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Lesion-mimic mutants (LMMs) serve as valuable resources for uncovering the molecular mechanisms that govern programmed cell death (PCD) in plants. Despite extensive research, the regulatory mechanisms of PCD and lesion formation in various LMMs remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, we identified a rice LMM named early leaf lesion and senescence 1 (els1), cloned the causal gene through map-based cloning, and confirmed its function through complementation. ELS1 encodes an anthranilate synthase α-subunit involved in anthranilate biosynthesis. It is predominantly localized in chloroplasts and is primarily expressed in light-exposed tissues. Mutation of ELS1 triggers upregulation of its homologous gene, ASA1, via a genetic compensation response, leading to the activation of the tryptophan (Trp) synthesis pathway and amino acid metabolism. The accumulation of abnormal Trp-derived intermediate metabolites results in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and abnormal PCD in the els1 mutant, ultimately causing the leaf lesion phenotype. The els1 mutant also exhibits reduced chlorophyll content, upregulation of genes related to chloroplast degradation and leaf senescence, and decreased activity of photosynthetic proteins, indicating that ELS1 plays a role in chloroplast development. These factors collectively contribute to the premature leaf senescence observed in the els1 mutant. Our findings shed light on the role of ELS1 in regulating ROS accumulation and PCD in rice, providing further genetic insights into the molecular mechanisms governing leaf lesions and senescence., (© 2024 Society for Experimental Biology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Cone cells have been found to influence refractive states. This study investigated whether cone cells and retinal acid (RA) plays a role in refractive states under monochromatic lights. Guinea pigs were exposed to blue (BL), green (GL), or white light (WL), respectively, for 8 weeks. Refractive error (RE), cone cell density, RA, retinoic acid receptor-β (RAR-β), collagen-I expression, and scleral thickness in dorsal and ventral eyes were assessed. Eyes exposed to BL showed a slower shift from hyperopia to emmetropia, particularly in the ventral retina, where higher S-cone density was linked to greater remaining hyperopia. In contrast, GL exposure led to myopic shifts, notably in the dorsal retina, where increased M-cone density was associated with greater reductions in refractive error. BL exposure resulted in similar decreases in RA and retinoic acid receptor-β (RAR-β) expression in both dorsal and ventral regions, along with elevated scleral collagen-I and thicker sclera. In contrast, GL exposure increased RA and RAR-β levels, while reducing scleral collagen-I and thickness. GL-associated changes in RAR-β expression and scleral thinning were more pronounced in the dorsal retina compared to the ventral retina, despite similar RA levels in both regions. These findings suggested that RA may not contribute to the hyperopic shifts with increased S-cone cell density in BL. However, increased RA and RAR-β may be correlated with ocular growth in guinea pigs exposed to GL, it may underlie myopic shifts with increased M-cone cell density., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Snake envenomation poses significant medical challenges, particularly in subtropical and tropical regions, with long-term impacts on neurovascular integrity and neuroinflammation remaining underexplored. This study investigates the effects of venom from four species of venomous snakes in southern China-Zhoushan Cobra (Naja atra, NA), Many-banded Krait (Bungarus multicinctus, BM), Five-paced Pit Viper (Deinagkistrodon acutus, DA), and Chinese Moccasin (Protobothrops mucrosquamatus, PM) - on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and chronic neuroinflammation. Using mass spectrometry, we analyzed venom protein compositions, while cytotoxic effects on mouse brain endothelial cells (bEND.3) were evaluated to determine IC 50 values. In vitro BBB models and in vivo experiments in C57BL/6J mice revealed that NA venom, in particular, significantly compromised BBB integrity without inducing large-scale apoptosis, leading to persistent BBB disruption characterized by increased permeability and selective degradation of extracellular matrix and tight junction proteins. Moreover, to simulate secondary infections that often occur following snakebites, we combined venom exposure with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment, which exacerbated neuroinflammatory responses by intensifying microglial activation and promoting a pro-inflammatory phenotype. These findings highlight the role of snake venom in compromising neurovascular integrity and promoting vulnerability to chronic neuroinflammation, emphasizing the need for further research into venom-induced neuroinflammatory pathways and their potential as therapeutic targets., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Study Objective: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is critical for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients but is prone to rapid changes and errors. Effective teamwork and leadership are essential for high-quality CPR. We aimed to introduce the Airway-Circulation-Leadership-Support (A-C-L-S) teamwork model in the emergency department (ED) to address these challenges., Methods: The study comprised 2 phases. The development phase involved reviewing CPR videos, categorizing problems, and formulating strategies using the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety model. Resuscitation tasks were organized into A-C-L-S domains using hierarchical task analysis. Equipment and environmental deficits were optimized ergonomically with a pit-crew style arrangement. Mnemonics enhanced teamwork and leadership. The evaluation phase assessed postimplementation ED resuscitation team performance, focusing on adherence, timeliness, and quality of A-C-L-S tasks., Results: The development phase produced a structured teamwork model, assigning tasks, tools, mnemonics, and positions based on A-C-L-S domains. The A-team manages the airway and optimizes end-tidal CO 2 levels; the C-team focuses on high-quality chest compressions and defibrillation. Leadership coordinates resuscitation efforts using goal-directed mnemonics (DABCD 2 E 3 ), whereas the S-team handles medications, timekeeping, and recording. The evaluation phase showed improvements in adherence and timeliness of A-C-L-S tasks, with sustained increases in chest compression fraction before mechanical CPR, from 67.2% preimplementation to 83.0% postimplementation, 89.1% after 1 year, and 86.1% after 2 years. Overall, chest compression fraction also improved from 81.7% to 88.6%, peaking at 92.2% after 1 year and maintaining 90.8% after 2 years., Conclusion: The A-C-L-S teamwork model is feasible, applicable, and effective. Further research is needed to assess its influence on patient outcomes., (Copyright © 2024 American College of Emergency Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: QL1604 is a highly selective, humanized monoclonal antibody against programmed death protein 1. We assessed the efficacy and safety of QL1604 plus chemotherapy as first-line treatment in patients with advanced cervical cancer., Methods: This was a multicenter, open-label, single-arm, phase II study. Patients with advanced cervical cancer and not previously treated with systemic chemotherapy were enrolled to receive QL1604 plus paclitaxel and cisplatin/carboplatin on day 1 of each 21-day cycle for up to 6 cycles, followed by QL1604 maintenance treatment., Results: Forty-six patients were enrolled and the median follow-up duration was 16.5 months. An 84.8% of patients had recurrent disease and 13.0% had stage IVB disease. The objective response rate (ORR) per Response Evaluation Criteria in Advanced Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1 was 58.7% (27/46). The immune ORR per immune RECIST was 60.9% (28/46). The median duration of response was 9.6 months (95% confidence interval [CI]=5.5-not estimable). The median progression-free survival was 8.1 months (95% CI=5.7-14.0). Forty-five (97.8%) patients experienced treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs). The most common grade≥3 TRAEs (>30%) were neutrophil count decrease (50.0%), anemia (32.6%), and white blood cell count decrease (30.4%)., Conclusion: QL1604 plus paclitaxel-cisplatin/carboplatin showed promising antitumor activity and manageable safety profile as first-line treatment in patients with advanced cervical cancer. Programmed cell death protein 1 inhibitor plus chemotherapy may be a potential treatment option for the patient population who have contraindications or can't tolerate bevacizumab, which needs to be further verified in phase III confirmatory study., Competing Interests: Z.X., S.M., Z.B., L.L., and K.X. are full time employees of Qilu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., (© 2024. Asian Society of Gynecologic Oncology, Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology, and Japan Society of Gynecologic Oncology.)

