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Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in serum has been shown as a biomarker of traumatic brain injury (TBI) which is a significant global public health concern. Accurate and rapid detection of serum GFAP is critical for TBI diagnosis. In this study, a time-resolved fluorescence immunochromatographic test strip (TRFIS) was proposed for the quantitative detection of serum GFAP. This TRFIS possessed excellent linearity ranging from 0.05 to 2.5 ng/mL for the detection of serum GFAP and displayed good linearity (Y = 598723X + 797198, R2 = 0.99), with the lowest detection limit of 16 pg/mL. This TRFIS allowed for quantitative detection of serum GFAP within 15 min and showed high specificity. The intra-batch coefficient of variation (CV) and the inter-batch CV were both < 4.0%. Additionally, this TRFIS was applied to detect GFAP in the serum samples from healthy donors and patients with cerebral hemorrhage, and the results of TRFIS could efficiently discern the patients with cerebral hemorrhage from the healthy donors. Our developed TRFIS has the characteristics of high sensitivity, high accuracy, and a wide linear range and is suitable for rapid and quantitative determination of serum GFAP on-site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) has emerged as an alternative to biventricular pacing (BVP) for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). We aimed to compare the morbidity and mortality associated with LBBAP versus BVP in patients undergoing CRT implantation. Methods: Consecutive patients who received CRT from two high-volume implantation centers were retrospectively recruited. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death and heart failure hospitalization, and the secondary endpoint was all-cause death. Results: A total of 491 patients receiving CRT (154 via LBBAP and 337 via BVP) were included, with a median follow-up of 31 months. The primary endpoint was reached by 21 (13.6%) patients in the LBBAP group, as compared with 74 (22.0%) patients in the BVP group [hazard ratio (HR) 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43–1.14, P = 0.15]. There were 10 (6.5%) deaths in the LBBAP group, as compared with 31 (9.2%) in the BVP group (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.44–1.86, P = 0.79). No significant difference was observed in the risk of either the primary or secondary endpoint between LBBAP and BVP after multivariate Cox regression (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.45–1.23, P = 0.24, and HR 0.77, 95% CI 0.36–1.67, P = 0.51, respectively) or propensity score matching (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.41–1.29, P = 0.28, and HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.29–1.65, P = 0.40, respectively). Conclusion: LBBAP was associated with a comparable effect on morbidity and mortality relative to BVP in patients with indications for CRT. Highlights: Left bundle branch area pacing (LBBAP) was associated with a comparable effect on morbidity and mortality relative to biventricular pacing (BVP) in patients with indications for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). LBBAP may serve as a promising alternative to BVP for CRT to improve morbidity and mortality among heart failure patients. Randomized controlled clinical trials with adequate sample size are justified to confirm these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socioeconomic status (SES) has been linked to mortality rates, with family income being a quantifiable marker of SES. However, the precise association between the family income-to-poverty ratio (PIR) and all-cause mortality in adults aged 40 and older remains unclear. A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from NHANES III, including 20,497 individuals. The PIR was used to assess financial status, and various demographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors were considered. Mortality data were collected from the NHANES III linked mortality file. The study revealed a non-linear association between PIR and all-cause mortality. The piecewise Cox proportional hazards regression model showed an inflection point at PIR 3.5. Below this threshold, the hazard ratio (HR) for all-cause mortality was 0.85 (95% CI 0.79–0.91), while above 3.5, the HR decreased to 0.66 (95% CI 0.57–0.76). Participants with lower income had a higher probability of all-cause mortality, with middle-income and high-income groups showing lower multivariate-adjusted HRs compared to the low-income group. This study provides evidence of a non-linear association between PIR and all-cause mortality in adults aged 40 and older, with an inflection point at PIR 3.5. These findings emphasize the importance of considering the non-linear relationship between family income and mortality when addressing socioeconomic health disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Learning to recognize novel visual classes from few samples is challenging but promising. Previous studies have shown that few-shot model tends to overfit and lead to poor generalization performance, which is because it finds a biased distribution based on a few samples. In addition, in agriculture-specific domains, there are more serious research challenges such as imbalanced disease distribution, one-shot representation biases, fine-grained recognition, and granularity shift. As far as we know, this study is the first work on the fine-grained "Coarse-to-Fine" few-shot plant disease classification, which classifies "fine-grained novel classes" (specific to disease severity) based on "coarse-grained base classes" (specific to plant species). A complete two-stage in-use calibration strategy is presented in this paper. Firstly, we propose an attention-based inverse Mahalanobis distance weighted prototype calibration module (AIPCM). By transferring statistics from sample-rich coarse-grained base classes to sample-scarce fine-grained novel classes, we achieve prototype calibration for 1-shot sample and obtain an unbiased distribution in the feature space. Secondly, to generate more reasonable decision boundaries, we propose a prior-driven task-adapted decision boundary calibration module (TDBCM) based on class-covariance metric. The original Euclidean/Cosine distance is updated to the Mahalanobis distance by introducing the prior mean and covariance of the high-dimensional features. Experimental results on several datasets demonstrate that our model outperforms the state-of-the-art (SOTA) models. It can be said that our work is a valuable supplement to the domain-specific agricultural applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In reality, rain and fog are often present simultaneously, which can greatly reduce the clarity and quality of scene images. However, most unsupervised single image deraining methods primarily concentrate on removing rain streaks and disregard the presence of fog, which often leads to low deraining performance. In addition, these methods generate samples that are too similar and lack diversity, resulting in poor performance when dealing with complex rain scenes. To address the above issues, we propose a novel Asymmetric Cyclic Generative and Adversarial Framework (ACGF) for single image deraining in which the deraining model, which consists of a Rain-fog2Clean (R2C) transformation block and a Clean2Rain-fog (C2R) transformation block, is trained on both synthetic and real rainy images to simultaneously capture both rain streaks and fog features. To better characterize combined rain–fog features in the R2C block, we propose an attention-based rain–fog feature extraction (ARFE) network to exploit the self-similarity of global and local rain–fog information by learning spatial feature correlations. Furthermore, to improve the translational capacity of the C2R block and the diversity of the model on the synthetic rain conversion path, we design a rain–fog feature decoupling and reorganization (RFDR) network by embedding a rainy image degradation model and a mixed discriminator to preserve richer texture details. Extensive experiments on benchmark rain–fog, rain and fog datasets show that our ACGF outperforms state-of-the-art deraining methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonate rock chemical weathering carbon sinks reduce the rate of increase of the atmospheric CO2 concentration and global warming. However, uncertainty still exists in the estimation results of carbonate rock chemical weathering carbon sink fluxes (CCSF), and the contributions of climate change and ecological restoration to the CCSF are not clear. To this end, we compiled published site data on ion concentrations in different watersheds in China and used a classical thermodynamic dissolution model to reassess the potential and spatial and temporal patterns of the CCSF in China from 1991 to 2020. We quantified the contributions of temperature (MAT), precipitation (MAP), evapotranspiration (ET), soil water (SM), and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to the CCSF. The results revealed that (1) China's CCSF was 22.76 t CO2 km−2 yr−1, which was higher than the global average (15.771CO2 km−2 yr−1). The total carbonate rock chemical weathering carbon sink (CCS) was 4772.67×104 t CO2, contributing 14.91% of the global CCS through a carbonate rock area of 252.98×104 km−2. (2) China's CCSF decreased gradually from southeast to northwest, with values of 33.14, 12.93, and 7.27 t CO2 km−2 yr−1 in the southern karst, Qinghai-Tibetan karst, and northern karst regions, respectively. (3) The overall CCSF in China exhibited an increasing trend from 1991 to 2020, with a rate of increase of 0.16 t CO2 km−2 yr−1. (4) The contributions of the MAP, MAT, ET, SM, and NDVI to the CCSF were 63.3%, 3.02%, 27.5%, 3.1%, and 3.05%, respectively. Among them, the increase in precipitation was the main contributor to the increase in the CCSF in China over the last 30 years, while the enhancement of ET offset part of the positive contribution of the increase in precipitation to the CCSF. In conclusion, the results of this study provide a systematic quantification of the magnitude, the patterns, and the influencing factors of CCS over a long time series in China. The results are of great significance and provide a reference for the diagnosis and gap analysis of the national and global carbon neutrality capacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current SARS-CoV-2 variants strikingly evade all authorized monoclonal antibodies and threaten the efficacy of serum-neutralizing activity elicited by vaccination or prior infection, urging the need to develop antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 and related sarbecoviruses. Here, we identified both potent and broadly neutralizing antibodies from a five-dose vaccinated donor who exhibited cross-reactive serum-neutralizing activity against diverse coronaviruses. Through single B-cell sorting and sequencing followed by a tailor-made computational pipeline, we successfully selected 86 antibodies with potential cross-neutralizing ability from 684 antibody sequences. Among them, PW5-570 potently neutralized all SARS-CoV-2 variants that arose prior to Omicron BA.5, and the other three could broadly neutralize all current SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, SARS-CoV and their related sarbecoviruses (Pangolin-GD, RaTG13, WIV-1, and SHC014). Cryo-EM analysis demonstrates that these antibodies have diverse neutralization mechanisms, such as disassembling spike trimers, or binding to RBM or SD1 to affect ACE2 binding. In addition, prophylactic administration of these antibodies significantly protects nasal turbinate and lung infections against BA.1, XBB.1, and SARS-CoV viral challenge in golden Syrian hamsters, respectively. Importantly, post-exposure treatment with PW5-5 and PW5-535 also markedly protects against XBB.1 challenge in these models. This study reveals the potential utility of computational process to assist screening cross-reactive antibodies, as well as the potency of vaccine-induced broadly neutralizing antibodies against current SARS-CoV-2 variants and related sarbecoviruses, offering promising avenues for the development of broad therapeutic antibody drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elements in lake sediments and lake water were commonly used in the reconstruction for the paleoenvironment and paleoclimate, and also enriched into mineral deposit, such as lithium deposit. However, previous studies seldom distinguish the elements in porewater and minerals, and also seldom considered water–sediment interaction and how the elements of different properties migrated and enriched during the drying climate. This study investigated the major and trace elements of the porewater, and the carbonate and silicate minerals in a 407–cm-long core from Guozha Co, a brackish lake on the northwestern Tibetan Plateau. Our results indicated that (a) Ca and Sr were predominantly present in carbonate minerals, while Na, K, Mg, Li, were primarily preserved in silicate minerals. (b) the elements of porewater were closed with those of silicate minerals; (c) Nawater, Naacid, Liwater, and Liacid were more sensitive to drying climate than the others; (d) Identifying Mg/Ca, Sr/Ca and Li/Ca sources is better, rather than directly using the whole sample data to discuss environmental changes. (e) Mgwater/Liwater were much lower than those of Mgacid/Liacid and Mgresidue/Liresidue. Low temperature favors the movement of Li in aqueous solution and carbonate minerals. This is useful for the lithium extraction from brines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In real-world industrial applications, learning to recognize novel visual categories from a few samples is challenging and promising. Although some efforts have been made in the academic field for few-shot classification studies, there is still a lack of high-precision fine-grained few-shot classification models in some specific fields, especially in the fine-grained agricultural field. As far as we know, this study is the first work on meta-learning few-shot classification for fine-grained plant disease classification (specific to disease severity). We propose a multi-perspective hybrid attention meta-learning model based on a Batch Nuclear-norm constraint. The model explores discriminative features by focusing on key regions, and the hybrid attention module is divided into two sub-modules, soft attention model and patch-hard attention model. The discriminability and diversity constraint module is introduced in the loss function to constrain the Batch Nuclear-norm of the classification matrix, which improves the discriminative properties of the classification model and increases its diversity at the same time. In this paper, a large number of experiments have been carried out on multiple datasets. The experimental results demonstrate that our work has better performance than state-of-the-art models. It can be said that our work is a valuable supplement to the domain-specific industrial application models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and ocular characteristics. Systematic review with meta-analysis. Six databases (PubMed, Scopus, APA PsycInfo, Embase, EBSCOhost, and Cochrane library) were selected for a systematic literature search from database inception to July 2022. The observational studies assessing and reporting at least one outcome regarding ocular characteristics in children and adolescents with ADHD or ASD aged 6–17 were included. Studies in languages other than English, studies of adult or elderly human populations, and animal studies were excluded. The results were analyzed following the PRISMA guideline 2020. The findings of 15 studies, including 433 participants with ADHD, 253 participants with ASD, and 514 participants with typical development (TD), revealed that there were no significant differences in retinal nerve fiber layer, ganglion cell complex, and macular thickness between the ADHD group and the TD group. In subgroup analysis, significant differences in inferior ganglion cell (MD = − 3.19; 95% CI = [− 6.06, − 0.31], p = 0.03) and nasal macular thickness (MD = 5.88; 95% CI = [− 0.01, 11.76], p = 0.05) were detected between the ADHD group and the TD group. A significant difference in pupillary light reflex (PLR) was also observed between the ASD group and the TD group (MD = 29.7; 95% CI = [18.79, 40.63], p < 0.001). Existing evidence suggests a possible association between children and adolescents with ADHD or ASD and ocular characteristics. Given the limited number of studies, further research on a larger cohort is necessary to claim a possible diagnosis of ADHD or ASD through ocular characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) is the standard treatment for patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). The predictive value of heterogeneous circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in NCT response has not been determined. All patients were staged as LABC, and blood samples were collected at the time of biopsy, and after the first and eighth NCT courses. Patients were divided into High responders (High-R) and Low responders (Low-R) according to Miller–Payne system and changes in Ki-67 levels after NCT treatment. A novel SE-i·FISH strategy was applied to detect CTCs. Heterogeneities were successfully analyzed in patients undergoing NCT. Total CTCs increased continuously and were higher in Low-R group, while in High-R group, CTCs increased slightly during NCT before returning to baseline levels. Triploid and tetraploid chromosome 8 increased in Low-R but not High-R group. The number of small CTCs in Low-R group increased significantly until the last sample, however, remained constant in High-R group. The patients with more CTCs had shorter PFS and OS than those with less CTCs after the eighth course of NCT. Total CTCs following NCT could predict patients' responses. More detailed characterizations of CTC blood profiles may improve predictive capacity and treatments of LABC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are a lot of factors affecting the oxidation resistance of Al2O3-SiC-C castables. The density of the castables plays a key role and influences the Al2O3-SiC-C castables' physical properties, oxidation resistance, thermal shock resistance, and corrosion resistance. The aim of this work is to use spodumene as an additive to improve the oxidation resistance of the Al2O3-SiC-C castables. The results showed that at high-temperature, solid phases of spodumene transformed into liquid phases, which filled the pores in the Al2O3-SiC-C matrix. Therefore, the silicon carbide, carbon source, and micro silicon in the matrix were protected from oxidation, which promoted the generation of the silicon carbide and mullite whiskers in the matrix during sintering processes. In addition, the mechanical strength, thermal shock resistance, oxidation resistance, and corrosion resistance of specimens were improved with an increase in the content of spodumene. When the content of spodumene reached 2.0 wt.