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Fluconazole-resistant clade 4 Candida tropicalis causing candidemia in humans has been detected in tropical/subtropical areas, including those in China, Singapore, and Australia. We analyzed 704 individual yeasts isolated from fruits, soil, water, and farmers at 80 orchards in Taiwan. The most common pathogenic yeast species among 251 isolates recovered from farmers were Candida albicans (14.7%) and C. parapsilosis (11.6%). In contrast, C. tropicalis (13.0%), C. palmioleophila (6.6%), and Pichia kudriavzevii (6.0%) were prevalent among 453 environmental isolates. Approximately 18.6% (11/59) of C. tropicalis from the environment were resistant to fluconazole, and 81.8% (9/11) of those belonged to the clade 4 genotype. C. tropicalis susceptibility to fluconazole correlated with susceptibilities to the agricultural azole fungicides, difenoconazole, tebuconazole, and triadimenol. Tandem gene duplications of mutated ERG11 contributed to azole resistance. Agriculture environments are a reservoir for azole-resistant C. tropicalis; discontinuing agricultural use of azoles might reduce emergence of azole-resistant Candida spp. strains in humans.

This article explores the foundational research, Chinese medicine theories, and clinical applications of the “heart adjusting acupuncture method” developed by Professor Guanhu Yang to prevent and treat atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Professor Yang established this method based on experimental studies involving electroacupuncture along the horizontal umbilical line, which demonstrated a reduction in infarct area in the myocardial infarction mice model. This method was formulated using acupoints on the horizontal umbilical line: Daimai (GB 26), Tianshu (ST 25), and Daheng (SP 15). Clinical application has shown that it could effectively improve cardiac function and manage various cardiovascular conditions and proposed a new hypothesis for the treatment of myocardial infarction. Further research is required to determine if electroacupuncture stimulation at the site of myocardial infarction or during transportation can extend the critical treatment window, preserve myocardial tissue, and enhance reperfusion therapy prognosis. Professor Yang advocates that, when combined with active Western medicine treatments, the “heart adjusting acupuncture method” offers an effective measure to prevent and treat ASCVD.

Abstract Honey vaults are useful tools for password management. A vault usually contains usernames for each domain, and the corresponding passwords, encrypted with a master password chosen by the owner. By generating decoy vaults for incorrect master password attempts, honey vaults force attackers with the vault’s storage file to engage in online verification to distinguish the real vaults, thus thwarting offline guessing attacks. However, sophisticated attackers can acquire additional information, such as personally identifiable information (PII) and partial passwords contained within the vault from various data breaches. Since many users tend to incorporate PII in their passwords, attackers may utilize PII to distinguish the real vault. Furthermore, if attackers may learn partial passwords included in the real vault, it can exclude numerous decoy vaults without the need for online verification. Indeed, both leakages pose serious threats to the security of the existing honey vault schemes. In this paper, we explore two attack variants of the inspired attack scenario, where the attacker gains access to the vault’s storage file along with acquiring PII and partial passwords contained within the real vault, and design a new honey vault scheme. For security assurance, we prove that our scheme is secure against one of the aforementioned attack variants. Moreover, our experimental findings suggest enhancements in security against the other attack. In particular, to evaluate the security in multiple leakage cases where both the vault’s storage file and PII are leaked, we propose several new practical attacks (called PII-based attacks), building upon the existing practical attacks in the traditional single leakage case where only the vault’s storage file is compromised. Our experimental results demonstrate that certain PII-based attacks achieve a 63–70% accuracy in distinguishing the real vault from decoys in the best-performing honey vault scheme (Cheng et al. in Incrementally updateable honey password vaults, pp 857–874, 2021). Our scheme reduces these metrics to 41–50%, closely approaching the ideal value of 50%.

Abstract For the electric hydrostatic pump unit (EPU), which is a crucial component in the electro hydraulic servo pump control system (EHSPCS), nonlinear flow modelling is a key challenge to achieve high performance operation, especially in position control. For the nonlinear flow of EPUs, simple linearization combined with compensation has become a popular control method recently. However, the control performance is constrained by the reliance on deviation correction. This paper proposes utilizing the Gauss Newton iterative method to investigate the nonlinear flow modeling in the EPU, aiming to obtain the mapping relationship between the load flow and operating parameters in the EPU, thereby directly improving the control performance. A nonlinear flow model is built by utilizing the Gauss Newton iterative method based on test data obtained from various operating conditions, and the mapping relationship is presented accordingly. Experimental studies show that compared to well-established methods, this model exhibits high accuracy and practicality in improving the control performance, particularly in position control of the EPU.

A-Ching Chao,1,2 Tsong-Hai Lee,3 Luther C Pettigrew,4 Yousef Hannawi,5 Hung-Yu Huang,6 Nai-Fang Chi,7,8 Lung Chan,9,10 Po-Lin Chen,11 Thomas Devlin12,13 1Department of Neurology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 2College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; 3Stroke Center and Department of Neurology, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; 4Department of Neurology, University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center, Lexington, KY, USA; 5Division of Cerebrovascular Diseases and Neurocritical Care, Department of Neurology, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA; 6Department of Neurology, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; 7School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan; 8Division of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Neurological Institute, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; 9Department of Neurology, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, New Taipei City, Taiwan; 10Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; 11Division of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; 12CHI Memorial Neuroscience Institute, Chattanooga, TN, USA; 13Department of Neurology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USACorrespondence: Thomas Devlin, Chattanooga Center for Neurological Research, 725 Glenwood Drive, Suite 880-A, Chattanooga, TN, 37404, USA, Email devlinmdphd@gmail.comPurpose: Odatroltide (LT3001), a novel small synthetic peptide molecule designed to recanalize occluded blood vessels and reduce reperfusion injury, is safe and efficacious in multiple embolic stroke animal models. This study aimed to investigate the safety and tolerability of intravenous administration of odatroltide in patients with acute ischemic stroke within 24 hours of onset.Patients and Methods: Patients with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS 4– 30) who were untreated with intravenous thrombolysis or endovascular thrombectomy were randomized (2:1) to receive a single dose of odatroltide (0.025 mg/kg) or placebo within 24 hours of stroke symptom onset. The primary safety outcome was symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) occurrence within 36 hours.Results: Twenty-four patients were enrolled and randomized; of these 16 and 8 received intravenous odatroltide infusion and placebo, respectively. sICH did not occur in both groups, and other safety measures were comparable between the groups. The rate of excellent functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale score, 0– 1, at 90 days) was 21% and 14% in the odatroltide and placebo groups, respectively. Furthermore, 47% and 14% of patients in the odatroltide and placebo groups, respectively, showed major neurological improvement (NIHSS improvement ≥ 4 points from baseline to 30 days). Among the 9 odatroltide-treated patients with baseline NIHSS ≥ 6, 78% showed major neurological improvement.Conclusion: Compared with placebo, treatment with intravenous odatroltide within 24 hours following onset of ischemic stroke appears to be safe and may be associated with better neurological and functional outcomes. However, the efficacy and safety of odatroltide requires further confirmation in the next phase of clinical trials.Clinical Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04091945.Keywords: LT3001, ischemic stroke, rtPA

This study prepared a nanocapsule (NPs) from chitosan (CS) and sodium alginate (ALG) and used them to enhance the stability of blueberry anthocyanins (BA) The optimal NPs was obtained at pH value of 3.25, BA concentration of 0.5 mg/mL and mixing ratio of CS to ALG of 1:1 (W/W). Further, the formation of composite NPs was confirmed by a series of characterization methods. The CS-BA-ALG NPs appeared spherical, smooth, and evenly distributed when observed under an optical microscope and transmission Electron Microscope. The X-ray Diffractometer and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy data proved that electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding are dominant forces to form NPs. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry results demonstrated that the CS-BA-ALG NPs system significantly improved the thermal stability of anthocyanins. In addition, it was also proved that CS-BA-ALG NPs showed high antioxidant capacity and protection capacity.

