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Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are typically synthesized in organic solvents, leading to poor compatibility with water, weak affinity and selectivity for target molecules in aqueous media. To address these challenges, a green and sustainable synthesis of sandwich bread-like ATP@MIP was conducted using polyethylenimide (PEI) and deep eutectic solvent (DES) as hydrophilic bi-functional monomers via layer-by-layer self-assembly on the attapulgite (ATP) carrier. The new ATP@MIP can provide a higher density of imprinting sites with more orderly and uniform distribution due to inhibiting the competitive polymerization between PEI and DES, thereby significantly enhancing recognition ability. Moreover, the ATP@MIP was synthesized in water, aligning with green chemistry principles and establishing a sustainable preparation method for MIP materials. Equipped with the remarkable merits of good water compatibility, excellent selectivity (IF=3.6), high adsorption capacity (77.6 mg g -1 ) and desirable repeatability (8 times), the as-prepared materials were used as a solid phase extraction adsorbent for efficient separation and enrichment of baicalin from Scutellariae Radix. More importantly, the recognizing performance of ATP@MIP for baicalin increased 1.40-1.69 times than other MIP materials, and its excellent specificity was demonstrated in comparison with several common commercial adsorbents (C18, HLB, MCX and SAX). Therefore, this work introduces a feasible and green strategy to synthesize water-compatible MIP materials for highly selective enrichment and separation of active components from natural products., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have declared that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Residual feed intake (RFI) is a key indicator of feed efficiency, critical for enhancing the economic sustainability of poultry production. However, the genetic and metabolic regulatory mechanisms of RFI remain unclear. This study analyzed the genome, liver transcriptome, metabolome, and lipidome of hens with low and high feed efficiency (N = 60) from the previously established RFI divergent broiler lines (F15). Our results revealed pronounced genetic differentiation between low RFI (LRFI) and high RFI (HRFI) lines and identified genomic signatures of selection associated with feed efficiency. Transcriptomic analysis showed differential expression of genes involved in neural regulation and lipid metabolism. Notably, LRFI chickens exhibited reduced hepatic lipid accumulation, which was associated with decreased fatty acid metabolism and increased cholesterol metabolism (P < 0.05). The lipidomic analysis uncovered distinct profiles of glycerophospholipids (e.g., PE-P and PC-O) and sphingolipids (e.g., ceramides), which were more abundant in LRFI chickens (P < 0.05) and strongly correlated with key lipid metabolism processes (P < 0.05). Despite improved feed efficiency, LRFI chickens demonstrated signs of increased oxidative stress. Moreover, integrative analyses revealed that genes such as MGAT5, GABRA4, and LRRC4C, exhibiting strong selection signatures and higher expression in the LRFI line (P < 0.05), were identified as key regulators of lipid metabolism, potentially contributing to the observed differences in feed efficiency. This comprehensive study highlights the synergistic effect of genetics and lipid metabolism in driving feed utilization efficiency in chickens, establishing a scientific foundation for breeding strategies aimed at improving feed efficiency in poultry production., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: APG-115 is a novel small-molecule selective inhibitor that destabilizes the p53-MDM2 complex and activates p53-mediated apoptosis in tumor cells. Anlotinib inhibits tumor angiogenesis and promotes apoptosis. In this study, we investigated the apoptotic effect and potential mechanism of APG-115 and anlotinib combination on AML cell lines with different p53 backgrounds., Material and Methods: The IC50 values ​of APG-115 and anlotinib were detected by CCK-8 assay. The apoptosis rate of AML cells was evaluated by Annexin-V and PI double staining. Transcriptome sequencing was performed on the MOLM16 cell line treated with APG-115 and anlotinib, and differential analysis and enrichment analysis were performed. Real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot were used to detect the changes in cell cycle and pathway-related genes and proteins in AML cell lines after drug treatment. In vivo experiments, the anti-leukemia effects of APG-115 and anlotinib on AML xenograft mouse models were evaluated., Results: APG-115 and anlotinib could independently promote AML cell apoptosis, and the combination of the two drugs could produce a synergistic effect. Transcriptome sequencing showed that compared with the APG-115 monotherapy group, the differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in the MDM2-p53 and PI3K/AKT pathways. In vivo experiments showed that compared with AML xenograft mice treated with either drug alone, AML progression was slowed in AML xenograft mice treated with APG-115 and anlotinib., Conclusion: In vivo and in vitro experimental have shown that APG-115 combined with anlotinib can promote AML cells apoptosis and inhibit the progression of disease is independent of the p53 status., 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 Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Multiple sclerosis (MS), the leading cause of disability in young adults, is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system characterized by localized areas of demyelination. Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) is a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase that has been shown to be implicated in the pathogenesis of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a mouse model of MS. Interestingly, ASK1 signaling regulates glial cell interactions and drives neuroinflammation in EAE mice. To further investigate its clinical significance, in the present study, we examined the activation of ASK1 in the post-mortem brain of MS patients. ASK1 activation was found in active lesions of the corpus callosum in both microglia/macrophages and astrocytes. Moreover, ASK1 activation in astrocytes was higher than that in microglia/macrophages, which was in line with our findings in EAE mice. Our results suggest an important role of ASK1 in glial cells, indicating that ASK1 might be a good therapeutic target for MS., (© 2024 Japanese Society of Neuropathology.)