%, the specimens exhibited excellent properties. However, due to the volume expansion of the α-spodumene phase transformation, with a further increase in the content of spodumene, the properties of specimens degraded sharply. Therefore, an optimum content ~ 2.0 wt.% of spodumene was regarded as an improvement agent additive in the Al2O3-SiC-C castables system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with booster vaccination only had the lowest serum neutralization activity, with almost undetectable titers against BQ.1, BQ.1.1, CA.3.1, CH.1.1, XBB.1, and XBB.1.5. For instance, the neutralization GMTs against BA.2 dropped ~2-3-fold in BA.2 breakthrough infection groups, compared to the ~7-fold in the booster vaccination or Delta breakthrough infection groups (Fig. When comparing the BA.2 breakthrough infection with the Delta breakthrough infection (both groups had the same 2-dose vaccination history), the BA.2 breakthrough infection sera kept higher titers against BA.2 and BA.5, as well as some of their descendant viruses (Supplementary Fig. Certain BA.2 descendant viruses, such as BA.2.75.2, BN.1, CA.3.1, CH.1.1, XBB.1 and XBB.1.5 exhibited stronger evasion from the BA.5 breakthrough infection sera, but they still retained GMTs ~200 or higher (Fig. [Extracted from the article]

Lipoxygenase (LOX, EC1.13.11.12) catalyzes the oxygenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids and further generates oxylipins via enzymatic or non-enzymatic pathways, thus participating in the regulation of growth and development, stress response, and other processes. The objective of this research was to characterize the function and evaluate the mechanism of lipoxygenase gene AfLOX4's role in enhancing drought tolerance. Transcriptomic data were generated and analyzed for the LOX gene, under different concentrations of drought (polyethylene glycol-6000) (PEG6000) and abscisic acid (ABA) stress treatment, to determine their effects on the expression of the AfLOX4 gene and its role in plant physiology. The localization of the AfLOX4 protein was detected through protoplast transformation. The expression of AfLOX4 in Amorpha fruticosa tissues was determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Six LOX genes of A. fruticosa that showed an upregulated pattern under different concentrations of drought (PEG6000) stress were found via transcriptomic analysis and were named AfLOX1 ~ 6. The AfLOX4 protein was localized in the cytoplasm. AfLOX4 was expressed in the stems, roots, flowers, and leaves of Amorpha fruticosa L., and its expression level was the highest in leaves. The expression of AfLOX4 increased with the prolongation of stress time under different stresses. After ABA treatment, the germination rate of tobacco lines overexpressing AfLOX4 was significantly increased, while under NaHCO3 stress, the tolerance of tobacco plants overexpressing AfLOX4 was higher than that of wild-type tobacco. The tobacco with overexpression of the AfLOX4 gene detected by the natural drought method had a higher survival rate in the drought stress recovery experiment, and improved the drought tolerance of tobacco. This study reveals the function of the AfLOX4 gene in resisting drought stress and lays a solid theoretical foundation for the genetic improvement of Amorpha fruticosa L. plant varieties, as well as improvement of resource utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP) is one of the structures surrounding the knee joint that obscures exposure in minimally arthroscopy anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Most surgeons excise the partial fat pad for better exposure of the knee. However, whether removal of IPFP in ACLR remained inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical outcomes of IPFP preservation or resection in patients with primary hamstring-graft ACLR. A total of 104 patients were assigned to receive either IPFP-R (n = 55) or IPFP-P (n = 49). There were no significant preoperative differences between the two groups. The anterior knee pain (AKP) and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) in the two groups both recovered compared with those at baseline, but the IPFP-P group recovered more significantly at 3-, 6-, 12-month, and 3-, 6-month of follow-up, respectively. When assessing the KOOS subclasses using minimum perceptible clinical improvement (MPCI), patients with IPFP-R failed to make significant improvement at 3 months in the symptoms, pain and sports subsets of the KOOS. Knee-related complications were not significantly different between the two groups, while the resection group had a higher incidence. These results suggested that ACLR with primary hamstring grafts can achieve good effects whether performed with IPFP resection or preservation; however, the improvements in anterior knee pain and knee joint functions are better for the patients with IPFP preservation. Therefore, surgeons should avoid the resection of IPFP as much as possible while fully exposing the wild view to ensure the ACLR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During deep underground coal mining, coal is typically fractured under high in situ and mining-related stresses, thus increasing the risk for dynamic disasters. However, knowledge regarding the mechanical and permeability characteristics of initially fractured coal remains limited. In this study, laboratory investigations were performed to examine the anisotropic strength, failure modes, and permeability of initially fractured coal subjected to true triaxial stresses. The results indicated that initially fractured coal can be classified into semi-brittle Class I failure modes. A new failure plane can be formed for initially fractured coal samples after failure, which was different from the intact coal samples' failure mode. The peak strength of initially fractured coal was typically observed when the maximum principal stress was subjected perpendicular to the bedding planes, while minimum values were obtained when the maximum principal stress was subjected parallel to the butt cleats. The brittleness of initially fractured coal was increased with intermediate stress. The permeability evolution curves for initially fractured coal exhibited an L-shaped trend. The pulverized coal grains in initially fractured coal can block the gas flow channel contributing to the continuous decrease in permeability. Intermediate stress exerts a more significant effect on permeability reduction when deviatoric stresses are applied parallel to cleats in coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The biocontrol of pepper (Capsicum annum L.) Phytophthora blight by either exploitation of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus or intercropping with maize (Zea mays L.) has been well documented, while the potential contribution of AM fungal hyphal networks is poorly understood. The purpose of this work was to resolve the abundance, colonization, and role of AM fungi in the pepper/maize combinations with different row distances, focusing on pepper Phytophthora blight suppression and interspecific nutrient competitive relations. Materials and methods: A 14-week pot experiment was firstly carried out on a sterilized soil inoculated with Phytophthora capsici and with (+ M) or without (-M) AM fungus Funneliformis caledonium. Pepper and maize roots were absolutely separated (Sep) by polyvinyl chloride layer or semi-separated (Semi-Sep) by nylon mesh (30 μm) screen. Blight severity, fruit yield, plant biomass, and P and K acquisitions were all measured. Another 158-day field experiment included three treatments: pepper monocropping (control) and intercropping with maize under same ridge width (SRW) or same row distance (SRD). The disease categories of ten pepper plants per ridge and the economic yields of both plants per plot were recorded, and five pepper and three maize plants per plot were collected to test tissue biomass, and P and K acquisitions. Results and discussion: Sep + M resulted in lower pepper Phytophthora blight severity relative to Sep-M, while Semi-Sep + M induced lower blight severity and higher mycorrhizal colonization, K acquisition, and fruit biomass of pepper compared to Sep + M. Both SRW and SRD increased AM fungal abundance, mycorrhizal colonization, and plant total P and K acquisition per plot, and decreased blight incidence and severity and fruit biomass of individual pepper due to interspecific competition. Compared with SRD, SRW induced higher mycorrhizal colonization of both plants, and lower blight incidence and severity and higher maize yield per plot. There were no significant differences in interspecific nutrient distributions