alpha and beta chain. Traditionally, HLA-DQAl typing has not been part of pretransplant evaluation. Therefore, DQ alpha proteins are not usually considered in the interpretation of HLA-DQ antibody reactions. Methods: The renal transplant recipient had a 0% panel reactive antibody pretransplant. Two years after transplantation, he developed symptoms of abdominal distension and bilateral lower extremity edema. Histopathological findings on renal puncture biopsy showed a combination of T-cell-mediated acute rejection type ILA and antibody-mediated rejection with a trend toward chronicity in the transplanted kidney. DSAs were investigated by HLA-I (HLA-AR) and HLA-Il (HLA-DRBI/DQAl/DQB 1) single antigen bead (SAB) assay. HLA typing was performed to explain the antibody reactivity patterns by PCR-SSO and Sequencing-based typing (SBT). HLA-Matchmaker analysis was performed to identify eplets that explain antibody reactivity patterns, Results: HLA-II SAB analysis of the patient's serum at the time of rejection showed positive reactions with all DQB1*03:03-carrying beads with high mean fluorescence intensity (MFI). However, DQB1 *03:03 was not a dnDSA antigen. High-resolution HLA typing revealed that HLA-DQAl *05:01 and DQAl *03:02 were mismatched donor antigens. HLA Matchmaker analysis demonstrated reactivity toward 13OR and 116 V eplet on DQAl and DQB1. Conclusions: Antibodies specific to DQα chains after renal transplantation were highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The overall outcome of patients with refractory AML (rAML) remains poor. Though allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is considered as the only curative therapy, it is routinely recommended only for patients after remission with salvage chemotherapy. Objective: In this study, we evaluated the impact of salvage chemotherapy or allo-HSCT on the overall outcome in rAML. Methods: We collected the clinical data of 220 patients from 4 medical centers and performed retrospective analysis of prognosis factors, including salvage chemotherapy, intensity of chemotherapy, and allo-HSCT. Results: A total of 29 patients received allo-HSCT directly without salvage chemotherapy, 26 patients achieved complete remission (CR) or complete remission with incomplete hematological recovery (CRi) after transplantation and 4-year leukemia-free survival (LFS) and overall survival (OS) were 45.0 ± 10.7 and 51.0 ± 10.6%, respectively. Another 191 patients received salvage chemotherapy and 81 (42.2%) achieved CR or CRi. Thirty-four patients among them underwent subsequent allo-HSCT with 4-year LFS and OS of 46.0 ± 8.8 and 46.2 ± 9.0%. The 4-year LFS and OS in 26 patients who failed to obtain CR or CRi but received allo-HSCT with active disease were 32.9 ± 10.0 and 36.9 ± 10.8%, respectively. For patients who received salvage chemotherapy but not allo-HSCT, few of them became long-term survivors. In multivariate analysis, salvage chemotherapy and the intensity of chemotherapy failed to have significant impact on both OS and LFS. Allo-HSCT was the only prognostic factor for improved OS and LFS in multivariate analysis. Conclusions: These results indicate the benefit of allo-HSCT in patients with rAML and direct allo-HSCT without salvage chemotherapy could be treatment option. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spider silk is one of the hottest biomaterials researched currently, due to its excellent mechanical properties. This work reports a novel humidity sensing platform based on a spider silk-modified quartz tuning fork (SSM-QTF). Since spider silk is a kind of natural moisture-sensitive material, it does not demand additional sensitization. Quartz-enhanced conductance spectroscopy (QECS) was combined with the SSM-QTF to access humidity sensing sensitively. The results indicate that the resonance frequency of the SSM-QTF decreased monotonously with the ambient humidity. The detection sensitivity of the proposed SSM-QTF sensor was 12.7 ppm at 1 min. The SSM-QTF sensor showed good linearity of ~0.99. Using this sensor, we successfully measured the humidity of disposable medical masks for different periods of wearing time. The results showed that even a 20 min wearing time can lead to a >70% humidity in the mask enclosed space. It is suggested that a disposable medical mask should be changed <2 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to its highly conjugated panel-like structure and unique photophysical and chemical features, anthracene has been widely used for fabricating attractive and functional supramolecular assemblies, including two-dimensional metallacycles and three-dimensional metallacages. The embedded anthracenes in these assemblies often show synergistic effects on enhancing the desired supramolecular and luminescent properties. This review focuses on the metallasupramolecular architectures with anthracene-containing building blocks, as well as their applications in host-guest chemistry, stimulus