The demand for flexible composite films with electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding capabilities is rapidly increasing. Balancing high EMI performance with flexibility and portability has become a critical research focus in practical applications. In this study, an optimized strategy for aramid nanofibers (ANF) films was developed using spin-coating and sol-gel techniques. The resulting film features a smooth surface and excellent mechanical properties. ANF, initially an insulator, was transformed into a conductor through the in-situ polymerization of ion-doped polypyrrole (PPy). Leveraging a multilayer structural strategy, we prepared a symmetric composite film, ANF@PPy-(TA-MXene)-AgNWs-(TA-MXene)-ANF@PPy (PMA), using vacuum-assisted filtration and lamination hot pressing. This film, composed of ANF@PPy (PA) as the matrix, tannic acid (TA) modified MXene, and silver nanowires (AgNWs) as fillers, exhibited multiple shielding mechanisms as electromagnetic wave (EMW) passed through its various layers. This multilayer configuration provides significant flexibility in EMW shielding. Moreover, TA-modified MXene expands the lamellar spacing, enhancing the scattering efficiency of EMWs within the film, and serves as a medium connecting the upper and lower layers. This results in the efficient integration of the multilayer structure, synergistically improving both EMI shielding performance and mechanical properties. When the ratio of PA/MXene/AgNWs was 1:3:1, the film demonstrated optimal properties, including an EMI shielding effectiveness of 70.2 dB, thermal conductivity of 4.62 W/(m•K), and tensile strength of 50.2 MPa. Due to the exceptional EMI shielding and thermal properties of the PMA composite film, it holds great potential for applications in artificial intelligence, wearable heaters, and military equipment., 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 Inc.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The seeds of Hovenia acerba water extract (HAW) are used as an edible traditional Chinese medicine to treat diseases related to hyperuricemia (HUA)., Aim of the Study: To evaluate HAW for its anti-HUA effect and to figure out their underlying mechanisms., Materials and Methods: The anti-HUA effects were evaluated on a mouse model by testing HAW's effects on the levels of serum uric acid (SUA), the biochemical indicators of liver and kidney function, and the histology of liver and kidney. Body weight and organ coefficients were determined for safety evaluation. RT-qPCR, Western blot and transcriptomic analysis was applied to investigate key mRNAs, proteins and signaling pathways., Results: HAW significantly reduced the serum levels of UA, ALT, AST, and xanthine oxidase (XOD) and histologically alleviated the liver damage in HUA mice with no negative effect on body weight and organ coefficients. HAW markedly inhibited hepatic XOD activity and protein expression, significantly down-regulated mRNA and protein expressions of urate transporter 1 (URAT1) and glucose transporter 9 (GLUT9), and up-regulated those of ATP transporter G2 (ABCG2) and renal organic anion transporter 1 (OAT1). RNA-seq analysis showed that 248 HUA-induced differential expression genes (DEGs) were reversed by HAW in the kidney. qRT-PCR analysis showed that regulation of the expressions of HUA-related inflammatory genes were involved., Conclusion: HAW possessed remarkable anti-HUA effect. The mechanism involved XOD inhibition to reduce uric acid production, up-regulation of ABCG2 and OAT1 to increase uric acid excretion, and down-regulation of GLUT9 and URAT1 to inhibit uric acid reabsorption, and regulation of HUA-related inflammatory genes., 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 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Objective: Vitamin D insufficiency is a major contributor to osteoporosis. This study aimed to elucidate the mechanisms by which the vitamin D-Sirt1/PGC1α axis regulates bone metabolism and counteracts osteoporosis induced by active vitamin D insufficiency., Methods: Mouse models including Sirt1 transgenic (Sirt1 Tg ), Cyp27b1 +/- (active vitamin D deficient), and compound Sirt1 Tg Cyp27b1 +/- mice were utilized. Bone parameters were assessed by radiography, micro-CT, histology, and immunohistochemistry. In vitro studies used bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs). Gene and protein expression were analyzed by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase assays investigated transcriptional regulation. Effects of resveratrol supplementation were examined., Results: 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH) 2 D) insufficiency caused downregulation of Sirt1 expression, leading to accelerated bone loss. Overexpression of Sirt1 in mesenchymal stem cells corrected bone loss by inhibiting oxidative stress, DNA damage, osteocyte senescence and senescence-associated secretory phenotype, promoting osteoblastic bone formation, and reducing osteoclastic bone resorption. 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 transcriptionally upregulated Sirt1 expression in BM-MSCs through vitamin D receptor binding to the Sirt1 gene promoter. Resveratrol, a Sirt1 agonist, attenuated osteoporosis induced by 1,25(OH) 2 D insufficiency by modulating the Sirt1/PGC1α axis. Sirt1 interacted with and deacetylated PGC1α, a transcriptional coactivator involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and energy metabolism. Deacetylated PGC1α mediated the effects of Sirt1 on osteogenesis, oxidative stress, and cellular senescence in BM-MSCs., Conclusion: This study elucidated the critical role of the vitamin D-Sirt1/PGC1α axis in regulating bone metabolism and counteracting osteoporosis induced by active vitamin D insufficiency. The findings highlight the potential of this axis as a therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Authors.)

A molecular-imprinted polymer (MIP) gel with high effective recognition of amphenicol antibiotics was synthesized for the first time based on layered double hydroxide (LDH) as the support and initiator, and functionalized β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) as the functional monomer. The synergistic effect of molecular imprinting recognition and β-CD host-guest affinity enabled MIP gel to exhibit excellent selectivity (imprinted factors: 3.9-9.4) and high adsorption capacity (28.9-75.4 mg g -1 ) for amphenicol antibiotics. Different adsorption isotherms and kinetics models were followed, suggesting heterogeneous single-layer recognition and chemical adsorption. After 5 cycles of adsorption and desorption, the adsorption capacity of MIP gel retained above 83.6 %, demonstrating favorable reproducibility and stability. Under optimal conditions, the method validation showed a satisfactory limit of detection (5-10 μg L -1 ), good correlation (r 2  > 0.9967), and respectable recovery (82.6-105.3 %). The MIP gel was applied to extract amphenicol antibiotics from food matrices, achieving recoveries in the range of 78.3-104.5 %. Importantly, the recognition mechanism was studied in detail using density functional theory. Therefore, the established method demonstrates high sensitivity and can be applied as a new tactic for detecting amphenicol antibiotics in food matrices., 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 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, a simple chain suspension catenary model is constructed. The acting force of pantograph is reduced to a displacement loading. The stress and fatigue life of railway catenary dropper incorporating displacement loading and fluctuating wind load are studied. Through writing a MATLAB code, the vibration equation of the dropper is used to calculate its stress under different conditions using a finite difference method, combining with the initial boundary value conditions obtained by the response equations of the contact wire. Based on the dropper stress, its fatigue life can be obtained. The results show that under the 250 km/h train speed, the stress change process of the dropper experiences three stages: immediate rebound, attenuation vibration, and bending compression. Dropper Ⅳ is most likely to break in a span. Compared with dropper Ⅳ, the fatigue life of dropper Ⅰ is 11 times, and those of droppers Ⅱ, Ⅲ, and Ⅴ are about 2.5 times. Compared with no wind, the fatigue lives of droppers Ⅰ-Ⅳ are reduced by approximately three times at a wind speed of 25 m/s. This work provides a powerful means for the study of dropper stress under actual working condition., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Objectives: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a prevalent neuropathy where accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective treatment planning. This study introduces a novel approach for CTS grading using ultrasound, specifically through the analysis of the cross-sectional area (CSA) and shear wave elastography (SWE) of the median nerve in various wrist positions., Methods: Our research involved subjects from outpatient clinics, diagnosed with CTS through nerve conduction studies (NCS), and a control group of healthy individuals. High-frequency ultrasound and SWE measurements were conducted in 3 wrist positions: straight, 45° extension, and 45° flexion., Results: The key findings revealed significant differences in median nerve CSA and SWE values between the CTS and control groups across all wrist positions, with notable variances in SWE values correlating with wrist positioning. SWE demonstrated enhanced sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing between mild, moderate, and severe CTS, especially at 45° wrist flexion. In contrast, CSA measurements were limited in differentiating between the varying severity stages of CTS., Conclusions: The study concludes that SWE, particularly at 45° wrist flexion, provides a more precise diagnostic benchmark for CTS severity grading than CSA. This advancement in non-invasive diagnostic methodology not only aids in accurate CTS grading but also has significant implications in formulating tailored treatment strategies, potentially reducing the reliance on more invasive diagnostic methods like NCS., Advances in Knowledge: This study marks a significant advancement in the ultrasound diagnosis of CTS. It particularly highlights the importance of applying SWE technology across various wrist joint angles, offering a new diagnostic benchmark. This discovery provides data support and additional insights for achieving an early consensus on ultrasound-based grading diagnosis of CTS., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Institute of Radiology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Glaucoma is an age-related neurodegenerative disease and the leading cause of blindness, but currently no fundamental treatment has been present. The main treatment is to reduce intraocular pressure, which is expected to delay the progression of the disease. However, there are many glaucoma patients for whom progression cannot be controlled by lowering intraocular pressure alone, and the development of a fundamental treatment is required. Meanwhile, the clinical application of gene therapy is increasing worldwide. Various gene therapy vectors are still being developed, and technological change is much faster in this field. Gene therapy has already been clinically applied to several neurodegenerative diseases, but gene therapy for glaucoma has not yet been established. Our group is investigating the development of a new treatment for glaucoma by gene therapy using neurotrophic factor signaling. And we aim not only to suppress disease progression by neuroprotection, but also to recover the visual function by axonal regeneration.

