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Background Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS among elderly persons presents a new public health challenge in China. We aimed to explore historical trends (2004–2018) and project the future (2019–2030) burden of HIV/AIDS incidence and mortality among the elderly in China. Methods We utilized data from the Data Center of China Public Health Science database on HIV/AIDS incidence and mortality, employing the Bayesian age-period-cohort model to reveal the age-period-cohort effect in the HIV/AIDS burden, and projecting the incidence and mortality rates up to 2030. Results From 2004 to 2018, HIV/AIDS incidence rates increased from 0.56 to 20.78 per 100 000 for men and 0.28 to 7.84 per 100 000 for women. The mortality rates also increased in both sexes. We observed the highest age effect in incidence among men aged 70–74 years and women aged 55–59 years, with the effect estimates being 0.02 (95% confidence interval [CI], −.10 to.13) and 0.46 (95% CI,.35–.57), respectively. Similar sex disparities were observed for mortality, with the highest age effect observed in men aged 75–79 years and women aged 50–54 years. However, no significant disparities were found between men and women in the period and cohort effects. By 2030, the incidence rates were projected to be 96.25 per 100 000 in men and 44.90 per 100 000 in women, while the mortality rates were projected to be 48.27 and 13.67 per 100 000, respectively. Conclusions HIV/AIDS incidence and mortality rates rose notably among the elderly in China and are expected to keep increasing in the coming decades. Rates were consistently higher in men than in women. Tailored interventions for older men are crucial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dietary behaviors significantly influence tumor progression, with increasing focus on high-salt diets (HSD) in recent years. Traditionally, HSD has been regarded as a major risk factor for multiple health issues, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. However, recent studies have uncovered a novel aspect of HSD, suggesting that HSD may inhibit tumor growth in specific pathological conditions by modulating the activity of immune cells that infiltrate tumors and enhancing the effectiveness of PD-1 immunotherapy. This review focused on the duel molecular mechanisms of HSD in cancer development, which are based on the tumor microenvironment, the gut microbiota, and the involvement of sodium transporter channels. The objective of this review is to explore whether HSD could be a potential future oncological therapeutic strategy under specific situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poststroke cognitive impairments (PSCI) reflect widespread network dysfunction due to structural damage, abnormal neural activity, or abnormal connections in affected brain regions. The exact influence of these lesioned regions on the related functional network and their role in PSCI remains unclear. We recruited 35 first-time stroke patients who had basal ganglia infarcts and PSCI, along with 29 age-matched healthy controls. We utilized T1-weighted imaging to inspect structural damage with regional gray matter volume (GMV). Resting-state fMRI data were utilized to examine spontaneous activities with regional Wavelet-ALFF metric, investigate dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) by seeding the region with damaged GMV, and further study effective connectivity within the abnormal dFC network and its impact on PSCI. In comparison to HC, patients showed significant reduced GMV in the bilateral Rolandic operculum (ROL), along with notable abnormal Wavelet-ALFF values in the right Precuneus (PCUN) and left Cerebellum_9 (CER9). Particularly, an abnormal dFC network seeded in the left ROL, demonstrating significantly differential between PSCI and HC groups and remaining consistent across all time windows, was observed. This abnormal dFC network comprised the left ROL as the seed region, the right ROL, bilateral PCUN, bilateral CER9, right Superior Temporal Gyrus (STG), and right Parahippocampal Gyrus (PHG). Notably, in patients, impaired functions across various cognitive domains significantly influenced the altered effective connections among the abnormal regions, particularly impacting the connections between structurally damaged regions and those with abnormal spontaneous activity. These findings suggest that altered effective connectivity networks within lesioned regions may contribute to deficits in various cognitive domains in PSCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnesium and its alloys are widely used for bone fixation and repair due to their biodegradability. However, their application is limited due to their poor corrosion resistance and rapid degradation rate in the human body. Surface engineering represents an effective approach to modifying the degradation characteristics of magnesium alloys to meet the requirements of biological systems. Constructing bioactive coatings on the surface of substrates is essential to improve their biocompatibility and corrosion resistance, representing an effective method of surface modification. This review summarizes the current research on the construction of bioactive coatings on magnesium and its alloys, including inorganic coatings, polymer coatings, and composite coatings, which presents an analysis of their respective research statuses. Furthermore, this review discusses the future developments of biodegradable magnesium and its alloy systems, focusing on achieving satisfactory specifications for clinical trials and implementation. Its goal is to provide critical insights to materials scientists and clinical practitioners involved in the development of applicable biodegradable magnesium alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation significantly contributes to photoaging. Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent cell death mode recently identified, plays a key role in UVB-induced skin photoaging. This study examines the functions and regulatory mechanisms of ferroptosis in this regard. Characterized by increased intracellular iron and reactive oxygen species (ROS), ferroptosis is associated with mitochondrial function and structure. Through RNA sequencing, we identified NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase subunit S4 (NDUFS4), a gene implicated in UVB-mediated photoaging, and explored its role in ferroptosis by NDUFS4 knockdown. In vitro, inhibiting NDUFS4 reduced ferroptosis, decreased ROS and matrix metallopeptidase 1 levels, and increased collagen type I alpha 1 chain, glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), ferritin heavy chain 1, and solute carrier family 7 member 11 levels, suggesting a reinforced ferroptosis protective mechanism. Additionally, NDUFS4 regulates ferroptosis via the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, with its knockdown reducing p38 and ERK phosphorylation and elevating GPX4 levels, enhancing ferroptosis resistance. Animal experiments supported these findings, demonstrating that Ferrostatin-1, a ferroptosis inhibitor, significantly mitigated UVB-induced skin photoaging and related protein expression. This study uncovers NDUFS4's novel role in regulating ferroptosis and provides new insights into ferroptosis-mediated UVB-induced skin photoaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The accurate identification of molecular subtypes in digestive tract cancer (DTC) is crucial for making informed treatment decisions and selecting potential biomarkers. With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, various machine learning algorithms have been successfully applied in this field. However, the complexity and high dimensionality of the data features may lead to overlapping and ambiguous subtypes during clustering. Results: In this study, we propose GDEC, a multi-task generative deep neural network designed for precise digestive tract cancer subtyping. The network optimization process involves employing an integrated loss function consisting of two modules: the generative-adversarial module facilitates spatial data distribution understanding for extracting high-quality information, while the clustering module aids in identifying disease subtypes. The experiments conducted on digestive tract cancer datasets demonstrate that GDEC exhibits exceptional performance compared to other advanced methodologies and can separate different cancer molecular subtypes that possess both statistical and biological significance. Subsequently, 21 hub genes related to pan-DTC heterogeneity and prognosis were identified based on the subtypes clustered by GDEC. The following drug analysis suggested Dasatinib and YM155 as potential therapeutic agents for improving the prognosis of patients in pan-DTC immunotherapy, thereby contributing to the enhancement of cancer patient survival. Conclusions: The experiment indicate that