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Abstract Background Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disorder, which is characterized by a decline in cognitive abilities. Genome-wide association and clinicopathological studies have demonstrated that the CD2-associated protein (CD2AP) gene is one of the most important genetic risk factors for AD. However, the precise mechanisms by which CD2AP is linked to AD pathogenesis remain unclear. Methods The spatiotemporal expression pattern of CD2AP was determined. Then, we generated and characterized an APP/PS1 mouse model with neuron-specific Cd2ap deletion, using immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, electrophysiology and behavioral tests. Additionally, we established a stable CD2AP-knockdown SH-SY5Y cell line to further elucidate the specific molecular mechanisms by which CD2AP contributes to AD pathogenesis. Finally, the APP/PS1 mice with neuron-specific Cd2ap deletion were treated with an inhibitor targeting the pathway identified above to further validate our findings. Results CD2AP is widely expressed in various regions of the mouse brain, with predominant expression in neurons and vascular endothelial cells. In APP/PS1 mice, neuronal knockout of Cd2ap significantly aggravated tau pathology, synaptic impairments and cognitive deficits. Mechanistically, the knockout of Cd2ap activated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, which contributed to increased tau phosphorylation, synaptic injury, neuronal apoptosis and cognitive impairment. Furthermore, the phenotypes of neuronal Cd2ap knockout were ameliorated by a p38 MAPK inhibitor. Conclusion Our study presents the first in vivo evidence that CD2AP deficiency exacerbates the phenotypes and pathology of AD through the p38 MAPK pathway, identifying CD2AP/p38 MAPK as promising therapeutic targets for AD.

Renal anemia stems mainly from chronic inflammation with elevated hepcidin levels, iron deficiency, and reduced red blood cell lifespan. Inadequate erythropoietin (EPO) production, worsened kidney function, leads to symptoms such as low energy, fatigue, and impaired physical function, significantly affecting patients’ quality of life. We conducted a comprehensive search across electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Airiti library, and Wanfang, to compile recent clinical trials and pilot studies on conventional and complementary alternative medicine approaches for renal anemia. This discussion focuses on the hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase domain (HIF-PHD) axis theory, from lab research to clinical applications. It explores non-extracorporeal treatments for renal anemia, including pharmaceutical interventions, dietary strategies, and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The article details the effects of Roxadustat, Ferumoxytol, and Epodion.Clinical studies show that modulating the gut microbiome can reduce inflammation and improve renal anemia. Clinical trials suggest that CAM therapy can improve renal anemia through mechanisms such as enhanced iron metabolism, anti-inflammatory effects, reduced hepcidin levels, and increased EPO and HIF expressions. By synthesizing this information, the review aims to furnish valuable insights and treatment recommendations aimed at ameliorating renal anemia in individuals grappling with chronic kidney disease.

Metasurfaces are considered the most promising technologies for holographic imaging applications due to their exceptional optical properties and capabilities. However, the work on terahertz (THz) metasurface holographic imaging is relatively limited. Here, we propose a THz dielectric geometric-propagation phase metasurface that can operate in dual modes (reflection and transmission) and enable reconfigurable multifunctional holographic imaging. The dual-mode operation is realized by controlling the Fermi energy level (Ef) of the graphene integrated into the metasurface unit, and the reconfigurable three-channel holographic imaging in reflection or transmission mode are achieved by switching the feed polarization among left-handed circular polarization (LCP), right-handed circular polarization (RCP), and linear polarization (LP). The metasurface is designed based on the transmission mode, and a physical model for switching to the reflection mode is established. For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a reflection–transmission dynamic modulation THz holographic imaging metasurface has been developed. The holographic metasurface operates in transmission mode at Ef = 0.1 eV and in reflection mode at Ef = 0.9 eV. Compared with recently published holographic imaging metasurfaces, the proposed metasurface offers the following advantages: high holographic efficiencies (42.5% to 49%), more holographic imaging channels, dynamic modulation dual-mode operations, and reconfigurability. The simulation results match the theory.