Environmental antineoplastics such as sorafenib may pose a risk to humans through water recycling, and the increased risk of cardiotoxicity is a clinical issue in sorafenib users. Thus, developing strategies to prevent sorafenib cardiotoxicity is an urgent work. Empagliflozin, as a sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor for type 2 diabetes control, has been approved for heart failure therapy. Still, its cardioprotective effect in the experimental model of sorafenib cardiotoxicity has not yet been reported. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), immunoblot, and immunohistochemical analyses were applied to study the effect of sorafenib exposure on cardiac SGLT2 expression. The impact of empagliflozin on cell viability was investigated in the sorafenib-treated cardiomyocytes using Alamar blue assay. Immunoblot analysis was employed to delineate the effect of sorafenib and empagliflozin on ferroptosis/proinflammatory signaling in cardiomyocytes. Ferroptosis/DNA damage/fibrosis/inflammation of myocardial tissues was studied in mice with a 28-day sorafenib ± empagliflozin treatment using histological analyses. Sorafenib exposure significantly promoted SGLT2 upregulation in cardiomyocytes and mouse hearts. Empagliflozin treatment significantly attenuated the sorafenib-induced cytotoxicity/DNA damage/fibrosis in cardiomyocytes and mouse hearts. Moreover, GPX4/xCT-dependent ferroptosis as an inducer for releasing high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was also blocked by empagliflozin administration in the sorafenib-treated cardiomyocytes and myocardial tissues. Furthermore, empagliflozin treatment significantly inhibited the sorafenib-promoted NFκB/HMGB1 axis in cardiomyocytes and myocardial tissues, and sorafenib-stimulated proinflammatory signaling (TNF-α/IL-1β/IL-6) was repressed by empagliflozin administration. Finally, empagliflozin treatment significantly attenuated the sorafenib-promoted macrophage recruitments in mouse hearts. In conclusion, empagliflozin may act as a cardioprotective agent for humans under sorafenib exposure by modulating ferroptosis/DNA damage/fibrosis/inflammation. However, further clinical evidence is required to support this preclinical finding., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background: Insular low-grade gliomas (LGGs) are surgically challenging due to their proximity to critical structures like the corticospinal tract (CST)., Purpose: This study aims to determine if preoperative CST shape metrics correlate with postoperative motor complications in insular LGG patients., Study Type: Retrospective., Population: 42 patients (mean age 40.26 ± 10.21 years, 25 male) with insular LGGs., Field Strength/sequence: Imaging was performed using 3.0 Tesla MRI, incorporating T1-weighted magnetization-prepared rapid gradient-echo, T2-weighted space dark-fluid with spin echo (SE), and diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) with gradient echo sequences, all integrated with echo planar imaging., Assessment: Shape metrics of the CST, including span, irregularity, radius, and irregularity of end regions (RER and IER, respectively), were compared between the affected and healthy hemispheres. Total end region radius (TRER) was determined as the sum of RER 1 and RER 2. The relationships between shape metrics and postoperative short-term (4 weeks) and long-term (>8 weeks) motor disturbances assessing by British Medical Research Council grading system, was analyzed using multivariable regression models., Statistical Testing: Paired t-tests compared CST metrics between hemispheres. Logistic regression identified associations between these metrics and motor disturbances. The models were developed using all available data and there was no independent validation dataset. Significance was set at P < 0.05., Results: Short-term motor disturbance risk was significantly related to TRER (OR = 199.57). Long-term risk significantly correlated with IER 1 (OR = 59.84), confirmed as a significant marker with an AUC of 0.78. Furthermore, the CST on the affected side significantly had the greater irregularity, larger TRER and RER 1, and smaller span compared to the healthy side., Data Conclusion: Preoperative evaluation of TRER and IER 1 metrics in the CST may serve as a tool for assessing the risk of postoperative motor complications in insular LGG patients., Level of Evidence: 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2., (© 2024 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

The leaf midrib system is essential for plant growth and development, facilitating nutrient transport, providing structural support, enabling gas exchange, and enhancing resilience to environmental stresses. However, the molecular mechanism regulating leaf midrib development is still unclear.In this study, we reported a rice solid midrib 1 (sm1) mutant, exhibiting solid leaf aerenchyma and abaxial rolling leaves due to abnormal development of parenchyma and bulliform cells. Map-based cloning revealed that SM1 encodes a litter zipper protein (ZPR). SM1 was mainly expressed in the sheaths and basal midrib and was associated with the nucleus. Further experiments indicated that SM1 can interact with OSHB1, preventing the formation of OSHB:OSHB dimers and subsequently repressing the expression of OSH1 involved in the regulation and maintenance of apical stem meristem formation. The sm1 mutant reduced long-distance oxygen transport ability from shoot to root. The impaired oxygen transport in the sm1 mutant may have contributed to the increase in methanogens and elevated methane emissions. Collectively, our findings revealed that the SM1-OSHB1-OSH1 modules regulate leaf aerenchyma development in rice. These modules not only enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanism of rice leaf aerenchyma development but also offer insights for reducing methane emissions through genetic modification., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest All the authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Gram-negative bacteria are the main bacterial pathogens infecting Chinese giant salamanders (Andrias davidianus; CGS) in captivity and the wild, causing substantial economic losses in the CGS industry. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenesis following infection remain unclear., Results: Spleen-derived macrophages from healthy CGS were isolated, cultured, and identified using density gradient centrifugation and immunofluorescence. A macrophage transcriptome database was established 0, 6, and 12 h post lipopolysaccharide stimulation using RNA-sequencing. In the final database 76,743 unigenes and 4,698 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were functionally annotated. Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment results showed that DEGs were concentrated in toll-like receptor-nuclear factor kappa B-related immune pathways. Ten DEGs were validated 12 h after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. Although the common LPS recognition receptor toll-like receptor 4 was not activated and the key adaptor protein MyD88 showed no significant response, we observed significant up-regulation of the following adaptors: toll/interleukin-1 receptor domain-containing adaptor inducing interferon-β, tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6, and transforming growth factor-β activated kinase 1, which are located downstream of the non-classical MyD88 pathway., Conclusions: In contrast to that in other species, macrophage activation in CGS could depend on the non-classical MyD88 pathway in response to bacterial infection. Our study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms regulating CGS antibacterial responses, with implications for disease prevention and understanding immune evolution in amphibians., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: In clinical ophthalmology, prisms, commonly made of glass, are labeled based on the prism diopter (PD) value measured in the anterior Prentice position. However, they are often used in the posterior parallel position for practicality, causing a discrepancy between labeled and effective PD. This study proposes a conversion tool to address this issue., Methods: Geometric optical analysis was employed to calculate the effective PD of glass prisms in the posterior parallel position. A lookup table was created to convert the labeled PD of the anterior Prentice position to the effective PD when the prism is used in the posterior parallel position. Clinical data from 162 patients with horizontal strabismus were collected to validate the method. Glass prism measurements, converted to effective PD, were compared with acrylic prism results., Results: The variations were significant in glass prism PD with rotation in the anterior Prentice position but stability in the posterior parallel position. Clinical deviations were larger with glass prisms, especially exceeding 30 PD, compared with acrylic prisms. Converted PD from glass prisms correlated well with acrylic prisms (R2 = 0.94, P = 0.002). The half-width of the 95% limit of agreement was ±12.32 PD., Conclusion: The proposed conversion table is valid, facilitating consistency between clinical and literature-based prism use in different positions and materials., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Indian Journal of Ophthalmology.)

At present, raising caged chickens is a common farming method in China. However, monitoring the status of caged chickens is still done by human labor, which is time-consuming and laborious. This paper proposed a posture detection method for caged chickens based on computer vision, which can automatically identify the standing and lying posture of chickens in a cage. For this aim, an image correction method was used to rotate the image and make the feeding trough horizontal in the image. The variance method and the speeded-up robust features method were proposed to identify the feeding trough and indirectly obtain the key area through the feeding trough position. In this paper, a depth camera was used to generate three-dimensional information so that it could extract the chickens from the image of the key area. After some constraint conditions, the chickens' postures were screened. The experimental results show that the algorithm can achieve 97.80% precision and 80.18% recall (IoU > 0.5) for white chickens and can achieve 79.52% precision and 81.07% recall (IoU > 0.5) for jute chickens (yellow and black feathers). It runs at ten frames per second on an i5-8500 CPU. Overall, the results indicated that this study provides a non-invasive method for the analysis of posture in caged chickens, which may be helpful for future research on poultry.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a critical interface that maintains the central nervous system homeostasis by controlling the exchange of substances between the blood and the brain. Disruption of the BBB plays a vital role in the development of neuroinflammation and neurological dysfunction in sepsis, but the mechanisms by which the BBB becomes disrupted during sepsis are not well understood. Here, we induced endotoxemia, a major type of sepsis, in mice by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS acutely increased BBB permeability, activated microglia, and heightened inflammatory responses in brain endothelium and parenchyma. Concurrently, LPS or proinflammatory cytokines activated the NF-κB pathway, inhibiting Wnt/β-catenin signaling in brain endothelial cells in vitro and in vivo. Cell culture study revealed that NF-κB p65 directly interacted with β-catenin to suppress Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Pharmacological NF-κB pathway inhibition restored brain endothelial Wnt/β-catenin signaling activity and mitigated BBB disruption and neuroinflammation in septic mice. Furthermore, genetic or pharmacological activation of brain endothelial Wnt/β-catenin signaling substantially alleviated LPS-induced BBB leakage and neuroinflammation, while endothelial conditional ablation of the Wnt7a/7b co-receptor Gpr124 exacerbated the BBB leakage caused by LPS. Mechanistically, Wnt/β-catenin signaling activation rectified the reduced expression levels of tight junction protein ZO-1 and transcytosis suppressor Mfsd2a in brain endothelial cells of mice with endotoxemia, inhibiting both paracellular and transcellular permeability of the BBB. Our findings demonstrate that endotoxemia-associated systemic inflammation decreases endothelial Wnt/β-catenin signaling through activating NF-κB pathway, resulting in acute BBB disruption and neuroinflammation. Targeting the endothelial Wnt/β-catenin signaling may offer a promising therapeutic strategy for preserving BBB integrity and treating neurological dysfunction in sepsis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