Anthocyanins (AC) are vulnerable to degradation when affected by external factors. The present study employed ultrasound-assisted glycosylation of ovalbumin (OVA) and dextran (Dex) to generate conjugate carrier for AC to improve its stability. The results showed that sonication significantly improved the progression of Maillard reaction to OVA. Compared to traditional glycosylation, ultrasound treatment showed a higher degree of grafting, a lower number of free-SH, and smaller particle size and uniform distribution. The SDS-PAGE results indicated covalent interaction. Intrinsic fluorescence (INF), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Circular dichroism (CD) analysis results suggested that ultrasound-assisted glycosylation altered the OVA structure. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) observed that the ultrasound-assisted complex had a more compact and smoother structure and protein unfolding were better. The protein solubility increased significantly after glycosylation. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated that the glycosylated conjugates can significantly improve the thermal stability of AC In addition, the AC showed an improved processing and storage stability when conjugated with glycosylated carrier. The glycosylated protein-anthocyanins complex may help provide new ideas and scientific basis for the development of naturally sourced anthocyanins-relevant products in pharmaceutical and food industry applications.

Summary: Background: Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma (uHCC) poses a substantial global health challenge, demanding innovative prognostic and therapeutic planning tools for improved patient management. The predominant treatment strategies include Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) and hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC). Methods: Between January 2014 and November 2021, a total of 1725 uHCC patients [mean age, 52.8 ± 11.5 years; 1529 males] received preoperative CECT scans and were eligible for TACE or HAIC. Patients were assigned to one of the four cohorts according to their treatment, four transformer models (SELECTION) were trained and validated on each cohort; AUC was used to determine the prognostic performance of the trained models. Patients were stratified into high and low-risk groups based on the survival scores computed by SELECTION. The proposed AI-based treatment decision model (ATOM) utilizes survival scores to further inform final therapeutic recommendation. Findings: In this study, the training and validation sets included 1448 patients, with an additional 277 patients allocated to the external validation sets. The SELECTION model outperformed both clinical models and the ResNet approach in terms of AUC. Specifically, SELECTION-TACE and SELECTION-HAIC achieved AUCs of 0.761 (95% CI, 0.693–0.820) and 0.805 (95% CI, 0.707–0.881) respectively, in predicting ORR in their external validation cohorts. In predicting OS, SELECTION-TC and SELECTION-HC demonstrated AUCs of 0.736 (95% CI, 0.608–0.841) and 0.748 (95% CI, 0.599–0.865) respectively, in their external validation sets. SELECTION-derived survival scores effectively stratified patients into high and low-risk groups, showing significant differences in survival probabilities (P

Abstract The lubrication performance of a straight-line conjugate internal meshing gear pump is poor under the low-speed, high-pressure operating conditions of the volumetric servo speed control system, and it is difficult to establish a full fluid lubricating oil film between the gear ring and the housing. This leads to significant wear and severe heating between the gear ring and the housing. The lubrication performance of the interface moving pair of the electro-hydraulic actuator pump gear ring housing can be improved by designing a reasonable lubrication bearing structure for the gear ring housing. In this study, a multi-field coupling multi-objective optimization model was established to improve lubrication performance and volumetric efficiency. The whole model consists of the dynamic model of the gear ring components, the fluid lubrication model of the gear ring housing interface, the oil film formation and sealing model considering the influence of temperature, and the multi-objective optimization model. The comprehensive performance of the straight-line conjugate internal meshing gear pump was verified experimentally using a test bench. The results show that the lubrication performance is improved, the mechanical loss is reduced by 31.52%, and the volumetric efficiency is increased by 4.91%.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of combining traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), specifically Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), with Western medicine (WM), compared to WM alone to treat breast cancer endocrine therapy-related osteoporosis (BCET-OP) by meta-analysis. Methods: Thirty-eight randomized controlled trials involving 2170 participants were analyzed. Eight databases were searched for articles published between inception and December 2023. Quality assessment was performed using the Risk of Bias 2 tool. Results: Significant increases were observed in the TCM-WM group in lumbar vertebrae bone mineral density (BMD) (P

Purpose Intra-arterial conversion therapy (ICT) is a promising option for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC). However, the selection of sequential therapeutic modalities is still controversial. This study compared the efficacy and safety of surgical resection (SR) versus thermal ablation (TA) after patients with uHCC received ICT.Methods From May 2008 to November 2021, 3553 consecutive patients were reviewed and 791 patients were downstaged to receive TA or SR. Among them, 340 patients received SR, and 451 received TA after ICTs. The propensity score matching (PSM) method was applied to reduce selection bias between groups. Cumulative overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were compared using the Kaplan–Meier method with the log-rank test. The occurrence of complications and adverse events (AEs) were compared using chi-square test.Results After PSM 1:1 (n = 185 in both groups), the 10-year OS and PFS rates for patients who underwent SR were comparable to those of patients who underwent TA (OS: 45.2% vs. 36.1%; p = 0.190; PFS: 19.3% vs. 15.9%; p = 0.533). A total of 237 (29.9%) patients (203 males; mean age:57.1 ± 11.0 years) received downstaging therapy, and long-term OS and PFS remained comparable between the two groups (p = 0.718, 0.636, respectively). However, the cumulative OS and PFS rates in the downstaged cohort were significantly higher than those in the nondownstaged cohort (both ps

To enhance the stability and anti-inflammatory efficacy of dihydromyricetin (DYM), suitable excipients were selected for the development of a self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS). The formulated SMEDDS exhibited remarkable drug loading (117.47 ± 4.5 mg/g) and encapsulation rates (93.98 ± 3.6 %). Transmission electron microscope (TEM) revealed the nanoscale and spherical morphology of DYM-SMEDDS. Stability assessments demonstrated that DYM-SMEDDS maintained a consistent uniform small particle size after various cycles of exposure. In vitro release curve exhibited that DYM-SMEDDS released 91.27 ± 1.44 % of DYM within 24 h, surpassing the suspension by 2-fold. Furthermore, in vivo studies indicated that DYM-SMEDDS significantly inhibited the levels of pro-inflammatory factors, while promoting the activity of antioxidant enzymes (p

Abstract Aim This study aims to investigate α‐fetoprotein (AFP) trajectories for prediction of survival outcomes after hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) treatment in large hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods From May 2014 to June 2020, 889 eligible patients with large HCC underwent HAIC were retrospectively enrolled from five hospitals. A latent class growth mixed (LCGM) model was applied to distinguish potential AFP level dynamic changing trajectories. Inverse‐probability‐of‐treatment weighted (IPTW) analyses were performed to eliminate unmeasured confounders through marginal structural models. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were used to determine the overall survival (OS) in patients with large HCC. Performance of these serum markers for survival prediction was compared by areas under receiver operating characteristic analysis with the Delong test. Results The median follow‐up time was 23.7 (interquartile range, 3.8–115.3). A total of 1009 patients with large HCC, who underwent HAIC with AFP repeatedly measured 3–10 times, were enrolled in the study. Three distinct trajectories of these serum AFP were identified using the LCGM model: high stable (37.0%; n = 373), low stable (15.7%; n = 159), and sharp‐falling (47.3%; n = 477). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses found that ALBI stage 2–3, BCLC‐C stage and high‐stable AFP trajectories were associated with OS. AFP trajectories yield the optimal predictive performance in all risk factors. Conclusions The AFP trajectories based on longitudinal AFP change showed outstanding performance for predicting survival outcomes after HAIC treatment in large HCC, which provide a potential monitoring tool for improving clinical decision‐making.