In this paper, analytical formulas for tensor holographic impedance metasurface (THIMS) are presented to generate circularly polarized (CP) circular Airy orbital angular momentum (OAM) multibeams with flexibly independent control of the beam direction, polarization, and OAM mode. As an example, a millimeter-wave THIMS is designed to generate CP circular Airy OAM dual beams: Beam-I: (θ1 = 0, φ1 = 0, LHCP, l = +1, 36 GHz), Beam-II: (θ2 = 0, φ2 = 0, RHCP, l = 0, 30 GHz). To the knowledge of the authors, there is very little literature on circular Airy beams that have been generated with THIMS. Compared with the published metasurface on Airy beam, the created THIMS has the following advantages simultaneously: dual frequencies, dual CP, small size 30λ0 at 30 GHz, high conversion efficiency (CE) (above 40%), long nondiffractive distance (ND) (up to 134.4λ0), high OAM purity (above 89%), comodulation for polarization, beam direction and OAM mode. The generated circular Airy OAM beams can be used in near-field scenarios such as high-efficiency wireless power transmission (WPT), high-capacity communication systems, and high-resolution imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionDiabetes mellitus (DM) is a pathological hyperglycemic state related to the dysregulation of insulin. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common chronic complication in diabetic patients. A vegetarian diet could be one of the preventive strategies for the occurrence of CKD in patients with diabetes mellitus. However, it is still unknown whether a vegetarian diet lowers the occurrence of CKD in DM patients.Research Design and MethodsThis retrospective study was conducted at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital from 5 September 2005 to 31 December 2016. Subjects with an HbA1c level > 6.5% or previous history of diabetes mellitus elder than 40 years were grouped based on self-reported dietary habits (vegetarians, lacto-ovo vegetarians and omnivores) in the structured questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to estimate the direct and indirect effects of variables on the occurrence of chronic kidney disease.ResultsAmong these 2,797 subjects, the participants were grouped into dietary habits as vegans (n = 207), lacto-ovo vegetarians (n = 941) and omnivores (n = 1,649). The incidence of overall CKD was higher in the omnivore group [36.6% vs 30.4% (vegans) and 28.5% (lacto-ovo vegetarian), p < 0.001]. In the SEM model, after adjusting for age and sex, the lacto-ovo vegetarian [OR: 0.68, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.57–0.82] and vegan groups (OR 0.68, 95% CI: 0.49–0.94) were both associated with a lower risk of CKD occurrence than the omnivore group. The vegan diet and lacto-ovo diet lowered the risk related to a high BMI (OR: 0.45, p < 0.001, OR: 0.58, p < 0.001) and hyperuricemia (OR: 0.53, p < 0.001; OR: 0.55, p < 0.001) for the occurrence of CKD.ConclusionVegetarian dietary habits were associated with a lower occurrence of CKD in DM patients.

BackgroundStroke leads to tremendous impacts on patients and the healthcare system. It is crucial to explore the potential management of rehabilitation. Acupuncture and traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCHM) integrated with conventional rehabilitation benefit post-stroke functional recovery.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients included in the Integrated Traditional Chinese-Western Medicine care program for stroke (ITCWM-stroke care program) in 2019 in Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital to investigate the effects of acupuncture and TCHM integrated with conventional rehabilitation on National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Barthel Index (BI) scores before and after the program.ResultsA total of 255 stroke inpatients were retrieved and divided into acupuncture and acupuncture + TCHM group by hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke types, respectively. All the patients were recruited in the program at the early subacute phase after stroke onset. Of the hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke subjects, the NIHSS and BI total scores were significantly improved in the acupuncture and acupuncture + TCHM groups. The subgroup analysis results showed that in subjects with a baseline BI score ≤ 40, the acupuncture + TCHM group significantly improved BI total score better than the acupuncture group in both hemorrhagic (p < 0.05) and ischemic (p < 0.05) stroke subjects.ConclusionAcupuncture and TCHM integrated with conventional rehabilitation significantly improve stroke patients’ functional recovery at the early subacute phase. Acupuncture + TCHM contributes to better activities of daily living (ADL) improvements in stroke patients with a baseline BI score ≤ 40. We suggest integrating acupuncture and TCHM into the post-stroke rehabilitation strategy, especially for stroke patients with poor ADL function.