According to the data sets of fine particulate matter （PM 2.5 ） and its components in 35 cities in the Huaihe River Basin from 2015 to 2021, the temporal and spatial distribution patterns of pollutants were analyzed. The influence of meteorological factors on PM 2.5 concentrations was examined using a random forest model. The original series of PM 2.5 , sulfate （SO 4 2- ）, nitrate （NO 3 - ）, ammonium salt （NH 4 + ）, organic matter （OM）, and black carbon （BC） were rebuilt using KZ （Kolmogorov-Zurbenko） filtering and multiple linear regression （MLR） to quantify the effects of meteorological conditions. The results demonstrated that from 2015 to 2021, the declining rates of PM 2.5 , SO 4 2- , NO 3 - , NH 4 + , OM, and BC in the Huaihe River Basin were 4.71, 0.99, 1.05, 0.77, 1.01, and 0.19 μg·（m 3 ·a） -1 , respectively. The high mass concentrations of PM 2.5 and its components were concentrated in the central and western regions of the HRB, whereas those in coastal and southern cities were lower. The variance contributions of the short-term, seasonal, and long-term components of PM 2.5 to the original PM 2.5 sequences in 35 cities were 51.6%, 35.9%, and 7.0%, respectively. The PM 2.5 in coastal cities were more affected by the short-term components. The meteorological conditions were unfavorable for PM 2.5 reduction in the HRB from 2015 to 2018, whereas the meteorological conditions supported the PM 2.5 decrease from 2019 to 2021. From 2015 to 2021, the contribution rates of meteorological conditions to the long-term component reductions of PM 2.5 , SO 4 2- , NO 3 - , NH 4 + , OM, and BC were 28.3%, 29.1%, 31.0%, 29.3%, 27.8%, and 28.6%, respectively. The contribution rates of meteorological conditions to the long-term PM 2.5 reduction were 43.4%, 25.6%, 25.5%, and 20.6% in the HRB cities in Anhui, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Henan Provinces, respectively. With the decrease in PM 2.5 concentration in the HRB, the sulfur oxidation rate （SOR） increased significantly, while the nitrogen oxide oxidation rate （NOR） changed little.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the sixth most prevalent malignant tumor. Hepatocellular carcinogenesis is closely linked to apoptosis, autophagy, and inflammation. Diosmetin and chrysin, are two flavonoid compounds, exhibit anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. In this study, the TCGA database was utilized to identify differentially expressed genes between normal subjects and HCC patients. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics analyses were employed to assess the binding affinity of chrysin and diosmetin to key proteins in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/NF-κB signaling pathway. Western blotting and RT-qPCR were used to measure the protein and gene expression within this pathway. The results indicated that HCC patients had elevated levels of PI3K, AKT, mTOR, and P65 proteins compared to normal subjects, which adversely affected patient survival. Molecular docking and dynamics studies demonstrated that diosmetin and chrysin are effectively bound to these four proteins. In vitro experiments revealed that the combination of diosmetin and chrysin could induce apoptosis, enhance autophagy, reduce inflammatory mediator production, and improve the tumor cell microenvironment by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR/NF-κB signaling pathway. Notably, the synergy score for the combination of diosmetin (25 μM) and chrysin (10 μM) was 16. Thus, the diosmetin-chrysin combination shows promise as an effective therapeutic approach for hepatocellular carcinoma due to its strong synergistic effect., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Histones methyltransferase NSD3 targeting H3K36 is frequently disordered and mutant in various cancers, while the function of NSD3 during cancer initiation and progression remains unclear. In this study, it is proved that downregulated level of NSD3 is linked to clinical features and poor survival in lung adenocarcinoma. In vivo, NSD3 inhibited the proliferation, immigration, and invasion ability of lung adenocarcinoma. Meanwhile, NSD3 suppressed glycolysis by inhibiting HK2 translation, transcription, glucose uptake, and lactate production in lung adenocarcinoma. Mechanistically, as an intermediary, NSD3 binds to PPP1CB and p-STAT3 in protein levels, thus forming a trimer to dephosphorylate the level of p-STAT3 by PPP1CB, leading to the suppression of HK2 transcription. Interestingly, the phosphorylation function of PPP1CB is related to the concentration of carbon dioxide and pH value in the culture environment. Together, this study revealed the critical non-epigenetic role of NSD3 in the regulation of STAT3-dependent glycolysis, providing a piece of compelling evidence for targeting the NSD3/PPP1CB/p-STAT3 in lung adenocarcinoma., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Topic: To systematically compare the effectiveness of conventional phacoemulsification surgery (CPS) and low-energy femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) in patients with cataract., Clinical Relevance: Cataract surgery is a common procedure, and comparing different techniques such as CPS and low-energy FLACS is crucial for optimizing patient outcomes., Methods: The PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane library databases were searched for clinical trials. Outcomes of procedure time, effective phacoemulsification time, balanced salt solution usage, cumulative dissipated energy, mean change of corrected distance visual acuity, endothelial cells reduction, central corneal thickness (CCT), and aqueous cytokine level were evaluated. The effect measures were weighted mean differences with 95% CI. The protocol was registered at the Prospective Register for Systematic Reviews (registration number CRD42023420173)., Results: 11 studies were included in this meta-analysis, of which 1680 eyes were analyzed (637 eyes in the low-energy FLACS group and 1043 eyes in the CPS group). Low-energy FLACS demonstrated significantly fewer reductions in endothelial cell count at 6 months ( P < .001) compared with CPS. It also exhibited a shorter effective phacoemulsification time ( P < .001) and less balanced salt solution usage ( P < .001). However, there were no differences in cumulative dissipated energy, corrected distance visual acuity, CCT changes, or aqueous cytokine levels between the 2 groups., Conclusions: Both low-energy FLACS and CPS are effective in treating cataracts, but low-energy FLACS may offer advantages such as reduced phacoemulsification time and less endothelial cell loss., (Copyright © 2024 Published by Wolters Kluwer on behalf of ASCRS and ESCRS.)