Low oxygen availability within plant cells arises during plant development but is exacerbated under environmental stress conditions. The group VII ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (ERFVII) transcription factors have been identified as pivotal regulators in the hypoxia response to abiotic stress. However, their roles in transcriptional regulation during biotic stresses remain less defined. In this study, we investigated the biological function and regulatory mechanism of soybean (Glycine max) ERFVII transcription factors during soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines Ichinohe) infection. We provide evidence that soybean cyst nematode infection induces responses at the infection sites similar to those induced by hypoxia, characterized by the stabilization of ERFVII proteins and increased expression of hypoxia-responsive genes. Hypoxia pretreatment of soybeans enhances their resistance to nematode infection. We demonstrate that ERFVII members GmRAP2.12 and GmRAP2.3 act as transcriptional activators to drive the expression of GmPR10-09g, a member of the PR10 gene family highly induced by soybean cyst nematode and positively impacting nematode resistance. Transgenic hairy root analysis of nematode infection for either GmRAP2.12 or N-end rule pathway components (GmATE or GmPRT6) indicates a positive role of ERFVIIs in soybean defense responses against cyst nematode. The results of our study emphasize the important functions of GmERFVIIs in strengthening soybean's immune responses against cyst nematode by transcriptional activation of GmPR10., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement. None declared., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Plant Biologists. 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.)

Objective: To elucidate the immediate electrophysiological effects of mirror visual feedback (MVF) combined with or without touch task in subacute stroke., Methods: Subacute stroke patients and healthy controls were recruited to participate in four grasping tasks (MVF or no MVF, combined with rubber ball or no ball) under electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring. Event-related desynchronization (ERD) /event-related synchronization (ERS) and the lateralization index (LI) were utilized to observe the electrophysiological effects., Results: MVF reduced ERD suppression in the contralateral primary motor cortex (M1) of stroke patients. This reduction was observed in the low mu band for the contralateral parietal cortex during pure MVF. The laterality effects in the low mu band under MVF was noted in M1 for stroke patients and in the parietal cortex for all participants., Conclusions: MVF inhibits the excitability of the contralateral M1 for subacute stroke. MVF inhibit activities in the contralateral M1 and parietal cortex, and reestablished hemispheric balance in the low mu band., Significance: MVF has an instantaneous effect on subacute stroke by inhibiting the excitability of the contralateral sensorimotor cortex. The attenuated ERD in the low mu band in contralateral M1 and parietal cortex may serve as biomarkers of MVF for stroke rehabilitation., Competing Interests: 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., (© 2024 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology.)

Background: This research investigates the metabolic profiles of follicular fluid (FF) samples from patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) undergoing in vitro fertilisation and aims to identify diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for PCOS through lipidomic analysis., Methods: We performed non-targeted lipid analysis of FF samples from women with PCOS ( n  = 6) and normal controls ( n  = 6) using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Differential lipids between the two groups were screened using multidimensional statistical analysis, followed by fold change analysis and t -tests to identify potential PCOS biomarkers., Results: Multivariate statistical analysis revealed significant differences in FF lipid levels between the PCOS and control groups. Five different lipids were selected as standards, with p  < .05. Phosphatidylcholine (PC), the main differentially expressed lipid, was significantly increased in the FF of the POCS group and was closely related to other lipids., Conclusions: Using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, we investigated lipid biomarkers based on FF lipidomics to provide useful information for the discovery of diagnostic markers for PCOS. Our study identified five distinct lipids as potential markers of PCOS, with PC being the primary aberrant lipid found in the FF of patients with PCOS.

Background: The primary cause of mortality in patients with ovarian cancer (OC) is tumor metastasis. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying metastasis in OC is essential for accurate prognosis prediction and the development of targeted therapeutic agents. Our findings indicate that alpha-2 Heremans Schmid glycoprotein (AHSG) is downregulated in OC exosomes. Consequently, the objective of this study was to identify novel prognostic markers and potential therapeutic targets for OC., Methods: Exosomes derived from OC cells and patient ascites were purified and applied to OC cells to assess their migratory ability using wound-healing and transwell assays. AHSG expression was enhanced by overexpressing lentivirus, and the resulting exosomes were isolated and co-cultured with OC cells to verify their effect on the migration ability of OC., Results: Exosomes in ovarian malignant ascites have been demonstrated to promote OC metastasis. However, our findings indicate that AHSG is down-regulated in OC tissues and ascites exosomes. Furthermore, overexpression of AHSG in OC cells has been shown to markedly decrease their migratory ability, as well as reduce the migratory ability of cancer cells after co-culture of its exosomes with cancer cells., Conclusions: The low expression of AHSG in exosomes derived from OC tissues and ascites is associated with metastatic progression in OC patients. Additionally, cancer-derived AHSG can be transported to OC cells via exosomes, where it inhibits OC migration in vitro and in vivo by regulating the p53/FAK/Src signaling pathway. The present study demonstrated that AHSG, derived from cancer cells, exerts a negative regulatory effect on OC cell motility, migration, and metastasis. These findings suggest that AHSG is a potential candidate for OC treatment., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: All authors have completed the ICMJE uniform disclosure form (available at https://tcr.amegroups.com/article/view/10.21037/tcr-24-789/coif). The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2024 AME Publishing Company. All rights reserved.)

Benzene is a common contaminant in the workplace and wider environment, which induces hematotoxicity. Our previous study has implicated that lncRNAs mediated apoptosis and autophagy induced by benzene. Nevertheless, the roles of extracellular vesicle(EVs)-derived lncRNAs in benzene toxicity are unknown. However, the role of EVs and EVs-derived lncRNAs in benzene-induced toxicity remains unclear. In this research, we explored the function of EVs and EVs-derived lncRNAs in cell-cell communication through benzene-induced apoptosis and autophagy. Our findings demonstrated that EVs derived from 1,4-BQ-treated cells treated cells and coculture with 1,4-BQ-treated cells enhanced apoptosis and autophagy via regulating the pathways of PI3K-AKT-mTOR and chaperone-mediated autophagy. Treating with GW4869 in 1,4-BQ-treated cells significantly inhibited EV secretion, which reduced apoptosis and autophagy. Furthermore, we identified a set of differentially expressed autophagy- and apoptosis-related lncRNAs using EVs-derived lncRNA sequencing. Among them, 8 candidate lncRNAs were upregulated in EVs derived from 1,4-BQ-treated cells, as determined by lncRNA sequencing and qRT-PCR. Importantly, these lncRNAs were also increased in the serum EVs of benzene-exposed workers. 1,4-BQ-treated cells released EVs that transfer differentially expressed lncRNAs, thereby inducing apoptosis and autophagy in the recipient cells. The above results support the hypothesis that EVs-derived lncRNAs participate in intercellular communication during benzene-induced hematotoxicity and function as potential biomarkers for risk assessment of benzene-exposed workers., 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 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To analyze the psychological status of patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI), and to evaluate the effect of positive psychological intervention on the treatment and prognosis of ACI., Methods: This was retrospective study. Eighty patients with ACI admitted to Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences from January 2021 to September 2022 were included and randomly divided into observation group (n=40) and control group(n=40). Patients in the control group received conventional treatment and routine care, while those in the observation group received positive psychological intervention based on the control group. Adverse psychological scores, treatment and prognosis, and quality of life as well as nursing satisfaction etc. were analyzed and compared between the two groups., Results: Both groups showed a significant decrease in SDS and SAS scores at three months after the intervention compared with the pre-intervention period, with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05). After the intervention, the NIHSS score of both groups decreased, with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05). The FMAS and MBI scores increased in both groups compared with those before the intervention, with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05). The SS-QOL scores of both groups were significantly improved compared with before the intervention, with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05). The hospital satisfaction rate in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group, with a statistically significant difference (t=12.325, P=0.000)., Conclusion: Positive psychological intervention offers a variety of benefits in the treatment of patients with ACI, such as may alleviate anxiety and depression, reduce neurological deficits, improving quality of life and motor function, and ameliorate the prognosis of patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interest: None., (Copyright: © Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences.)