The poor thermal stability and emulsifying properties of ovalbumin (OVA) limit its functional performance, but these limitations may be overcome by forming binary complexes. We prepared binary complexes of OVA and fucoidan (FUC) through electrostatic self-assembly and investigated the emulsifying properties of the complex by measuring the particle size, interfacial membrane thickness, zeta potential, and stability of the emulsion prepared with camellia oil and the complex. The OVA-FUC emulsions have a thicker interfacial membrane, lower mobility, higher viscosity, and better stability compared with the OVA emulsions. The emulsion prepared with 1.5 % OVA-FUC remained stable and homogeneous during storage. They tended to become unstable with freeze–thaw, but the oil encapsulated did not leak after coalescence occurred. With the addition of Ca2+, the OVA-FUC emulsion will be converted into a gel state. These findings indicate that OVA-FUC binary complexes can be used to prepare high-performance emulsions with great potential for development.

Highlights Aligned graphene building blocks take full advantages of the outstanding properties of graphene. Comprehensive review of recent advancements in the utilization of highly aligned graphene aerogels for multifunctional applications. By systematically summarizing the controlled assembly, aligned structural attributes, quantitative characterization methods, anisotropic properties, and multifunctional applications of graphene aerogels, this review enhances understanding of the material's potential for diverse applications, offering tailored properties and novel functionalities.

In this article, the trajectory planning and high-precision motion control of an excavator based on the independent hydraulic system of the load port are studied. A trajectory planning algorithm based on the combination of a quintic non-uniform B-spline curve and improved sparrow algorithm and an oil inlet flow controller based on the time-varying secant barrier Lyapunov function (TSBLF) are designed. First, the traditional sparrow algorithm is innovatively improved in trajectory planning to make the generated trajectory time shorter, more stable and energy better. Then, the secant function and fixed time controller are first introduced in the design of the oil flow controller to ensure that the system error converges to the predefined boundary in finite time. At the same time, the RBF neural network is used to approximate the unmodeled error and disturbance of the system. Finally, the simulation verification is carried out with the common trenching conditions in the intelligent operation of the excavator. The results show that the generated trajectory has obvious advantages over the traditional sparrow algorithm. The trajectory tracking error can converge to the neighborhood near the equilibrium point in a fixed time while satisfying the constraints, and has high control accuracy.

Thermal analysis of three stator iron-core-less PMBLDC motors considering winding eddy and circulating current losses is investigated. First, the effects of strand diameter, permanent magnet (PM) magnetization and rotating speed on the above mentioned two winding losses and thermal characteristics are investigated by 3D finite element method (FEM). It is found that both strand diameter and rotating speed have great impacts on the temperature rise, parallel and radial magnetizations have almost identical temperature rise results. Then, influence of eddy and circulating current losses on the thermal characteristics of the three PMBLDC motors are further studied, separately. Furtherly, comprehensive study of the two winding losses on the thermal characteristics is carried out. Results show that thermal analysis considering both winding eddy and circulating current losses in parallel thin strands is vital during motor primary design process considering the limited insulation level of wires and PMs. Finally, three prototypes with different combinations of strand diameters and parallel numbers are selected for the calculation of eddy current losses and temperature rise experiment. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed 3D FEM models and validate the obtained simulation results. This paper clarifies the key influence factors, i.e., windings of different wire diameters, PM magnetization and rotation speed, on temperature rise characteristics of such iron-core-less motors, which provides guidance for the subsequent design of such three types of motors.

Abstract Wind has been admitted as one of the most promising renewable energy resources in multinational regionalization policies. However, the energy conversion and utilization are challenging due to the technique reliability and cost issues. Hydraulic wind turbine (HWT) may solve the above problems. HWT is taken as a research object, and the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control strategy is proposed collaborating with active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) and linear quadratic regulator (LQR) control methods, to solve multiplicative nonlinearity problems in the plant models and the influence of external disturbance on control performance in the MPPT control process. A nonlinear simulation model is built to explain the main findings from the experiments and obtain a better understanding of the effect of time‐varying system parameters and random fluctuation in wind speed. The collaborative control algorithm is experimentally verified on a 24‐kW HWT semi‐physical test platform that results in a promising energy conversion rate, plus the hydraulic parameters can satisfy the demand, accordingly. Ultimately, the potential challenges of implementing this technique in a smart wind energy conversion system are discussed to give a further design guidance, either theoretically or practically.

Due to its advantages of having a high power-to-weight ratio and being energy-efficient, the electro-hydraulic servo pump control system (abbreviated as EHSPCS) is frequently employed in the industrial field, such as the electro-hydraulic servo pump control (EHSPC) servomotor for steam turbine valve regulation control. However, the EHSPCS has strong nonlinearity and time-varying features, and the factors that cause system performance degradation are complex. Once a system failure occurs, it may lead to serious accidents, causing serious casualties and economic losses. To address the above issues, a system health assessment method based on LSTM-GRNN-ANN (LGA) deep neural network is proposed in this paper. Firstly, with oil volume gas content, servo motor air-gap flux density, and system leakage coefficient as the health assessment performance indicators, a health assessment performance index system for the EHSPCS is built, Furthermore, the system performance index threshold is set. Secondly, an LGA deep neural network is constructed by combining LSTM, GRNN and ANN, and a deep neural network based on the LGA is used to create an EHSPCS health assessment model. Subsequently, system feature parameter extraction, algorithm design, and parameter debugging are carried out. Finally, an EHSPCS experimental platform is established, typical system failure simulation experiments are designed, and comparative experimental analysis is conducted. The experimental findings demonstrate that the average accuracy of the system health assessment model based on the LGA deep neural network suggested in this paper is 96.37%, compared to 89.84%, 87.99% for LSTM and GRNN, which validates the accuracy of the system health assessment model based on the LGA deep neural network.

Abstract Pressure engineering in semiconductors leads to a variety of novel physical phenomena and has recently received considerable attention. Here, we report on pressure-induced superconductivity in III–V gallium phosphide (GaP), a commercially important semiconductor that exhibits excellent optical performance. We show that the emergence of superconductivity is accompanied by the concurrence of piezochromic transition and metallization and can be correlated to a structural transition from the cubic to orthorhombic phase. In line with the structural origin of superconductivity, the critical temperature T c monotonically decreases with increasing pressure up to ~50 GPa. Moreover, the superconductivity could be preserved toward ambient pressure because of the irreversibility of the structural transition. Nevertheless, the superconducting transition displays evident broadening associated with the presence of amorphization in the depressurized sample. The synchronous evolution of the structural and electronic properties not only shows a vivid structure-property relationship but also could facilitate the exploration of novel functionalities by means of pressure treatment.