Paper cups have been widely used such as in the fast-food industry for drinking and are generally made of disposable material. To make the paper cup waterproof and prevent leakage, a thin layer of plastic such as polylactic acid (PLA) is commonly coated onto the inner wall surface. This plastic layer can potentially release debris as microplastics, particularly when the cup is wrinkled/crumpled to break and peel off the coating layer, which is tested herein. Using scanning electron microscope (SEM), the broken coating layer can be clearly observed. We then identify the coating material as plastic using mass and Raman spectra. We further employ Raman imaging to identify the released and fallen down debris as microplastics. We cross-check Raman image with SEM image to benefit each other and increase the analysis certainty, because Raman imaging can identify plastic via hyper spectrum to increase the signal-to-noise ratio, while SEM can visualise plastic with a high resolution down to micro-/nano- size. We then employ particle analysis algorithm to estimate the release amount, at approximate 180 microplastic/wrinkle, or micro-bioplastic if considering the main material of PLA as a bioplastic. Overall, we should not wrinkle the paper cup to avoid the potential release of microplastics or micro-bioplastics particularly before and during the drinking process, and the characterisation in this report might be helpful for further research on microplastics., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The innovative techniques in ultrasound have added a new dimension to investigating superficially located areas such as the contents of the scrotal sac. High frequency transducers, improved technology with the addition of elastography, contrast enhanced ultrasound and microvascular imaging has resulted in a further improvement in diagnostic capabilities. The ability to clearly demonstrate the presence or absence of vascularity within the area under investigation adds an additional dimension to operator confidence in establishing the presence of infarction, global or segmental, or the walls and cavity of an abscess in the testis or epididymis. Increased vascularity of a tumor aids the differential diagnosis based on the flow dynamics of the microbubble contrast, benign lesions likely to retain contrast. Elastography has the ability to ascertain the stiffness of tissue, and when used in conjunction with other ultrasound methods adds to the understanding of the likelihood of a malignant abnormality being present. All the different techniques come under the umbrella term 'multiparametric ultrasound', with the application in the scrotal sac detailed in this article., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Bladder Ewing sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (bladder ES/PNET) is a rare and highly malignant tumor associated with a poor prognosis, yet its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we employed a combination of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), spatial transcriptomics (ST), and functional analyses to delve into the pathogenesis of bladder ES/PNET. The investigation revealed the presence of specialized types of epithelial cells (referred to as bladder ES-Epi) and mast cells (referred to as bladder ES-Mast) within bladder ES/PNET in comparison to urothelial carcinoma. Notably, TNFRSF12A exhibited significant upregulation in bladder ES/PNET. Furthermore, mast cells possessed the ability to activate epithelial cells through the TNFSF12-TNFRSF12A ligand-receptor signaling pattern. In addition, Enavatuzumab can significantly inhibit the migratory ability of the Ewing sarcoma cell line RD-ES. This groundbreaking study provides unprecedented mechanistic insights into the progression of bladder ES/PNET and introduces a potential therapeutic avenue for treating this challenging malignancy., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no conflict of interest exists., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) and ultrasound-based elastography techniques are emerging as non-invasive effective methods for assessing chronic liver disease. They are more accurate than B-mode imaging alone and more accessible than MRI as alternatives to liver biopsy. Early detection and monitoring of diffuse liver processes such as steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis play an important role in guiding patient management. The most widely available and validated techniques are attenuation-based QUS techniques and shear-wave elastography techniques that measure shear-wave speed. Other techniques are supported by a growing body of evidence and are increasingly commercialized. This review explains general physical concepts of QUS and ultrasound-based elastography techniques for evaluating chronic liver disease. The first section describes QUS techniques relying on attenuation, backscatter, and speed of sound. The second section discusses ultrasound-based elastography techniques analyzing shear-wave speed, shear-wave dispersion, and shear-wave attenuation. With an emphasis on clinical implementation, each technique's diagnostic performance along with thresholds for various clinical applications are summarized, to provide guidance on analysis and reporting for radiologists. Measurement methods, advantages, and limitations are also discussed. The third section explores developments in quantitative contrast-enhanced and vascular ultrasound that are relevant to chronic liver disease evaluation.

Recent advancements have elucidated the multifaceted roles of the Schlafen (SLFN) family, including SLFN5, SLFN11, SLFN12, SLFN13, and SLFN14, which are implicated in immunological responses. However, little is known about the roles of this gene family in relation to malignancy development. The current study aimed to explore the diagnostic and prognostic potential of Schlafen family genes in colorectal adenocarcinoma (COAD) through bioinformatics analysis. Leveraging advanced bioinformatics tools of bulk RNA-sequencing and single-cell sequencing, we conducted in-depth analyses of gene expressions, functional enrichment, and survival patterns of patients with colorectal cancer compared to normal tissue. Among Schlafen family genes, the transcription levels of SLFN5 in COAD tissues were significantly elevated and correlated with poor survival outcomes. Furthermore, SLFN5 regulated the immune response via Janus kinase (JAK)/signal transduction and activator of transcription (STAT)/interferon (IFN)-alpha/beta signaling. These chemokines in inflammation are associated with diabetes and metabolism, suggesting their involvement in altered cellular energetics for COAD progress. In addition, an immune cell deconvolution analysis indicated a correlation between SLFN5 expression and immune-related cell populations, such as regulatory T cells (Tregs). These findings highlighted the potential clinical significance of SLFN5 in COAD and provided insights into its involvement in the tumor microenvironment and immune regulation. Meanwhile, the drug discovery data of SFLN5 with potential targeted small molecules suggested its therapeutic potential for COAD. Collectively, the current research demonstrated that SFLN5 play crucial roles in tumor development and serve as a prospective biomarker for COAD., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Object: Observations of preoperative and postoperative orbital morphology following fronto-orbital advancement and cranial vault remodeling (FOA and CVR) in patients with unilateral coronal synostosis (UCS)., Methods: This retrospective cohort included patients diagnosed with unilateral coronal synostosis and treated with fronto-orbital advancement and cranial vault remodeling at the Children's Hospital of Fudan University. The orbital height, orbital width, and orbital volume were obtained from head 3-dimensional computed tomography of preoperation and postoperation. The DICOM data of CT were then imported into mimics research version 21.0. The authors measured OH and OW according to the bony landmarks, then reset the parameters of the soft tissue window, and conducted a 3-dimensional reconstruction of the orbital soft tissue to get OV. The preoperative and postoperative measurements of the intact side were compared with the affected side, respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 25.0 (Ρ=0.05)., Results: Twelve patients with UCS (5 male, 7 female) meeting criteria were included in the study. There were 4 patients with UCS on the left and 8 on the right. The average age at initial surgery was 19.50 months. Before the operation, the data of the intact side and the affected side were compared, respectively, and the difference was found to be significant in OH (Ρ=0.005) and OW (Ρ=0.005), while the OV (Ρ=0.106) was not statistically significant. After procedures of FOA and CVR, the data of the intact side and the affected side were compared, respectively, the significant difference was found in OV (Ρ=0.002), while not in OH (Ρ=0.060) or OW (Ρ=0.066)., Conclusion: After undergoing the operation of FOA and CVR, the OH and OW of the ipsilateral and contralateral sides of patients with UCS were basically symmetrical, while the volume of the affected orbit was still relatively smaller., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 by Mutaz B. Habal, MD.)

Comprehensive understanding of the neural circuits involving the ventral tegmental area is essential for elucidating the anatomofunctional mechanisms governing human behaviour, in addition to the therapeutic and adverse effects of deep brain stimulation for neuropsychiatric diseases. Although the ventral tegmental area has been targeted successfully with deep brain stimulation for different neuropsychiatric diseases, the axonal connectivity of the region is not fully understood. Here, using fibre microdissections in human cadaveric hemispheres, population-based high-definition fibre tractography and previously reported deep brain stimulation hotspots, we find that the ventral tegmental area participates in an intricate network involving the serotonergic pontine nuclei, basal ganglia, limbic system, basal forebrain and prefrontal cortex, which is implicated in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, Alzheimer's disease, cluster headaches and aggressive behaviours., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.)

Immune evasion by cancer cells poses a significant challenge for natural killer cell-based immunotherapy. Pyroptosis, a newly discovered form of programmed cell death, has shown great potential for enhancing the antitumor immunity of natural killer cells. Consequently, targeting pyroptosis has become an attractive strategy for boosting natural killer cell activity against cancer. In this study, various assays were conducted, including natural killer cell cytotoxicity assays, flow cytometry, xenograft tumor models, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, to assess natural killer cell-mediated cell killing, as well as gene and protein expressions. The results indicated that euphohelioscopin A, a potential pyroptosis activator, enhances natural killer cell-mediated lysis of tumor cells, resulting in inhibiting tumor growth that could be reversed by natural killer cell depletion. Furthermore, we found that euphohelioscopin A significantly enhanced IFNγ production in natural killer cells and synergistically upregulated GSDME with IFNγ in cancer cells. Euphohelioscopin A also increased the cleavage of GSDME, promoting granzyme B-induced pyroptosis, which could be reversed by GSDME knockdown and IFNγ blockade. Overall, the findings suggested that euphohelioscopin A enhanced natural killer cell-mediated killing of cancer cells by triggering pyroptosis, making euphohelioscopin A a promising pyroptosis activator with great potential for use in natural killer cell-based cancer immunotherapy., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement. S.Z. has equity and consulting relationships with Base Therapeutics. All other authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Society for Leukocyte Biology. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Grain size and shape are critical agronomic traits that directly impact rice grain yield. Identifying genes that control these traits can provide new strategies for yield improvement. In this study, we characterized a rice mutant, reduced grain length (rgl), which exhibited decreased grain length due to reduced cell proliferation. Map-based cloning identified a base deletion in OsRGL2, a gene encoding a keratin-associated protein (KAP), as the cause of the mutant phenotype. CRISPR-Cas9-generated OsRGL2 knockout mutants also displayed reduced grain length, confirming its role. OsRGL2 transcripts were detected in various tissues, with relative higher gene expression in young panicles, and OsRGL2 was localized to the plasma membrane. Overexpression of OsRGL2 increased grain size by promoting cell proliferation in the spikelet hull and significantly enhanced grain yield per plant. Importantly, OsRGL2 was found to interact with RGB1, indicating that OsRGL2 positively regulates grain size and yield through its interaction with RGB1. Additionally, OsRGL2 regulated the expression of cell cycle-related genes, further elucidating its role in grain development. These findings demonstrate that OsRGL2 is a positive regulator of grain size in rice, and manipulating its expression may offer a novel strategy for enhancing rice grain yield., (© 2024 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.)