The final phase in root nodule development is nodule senescence. The mechanism underlying the initiation of nodule senescence requires further elucidation. In this study, we investigate the intrinsic signals governing soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) nodule senescence, uncovering ethylene as a key signal in this intricate mechanism. Two AP2/ethylene response factor (ERF) transcription factor (TF) genes, GmENS1 and GmENS2 (Ethylene-responsive transcription factors required for Nodule Senescence), exhibit heightened expression levels in both aged nodules and nodules treated with ethylene. An overexpression of either GmENS1 or GmENS2 accelerates senescence in soybean nodules, whereas the knockout or knockdown of both genes delays senescence and enhances nitrogenase activity. Furthermore, our findings indicate that GmENS1 and GmENS2 directly bind to the promoters of GmNAC039, GmNAC018, and GmNAC030, encoding 3 NAC (NAM, ATAF1/2, and CUC2) TFs essential for activating soybean nodule senescence. Notably, the nodule senescence process mediated by GmENS1 or GmENS2 overexpression is suppressed in the soybean nac039/018/030 triple mutant compared with the wild-type control. These data indicate GmENS1 and GmENS2 as pivotal TFs mediating ethylene-induced nodule senescence through the direct activation of GmNAC039/GmNAC018/GmNAC030 expression in soybean., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement. Authors declare no competing interests., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Plant Biologists. 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.)

The gregarious lifestyle of lepidopteran larvae is diverse and shaped by a complex interplay of ecological and evolutionary factors. Our review showed that the larval-aggregation behavior has been reported in 23 lepidopteran families, indicating multiple evolution of this behavior. Some larvae live in sibling groups throughout all larval instars and even pupation stages, which may result from the kin-selection. In contrast, group fusion may occur among different sibling or foraging groups of larvae and form larger aggregates, and the gregariousness of these species might be driven by the group-selection. While group size and foraging patterns vary greatly across species, it is generally associated with improved larval survivorship and accelerated development. However, the advantages of group living, such as facilitating feeding activities, adjusting the temperature, and defending natural enemies, may diminish along with development, with strong intraspecific competition occurring at later instars, even when food is abundant. Therefore, the group sizes and fission-fusion dynamics of certain gregarious lepidopteran larvae may be a consequence of their cost-benefit balance depending on various biotic and abiotic factors. Trail and aggregation pheromones, silk trails, or body contact contribute to collective movement and group cohesion of gregarious lepidopteran larvae. However, frequent contact among group members may cause the horizontal transmission of pathogens and pesticides, which may bring an integrated pest management strategy controlling gregarious lepidopteran pests., (© 2024 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

Nudging is a subtle behavioral intervention that has been successful in various domains such as healthy eating and energy conservation, yet its application in mental health remains underexplored. This study examines the effect of nudging to increase engagement with online mental health resources in a university setting. We assigned 2539 first-year undergraduate and graduate students in China to either a nudging group, which received course information augmented with behavioral cues (including framing effects and social norms), or a control group, which received only basic course information. Outcomes measured included self-reported willingness to enroll, willingness to recommend enrollment, and actual enrollment actions. Results indicated that students in the nudging group demonstrated significantly higher engagement levels than those in the control group across all metrics. These findings suggest the potential of nudging strategies to effectively enhance college students' participation in online mental health education., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

The health implications of human exposure to microplastics (MPs) have raised significant concerns. While evidence indicates MPs can accumulate in closed human organs like the heart, placenta, and blood, there is no available data on MP exposure specifically within the human bone marrow. To fill the research gap, this study detected the concentration of microplastics (MPs) in bone marrow samples by pyrolysis gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and assessed the size range and morphological characteristics of MPs by Laser Direct Infrared Spectroscopy (LD-IR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Our study shows that MPs were present in all 16 bone marrow samples, with an average concentration of 51.29 µg/g ranging from 15.37 µg/g to 92.05 µg/g. Five polymer types-polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyadiohexylenediamine 66 (PA66), and polypropylene (PP), were identified. PE was the most frequent polymer detected in the bone marrow, with an average concentration of 30.02 µg/g ranging from 14.77 µg/g to 52.57 µg/g, with a detection rate of 93.75 %. PS had the highest detection rate at 100 % of bone marrow samples, while PVC and PA66 were found in 75 % of samples each. LD-IR analysis revealed the identification of 25 polymer types, with an average abundance of 19.72 particles/g. Of these, 89.82 % of the MPs were smaller than 100 µm. In summary, this study has, for the first time, demonstrated the presence of MPs are deeply embedded within human bone marrow, providing a basis for future investigations into their potential toxicological effects and underlying mechanisms affecting the hematopoietic system., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that there no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could influence this work., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A novel bio-supramolecular solvent (bio-SUPRAS) based on rhamnolipids (RLs) was designed for efficient extraction of pyrethroid insecticides in water and food matrices. Benefiting from RLs as amphiphiles equipped with the attractive properties of bio-degradable, low toxicity and high stability, bio-SUPRAS was spontaneously generated through salt induced coagulation. The bio-SUPRAS was characterized by cryo-scanning electron microscope and main factors influencing the extraction performance were investigated in detail. Under the optimized conditions, the method was found to have desirable limits of detection (5∼10 μg l -1 ), good precision (RSDs<16.9 %) and satisfactory recovery (75.2 %∼94.3 %). More importantly, the extraction mechanism was studied by density functional theory systematically. Following greenness assessment, the technique was successfully used for enrichment of pyrethroid pesticides in real samples before HPLC-UV analysis. Thus, the method showed the outstanding merits of eco-efficient, green, time-saving, and had favorable application prospect to remove trace analytes from intricate sample matrices., 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 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

As a major immune cell type in the tumor microenvironment, tumor-associated macrophages secrete suppressive factors that can inhibit antitumor immunity and promote tumor progression. One approach trying to utilize macrophages for immunotherapy has been to block the CD47-SIRPα axis, which mediates inhibitory signaling, to promote phagocytosis of tumor cells. Many CD47-targeted agents, namely, anti-CD47 antibodies and SIRPα fusion proteins, were associated with a diverse spectrum of toxicities that limit their use in clinical settings. Universal expression of CD47 also leads to a severe "antigen sink" effect of CD47-targeted agents. Given that the CD47 receptor, SIRPα, has a more restricted expression profile and may have CD47-independent functions, targeting SIRPα is considered to have distinct advantages in improving clinical efficacy with a better safety profile. We have developed ES004-B5, a potentially best-in-class pan-allelic human SIRPα-blocking antibody using hybridoma technology. ES004-B5 binds to major human SIRPα variants through a unique epitope with high affinity. By blocking CD47-induced inhibitory "don't-eat-me" signaling, ES004-B5 exerts superior antitumor activity in combination with anti-tumor-associated antigen antibodies in vitro and in vivo . Unlike CD47-targeted agents, ES004-B5 exhibits an excellent safety profile in nonhuman primates. ES004-B5 has potential to be an important backbone for SIRPα-based combination therapy and/or bispecific antibodies, which will likely overcome the limitations of CD47-targeted agents encountered in clinical settings., Competing Interests: Xiaofeng Niu, Chunnian Wang, Haixia Jiang, Rui Gao, Yefeng Lu, Xiaoli Guo, Hongping Zhou, Xue Cui, Jun Sun, Quan Qiu, and Dawei Sun are employees of Elpiscience Biopharma. Hongtao Lu is a cofounder of Elpiscience Biopharma., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Antibody Therapeutics.)

