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Papillary adenoma of the lung, a rare and benign tumor, is easily confused with other primary benign or malignant lung tumors and especially with lung adenocarcinoma that has a papillary growth pattern. Enhanced understanding and an accurate diagnosis of papillary adenomas of the lung are crucial for clinical treatment and prognostic assessment. A 61-year-old man who presented with an opportunistic finding in relation to a left lower lobe lung nodule during an examination was admitted to The First Hospital of China Medical University (Shenyang, China) for further treatment. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a well-circumscribed left lower lobe nodule (diameter, ~1 cm), comprising branched papillae with a fibrovascular core and no other structural components. The tumor cells appeared relatively uniform in shape and well arranged with round or oval nuclei. No nucleoli or mitotic figures were observed. Immunohistochemically, the papillary structures of the tumor cells were strongly and diffusely positive for cytokeratin (CK), CK7, Napsin-A and thyroid transcription factor 1. The Ki-67 index was ~1%. A pathological diagnosis of primary papillary adenoma of the lung was made based on these findings. A left lower-lobe wedge resection was performed and the patient's postoperative course was uneventful. Surgical resection is the preferred treatment. Papillary adenoma of the lung is very rare, and its clinical manifestations and CT images are non-specific. It is important to avoid misdiagnosing of papillary adenoma of the lung as another type of lung tumor, especially adenocarcinoma. A clear understanding of the morphological and immunohistochemical features of papillary adenomas is important for the diagnosis of this rare lung tumor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rehmannia glutinosa is widely recognized as a prominent medicinal herb employed by practitioners across various generations for the purpose of fortifying kidney yin. Within Rehmannia glutinosa, the compound known as catalpol (CAT) holds significant importance as a bioactive constituent. However, the protective effects of CAT on kidneys, including ameliorative effects on chronic kidney disease — most prominently renal anemia and renal fibrosis — have not been clearly defined. In this study, the kidney injury model of NRK-52E cells and C57BL/6N male mice was prepared by exposure to aristolochic acid I (AA-I), and it was discovered that CAT could ameliorate oxidative stress injury, inflammatory injury, apoptosis, renal anemia, renal fibrosis, and other renal injuries both in vivo and in vitro. Further treatment of NRK-52E cells with Nrf2 inhibitors (ML385) and activators (ML334), as well as NF-κB inhibitors (PDTC), validated CAT’s ability to target Nrf2 activation. Furthermore, the expression of phosphorylated NF-κB p65, IL-6, and Cleaved-Caspase3 protein was inhibited. CAT also inhibited NF-κB, and then inhibited the expression of IL-6, p-STAS3, TGF-β1 protein. Therefore, CAT can regulate Nrf2/NF-κB signaling pathway, significantly correct renal anemia and renal fibrosis, and is conducive to the preservation of renal structure and function, thus achieving a protective effect on the kidneys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pemphigus is a group of potentially life-threatening autoimmune bullous diseases induced by pathogenic autoantibodies binding to the surface of epidermal cells. The role of the gut microbiota (GM) has been described in various autoimmune diseases. However, the impact of the GM on pemphigus is less understood. This study aimed to investigate whether there was alterations in the composition and function of the GM in pemphigus patients compared to healthy controls (HCs). Methods: Fecal samples were collected from 20 patients with active pemphigus (AP), 11 patients with remission pemphigus (PR), and 47 HCs. To sequence the fecal samples, 16S rRNA was applied, and bioinformatic analyses were performed. Results: We found differences in the abundance of certain bacterial taxa among the three groups. At the family level, the abundance of Prevotellaceae and Coriobacteriaceae positively correlated with pathogenic autoantibodies. At the genus level, the abundance of Klebsiella, Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium, Collinsella, Gemmiger, and Prevotella positively correlated with pathogenic autoantibodies. Meanwhile, the abundance of Veillonella and Clostridium_XlVa negatively correlated with pathogenic autoantibodies. A BugBase analysis revealed that the sum of potentially pathogenic bacteria was elevated in the AP group in comparison to the PR group. Additionally, the proportion of Gram-negative bacteria in the PR group was statistically significantly lower in comparison to the HC group. Conclusion: The differences in GM composition among the three groups, and the correlation between certain bacterial taxa and pathogenic autoantibodies of pemphigus, support a linkage between the GM and pemphigus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiquanta correlation between n$n$ quanta of a completely different nature is an important resource for hybrid quantum information processing since it allows quantum states of matters to be manipulated by other degrees of freedom. Here, a method is proposed to realize the hybrid bundle emission of strongly correlated single photons and magnons. The optically driven multiquanta resonance leads to the super‐Rabi oscillation between the vacuum state and photon‐magnon state, which, combined with system dissipations, generates photon‐magnon bundle emission. Interestingly, accompanied by this bundle emission, the photon‐magnon entanglement and fully inseparable photon‐magnon‐qubit tripartite entanglement are achieved. This allows the proposed hybrid system to serve as a quantum emitter of entangled photon‐magnon bundle, which is useful for building hybrid quantum network and the engineering of new types of quantum devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficacy of interrupting prolonged sitting may be influenced by muscle activity patterns. This study examined the effects of interrupting prolonged sitting time with different muscle activity patterns on continuously monitored postprandial glycemic response. Eighteen overweight and obese men (21.0 ± 1.2 years; 28.8 ± 2.2 kg/m2) participated in this randomized four‐arm crossover study, including uninterrupted sitting for 8.5 h (SIT) and interruptions in sitting with matched energy expenditure and duration but varying muscle activity: 30‐min walking at 4 km/h (ONE), sitting with 3‐min walking at 4 km/h (WALK) or squatting (SQUAT) every 45 min for 10 times. Net incremental area under the curve (netiAUC) for glucose was compared between conditions. Quadriceps, hamstring, and gluteal muscles electromyogram (EMG) patterns including averaged muscle EMG amplitude (aEMG) and EMG activity duration were used to predict the effects on glucose netiAUC. Compared with SIT (10.2 mmol/L/h [95%CI 6.3 to 11.7]), glucose netiAUC was lower during sitting interrupted with any countermeasure (ONE 9.2 mmol/L/h [8.0 to 10.4], WALK 7.9 mmol/L/h [6.4 to 9.3], and SQUAT 7.9 mmol/L/h [6.4 to 9.3], all p < 0.05). Furthermore, WALK and SQUAT resulted in a lower glucose netiAUC compared with ONE (both p < 0.05). Only increased aEMG in quadriceps (−0.383 mmol/L/h [−0.581 to −0.184], p < 0.001) and gluteal muscles (−0.322 mmol/L/h [−0.593 to −0.051], p = 0.022) was associated with a reduction in postprandial glycemic response. Collectively, short, frequent walking or squatting breaks effectively enhance glycemic control in overweight and obese men compared to a single bout of walking within prolonged sitting. These superior benefits seem to be associated with increased muscle activity intensity in the targeted muscle groups during frequent transitions from sitting to activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viral genomes frequently harbor overlapping genes, complicating the development of virus-vectored vaccines and gene therapies. This study introduces a novel conditional splicing system to precisely control the expression of such overlapping genes through recombinase-mediated conditional splicing. We refined site-specific recombinase (SSR) conditional splicing systems and explored their mechanisms. The systems demonstrated exceptional inducibility (116,700-fold increase) with negligible background