between SRW and SRD, but SRW had higher P acquisition per plot of both plants, as well as K acquisition per plot of maize compared to SRD. Conclusions: Intercropping with maize could further suppress pepper Phytophthora blight and increase the fruit biomass via elevating root mycorrhization. Compared with SRD, intercropping at a relatively narrow row distance (e.g., SRW) did not change the interspecific nutrient (P and K) distributions, but brought about stronger mycorrhization, as well as lower blight severity and higher economic yield per unit area. It suggests that SRW has the practical advantages in suppressing pepper Phytophthora blight and guaranteeing the utmost output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalysis is considered as an effective technique for mitigating ecological risks posed by residual tetracycline (TC). To improve the efficiency of this technique, it is necessary to enable photocatalysts to produce highly reactive species, such as singlet oxygen (1O2). However, due to the high activation energy of 1O2, photocatalysts can hardly produce 1O2 without assistance from external oxidants. Herein, we find that the size-reduced α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (∼ 4 nm) that anchored on g-C3N4 nanotube (α-Fe2O3@CNNT) can spontaneously generate 1O2 for degradation of TC. In comparison, only hydroxyl radical (·OH) can be produced by g-C3N4 nanotube loaded with ∼ 14 nm α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles (α-Fe2O3/CNNT). Owing to the high reactivity of the 1O2 species, the photocatalytic degradation rate (Kapp) of TC with α-Fe2O3@CNNT (0.056 min−1) was 1.8 times higher than that of α-Fe2O3/CNNT. The experimental results and theoretical calculations suggested that reducing the size of α-Fe2O3 nanoparticles anchored on g-C3N4 nanotube decreased the surface electron density of α-Fe2O3, which induces the generation of high-valent Fe(IV) active sites over α-Fe2O3@CNNT and turns the degradation pathway into a unique 1O2 dominated process. This study provides a new insight on the generation of 1O2 for effective degradation of environmental pollutant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In heterogeneous catalytic reactions, supported metal catalysts have attracted increasing attention for the environmental remediation and industrial manufacture due to their inherent catalytic capacity. However, leaching, agglomeration, and poisoning of active metal particles lead to catalyst deactivation, thereby limiting their applications. To avoid this, strategies to protect the active metals from such inactivating processes are major areas of research. Emerging encapsulation strategies, in which active species are coated by protective shells, have proven to be a powerful technology to enhance catalytic performance by creating a well-developed structure about the active catalytic sites. This review highlights the recent advances on preparation method and application of encapsulated catalysts since 2016. Building upon the traditional confinement effect, new categories and extended concepts of encapsulation are introduced. In parallel, effects of encapsulation structure on performance and key factors controlling the structure of encapsulated catalyst are discussed definitely in this review. Finally, future perspectives on opportunities and challenges for further research in the field are given at the end of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effect of antiviral therapy and drug withdrawal on the incidence of hepatitis B after delivery in pregnant women with chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) infection who received tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) treatment. Methods: Eligible CHB pregnant women were enrolled, and received TDF at 32 weeks gestation. The drug was stopped immediately or at 6 weeks after delivery. The HBV biomarkers and clinical biochemical parameters were monitored during gestation and 24 weeks after delivery. Results: There were 264 women completed the observation, including 96 untreated subjects in control group. Among 168 treated subjects, 131 cases stopped drug immediately after delivery and 37 cases delayed the drug withdrawal at 6 weeks after delivery. The incidence of postpartum hepatitis in control, immediate drug withdrawal, and delayed drug withdrawal were 28.1% (27/96), 23.7% (31/131), and 24.3% (9/37), showing no significant difference (χ2 = 0.607, p = 0.738). No factor was found to be associated with the occurrence of postpartum hepatitis. It's noteworthy that 96.3% of postpartum hepatitis in control group and 92.3% of postpartum hepatitis in immediate drug withdrawal group occurred within 12 weeks after delivery. While in delayed drug withdrawal group, the rate of postpartum hepatitis occurred within 12 weeks after delivery was 77.7%. Conclusion: Withdrawing antiviral drug immediately or at 6 weeks after delivery did not affect the incidence of postpartum hepatitis in CHB women, but delaying drug withdrawal might delay the onset of postpartum hepatitis. Clinical trial registration number: NCT03214302. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Soil salinization is a worldwide environmental problem, especially in the arid and semiarid regions of northeastern China, which are heavily affected by soda saline–alkaline stress. At present, there is an urgent need to improve the soda saline–alkaline stress tolerance of rice. Results: Stress-associated proteins are involved in regulating the abiotic stresses in plants. There are 18 members of the rice stress-associated protein (OsSAP) gene family. In this study, the expression levels of OsSAP6 in leaves and roots were upregulated with increasing NaHCO3 stress duration. OsSAP6 was located in nucleus and cytoplasm. The bud length and total root length of OsSAP6 overexpression rice were significantly longer than those of Lj11 (Oryza sativa longjing11) during germination stage, and the survival rates, plant height and malondialdehyde content at the seedling stage showed tolerance growth of saline–alkaline stress. The expression of OsCu/Zn-SOD, OsAPX2, and OsCAT1 in transgenic lines was increased significantly under SAE (soda saline–alkali soil eluent) stress. OsSAP6 interacts with OsPK5 according to yeast two-hybrid screening and luciferase complementation experiments. The expression of OsPK5 increased under NaHCO3 and H2O2 stress, and the overexpression of OsPK5 in rice improved soda saline–alkaline tolerance. Conclusion: Overexpression of OsSAP6 in rice significantly enhanced saline–alkaline tolerance compared with the wild type. It is speculated that OsSAP6 responds to soda salinity stress and interacts with OsPK5 to positively regulate soda saline–alkaline tolerance through ROS homeostasis. This study revealed the features of OsSAP6 involved in response to soda saline–alkaline stress and the interaction with OsPK5, which provided resources for breeding aimed at improving the soda saline–alkaline stress tolerance of rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epigenetics play an essential role in the occurrence and improvement of many diseases. Evidence shows that epigenetic modifications are crucial to the regulation of gene expression. DNA methylation is closely linked to embryonic development in mammalian. In recent years, epigenetic drugs have shown unexpected therapeutic effects on neurological diseases, leading to the study of the epigenetic mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases. Unlike genetics, epigenetics modify the genome without changing the DNA sequence. Research shows that epigenetics is involved in all aspects of neurodegenerative diseases. The study of epigenetic will provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases, which may lead to new treatments and diagnoses. This article reviews the role of epigenetic modifications neurodegenerative diseases with dyskinesia, and discusses the therapeutic potential of epigenetic drugs in neurodegenerative diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brassinolide (BR) plays an important role in physiological and biochemical processes of plants. The natural resources of Pinellia ternata (P. ternata) were gradually exhausted, while the yield of artificial cultivation was limited due to the uncertainty of technology and climate. The paper mainly studied BR effects on the yield and quality of two P. ternata cultivars (peach leaf shape and willow leaf shape) on the 15th and 105th day after treatments, which could provide references for P. ternata cultivation. Six levels of BR (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 2 mg/L) were sprayed at three-leaf fully expanded. The results showed that BR treatments increased the yield and quality of two P. ternata cultivars. After the 15th day of treatments, BR was beneficial to increase DPPH radical scavenging activity and contents of total flavone, ascorbic acid, and soluble sugar in tuber of two P. ternata cultivars. After the 105th day of BR treatments, peach leaf P. ternata had higher yield and contents of total alkaloids, free amino acid, and soluble protein content in tuber and bulbil, and willow leaf P. ternata had higher DPPH radical scavenging activity and contents of total flavone and soluble sugar