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of tumor size and differentiation grade on long term survival in patients with early-stage lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) after lobectomy and segmentectomy., Patients and Methods: Patients with stage T1-2N0M0 LUAD who underwent lobectomy and segmentectomy were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Patients were stratified as grade I (well differentiated), grade II (moderately differentiated), and grade III/IV (poorly differentiated/undifferentiated) carcinomas. The effect of tumor size on overall survival (OS) and lung cancer-specific survival (LCSS) was evaluated using the multivariate Cox regression model, including the interaction between tumor size, type of surgery, and tumor differentiation grade. The inverse probability of treatment weighting method was used to adjust for bias between the groups., Results: A total of 19,857 patients were identified, including 18,759 (94.4%) who underwent lobectomy and 1098 (5.5%) who underwent segmentectomy. A three-way interaction among tumor size, differentiation grade, and type of surgery was observed in the overall cohort. After stratifying by differentiation grade, plots of interaction revealed that lobectomy was associated with improved survival compared with segmentectomy when the tumor size exceeded 23 mm for grade I LUAD and 14 mm for grade II LUAD. No interaction was observed between the studied factors in grade III/IV carcinomas., Conclusions: This study interpreted the interaction between tumor size and type of surgery on long-term survival in patients with early stage LUAD and established a tumor size threshold beyond which lobectomy provided survival benefits compared with segmentectomy., (© 2024. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

This article reports the fine-tuning of the optical resonance wavelength (ORW) of surface-micromachined optical ultrasound transducer (SMOUT) arrays to enable ultrasound data readout with non-tunable interrogation light sources for photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT). Permanent ORW tuning is achieved by material deposition onto or subtraction from the top diaphragm of each element with sub-nanometer resolution. For demonstration, a SMOUT array is first fabricated, and its ORW is tuned for readout with an 808 nm laser diode (LD). Experiments are conducted to characterize the optical and acoustic performances of the elements within the center region of the SMOUT array. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional PACT (photoacoustic computed tomography) is also performed to evaluate the imaging performance of the ORW-tuned SMOUT array. The results show that the ORW tuning does not degrade the optical, acoustic, and overall imaging performances of the SMOUT elements. As a result, the fine-tuning method enables new SMOUT-based PACT systems that are low cost, compact, powerful, and even higher speed, with parallel readout capability.

Background: Currently, the treatment and care of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are intractable health problems worldwide and greatly increase the medical burden in society. However, machine learning-based algorithms and the use of a large amount of data accumulated in the clinic in the past can predict the hospitalization time of patients with brain injury in advance, so as to design a reasonable arrangement of resources and effectively reduce the medical burden of society. Especially in China, where medical resources are so tight, this method has important application value., Objective: We aimed to develop a system based on a machine learning model for predicting the length of hospitalization of patients with TBI, which is available to patients, nurses, and physicians., Methods: We collected information on 1128 patients who received treatment at the Neurosurgery Center of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from May 2017 to May 2022, and we trained and tested the machine learning model using 5 cross-validations to avoid overfitting; 28 types of independent variables were used as input variables in the machine learning model, and the length of hospitalization was used as the output variables. Once the models were trained, we obtained the error and goodness of fit (R2) of each machine learning model from the 5 rounds of cross-validation and compared them to select the best predictive model to be encapsulated in the developed system. In addition, we externally tested the models using clinical data related to patients treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from June 2021 to February 2022., Results: Six machine learning models were built, including support vector regression machine, convolutional neural network, back propagation neural network, random forest, logistic regression, and multilayer perceptron. Among them, the support vector regression has the smallest error of 10.22% on the test set, the highest goodness of fit of 90.4%, and all performances are the best among the 6 models. In addition, we used external datasets to verify the experimental results of these 6 models in order to avoid experimental chance, and the support vector regression machine eventually performed the best in the external datasets. Therefore, we chose to encapsulate the support vector regression machine into our system for predicting the length of stay of patients with traumatic brain trauma. Finally, we made the developed system available to patients, nurses, and physicians, and the satisfaction questionnaire showed that patients, nurses, and physicians agreed that the system was effective in providing clinical decisions to help patients, nurses, and physicians., Conclusions: This study shows that the support vector regression machine model developed using machine learning methods can accurately predict the length of hospitalization of patients with TBI, and the developed prediction system has strong clinical use., (© Huan Zhou, Cheng Fang, Yifeng Pan. Originally published in JMIR Human Factors (https://humanfactors.jmir.org).)

Background: Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) represents a prevalent medical condition, posing substantial challenges in postoperative management due to risks of recurrence. Such recurrences not only cause physical suffering to the patient but also add to the financial burden on the family and the health care system. Currently, prognosis determination largely depends on clinician expertise, revealing a dearth of precise prediction models in clinical settings., Objective: This study aims to use machine learning (ML) techniques for the construction of predictive models to assess the likelihood of CSDH recurrence after surgery, which leads to greater benefits for patients and the health care system., Methods: Data from 133 patients were amassed and partitioned into a training set (n=93) and a test set (n=40). Radiomics features were extracted from preoperative cranial computed tomography scans using 3D Slicer software. These features, in conjunction with clinical data and composite clinical-radiomics features, served as input variables for model development. Four distinct ML algorithms were used to build predictive models, and their performance was rigorously evaluated via accuracy, area under the curve (AUC), and recall metrics. The optimal model was identified, followed by recursive feature elimination for feature selection, leading to enhanced predictive efficacy. External validation was conducted using data sets from additional health care facilities., Results: Following rigorous experimental analysis, the support vector machine model, predicated on clinical-radiomics features, emerged as the most efficacious for predicting postoperative recurrence in patients with CSDH. Subsequent to feature selection, key variables exerting significant impact on the model were incorporated as the input set, thereby augmenting its predictive accuracy. The model demonstrated robust performance, with metrics including accuracy of 92.72%, AUC of 91.34%, and recall of 93.16%. External validation further substantiated its effectiveness, yielding an accuracy of 90.32%, AUC of 91.32%, and recall of 88.37%, affirming its clinical applicability., Conclusions: This study substantiates the feasibility and clinical relevance of an ML-based predictive model, using clinical-radiomics features, for relatively accurate prognostication of postoperative recurrence in patients with CSDH. If the model is integrated into clinical practice, it will be of great significance in enhancing the quality and efficiency of clinical decision-making processes, which can improve the accuracy of diagnosis and treatment, reduce unnecessary tests and surgeries, and reduce the waste of medical resources., (©Cheng Fang, Xiao Ji, Yifeng Pan, Guanchao Xie, Hongsheng Zhang, Sai Li, Jinghai Wan. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 28.08.2024.)

The increasing utilization of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) in many consumer products is of concern due to their eventual release into the natural environment and induction of potentially adverse impacts. The behaviour and environmental impacts of ZnO-NPs could be altered through their interactions with environmentally coexisting substances. This study investigated the changes in the behaviour of ZnO-NPs in the presence of coexisting organic pollutants (such as perfluorooctanoic acid [PFOA]), natural organic substances (i.e., humic acid [HA]), and electrolytes (i.e., NaCl and CaCl 2 ) in simulated waters. The size, shape, purity, crystallinity, and surface charge of the ZnO-NPs in simulated water after different interaction intervals (such as 1 day, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks) at a controlled pH of 7 were examined using various characterization techniques. The results indicated alterations in the size (such as 162.4 nm, 1 day interaction to >10 µm, 3 weeks interaction) and zeta potential (such as -47.2 mV, 1 day interaction to -0.2 mV, 3 weeks interaction) of the ZnO-NPs alone and when PFOA, electrolytes, and HA were present in the suspension. Different influences on the size and surface charge of the nanoparticles were observed for fixed concentrations (5 mM) of the different electrolytes. The presence of HA-dispersed ZnO-NPs affected the zeta potential. Such dispersal effects were also observed in the presence of both PFOA and salts due to their large aliphatic carbon content and complex structure. Cation bridging effects, hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions, and van der Waals forces could be potential interaction forces responsible for the adsorption of PFOA. The presence of organic pollutants (PFOA) and natural organic substances (HA) can transform the surface characteristics and fate of ZnO-NPs in natural and sea waters.