expression, facilitating the conditional expression of overlapping genes in adenovirus-associated virus (AAV) and human immunodeficiency virus type 1. Notably, this approach enabled the establishment of stable AAV producer cell lines, encapsulating all necessary packaging genes. Our findings underscore the potential of the SSR-conditional splicing system to significantly advance vector engineering, enhancing the efficacy and scalability of viral-vector-based therapies and vaccines. IMPORTANCE Regulating overlapping genes is vital for gene therapy and vaccine development using viral vectors. The regulation of overlapping genes presents challenges, including cytotoxicity and impacts on vector capacity and genome stability, which restrict stable packaging cell line development and broad application. To address these challenges, we present a "loxp-splice-loxp"-based conditional splicing system, offering a novel solution for conditional expression of overlapping genes and stable cell line establishment. This system may also regulate other cytotoxic genes, representing a significant advancement in cell engineering and gene therapy as well as biomass production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Rosmarinic acid (RA) is an active polyphenol that is widely found in various edible herbs. This study explored the potential anti-allergic activities and the underlying mechanisms of RA in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced intestinal allergic mice. RESULTS: Forty female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into five groups: control group, model group (OVA sensitized/challenged), RA-Low group (OVA sensitized/challenged, 30 mg kg-1 RA intervention), RA-Middle group (OVA sensitized/challenged, 90 mg kg-1 RA intervention) and RA-High group (OVA sensitized/challenged, 270 mg kg-1 RA intervention). RA effectively attenuated allergic reactions, including alleviating allergic symptoms and regulating the hypothermia of mice in the model group. Moreover, the anaphylactic mediator (OVA-specific IgE, histamine and mMCP-1) levels of OVA allergic mice were markedly decreased after RA intervention. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that RA significantly inhibited Th2 cytokine expression, while Th1 and Treg cytokines were markedly increased. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that RA effectively regulated the richness and diversity of the intestinal microbiota in OVA allergic mice. At the phylum level, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes and the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio were altered by RA intervention. At the genus level, RA was found to regulate the disturbances in the relative abundance of Muribaculaceae, Lactobacillus and Prevotella. CONCLUSION: RA exhibited potential anti-allergic activity in OVA allergic mice by regulating hypersensitive immune responses and the intestinal microbiota structure. These results provide important evidence that RA can be developed into a novel functional food-derived ingredient against food allergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophages are important target cells for diverse viruses and thus represent a valuable system for studying virus biology. Isolation of primary human macrophages is done by culture of dissociated tissues or from differentiated blood monocytes, but these methods are both time consuming and result in low numbers of recovered macrophages. Here, we explore whether macrophages derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)--which proliferate indefinitely and potentially provide unlimited starting material--could serve as a faithful model system for studying virus biology. Human iPSC-derived monocytes were differentiated into macrophages and then infected with HIV-1, dengue virus, or influenza virus as model human viruses. We show that iPSC-derived macrophages support the replication of these viruses with kinetics and phenotypes similar to human blood monocyte-derived macrophages. These iPSC-derived macrophages were virtually indistinguishable from human blood monocyte-derived macrophages based on surface marker expression (flow cytometry), transcriptomics (RNA sequencing), and chromatin accessibility profiling. iPSC lines were additionally generated from non-human primate (chimpanzee) fibroblasts. When challenged with dengue virus, human and chimpanzee iPSC-derived macrophages show differential susceptibility to infection, thus providing a valuable resource for studying the species-tropism of viruses. We also show that blood- and iPSC-derived macrophages both restrict influenza virus at a late stage of the virus lifecycle. Collectively, our results substantiate iPSC-derived macrophages as an alternative to blood monocyte-derived macrophages for the study of virus biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multiplicative function f is said to be resembling the Möbius function if f is supported on the square-free integers, and f (p)= ±1 for each prime p. We prove O- and Ω-results for the summatory function ∑n≤xf(n) for a class of these f, and the point is that these O-results demonstrate cancellations better than the square-root saving. It is proved in particular that the summatory function is O(x1/3+ε) under the Riemann Hypothesis. On the other hand it is proved to be Ω(x1/4) unconditionally. It is interesting to compare these with the corresponding results for the Möbius function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When lakes are dammed by earthquake-induced landslides, they can pose a significant threat to communities and infrastructure both downstream and upstream. To improve means for disaster prevention and mitigation, a field investigation together with the DEM-SPH numerical method was utilized to study a landslide-dammed lake disaster in the Baoxing River after the 2022 Lushan earthquake. The simulation results agreed well with those of the field investigation; the simulated landslide dam and dammed lake were similar to the field observations. The whole process of the formation of the landslide-dammed lake, including the formation of the natural dam, the blocking of the river, and overtopping, was well described. The maximum average velocity and sliding distance of the causative Xinhua landslide were 6.55 m/s and 318 m, respectively. The limit storage capacity of the dammed lake was 513,317 m3; the water level increased under the impoundment, and the maximum river depth was 22.56 m. The fluid pressure increased with river flow direction, and the maximum fluid pressure was 1.81 × 105 Pa. The process of the river blocking disaster was divided into three stages: the impoundment stage, discharge stage, and balanced stage. In the event of a heavy rainfall, the submerged area could increase by 20.8% compared with the current state. The coupled numerical investigation presented in this paper provides new insights into the research and risk assessment of landslide-dammed lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although graphene has excellent electrical and mechanical properties, the giant delocalized π-electron system makes it chemically inert. Here, we propose an idea to design two-dimensional (2D) carbon allotropes via incorporating multiple rings in sp2-hybridized carbon networks, which can break the π-bonding network and enhance the surface reactivity. By assembling molecule of cyclobut(a)acenaphthylene, we predict a monolayer 2D carbon material, named as R12-graphene, which is composed of quadrilateral, pentagonal, hexagonal, and dodecagonal carbon rings. It shows great stability in energetic, dynamic, thermodynamic, and mechanical aspects. It exhibits high-performance as an anode material for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs), including an intrinsic metallic behavior, a high theoretical capacity (632 mA h g−1), a low K diffusion barrier (0.33 eV), and a low average open-circuit voltage (0.5 V). The presence of electrolytes can provide better K ion adsorption and diffusion capability compared to that in vacuum. Furthermore, R12-graphene has excellent wettability toward some commonly used electrolytes, which is beneficial for improving the charge/discharge rate for PIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pineapple juice was added at three different points in the brewing process, (i) wort, (ii) toward the end of fermentation and (iii) at the beginning of maturation. The physicochemical properties, taste and aroma of the three fruit beers was compared to a control beer without addition of pineapple juice. The beers were analysed using an electronic nose (E-nose), head space solid phase micro-extraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC-MS) and head space gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (HS-GC-IMS). Of the three fruit beers, esters characteristic of pineapple aroma was found in the beer produced with juice added late during primary fermentation. Further, the abundance of esters-isoamyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl acetate, ethyl hexanoate and phenethyl acetate-was higher. Sensory analysis showed the beer produced from the addition of juice late in fermentation had a superior aroma and was the most preferred in sensory testing. These results provide technical support for process optimisation and for improving the aroma of fruit beers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Existing studies for ferroptosis and prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC) were limited. In this study, we aim to investigate the prognostic role of ferroptosis markers in patients with CRC and exploration of its micro‐environmental distributions. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining was performed for CRC patients' tissue microarray. Selection and prognostic validation of markers were based on mRNA data from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed to indicate relative immune landmarks and hallmarks. Ferroptosis and immune contexture were examined by CIBERSORT. Survival outcomes were analyzed by Kaplan‐Meier analysis and cox analysis. Results: A panel of 42 genes was selected. Through mRNA expression difference and prognosis analysis, GPX4, NOX1 and ACSL4 were selected as candidate markers. By IHC, increased GPX4, decreased NOX1 and decreased FACL4 indicate poor prognosis and worse clinical characteristics. Ferroptosis score based on GPX4, NOX1 and ACSL4 was constructed and validated with high C‐index. Low ferroptosis score can also demonstrate the better progression free survival and better adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) responsiveness. Moreover, tumor with low ferroptosis score tend to be infiltrated with more CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and less M1 macrophage. Finally, we found that IFN‐γ was potentially the central molecule at the crossroad between ferroptosis and onco‐immune response. Conclusion: Ferroptosis plays important role on CRC tumor progression, ACT response and prognosis. Ferroptosis contributes to immune‐supportive responses and IFN‐γ was the central molecule for this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of touch imprint cytology (TIC) for sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastases of patients with clinical nodenegative early breast cancer. The PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases were meticulously searched to retrieve literature published from January 2005 to September 2022 by two independent reviewers. The meta-analysis was performed using STATA16.0, Meta-Disc 1.4, and RevMan 5.4.9. According to the inclusion criteria, 4,073 patients from 13 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled sensitivity and specificity of TIC for detecting SLN metastases were 0.77 (95% CI 0.66–0.85) and 0.99 (95% CI 0.97–1.00), respectively. The pooled positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 76.15 (95% CI 29.16–198.84) and 0.23 (95% CI 0.15–0.36), respectively. The pooled diagnostic odds ratio was 326.82 (95% CI 132.76–804.56) and the area under the sROC curve was 0.97 (95% CI 0.95–0.98), respectively. This meta-analysis revealed that TIC with high sensitivity and specificity is a feasibility and accuracy diagnosis technique for intraoperative detection of SLN metastases in breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The left primary motor area (M1) stimulation has recently been revealed to promote post-stroke aphasia (PSA) recovery, of which a plausible mechanism might be the semantic and/or the mirror neuron system reorganization, but the direct evidence is still scarce. The aim of this study was to explore the functional connectivity (FC) alterations induced by the left M1 intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), a new transcranial magnetic stimulation paradigm, in the semantic and mirror neuron systems of PSA patients. Methods: Sixteen PSA patients accepted the left M1 iTBS and underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) scanning before and immediately after the first session of iTBS, of which six underwent another fMRI scanning after twenty sessions of iTBS. Three brain networks covering the semantic and the mirror neuron systems were constructed using the fMRI data, and the FC alterations following one-session iTBS were investigated in the networks. Additional seed-based FC analyses were conducted to explore the longitudinal FC patterns changes during the course of multi-session iTBS. The Aphasia quotient of the Chinese version of the western aphasia battery (WAB-AQ) was used to assess the severity of the language impairments of the participants. The relationship between the longitudinal WAB-AQ and network FC changes was analyzed by Spearman's correlation coefficients in the multi-session iTBS subgroup. Results: Decreased FCs were noted in the bilateral semantic rather than in the mirror neuron networks following one-session of iTBS (p < 0.05, network based statistical corrected). Longitudinal seed-based FC analyses revealed changing FC ranges along the multi-session iTBS course, extending beyond the semantic networks. No significant relationship was found between the longitudinal WAB-AQ and network FC changes in the multi-session iTBS sub-group. Conclusions: The left M1 iTBS might induce FC changes in the semantic system of PSA patients. Clinical Trial Registration: This research was registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry website (http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx), and the registration number is ChiCTR2100041936. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-adherence to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment is associated with poor disease control. Little data exist from China on inhalation adherence and patient satisfaction. We investigated the improvement in inhalation adherence in patients with COPD following a pharmacist's intervention on dry powder inhaler (DPI) use. The participants were patients with COPD who used DPIs for at least 2 months. DPIs included Turbohaler, Discus, and HandiHaler. On enrolment, the inhaler technique, patient satisfaction, and adherence were assessed by a pharmacist, who guided the patients on the use of inhalants and addressed dissatisfaction issues based on the results of a medication satisfaction survey. Follow-ups were conducted at 1 and 3 months. Finally, the inhalation technique, satisfaction, and adherence at 6 months were compared with those before the intervention. A total of 135 patients completed the study. The higher the COPD assessment test (CAT) score and the higher the number of disease exacerbations in the past year, the worse the adherence. The proportion of patients with at least one error in the inhalation technique at baseline was 86.44% for Turbohaler, 76.60% for Discus, and 54.17% for HandiHaler. After pharmacist intervention, the error rate was decreased to 32.20% for Turbohaler, 29.79% for Discus, and 22.92% for HandiHaler. The average score of the Patient Satisfaction and Preference Questionnaire was increased from 74.44 ± 7.48 to 83.97 ± 5.88 (P < 0.001), and the average adherence score was increased from 4.78 ± 1.46 to 6.52 ± 1.11 (P < 0.001). Users of all three devices showed significant increases in satisfaction with performance (P < 0.001), and the increase in intentional adherence was more significant than that in unintentional adherence (P < 0.001). This study found that inhaler training and medication management by pharmacists were feasible and could improve inhaler technique, patient satisfaction, and adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broken time-reversal and parity symmetries in active spinner fluids imply a nondissipative “odd viscosity,” engendering phenomena unattainable in traditional passive or active fluids. Here we show that the odd viscosity itself can lead to a Hall-like transport when the active chiral fluid flows through a