GDEC outperforms better than other deep-learning-based methods, and the interpretable algorithm can select biologically significant genes and potential drugs for DTC treatment. Key Points: The proposed competitive Graph-based Deep Generative Neural Network (GDEC) presents a novel approach for cancer subtyping, enabling the identification of both statistically and biologically significant cancer subtypes. Based on the subtypes clustered by GDEC, we have identified 21 hub genes that are significantly associated with the heterogeneity and prognosis of pan-digestive tract cancer. The drug analysis suggested Dasatinib and YM155 as potential therapeutic agents for improving the prognosis of patients in pan-digestive tract cancer immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice-crystal icing (ICI) in aircraft engines is a major threat to flight safety. Due to the complex thermodynamic and phase-change conditions involved in ICI, rigorous modelling of the accretion process remains limited. The present study proposes a novel modelling approach based on the physically observed mixed-phase nature of the accretion layers. The mathematical model, which is derived from the enthalpy change after accretion (the enthalpy model), is compared with an existing pure-phase layer model (the three-layer model). Scaling laws and asymptotic solutions are developed for both models. The onset of ice accretion, the icing layer thickness and solid ice fraction within the layer are determined by a set of non-dimensional parameters including the Péclet number, the Stefan number, the Biot number, the melt ratio and the evaporative rate. Thresholds for freezing and non-freezing conditions are developed. The asymptotic solutions present good agreement with numerical solutions at low Péclet numbers. Both the asymptotic and numerical solutions show that, when compared with the three-layer model, the enthalpy model presents a thicker icing layer and a thicker water layer above the substrate due to mixed-phased features and modified Stefan conditions. Modelling in terms of the enthalpy poses significant advantages in the development of numerical methods to complex three-dimensional geometrical and flow configurations. These results improve understanding of the accretion process and provide a novel, rigorous mathematical framework for accurate modelling of ICI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaplasma phagocytophilum , the etiologic agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium. During infection, A. phagocytophilum transfers its type IV secretion system (T4SS) effector proteins into host cells to manipulate cellular processes. AFAP (an actin filament-associated Anaplasma phagocytophilum protein) was identified as a T4SS effector protein and found to interact with the host nucleolin, as described in a previous study. In this study, proteomic analysis was performed to extensively identify AFAP-interacting proteins in host cells and analyze the potential role of AFAP in modulating host cellular processes. A total of 586 host proteins were identified interacting with AFAP by data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry and annotated to 501 Gene Ontology (GO) terms, with the significantly over-represented ones related to ribosomes, nucleolus, DNA binding, and rRNA metabolic process. Given the role of the nucleolus in cellular stress response, the targeting of AFAP to the nucleolus, and the identification of dozens of AFAP-interacting proteins that were annotated to the GO term (GO:0072331, signal transduction by p53 class mediator), the role of AFAP in modulating host apoptosis was determined. AFAP was found capable of inhibiting induced apoptosis. Thus, the proteomic analysis of AFAP-interacting proteins and determination of AFAP with anti-apoptotic activity may help elucidate the role of this T4SS effector protein in HGA pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gliomas are common aggressive brain tumors with poor prognosis. Dephosphorylation-related biomarkers are in a void in gliomas. This study aims to construct a validated prognostic risk model for dephosphorylation, which will provide new directions for clinical treatment, prognostic assessment, and temozolomide (TMZ) resistance in glioma patients. Methods: Screening dephosphorylation-related genes (DRGs) and transcriptome expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Molecular signatures database (MSigDB) and constructing risk scoring models. Kaplan-Meier (K-M), nomogram and ROC curve were used to assess the predictive efficacy of the model. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), immune cell infiltration, immunotherapy response and chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity analysis were performed in this study. The correlation between chemotherapeutic drugs and the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of 12 DRGs was analyzed. Cell division cycle 25A (CDC25A) and TMZ were screened and verified by experiments. Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) detection of mRNA expression of 12 genes in human normal glial cells and two glioma cell lines. Transfection techniques overexpressed and knocked down CDC25A. qRT-PCR and Western Blot (WB) were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression levels of CDC25A. Subsequently, verify the effect of CDC25A on TMZ resistance in glioma cells. Results: The model established in this study was able to accurately predict the prognosis of glioma patients. Besides, there were significant differences in GSEA, immune cell infiltration, immunotherapeutic response and chemotherapeutic drug sensitivity analysis between glioma patients in the high and low risk groups. The results of CCK8 experiments showed that overexpression of CDC25A increased the susceptibility of U251 and LN229 cells to TMZ, and knockdown of CDC25A attenuated the susceptibility of U251 and LN229 cells to TMZ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cefoperazone/sulbactam (CPZ/SAM) is an important treatment option for infections caused by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. However, it is associated with an increased risk of coagulation disorders (CD) and causes severe bleeding in some instances. Early identification of risk factors and prediction of CD related to CPZ/SAM are crucial for prevention and treatment. This study aimed to explore the risk factors and developed a nomogram model for predicting the risk of coagulopathy in patients undergoing CPZ/SAM treatment. Methods: A total of 1719 patients who underwent CPZ/SAM in the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from August 2018 to August 2022, were recruited as the training cohort. For validation, 1,059 patients treated with CPZ/SAM from September 2022 to August 2024 were enrolled. Patients were divided into the CD and the N-CD groups. The occurrence of CD was designated as the dependent variable. The univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors of CD. A nomogram model was constructed from the multivariate logistic regression analysis and internally validated for model discrimination and calibration. The performance of the nomogram was estimated using the concordance index (C-index) and calibration curve. Results: The multivariate logistic regression analysis resulted in the following independent risk factors for CD: baseline INR level (OR: 5.768, 95% CI: 0.484∼11.372, p = 0.036), nutritional risk (OR:2.711, 95%CI: 1.495∼4.125, p < 0.001), comorbidity of digestive system (OR:1.287, 95%CI: 0.434∼2.215, p = 0.004), poor food intake (OR:1.261, 95%CI: 0.145∼2.473, p = 0.032), ALB level (OR: −0.132, 95%CI: −0.229∼-0.044, p = 0.005) and GFR< 30 mL/min (OR: 1.925, 95%CI: 0.704∼3.337, p = 0.004). The internal validation confirmed the model's good performance (C-index, 0.905 [95% CI: 0.864∼0.945]). The calibration plots in the nomogram model were of high quality. Validation further confirmed the reliability of the nomogram, with a C-index of 0.886 (95% CI: 0.832–0.940). Conclusion: The nomogram model facilitated accurate prediction of CD in patients undergoing CPZ/SAM. And this could potentially contribute to reducing the incidence of CPZ/SAM-associated CD and consequently improving patients' outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing type I photosensitizers (PSs) with ease and precision is a promising approach to address the limitations of traditional photodynamic therapy (PDT) within the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. An effective strategy to achieve type I PSs involves adjusting the energy levels of triplet (T1) states to inhibit type II PDT, ensuring they are lower than those required for singlet oxygen (1O2) production. Herein, we report an E/Z isomer strategy to precisely regulate the type of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated, thereby promoting the generation of type I PDT. Two pairs of E/Z isomers of tetraphenyl-1,3-butadiene (TPB) derivatives have been synthesized, which serve as the core of aggregation-induced emission (AIE) materials, exhibiting a typical donor–π–acceptor structure. These isomers were obtained successfully via silica gel column chromatography. The E isomer demonstrated superior ROS generation efficiency compared with the Z isomer, attributed to its higher intersystem crossing (ISC). Meanwhile, the T1–S0 energy gap of the E isomer was smaller than that of O2, effectively preventing the generation of 1O2 through the type II process. The E/Z isomer strategy represents a promising avenue for the facile preparation of type I PDT agents and contributes to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is characterized by high mortality and disability rates. Disease-associated microglia (DAM) are a newly discovered subtype of microglia. However, their presence and function in the acute phase of TBI remain unclear. Although glycolysis is important for microglial differentiation, its regulatory role in DAM transformation during the acute phase of TBI is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the functions of DAM-like cells in the acute phase of TBI in mice, as well as the relationship between their transformation and glycolysis. Methods: In this study, a controlled cortical impact model was used to induce TBI in adult male wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice and adult male TREM2 knockout mice. Various techniques were used to assess the role of DAM-like cells in TBI and the effects of glycolysis on DAM-like cells, including RT‒qPCR, immunofluorescence assays, behavioural tests, extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) tests, Western blot analysis, cell magnetic sorting and culture, glucose and lactate assays, and flow cytometry. Results: DAM-like cells were observed in the acute phase of TBI in mice, and their transformation depended on TREM2 expression. TREM2 knockout impaired neurological recovery in TBI mice, possibly due in part to their role in clearing debris and secreting VEGFa and BDNF. Moreover, DAM-like cells exhibited significantly increased glycolytic activity. TREM2 regulated the AKT‒mTOR‒HIF-1α pathway and glycolysis in microglia in the acute phase of TBI. The increase in glycolysis in microglia partially contributed to the transformation of DAM-like cells in the acute phase of TBI in mice. Conclusions: Taken together, the results of our study demonstrated that DAM-like cells were present in the acute phase of TBI in mice. TREM2 might influence DAM-like cell transformation by modulating the glycolysis of microglia. Our results provide a new possible pathway for intervening TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infectious episodes contribute to morbidity and mortality in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV). Renal involvement, also known as ANCA-associated glomerulonephritis (AGN), is frequently observed in AAV. Little is known about whether co-infection at initial diagnosis is associated with renal outcome and prognosis in children with AGN. Methods: Clinical and prognostic data for children admitted to our center with AAV from January 2001 to August 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. We compared the incidence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and mortality according to infection status at initial diagnosis. Results: A total of 33 children with AGN were included in this study, 22 had an infection at the time of AGN diagnosis. A trend toward higher levels of proteinuria in the infected group than in the non-infected group was observed (p = 0.42). Patients in the infected group had higher creatinine and lower eGFR values than those in the non-infected group (p = 0.09). A significant decrease in HGB was observed in the infected group (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the baseline values of ALB and complement c3 between the two groups. A similar proportion of patients in both groups required dialysis at the time of diagnosis (27.3% vs. 31.8%). Patients with infection presented with significantly greater ESR and CRP levels (p < 0.05), and the most commonly infected site was the lung. After 6 months of treatment, compared with those in the non-infected group, the median levels of creatinine and proteinuria were higher in the infected group. Besides, lower levels of eGFR and ALB were also observed in the infected group. 5 (45.5%) and 13 (59.1%) patients died or progressed to ESRD, respectively, in the non-infected group and infected group at the last follow-up. Conclusions: Infection at initial diagnosis does not affect the outcomes of children with AGN, although it could lead to a reduction in kidney function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with low-grade inflammation, which can be exacerbated by renal artery stenosis (RAS) and renovascular hypertension, potentially worsening outcomes through pro-inflammatory cytokines. This study investigated whether mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) could reduce fat inflammation in pigs with MetS and RAS. Twenty-four pigs were divided into Lean (control), MetS, MetS + RAS, and MetS + RAS + MSCs. In the MSC-treated group, autologous adipose-derived MSCs (107 cells) were injected into the renal artery six weeks after RAS induction. After four weeks, fat volumes and inflammatory markers were assessed. MSC treatment reduced levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (MCP-1, TNF-a, IL-6) in the renal vein blood and in perirenal fat. The MSCs also decreased fat fibrosis, restored adipocyte size, and altered adipogenesis-related gene expression, particularly in the perirenal fat. These effects were less pronounced in subcutaneous fat. The MSC therapy attenuated fat inflammation and improved metabolic outcomes in pigs with MetS + RAS, suggesting that adipose-derived MSCs may offer a promising therapeutic approach for metabolic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dynamic postural control is impaired in older adults, as evidenced from worse dynamic postural stability compared to young adults during upright stance while concurrent goal-directed tasks. Prefrontal cortex (PFC) is considered to play an important role in goal-directed tasks. This study aimed to investigate the age effects on dynamic postural stability and PFC activation during precision fitting tasks. Methods: Participant performed precision fitting tasks under four different conditions: large opening size with their arm's length (close-large), small opening size with their arm's length (close-small), large opening size with 1.3 times arm's length (far-large), and small opening size with 1.3 times arm's length (far-small). We analyzed the center of pressure-related outcomes representing dynamic postural stability and PFC activation at the six different subregions from healthy older adults (n = 15, 68.0 ± 3.5 years), and gender-matched middle-aged (n = 15, 48.73 ± 3.06 years) and young (n = 15, 19.47 ± 0.64 years) adults. Results: The dynamic postural stability presented the young > middle-aged > older groups across the conditions. Specifically, the young group presented better dynamic postural stability than the older group in the close-large, far-large, and far-small conditions (p <.05), while showed better dynamic postural stability than the middle-aged group in the close-large condition (p <.05). Additionally, the older group had greater PFC activation at all PFC subregions than the young group (p <.05), while had greater activation at left dorsolateral and ventrolateral PFC than the middle-aged group (p <.05). The middle-aged group presented greater activation at left dorsomedial PFC than the young group (p <.05). Conclusion: Heightened dorsomedial PFC activation in middle-aged adults compared to young adults may reflect a deficit in processing the visuomotor information during the precision fitting tasks. Degeneration of the ability in automatic coordination of dynamic postural control may begin to occur at midlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