in tuber and bulbil. Comprehensive analysis showed that the optimum BR concentration was 2 mg/L for tuber and bulbil of peach leaf shape and was 0.5–1 mg/L for tuber and bulbil of willow leaf shape, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi-stages in-fracture temporary plugging and diverting fracturing technology (ITPDF) is significant for the stimulation of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. However, the propagation pattern of hydraulic fracture and the pressure response law after temporary plugging still lacks some understanding affected by many factors. Hence, to deeply understand the fracture diverting propagation mechanism and pressure response law after in-fracture temporary plugging, the study developed first a numerical model of cohesive zone considering in-fracture temporary plugging, seepage and fracture propagation based on the effective viscosity characterization method and the USDFLD (user defined field) subroutine. In addition, the accuracy of the numerical model is verified by comparing with laboratory results. The effect of different parameters such as temporary plugging body permeability, temporary plugging body length, temporary plugging location, temporary plugging times, and stress difference on the temporary plugging and diverting behavior of hydraulic fractures and natural fractures are deeply investigated. The fracture diverting pattern, fracture initiation sequence, and pressure response mechanism are clarified for different in-fracture plugging conditions. The results show that the physical properties of the temporary plugging body are vital to the effectiveness of the in-fracture temporary plugging fracturing. The lower the permeability of the temporary plugging body, the longer the length of the temporary plugging body, and the closer the position of the temporary plugging body, the easier it is to activate the natural fractures. In addition, when there are many natural fractures, the more times of temporary plugging, the more range and number of natural fractures are activated. This study can provide a new method to further understand the fracture behavior after in-fracture temporary plugging fracturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under high ground stress and strong mining disturbance, the broken block rock mass is prone to slip along the interface, inducing ultra-low friction rock burst dynamic disasters. Considering the high stress environment of deep rock masses, the broken rock mass around the deep roadway is taken as the research object, the dynamic model of block rocks with overburden pressure is established, and a new formula of normal force between blocks is derived based on the changes of block acceleration and normal force, and compared with the previous experimental data to verify the reliability of the established model. The influence of spring stiffness coefficient, inter-block damping, block mass, frequency, amplitude, and overburden pressure of vertical impact load on normal force of the working block is analyzed for rock mass perturbed by vertical and horizontal bidirectional disturbance, and it is found that the ultra-low friction effect between blocks is determined by the minimum value of normal force. The results show that during the vertical movement of the block, the normal force change can be divided into four stages: super extrusion, strong extrusion, weak extrusion, and relative separation. When the granite block model is perturbed by vertical and horizontal bidirectional perturbations, the frequency and amplitude of the vertical impact load, the mass of the block, the spring stiffness coefficient, and the damping between the blocks have a significant impact on the normal force of the working block. The minimum normal force increases in parabolic form with the increase of vertical shock frequency, mass, and damping coefficient between blocks, and decreases linearly with the increase of vertical shock amplitude and spring stiffness coefficient. The smaller the mass of the block, the larger the spring stiffness coefficient, the smaller the damping coefficient; and under the action of low-frequency disturbance and strong impact load, the smaller the minimum normal force, the higher the possibility of the block rock mass inducing ultra-low friction effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiomyocyte apoptosis is critical for the development of viral myocarditis (VMC), which is one of the leading causes of cardiac sudden death in young adults. Our previous studies have demonstrated that elevated calpain activity is involved in the pathogenesis of VMC. This study aimed to further explore the underlying mechanisms. Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) and transgenic mice overexpressing calpastatin were infected with coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) to establish a VMC model. Apoptosis was detected with flow cytometry, TUNEL staining, and western blotting. Cardiac function was measured using echocardiography. Mitochondrial function was measured using ATP assays, JC-1, and MitoSOX. Mitochondrial morphology was observed using MitoTracker staining and transmission electron microscopy. Colocalization of dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp-1) in mitochondria was examined using immunofluorescence. Phosphorylation levels of Drp-1 at Ser637 site were determined using western blotting analysis. We found that CVB3 infection impaired mitochondrial function as evidenced by increased mitochondrial ROS production, decreased ATP production and mitochondrial membrane potential, induced myocardial apoptosis and damage, and decreased myocardial function. These effects of CVB3 infection were attenuated by inhibition of calpain both by PD150606 treatment and calpastatin overexpression. Furthermore, CVB3-induced mitochondrial dysfunction was associated with the accumulation of Drp-1 in the outer membrane of mitochondria and subsequent increase in mitochondrial fission. Mechanistically, calpain cleaved and activated calcineurin A, which dephosphorylated Drp-1 at Ser637 site and promoted its accumulation in the mitochondria, leading to mitochondrial fission and dysfunction. In summary, calpain inhibition attenuated CVB3-induced myocarditis by reducing mitochondrial fission, thereby inhibiting cardiomyocyte apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been shown to be associated with the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) and the prognosis of locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) patients. Our study aimed to investigate whether the change of CTC status during NCT could serve as a supplement to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) in the treatment and evaluation of LABC patients. Methods: 6 ml of blood samples were collected before NCT, after the first cycle of NCT and after the completion of NCT, respectively. According to the change of CTC number during NCT, the patients were divided into "CTC low-response (low-R)" group and "CTC high-response (high-R)" group. Survival data of each group of patients were obtained through long-term follow-up. Results: A total of 35 patients diagnosed with LABC were enrolled. The median follow-up for distant metastasis was 27 months (range 7–36 months). There was no significant difference in distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) between PR/CR group and PD/SD group (P = 0.0914), while CTC low-R group had a worse DMFS than CTC high-R group (P = 0.0199). In PR/CR subgroup, patients with CTC low-R showed a lower DMFS compared with those with CTC high-R (P = 0.0159). However, in PD/SD subgroup, there was no significant difference in DMFS between CTC low-R and CTC high-R group (P = 0.7521). In terms of assessing response to NCT, CTC change or RECIST classification alone had an AUC of 0.533 (95% CI 0.277–0.790) and 0.700 (95% CI 0.611–0.789), respectively. When combining the two, the AUC slightly increased to 0.713 (95% CI 0.532–0.895). Conclusion: The change of CTC number during NCT has a potential to serve as a supplement to RECIST in the assessment of NCT efficacy and the prognosis of LABC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The H5N8 avian influenza viruses have been widely circulating in wild birds and are responsible for the loss of over 33 million domestic poultry in Europe, Russia, Middle East, and Asia since January 2020. To monitor the invasion and spread of the H5N8 virus in China, we performed active surveillance by analyzing 317 wild bird samples and swab samples collected from 41,172 poultry all over the country. We isolated 22 H5N8 viruses from wild birds and 14 H5N8 viruses from waterfowls. Genetic analysis indicated that the 36 viruses formed two different genotypes: one genotype viruses were widely detected from different wild birds and domestic waterfowls; the other genotype was isolated from a whopper swan. We further revealed the origin and spatiotemporal spread of these two distinct H5N8 virus genotypes in 2020 and 2021. Animal studies indicated that the H5N8 isolates are highly pathogenic to chickens, mildly pathogenic in ducks, but have distinct pathotypes in mice. Moreover, we found that vaccinated poultry in China could be completely protected against H5N8 