response, molecular sensing, light harvesting, and biomedical science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THE CALPHAD L 2023 conference was held in Boston, MA, USA from June 25th to 30th, 2023. We have 176 attendees from 23 countries. The activities in CALPHAD L 2023 included 84 oral presentations, 138 student posters, and two software workshops. The topics covered during the conference were gathered in nine categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To tackle the challenge of achieving more reasonably calculation of evaluation indicator weights and a more scientifically rigorous scoring system for ranking in product design evaluation, a novel evaluation model that leverages improved CRITIC (Criteria Improved Criteria Importance) and CC-TOPSIS (Comprehensive Cloud-Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) is proposed. Firstly, the process commences with the collection of qualitative product evaluations from respondents through questionnaires, presented in the form of fuzzy confidence intervals. Subsequently, these evaluations are transformed into generalized trapezoidal fuzzy numbers, and their center of gravity values are calculated. Secondly, after the weight for each evaluation indicator is calculated employing an enhanced CRITIC approach, a weight cloud model utilizing the backward cloud methodology is constructed. Subsequently, the scoring cloud model is generated as a backward cloud, followed by the application of an enhanced synthesis operator to amalgamate the weight cloud model with the scoring cloud model, culminating in the formation of a comprehensive cloud model. Finally, the product design schemes are ranked using the Cloud-TOPSIS method, and a cloud chart analysis provides insights into optimization directions. The utilization of this methodology in assessing automotive styling design serves as a compelling showcase of its practicality and efficiency, in addition to, the method's resilience is further bolstered through a sensitivity analysis of the evaluation indicators. This method adeptly computes the weights of evaluation indicators, while also addressing the inherent variability in weight values and incorporates the benefits of Cloud Model and TOPSIS in the evaluation of product design alternatives, ultimately elevating the rationality and the scientific underpinnings of the product design evaluation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Complement-binding donor-specific human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies in kidney recipients have been associated with a higher risk of allograft rejection and loss. The objective of this meta-analysis was to investigate the correlation between C1q-binding donor-specific antibodies (DSAs) and clinical outcomes in kidney transplantation (KT) recipients. Methods We conducted systematic searches in the PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases to identify all studies since inception to August 2021 that compared clinical outcomes between C1q + DSA and C1q-DSA patients who underwent KT. Data were independently extracted by two reviewers who assessed the risk of bias. Data were summarized with fixed effects or random effects models according to heterogeneity. We assessed clinical outcomes including graft loss, rejection, delayed graft function (DGF), and all-cause patient death. Results Twenty-six studies with a total of 1337 patients were included: 485 with C1q-binding DSAs, and 850 without C1q-binding DSAs. Compared with the C1q-DSA group, the C1q + DSA group had significant increases in antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) (relative risk [RR] = 2.09, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.53–2.86; P < 0.00001), graft loss (RR = 2.40, 95% CI, 1.66–3.47; P < 0.00001), and death (RR = 3.13, 95% CI, 1.06–9.23; P = 0.04). The C1q + DSA and C1q-DSA groups did not show significant differences in T-cell-mediated rejection, acute rejection, acute cellular rejection, mixed rejection, or DGF. Conclusion The findings of this systematic review suggest that C1q + DSA KT have a higher risk of AMR, graft loss, and death compared with C1q-DSA patients. Monitoring C1q-binding DSAs allows risk stratification of recipients and guides physician management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Doubled haploid (DH) technology is used to obtain homozygous lines in a single generation, a technique that significantly accelerates the crop breeding trajectory. Traditionally, in vitro culture is used to generate DHs, but this technique is limited by species and genotype recalcitrance. In vivo haploid induction (HI) through seed is widely and efficiently used in maize and was recently extended to several other crops. Here we show that in vivo HI can be triggered by mutation of DMP maternal haploid inducer genes in allopolyploid (allotetraploid) Brassica napus and Nicotiana tabacum. We developed a pipeline for selection of DMP orthologs for clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats mutagenesis and demonstrated average amphihaploid induction rates of 2.4% and 1.2% in multiple B. napus and N. tabacum genotypes, respectively. These results further confirmed the HI ability of DMP gene in polyploid dicot crops. The DMP‐HI system offers a novel DH technology to facilitate breeding in these crops. The success of this approach and the conservation of DMP genes in dicots suggest the broad applicability of this technique in other dicot crops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Anti-angiotensin II type 1 receptor antibodies (AT1R-Abs) have been recognized as non-human leukocyte antigen antibodies associated with allograft rejection and poor allograft outcomes after kidney transplantation. The aim of this study was to assess the risk anti-AT1R-Abs pose for rejection and graft loss among kidney transplant (KT) populations. Methods We systematically searched PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library databases for relevant articles published from inception until June 2021 to identify all studies concerning the role AT1R-Abs play in the clinical outcome after kidney transplantation. Two reviewers independently identified studies, abstracted outcome data and assessed the quality of the studies. The meta-analysis was summarized using fixed-effects or random-effects models, according to heterogeneity. The major outcomes included delayed graft function, acute rejection, graft loss or patient death after transplantation. Results Twenty-one eligible studies involving a total of 4023 KT recipients were included in the evaluation. Meta-analysis results showed that the AT1R-Ab-positive KT group had a greater incidence of antibody-mediated rejection {relative risk [RR] 1.94 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.61–2.33]; P < 0.00001} and graft loss [RR 2.37 (95% CI 1.50–3.75); P = 0.0002] than did the AT1R-Abs-negative KT group. There was no significant statistical difference in delayed graft function rate, T-cell-mediated rejection, mixed rejection, acute cellular rejection, acute rejection and patient death rate between the AT1R-Ab-positive KT and AT1R-Ab-negative KT groups. Conclusions Our study shows that the presence of anti-AT1R-Abs was associated with a significantly higher risk of antibody-mediated rejection and graft loss in kidney transplantation. Future studies are still needed to evaluate the importance of routine anti-AT1R monitoring and therapeutic targeting. These results show that assessment of anti-AT1R-Abs would be helpful in determining immunologic risk and susceptibility to immunologic events for recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative splicing (AS) is a key process in which precursor RNAs produce different mature RNAs, and the disorder of AS is a key factor in promoting cancer development. Compared with coding RNA, studies on the functions of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are far from enough. In fact, lncRNA is an important participant and regulator in the process of AS. On the one hand, lncRNAs regulate cancer progression as AS products of precursor messenger RNA (mRNA), but on the other hand, precursor lncRNA generates cancer-related abnormal splicing variants through AS. In addition, lncRNAs directly or indirectly regulate the AS events of downstream target genes, thus affecting the occurrence and development of cancer. Here, we reviewed how lncRNAs regulate AS and influence oncogenesis in different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Insomnia is one of the most prevalent sleep disorders, which imparts tremendous societal and economic impact. However, the present pharmacotherapy is greatly limited by adverse effects, so it is necessary to explore new drugs for the treatment of insomnia. Radix Bupleuri (RB) has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for >2000 years; it has many pharmacological effects, including sedation and anticonvulsant properties. The present study investigated the effects of saikosaponin a (SSa), an active component of RB, on sleep and locomotion. Male C57BL/6j mice received intraperitoneal injections of SSa at three different dosages (0.625, 1.25, and 2.5 mg/kg). Sleep parameters were analysed by electroencephalography and electromyography. The open‐field test was used to measure locomotor activities. Our present results showed that SSa treatment significantly increased the duration of non‐rapid eye movement sleep and shortened sleep latency in a dose‐dependent manner. A high dose of SSa (2.5 mg/kg) also decreased locomotor activities. Moreover, by measuring c‐Fos expression and the calcium signal in the lateral hypothalamus (LH), we found that SSa treatment decreased neuronal activity in the LH. In conclusion, SSa might be the sleep‐promoting component in RB and its mechanism may be related to the modulation of neuronal activity in the LH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]