Abstract Anemia is the most common manifestation in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients, but the cause of ineffective hematopoiesis is not fully understood. Enucleation is an important event in the maturation process of erythroblasts. According to a series of morphological phenotypes of the pathological development of MDS erythroblasts, we speculate that there may be enucleation disorders. To verify this hypothesis, we cultured MDS bone marrow CD34+ cells in vitro and induced erythroblast development. The results showed that erythroblast enucleation in MDS was significantly lower than that in the normal group, and the rate of enucleation was positively correlated with hemoglobin concentration. Risk stratification of MDS was performed to further analyze the differences in enucleation among the normal group, low-middle risk group and high-risk group. The results showed that the enucleation rate of the high risk group was higher than that of the low-middle risk group but still lower than that of the normal group. Moreover, the expression of pERK and pAKT in MDS erythroblasts in the high risk group was higher than that in the normal group, while the expression of pERK and pAKT in the low-middle risk group was lower than that in the normal group. Furthermore, the enucleation of MDS was positively correlated with the phosphorylation degree of ERK and AKT. In conclusion, this study reveals that the enucleation of erythroblasts is one of the possible causes of anemia in MDS. Video Abstract

Abstract Before vaccines were introduced, mobility restriction was one of the primary control measures in the early stage of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Because different age groups face disproportionate health risks, differences in their mobility changes affect the effectiveness of pandemic control measures. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between multiscale mobility patterns in different age groups and COVID-19 transmission before and after control measures implementation. Data on daily confirmed case numbers, anonymized mobile phone data, and 38 socioeconomic factors were used to construct negative binomial regression models of these relationships in the Taipei metropolitan area in May 2021. To avoid overfitting, the socioeconomic factor dimensions were reduced by principal component analysis. The results showed that inter-district mobility was a greater promoter of COVID-19 transmission than was intra-district mobility (coefficients: pre-alert, 0.52 and 0.43; post-alert, 0.41 and 0.36, respectively). Moreover, both the inter-district mobility of people aged 15–59 and ≥ 60 years were significantly related to the number of confirmed cases (coefficients: pre-alert, 0.82 and 1.05; post-alert, 0.48 and 0.66, respectively). The results can help agencies worldwide formulate public health responses to emerging infectious diseases.

Abstract Background Studying the composition and developmental mechanisms in mammary gland is crucial for healthy growth of newborns. The mammary gland is inherently heterogeneous, and its physiological function dependents on the gene expression of multiple cell types. Most studies focused on epithelial cells, disregarding the role of neighboring adipocytes. Results Here, we constructed the largest transcriptomic dataset of porcine mammary gland cells thus far. The dataset captured 126,829 high-quality nuclei from physiological mammary glands across five developmental stages (d 90 of gestation, G90; d 0 after lactation, L0; d 20 after lactation, L20; 2 d post natural involution, PI2; 7 d post natural involution, PI7). Seven cell types were identified, including epithelial cells, adipocytes, endothelial cells, fibroblasts cells, immune cells, myoepithelial cells and precursor cells. Our data indicate that mammary glands at different developmental stages have distinct phenotypic and transcriptional signatures. During late gestation (G90), the differentiation and proliferation of adipocytes were inhibited. Meanwhile, partly epithelial cells were completely differentiated. Pseudo-time analysis showed that epithelial cells undergo three stages to achieve lactation, including cellular differentiation, hormone sensing, and metabolic activation. During lactation (L0 and L20), adipocytes area accounts for less than 0.5% of mammary glands. To maintain their own survival, the adipocyte exhibited a poorly differentiated state and a proliferative capacity. Epithelial cells initiate lactation upon hormonal stimulation. After fulfilling lactation mission, their undergo physiological death under high intensity lactation. Interestingly, the physiological dead cells seem to be actively cleared by immune cells via CCL21-ACKR4 pathway. This biological process may be an important mechanism for maintaining homeostasis of the mammary gland. During natural involution (PI2 and PI7), epithelial cell populations dedifferentiate into mesenchymal stem cells to maintain the lactation potential of mammary glands for the next lactation cycle. Conclusion The molecular mechanisms of dedifferentiation, proliferation and redifferentiation of adipocytes and epithelial cells were revealed from late pregnancy to natural involution. This cell transcriptomic profile constitutes an essential reference for future studies in the development and remodeling of the mammary gland at different stages.

Dietary patterns related to inflammation have garnered great interest in disease prevention. The aims of this study were to evaluate whether a proinflammatory diet affects the incidence of frailty and its reversal in a prospective follow-up study. Data were taken from 5663 community-dwelling individuals ≥ 55 years old in Taiwan. The energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (DII) and the Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Patterns-Healthy Aging Longitudinal Study in Taiwan (EDIP-HALT) at baseline were calculated using a food frequency questionnaire. Frailty was assessed with Fried’s criteria in 2008–2013 and 2013–2020. Associations with changes in frailty status were assessed with multinominal logistic regressions and adjusted for major confounders. Higher EDIP-HALST scores (proinflammatory) were associated with higher odds of frailty among baseline robust participants in men (OR = 2.44, 95% CI = 1.42–4.21, p-trend < 0.01) and broadline associated in women (OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 0.96–3.98, p-trend = 0.05), but associated with lower odds of reversing back to robust among baseline prefrail participants. However, the later association was only observed in women, and the relationships were stronger in the middle tertile (second vs. first tertile, OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.25–0.65). A pro-inflammatory diet pattern was associated with higher odds of frailty onset in baseline robust participants and lower odds of reversal in baseline prefrail female participants.

For the variable speed variable displacement power unit (VSVDPU), achieving power matching between the permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) and the variable displacement plunger pump (VDPP) is the key to reducing system energy consumption. The control method of adjusting the speed of the PMSM and the displacement of the VDPP is the mainstay of current research and application of the VSVDPU. However, the dynamic properties of the PMSM and VDPP have not been balanced, which affects the control effect of the VSVDPU. This paper proposes a control method of variable speed and variable displacement with low energy consumption and high dynamics. The main idea is based on the efficiency model and dynamic response model of the PMSM and VDPP, and the factors that affect the efficiency and dynamic characteristics of the VSVDPU are analyzed. Guided by the multi-objective optimization algorithm, the optimal combination of speed and displacement under specific working conditions is derived. Simulation and experiment results show that the proposed control method is feasible to improve the efficiency and dynamic characteristics of the VSVDPU.

Direct-acting relief valves are important pressure-control components in hydraulic systems; however, noise problems are now common. This study aimed to reduce and numerically analyze the valve cavitation and noise using the Zwart–Gerber–Belamri (ZBG) model with the Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings (FW–H) model to optimize the design based on the sound field perspective. First, a direct-acting relief valve flow field model was established to determine the relationship between the seat structure and the degree of cavitation through a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulation. Second, sound field analysis was conducted based on the cavitation and non-cavitation flow fields, respectively, and the resulting noise levels were compared. Finally, prototypes of the relief valve were manufactured, and noise levels between the original and optimized valves were compared. The results revealed that cavitation within the relief valve generated noise while optimizing the valve seat cone angle suppressed this phenomenon, thereby reducing the noise emitted by the optimized valve by 18.2 dB compared to the original valve. These findings can serve as a guide for designing and optimizing direct-acting relief valves.