virus challenge. Given that the H5N8 viruses are likely to continue to spread in wild birds, vaccination of poultry is highly recommended in high-risk countries to prevent H5N8 avian influenza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control of large edge localized modes (ELMs) is a critical issue for the successful operation of future burning plasma devices, such as the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) and China fusion engineering test reactor (CFETR). In this paper, we present a new active and effective means of ELM suppression using ion cyclotron resonant heating (ICRH) on the experimental advanced superconducting tokamak (EAST). We obtained the key role of the external E × B velocity shear near the pedestal top and the scrape-off-layer (SOL) induced by the RF sheath potential of ICRH in ELM suppression. The experimental results showed a positive correlation between the RF sheath and the E × B shear rate in SOL. BOUT++ simulations indicate that increased E × B velocity shear rates in the pedestal and SOL regions promote ELM suppression; thereby, supporting the experimental observations on EAST. These findings suggest a new simple approach to access the ELM suppressed regimes in plasma with low torque input as ITER baseline discharges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many studies have evaluated factors that influence the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in different countries. This multicountry study assessed the influence of democracy and other factors on the case fatality rate of COVID-19 during the early stage of the pandemic. We accessed the World Health Organization, World Bank, and the Democracy Index 2019 databases for data from the 148 countries. Multiple analyses were conducted to examine the association between the Democracy Index and case fatality rate of COVID-19. Within 148 countries, the percentage of the population aged 65 years and above (p = 0.0193), and health expenditure as a percentage of GDP (p = 0.0237) were positively associated with countries' case fatality rates. By contrast, hospital beds per capita helped to reduce the case fatality rates. In particular, the Democracy Index was positively associated with case fatality rates in a subgroup of 47 high-income countries. This study suggests that enhancing the health system with increased hospital beds and healthcare workforce per capita should reduce case fatality rate. The findings suggest that a higher Democracy Index is associated with more deaths from COVID-19 at the early stage of the pandemic, possibly due to the decreased ability of the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reconstruction of a massive bone defect caused by previous failed limb-salvage surgery in patients with bone sarcoma is challenging. Many procedures have been used, but they all have their inherent disadvantages. The Capanna technique has demonstrated good functional outcomes and a low incidence of complications in primary reconstructive surgery of massive bone defect. However, few studies have focused on its usage in revision surgery after failed primary limb-salvage surgery. Methods: Between June 2011 and January 2017, 13 patients underwent revision surgery with the Capanna technique for reconstruction of a secondary segmental bone defect caused by a previous failed surgical procedure. The demographics, operating procedures, graft union, functional outcomes, oncologic outcomes, and postoperative complications of each patient were recorded. Results: The current study investigated 13 patients. The rate of limb salvage was 100 %. Bone union was achieved for all patients during a mean time of 8.54 ± 2.15 months (range 4–11 months) at the fibula–host bone junction and 14.92 ± 2.33 months (range 12–21 months) at the allograft–host bone junction. The postoperative complications included wound healing issues and internal fixation loosening. Allograft fracture, nonunion, and infection were not observed. All the patients achieved good functional outcomes, with a Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score of 0.86 ± 0.03 at the latest follow-up visit. Conclusions: The Capanna technique is a reliable alternative method for revision reconstruction of a segmental bone defect caused by a previous failed surgical procedure. Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep rock mass tends to be broken into blocks when mining for materials deep below the surface. The rock layer of the roof of the mine can be regarded as a system of blocks of fractured rock mass. When subjected to high ground stress and mining-induced disturbance, the effect of the ultra-low friction of the block system easily becomes apparent, and can induce rock burst and other accidents. By taking the block of rock mass as research object, this study developed a test system for ultra-low friction to experimentally examine its effects on the broken blocks under stress wave-induced disturbance. We used the horizontal displacement of the working block as the characteristic parameter reflecting the effect of ultra-low friction, and examine its characteristic laws of horizontal displacement, acceleration, and energy when subjected to the effects of ultra-low friction by changing the frequency and amplitude of the stress wave-induced disturbance. The results show that the frequency of stress wave-induced disturbance is related to the generation of ultra-low friction in the broken block. The frequency of disturbance of the stress wave is within 1–3 Hz, and significantly increases the maximum acceleration and horizontal displacement of the broken blocks. The greater the intensity of the stress wave-induced disturbance is, the higher is the degree of block fragmentation, and the more likely are effects of ultra-low friction to occur between the blocks. The greater the intensity of the horizontal impact load is, the higher is the degree of fragmentation of the rock mass, and the easier it is for the effects of ultra-low friction to occur. Stress wave-induced disturbance and horizontal impact are the main causes of sliding instability of the broken blocks. When the dominant frequency of the kinetic energy of the broken block is within 20 Hz, the effects of ultra-low friction are more likely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Health utility (HU) is a useful metric for evaluating cost and utility of cancer therapies or prioritizing healthcare resources. We conducted a meta-analysis to compare HUs in association with clinical parameters and identify missing cancer-related themes from the extant HU measures for pediatric cancer patients and survivors. Methods: Studies published in the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were identified. Meta-analyses were performed to estimate weighted means of HUs assessed by self- and proxy-responses. Mixed-effects meta-regressions were applied to compare HUs between cancer patients/survivors and general populations. Missing themes in the extant measures were identified based on established patient-reported outcomes frameworks. Results: Of 123 selected studies included pediatric cancer populations, 44% used the Health Utilities Index version 2 (HUI2), and 48% used version 3 (HUI3). Compared to general populations, cancer patients undergoing therapies for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) had 0.129 (95% CI − 0.183 to − 0.075) and brain tumor had 0.257 (95% CI − 0.354 to − 0.160) lower HUs per proxy-reported HUI3, whereas survivors of ALL had 0.028 (95% CI − 0.062 to 0.007) and brain tumor had 0.188 (95% CI − 0.237 to − 0.140) lower HUs per proxy-reported HUI3. Compared to general populations, cancer patients treated with multimodality therapy and survivors off therapy 2–5 years had significantly poorer HUs (p's < 0.05). Missing cancer-specific contents from the HU measures were identified. Conclusion: Pediatric cancer patients and survivors had poorer HUs than general populations. It is important to select appropriate HUs for economic evaluations, and offer interventions to minimize HU deficits for particular cancer populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In deep underground geotechnical engineering, water–rock interaction emerges as a critical factor influencing the stability of engineering rock masses. This study delves into the macroscopic nonlinear mechanical behavior and fracture characteristics of natural water-bearing and saturated sandstone samples under various true triaxial stress states. The objective is to systematically elucidate the impact of actual three-dimensional stress conditions and water content on the mechanical behavior and fracture mechanisms of sandstone formations. The findings reveal significant anisotropic deformation in sandstone under 3D stress, while saturated sandstone exhibits robust plastic deformation capacity. Moreover, changes in the strain ratio coefficient are identified as precursors to rock fracture. The dilatation behavior of sandstone weakens progressively with increasing σ2, indicating reduced expansion in saturated sandstone. To account for the influence of σ2, a novel dilation index is proposed. The true triaxial strength of sandstone demonstrates a close relationship with both σ2 and water content, with strength