0.7Bi (1 − x) NdxFeO3–0.3BaTiO3 (BNFO–BTO, x = 0. 0 0 5 , 0.010, 0.020 and 0.050) ceramics were fabricated using the high-temperature solid-state reaction method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed that the primary phase in these ceramics was pseudocubic. The Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) micrographs exhibited dense microstructures throughout all BNFO–BTO ceramics. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of dielectric behaviors and ferroelectric hysteresis loop shapes suggested the occurrence of a relaxor ferroelectric-type phase transition in BNFO–BTO ceramics. Additionally, the frequency dispersion characteristics and remnant polarization were enhanced with increasing substitution of Bi 3 + by Nd 3 + . Conducted impedance analysis on 0.7Bi (1 − x) NdxFeO3–0.3BaTiO3 ceramics and two dielectric responses of the grain at high frequency and grain boundary at low frequency were illustrated, respectively. The combination of imaginary impedance ( Z ″) and imaginary modulus ( M ″) versus log f plots revealed that the charge carriers' motion was not entirely long-range, short-range migration also exists. Through calculations based on Curie–Weiss Law, the relaxation activation energy ( E a) and conductance activation energy ( E c) were investigated, confirming that doping Nd 3 + effectively mitigates the concentration of oxygen vacancies (OVs) and prevents the formation of oxygen vacancies clusters, ultimately suppressing conductivity in BNFO–BTO ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The main surgical interventions for chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) include craniotomy for hematoma evacuation, neuroendoscopic hematoma evacuation, and burr hole drainage.However, elderly patients often present with significant comorbidities, which limit their ability to tolerate general anesthesia and invasive surgical procedures.Minimally invasive soft-channel drainage under local anesthesia has emerged as a viable alternative, particularly suitable for elderly patients or those with high surgical risk.This study aims to evaluate the clinical outcomes and complication rates of minimally invasive soft-channel drainage assisted by 3D Slicer software for the treatment of CSDH. It also aims to provide new clinical evidence to help improve and optimize treatment protocols for this condition. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted involving 83 patients with CSDH treated in our department between January 2021 and December 2023. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the surgical intervention: the control group (burr-hole drainage, n = 42) and the intervention group (minimally invasive soft-channel drainage, n = 41).Baseline characteristics, anesthesia methods, perioperative metrics, and complications were compared. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the Barthel Index and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) preoperatively and three months postoperatively. Results: The drainage retention duration, operative time, and hospitalization period in the intervention group were significantly reduced compared to the control group, with reduced intraoperative blood loss (all P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in residual hematoma volume between the groups on postoperative day one (P > 0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications, including pulmonary infection, recurrent subdural hemorrhage, cerebrospinal fluid leakage, and intracranial pneumatosis, was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group (all P < 0.05). No intracranial infections were observed in either group, and there was no statistically significant difference in hematoma recurrence rates (P > 0.05). Similarly, no significant differences were observed in the preoperative and three-month postoperative Barthel Index and mRS scores between groups (all P > 0.05). However, both groups demonstrated significant improvement in mRS and Barthel Index scores at three months postoperatively compared to preoperative levels(all P < 0.001). Conclusion: Both minimally invasive soft-channel drainage assisted by 3D Slicer and burr-hole drainage are safe and effective interventions for CSDH. Nevertheless, the minimally invasive approach provides significant benefits in terms of reducing intraoperative blood loss, shortening operative time, minimizing surgical trauma, and reducing the rate of complications. This approach is only advantageous for patients with well-liquefied hematomas and those with relative contraindications to general anesthesia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous zinc‐iodine (Zn─I2) battery is a promising energy storage system due to its inherent safety, high theoretical capacity, sustainability, and cost‐effectiveness. However, the shuttle effect of polyiodide severely affects the stable loading of active iodine and even accelerates the corrosion of the Zn anode, thus impeding its further advancement. Herein, a unique trimethylsulfonium cation (TMS+) with strong adsorption is proposed to stabilize both the iodine cathode and Zn anode. Benefiting from the robust interaction between TMS+ and polyiodide, the electrolyte can effectively immobilize large‐capacity iodine in the form of oily precipitate, thus avoiding the shuttle effect of polyiodide and the Zn corrosion. Additionally, TMS+ can be preferentially adsorbed on various Zn facets, inducing an electrostatic shielding effect to inhibit Zn dendrite growth. Consequently, Zn anode can be stably cycled over 3400 h at 5 mA cm−2/5 mAh cm−2, and a large areal capacity of 2.71 mAh cm−2 as well as long‐life stability over 6400 cycles is achieved for Zn─I2 battery. Furthermore, cation adsorption engineering is practically utilized in pouch cells, realizing superior fast‐charging stability over 790 cycles. This electrolyte modification with dual stabilizations is anticipated to be applied to other metal‐iodine batteries as a cost‐effective, facile, and safe strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pimpled eggs have defective shells, which severely impacts hatching rates and transportation safety. In this study, we constructed single-cell resolution transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility maps from uterine tissues of chickens using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single-cell ATAC sequencing (scATAC-seq). We identified 11 major cell types and characterized their marker genes, along with specific transcription factors (TFs) that determine cell fate. CellChat analysis showed that fibroblasts had the most extensive intercellular communication network and that the chickens laying pimpled eggs had amplified immune-related signaling pathways. Differential expression and enrichment analyses indicated that inflammation in pimpled egg-laying chickens may lead to disruptions in their circadian rhythm and changes in the expression of ion transport-related genes, which negatively impacts eggshell quality. We then integrated TF analysis to construct a regulatory network involving TF–target gene–Gene Ontology associations related to pimpled eggs. We found that the transcription factors ATF3, ATF4, JUN, and FOS regulate uterine activities upstream, while the downregulation of ion pumps and genes associated with metal ion binding directly promotes the formation of pimpled eggs. Finally, by integrating the results of scRNA-seq and scATAC-seq, we identified a rare cell type—ionocytes. Our study constructed single-cell resolution transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility maps of chicken uterine tissue and explored the molecular regulatory mechanisms underlying pimpled egg formation. Our findings provide deeper insights into the structure and function of the chicken uterus, as well as the molecular mechanisms of eggshell formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Altered connectivity within complex functional networks has been observed in individuals with post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and during cognitive tasks. This study aimed to identify a cognitive function network that is responsive to cognitive changes during cognitive tasks and also sensitive to PSCI. To explore the network, we analyzed resting-state fMRI data from 20 PSCI patients and task-state fMRI data from 100 unrelated healthy young adults using functional connectivity analysis. We further employed spectral dynamic causal modeling to examine the effective connectivity among the pivotal regions within the network. Our findings revealed a common cognitive network that encompassed the hub regions 231 in the Subcortical network (SC), 70, 199, 242 in the Frontoparietal network (FP), 214 in the Visual II network, and 253 in the Cerebellum network (CBL). These hubs' effective connectivity, which showed reliable but slight changes during different cognitive tasks, exhibited notable alterations when comparing post-stroke cognitive impairment and improvement statuses. Decreased coupling strengths were observed in effective connections to CBL253 and from SC231 and FP70 in the improvement status. Increased connections to SC231 and FP70, from CBL253 and FP242, as well as from FP199 and FP242 to FP242 were observed in this status. These alterations exhibited a high sensitivity to signs of recovery, ranging from 80 to 100%. The effective connectivity pattern in both post-stroke cognitive statuses also reflected the influence of the MoCA score. This research succeeded in identifying a cognitive network with sensitive effective connectivity to cognitive changes after stroke, presenting a potential neuroimaging biomarker for forthcoming interventional studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facial Expression Recognition (FER) is crucial for human-computer interaction and has achieved satisfactory results on lab-collected