quenched matrix of obstacles, reminiscent of the anomalousHall effect.TheHall-like velocity depends significantly on the spinner activity and longitudinal flow due to the interplay between odd viscosity and spinner– obstacle collisions. Our findings underscore the importance of odd viscosity in active chiral matter and elucidate its essential role in the anomalous Hall-like effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minimizing cadmium (Cd) contamination in rice grains is crucial for ensuring food security and promoting sustainable agriculture. Utilizing genetic modification to generate rice varieties with low Cd accumulation is a promising strategy due to its cost-effectiveness and operational simplicity. Our study demonstrated that the CRISPR-Cas9-mediated quadruple mutation of the multicopper oxidase genes OsLPR1/3/4/5 in the japonica rice cultivar Tongjing 981 had little effect on yields. However, a notable increase was observed in the cell wall functional groups that bind with Cd. As a result, the quadruple mutation of OsLPR1/3/4/5 enhanced Cd sequestration within the cell wall while reducing Cd concentrations in both xylem and phloem sap, thereby inhibiting Cd transport from roots to shoots. Consequently, Cd concentrations in brown rice and husk in oslpr1/3/4/5 quadruple mutants (qm) decreased by 52% and 55%, respectively, compared to the wild-type. These findings illustrate that the quadruple mutation of OsLPR1/3/4/5 is an effective method for minimizing Cd contamination in rice grains without compromising yields. Therefore, the quadruple mutation of OsLPR1/3/4/5 via biotechnological pathways may represent a valuable strategy for the generation of new rice varieties with low Cd accumulation. [Display omitted] • Disruption of OsLPR1/3/4/5 reduced Cd concentration in rice grains by more than 50 %. • Disruption of OsLPR1/3/4/5 increased cell wall functional groups involved in Cd complexation. • Disruption of OsLPR1/3/4/5 raised the Cd retention in the root cell wall. • Disruption of OsLPR1/3/4/5 prevented long-distance Cd transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are widely involved in the regulation of plant growth and development, but their mechanism of action in response to cold stress in plants remains unclear. Here, we found an lncRNA transcribed from the antisense strand of DgTCP1 (class I Teosinte branched1/Cycloidea/Proliferating [TCP] transcription factor) of chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.), named DglncTCP1. During the response of chrysanthemum to cold stress, overexpression of DgTCP1 improved the cold tolerance of chrysanthemum, while the DgTCP1 editing line (dgtcp1) showed decreased tolerance to cold stress. Overexpression of DglncTCP1 also increased the cold tolerance of chrysanthemum, while the DglncTCP1 amiRNA lines (DglncTCP1 amiR-18/38) also showed decreased tolerance to cold stress. Additionally, the overexpression of DglncTCP1 upregulated the expression of DgTCP1. This indicated that DglncTCP1 may play a cis-regulatory role in the regulatory process of DgTCP1 in cold tolerance. DglncTCP1 acts as a scaffold to recruit the histone modification protein DgATX (ARABIDOPSIS TRITHORAX from chrysanthemum) to DgTCP1 to enhance H3K4me3 levels, thereby activating DgTCP1 expression. Moreover, DgTCP1 can directly target DgPOD (peroxidase gene from chrysanthemum) to promote its expression and reduce reactive oxygen species accumulation, thereby improving the cold tolerance of chrysanthemum. In conclusion, these results suggest that natural antisense lncRNA plays a key role in improving the cold tolerance of chrysanthemum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ferroptosis is associated with cancer initiation and progression. However, the molecular mechanism and prognostic value of ferroptosis-related genes in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) are poorly understood. Methods: The mRNA expression profiles, methylation data, and clinical information of patients with LUSC were downloaded from TCGA and GEO database. Ferroptosis-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between cancerous and non-cancerous tissues, and their prognostic value was systemically investigated by bioinformatic analyses. Results: A ferroptosis-related gene signature (ALOX5, TFRC, PHKG2, FADS2, NOX1) was constructed using multivariate Cox regression analysis and represented as a risk score. Overall survival (OS) probability was significantly lower in the high-risk group than in the low-risk group (P<0.001), and receiver operating characteristic curve showed a good predictive capacity (AUC = 0.739). The risk score was an independent prognostic factor for LUSC. A nomogram was constructed to predict the OS probabilities at 1, 3, and 5 years. High-risk score was associated with increased immune infiltration, lower methylation levels, higher immune checkpoint genes expression levels, and better chemotherapy response. Cell adhesion molecules, focal adhesion, and extracellular matrix receptor interaction were the main pathways in the high-risk group. The signature was validated using the TCGA test cohort, entire TCGA cohort, GSE30219, GSE157010, GSE73403, and GSE4573 datasets. The gene disorders in patients with LUSC were validated using real-time PCR and single-cell RNA sequencing analysis. Conclusions: A ferroptosis-related gene signature was constructed to predict OS probability in LUSC. This could facilitate novel therapeutic methods and guide individualized therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate evolution and collision of wave fronts propagating in two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal packing confined in a rectangular region, using the fifth-order Runge–Kutta numerical scheme, under various impacts including one impact, continuous impacts and discontinuous impacts. For the case of one impact, numerical results indicate that the phase of the wave front is not in phase and the relationship between the peak amplitude of the velocity V max and the distance m from the center of the wave front satisfies the equation V max ∼ e x p (d m) . With the increase of propagating depth, the attenuation of velocity at each position of the wave front is also different. At the corner of the wave front moving in the y-direction, the peak amplitude of velocity follows the exponential relationship with the depth, which can be described by the nonlinear mapping method. But at the center, the peak amplitude no longer strictly follows the exponential relationship with the depth. For the case of continuous impacts, the decay of the peak amplitude is slower than that of one impact. Numerical simulations indicate that independent wave fronts induced by two discontinuous impacts, may merge in to one after a certain depth. The center of the merged wave front is moved to a new position, the peak amplitude at the center of the merged wave front also follows the exponential decay with the depth. When impacts are periodically distributed, our numerical results confirm that the wave fronts eventually evolve into a uniform wave front that can well be described by Nesterenko’s continuum approximation of a 1D chain of spheres. Our results provide a new idea for generating a plane wave front and effectively avoid the influence of defects or impurities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As important factors to oolong tea quality, the accumulation and dynamic change in aroma substances attracts great attention. The volatile composition of oolong tea is closely related to the precursor contents. Fatty acids (FAs) and their derivatives are basic components of oolong tea fragrance during the postharvest process. However, information about the precursors of FAs during the postharvest process of oolong tea production is rare. To investigate the transformation of fatty acids during the process of oolong tea production, gas chromatograph–flame ionization detection (GC-FID) was conducted to analyze the composition of FAs. The results show that the content of total polyunsaturated FAs initially increased and then decreased. Specifically, the contents of α-linolenic acid, linoleic acid and other representative substances decreased after the turn-over process of oolong tea production. The results of partial least squares discrimination analysis (PLS-DA) showed that five types of FAs were obviously impacted by the processing methods of oolong tea (VIP > 1.0). LOX (Lipoxygenase, EC 1.13.11.12) is considered one of the key rate-limiting enzymes of long-chain unsaturated FAs in the LOX-HPL (hydroperoxide lyase) pathway, and the mechanical wounding occurring during the postharvest process of oolong tea production greatly elevated the activity of LOX. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portfolio managements in financial markets involve risk management strategies and opportunistic responses to individual trading behaviours. Optimal portfolios constructed aim to have a minimal risk with highest accompanying investment returns, regardless of market conditions. This paper focuses on providing an alternative view in maximising portfolio returns using Reinforcement Learning (RL) by considering dynamic risks appropriate to market conditions through dynamic portfolio rebalancing. The proposed algorithm is able to improve portfolio management by introducing the dynamic rebalancing of portfolios with vigorous risk through an RL agent. This is done while accounting for market conditions, asset diversifications, risk and returns in the global financial market. Studies have been performed in this paper to explore four types of methods with variations in fully portfolio rebalancing and gradual portfolio rebalancing, which combine with and without the use of the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model to predict stock prices for adjusting the technical indicator centring. Performances of the four methods have been evaluated and compared using three constructed financial portfolios, including one portfolio with global market index assets with different risk levels, and two portfolios with uncorrelated stock assets from different sectors and risk levels. Observed from the experiment results, the proposed RL agent for gradual portfolio rebalancing with the LSTM model on price prediction outperforms the other three methods, as well as returns of individual assets in these three portfolios. The improvements of the returns using the RL agent for gradual rebalancing with prediction model are achieved at about 27.9–93.4% over those of the full rebalancing without prediction model. It has demonstrated the ability to dynamically adjust portfolio compositions according to the market trends, risks and returns of the global indices and stock assets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multicomponent diastereoselective synthesis is still very difficult to achieve in photoredox catalysis. Here, we report a green and reliable strategy for the diastereoselective synthesis of ß-amido sulfones through organophotoredox catalytic four-component radical-polar crossover cascade reactions. This transformation features excellent atom-, step-, and redox economy and diastereoselectivity. Moreover, DFT calculation studies were performed to provide some insights into the origin of diastereoselectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pineapple beer brewed with pineapple juice concentrate has a unique taste and is becoming popular. However, little is known about its physico-chemical and aroma characteristics. This study aimed to determine whether pineapple juice concentrate can be used as an adjunct for fruit beer production and elucidate its chemical characteristics. Compared with the control beer without it, addition of pineapple juice concentrate increased total polyphenols concentration (to 506.40 ± 2.50 mg·l-1, expressed as gallic acid equivalents) and flavonoids concentration (to 49.60 ± 0.69 mg·l-1, expressed as catechin equivalents) in final products and markedly enhanced the antioxidant activities. Flavour profiles analysed by using headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectroscopy contained 42 representative compounds (12 esters, 9 alcohols, 11 aldehydes, 2 organic acids, 4 ketones, 2 furans, 1 sulphur compound and 1 olefin). Principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis were used to build the flavour fingerprints and the characteristic flavour compounds were distinguished. Acetic acid, 3-methyl-1-butanol, ethanol, acetone, a-pinene, 3-methylbutanal, 2-propanol, ethyl formate, ethyl 3-methylbutanoate, 2-methylpropanal and dimethyl disulphide could be used to differentiate pineapple beer from control beer. The results are expected to provide a basis for industrial production of pineapple beer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulmonary fibrosis, a kind of terminal pathological changes in the lung, is caused by aberrant wound healing, deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), and eventually replacement of lung parenchyma by ECM. Pulmonary fibrosis induced by acute lung injury and some diseases is reversible under treatment. While idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is persistent and irreversible even after treatment. Currently, the pathogenesis of irreversible pulmonary fibrosis is not fully elucidated. The known factors associated with the development of irreversible fibrosis include apoptosis resistance of (myo)fibroblasts, dysfunction of pulmonary vessel, cell mitochondria and autophagy, aberrant epithelia hyperplasia and lipid metabolism disorder. In this review, other than a brief introduction of reversible pulmonary fibrosis, we focus on the underlying pathogenesis of irreversible pulmonary fibrosis from the above aspects as well as preclinical disease models, and also suggest directions for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellular senescence represents a condition of irreversible cell cycle arrest, characterized by heightened senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal) activity, senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), and activation of the DNA damage response (DDR). Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is a significant contributor to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) globally, with ongoing unmet needs in terms of current treatments. The role of senescence in the pathogenesis of DKD has attracted substantial attention with evidence of premature senescence in this condition. The process of cellular senescence in DKD appears to be associated with mitochondrial redox pathways, autophagy, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Increasing accumulation of senescent cells in the diabetic kidney not only leads to an impaired capacity for repair of renal injury, but also the secretion of pro-inflammatory and profibrotic cytokines and growth factors causing inflammation and fibrosis. Current treatments for diabetes exhibit varying degrees of renoprotection, potentially via mitigation of senescence in the diabetic kidney. Targeting senescent cell clearance through pharmaceutical interventions could emerge as a promising strategy for preventing and treating DKD. In this paper, we review the current understanding of senescence in DKD and summarize the possible therapeutic interventions relevant to senescence in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new inositol compounds, myoinositol-1,3-di-4-hydroxybenzoyl-2-methylbutyrate (1) and myoinositol-1,3-di-4-hydroxybenzoyl-2-isobutyrate (2), along with two known ones, were isolated from Thalictrum scabrifolium var. leve Franch., and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited activities to inhibit Staphylococcus epidermidis with an MIC of 5.00 mg/mL and 4.50 mg/mL at a concentration of 5 mg/mL. Moreover, they had a certain inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Propagation of ultrasonic wave in Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) is greatly influenced by the material's matrix, resins and fiber volume ratio. Laser ultrasonic broadband spectral technique has been demonstrated for porosity and fiber volume ratio extraction on unidirection aligned CFRP laminates. Porosity in the matrix materials can be calculated by longitudinal wave attenuation and accurate fiber volume ratio can be derived by combined velocity through the high strength carbon fiber and the matrix material with further consideration of porosity effects. The results have been benchmarked by pulse-echo ultrasonic tests, gas pycnometer and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). The potentials and advantages of the laser ultrasonic technique as a non-destructive evaluation method for CFRP carbon fiber volume fraction evaluation were demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spherical microspheres of methotrexate intercalated layered double hydroxides (MTX/LDHs) have