initially increasing before declining as σ2 rises. In addition, water significantly undermines sandstone strength, although this weakening trend moderates with increasing σ2. Morphological analysis and SEM observations unveil three-dimensional volume fracturing characteristics in rock fractures, primarily characterized by shear accompanied by tensile fractures. Saturated sandstone samples, in contrast, exhibit numerous tensile and intergranular fractures. Overall, this study holds paramount practical significance for the evaluation of rock stability and the design of water-bearing engineering rock masses, encompassing domains, such as geology, water conservancy, and mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we select 93 seismic waveform recorded from 2009 to 2011 within 400 km of Chongqing and use the single scattering model to calculate the coda attenuation. Then, based on the multiple anisotropic scattering theory, relative contributions of intrinsic attenuation Qi−1 and scattering attenuation Qsc−1 are separated. Q0 is the coda Q value corresponding to the center frequency which is 1 Hz. The results show that when the length of the coda elapsed time window LW is longer, the Q0 value is larger and the frequency correlation coefficient η is smaller for the same station. When LW is 40, 50, 60, and 70 s, the average Q0 in Chongqing is 182, 213, 242, and 253, and η is 0.99, 0.93, 0.89, and 0.88, respectively. In contrast, the Q0 of Yunnan area is 78 when LW is 60; it indicated less heterogeneity and lower level of seismicity in Chongqing area. The attenuation of these seismic waves is dominated by Qi−1. When the frequency is 2–4 Hz and 4–8 Hz, Qi−1 is obviously greater than Qsc−1, while at other frequencies, the values of the two are similar. Under different LW, the coda attenuation Qc−1 is closer to the total attenuation Qt−1 at 8–16 Hz, and the other frequencies are basically between Qi−1 and Qt−1. Qsc−1 plays a certain role in the coda attenuation in Chongqing. The effective attenuation coefficient α becomes smaller with the increase of the LW. The result is helpful to understand the influencing factors of coda Q value and provide a reference for geological research in Chongqing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment options for myocarditis are currently limited. Inhibition of calpains has been shown to prevent Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced cardiac injuries, but the underlying mechanism of action of calpains has not been elucidated. We investigated whether NOD-, LRR-, and pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome participated in CVB3-induced myocarditis, and investigated the effects of calpain-1 on CVB3-induced cardiac injury. NLRP3 inflammasome was activated in CVB3-infected hearts, evidenced by elevated protein levels of NLRP3, N-terminal domain of Gasdermin D, and cleaved caspase-1, and the increased co-localization of NLRP3 and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein. The intraperitoneal administration of MCC950, a selective inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome, led to decreased levels of serum creatine kinase-MB, cardiac troponin I, lactate dehydrogenase, interleukin-18, interleukin-1β, prevention of the infiltration of inflammatory cells, and improvement of cardiac function under CVB3 infection. Transgenic mice overexpressing the endogenous calpain inhibitor calpastatin (Tg-CAST mice) exhibited not only decreased apoptosis, inflammation, fibrosis, and enhanced cardiac function but also inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis. The selective inhibition of calpain-1 using PD151746 protected cardiomyocytes in vitro from CVB3 infection by downregulating NLRP3 inflammasome and, thus, preserved cell viability. Mechanistically, we showed that mitochondrial dysfunction preceded inflammatory response after CVB3 treatment and elimination of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) using mitochondria-targeted antioxidants (mito-TEMPO) recapitalized the phenotype observed in Tg-CAST mice. Furthermore, the promotion or inhibition of calpain-1 activation in vitro regulated the mitochondrial respiration chain. Mito-TEMPO reversed calpain-1-mediated NLRP3 inflammation activation and cell death. We also found that mitochondrial calpain-1, which was increased after CVB3 stimulation, activated the NLRP3 inflammasome and resulted in cell death. Furthermore, ATP synthase-α (ATP5A1) was revealed to be the cleaving target of calpain-1 after CVB3 treatment. Downregulating ATP5A1 using ATP5A1-small interfering RNA impaired mitochondrial function, decreased cell viability, and induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation. In conclusion, CVB3 infection induced calpain-1 accumulation in mitochondria, and led to subsequent ATP5A1 cleavage, mitochondrial ROS overproduction, and impaired mitochondrial function, eventually causing NLRP3 inflammasome activation and inducing pyroptosis. Therefore, our findings established the role of calpain in viral myocarditis and unveiled its underlying mechanism of its action. Calpain appears as a promising target for the treatment of viral myocarditis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subsurface rocks are in the in situ stress state prior to drilling. The original and intact borehole subjected to stress redistribution can be deformed during field operations, and elliptical boreholes will be generated. Most laboratory scale hydraulic fracturing experimental specimens were predrilled in the center without considering lateral and axial pressure. In order to investigate the hydraulic fracturing characteristics of boreholes with non-circular appearance commonly seen in the field, hydraulic fracturing experiments were performed on boreholes with elliptical morphology. These experiments provide a comparison of elliptical and circular boreholes, and indicated that the horizontal in situ stress difference and borehole shape affect the breakdown pressure together. When the horizontal stress difference exists, the breakdown pressure reduces with the increase of the short-axis of elliptical boreholes. At zero horizontal stress difference, the situation is just the opposite. The analytic solutions of the stress fields near the elliptical borehole were obtained by employing the complex variable function. The fracture initiation conforms to the maximum tensile stress criterion. Whether the borehole is elliptical or circular, the damage process during hydraulic fracturing will cause fractures to eventually curve to the major stress direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tensor robust principal component analysis (TRPCA), which aims to recover the underlying low-rank multidimensional datasets from observations corrupted by noise and/or outliers, has been widely applied to various fields. The typical convex relaxation of TRPCA in literature is to minimize a weighted combination of the tensor nuclear norm (TNN) and the ℓ 1 -norm. However, owing to the gap between the tensor rank function and its lower convex envelop (i.e., TNN), the tensor rank approximation by using the TNN appears to be insufficient. Also, the ℓ 1 -norm generally is too relaxing as an estimator for the ℓ 0 -norm to obtain desirable results in terms of sparsity. Different from current approaches in literature, in this paper, we develop a new non-convex TRPCA model, which minimizes a weighted combination of non-convex tensor rank approximation function and the weighted ℓ p -norm to attain a tighter approximation. The resultant non-convex optimization model can be solved efficiently by the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). We prove that the constructed iterative sequence generated by the proposed algorithm converges to a critical point of the proposed model. Numerical experiments for both image recovery and surveillance video background modeling demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resistance to small-molecule drugs is the main cause of the failure of therapeutic drugs in clinical practice. Missense mutations altering the binding of ligands to proteins are one of the critical mechanisms that result in genetic disease and drug resistance. Computational methods have made a lot of progress for predicting binding affinity changes and identifying resistance mutations, but their prediction accuracy and speed are still not satisfied and need to be further improved. To address these issues, we introduce a structure-based machine learning method for quantitatively estimating the effects of single mutations on ligand binding affinity changes (named as PremPLI). A comprehensive comparison of the predictive performance of PremPLI with other available methods on two benchmark datasets confirms that our approach performs robustly and presents similar or even higher predictive accuracy than the approaches relying on first-principle statistical mechanics and mixed physics- and knowledge-based potentials while requires much less computational resources. PremPLI can be used for guiding the design of ligand-binding proteins, identifying and understanding disease driver mutations, and finding potential resistance mutations for different drugs. PremPLI is freely available at