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BackgroundThe concept of the gut-retinal axis proposed by previous scholars primarily focused on the relationship between intestinal microbiota and retinal diseases, and few further expanded the relationship between intestinal diseases and retinal diseases. To further substantiate the concept of the gut-retinal axis, we analyzed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) using Mendelian randomization (MR), and use mediation analysis to further explore the potential substances that influence this causal relationship.MethodsThe genome-wide association study’s (GWAS) summary statistics for genetic variations were utilized in a Mendelian randomization (MR) investigation. GWAS data on IBD (including ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn’s disease (CD), and IBD) for non-Finnish Europeans (NFE) were sourced from published articles. In contrast, data on DR (including DR and diabetic maculopathy (DMP)) were obtained from FinnGen R9. The causal relationship has been investigated using inverse variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger, and weighted median and sensitivity analysis was applied to verify the stability of the results. In addition, we applied mediation analysis to investigate whether circulating inflammatory proteins and plasma lipids played a mediating role, and calculated its effect ratio.ResultsThe causal relationship between IBD and DR was discovered by employing the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method and weighted median method. In forward MR, UC was significantly associated with lower risk of DR (IVW: OR=0.874; 95%CI= 0.835–0.916; P value= 1.28E-08) (Weighted median: OR=0.893; 95%CI= 0.837–0.954; P value= 7.40E-04). In reverse MR, it was shown that DR (IVW: OR=0.870; 95%CI= 0.828–0.914; P value= 2.79E-08)(Weighted median: OR=0.857; 95%CI= 0.801–0.916; P value= 6.40E-06) and DMP (IVW: OR=0.900; 95%CI= 0.865–0.937; P value= 3.34E-07)(Weighted median: OR=0.882; 95%CI= 0.841–0.924; P value= 1.82E-07) could reduce the risk of CD. What’s more, DR is associated with a lower risk of IBD according to genetic prediction (IVW: OR=0.922; 95%CI= 0.873–0.972; P value= 0.002) (Weighted median: OR=0.924; 95%CI= 0.861–0.992; P value= 0.029). Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and triacylglycerol (TG) serve as mediators in these relationships.ConclusionsOur research offers novel insights and sources for investigating the gut-retina axis in the genetic relationship between IBD and DR. We discover four mediators and more about the association between the intestine and retinal disorders and provide more evidence for the gut-retinal axis theory.

External tagging methods can aid in the research of leopard coral grouper (Plectropomus leopardus) in terms of its spatio-temporal behavior at population and individual scales. However, due to the strong exclusion ability and the damage to the body wall of P. leopardus, the retention rate of traditional invasive tagging methods is low. To develop a non-invasive identification method for P. leopardus, we adopted a multiscale image processing method based on matched filters with Gaussian kernels and partial differential equation (PDE) multiscale hierarchical decomposition with the deep convolutional neural network (CNN) models VGG19 and ResNet50 to extract shape and texture image features of individuals. Then based on image features, we used three classifiers Random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and multilayer perceptron (MLP)) for individual recognition on sequential images of P. leopardus captured for 50 days. The PDE, ResNet50 and MLP combination obtained a maximum accuracy of 0.985 ± 0.045 on the test set. For individual temporal tracking recognition, feature extraction and model training were performed using images taken in 1-20 days. The classifier could achieve an accuracy of 0.960 ± 0.049 on the test set consisting of images collected in the periods of 20-50 days. The results show that CNNs with the PDE decomposition can effectively and accurately identify P. leopardus.