Accurately predicting the drilling efficiency of rotary drilling is the key to achieving intelligent construction. The current types of principle analysis (based on traditional interactive experimental methods) and efficiency prediction (based on simulation models) cannot meet the requirements needed for the efficient, real-time, and accurate drilling efficiency predictions of rotary drilling rigs. Therefore, we adopted a method based on machine learning to predict drilling efficiency. The extremely complex rock fragmentation process in drilling conditions also brings challenges to predicting drilling efficiency. Therefore, this article went through a combination of mechanism and data analysis to conduct correlation analysis and to clarify the drilling characteristic parameters that are highly correlated with drilling efficiency, and it then used them as inputs for machine learning models. We propose a rotary drilling rig drilling efficiency prediction model based on the GA-BP neural network to construct an accurate and efficient drilling efficiency prediction model. Compared with traditional BP neural networks, it utilizes the global optimization ability of a genetic algorithm to obtain the initial weights and thresholds of a BP neural network in order to avoid the defect of ordinary BP neural networks, i.e., that they easily fall into local optimal solutions during the training process. The average prediction accuracy of the GA-BP neural network is 93.6%, which is 3.1% higher than the traditional BP neural network.

Alexandra Paul,1,2 Aleena Ghanta,1,2 Ariana M Chao1– 3 1Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 2Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 3Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USACorrespondence: Ariana M Chao, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, 525 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 2120, USA, Tel +1-410-955-4766, Email ariana.chao@jhu.eduAbstract: Similarities have been reported between the diagnostic and associated characteristics of binge-eating disorder (BED) and substance-related and non-substance-related disorders. This has resulted in interest in using addiction models to inform clinical care for people with BED. The purpose of this paper was to review features of addiction in BED with a focus on clinical implications. First, we briefly summarize similarities and differences in diagnostic and mechanistic features and symptoms for BED and food addiction, substance-related disorders, and non-substance-related disorders. Then we review aspects of addiction in BED that have clinical implications for screening and treatment of this condition. Similarities in diagnostic criteria between BED and substance-related and non-substance-related disorders include loss of control, greater use than intended, continued use despite adverse consequences, and marked distress. Addiction models may help inform aspects of clinical care of BED, particularly for shared antecedents and mechanisms underlying both disorders and to enhance engagement in treatment. Yet, there are large gaps in evidence regarding the effects of many aspects of addiction models to BED. More research is needed to examine the safety and efficacy of using addiction theories and frameworks for clinical strategies for BED.Keywords: addiction, binge-eating disorder, eating disorder, substance-related disorders, treatment

Abstract Purpose To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of combination therapy of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) and anti‐programmed cell death protein‐1 (PD‐1) therapy in the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods In this retrospective clinical research, from March 2018 to December 2019, 1158 HCC patients categorized as BCLC stage C were reviewed for eligibility. We utilized propensity score matching (PSM) to mitigate initial disparities between the groups. The evaluation of the best tumor response was conducted in accordance with mRECIST 1.1 criteria. The difference in survival outcomes including overall survival (OS), progression‐free survival (PFS), and objective response rate (ORR) between groups were compared. Results Following the eligibility review, 453 patients underwent a combined treatment of HAIC with PD1 inhibitors (HAIC‐PD1 group), while 221 patients received HAIC monotherapy (HAIC group) met the inclusion criteria and were finally enrolled in this study. In the entire cohort, the HAIC‐PD1 group exhibited significantly prolonged overall survival (median overall survival: 40.4 months vs. 9.7 months, p

Summary: Background: Ablation has been recommended by worldwide guidelines as first-line treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), while evidence regarding its efficacy for primary intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is lacking. We aimed to study the efficacy of ablation in treating iCCA by comparing its prognosis with surgery. Methods: In this real-world multicenter cohort study from January 2009 to June 2022, 10,441 iCCA patients from ten tertiary hospitals were identified. Patients who underwent curative-intent microwave ablation (MWA) or liver resection (LR) for tumors within Milan criteria were included. One-to-many propensity score matching (PSM) at variable ratios (1:n ≤4) was used to balance baseline characteristics. Mediation analysis was applied to identify potential mediators of the survival difference. Findings: 944 patients were finally enrolled in this study, with 221 undergoing MWA and 723 undergoing LR. After PSM, 203 patients in the MWA group were matched with 588 patients in the LR group. The median follow-up time was 4.7 years. Compared with LR, MWA demonstrated similar overall survival (5-year 44.8% versus 40.4%; HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.71–1.29, P = .761). There was an improvement in the 5-year disease-free survival rate for MWA from 17.1% during the period of 2009–2016 to 37.3% during 2017–2022, becoming comparable to the 40.8% of LR (P = .129). The proportion of ablative margins ≥5 mm increased from 25% to 61% over the two periods, while this proportion of surgical margins was 62% and 77%, respectively. 34.5% of DFS disparity can be explained by the mediation effect of margins (P

Summary: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and hypertension are common comorbidities and, along with hyperlipidemia, serve as risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) on cardiometabolic traits related to T2D, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia and the incidence of these three diseases in Taiwan Biobank samples. Using publicly available, large-scale genome-wide association studies summary statistics, we constructed cross-ethnic PRSs for T2D, hypertension, body mass index, and nine quantitative traits typically used to define the three diseases. A composite PRS (cPRS) for each of the nine traits was constructed by aggregating the significant PRSs of its genetically correlated traits. The associations of each of the nine traits at baseline as well as the change of trait values during a 3- to 6-year follow-up period with its cPRS were evaluated. The predictive performances of cPRSs in predicting future incidences of T2D, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia were assessed. The cPRSs had significant associations with baseline and changes of trait values in 3–6 years and explained a higher proportion of variance for all traits than individual PRSs. Furthermore, models incorporating disease-related cPRSs, along with clinical features and relevant trait measurements achieved area under the curve values of 87.8%, 83.7%, and 75.9% for predicting future T2D, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia in 3–6 years, respectively.

Abstract Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer. Known risk variants explain only a small fraction of lung adenocarcinoma heritability. Here, we conducted a two-stage genome-wide association study of lung adenocarcinoma of East Asian ancestry (21,658 cases and 150,676 controls; 54.5% never-smokers) and identified 12 novel susceptibility variants, bringing the total number to 28 at 25 independent loci. Transcriptome-wide association analyses together with colocalization studies using a Taiwanese lung expression quantitative trait loci dataset (n = 115) identified novel candidate genes, including FADS1 at 11q12 and ELF5 at 11p13. In a multi-ancestry meta-analysis of East Asian and European studies, four loci were identified at 2p11, 4q32, 16q23, and 18q12. At the same time, most of our findings in East Asian populations showed no evidence of association in European populations. In our studies drawn from East Asian populations, a polygenic risk score based on the 25 loci had a stronger association in never-smokers vs. individuals with a history of smoking (Pinteraction = 0.0058). These findings provide new insights into the etiology of lung adenocarcinoma in individuals from East Asian populations, which could be important in developing translational applications.