A green and recyclable switchable supramolecular deep eutectic solvent (SS-DES) was designed and prepared for effective extraction of flavonoids from Scutellariae Radix. The novel SS-DES has both excellent extraction performance of DES and the host guest inclusion of cyclodextrin, thereby showing superior extraction efficiency and selectivity. The characteristic of polarity switching can endow the SS-DES with achieving homogeneous extraction and rapid two-phase separation, shorting per-treatment time largely. Parameters affecting the extraction performance were investigated by the response surface methodology. The results indicated that the SS-DES showed better extraction yield of total flavonoids (157.95 mg/g) compared with pure DES (135 mg/g) and traditional organic solvent (60 % ethanol, 104.87 mg/g). Moreover, the switching mechanism of SS-DES was characterized by FT-IR and 1 H NMR, and the extraction mechanism was studied by density functional theory and molecular docking analysis. After evaluating the ecological impact of the method, the cytotoxicity of SS-DES was investigated and the result displayed that its toxicity was very low or even negligible with the EC 50 >2000 mg/L. After being adsorbed by macroporous AB-8 resin, the regenerated SS-DES was recycled 5 times and the extraction efficiency still remained above 90 %, indicating the desirable reusability. Therefore, the proposed method was efficient and sustainable, and revealed favorable application prospect for the extraction of bio-active compounds from plant materials., 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 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Cyst nematodes are the most damaging species of plant-parasitic nematodes. They antagonize the colonization of beneficial microbial symbionts that are important for nutrient acquisition of plants. The molecular mechanism of the antagonism, however, remains elusive. Here, through biochemical combined with structural analysis, we reveal that Heterodera glycines, the most notorious soybean cyst nematode, suppresses symbiosis by secreting an enzyme named HgCht2 to hydrolyse the key symbiotic signalling molecules, lipochitooligosaccharides (LCOs). We solved the three-dimensional structures of apo HgCht2, as well as its chitooligosaccharide-bound and LCO-bound forms. These structures elucidated the substrate binding and hydrolysing mechanism of the enzyme. We designed an HgCht2 inhibitor, 1516b, which successfully suppresses the antagonism of cyst nematodes towards nitrogen-fixing rhizobia and phosphorus-absorbing arbuscular mycorrhizal symbioses. As HgCht2 is phylogenetically conserved across all cyst nematodes, our study revealed a molecular mechanism by which parasitic cyst nematodes antagonize the establishment of microbial symbiosis and provided a small-molecule solution., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.)

Insects are the most diverse group of organisms in the animal kingdom, and some species exhibit complex social behaviors. Although research on insect object use is still in its early stages, insects have already been shown to display rich object-use behaviors. This review focuses on patterns and behavioral flexibility in insect object-use behavior, and the role of cultural evolution in the development of object-use behaviors. Object use in insects is not widespread but has been documented in a diverse set of taxa. Some insects can use objects flexibly and display various object-use patterns. Like mammals and birds, insects use objects in diverse activities, including foraging, predator defense, courtship, and play. Intelligence, pre-existing manipulative behaviors, and anatomical structure affect innovations in object use. In addition, learning and imitation are the main mechanisms underlying the spread of object-use behaviors within populations. Given that insects are one of the major animal groups engaging in object use, studies of insect object use could provide general insights into object use in the animal kingdom., (© 2023 The Authors. Insect Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.)

Neurodegenerative diseases including glaucoma affect insulin signaling, and insulin treatment has been shown to reverse the neurodegenerative loss of dendritic complexity in retinal ganglion cells. Therefore, strategies for enhancing or maintaining insulin signaling are worth pursuing to establish new therapies for these diseases. In the present study, we generated constitutively active insulin receptor (F-iIR) and insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (F-iIGF1R) using a system that forces membrane localization of the intracellular domains of these receptors by farnesylation. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis revealed that F-iIR and F-iIGF1R caused the activation of ERK and AKT in the absence of ligands in vitro . Our results suggest that in vivo effects of F-iIR and F-iIGF1R on the progression of neurodegenerative diseases should be investigated in the future., Competing Interests: A patent based on the results in this article was filed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science (KN and TH are coinventors)., (© 2024 The Authors.)

The precise control of receptor levels is crucial for initiating cellular signaling transduction in response to specific ligands; however, such mechanisms regulating nodulation factor (NF) receptor (NFR)-mediated perception of NFs to establish symbiosis remain unclear. In this study, we unveil the pivotal role of the NFR-interacting RING-type E3 ligase 1 (NIRE1) in regulating NFR1/NFR5 homeostasis to optimize rhizobial infection and nodule development in Lotus japonicus. We demonstrated that NIRE1 has a dual function in this regulatory process. It associates with both NFR1 and NFR5, facilitating their degradation through K48-linked polyubiquitination before rhizobial inoculation. However, following rhizobial inoculation, NFR1 phosphorylates NIRE1 at a conserved residue, Tyr-109, inducing a functional switch in NIRE1, which enables NIRE1 to mediate K63-linked polyubiquitination, thereby stabilizing NFR1/NFR5 in infected root cells. The introduction of phospho-dead NIRE1 Y109F leads to delayed nodule development, underscoring the significance of phosphorylation at Tyr-109 in orchestrating symbiotic processes. Conversely, expression of the phospho-mimic NIRE1 Y109E results in the formation of spontaneous nodules in L. japonicus, further emphasizing the critical role of the phosphorylation-dependent functional switch in NIRE1. In summary, these findings uncover a fine-tuned symbiotic mechanism that a single E3 ligase could undergo a phosphorylation-dependent functional switch to dynamically and precisely regulate NF receptor protein levels., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2024 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this study, we examined the changes in the mitochondrial structure and function in cumulus granulosa cells of patients with diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) to explore the causes and mechanisms of decreased mitochondrial quality. The mitochondrial ultrastructure was observed by transmission electron microscope, and the function was determined by detecting the ATP content, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, the number of mitochondria, and the mitochondrial membrane potential. The expression of ATP synthases in relation to mitochondrial function was analyzed. Additionally, protein immunoblotting was used to compare the expression levels of mitochondrial kinetic protein, the related channel protein in the two groups. Patients with DOR had abnormal granulosa cell morphology, increased mitochondrial abnormalities, decreased mitochondrial function, and disturbed mitochondrial dynamics. Additionally, the silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1)/phospho-AMP-activated protein kinase (P-AMPK)-peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α) pathway expression was decreased, which was speculated to be associated with the decreased mitochondrial mass in the DOR group. The mitochondrial mass was decreased in granulosa cells of patients in the DOR group. The mitochondrial dysfunction observed in granulosa cells of patients in the DOR group may be associated with dysregulation of the SIRT1/P-AMPK-PGC-1α-mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) pathway., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Society for Reproductive Investigation.)