ObjectivesThe relationship between the MELD-XI score, a modified version of the MELD score, and the long-term prognosis of hospitalized patients with chronic heart failure is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the long-term prognostic relationship of MELD-XI score in patients with chronic heart failure.MethodsThis is a retrospective cohort study of patients with chronic heart failure who were initially hospitalized in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from February 2017 to December 2017. The primary clinical outcome was all-cause mortality within 3 years. Cox regression and lasso regression were used to screen variables and build a prognostic model. Combined with the MELD-XI score, the final model was adjusted, and the predictive ability of the model was evaluated. Survival curves were estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method and compared by the log rank test.ResultsA total of 400 patients with chronic heart failure were included (median age 76 years, 51.5% female). During the 3-year follow-up period, there were 97 all-cause deaths, including 63 cardiac deaths. Six characteristic variables (NT-proBNP, BUN, RDW CV, Na+ and prealbumin) were selected by univariate Cox regression and lasso regression. Survival analysis results showed that elevated MELD-XI score at baseline predicted the risk of all-cause mortality at 3 years in patients (HR 3.19, 95% CI 2.11–4.82, P < 0.001; HRadjusted 1.79, 95% CI 1.09–2.92, P = 0.020). Subgroup analysis showed that MELD-XI score still had prognostic value in the subgroup without chronic kidney disease (HR 3.30 95%CI 2.01–5.42 P < 0.001; HRadjusted 1.88 95%CI 1.06–3.35 P = 0.032, P for interaction = 0.038).ConclusionsThis study proved that the MELD-XI score at admission was related to the poor prognosis of hospitalized patients with chronic heart failure within 3 years.

Background: Immunologic graft rejection is the main complication of corneal transplants. This study aimed to investigate the effect of melatonin (MT) on the rejection of corneal transplantation.Methods: Corneal allografts were performed by grafting corneas from BALB/C mice to C57BL/6 hosts. MT (50 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected into the hosts every day from the day of transplantation. The survival of grafts was observed by slit lamp biomicroscopy, and inflammatory cell infiltration was detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. The balance of Teff and Treg immune cells in draining lymph nodes (DLNs) was detected by flow cytometry. The levels of cytokines related to the grafts and DLNs were detected using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. Additionally, we used the mouse macrophage line RAW264.7 to study the effect of MT on the activation of NLRP3 inflammatory body.Results: MT treatment improved the graft survival rate, reduced inflammatory cell infiltration in the graft, decreased the percentage of Th1/Th17 cells in the DLNs, and increased the percentage of Treg cells. Melatonin inhibited the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, thereby reducing the expression of IL-1β and other related proinflammatory cytokines such as MCP-1, MIP-1, NLRP3, ASC, TNF-a and VEGF-A (all p < 0.05).Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that MT promotes the survival of mouse corneal grafts by inhibiting NLRP3-mediated immune regulation, reducing immune cell activation and cell migration, and inhibiting the production of inflammatory-related cytokines. Treatment with MT might provide a potential clinical therapeutic target for corneal transplantation.

Acyl-coenzyme A binding domain containing 3 (ACBD3) is a multifunctional protein residing in the Golgi apparatus and is involved in several signaling pathways. The current knowledge on ACBD3 has been extended to virology. ACBD3 has recently emerged as a key factor subverted by viruses, including kobuvirus, enterovirus, and hepatitis C virus. The ACBD3-PI4KB complex is critical for the role of ACBD3 in viral replication. In most cases, ACBD3 plays a positive role in viral infection. ACBD3 associates with viral 3A proteins from a variety of Picornaviridae family members at membrane contact sites (MCSs), which are used by diverse viruses to ensure lipid transfer to replication organelles (ROs). In this review, we discuss the mechanisms underlying the involvement of ACBD3 in viral infection at MCSs. Our review will highlight the current research and reveal potential avenues for future research.

Crop straw, as a widely used biomass resource, can be processed to produce renewable energy and green products. However, about 70% of straw were burned in the open air, causing serious environmental pollution and air pollution. In order to reduce the burden on the environment, the different straw management strategies are comparatively studied and evaluated by applying the life-cycle assessment (LCA) method. Within the system boundary from cradle to grave, three alternative scenarios, including straw particleboard, straw cement-bonded particleboard, and straw direct combustion power generation, are compared with the current common treatment (straw open burning). The comprehensive inventory analysis on each treatment scenario is carried out in-depth, and the corresponding resource consumption and environmental impact of each treatment scenario are calculated, respectively. The LCA results showed that the environmental impacts of reusing crop straw to produce straw particleboard and cement-bonded particleboard (Scenario 1 and Scenario 2) is significantly reduced by 6% and 10%, by comparison with the use of wood resource. Greenhouse gas emissions from straw direct combustion power generation (Scenario 3) processes are reduced by 30% compared with coal power generation. From the environmental point of view, the scenario of straw particleboard product has the smallest impact on the environment, while straw open burning is not an advisable way due to the highest environmental impact from the highest greenhouse gas emissions and acidification effects. From the perspective of energy consumption, the energy consumption for the combustion power generation is the smallest in all scenarios. It is suggested that governments are supposed to construct reasonable scenarios for the straw disposition based on the local development status and condition. The research results can provide scientific guidance for the management strategy of the comprehensive utilization of straw resources.