This paper develops a wideband spin-decoupled unit cell to form high efficiency wideband spin-decoupled metasurface (MTS), which can achieve more versatile Bessel beams with independent control of the beam direction, polarization, and Orbital angular momentum (OAM) mode for near field applications. The MTS is designed for wideband dual Bessel beams: Beam-I (RHCP, θ1 = 30°, φ1 = 180°, l = 1), Beam-II (LHCP, θ2 = 30°, φ2 = 0°, l = 0), where φ and θ are the azimuth and elevation angles, respectively; l is the OAM mode, and RHCP (LHCP) represents the right (left) hand circular polarization. Compared with conventional phase gradient MTSs, the proposed MTS achieves more versatile functionalities and better performance: wideband (35.3%), dual Bessel beams, circular polarization (CP), high aperture efficiency (AE) 40%, carrying OAM modes, high ratio of non-diffraction distance/aperture size (6.41), high conversion efficiency for Bessel beams (33%), and high OAM purity (78%--99%). Simulated and measured results agree well, and validate the design method. The proposed unit cell can be used to design other high performance multifunctional Bessel beams. The designed Bessel beams have potential applications in dense channel high capacity communication, efficient wireless power transfer, high-resolution imaging, medical treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem of image tampering and forensic localization,a fragile watermarking algorithm based on chaos sequence and image QR decomposition was proposed to determine the image tampering.The algorithm chooses QR decomposition to decompose the image,embeds the watermark after the image is decomposed,and encrypts the watermark by chaotic system to enhance the security of the watermark.Experimental results show that the algorithm not only improves the security of the location watermarking algorithm,but also can estimate the tampering strength of the tampered area.

The semi-fragile watermarking algorithm based on Hadamard transform and SVD decomposition was proposed to distinguish normal image processing operations from malicious tampering.Firstly,the carrier image was SVD decomposed,and Hadamard transform was performed on all image subblocks.The watermark was embedded by quantization method.The algorithm was sensitive to tampering and had good ability to recognize tampering position,and had strong resistance to JPEG compression.

Aiming at the fuzzy operation commonly used in image tampering,a new fuzzy detection scheme using smooth filter preserving edges and mathematical morphological methods was studied.By using the sharpening function and denoising function of both methods,tampering and location of tampering position can be pointed out without embedding information such as watermarking technique.The method can not only determine whether an image has been virtualized,but also detect the extent of the image blur.Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the scheme.

A correction notice was issued for an article in Translational Neurodegeneration regarding CD2AP deficiency and Alzheimer's disease. The correction addressed an error in Fig. 3h, which displayed an incorrect image. The correction did not impact the overall findings or conclusions of the study. The authors of the original article are Yan-Yan Xue, Zhe-Sheng Zhang, Rong-Rong Lin, Hui-Fen Huang, Ke-Qing Zhu, Dian-Fu Chen, Zhi-Ying Wu, and Qing-Qing Tao. [Extracted from the article]