Light is a key environmental factor regulating reproduction in avians. However, the mechanism of light intensity regulating ovarian development is still unclear. In this study, 5-week-old (5 wk) partridge broiler breeders were randomly divided into a low-light-intensity group (LL group) and a natural-light-intensity group (NL group) ( n = 100). In the rearing period (5 wk to 22 wk), the light intensity of the LL group and NL group were 0.41 ± 0.05 lux and 45.39 ± 1.09 lux, and in the laying period (23 wk to 32 wk) they were 23.92 ± 0.06 lux and 66.93 ± 0.76 lux, respectively. Samples were collected on 22 wk and 32 wk. The results showed that the LL group had a later age at first egg and a longer laying period than the NL group. Serum P4 and LH levels in the LL group were higher than in the NL group on 22 wk ( p < 0.05). On 32 wk, P4, E2, LH and FSH levels in the LL group were lower than in the NL group ( p < 0.05). Ovarian transcriptomics and metabolomics identified 128 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 467 differential metabolites (DMs) on 22 wk; 155 DEGs and 531 DMs on 32 wk between two groups. An enrichment analysis of these DEGs and DMs identified key signaling pathways, including steroid hormone biosynthesis, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction. In these pathways, genes such as CYP21A1 , SSTR2 , and NPY may regulate the synthesis of metabolites, including tryptamine, triglycerides, and phenylalanine. These genes and metabolites may play a dominant role in the light-intensity regulation of ovarian development and laying performance in broiler breeders.

It is of great significance to explore the regional differences of land use carbon emission （LUCE） in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the path of coordinated emission reduction for regional sustainable development. Based on the LUCE estimation method, this study scientifically calculated the LUCE of the three major urban agglomerations of the Yangtze River Economic Belt （Yangtze River Delta, middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration） from 2010 to 2020. Kernel density estimation and the spatial convergence model were used to study the dynamic evolution, regional differences, and convergence characteristics of LUCE. The results showed that： ① The carbon absorption of forest land, water areas, grassland, and unused land were relatively small in terms of carbon emissions from cultivated land and construction land. The carbon emission of construction land increased gradually, whereas the carbon absorption of four carbon sinks fluctuated little during the study period. ② The core density curves of different urban agglomerations showed different distribution patterns, extensibility, and polarization characteristics but generally tended to be balanced. ③ From 2010 to 2020, the LUCE of the Yangtze River Economic Belt as a whole showed the spatio-temporal characteristics of increasing first and then decreasing and high in the east and low in the west. The LUCE of the central cities of the three urban agglomerations were at the highest level steadily, and stable coupling mechanisms had not been established between the economic development level and the ecological environment. ④ The LUCE of the three urban agglomerations in the Yangtze River Economic Belt all had absolute β convergence and also had conditional β convergence under the model control variables such as economic development level, urbanization level, industrial structure, population density, and environmental regulation, etc., and the conditional convergence speed was greater than the absolute convergence speed in each region. The convergence speed of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration was the slowest. The above conclusions provide support for the coordinated emission reduction path of the three urban agglomerations in the Yangtze River Economic Belt and are also conducive to actively and steadily promoting the realization of the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutralization.

Clarifying the regional transmission and local generation contributions of ozone （O 3 ） is important for controlling O 3 pollution. To quantify the regional background and spatial-temporal variations of O 3 , a comprehensive study was conducted using multiple methods including principal component analysis （PCA） and TCEQ, with Henan Province as a case study. Based on monitoring data from 59 national sites in Henan Province during 2019-2021, four methods were employed to estimate the regional background of O 3 . Method 1 was the traditional method, performing O 3 univariate-multisite PCA analysis. Method 2 was a multivariate-single-site PCA analysis considering nitrogen dioxide and meteorological conditions as constraints. Method 3 combined PCA and multiple linear regression （MLR） to determine regional background contributions, drawing on the idea of source apportionment. Method 4 was the TCEQ method that used the lowest measured O 3 -8h concentration as the regional background. The estimation results showed that Methods 1 and 2 were basically equal, and Methods 3 and 4 were approximately 37-60 μg·m -3 lower than Method 1. From 2019 to 2021, the changes in regional background ρ （O 3 -8h） estimated by Methods 1-4 were 1.6, -13.4, 5.9, and -3.5 μg·m -3 , respectively. The average estimations derived from multiple methods showed that the regional background ρ （O 3 -8h） in Henan Province from 2019 to 2021 concentrations were 82.0, 79.0, and 79.7 μg·m -3 , accounting for 75.9%, 76.4%, and 78.7% of the total regional O 3 -8h, respectively. The regional background O 3 -8h estimated by the four methods showed obvious seasonal changes, characterized by summer &gt; spring &gt; fall &gt; winter.

Understanding the Li-ions conduction network and transport dynamics in polymer electrolyte is crucial for developing reliable all-solid-state batteries. In this work, advanced nano- X-ray computed tomography combined with Raman spectroscopy and solid state nuclear magnetic resonance are used to multi-scale qualitatively and quantitatively reveal ion conduction network of poly(ethylene) oxide (PEO)-based electrolyte (from atomic, nano to macroscopic level). With the clear mapping of the microstructural heterogeneities of the polymer segments, aluminium-oxo molecular clusters (AlOC) are used to reconstruct a high-efficient conducting network with high available Li-ions (76.7%) and continuous amorphous domains via the strong supramolecular interactions. Such superionic PEO conductor (PEO-LiTFSI-AlOC) exhibites a molten-like Li-ion conduction behaviour among the whole temperature range and delivers an ionic conductivity of 1.87 × 10 -4 S cm -1 at 35 °Ϲ. This further endows Li electrochemical plating/stripping stability under 50 μA cm -2 and 50 μAh cm -2 over 2000 h. The as-built Li|PEO-LiTFSI-AlOC|LiFePO 4 full batteries show a high rate performance and a capacity retention more than 90% over 200 cycling at 250 μA cm -2 , even enabling a high-loading LiFePO 4 cathode of 16.8 mg cm -2 with a specific capacity of 150 mAh g -1 at 50 °Ϲ., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

For a plastic syringe, a stopper at the end of plunger is usually made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS, and co-ingredients). To reduce friction and prevent leakage between the stopper and barrel, short chain polymer of liquid PDMS is also used as lubricant. Consequently, an injection process can release solid PDMS debris from the stopper and barrel, and liquid PDMS droplets from the lubricant, both of which are confirmed herein as solid and liquid micro(nano)plastics. From molecular spectrum perspective to directly visualise those micro(nano)plastics, Raman imaging was employed to analyse hundreds-to-thousands of spectra (hyper spectrum or hyperspectral matrix) and significantly enhance signal-to-noise ratio. From morphology perspective to provide high resolution of image, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was engaged to cross-check with Raman images and increase assignment / quantification certainty. The weak Raman imaging signal of nanoplastics was extracted using image deconvolution algorithm to remove the background noise and average the signal variation. To increase the result's representativeness and avoid quantification bias, multiple syringes were tested and multiple areas were randomly scanned toward statistical results. It was estimated that thousands of microplastics and millions of nanoplastics of solid/liquid PDMS might be injected when using a plastic syringe of 1 mL. Overall, Raman imaging (along with algorithm and SEM) can be helpful for further research on micro(nano)plastics, and it should be cautious to use plastic syringe due to the increasing concern on the emerging contamination of not only solid but also liquid micro(nano)plastics., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Unilateral moyamoya disease (MMD) represents a distinct subtype characterised by occlusive changes in the circle of Willis and abnormal vascular network formation. However, the aetiology and pathogenesis of unilateral MMD remain unclear. In this study, genetic screening of a family with unilateral MMD using whole-genome sequencing helped identify the c.1205 C > A variant of FOXM1, which encodes the transcription factor FOXM1 and plays a crucial role in angiogenesis and cell proliferation, as a susceptibility gene mutation. We demonstrated that this mutation significantly attenuated the proangiogenic effects of FOXM1 in human brain endothelial cells, leading to reduced proliferation, migration, and tube formation. Furthermore, FOXM1 c.1205 C > A results in increased apoptosis of human brain endothelial cells, mediated by the downregulation of the transcription of the apoptosis-inhibiting protein BCL2. These results suggest a potential role for the FOXM1 c.1205 C > A mutation in the pathogenesis of unilateral MMD and may contribute to the understanding and treatment of this condition., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Plasma circulating P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) levels and its clinical correlation in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) are unknown. The study determined plasma PSGL-1 levels in EOC patients and investigated its relationship with clinicopathological factors and prognosis. Plasma PSGL-1 levels were measured using ELISA in 69 patients with EOC, 34 patients with benign ovarian cystadenoma, and 36 healthy controls. Subsequently, the relationship between PSGL-1 levels and clinicopathological characteristics of patients, as well as the prognosis of EOC patients, was examined. Additionally, the specificity and sensitivity of plasma PSGL-1 were assessed through ROC curve analysis. Plasma PSGL-1 was upregulated in EOC patients compared with healthy subjects and/or patients with benign ovarian cystadenoma (p < 0.01). Elevated levels of PSGL-1 in the plasma were positively associated with advanced FIGO stage (p < 0.001), tumor size (p = 0.001), tumor metastasis (p = 0.036), and tumor recurrence (p = 0.013), while was negatively correlated with residual tumor size (p < 0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that high plasma PSGL-1 levels were associated with progression-free survival (p = 0.0345). In univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, PSGL-1 (HR = 1.456, p = 0.009) was an independent prognostic marker. Plasma PSGL-1 levels distinguished EOC patients and healthy individuals (AUC = 0.905), patients at late and early FIGO stages (AUC = 0.886), and metastatic and non-metastatic EOC (AUC = 0.722). The expression of plasma PSGL-1 is significantly increased in patients with EOC, serving as a reliable biomarker to differentiate between healthy individuals and those with EOC. Furthermore, PSGL-1 in patients is correlated with prognostic indicators, such as advanced FIGO stage, tumor lymph node metastasis, and progression-free survival., (© 2024 The Authors. Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.)