Background: Campylobacteriosis is a common cause of bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the potential risk factors, clinical and laboratory manifestations of children with campylobacteriosis under five years old in Taiwan. Methods: This retrospective case–control study was conducted in ten major hospitals in Taiwan from 2014 to 2017. Laboratory tests and stool specimen were collected and analyzed together with questionnaire survey. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression model was used for identification of risk factors. Results: A total of 64 campylobacteriosis cases were included with a median age of 25 months. We observed a less prolonged vomiting (p = 0.047), more bloody (p

Blackberry crude polysaccharides (BCP) was added to chicken breast to inspect the intermolecular interaction with myofibrillar protein (MP). The influence of BCP on the thermal transformation behavior and protein micro-structure during temperature rise period was studied. The results showed that the interaction between BCP and MP was mainly affected by the concentration of BCP and heating temperature. The results of infrared spectrophotometer and nano-particle/zeta potentiometer showed that a BCP-MP complex was generated through hydrogen bond and electrostatic interaction, which could promote the transformation of MP from β-folding to β-Angle transformation. The fluorescence spectra showed that the BCP was helped to the spread of protein structure of the MP. Moreover, synchronous thermal analyzer and rheometer results revealed that the BCP increased the enthalpy value and elastic modulus of MP. Scanning electron microscope verified pores inside the BCP-MP complex are more evenly distributed and smaller, which led to the high cross-linking of network and good stability of water distribution for the MP. The addition of BCP enhances the hydrogen bonds and disulfide bonds of MP molecules, which can strengthen the network structure and ultimately improve the performance of meat products.

Multi-way spool valves (MWSVs) with K-shape notches (KSNs) provide advantages such as improvement of the actuator speed control, micro-action, and response performance. However, the pressure drop (PD) associated with the energy consumption is larger of MWSVs under the high-pressure and large-flow condition. Meanwhile, extremely complex flow coefficient and multi-parameter, highly coupled KSNs are the chief factors restricting the flow-pressure characteristics exploration and optimisation design of MWSVs. To address these problems, complete numerical research and experiment are performed in this study, especially concerning the method of MWSV flow-pressure characteristics modelling, and surrogated model-based optimal design of KSN structures. First, the relationships between KSN structure parameters and flow-pressure properties of MWSV are modelled on the innovative discharge area parameter model (DAPM) and response surface methodology (RSM) (RSM-DPAM) using the CFD dataset. Second, to reduce the PD combining the flow control performance, surrogate model-based optimisation design is addressed. During optimisation, six KSN structure parameters are chosen as design variables, PD and flow area relative deviation (FARD) are selected as objective functions, and the RSM is employed as the projected model. Depended on the created surrogate model, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is established to search for the optimal KSN structure. To certify the performance of the optimisation, flow field characteristics are analysed. The results demonstrate that the proposed RSM-DAPM-RSM model achieves reliable prediction for PD and FARD with a great correlation coefficient (0.9757 and 0.9946). The average PD reduces as much as 7.23% while the FARD is only 1.28%. Moreover, the region of low-pressure, high-velocity, and high-turbulent kinetic energy in the flow field are reduced. The proposed framework enhances the performance in KSN spool optimisation and could be applied to other kinds of notches.Abbreviations: BOI: Body of influence; BSV: Bucket spool valve; CFD: Computational fluid dynamics; CM: Construction machinery; DAPM: Discharge area parameter model; FARD: Flow area relative deviation; FCC: Flow control characteristic; GSA: Global sensitivity analysis; KSN: K-shape notch; MHAs: Meta-heuristic algorithms; MODE: Multi-objective differential evolution; MOGA: Multi-objective genetic algorithm; MOO: Multi-objective optimisation; MOPSO: Multi-objective particle swarm optimisation; MWSV: Multi-way spool valve; NRMS: Non-road mobile source; NSGA-II: Non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm; OLHD: Optimal Latin hypercube design; PD: Pressure drop; PDCs: Pressure drop characteristics; RSM: Response surface methodology; SA: Sensitivity analysis; TKE: Turbulent kinetic energy; TOPSIS: Technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution; VFR: Volume flow rate

Abstract Because of the cancer incidence increase and population aging in Taiwan, we aimed to assess the cancer prevalence, to summarize the comorbidities of older patients with the five most common cancers (i.e., breast, colorectal, liver, lung, and oral), and to develop a Taiwan cancer comorbidity index (TCCI) for studying their actual prognosis. The linkage of the Taiwan Cancer Registry, Cause of Death Database, and National Health Insurance Research Database was used. We followed the standard statistical learning steps to obtain a survival model with good discriminatory accuracy in predicting death due to noncancer causes, from which we obtained the TCCI and defined comorbidity levels. We reported the actual prognosis by age, stage, and comorbidity level. In Taiwan, cancer prevalence nearly doubled in 2004–2014, and comorbidities were common among older patients. Stage was the major predictor of patients' actual prognoses. For localized and regional breast, colorectal, and oral cancers, comorbidities correlated with noncancer-related deaths. Compared with the US, the chances of dying from comorbidities in Taiwan were lower and the chances of dying from cancer were higher for breast, colorectal, and male lung cancers. These actual prognoses could help clinicians and patients in treatment decision-making and help policymakers in resource planning.

Highlights The total extract of Corydalis hendersonii Hemsl. (CH) and the rich alkaloids fraction (RAF) of CH showed significant cardioprotective effect on mice following acute myocardial infarction. RAF improved cardiac function by inhibiting apoptosis via p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38 MAPK) signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo. The results of liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-ion trap-time of flight (LCMS-IT-TOF) showed that the 14 isoquinoline alkaloids in RAF as the main ingredients contribute to the cardioprotective effect.

Abstract Purpose Evaluate the efficacy and safety of triple therapeutic method (Hepatic Aarterial Infusion Chemotherapy—HAIC, lenvatinib and sequential ablation) in the treatment for Advanced Hepatocellular carcinoma (Ad‐HCC). Materials and Methods From November 2018 to June 2021, data from 150 consecutive Ad‐HCC patients were collected. All patients received HAIC combined with lenvatinib (H‐L group, n = 97) or HAIC combined with lenvatinib and sequential ablation (H‐L‐A group, n = 53). Complications, overall survival (OS), progression‐free survival (PFS) and intrahepatic progression‐free survival (IPFS) were compared between both groups. Results No significant differences of baseline characteristics were found between groups. The time of median follow‐up was 17.8 months (range, 6.8, 37.6 months). In comparison to the H‐L group, the H‐L‐A group patients showed significantly longer median OS (>30 months vs 13.6 months, respectively; p = 0.010), PFS (12.8 vs. 5.6 months, respectively; p

Abstract To solve the problem of large output power fluctuations in wind turbines and improve grid adaptability, a hydraulic energy storage system is introduced in traditional hydraulic wind turbines. Based on the working principle of energy storage hydraulic wind turbines, an energy storage hydraulic wind turbine state space model is established, and the feedback linearization method is introduced to solve the multiplication nonlinear problem in the modeling process. The output power is taken as the control output, and the torque compensation controller is established with the feedback linearization method. The displacement of the variable displacement pump motor is controlled to realize hydraulic energy storage system energy charging and discharging, and the wind turbine output power smoothing control is realized with the fluctuating wind speed. The power smoothing control strategy is verified with the 24 kW energy storage hydraulic wind turbines semi‐physical simulation experimental platform. The proposed control strategy lays the groundwork for the wide application of the energy storage hydraulic wind turbines.