datasets. However, occlusion and head pose variation in the real world make FER extremely challenging due to facial information deficiency. This paper proposes a novel Dual Stream Attention Network (DSAN) for occlusion and head pose robust FER. Specifically, DSAN consists of a Global Feature Element-based Attention Network (GFE-AN) and a Multi-Feature Fusion-based Attention Network (MFF-AN). A sparse attention block and a feature recalibration loss designed in GFE-AN selectively emphasize feature elements meaningful for facial expression and suppress those unrelated to facial expression. And a lightweight local feature attention block is customized in MFF-AN to extract rich semantic information from different representation sub-spaces. In addition, DSAN takes into account computation overhead minimization when designing model architecture. Extensive experiments on public benchmarks demonstrate that the proposed DSAN outperforms the state-of-the-art methods with 89.70% on RAF-DB, 89.93% on FERPlus, 65.77% on AffectNet-7, 62.13% on AffectNet-8. Moreover, the parameter size of DSAN is only 11.33M, which is lightweight compared to most of the recent in-the-wild FER algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) need timely medical assistance since the emergence of complications due to the disease and antitumor treatment. Studies have confirmed that instant messaging can improve the quality of life and compliance of cancer patients. However, the prognostic role of instant doctor–patient communication based on instant messaging applications in PDAC has not been studied. Methods: Patients with PDAC who received first-line chemotherapy at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 2015 and October 2022 were reviewed. We categorized patients into two groups according to whether they received WeChat-based instant doctor–patient communication, and the prognosis and toxicity data between the two groups were compared. Results: A total of 431 PDAC patients were enrolled, of whom 163 had long-term instant communication with their doctors based on WeChat, and 268 did not receive WeChat-based instant communication. There was no significant correlation between WeChat-based communication and first-line chemotherapy overall response rate (14.1% vs. 8.6%, p = 0.074), incidence of grade ≥ 3 adverse events (66.9% vs. 65.7%, p = 0.814) or overall survival (14.7 vs. 13.9 months, p = 0.170) in all enrolled patients. However, patients who received WeChat-based instant communication had a higher completion rate of first-line chemotherapy (42.0% vs. 30.7%, p = 0.023). Consistently, in the patients who developed grade ≥ 3 adverse events (n = 231), those who received WeChat-based instant communication had significantly longer overall survival (17.3 vs. 15.3 months, p = 0.018), even after adjustment for biases. Conclusions: WeChat-based instant doctor–patient communication demonstrated no superiority in improving the efficacy of chemotherapy or preventing chemotherapy toxicity in PDAC patients, but it may contribute to improving the completion rate of chemotherapy and the prognosis in patients who experienced severe adverse events. Implications for Cancer Survivors: Instant doctor‒patient communication may help to timely and appropriately deal with adverse events and prolong the survival time of patients with PDAC, supporting the promotion of mobile technology in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the efficacy of activated carbon-nano-hydroxyapatite (AC-nHAP) gel microspheres, composed of sodium alginate and AC-nHAP, as permeable reactive barrier (PRB) fillers for electrokinetic remediation of uranium-contaminated soil. The optimum configuration with 3 g each of AC and nHAP achieved a uranium removal efficiency of 82.31%, surpassing pure electrokinetic remediation by 18.15%. The porous structure of the microspheres facilitated uranium immobilization via complexation, precipitation, and adsorption mechanisms, effectively reducing the leaching toxicity to 0.068 mg/L. These findings underscore the potential of AC-nHAP gel microspheres as PRB fillers in enhancing the efficacy of EK remediation for heavy metal-contaminanted soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have revealed a correlation between the risk of developing diabetic nephropathy (DN) and the gut microbiota (GM) composition. However, it remains uncertain whether the GM composition causes DN. We aimed to explore any potential causal links between the GM composition and the risk of developing DN. A meta-analysis conducted by the MiBioGen consortium of the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) provided aggregated data on the GM. DN data were obtained from the IEU database. The inverse-variance weighting (IVW) method was employed as the primary analytical approach. The IVW analysis indicated that genus Dialister (OR = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.34–0.77, p = 0.00118) was protective against DN. In addition, class Gammaproteobacteria (OR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.27–0.83, p = 0.0096), class Lentisphaeria (OR =0.76, 95% CI: 0.68–0.99, p = 0.04), order Victivallales (OR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.58–0.99, p = 0.04), and phylum Proteobacteria (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.33–0.85, p = 0.00872) were negatively associated with the risk of developing DN. Genus LachnospiraceaeUCG008 (OR =1.45, 95% CI: 1.08–1.95, p = 0.01), order Bacteroidales (OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.02–2.49, p = 0.04), and genus Terrisporobacter (OR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.14–3.45, p = 0.015) were positively associated with the risk of developing DN. In this study, we established a causal relationship between the genus Dialister and the risk of developing DN. Further trials are required to confirm the protective effects of probiotics on DN and to elucidate the precise protective mechanisms involving genus Dialister and DN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flow past one or multiple bluff bodies is almost ubiquitous in nature and industrial applications, and its rich underlying physics has made it one of the most typical problems in fluid mechanics and related disciplines. The search for ways to control such problems has attracted extensive attention from both the scientific and engineering fields, as this could potentially bring about benefits such as reduced drag, mitigated noise, suppressed vibration, and enhanced heat transfer. Flow control can be generally categorized into passive and active approaches, depending on whether there is an external energy input to the flow system. Active control is further divided into open-loop approaches and closed-loop approaches, depending on whether the controller depends on feedback signals extracted from the flow system. Unlike in many other applications of passive flow control and open-loop active flow control, theoretically advantageous closed-loop controls are quite rare in this area, due to the complicated features of flow systems. In this article, we review the recent progress in and future perspectives of flow past a single or multiple bluff bodies using model-free closed-loop control so as to outline the state-of-the-art research, determine the physical rationale, and point to some future research directions in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Obesity is a global health concern. Studying the heterogeneity of adipose‐derived stem cells (ADSCs) plays a pivotal role in understanding metabolic disorders, such as obesity. Methods: Mass cytometry was used to determine the depot‐specific differences and heterogeneity of ADSCs and their alterations at the single‐cell level in a diet‐induced‐obesity (DIO) model in which mice were treated with liraglutide. Results: We characterized the relationship among ADSC markers and found that CD26 and CD142 could identify the most representative heterogeneous ADSCs in subcutaneous adipose tissue and visceral adipose tissue. Specifically, CD26+CD142− and CD26+CD142+ ADSCs were exclusive to subcutaneous adipose tissue and visceral adipose tissue, respectively, whereas CD26−CD142+ ADSCs were present in both. RNA analysis explored the potential functions of these three subgroups. In the visceral adipose tissue of DIO mice, we observed a substantial downregulation of CD26+CD142+ ADSCs and upregulation of CD26−CD142+ ADSCs, both of which were mitigated by liraglutide treatment. Conclusions: Our study highlights the depot‐specific differences and heterogeneity of ADSCs and their alterations under DIO conditions, which can potentially be reversed by liraglutide treatment. This study provides new insights into the identification of more specific ADSC subgroups to explore the etiology of metabolism‐related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Regional ecological security faces serious threats in a changing world. Ecological network (EN) provides decision-makers with spatial strategies for maintaining ecological security and landscape sustainability via alleviating the contradiction between ecological conservation and economic growth. Despite years of intense and fruitful studies, accurately identifying ecological source patches when facing multiple conflicting objectives still remains a challenge. Objectives: This study aimed to propose an advanced framework for recognizing ecological source patches with consideration of multiple objectives and further constructing EN, which would promote a more profound understanding of local ecological condition and provide spatial guidance for ecological conservation planning. Methods: Taking Changsha City as the study area, we evaluated the ecological condition by considering three key ecosystem services, i.e., habitat maintenance, carbon sequestration and water yield using the InVEST model. Ecological source patches were identified using multi-objective genetic algorithms (MOGA) in view of ecosystem services, landscape connectivity and the total area of ecological source patches. Ecological corridors were extracted by applying Minimum Cumulative Resistance (MCR) model based on modified ecological resistance surface. The EN was established by combining these ecological source patches with ecological corridors. Results: The EN in Changsha City was comprised of 51 ecological source patches and 50 ecological corridors. The ecological source patches were primarily distributed across the eastern and western mountainous areas with the total area of 2842 km2, occupying 24.05% of the study area. There was a clear lack of ecological source patches along the Xiangjiang River owing to the high level of urbanization, which deserved particular attention for ecological restoration. Overall, the identified ecological source patches provided 87.31% of ecosystem service supply and 82.49% of the whole landscape connectivity by occupying 67.09% of the dominant patch area. The depicted ecological corridors formed two clusters in the central and northeastern parts of the study area. Conclusions: This study offered new insights into accurately identifying ecological source patches by coordinating various conservation objectives. With the application of MOGA, the proposed framework consolidated ecosystem services, landscape connectivity and patch area to effectively delineate core ecological patches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multimodal information provides valuable resources for cancer prognosis and survival prediction. However, the computational integration of this heterogeneous data information poses significant challenges due to the complex interactions between molecules from different biological modalities and the limited sample size. Here, we introduce GD‐Net, a Graph Deep learning algorithm to enhance the accuracy of survival prediction with an average accuracy of 72% by early fusing of multimodal information, which includes an interpretable and lightweight XGBoost module to efficiently extract informative features. First, we applied GD‐Net to eight cancer datasets and achieved superior performance compared to benchmarking methods, with an average 7.9% higher C‐index value. The ablation experiments strongly supported that multi‐modal integration could significantly improve accuracy over the single‐modality model. In the deep case study of liver cancer, 319 differential genes, 15 differential miRNAs and 155 methylated differential genes based on the predicted risk subgroups are identified as the informative features, and then we have statistically and biologically validated the efficacy of these key molecules in internal and external test datasets. The comprehensive independent validations demonstrated that GD‐Net is accurate and competitive in predicting different cancer outcomes in real‐time, and it is an effective tool for identifying new multimodal prognosis biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unscrupulous merchants sell the mold-damaged Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (CRP) after removing the mold. In this study, an accurate and non-destructive strategy was developed for the discrimination of mold-damaged CRPs using portable near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and chemometrics. The outer surface and inner surface spectra were obtained without destroying CRPs. The discrimination models were established using partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and wavelength selection strategy was used to further improve the discrimination ability. The predictive ability of models was assessed using the test set and an independent test set obtained one month later. The results demonstrate that the models of the outer surface outperform those of the inner surface. With multiplicative scatter correction (MSC)-PLS-DA, 100% accuracies were obtained in test and independent test sets. Furthermore, the wavelength selection strategy simplified the models with 100% discrimination accuracy. In addition, the randomization test (RT)-PLS-DA model developed in this study combines both the benefits of high accuracy and robustness, which can be applied for the accurate discrimination of mold-damaged CRPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple intersecting situational tasks in the field of aviation often cause air traffic controllers to face issues pertaining to interruption and task switching. To investigate the impact of task interruption on the situation awareness of air traffic controllers, two experiments were conducted. Experiment 1, which focused on 44 new graduates preparing to work in the field of air traffic control, revealed that task interruption reduced the participants' levels of situation awareness. Experiment 2, which focused on 80 new air traffic control graduates, employed a 2 (primary task modality: visual, auditory) × 2 (interruption modality: visual, auditory) between-subjects design and revealed that the negative effect of task interruption on situation awareness was moderated by task modality. Interruptions that occur in the same modality as the primary task were shown to result in greater decreases than were cross modal interruptions. Visual interruption led to a greater decrease in situation awareness than did auditory interruption, and interruption of the visual task also caused a greater decrease in situation awareness than did interruption of the auditory task. These findings might be valuable in attempts to enhance situation awareness among air traffic controllers by providing insights into the design of human‒computer interactions in the context of an air traffic control automation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: While infertility affects about 15% of women during their reproductive years, its long-term impact on stroke mortality after this period remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the association between infertility and stroke mortality in women using data from the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) cancer screening trial. Methods: We analyzed data from 75,778 female participants aged 55–74 years with a median follow-up of 16.84 years. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for stroke mortality, adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Among participants, 14.53% reported infertility. During follow-up, 1,159 women died from stroke. Compared to women without infertility, those with infertility had a higher risk of stroke mortality (HR 1.21, 95% CI 1.04–1.41, p = 0.016). This association remained statistically significant after adjusting for age, race, education level, marital status, smoking status, body mass index, history of hypertension, history of heart attack, history of diabetes mellitus, birth control pill use, hormone replacement therapy, endometriosis, first menstrual period and pregnancy history (HR 1.20, 95% CI 1.02–1.42, p = 0.029). Sensitivity and subgroup analyses yielded consistent results. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that infertility is associated with an increased risk of stroke mortality in women. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and elucidate the underlying mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The correction notice in the journal "Frontiers in Endocrinology" addresses an error in Table 1 and Figure 3 of the article "Association between female infertility and stroke mortality: evidence from the PLCO cancer screening trial." The terms 'Former' and 'Current' were mistakenly transposed within the smoking status category. The corrected data is provided in the notice, and the authors assure that this correction does not impact the scientific conclusions of the original article. [Extracted from the article]

Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is an important factor that affects the edible and processing quality of pork. Studying the transcriptional regulation mechanisms of genes affecting intramuscular fat deposition can provide theoretical support for genetic improvement in pigs. Long-chain fatty acyl-CoA synthase 3 (ACSL3), as a key enzyme in the process of lipid synthesis in mammals. However, no information about the core promoter of the ACSL3 gene and its transcriptional regulation has been reported so far. In this experiment, we successfully cloned 3112 bp of the porcine ACSL3 gene promoter region. In order to find out the core promoter of the ACSL3 gene. The results indicated that the core promoter region of the ACSL3 gene is located from −111 bp to −59 bp upstream of the transcription initiation site (TSS). To identify the interaction between SP1 and the ACSL3 gene promoter, we mutated the predicted binding sites of ACSL3 gene promoter. The results showed that the activity of the promoter was decreased by site-specific mutagenesis of the SP1 transcription factor binding site, while overexpression of SP1 increased the expression of the ACSL3 gene. In summary, our study identified a core promoter region of the porcine ACSL3 gene, and the SP1 binding site is responsible for the promoter activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of ovarian follicles in poultry is a key factor affecting the performance of egg production. Ovarian follicle development is regulated via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, and β-catenin, encoded by CTNNB1, is a core component of this pathway. In this study, using ovary GCs from laying hens, we investigated the regulatory role of CTNNB1 in steroid synthesis. We found that CTNNB1 significantly regulates the expression of StAR and CYP11A1 (key genes related to progesterone synthesis) and the secretion of progesterone (P4). Furthermore, simultaneous overexpression of CTNNB1 and SF1 resulted in significantly higher levels of CYP11A1 and secretion of P4 than in cells overexpressing CTNNB1 or SF1 alone. We also found that in GCs overexpressing SF1, levels of CYP11A1 and secreted P4 were significantly greater than in controls. Silencing of CYP11A1 resulted in the inhibition of P4 secretion while overexpression of SF1 in CYP11A1-silenced cells restored P4 secretion to normal levels. Together, these results indicate that synergistic cooperation between the β-catenin and SF1 regulates progesterone synthesis in laying hen ovarian hierarchical granulosa cells to promote CYP11A1 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Hypertension may result in atrial fibrillation (AF) and lipid metabolism disorders. The Sirtuins3 (SIRT3)/AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway has the capacity to regulate lipid metabolism disorders and the onset of AF. We hypothesize that the SIRT3/AMPK signaling pathway suppresses lipid metabolism disorders, thereby mitigating salt-sensitive hypertension (SSHT)-induced susceptibility to AF. METHODS The study involved 7-week-old male Dahl salt-sensitive that were fed either a high-salt diet (8% NaCl; DSH group) or a normal diet (0.3% NaCl; DSN group). Then DSH group was administered either oral metformin (MET, an AMPK agonist) or intraperitoneal injection of Honokiol (HK, a SIRT3 agonist). This experimental model allowed for the measurement of Systolic blood pressure (SBP), the expression levels of lipid metabolism-related biomarkers, pathological examination of atrial fibrosis, and lipid accumulation, as well as AF inducibility and AF duration. RESULTS DSH decrease SIRT3, phosphorylation-AMPK, and very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, (VLCAD) expression, increased FASN and FABP4 expression and concentrations of free fatty acid and triglyceride, atrial fibrosis and lipid accumulation in atrial tissue, enhanced level of SBP, promoted AF induction rate and prolonged AF duration, which are blocked by MET and HK. Our results also showed that the degree of atrial fibrosis was negatively correlated with VLCAD expression, but positively correlated with the expression of FASN and FABP4. CONCLUSIONS We have confirmed that a high-salt diet can result in hypertension, and associated atrial tissue lipid metabolism dysfunction. This condition is linked to the inhibition of the SIRT3/AMPK signaling pathway, which plays a significant role in the progression of susceptibility to AF in SSHT rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a lack of evidence from cohort studies on the causal association of long‐term exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and its chemical components with the risk of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) recurrence. Based on a 10‐year prospective cohort of 1184 newly diagnosed NPC patients, we comprehensively evaluated the potential causal links of ambient PM2.5 and its chemical components including black carbon (BC), organic matter (OM), sulfate (SO42−), nitrate (NO3−), and ammonium (NH4+) with the recurrence risk of NPC using a marginal structural Cox model adjusted with inverse probability weighting. We observed 291 NPC patients experiencing recurrence during the 10‐year follow‐up and estimated a 33% increased risk of NPC recurrence (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.74) following each interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 exposure. Each IQR increment in BC, NH4+, OM, NO3−, and SO42− was associated with HRs of 1.36 (95%CI: 1.13–1.65), 1.35 (95%CI: 1.07–1.70), 1.33 (95%CI: 1.11–1.59), 1.32 (95%CI: 1.06–1.64), 1.31 (95%CI: 1.08–1.57). The elderly, patients with no family history of cancer, no smoking history, no drinking history, and those with severe conditions may exhibit a greater likelihood of NPC recurrence following exposure to PM2.5 and its chemical components. Additionally, the effect estimates of the five components are greater among patients who were exposed to high concentration than in the full cohort of patients. Our study provides solid evidence for a potential relationship between long‐term exposure to PM2.5 and its components and the risk of NPC recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing demand for renewable energy and sustainable technologies, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have become crucial energy storage components. Despite the promising properties of the high capacity and stability of TiO2, its large-scale application as an anode for LIBs is hindered by challenges like poor conductivity and volumetric changes during cycling. Here, a rutile TiO2 composite material with a thinned carbon coating (TiO2@TC) was synthesized through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and a subsequent annealing process, which significantly improved the reversibility, cycling stability, and rate performance of the TiO2 anode materials. The thickness of the carbon layer on TiO2 was precisely controlled and thinned from 4.2 nm to 1.9 nm after secondary annealing treatment, leading to a smaller steric hindrance and an improved conductivity while serving as protective coatings by preventing the electrochemical degradation of the TiO2 surface and hindering volumetric changes during cycling. The resulting TiO2@TC with the thin carbon layer demonstrated a high specific capacity of 167 mAh g−1 at 0.5 C in Li-based half cells, which could stably run for 200 cycles with nearly 100% capacity retention. The thin carbon layer also contributes to an improved rate performance of 90 mAh g−1 at even 20 C. This work provides an innovational strategy for improving the conductivity and volumetric changes during the cycling of TiO2 anodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen and sulfur are essential macronutrients in plant growth and development, and their interaction profoundly influences gene expression, metabolic activities, and adaptability in plants, directly affecting plant growth and yield. Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is a crop of significant economic and medicinal value. However, despite the critical role of the nitrogen–sulfur interaction in garlic's adaptability, yield, and quality, the specific mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. In this study, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were employed to investigate the effects of combined sulfur and nitrogen application on garlic bulb tissues. The results show that the combined application of sulfur and nitrogen significantly increased the diameter and weight of garlic bulbs by 14.96% and 35.47%, respectively. The content of alliin increased by 28.48%, while the levels of abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), and gibberellin (GA) increased by 15.82%, 12.94%, 32.34%, and 48.13%, respectively. Additionally, the activities of alliinase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were enhanced by 7.93%, 4.48%, and 19.74%, respectively. Moreover, the application of sulfur and nitrogen significantly reduced the malondialdehyde (MDA) content and peroxidase (POD) activity in garlic bulbs by 29.66% and 9.42%, respectively, thereby improving garlic's adaptability and growth potential. Transcriptomic analysis revealed differentially expressed genes in several key pathways, including plant hormone signal transduction, RNA degradation, glutathione metabolism, amino acid biosynthesis, and glycerophospholipid metabolism. Metabolomic analysis identified 80 differentially abundant metabolites primarily consisting of amino acids, indole carboxylic acids, and fatty acids. The integrated transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses highlighted the pivotal roles of glutathione metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and amino acid biosynthesis pathways in the synergistic effects of sulfur and nitrogen. This study not only provides critical scientific evidence for understanding the mechanisms underlying the nitrogen–sulfur interaction's impact on the yield and quality of garlic but also offers a scientific basis for optimizing nutrient management strategies to enhance garlic yield and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the backdrop of climate change and human activities, the complex interactions within the social‐ecological system have brought unprecedented challenges to sustainable development. However, there is still a lack of quantitative methods for analyzing the dynamics of the social‐ecological system. Here, we introduced a social‐ecological network approach incorporating supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs) as bridges and took the Dongting Lake basin in China as the research area. From 2000 to 2020, we discovered that the number of linkages among meteorological elements and ESs supply decreased from 5 to 0. Along with this, the network density (from 26 to 22) and network connectivity (from 43 to 28) showed the decoupling trends of the social‐ecological networks. These results implied the decreasing impacts of meteorological elements and the importance of considering human activities impacts. Based on the average degree analysis of the networks, proportions of cultivated land and forest land were key for ESs supply (both around 0.900), while population density and artificial land proportion were important for the ESs demand (around 0.850 and 0.800, respectively). More management practices are required because these elements have significant impacts on the supply‐demand alignments of multiple ESs. We further illustrated the spatial supply‐demand mismatches of ESs, along with the negative effects of urbanization. This study highlighted the advantage of integrating the ecosystems services approach into the social‐ecological network analysis, and provided policy insights serving for sustainable development of the typical great lake basins. Plain Language Summary: The social‐ecological system is increasingly affected by climate change and human activities, posing risks to sustainable development. To quantitatively analyze the dynamics of the system, we developed the social‐ecological networks incorporating supply and demand of ecosystem services (ESs) as bridges. We took the Dongting Lake basin in China as the research area. From 2000 to 2020, we applied network density and network connectivity to characterize the impacts of social and ecological elements on multiple ESs. We discovered that both indicators were declined, from 26 to 22 and from 43 to 28, respectively, driven by the decreasing number of linkages among meteorological elements and ESs supply (from 5 to 0). These results suggested that the impacts of meteorological elements on the social‐ecological networks were gradually decreasing compared to the lasting of human activities impacts. We also found that proportions of cultivated land and forest land had significant impacts on ESs supply based on the average degree analysis (both around 0.900), while population density and the artificial land proportion were important social elements affecting the ESs demand (around 0.850 and 0.800, respectively). Meanwhile, there were spatial mismatches among the supply and demand zones of ESs under the influences of urbanization. We emphasize that, for sustainable development, it is not only necessary to focus on key elements management but also to pay attention to the linkages among social/ecological elements and multiple ESs, in order to achieve systematic governance. Key Points: Social‐ecological networks incorporating supply and demand of ecosystem services as bridges were constructedThe social‐ecological networks were decoupling driven by reducing impacts of meteorological elementsNetwork analysis identified population density and proportions of cultivated land, forest land and artificial land as key social‐ecological elements [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A superhydrophobic surface (SHS) patterned with pillar arrays has been demonstrated to achieve excellent water repellency and is highly effective for self-cleaning, anti-icing/frosting, etc. However, the droplet impact dynamics and the related mechanism for contact time (tc*) reduction remain elusive, especially when different arrangements of pillar arrays are considered. This study aims to bridge this gap by exploring a droplet impinging on an SHS with square pillar arrays in a cuboid domain. This fluid dynamics problem is numerically simulated by applying the lattice Boltzmann method. The influences of the droplet diameter (D*), the Weber number (Wew), and the pillar spacing and height (s* and h*) on the droplet dynamics and tc* are investigated. The numerical results show that the droplet can exhibit different bouncing patterns, normal or pancake bouncing, depending on Wew, s*, and h*. Pancake bouncing usually occurs when Wew ≥1.28, h*≥1, and s* ≈ 1, yielding a small tc*. Among all cases, a small tc* can be attained when the conversion rate of kinetic energy to surface energy (ΔĖsur*) right after the impacting exceeds a critical value around 0.038. This relation broadens that given in A. M. Moqaddam et al. [J. Fluid Mech. 824, 866–885 (2017)], which reported that the large total change of surface area renders small tc*. Furthermore, the maximum impacting force remains nearly the same in all cases, regardless of the bouncing patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional formulation Hanchuan zupa granules (HCZPs) have been widely used for controlling coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19). However, its active components remain unknown. Here, HCZP components targeting the spike receptor‐binding domain (S‐RBD) of SARS‐CoV‐2 were investigated using a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor‐based active ingredient recognition system (SPR‐AIRS). Recombinant S‐RBD proteins were immobilized on the SPR chip by amine coupling for the prescreening of nine HCZP medicinal herbs. Ultra‐performance liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐MS/MS) identified gallic acid (GA) and methyl gallate (MG) from Rosa rugosa as S‐RBD ligands, with KD values of 2.69 and 0.95 μM, respectively, as shown by SPR. Molecular dynamics indicated that GA formed hydrogen bonds with G496, N501, and Y505 of S‐RBD, and MG with G496 and Y505, inhibiting S‐RBD binding to angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). SPR‐based competition analysis verified that both compounds blocked S‐RBD and ACE2 binding, and SPR demonstrated that GA and MG bound to ACE2 (KD = 5.10 and 4.05 μM, respectively), suggesting that they blocked the receptor and neutralized SARS‐CoV‐2. Infection with SARS‐CoV‐2 pseudovirus showed that GA and MG suppressed viral entry into 293T‐ACE2 cells. These S‐RBD inhibitors have potential for drug design, while the findings provide a reference on HCZP composition and its use for treating COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the healthcare level and the evolution of spatial and temporal pattern of each district and county in Changsha City by using the entropy value method based on the statistics of the number of healthcare facilities, beds, and health technicians in Changsha City from 2010 to 2018, and evaluates the fairness and trend of healthcare resource distribution in Changsha City over the years in terms of per capita level through the calculation of the Gini coefficient. The results show that the medical level in the southern part of Changsha City is better, the medical level in the northern part is weaker, there are significant differences in the healthcare level between districts and counties and the differences between districts and counties are decreasing year by year; there is a lack of fairness in the level of healthcare technicians in each district and counties in comparison with the level of the number of health care institutions and beds. In this regard, suggestions are made to improve the level of protection of health technical personnel, to equalize the distribution of the internal components of health care, and to improve the construction of the health care system and resource sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]