Aronia melanocarpa , a plant rich in anthocyanins, has been studied for its potential to regulate blood sugar and blood lipids, although the specific mechanism is not yet understood. This research aims to identify the differential bacterial flora and elucidate the mechanism by which it improves glucose and lipid metabolism disorders through 16S rDNA gene sequencing. The study reveals the protective effect of Aronia melanocarpa extract (AME) on liver damage in type 2 diabetic rats. Experimental results demonstrate that AME can effectively modulate the abundance of intestinal flora, reduce colon tissue damage, enhance the weight of diabetic rats, and lower levels of fasting blood sugar, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglycerides (TG). Additionally, liver morphology analysis shows that AME can effectively mitigate liver tissue structural damage in type 2 diabetic rats. In conclusion, AME regulates glucose and lipid metabolism by influencing intestinal flora, ultimately regulating glucose and lipid metabolism in type 2 diabetic rats., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). Food Science & Nutrition published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objectives: This study aimed to elucidate the influences of 1p/19q co-deletion on structural connectivity alterations in patients with dominant hemisphere insular diffuse gliomas., Methods: We incorporated 32 cases of left insular gliomas and 20 healthy controls for this study. Using diffusion MRI, we applied correlational tractography, differential tractography, and graph theoretical analysis to explore the potential connectivity associated with 1p/19q co-deletion., Results: The study revealed that the quantitative anisotropy (QA) of key deep medial fiber tracts, including the anterior thalamic radiation, superior thalamic radiation, fornix, and cingulum, had significant negative associations with 1p/19q co-deletion (FDR = 4.72 × 10 -5 ). These tracts are crucial in maintaining the integrity of brain networks. Differential analysis further supported these findings (FWER-corrected p < 0.05). The 1p/19q non-co-deletion group exhibited significantly higher clustering coefficients (FDR-corrected p < 0.05) and reduced betweenness centrality (FDR-corrected p < 0.05) in regions around the tumor compared to HC group. Graph theoretical analysis indicated that non-co-deletion patients had increased local clustering and decreased betweenness centrality in peritumoral brain regions compared to co-deletion patients and healthy controls (FDR-corrected p < 0.05). Additionally, despite not being significant through correction, patients with 1p/19q co-deletion exhibited lower trends in weighted average clustering coefficient, transitivity, small worldness, and global efficiency, while showing higher tendencies in weighted path length compared to patients without the co-deletion., Conclusion: The findings of this study underline the significant role of 1p/19q co-deletion in altering structural connectivity in insular glioma patients. These alterations in brain networks could have profound implications for the neural functionality in patients with dominant hemisphere insular gliomas., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Yang, Xue, Song, Yin, Yeh, Li, Deng, Sun, Hou and Xie.)

Sealing wet porous membranes is a major challenge when fabricating cell encapsulation devices. Herein, we report the development of an A utoclavable T ransparent T hermal C utter (ATTC) for reliably sealing wet nanofibrous membranes. Notably, the ATTC is autoclavable and transparent, thus enabling in situ visualization of the sealing process in a sterile environment and ensuring an appropriate seal. In addition, the ATTC could generate smooth, arbitrary-shaped sealing ends with excellent mechanical properties when sealing PA6, PVDF, and TPU nanofibrous tubes and PP microporous membranes. Importantly, the ATTC could reliably seal wet nanofibrous tubes, which can shoulder a burst pressure up to 313.2 ± 19.3 kPa without bursting at the sealing ends. Furthermore, the ATTC sealing process is highly compatible with the fabrication of cell encapsulation devices, as verified by viability, proliferation, cell escape, and cell function tests. We believe that the ATTC could be used to reliably seal cell encapsulation devices with minimal side effects.

The spatial-temporal distribution pattern of surface O 3 over the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau （QXP） was analyzed based on air quality monitoring data and meteorological data from 12 cities on the QXP from 2015 to 2021. Kolmogorov-Zurbenko （KZ） filtering was employed to separate the original O 3 -8h series into components at different time scales. Then, multiple linear regression of meteorological variables was used to quantitatively isolate the effects of meteorology and emissions. The results revealed that the annual mass concentrations of surface O 3 -8h from 2015 to 2021 in 12 cities over the QXP ranged from 78.7 to 156.7 μg·m -3 , and the exceedance rates of O 3 mass concentrations （National Air Quality Standard of grade II） ranged from 0.7%-1.5%. The monthly O 3 -8h mass concentration displayed a single-peak inverted "V"-shape and a multi-peak "M"-shape. The maximum monthly concentration of O 3 occurred in April to July, and valleys occurred in July, September, and December. The short-term, seasonal, and long-term components of O 3 -8hdecomposed by KZ filtering contributed 29.6%, 51.4%, and 9.1% to the total variance in the original O 3 sequence in 12 cities, respectively. From the whole region, the meteorological conditions were unfavorable for O 3 reduction on the QXP from 2015 to 2017, which made the long-term component of O 3 increase by 0.2-2.1 μg·m -3 . The meteorological conditions were favorable for O 3 -8h reduction from 2018 to 2021, which led to the long-term component of O 3 -8h decrease by 0.4-1.1 μg·m -3 . The meteorological conditions increased the long-term component of O 3 -8h in Ngari, Lhasa, Naqu, Nyingchi, Qamdo, Haixi, and Xining, with an average contribution of 30.1%. The meteorological conditions decreased the long-term component of O 3 -8h in Shigatse and Golog, with contributions of 359.0% and 56.5%, respectively. The increase in the long-term component of O 3 -8h in Ngari, Shigatse, Nagqu, Haixi, and Xining could be due to the rapid decrease in the long-term component of PM 2.5 （4.04 μg·（m 3 ·a） -1 ）.