Objective: N-butylphthalide (NBP) is a monomeric compound extracted from natural plant celery seeds, whether intestinal microbiota alteration can modify its pharmacokinetics is still unclear. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of intestinal microbiota alteration on the pharmacokinetics of NBP and its related mechanisms., Methods: After treatment with antibiotics and probiotics, plasma NBP concentrations in SD rats were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The effect of intestinal microbiota changes on NBP pharmacokinetics was compared. Intestinal microbiota changes after NBP treatment were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Expressions of CYP3A1 mRNA and protein in the liver and small intestine tissues under different intestinal flora conditions were determined by qRT-PCR and Western Blot. KEGG analysis was used to analyze the effect of intestinal microbiota changes on metabolic pathways., Results: Compared to the control group, the values of Cmax, AUC0-8, AUC0-∞, t1/2 in the antibiotic group increased by 56.1% (P<0.001), 56.4% (P<0.001), 53.2% (P<0.001), and 24.4% (P<0.05), respectively. In contrast, the CL and Tmax values decreased by 57.1% (P<0.001) and 28.6% (P<0.05), respectively. Treatment with antibiotics could reduce the richness and diversity of the intestinal microbiota. CYP3A1 mRNA and protein expressions in the small intestine of the antibiotic group were 61.2% and 66.1% of those of the control group, respectively. CYP3A1 mRNA and protein expressions in the liver were 44.6% and 63.9% of those in the control group, respectively. There was no significant change in the probiotic group. KEGG analysis showed that multiple metabolic pathways were significantly down-regulated in the antibiotic group. Among them, the pathways of drug metabolism, bile acid biosynthesis and decomposition, and fatty acid synthesis and decomposition were related to NBP biological metabolism., Conclusion: Antibiotic treatment could affect the intestinal microbiota, decrease CYP3A1 mRNA and protein expressions and increase NBP exposure in vivo by inhibiting pathways related to NBP metabolism., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Li et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The Coronavirus Disease 2019(COVID-19) has caused widespread and significant harm globally. In order to address the urgent demand for a rapid and reliable diagnostic approach to mitigate transmission, the application of deep learning stands as a viable solution. The impracticality of many existing models is attributed to excessively large parameters, significantly limiting their utility. Additionally, the classification accuracy of the model with few parameters falls short of desirable levels. Motivated by this observation, the present study employs the lightweight network MobileNetV3 as the underlying architecture. This paper incorporates the dense block to capture intricate spatial information in images, as well as the transition layer designed to reduce the size and channel number of the feature map. Furthermore, this paper employs label smoothing loss to address the inter-class similarity effects and uses class weighting to tackle the problem of data imbalance. Additionally, this study applies the pruning technique to eliminate unnecessary structures and further reduce the number of parameters. As a result, this improved model achieves an impressive 98.71% accuracy on an openly accessible database, while utilizing only 5.94 million parameters. Compared to the previous method, this maximum improvement reaches 5.41%. Moreover, this research successfully reduces the parameter count by up to 24 times, showcasing the efficacy of our approach. This demonstrates the significant benefits in regions with limited availability of medical resources., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Wang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Membrane budding, which underlies fundamental processes like endocytosis, intracellular trafficking, and viral infection, is thought to involve membrane coat-forming proteins, including the most observed clathrin, to form Ω-shape profiles and helix-forming proteins like dynamin to constrict Ω-profiles' pores and thus mediate fission. Challenging this fundamental concept, we report that polymerized clathrin is required for Ω-profiles' pore closure and that clathrin around Ω-profiles' base/pore region mediates pore constriction/closure in neuroendocrine chromaffin cells. Mathematical modeling suggests that clathrin polymerization at Ω-profiles' base/pore region generates forces from its intrinsically curved shape to constrict/close the pore. This new fission function may exert broader impacts than clathrin's well-known coat-forming function during clathrin (coat)-dependent endocytosis, because it underlies not only clathrin (coat)-dependent endocytosis, but also diverse endocytic modes, including ultrafast, fast, slow, bulk, and overshoot endocytosis previously considered clathrin (coat)-independent in chromaffin cells. It mediates kiss-and-run fusion (fusion pore closure) previously considered bona fide clathrin-independent, and limits the vesicular content release rate. Furthermore, analogous to results in chromaffin cells, we found that clathrin is essential for fast and slow endocytosis at hippocampal synapses where clathrin was previously considered dispensable, suggesting clathrin in mediating synaptic vesicle endocytosis and fission. These results suggest that clathrin and likely other intrinsically curved coat proteins are a new class of fission proteins underlying vesicle budding and fusion. The half-a-century concept and studies that attribute vesicle-coat contents' function to Ω-profile formation and classify budding as coat-protein (e.g., clathrin)-dependent or -independent may need to be re-defined and re-examined by considering clathrin's pivotal role in pore constriction/closure., (© 2024. This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply.)

Cross-situational inconsistency is common in the expression of honesty traits; yet, there is insufficient emphasis on behavioral dishonesty across multiple contexts. The current study aimed to investigate behavioral dishonesty in various contexts and reveal the associations between trait honesty, behavioral dishonesty, and neural patterns of observing others behave honestly or dishonestly in videos (abbr.: (dis)honesty video-watching). First, the results revealed limitations in using trait honesty to reflect variations in dishonest behaviors and predict behavioral dishonesty. The finding highlights the importance of considering neural patterns in understanding and predicting dishonest behaviors. Second, by comparing the predictive performance of seven types of data across three neural networks, the results showed that functional connectivity in the hypothesis-driven network during (dis)honesty video-watching provided the highest predictive power in predicting multitask behavioral dishonesty. Last, by applying the feature elimination method, the midline self-referential regions (medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex), anterior insula, and striatum were identified as the most informative brain regions in predicting behavioral dishonesty. In summary, the study offered insights into individual differences in deception and the intricate connections among trait honesty, behavioral dishonesty, and neural patterns during (dis)honesty video-watching., (© 2024 The Author(s). Human Brain Mapping published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

In this work, a switchable deep eutectic solvent (SDES) based on fatty acid and polyetheramine ion pair was prepared for liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) of phenoxyacetic acid herbicides in drinking water, beverage and honey matrices. The as-synthesized SDES equipped with an interesting characteristic of fast and reversible polarity switching, achieving homogeneous extraction and rapid bi-phase separation simultaneously. Several key parameters affecting the extraction performance were investigated comprehensively by Box-Behnken design. Under the optimal conditions, the method exhibited excellent linearity (15-4000 μg L -1 ), low detection limits (3-5 μg L -1 ), desirable precision (RSD < 8.1 %), and satisfactory recovery (72.6-98.7 %). More importantly, the introduction of SDES can simplify the pre-treatment procedure, shorten extraction time (4 min), and avoid the usage of traditional organic solvent during the whole extraction process. In addition, the switching mechanism of SDES was characterized by FT-IR and 1 H NMR, and the forming mechanism of SDES was investigated using density-functional theory. The green of the method was estimated using the analytical ecological scale, the analytical green calculator, and the green analytical procedure index. The cytotoxicity of SDES was investigated and the result displayed that toxicity of the SDES was very low with the EC 50  > 500 mg/L. Therefore, the proposed method was green and efficient and revealed considerable application prospects for the extraction of trace analytes from complex materials., 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 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background and Objectives: In recent years, with the improvement of people's living standards and changes in dietary patterns, dietary knowledge and food preference have been playing an increasingly crucial role in health. The aim of our study was to examine the relationship between dietary knowledge, food preference, and long-short term health status among Chinese adults aged 18-70., Methods and Study Design: This study employed cross-sectional data from the 2015 China Health and Nutrition Survey obtained from 4822 adults. We utilized self-assessed health status as an indicator of long-term health status and utilized sickness in the last four weeks as a measure of short-term health status. Taking advantage of ordered probit regression, long-term health status was regressed on all predictors, while the binary logistic regression was used to analyze the factors influencing short-term health status. The propensity score matching is employed to account for potential selection bias in analysis, thereby increasing the robustness and credibility of results., Results: The analysis revealed that dietary knowledge and food preference can improve an individual's long-term health status significantly. However, there is no evidence to show that short-term health status is affected by food preference. Furthermore, dietary knowledge is negatively associated with short-term health status., Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of dietary education and healthy eating habits in improving the long-term health status of Chinese adults. The study suggests implications for public health strategies aimed at enhancing the health and well-being of Chinese adults., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest

Introduction: Soil salinization poses a significant environmental challenge affecting plant growth and agricultural sustainability. This study explores the potential of salt-tolerant endophytes to mitigate the adverse effects of soil salinization, emphasizing their impact on the development and resistance of Arachis hypogaea L. (peanuts)., Methods: The diversity of culturable plant endophytic bacteria associated with Miscanthus lutarioriparius was investigated. The study focused on the effects of Bacillus tequilensis , Staphylococcus epidermidis , and Bacillus siamensis on the development and germination of A. hypogaea seeds in pots subjected to high NaCl concentrations (200 mM L -1 )., Results: Under elevated NaCl concentrations, the inoculation of endophytes significantly ( p < 0.05) enhanced seedling germination and increased the activities of enzymes such as Superoxide dismutase, catalase, and polyphenol oxidase, while reducing malondialdehyde and peroxidase levels. Additionally, endophyte inoculation resulted in increased root surface area, plant height, biomass contents, and leaf surface area of peanuts under NaCl stress. Transcriptome data revealed an augmented defense and resistance response induced by the applied endophyte ( B. tequilensis , S. epidermidis , and B. siamensis ) strain, including upregulation of abiotic stress related mechanisms such as fat metabolism, hormones, and glycosyl inositol phosphorylceramide (Na + receptor). Na + receptor under salt stress gate Ca 2+ influx channels in plants. Notably, the synthesis of secondary metabolites, especially genes related to terpene and phenylpropanoid pathways, was highly regulated., Conclusion: The inoculated endophytes played a possible role in enhancing salt tolerance in peanuts. Future investigations should explore protein-protein interactions between plants and endophytes to unravel the mechanisms underlying endophyte-mediated salt resistance in plants., 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 Liang, Tan, Chen, Guo, Afzal, Wang, Tan and Peng.)

Background: Mammary gland development is a critical process in mammals, crucial for their reproductive success and offspring nourishment. However, the functional roles of key candidate genes associated with teat number, including ABCD4, VRTN, PROX2, and DLST, in this developmental process remain elusive. To address this gap in knowledge, we conducted an in-depth investigation into the dynamic expression patterns, functional implications, and regulatory networks of these candidate genes during mouse mammary gland development., Results: In this study, the spatial and temporal patterns of key genes were characterized in mammary gland development. Using time-series single-cell data, we uncovered differences in the expression of A bcd4, Vrtn, Prox2, and Dlst in cell population of the mammary gland during embryonic and adult stages, while Vrtn was not detected in any cells. We found that only overexpression and knockdown of Abcd4 could inhibit proliferation and promote apoptosis of HC11 mammary epithelial cells, whereas Prox2 and Dlst had no significant effect on these cells. Using RNA-seq and qPCR, further analysis revealed that Abcd4 can induce widespread changes in the expression levels of genes involved in mammary gland development, such as Igfbp3, Ccl5, Tlr2, and Prlr, which were primarily associated with the MAPK, JAK-STAT, and PI3K-AKT pathways by functional enrichment., Conclusions: These findings revealed ABCD4 as a candidate gene pivotal for regulating mammary gland development and lactation during pregnancy by influencing PRLR expression., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a complex gynaecological endocrine disease that occurs in women of childbearing age. The pathogenesis of PCOS is still unclear and further exploration is needed. Here, proteomic analysis indicated that the expression of farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FDPS) protein in ovarian tissue of PCOS mice was significantly decreased. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between potential biomarkers of PCOS and granulosa cells (GCs) function. The mechanisms by which FDPS affected the proliferation of granulosa cells were also explored both in vitro and in vivo. We found that knockdown of FDPS inhibited the proliferation of KGN (human ovarian granulosa cell line), while overexpression of FDPS had the opposite effect. FDPS activated Rac1 (Rac Family Small GTPase 1) activity and regulated MAPK/ERK signalling pathway, which affecting the proliferation of KGN cells significantly. In addition, treatment with the adeno-associated virus (AAV)-FDPS reverses the dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)-induced PCOS-phenotype in mice. Our data indicated that FDPS could regulate the proliferation of ovarian GCs by modulating MAPK/ERK (mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular regulated protein kinases) pathway via activating Rac1 activity. These findings suggest that FDPS could be of great value for the regulation of ovarian granulosa cell function and the treatment of PCOS., (© 2024. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Japan Human Cell Society.)

Female subfertility has been a growing concern for reproductive health. Assisted reproductive technologies make pregnancy possible, but the outcome rate is still suboptimal. Zinc is an essential factor for fertility and development. Zinc levels in follicular fluids were measured by electrochemical method, and we found that zinc in the follicular fluids was related to high-quality embryo rate (R = 0.39, p = 0.01). Basal estradiol levels and estradiol levels on the day of HCG injection were negatively correlated with zinc concentrations in the follicular fluid (R =  - 0.53, p < 0.001; R =  - 0.32, p < 0.05), and estradiol promoted ZnT 9 protein expression in cumulus granulosa cells in vitro and in vivo. When the zinc level was at 3.63-3.85 μg/mL, follicular fluid samples had the highest SOD activity. Therefore, zinc played an important role in improving oocyte development by increasing antioxidant capacity. Our results suggested that estradiol affected zinc homeostasis in follicles by controlling the expression of ZnT 9, which in turn influenced the potential of oocytes to develop into good-quality embryos. This study to provide tangible improvements to patient outcomes will make it a focus of both scientific and translational efforts in the future., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Globally, ischemic stroke (IS) is ranked as the second most prevailing cause of mortality and is considered lethal to human health. This study aimed to identify genes and pathways involved in the onset and progression of IS., Methods: GSE16561 and GSE22255 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, merged, and subjected to batch effect removal using the ComBat method. The limma package was employed to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs), followed by enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network construction. Afterward, the cytoHubba plugin was utilized to screen the hub genes. Finally, a ROC curve was generated to investigate the diagnostic value of hub genes. Validation analysis through a series of experiments including qPCR, Western blotting, TUNEL, and flow cytometry was performed., Results: The analysis incorporated 59 IS samples and 44 control samples, revealing 226 DEGs, of which 152 were up-regulated and 74 were down-regulated. These DEGs were revealed to be linked with the inflammatory and immune responses through enrichment analyses. Overall, the ROC analysis revealed the remarkable diagnostic potential of ITGAM and MMP9 for IS. Quantitative assessment of these genes showed significant overexpression in IS patients. ITGAM modulation influenced the secretion of critical inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, and had a distinct impact on neuronal apoptosis., Conclusions: The inflammation and immune response were identified as potential pathological mechanisms of IS by bioinformatics and experiments. In addition, ITGAM may be considered a potential therapeutic target for IS.