Chikungunya fever (CHIKF) is an acute infectious disease that is mediated by the mosquito-transmitted chikungunya virus (CHIKV). People infected with CHIKV may experience high fever, severe joint pain, skin rash, and headache. In recent years, this disease has become a global public health problem. However, there is no licensed vaccine available for CHIKV. Accumulating research data have provided novel approaches and new directions for the development of CHIKV vaccines. Our review focuses on recent progress in CHIKV vaccine studies. The potential vaccine candidates are classified into seven types: inactivated vaccine, subunit vaccine, live-attenuated vaccine, recombinant virus-vectored vaccine, virus-like particle vaccine, chimeric vaccine, and nucleic acid vaccine. These studies will provide important insights into the future development of CHIKV vaccines.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) entry is mediated by multiple co-receptors including scavenger receptor class B, type I (SR-BI). To elucidate the interactome of human SR-BI, we performed immunoprecipitation (IP) experiment coupled with mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. UDP-glucose:glycoprotein glucosyltransferase 1 (UGGT1), a key component of calnexin cycle involved in protein glycosylation, was identified as a SR-BI-interacting protein. Silencing UGGT1 or N-glycosylation inhibitor treatment reduced SR-BI protein level. Further study demonstrated that human SR-BI was N-glycosylated at nine asparagines. Moreover, HCV entry and infection were reduced by the absence of UGGT1. Interestingly, silencing SR-BI reduced protein stability of UGGT1 and protein quality control function mediated by UGGT1. Our finding not only identified UGGT1 as a HCV host factor, but also identified a UGGT1-mediated protein folding function for SR-BI.

Listed company on second board refers to the general name of the company which is supervised and managed by the gem market all over the world after being examined and approved by the relevant departments. It aims to help develop small and medium-sized companies, especially high-tech enterprises with fast development and sound economic operation, so that enterprises can avoid financial risks, provide a broader development platform for China’s high-tech enterprises, and enrich the diversity of the capital market. To sum up, it is particularly important to study the growth of listed companies on second board. Based on the summary of relevant domestic and foreign studies, this paper made an in-depth discussion on the influencing factors and evaluation methods of the growth of listed companies on second board, comprehensively analyzed the growth of small and medium-sized companies, and summarized relevant theories and puts forward suggestions.

This book contributes to the field of international higher education through a continuous, interactive, and situative approach in its examination of the experience of Chinese international doctoral students in STEM. It offers an original three-dimensional multiworld framework to conceptualize the complexity of cross-cultural doctoral studies and provides engaging narratives of Chinese doctoral students in STEM in Australian universities. The book will be valuable to faculty supervisors of international doctoral students, university administrators, and researchers interested in student experience in international higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA ligase (LIG) plays a key role in connecting the 3'-OH end of a DNA strand to the 5'-P end of another DNA strand, resulting in the formation of a phosphodiester bond. It has been reported that LIGs (including LIG1, LIG3 and LIG4) play important roles in the occurrence and progression of many cancers. However, the role of LIGs in breast cancer (BC) is still unclear. In this study, we aim to reveal the expression level, function, and prognostic value of LIGs in BC. Bioinformatic tools were used to study the expression level, potential function and prognostic value of LIG1 and LIG3 in BC patients. ENCORI was used to predict microRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate LIG1 and LIG3 and established a valuable miRNA-mRNA regulation network for BC. We found that the expression of LIG1 and LIG3 was upregulated in BC and predicted high relapse-free survival (RFS) in BC patients. Functional annotation analysis was performed to reveal the role of LIG1 and LIG3 in BC. In addition, hsa-miR-22-3p was identified to be potentially involved in the regulation of LIG3. We suggest that LIG1 and LIG3 are novel valuable prognostic biomarkers for BC and has-miRNA-22-3p may be a potential therapeutic target for BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]