The ubiquitousness of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a big concern and PFAS remediation is urgently needed such as via degradation. While previous studies have explored ultrasonic degradation of PFAS, work evaluating the operational parameters is rare, especially concerning real wastes such as aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) and foam fractionate (FF). This study investigates the key operational parameters affecting the degradation efficiency of PFAS, encompassing ultrasonication frequency (580-1144 kHz), power intensity (125-187.5 W), initial concentration (0.08-40 ppm), treatment duration (0.5-3 h), sample volume (100-500 mL), and PFAS structure (perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA; perfluorooctane sulfonate or PFOS; 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate or 6:2 FTS). The defluorination kinetics is different from the removal/degradation kinetics due to the generation of degradation intermediates, suggesting the complex degradation mechanism, which should be evaluated to close the mass balance effectively. Notably, the optimised ultrasonic system achieves ∼125%/∼115% defluorination in AFFF/FF example wastes (compared to ∼65%/∼97% removal) despite their complex composition and the involvement of total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay. In the meantime, a few new PFAS are detected in the post-treatments, including perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) and 10:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (10:2 FTS) in the AFFF, and perfluorooctane sulfonamide (FOSA) and 8:2 fluorotelomer sulfonate (8:2 FTS) in the FF, again suggesting the complex degradation mechanism. Overall, ultrasonication is effective to degrade PFAS real example wastes, advancing its potential for scale-up applications., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The anemia of inflammation (AI) is characterized by the presence of inflammation and abnormal elevation of hepcidin. Accumulating evidence has proved that Rocaglamide (RocA) was involved in inflammation regulation. Nevertheless, the role of RocA in AI, especially in iron metabolism, has not been investigated, and its underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we demonstrated that RocA dramatically suppressed the elevation of hepcidin and ferritin in LPS-treated mice cell line RAW264.7 and peritoneal macrophages. In vivo study showed that RocA can restrain the depletion of serum iron (SI) and transferrin (Tf) saturation caused by LPS. Further investigation showed that RocA suppressed the upregulation of hepcidin mRNA and downregulation of Fpn1 protein expression in the spleen and liver of LPS-treated mice. Mechanistically, this effect was attributed to RocA's ability to inhibit the IL-6/STAT3 pathway, resulting in the suppression of hepcidin mRNA and subsequent increase in Fpn1 and TfR1 expression in LPS-treated macrophages. Moreover, RocA inhibited the elevation of the cellular labile iron pool (LIP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by LPS in RAW264.7 cells. These findings reveal a pivotal mechanism underlying the roles of RocA in modulating iron homeostasis and also provide a candidate natural product on alleviating AI., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Neuroimaging studies have consistently demonstrated concurrent activation of the human precuneus and temporal pole (TP), both during resting-state conditions and various higher-order cognitive functions. However, the precise underlying structural connectivity between these brain regions remains uncertain despite significant advancements in neuroscience research. In this study, we investigated the connectivity of the precuneus and TP by employing parcellation-based fiber micro-dissections in human brains and fiber tractography techniques in a sample of 1065 human subjects and a sample of 41 rhesus macaques. Our results demonstrate the connectivity between the posterior precuneus area POS2 and the areas 35, 36, and TG of the TP via the fifth subcomponent of the cingulum (CB-V) also known as parahippocampal cingulum. This finding contributes to our understanding of the connections within the posteromedial cortices, facilitating a more comprehensive integration of anatomy and function in both normal and pathological brain processes. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Our investigation delves into the intricate architecture and connectivity patterns of subregions within the precuneus and temporal pole, filling a crucial gap in our knowledge. We revealed a direct axonal connection between the posterior precuneus (POS2) and specific areas (35, 35, and TG) of the temporal pole. The direct connections are part of the CB-V pathway and exhibit a significant association with the cingulum, SRF, forceps major, and ILF. Population-based human tractography and rhesus macaque fiber tractography showed consistent results that support micro-dissection outcomes., (© 2024 The Author(s). Human Brain Mapping published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Human cortical development follows a sensorimotor-to-association sequence during childhood and adolescence 1-6 . The brain's capacity to enact this sequence over decades indicates that it relies on intrinsic mechanisms to regulate inter-regional differences in the timing of cortical maturation, yet regulators of human developmental chronology are not well understood. Given evidence from animal models that thalamic axons modulate windows of cortical plasticity 7-12 , here we evaluate the overarching hypothesis that structural connections between the thalamus and cortex help to coordinate cortical maturational heterochronicity during youth. We first introduce, cortically annotate, and anatomically validate a new atlas of human thalamocortical connections using diffusion tractography. By applying this atlas to three independent youth datasets (ages 8-23 years; total N = 2,676), we reproducibly demonstrate that thalamocortical connections develop along a maturational gradient that aligns with the cortex's sensorimotor-association axis. Associative cortical regions with thalamic connections that take longest to mature exhibit protracted expression of neurochemical, structural, and functional markers indicative of higher circuit plasticity as well as heightened environmental sensitivity. This work highlights a central role for the thalamus in the orchestration of hierarchically organized and environmentally sensitive windows of cortical developmental malleability., Competing Interests: Competing Interests The authors declare no competing interests.

Objective: Chronological age (CAge), biological age (BAge), and accelerated age (AAge) are all important for aging-related diseases. CAge is a known risk factor for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH); However, the evidence of association of BAge and AAge with BPH is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the association of CAge, Bage, and AAge with BPH in a large prospective cohort., Method: A total of 135,933 males without BPH at enrolment were extracted from the UK biobank. We calculated three BAge measures (Klemera-Doubal method, KDM; PhenoAge; homeostatic dysregulation, HD) based on 16 biomarkers. Additionally, we calculated KDM-BAge and PhenoAge-BAge measures based on the Levine method. The KDM-AAge and PhenoAge-AAge were assessed by the difference between CAge and BAge and were standardized (mean = 0 and standard deviation [SD] = 1). Cox proportional hazard models were applied to assess the associations of CAge, Bage, and AAge with incident BPH risk., Results: During a median follow-up of 13.150 years, 11,811 (8.690%) incident BPH were identified. Advanced CAge and BAge measures were associated with an increased risk of BPH, showing threshold effects at a later age (all P for nonlinearity <0.001). Nonlinear relationships between AAge measures and risk of BPH were also found for KDM-AAge ( P  = 0.041) and PhenoAge-AAge ( P  = 0.020). Compared to the balance comparison group (-1 SD < AAge < 1 SD), the accelerated aging group (AAge > 2 SD) had a significantly elevated BPH risk with hazard ratio (HR) of 1.115 (95% CI, 1.000-1.223) for KDM-AAge and 1.180 (95% CI, 1.068-1.303) for PhenoAge-AAge, respectively. For PhenoAge-AAge, subgroup analysis of the accelerated aging group showed an increased HR of 1.904 (95% CI, 1.374-2.639) in males with CAge <50 years and 1.233 (95% CI, 1.088-1.397) in those having testosterone levels <12 nmol/L. Moreover, AAge-associated risk of BPH was independent of and additive to genetic risk., Conclusions: Biological aging is an independent and modifiable risk factor for BPH. We suggest performing active health interventions to slow biological aging, which will help mitigate the progression of prostate aging and further reduce the burden of BPH., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Author(s). Aging Medicine published by Beijing Hospital and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Introduction: Metabolic inflammation (metaflammation) in obesity is primarily initiated by proinflammatory macrophage infiltration into adipose tissue. SelenoM contributes to the modulation of antioxidative stress and inflammation in multiple pathological processes; however, its roles in metaflammation and the proinflammatory macrophage (M1)-like state in adipose tissue have not been determined., Objectives: We hypothesize that SelenoM could effectively regulate metaflammation via the Hippo-YAP/TAZ-ROS signaling axis in obesity derived from a high-fat diet., Methods: Morphological changes in adipose tissue were examined by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining and fluorescence microscopy. The glucose tolerance test (GTT) and insulin tolerance test (ITT) were used to evaluate the impact of SelenoM deficiency on blood glucose levels. RNA-Seq analysis, LC-MS analysis, Mass spectrometry analysis and western blotting were performed to detect the levels of genes and proteins related to glycolipid metabolism in adipose tissue., Results: Herein, we evaluated the inflammatory features and metabolic microenvironment of mice with SelenoM-deficient adipose tissues by multi-omics analyses. The deletion of SelenoM resulted in glycolipid metabolic disturbances and insulin resistance, thereby accelerating weight gain, adiposity, and hyperglycemia. Mice lacking SelenoM in white adipocytes developed severe adipocyte hypertrophy via impaired lipolysis. SelenoM deficiency aggravated the generation of ROS by reducing equivalents (NADPH and glutathione) in adipocytes, thereby promoting inflammatory cytokine production and the M1-proinflammatory reaction, which was related to a change in nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) levels in macrophages. Mechanistically, SelenoM deficiency promoted metaflammation via Hippo-YAP/TAZ-ROS-mediated transcriptional regulation by targeting large tumor suppressor 2 (LATS2). Moreover, supplementation with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) to reduce excessive oxidative stress partially rescued adipocyte inflammatory responses and macrophage M1 activation., Conclusion: Our data indicate that SelenoM ameliorates metaflammation mainly via the Hippo-YAP/TAZ-ROS signaling axis in obesity. The identification of SelenoM as a key regulator of metaflammation presents opportunities for the development of novel therapeutic interventions targeting adipose tissue dysfunction in obesity., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.)

Poultry managers can better understand the state of poultry through poultry behavior analysis. As one of the key steps in behavior analysis, the accurate estimation of poultry posture is the focus of this research. This study mainly analyzes a top-down pose estimation method of multiple chickens. Therefore, we propose the "multi-chicken pose" (MCP), a pose estimation system for multiple chickens through deep learning. Firstly, we find the position of each chicken from the image via the chicken detector; then, an estimate of the pose of each chicken is made using a pose estimation network, which is based on transfer learning. On this basis, the pixel error (PE), root mean square error (RMSE), and image quantity distribution of key points are analyzed according to the improved chicken keypoint similarity (CKS). The experimental results show that the algorithm scores in different evaluation metrics are a mean average precision (mAP) of 0.652, a mean average recall (mAR) of 0.742, a percentage of correct keypoints (PCKs) of 0.789, and an RMSE of 17.30 pixels. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that transfer learning has been used for the pose estimation of multiple chickens as objects. The method can provide a new path for future poultry behavior analysis.