Mother-child interaction is highly dynamic and reciprocal. Switching roles in these back-and-forth interactions serves as a crucial feature of reciprocal behaviors while the underlying neural entrainment is still not well-studied. Here, we designed a role-controlled cooperative task with dual EEG recording to explore how differently two brains interact when mothers and children hold different roles. When children were actors and mothers were observers, mother-child interbrain synchrony emerged primarily within the theta oscillations and the frontal lobe, which highly correlated with children's attachment to their mothers (self-reported by mothers). When their roles were reversed, this synchrony was shifted to the alpha oscillations and the central area and associated with mothers' perception of their relationship with their children. The results suggested an observer-actor neural alignment within the actor's oscillations, which was related to the actor-toward-observer emotional bonding. Our findings contribute to the understanding of how interbrain synchrony is established and dynamically changed during mother-child reciprocal interaction., (© 2024 The Authors. Human Brain Mapping published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: To determine whether combination of topical ripasudil and brimonidine has more effective neuroprotection on retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) following injury to axons composing the optic nerve., Methods: Topical ripasudil, brimonidine, or mixture of both drugs were administered to adult mice after optic nerve injury (ONI). The influence of drug conditions on RGC health were evaluated by the quantifications of surviving RGCs, phosphorylated p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (phospho-p38), and expressions of trophic factors and proinflammatory mediators in the retina., Results: Topical ripasudil and brimonidine suppressed ONI-induced RGC death respectively, and mixture of both drugs further stimulated RGC survival. Topical ripasudil and brimonidine suppressed ONI-induced phospho-p38 in the whole retina. In addition, topical ripasudil suppressed expression levels of TNFα, IL-1β and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), whereas topical brimonidine increased the expression level of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF)., Conclusions: Combination of topical ripasudil and brimonidine may enhance RGC protection by modulating multiple signaling pathways in the retina., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Plants are simultaneously attacked by different pests that rely on sugars uptake from plants. An understanding of the role of plant sugar allocation in these multipartite interactions is limited. Here, we characterized the expression patterns of sucrose transporter genes and evaluated the impact of targeted transporter gene mutants and brown planthopper (BPH) phloem-feeding and oviposition on root sugar allocation and BPH-reduced rice susceptibility to Meloidogyne graminicola. We found that the sugar transporter genes OsSUT1 and OsSUT2 are induced at BPH oviposition sites. OsSUT2 mutants showed a higher resistance to gravid BPH than to nymph BPH, and this was correlated with callose deposition, as reflected in a different effect on M. graminicola infection. BPH phloem-feeding caused inhibition of callose deposition that was counteracted by BPH oviposition. Meanwhile, this pivotal role of sugar allocation in BPH-reduced rice susceptibility to M. graminicola was validated on rice cultivar RHT harbouring BPH resistance genes Bph3 and Bph17. In conclusion, we demonstrated that rice susceptibility to M. graminicola is regulated by BPH phloem-feeding and oviposition on rice through differences in plant sugar allocation., (© 2024 The Authors New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.)

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines Ichinohe), one of the most devastating soybean (Glycine max) pathogens, causes significant yield loss in soybean production. Nematode infection triggers plant defense responses; however, the components involved in the upstream signaling cascade remain largely unknown. In this study, we established that a mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling module, activated by nematode infection or wounding, is crucial for soybeans to establish SCN resistance. GmMPK3 and GmMPK6 directly interact with CDG1-LIKE1 (GmCDL1), a member of the receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase (RLCK) subfamily VII. These kinases phosphorylate GmCDL1 at Thr-372 to prevent its proteasome-mediated degradation. Functional analysis demonstrated that GmCDL1 positively regulates immune responses and promotes SCN resistance in soybeans. GmMPK3-mediated and GmMPK6-mediated phosphorylation of GmCDL1 enhances GmMPK3 and GmMPK6 activation and soybean disease resistance, representing a positive feedback mechanism. Additionally, 2 L-type lectin receptor kinases, GmLecRK02g and GmLecRK08g, associate with GmCDL1 to initiate downstream immune signaling. Notably, our study also unveils the potential involvement of GmLecRKs and GmCDL1 in countering other soybean pathogens beyond nematodes. Taken together, our findings reveal the pivotal role of the GmLecRKs-GmCDL1-MAPK regulatory module in triggering soybean basal immune responses., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement. None declared., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

An efficient method was developed for the one-pot construction of pyrrolo[1,2- a ]quinoxalines via a Cu(II)-catalyzed domino reaction between 2-(1 H -pyrrol-1-yl)anilines and alkylsilyl peroxides. This reaction proceeds through C-C bond cleavage and new C-C and C-N bond formation. A mechanistic study suggests that alkyl radical species participate in the cascade reaction.

Benzene exposure leads to hematotoxicity, and epigenetic modification is considered to be a potential mechanism of benzene pathogenesis. As a newly discovered post-transcriptional modification, the roles of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) in benzene hematotoxicity are still unclear. m6A can only exert its gene regulatory function after being recognized by m6A reading proteins. In this study, we found that the expression of m6A reader IGF2BP1 decreased in benzene poisoning workers and in 20 μM benzene metabolite 1,4-BQ-treated AHH-1 cells. Further overexpression of IGF2BP1 in mice alleviated 50 ppm benzene-induced hematopoietic damage, suggesting that IGF2BP1 plays a critical role in benzene hematotoxicity. Next, we examined transcriptome-wide m6A methylation in vitro to search for target genes of IGF2BP1. We found that benzene metabolite 1,4-BQ treatment altered the m6A methylation levels of various genes. The comprehensive analysis of mRNA expression and m6A methylation uncovered that the hypomethylated Ribosomal Protein L36 (RPL36) and its consequent reduced expression impaired cell proliferation. Mechanically, m6A modification reduced RNA stability to down-regulate RPL36 expression. Moreover, overexpression of IGF2BP1 relieved RPL36 reduction and cell proliferation inhibition caused by benzene in vitro and in vivo by directly binding with RPL36 mRNA. In conclusion, the m6A reader IGF2BP1 attenuates the stability of RPL36 and cell proliferation to mediate benzene hematotoxicity by recognizing m6A modification. IGF2BP1 and RPL36 may be key molecules and potential therapeutic targets for benzene hematotoxicity., 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 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Mirror therapy (MT) has been proposed to promote motor recovery post-stroke through activation of mirror neuron system, recruitment of ipsilateral motor pathways, or/and increasing attention toward the affected limb. However, neuroimaging evidence for these mechanisms is still lacking. To uncover the underlying mechanisms, we designed a randomized controlled study and used a voxel-based whole-brain analysis of resting-state fMRI to explore the brain reorganizations induced by MT. Thirty-five stroke patients were randomized to an MT group (n ​= ​16) and a conventional therapy (CT) group (n ​= ​19) for a 4-week intervention. Before and after the intervention, the Fugl-Meyer Assessment Upper Limb subscale (FMA-UL) and resting-state fMRI were collected. A healthy cohort (n ​= ​16) was established for fMRI comparison. The changes in fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) and seed-based functional connectivity were analyzed to investigate the impact of intervention. Results showed that greater FMA-UL improvement in the MT group was associated with the compensatory increase of fALFF in the contralesional precentral gyrus (M1) region and the re-establishment of functional connectivity between the bilateral M1 regions, which facilitate motor signals transmission via the ipsilateral motor pathways from the ipsilesional M1, contralesional M1, to the affected limb. A step-wise linear regression model revealed these two brain reorganization patterns collaboratively contributed to FMA-UL improvement. In conclusion, MT achieved motor rehabilitation primarily by recruitment of the ipsilateral motor pathways. Trial Registration Information: http://www.chictr.org.cn. Unique Identifier. ChiCTR-INR-17013644, submitted on December 2, 2017., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Xiaoli Guo reports financial support was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China. Li Ding reports financial support was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China. Jie Jia reports financial support was provided by National Natural Innovation Research Group Project of China. Jie Jia reports financial support was provided by National Natural Integration Project. Li Ding reports financial support was provided by Shanghai Sailing Program. If there are other authors, they 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 Inc. All rights reserved.)