been synthesized by the calcination-reconstruction method and using the carbon spheres as template. Here, the effect of carbon spheres' size on the morphology, drug-loading capacity and controlled-release property of the final product-MTX/LDHs nanohybrids are examined in details. It has been found out that the morphology of MTX/LDHs nanohybrids synthesized without template is irregular and aggregated seriously, while the MTX/LDHs nanohybrids prepared with the template of carbon spheres are spherical and monodispersed. With increasing in the size of carbon spheres, the particle size of MTX/LDHs is increasing gradually, and the morphology changes from irregular to the regular one. A set of characterization technologies including Zeta potentials, sustained-release performance and anticancer effect will be carried out to investigate the physical and chemical properties, and it's indicated that spherical MTX/LDHs have excellent controlled-release property and good anticancer effect. Therefore, this work provides a promising approach for the design and synthesis of spherical MTX/LDHs nanohybrids, which can be potentially applied in drug delivery devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the anti-aging effects of velvet antler polypeptide on D-galactose (D-gal)-induced aging mice. D-gal-induced aging mice were established and randomly divided into five groups, the control, model, vitamin E (VE), velvet antler polypeptide low-dose and velvet antler polypeptide high-dose groups. The Morris water maze test was used to evaluate the learning and memory abilities of aging mice. Hippocampal neurons were observed via hematoxylineosin staining and transmission electron microscopy. Biochemical methods were used to detect the activities of superoxide dismutase, malonaldehyde and other enzymes and evaluate the influence of velvet antler polypeptide on the antioxidant capacity of aging mice. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and meristem technology, we assessed the effect of velvet antler polypeptide on aging mice's intestinal flora and fatty acid metabolism. The experimental results showed that velvet antler polypeptide could significantly improve aging mice's learning and cognitive abilities, increase the activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase in the serum decrease the malonaldehyde content. Intestinal microecological analysis showed that velvet antler polypeptide could significantly increase the beneficial bacterial genus Lactobacillus abundance. Western blot analysis further demonstrated that velvet antler polypeptide could promote fatty acid metabolism by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor a (PPARa) and upregulating the expression of the downstream enzymes carnitinepalmitoyl transferase-1 A and acyl-CoA oxidase 1 while downregulating that of apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4), thereby reducing fatty acid accumulation and increasing adenosine-triphosphate (ATP) production. Therefore, velvet antler polypeptide improves the intestinal microecology and activates the PPARa/APOE4 pathway to regulate fatty acid metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Minerals are stored in the aleurone layer and embryo during maize seed development, but how they affect endosperm development and activity is unclear. Here, we cloned the gene underlying the classic maize kernel mutant shrunken4 (sh4) and found that it encodes the YELLOW STRIPE-LIKE oligopeptide metal transporter ZmYSL2. sh4 kernels had a shrunken phenotype with developmental defects in the aleurone layer and starchy endosperm cells. ZmYSL2 showed iron and zinc transporter activity in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Analysis using a specific antibody indicated that ZmYSL2 predominately accumulated in the aleurone and sub-aleurone layers in endosperm and the scutellum in embryos. Specific iron deposition was observed in the aleurone layer in wild-type kernels. In sh4, however, the outermost monolayer of endosperm cells failed to accumulate iron and lost aleurone cell characteristics, indicating that proper functioning of ZmYSL2 and iron accumulation are essential for aleurone cell development. Transcriptome analysis of sh4 endosperm revealed that loss of ZmYSL2 function affects the expression of genes involved in starch synthesis and degradation processes, which is consistent with the delayed development and premature degradation of starch grains in sh4 kernels. Therefore, ZmYSL2 is critical for aleurone cell development and starchy endosperm cell activity during maize seed development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze data from the fall 2020 pandemic response efforts at the University of Colorado Boulder, where more than 72,500 saliva samples were tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using qRT-PCR. All samples were collected from individuals who reported no symptoms associated with COVID-19 on the day of collection. From these, 1,405 positive cases were identified. The distribution of viral loads within these asymptomatic individuals was indistinguishable from what has been previously observed in symptomatic individuals. Regardless of symptomatic status, ~50% of individuals who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 seem to be in noninfectious phases of the disease, based on having low viral loads in a range from which live virus has rarely been isolated. We find that, at any given time, just 2% of individuals carry 90% of the virions circulating within communities, serving as viral "supercarriers" and possibly also superspreaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we develop a simple molecular test for SARS-CoV-2 in saliva based on reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification. The test has two steps: (1) heat saliva with a stabilization solution and (2) detect virus by incubating with a primer/enzyme mix. After incubation, saliva samples containing the SARS-CoV-2 genome turn bright yellow. Because this test is pH dependent, it can react falsely to some naturally acidic saliva samples. We report unique saliva stabilization protocols that rendered 295 healthy saliva samples compatible with the test, producing zero false positives. We also evaluated the test on 278 saliva samples from individuals who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 but had no symptoms at the time of saliva collection, and from 54 matched pairs of saliva and anterior nasal samples from infected individuals. The Saliva TwoStep test described herein identified infections with 94% sensitivity and >99% specificity in individuals with sub-clinical (asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic) infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After my country's economy has entered a new normal, in terms of employment, which has led to the coexistence of the old and new contradictions in employment in our country and the coexistence of employment expansion and stabilization of employment. In this context, it is impossible to achieve full employment and completely eliminate unemployment by relying solely on economic growth. This paper improves traditional machine learning algorithms and builds an entrepreneurial policy analysis model based on improved machine learning to analyze the impact of entrepreneurial policies on employment. Moreover, this paper uses a projection pursuit comprehensive evaluation model optimized by genetic algorithm to conduct empirical research on entrepreneurial environment conditions. In addition, this paper verifies its rationality by regression analysis of empirical results and TEA (Entrepreneurial Activity of All Employees) index, and deeply explores the inherent laws and development characteristics of entrepreneurial environmental conditions from multiple perspectives such as time series and spatial distribution. The research results show that the method proposed in this paper is effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design: A morphometric measurement study.Objective: To measure the length and angle parameters of the screw paths of pedicle screws (PS), lateral mass screws (LMS), and paravertebral foramen screws (PVFS) of subaxial cervical spine in Chinese population.Summary Of Background Data: Aramomi proposed a novel internal fixation technology, named PVFS, as an alternative to LMS and PS for subaxial cervical vertebrae (C3-C7).Methods: This study measured the length and medial