In this study, we investigated the correlation between the composition and function of the gut microbiota and the semen quality of Rongchang boars. Significant differences in gut microbial composition between boars with high (group H) and low (group L) semen utilization rates were identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing, with 18 differential microbes observed at the genus level. Boars with lower semen utilization rates exhibited a higher relative abundance of Treponema, suggesting its potential role in reducing semen quality. Conversely, boars with higher semen utilization rates showed increased relative abundances of Terrisporobacter, Turicibacter, Stenotrophomonas, Clostridium sensu stricto 3, and Bifidobacterium, with Stenotrophomonas and Clostridium sensu stricto 3 showing a significant positive correlation with semen utilization rates. The metabolomic analyses revealed higher levels of gluconolactone, D-ribose, and 4-pyridoxic acid in the H group, with 4 pyridoxic acid and D-ribose showing a significant positive correlation with Terrisporobacter and Clostridium sensu stricto 3, respectively. In contrast, the L group showed elevated levels of D-erythrose-4-phosphate, which correlated negatively with Bifidobacterium and Clostridium sensu stricto 3. These differential metabolites were enriched in the pentose phosphate pathway, vitamin B6 metabolism, and antifolate resistance, potentially influencing semen quality. These findings provide new insights into the complex interplay between the gut microbiota and boar reproductive health and may offer important information for the discovery of disease biomarkers and reproductive health management.

Crop residue decomposition is an important part of the carbon cycle in agricultural ecosystems, and microorganisms are widely recognized as key drivers during this process. However, we still know little about how nitrogen (N) input and rhizosphere effects from the next planting season impact key straw-decomposing microbial communities. Here, we combined amplicon sequencing and DNA-Stable Isotope Probing (DNA-SIP) to explore these effects through a time-series wheat pot experiment with four treatments: 13C-labeled maize straw addition with or without N application (S1N1 and S1N0), and no straw addition with or without N application (S0N1 and S0N0). The results showed that straw addition significantly reduced soil microbial alpha diversity in the early stages. Straw addition changed microbial beta diversity and increased absolute abundance in all stages. Growing plants in straw-amended soil further reduced bacterial alpha diversity, weakened straw-induced changes in beta diversity, and reduced bacterial and fungal absolute abundance in later stages. In contrast, N application could only increase the absolute abundance of soil bacteria and fungi while having little effect on alpha and beta diversity. The SIP-based taxonomic analysis of key straw-decomposing bacteria further indicated that the dominant phyla were Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, with overrepresented genera belonging to Vicinamibacteraceae and Streptomyces. Key straw-decomposing fungi were dominated by Ascomycota, with overrepresented genera belonging to Penicillium and Aspergillus. N application significantly increased the absolute abundance of key straw-decomposing microorganisms; however, this increase was reduced by the rhizosphere effect. Overall, our study identified key straw-decomposing microorganisms in straw-amended soil and demonstrated that they exhibited opposite responses to N application and the rhizosphere effect.

PurposeCentral obesity may contribute to breast cancer (BC); however, there is no dose–response relationship. This meta-analysis examined the effects of central obesity on BC and their potential dose–response relationship.MethodsIn the present study, PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science were searched on 1 August 2022 for published articles. We included the prospective cohort and case–control studies that reported the relationship between central obesity and BC. Summary effect size estimates were expressed as risk ratios (RRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) and were evaluated using random-effect models. The inconsistency index (I2) was used to quantify the heterogeneity magnitude derived from the random-effects Mantel–Haenszel model.ResultsThis meta-analysis included 57 studies (26 case–control and 31 prospective cohort) as of August 2022. Case–control studies indicated that waist circumference (WC) (adjusted OR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.00–1.38; P = 0.051) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (adjusted OR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.07–1.53; P = 0.008) were significantly positively related to BC. Subgroup analysis showed that central obesity measured by WC increased the premenopausal (adjusted OR = 1.15; 95% CI: 0.99–1.34; P = 0.063) and postmenopausal (adjusted OR = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.03–1.36; P = 0.018) BC risk and the same relationship appeared in WHR between premenopausal (adjusted OR = 1.38; 95% CI: 1.19–1.59; P < 0.001) and postmenopausal (adjusted OR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.22–1.64; P < 0.001). The same relationship was observed in hormone receptor-positive (HR+) (adjusted ORWC = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.02–1.57; P = 0.035, adjusted ORWHR = 1.41; 95% CI: 1.00–1.98; P = 0.051) and hormone receptor-negative (HR–) (adjusted ORWC = 1.44; 95% CI: 1.13–1.83; P = 0.003, adjusted ORWHR = 1.42; 95% CI: 0.95–2.13; P = 0.087) BCs. Prospective cohort studies indicated that high WC (adjusted RR = 1.12; 95% CI: 1.08–1.16; P < 0.001) and WHR (adjusted RR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.018–1.09; P = 0.017) may increase BC risk. Subgroup analysis demonstrated a significant correlation during premenopausal (adjusted RR = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.02–1.14; P = 0.007) and postmenopausal (adjusted RR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.10–1.19; P < 0.001) between BC and central obesity measured by WC, and WHR was significantly positively related to BC both premenopausal (adjusted RRpre = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.98–1.11; P = 0.169) and postmenopausal (adjusted RRpost = 1.04; 95% CI: 1.02–1.07; P = 0.002). Regarding molecular subtype, central obesity was significantly associated with HR+ (adjusted ORWC = 1.13; 95% CI: 1.07–1.19; P < 0.001, adjusted ORWHR = 1.03; 95% CI: 0.98–1.07; P = 0.244) and HR– BCs (adjusted ORWC =1.11; 95% CI: 0.99–1.24; P = 0.086, adjusted ORWHR =1.01; 95% CI: 0.91–1.13; P = 0.808). Our dose–response analysis revealed a J-shaped trend in the relationship between central obesity and BC (measured by WC and WHR) in case–control studies and an inverted J-shaped trend between BMI (during premenopausal) and BC in the prospective cohort.ConclusionCentral obesity is a risk factor for premenopausal and postmenopausal BC, and WC and WHR may predict it. Regarding the BC subtype, central obesity is proven to be a risk of ER+ and ER- BCs. The dose–response analysis revealed that when BMI (during premenopausal) exceeded 23.40 kg/m2, the risk of BC began to decrease, and WC higher than 83.80 cm or WHR exceeded 0.78 could efficiently increase the BC risk.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier: CRD42022365788.