Abnormal activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR (PAM) pathway, caused by PIK3CA mutation, KRAS mutation, PTEN loss, or AKT1 mutation, is one of the most frequent signaling abnormalities in breast carcinoma. However, distribution and frequencies of mutations in PAM pathway are unclear in breast cancer patients from the mainland of China and the correlation between these mutations and breast cancer outcome remains to be identified.A total of 288 patients with invasive ductal breast cancer were recruited in this study. Mutations in PIK3CA (exons 4, 9 and 20), KRAS (exon 2) and AKT1 (exon 3) were detected using Sanger sequencing. PTEN loss was measured by immunohistochemistry assay. Correlations between these genetic aberrations and clinicopathological features were analyzed.The frequencies of PIK3CA mutation, KRAS mutation, AKT1 mutation and PTEN loss were 15.6%, 1.8%, 4.4% and 35.3%, respectively. However, except for PTEN loss, which was tied to estrogen receptor (ER) status, these alterations were not associated with other clinicopathological features. Survival analysis demonstrated that PIK3CA mutation, PTEN loss and PAM pathway activation were not associated with disease-free survival (DFS). Subgroup analysis of patients with ER positive tumors revealed that PIK3CA mutation more strongly reduced DFS compared to wild-type PIK3CA (76.2% vs. 54.2%; P = 0.011). PIK3CA mutation was also an independent factor for bad prognosis in ER positive patients.AKT1, KRAS and PIK3CA mutations and PTEN loss all exist in women with breast cancer in the mainland China. PIK3CA mutation may contribute to the poor outcome of ER positive breast carcinomas, providing evidence for the combination of PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors and endocrine therapy.

This paper proposes two low divergence angle orbital angular momentum (OAM) Fabry-Perot (F-P) antennas with nonuniform superstrates. There are two steps to design the proposed two F-P antennas. First, two primary array antennas (a slot array antenna and a patch array antenna) are designed. Both antennas can generate OAM vortex beams with a mode of -1. Second, two FP resonator cavity antennas are formed by loading a nonuniform partially reflective surfaces (PRS) superstrates above the two primary antennas in order to increase the antenna gain and reduce the divergence angle. The PRS is designed nonuniform for increasing the aperture efficiency. The measured results indicate that the F-P OAM antennas can obviously improve the performance of primary OAM antennas: (1) for the slot array antenna, the divergence angle reduces from 27° to 18°, and the maximum gain increases from 5.2 dBi to 7.5 dBi; (2) for the patch array antenna, the divergence angle decreases from 30° to 18°, and the peak gain increases from 3.4 dBi to 7.2 dBi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel photonic bandgap microstrip filter based on YBa2Cu3O7 high-temperature superconductor films is presented. Experimental results reveal that the transmission coefficient S21of the filter is dependent on the thickness of the YBa2Cu3O(sub 7-x) film.

The development of an analytical model of odd and even mode external inductance and kinetic inductance for coupled high-temperature super conducting (HTS) micro strip lines is studied. The odd and even mode inductance, self-and mutual inductance, characteristic impedance and attenuation constant, which were calculated by the extended incremental inductance rule agree with the numerical results and prove the validity of the model for HTS lines.

Due to the nonuniform Electromagnetic (EM) field distribution over the superstrate, a Fabry-Perot Resonant Antenna is normally with high directivity but relatively low aperture efficiency when its aperture size is electrically large. In this paper, a Fabry-Perot resonator cavity antenna (FPCA) with a nonuniform metamaterial superstrate is proposed. The nonuniform metamaterial superstrate is a nonuniform double-sided printed dielectric, in which the upper surface is used for wideband RCS reduction, and the bottom surface is the nonuniform partially reflective surface (PRS) of FPRA for wideband and high aperture efficiency performances. Wideband RCS reduction is realized by designing the phase differences 90° in turn among three adjacent frequency-selective surfaces. The wideband 3 dB gain bandwidth and high aperture efficiency performances are obtained by designing the PRS with a positive reflection phase gradient vs frequency and a negative transverse-reflection magnitude gradient, respectively. The measured results show that the gain of the proposed antenna is 11.5 dBi greater than that of the primary source antenna with a peak value 15.5 dBi at 9.2 GHz. The aperture efficiency is 73.3%. The 3-dB gain bandwidth is from 8.75 to 11.47 GHz (26.9%), and the RCS reduction can be obtained effectively from 8.2 to 20 GHz (83.7%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]