angles of screw paths on the three-dimensional reconstruction model of cervical computerized tomography data of 50 patients (25 men and 25 women) in our hospital from January 2018 to June 2018.Results: In general, the optimum length and medial angle of the PVFS in Chinese population were 10.65 mm and 21.12° at C3; 10.12 mm, 22.62° at C4; 9.82 mm, 23.66° at C5; 9.19 mm, 24.13° at C6; and 9.10 mm, 27.54° at C7. The optimum axial length and medial angle of PS in Chinese population were 30.94 mm, 33.92° at C3; 30.50 mm, 34.95° at C4; 31.92 mm, 33.42° at C5; 30.50 mm, 31.94° at C6; and 29.87 mm, 31.01° at C7. The optimum lengths of LMS paths in Chinese population were C3, 14.84 mm; C4, 15.33 mm; C5, 15.44 mm; C6, 14.74 mm; and C7, 14.06 mm.Conclusion: Although the length of PVFS is limited, it still can be used as an effective substitute for LMS and PS. The PVFS does not have the risk of directly injuring the vertebral artery, its safety angle of insertion is larger than that in PS, and it has higher surgical safety.Level of Evidence: 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flavonoids are secondary metabolites that play important roles in fruit and vegetable development. Here, we examined the function of hyperoside, a unique flavonoid in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus), known to promote both flowering and seed set. We showed that the exogenous application of hyperoside significantly improved pollen germination rate and pollen tube growth by almost 50%, resulting in a 42.7% increase in the seed set rate. Of several genes induced by the hyperoside treatment, AeUF3GaT1, which encodes an enzyme that catalyzes the last step of hyperoside biosynthesis, was the most strongly induced. The transcription factor AeMYB30 enhanced AeUFG3aT1 transcription by directly binding to the AeUFG3aT1 promoter. We studied the effect of the hyperoside application on the expression of 10 representative genes at four stages of reproductive development, from pollination to seed maturity. We firstly developed an efficient transformation system that uses seeds as explants to study the roles of AeMYB30 and AeUFG3aT1. Overexpression of AeMYB30 or AeUF3GaT1 promoted seed development. Moreover, exogenous application of hyperoside partially restored the aberrant phenotype of AeUF3GaT1 RNA-interference plants. Thus, hyperoside promotes seed set in okra via a pathway involving AeUF3GaT and AeMYB30, and the exogenous application of this flavonoid is a simple method that can be used to improve seed quality and yield in okra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The 10,600-nm ablative fractional laser (AFL) is widely used for treating facial atrophic acne scars but with evident side effects. By contrast, the common Er:Glass non-AFL (NAFL) is safer but lacks of comparable outcomes. A novel 1,565 nm Er:Glass NAFL improves thermal energy delivery and could yield better outcomes. OBJECTIVE We aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety between the 1,565-nm NAFL and 10,600-nm AFL in treating mild-to-moderate facial atrophic acne scars. METHODS Nineteen patients with mild-to-moderate bilateral facial atrophic acne scars were enrolled in a randomized split-face trial, which involved 3-session procedures for each laser. The effectiveness and safety were evaluated by doctors and patients who were blinded to the treatment assignment. RESULTS Both lasers improved the acne scar profiles comparably. A marked reduction in erythema, crusting durations, and degree of pain were noted on the sides treated with the 1,565-nm NAFL, relative to those treated with the 10,600-nm AFL. CONCLUSION Both 1,565 nm-NAFL and 10,600-nm AFL can improve mild-to-moderate acne scars. Patients should never expect complete resolution. The 1,565-nm NAFL has less side effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aim ‒ Acute treatment of young patients with proximal femoral fracture (PFF) remains a challenge for trauma surgeons due to major fracture displacement and heavy pain in clinical practice. Traditional methods have a variety of intrinsic defaults and cannot successfully manage the requirements of young patients. Benefiting from our anatomic research, we explored a new method of external fixation for this specific trauma and evaluated its feasibility and clinical outcomes. Material and methods ‒ Twenty-three young multipletrauma patients with PFF were included in this study. Surgical treatment was applied using an external fixator via the anterior inferior iliac spine (AIIS). Electronic patient records, surgical characteristics, clinical outcomes, and complications were reviewed for each patient. Results ‒ The mean surgical time was 30.3 ± 7.3 min. The mean blood loss was 25.3 ± 10.8 mL. No iatrogenic nerve palsy, pin tract infection, failure of external fixation, or bedsores were observed. The postoperative visual analog scale score was significantly lower than the preoperative score (P < 0.01). The mean fracture reduction rate of the femur was 58.1 ± 17.0%, and the mean degree of reduction was 13.5 ± 6.9°. The mean external fixation time was 7.6 ± 4.0 days and intramedullary nailing was performed. The mean hospital, follow-up, and healing times were 28.7 ± 8.7 days, 23.5 ± 7.9 months, and 22.8 ± 5.7 weeks, respectively. The Harris Hip Score indicated excellent or good results in 20 patients. Conclusion ‒ Collectively, the results of this study revealed that external fixation via the AIIS is a safe, rapid, and effective method for acute treatment of PFF in young patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of apolipoprotein C3 (APOC3) play important role in lipid metabolism, and dyslipidemia underlies nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). But the correlation of serum lipidomics, APOC3 SNPs, and NAFLD remains limited understood. Enrolling thirty-four biopsy-proven NAFLD patients from Tianjin, Shanghai, Fujian, we investigated their APOC3 genotype and serum lipid profile by DNA sequencing and ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), respectively. Scoring of hepatocyte steatosis, ballooning, lobular inflammation, and liver fibrosis was then performed to reveal the role of lipidomics-affecting APOC3 SNPs in NAFLD-specific pathological alterations. Here, we reported that APOC3 SNPs (rs4225, rs4520, rs5128, rs2070666, and rs2070667) intimately correlated to serum lipidomics in NAFLD patients. A allele instead of G allele at rs2070667, which dominated the SNPs underlying lipidomic alteration, exhibited downregulatory effect on triacylglycerols (TGs: TG 54 : 7, TG 54 : 8, and TG 56 : 9) containing polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). Moreover, subjects with low-level PUFA-containing TGs were predisposed to high-grade lobular inflammation (TG 54 : 7, rho = − 0.454 and P = 0.007 ; TG 54 : 8, rho = − 0.411 and P =0.016; TG 56 : 9, rho = − 0.481 and P = 0.004). The significant correlation of APOC3 rs2070667 and inflammation grading [G/G vs. G/A+A/A: 0.00 (0.00 and 1.00) vs. 1.50 (0.75 and 2.00), P = 0.022 ] further confirmed its pathological action on the basis of lipidomics-impacting activity. These findings suggest an inhibitory effect of A allele at APOC3 rs2070667 on serum levels of PUFA-containing TGs, which are associated with high-grade lobular inflammation in NAFLD patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rare case of Francisella hispaniensis infection associated with seawater exposure occurred in a deep-sea diving fisherman in Zhejiang, China. He had skin and soft tissue infection that progressed to bacteremia and multiple organ failure. Moxifloxacin treatment cleared the infections, but the patient suffered a sequela of heart damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a novel carbon allotrope tP40 carbon with space group P4/mmm is proposed. The structural stability, mechanical properties, elastic anisotropy, and electronic properties of tP40 carbon are investigated systematically by using density functional theory (DFT). The calculated elastic constants and phonon dispersion spectra indicate that the tP40 phase is a metastable carbon phase with mechanical stability and dynamic stability. The B/G ratio indicates that tP40 carbon is brittle from 0 GPa to 60 GPa, while tP40 carbon is ductile from 70 GPa to 100 GPa. Additionally, the anisotropic factors and the directional dependence of the Poisson's ratio, shear modulus, and Young's modulus of tP40 carbon at different pressures