The processing of surimi products requires the addition of high levels of salt, which makes it a high-salt food that poses a risk to human health. The search for exogenous additives to reduce the salt content of surimi products while ensuring their quality characteristics is crucial. Therefore, the effect of different species of cellulose on enhancing the quality characteristics of low-salt surimi gels was investigated and the best-modified cellulose was identified. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) were selected for this study to compare with high-salt control and low-salt control. The results showed that cellulose could induce conformational transitions of proteins and promote the formation of an ordered and dense surimi gel network and the minimum porosity of 15.935% was obtained in the MCC-treated group. The cellulose-treated group conferred good textural properties to the surimi gels, significantly improved gel strength and water retention capacity (p < 0.05), and reduced the amount of water lost after cooking treatment (p < 0.05). Low-field NMR results showed that cellulose reduced the release of water, converting more free water to immobile water, thus increasing the water proton density. The higher energy storage modulus G' in the presence of cellulose indicated a more stable surimi gel system dominated by springiness. In summary, cellulose could confer better quality characteristics to low-salt surimi gels and MCC performance was superior to other cellulose species. This study helps the understanding of the mechanism of cellulose-surimi action on the development of high-quality low-salt surimi gels.

To reveal the lubrication performance degradation mechanism of the slipper pair in the high-pressure piston pump during early wear failure. The three-dimensional fractal function has been used to construct the surface morphology of the slipper, and combined with the oil film thickness equation to establish a mixed lubrication model of the slipper pair considering the microscopic change of the surface during the wear process. Based on the fractal theory, a method using fractal parameters (fractal dimension $D$ and scale coefficient $G$ ) to describe the surface morphology change during the wear process is proposed. The variation of surface morphology, oil film thickness and pressure distribution of the slipper during wear degradation process are discussed, and the effect of wear depth on the degradation laws of leakage and oil film supporting force are analyzed. Finally, the wear degradation state simulation test of the slipper pair is carried out. The information on surface morphology, oil film thickness and leakage during wear process is recorded for the verification of the theoretical model. The proposed model can lay a theoretical foundation for accurately evaluating the performance degradation of the slipper pair and improving the fault prediction and predictive maintenance level of high-pressure piston pumps.

Abstract Enteromorpha prolifera is a nutrient-rich green alga and abound in the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea of China. In this study, E. prolifera was anaerobically digested for biogas production. The variations of chemical compositions and microbial community structure as well as the physical structure of E. prolifera in anaerobic digestion process were investigated. This is the first report of multiple ways to deeply analysis the process of E. prolifera anaerobic digestion. Results from the present work showed that the biogas obtained from E. prolifera anaerobic digestion could achieve 409.7 mL•g− 1 TS with an average methane concentration of 53.2%, and the VFAs content in substrate played a vital role for driving the biogas production of flora. Moreover, S1 of Thermotogaceae and Cenarchaeum, the dominant bacteria and archaea in digestion flora, respectively, played important roles in degrading E. prolifera, acidizing slurry, and providing methanogenic substrate for methanogens. Graphical Abstract

Ariana M Chao,1,2 Jena Shaw Tronieri,2 Anastassia Amaro,3 Thomas A Wadden2 1Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 2Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 3Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USACorrespondence: Ariana M Chao, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, 418 Curie Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA, Tel +1-215-746-7183, Fax +1 215-898-2878, Email arichao@upenn.eduAbstract: Losses of 5– 10% or more of initial body weight are associated with improvements in obesity-related comorbidities. However, attaining and sustaining this level of weight loss is challenging. The novel anti-obesity medication semaglutide 2.4 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and physical activity helps patients achieve average losses of 9.6– 17.4% of initial body weight at week 68, as well as improvements in cardiometabolic and psychosocial indices. Despite these average benefits, prescribers should carefully assess the suitability of patients for this medication. In this paper, we discuss considerations for the selection of individuals who are candidates for semaglutide and special considerations related to the use of this medication. These include its efficacy and safety, as well as its contraindications, potential adverse effects, management of comorbidities and drug interactions, insurance coverage and cost, and patient preferences.Keywords: GLP-1, obesity, pharmacotherapy, semaglutide, weight loss

By establishing insulin resistance model of Caenorhabditis elegans, the effects of Rhodiola rosea extract and its compounds on glucose level, insulin signal intensity, antioxidant enzymes and cell apoptosis of C. elegans were investigated in present study. The mRNA expression of DAF-2, DAF-16, AkT-1, SKN-1, AAK-2 and SOD-3 were detected by qRT-PCR. The results revealed that R. rosea extract contain salidroside, kaempferol, chlorogenic acid, kaemphenol-7-O-glucoside, caffeic acid, and quercetin, etc. At the concentration of 200 μg/mL, R. rosea extract treated C. elegans showed increased insulin signal intensity by 52.46% compared with the normal group, while, glucose content decreased by 72.13% and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level decreased by 36.84%. Compared with high glucose model group, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) increased by 10.9, 14.2 and 27.9, respectively. After R. rosea extract intervention, the expression levels of DAF-2, AkT-1, AAK-2, SKN-1 and other genes significantly increased. These results also indicated that R. rosea extract could activate insulin receptor substrate (IRS) and adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) pathways to enhance insulin signaling, promote nutrient metabolism, and achieve the effect for improving insulin resistance of C. elegans.

Abstract Background Systemic chronic inflammation occurs with age. The association of the leukocyte mitochondrial DNA copy number, a measure of mitochondrial function in aging, with the temporal profile of serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and mortality risk remains uncertain. The objectives of this study were to examine the association of the leukocyte mitochondrial DNA copy number with longitudinal high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels and the association of the longitudinal high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels with mortality risk. Methods This prospective cohort study included 3928 adults aged ≥ 55 years without systemic inflammation in the baseline examination of the Healthy Aging Longitudinal Study in Taiwan, which started in 2009. Each participant received leukocyte mitochondrial DNA copy number measurement using a fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction at baseline, serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein measurements at baseline and the follow-up examination five years later, and the ascertainment of all-cause death (until November 30, 2021). The relationships among the leukocyte mitochondrial DNA copy number, longitudinal serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels, and time to all-cause mortality were examined using the joint longitudinal and survival modeling analysis. Results Of the 3928 participants (mean age: 69 years; 2060 [52%] were women), 837 (21%) died during follow-up. In the adjusted analysis, one standard deviation lower natural log-transformed baseline leukocyte mitochondrial DNA copy number was associated with an increase of 0.05 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.02 to 0.08) standard deviation in serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in subsequent years. An increase of 1 standard deviation in instantaneous high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels was associated with a hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality of 1.22 (95% CI, 1.14 to 1.30). Similar results were obtained after further adjusting for baseline high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (HR [95% CI], 1.27 [1.16 to 1.38]) and after excluding those with serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein above 10 mg/L (HR [95% CI], 1.21[1.11 to 1.31]) or 3 mg/L (HR [95% CI], 1.19 [1.06 to 1.31]) during follow-up. Conclusions A lower leukocyte mitochondrial DNA copy number was associated with persistently higher high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels. Moreover, these higher time-varying high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels were instantaneously associated with a higher risk of death.

Abstract Natural emulsifier‐stabilized emulsions have garnered a significant amount of attention in many industries including foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, health care formulations, paints, polymer blends and oils. Various methods have been used to improve the bioavailability of functional substances, such as microemulsions, nanoemulsions, Pickering emulsions, and complexes. Over recent years, emulsions have been increasingly investigated due to their potential as drug‐delivery vehicles for a wide range of application. In this review, we discuss some recent publications in the area of various emulsions in the food filed, detailed analysis of the mechanisms for different methods of preparation, compared with the different composition conditions on the stability. In addition, the above conditions affect the properties of the emulsions, but also affect functional activity. According to the current research status, some suggestions are put forward for further study.