https://lilab.jysw.suda.edu.cn/research/PremPLI/ and allows to do large-scale mutational scanning. Sun et al. present PremPLI, a machine learning approach and web tool to predict how missense mutations in a drug's target protein will affect the drug's binding affinity. PremPLI can be applied to identify drug resistance mechanisms in cancer cells and microorganisms and develop drugs to combat drug resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The vascularized fibula epiphyseal transfer provides a reconstructive option for longitudinal growth after oncologic resection of the proximal humerus in pediatric patients. However, postoperative fractures and poor shoulder function are common. The purpose of this review was to introduce a composite approach in oncologic reconstruction of the proximal humerus and assess its clinical outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively investigated five children (3 osteosarcoma and 2 Ewing's sarcoma) who underwent biological reconstruction with combination of vascularized fibula epiphyseal transfer and massive bone allograft after oncologic resection of the proximal humerus. The mean follow-up was 46.8 months. Results: All patients were alive at the last follow-up. There was no graft fracture, hardware failure, or infection. The mean time of osseous union was 2.9 months at fibula–humerus junction and 6.2 months at allograft–humerus junction. Hypertrophy and axial growth were evident in all, except one patient who has avascular necrosis of the fibula head. The mean hypertrophy index was 51.5%, and the mean growth was 4.4 mm per annum. The mean arm discrepancy was 4.6 cm. All reconstruction was in situ with the average abduction of 113° and forward flexion of 69°. The mean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society (MSTS) score was 85.4% at the final follow-up. All patients experienced dropped foot and resolved spontaneously. Conclusions: The combination of vascularized fibula epiphyseal transfer with massive allograft bone provides a reliable oncologic reconstruction of proximal humerus in children. It not only offers the ability of longitudinal growth, hypertrophy, and osseous union but also diminishes reconstructive complications and improves shoulder function. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Continuous cropping of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.) causes soil degradation, accumulating Ralstonia solanacearum that induce Ralstonia wilt notably in plastic shed soils. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a crucial role in protecting hosts against such soil-borne pathogens, but comprehensive understanding of the soil–plant defense systems upon mycorrhization is not clear yet, especially at the later period of fruit production. The aim of this study was to investigate the underlining mechanisms in both soil and plant. Materials and methods: A 10-week greenhouse pot experiment with four treatments, including control and inoculation with Funneliformis caledonium (Fc), R. solanacearum (Rs), and both strains (Rs + Fc), was carried out on a sterilized soil. Pots with two tomato plants each were randomly arranged with six replicates per treatment. The wilt severity; the tissue biomass and nutrient content; the root mycorrhizal colonization and total phenolic compounds; the leaf peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), and phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activities; and soil AM fungi and R. solanacearum abundances, soil pH, organic C and nutrient concentrations, and phosphatase activity were all tested. Both redundancy analysis (RDA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were performed to illustrate plant overall performance among treatments and to elucidate the major influencing pathways of AM fungi. Results and discussion: The additional inoculation with F. caledonium resulted in significant decreases of soil R. solanacearum abundance and Olsen-P concentration, as well as increases of soil pH, organic C concentration, and phosphatase activity, as compared to the soil only inoculated with R. solanacearum. Mycorrhizal inoculation also increased root total phenolic compound content, and leaf POD and PPO activities, but reduced shoot/root K ratio in plants under the attack of R. solanacearum, thereby alleviating Ralstonia wilt severity by 65.7% and yield loss by 46.5%. The RDA and SEM results revealed significant variation in plant overall performance among treatments, and the contribution of AM fungi in suppressing tomato Ralstonia wilt and yield damage particularly via ameliorating soil quality and alleviating plant metabolic pressure. Conclusions: This study verified the bio-protection of AM fungi in both soil and plant systems against tomato Ralstonia wilt. Mycorrhization shifted the soil environment and suppressed soil R. solanacearum population, and also modulated plant nutrient translocation, increased phenolic compounds synthetization, and activated defense enzymes. Through establishing the integrated defense systems in both rhizosphere and plant, AM fungi alleviated the severity of Ralstonia disease and ameliorated yield damage in tomato. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reverse genetics approaches are critical for uncovering complex biological processes and genetic engineering. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)–CRISPR-associated (Cas) system (CRISPR/Cas9) has been widely used for generating mutants in a large number of species. The Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), a gonochoristic teleost with XX/XY sex determination system, is a good model for studying fish sex determination and reproduction. Here, we describe a detailed procedure for gene mutation in tilapia by CRISPR/Cas9. This protocol covers selection of target sites, in vitro RNA transcription, artificial insemination and microinjection of one cell stage embryos. We also provide details for detection of somatic and germline transmitted mutations, fast establishment of mutant lines and discuss some practical advices. This protocol will facilitate broader applications of CRISPR/Cas9 in studies of tilapia as well as other aquaculture fishes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) cessation is not widely practiced and remains a controversial, but highly relevant subject in patients infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV). We aimed to explore the related factors for safe NAs cessation.Methods: This is a multicenter prospective cohort study. Overall, 139 initially HBV e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients meeting the stopping criteria were included in 12 hospitals in China. Enrolled patients ceased NAs and were followed up every 3 months for 24 months or until clinical relapse (CR).Results: The 24 month cumulative rates of virological relapse (VR), CR, HBeAg reversion and HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) loss were 50.4, 24.5, 11.5 and 9.4%, respectively. Patients with end of treatment (EOT) HBsAg  < 100 IU/mL plus negative HBV RNA had the lowest 24 month cumulative VR rate (5 vs 58%, p < 0.001). EOT HBsAg  ≥ 2 log10 IU/mL [odds ratio (OR) = 6.686, p = 0.006], EOT positive HBV RNA (OR = 3.453, p = 0.008) and EOT hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg)  ≥ 4log U/mL (OR = 3.702, p = 0.002) were found to independently predict the risk of VR. To predict VR, the area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) value of the EOT HBsAg  < 100 IU/mL plus EOT HBV RNA negative was 0.698 (p < 0.001), which was higher than other parameters alone or combinations.Conclusions: NAs cessation is suitable only for a small and selected patients. An EOT HBsAg  < 100 IU/mL and EOT negative HBV RNA identified a patient with low risk of off-treatment VR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate, cost-effective monitoring and management of young forests is important for future stand quality. There is a critical need for a rapid assessment tool for forest monitoring and management. This study uses a low-cost unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to complete a tree height and tree density assessment in a newly forested Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb) Hook) planting (15 sample plots), Shunchang County, Fujian, China (1.12 ha). Images obtained from a Phantom4-Multispectral UAV were used to generate a digital surface model (DSM) with DJI Terra software (0.02 m spatial resolution). Based on the DSM, the individual trees were identified and the height of each corresponding tree was determined. The impacts of factors related to individual tree detection (ITD) and tree height accuracy were also analyzed. For the tree-level, the highest accuracy of ITD for Chinese fir was 98.93% (F-score = 98.93%). Remotely sensed individual tree heights produced an R2 value of 0.89, RMSE value of 0.22 m when compared to a field survey. At the stand-level, tree height assessment yielded R2 = 0.95, RMSE = 0.12 m, and tree density assessment yielded R2 = 0.99, RMSE = 48 tree ha−1. The results highlight that UAVs can successfully monitor forest parameters and hold great potential as a supplement or substitute tool in field inventory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]