are estimated and plotted, suggesting that the tP40 carbon is elastically anisotropic. The calculated hardness values of tP40 carbon are 44.0 GPa and 40.2 GPa obtained by using Lyakhov–Oganov's model and Chen's model, respectively, which means that the tP40 carbon can be considered as a superhard material. The electronic band gap within Heyd–Scuseria–Ernzerhof hybrid functional (HSE06) is 4.130 eV, and it is found that the tP40 carbon is an indirect and wider band gap semiconductor material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for satellite downlink signal detection based on a generative adversarial network is proposed. The generator adversarial network and adversarial network are established, respectively. The generator network realizes the local generator of satellite signals, and the adversarial network is used for high-precision signal detection. The error network is generated by the error signal to form the satellite link downlink. The network reconstructs the optimal weights by generating errors, forms an error matrix for different satellite downlink, and then forms an adaptive matrix weight adjustment. Through the reconstruction of the optimal detection matrix, detection for the downlink signals of multiple satellites is completed. The proposed generative adversarial network can realize the high-precision detection for the downlink signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in global population movements and migration has transformed comparative literature and generated new fields of inquiry, such as the study of diaspora, immigrant, and Chinese literatures. Although both the French and American schools of analysis have historically made important contributions to the discipline of comparative literature, the aforementioned transformations have led some scholars to critique these schools as Eurocentric, Orientalist, or Western-centric. By reviewing and comparing the development of the discipline of comparative literature, this article argues that Chinese scholars' proposals for cross-civilization and variation study of comparative literature have brought new vitality to the discipline, further expanding its academic boundaries, and making it truly open and inclusive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To understand the cause of loss of rice blast resistance, we studied the pathogenicity of Magnaporthe oryzae strains isolated from rice hybrid Wuyou 308 and evaluated its resistance genes. A total of 62 M. oryzae strains were isolated and tested in 7 Chinese rice varieties with varying degrees of resistance to rice blast and 30 blast-resistant monogenic lines. Fourteen physiological races of M. oryzae were identified: 8.55% belonging to the ZA group, 86.67% to the ZB group, and 5.00% to the ZC group. ZB15 was the most abundant race (45.00%). Five resistance genes, Pi-3(1), Pi-z5, Pi-k, Pi-kp(C), and Pi-k(C), conferred good resistance to the 62 strains, with resistance frequencies of 95.56, 91.11, 88.89, 82.22, and 82.22%, respectively. In contrast, Pi-a(2) had a resistance frequency of 0%. The hybrid combination Wuyou 308 was found to carry Pi-ta and Pi-b genes. Because Pi-ta and Pi-b both showed low resistance frequencies to M. oryzae isolated from Jiangxi, the hybrid rice variety Wuyou 308 could be infected by most of the 62 M. oryzae strains. The emergence and spread of rice blast disease in Wuyou 308 may thus be difficult to avoid when climatic conditions are favourable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation is considered to be critical in the pterygium progression and recurrence. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is not well understood. Herein, we investigated the potential role of RNA binding protein human antigen R (HuR) responsible for the impact of inflammation on pterygium development. The expression of HuR and matrix metallopeptidase‐9 (MMP‐9) in pterygium and normal conjunctiva was detected with immunohistochemistry and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). The influence of interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β) on HuR expression and cellular distribution was determined with western blot and immunofluorescence. The pterygium fibroblast (PTF) migration was determined with scratch wound healing assay and Transwell migration assay. MMP‐9 production was determined with qRT‐PCR and gelatin zymography. The interaction between HuR and MMP‐9 was investigated with RNP immunoprecipitation (IP) followed by RT‐PCR and messenger RNA (mRNA) stability analysis. HuR and MMP‐9 expression are elevated in pterygium, especially progressive pterygium compared with normal conjunctiva. IL‐1β could increase the expression and nucleus–cytoplasm shuttle of HuR in cultured PTFs. HuR mediated the stimulatory effect of IL‐1β on PTF migration and MMP‐9 production. HuR bound to MMP‐9 mRNA and in turn increased it stability. Our results suggest that posttranscriptional regulation of MMP‐9 via stabilizing mRNA by HuR might contribute to the stimulatory effect of inflammatory factor IL‐1β on pterygium progression. These findings shed light on the pathogenesis of pterygium and provide a promising target for adjuvant treatment of pterygium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure is a potential risk factor for developmental coordination disorder (DCD) in children, but evidence on the relationship between DCD in children and tobacco smoke exposure in women is limited in China. We conducted a cross-sectional study to understand the prevalence of prenatal tobacco smoke exposure among mothers and the prevalence of DCD among children and to explore if mothers' prenatal tobacco smoke exposure is positively associated with the occurrence of DCD among children. METHODS During 2018, we sampled 8586 children aged 3--6 years and their mothers in Songjiang district, Shanghai. DCD in children was identified by MABC-2 screening combined with pediatrician confirmation. Prenatal tobacco smoke exposure among mothers was classified into firsthand smoke (FHS) and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure. SAS 9.2 software was applied to calculate the prevalence of DCD in children, the prevalence of prenatal FHS and SHS exposure in mothers and to analyze the differences by chi-squared test and logistic regression. RESULTS Among the 8586 women, the prevalence of prenatal FHS and SHS exposure was 0.94% and 20.79%, respectively. The prevalence of DCD in children was 6.65%, which was significantly higher in boys (7.64%) than in girls (5.51%), and children aged 3 years (9.77%) had a higher prevalence of DCD than children aged 4, 5 or 6 years (7.44%, 5.27% and 4.28%, respectively). In comparison with children whose mother was not exposed to prenatal FHS or SHS, the odds of having DCD was higher in children whose mother was exposed to prenatal FHS (OR=4.42; 95% CI: 2.62--7.44) and SHS (OR=1.77; 95% CI: 1.47--2.14), even after adjustment for potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS The occurrence of DCD among children is positively associated with prenatal tobacco smoke exposure among the mothers. It is crucial to implement tobacco control measures to decrease the prevalence of smoking among pregnant women and SHS exposure at home as well as in the work environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer (BC) is a serious worldwide disease that threatens women's health. Particularly, the morbidity of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is higher than that of other BC types due to its high molecular heterogeneity, metastatic potential and poor prognosis. TNBC lacks of estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), so there are still no effective treatment methods for TNBC. Here, we reviewed the classification of TNBC, its molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis, treatment methods and prognosis. Finding effective targets is critical for the treatment of TNBC. Also, refining the classification of TNBC is benefited to choose the treatment of TNBC, because the sensitivity of chemotherapy is different in different TNBC. Some new treatment methods have been proposed in recent years, such as nutritional therapy and noncoding RNA treatment methods. There are some disadvantages, such as the side effect on normal cells after nutrient deprivation, low specificity and instability of noncoding RNA. More studies are necessary to improve the treatment of TNBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]