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To investigate the potential association between LRP5 rs648438 polymorphism and the risk of skeletal fluorosis (SF) was evaluated in a cross-sectional case–control study conducted in Shanxi, China, in 2019. A total of 973 individuals were enrolled in this study, in which cases and controls were 346 and 627, respectively. SF was diagnosed according to the standard WS/192–2008 (China). The LRP5 rs648438 was detected by the multiple PCR and sequencing. LRP5 rs648438 was found to follow a dominant genetic model using a web-based SNP-STATS software. Logistic regression analysis found that the TC/CC genotype of LRP5 rs648438 might be a protective factor for SF. When stratified by gender, this protective effect of TC/CC genotype in rs648438 was pronounced in males. There was an interaction between gender and rs648438 on risk of SF. Our study suggested that TC/CC genotype of rs648438 might be a protective factor for water-drinking-type skeletal fluorosis, especially in male participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how misinformation-susceptible individuals from historically excluded and marginalized communities engage with science topics (e.g., climate change, vaccines, and health/wellness) and interpret misinformation and corrective intervention strategies. Two focus groups reveal that most participants are highly distrustful of authority figures, celebrity endorsements, and fact-checking strategies to combat misinformation. As one of the first studies to explore underrepresented community members' experiences with science misinformation, findings reveal structural and institutional power dynamics that impede access to accurate information and indicate how missing voices must be included in the efforts at media and information literacy initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of ozonation to the formation of particulate nitrosodi-methylamine (NDMA) in the aqueous aerosol phase was investigated using measurement data from 2018 in Seoul, Republic of Korea and a box model. The correlation between the NDMA concentration and aerosol liquid water content and box model results showed that aqueous aerosol phase reactions, including nitrosation and ozonation, might contribute to the formation of NDMA. The concentration of NDMA and the ratio of O 3 /dimethylamine exhibited a negative correlation, suggesting that the contribution of ozonation to NDMA formation may not be significant. Furthermore, when the daily concentration of NDMA exceeded 10 ng/m3, the pH was 3.96 ± 0.48, indicating that the impact of ozonation on NDMA concentration might not be significant. To quantitatively investigate the contribution of ozonation, the ozonation mechanism that forms NDMA was included in the box model developed in our previous study. The model results showed that the ozonation contributed to the ambient concentration of NDMA (7.9 ± 3.8% (winter); 1.9 ± 3.0% (spring); 10.0 ± 0.77% (summer); 3.6 ± 7.3% (autumn)). It is estimated that the relatively higher O 3 /NO x ratio in summer (1.63 ± 0.69; 0.64 ± 0.52 (winter); 1.14 ± 0.92 (spring); 0.52 ± 0.54 (autumn)) could enhance ozonation and that relatively lower pH in summer (2.2 ± 0.4; 5.3 ± 1.2 (winter); 3.9 ± 1.2 (spring); 3.9 ± 0.7 (autumn)) could hinder nitrosation compared to that in other seasons. [Display omitted] • Ozonation could be a hidden reaction forming NDMA in the atmosphere. • Ozonation contributed to NDMA formation but the impact was less than nitrosation. • Relatively higher O 3 /NO x and lower pH could contribute ozonation in summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ga2O3 is considered as a candidate for the preparation of solar-blind photodetectors due to its large direct band gap. Developing low-cost preparation methods of high-quality Ga2O3 films is of importance for large-scale applications. In this work, we investigate the preparation of Sn doped β-Ga2O3 films by using simple and cheap sol–gel method under ambient condition. It is found that Sn doping induces a growth mode transformation from 2 ¯ 01 to 3 ¯ 11 oriented texture on the c-plane sapphire substrates. With an optimal Sn proportion, high-quality β-Ga2O3 films consisting of needle-like grains are observed. Compared with the undoped films, the Sn-doped films with needle-like grains obtained a low dark current of 0.76 nA, performed an on/off ratio as high as ~ 6000, responsivity, R of 164 mA/W and D* of 3.21 × 1012 Jones at a bias voltage of 30 V in the configuration of metal–semiconductor–metal solar-blind deep ultraviolet detectors. This is the highest on/off ratio of Ga2O3 solar-blind photodetectors fabricated by sol–gel method reported up to now and has the potential to be applied in practical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ADP‐ribosylation factor 1 (Arf1) is a small GTPase belonging to the Arf family. As a molecular switch, Arf1 is found to regulate retrograde and intra‐Golgi transport, plasma membrane signaling, and organelle function during mitosis. This study aimed to explore the noncanonical roles of Arf1 in cell cycle regulation and cytoskeleton dynamics in meiosis with a mouse oocyte model. Arf1 accumulated in microtubules during oocyte meiosis, and the depletion of Arf1 led to the failure of polar body extrusion. Unlike mitosis, it finds that Arf1 affected Myt1 activity for cyclin B1/CDK1‐based G2/M transition, which disturbed oocyte meiotic resumption. Besides, Arf1 modulated GM130 for the dynamic changes in the Golgi apparatus and Rab35‐based vesicle transport during meiosis. Moreover, Arf1 is associated with Ran GTPase for TPX2 expression, further regulating the Aurora A–polo‐like kinase 1 pathway for meiotic spindle assembly and microtubule stability in oocytes. Further, exogenous Arf1 mRNA supplementation can significantly rescue these defects. In conclusion, results reported the noncanonical functions of Arf1 in G2/M transition and meiotic spindle organization in mouse oocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic Ladd's procedure (LL) for intestinal malrotation (IM) in small infants. Methods: All patients aged < 6 months with IM who underwent Ladd's procedures between January 2012 and December 2019 were enrolled. The perioperative demographics and midterm follow-up results were retrospectively reviewed and compared between patients who underwent LL and open Ladd's operation (OL). Results: Fifty-five patients were enrolled for analysis. The baseline characteristics were well matched in the two groups. The rate of volvulus was similar in the two groups (76.2% vs. 73.5%, P = 0.81). Two cases in the LL group were converted to OL due to intraoperative bleeding and intestinal swelling. The operative time (ORT) was not significantly different between the two groups (73.8 ± 18.7 vs. 66.8 ± 11.6 min, P = 0.76). Compared to the OL group, the LL group had a shorter time full feed (TFF) (3.1 ± 1.2 vs. 7.3 ± 1.9 days, P = 0.03) and a shorter postoperative hospital stay (PHS) than the OL group (5.5 ± 1.6 vs. 11.3 ± 2.7 days, P = 0.02). The rate of postoperative complications was similar in the two groups (9.5% vs. 11.8%, P = 0.47). The LL group had a lower rate of adhesive obstruction than the OL group, but the difference was not significant (0.0% vs. 11.8%, P = 0.09). One patient suffered recurrence in the LL group, while 0 patients suffered recurrence in the OL group (4.8% vs. 0.0%, P = 0.07). The rate of reoperation in the two groups was similar (4.8% vs. 8.8%). Conclusions: The LL procedure for IM in small infants was a safe and reliable method that had a satisfactory cosmetic appearance and shorter TFF and PHS than OL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ferroptosis is a novel form of cell death that plays a critical role in the pathological and physiological processes of early brain injury following subarachnoid hemorrhage. Melatonin, as the most potent endogenous antioxidant, has shown strong protective effects against pathological changes following subarachnoid hemorrhage, but its impact on ferroptosis induced by subarachnoid hemorrhage remains unexplored. In our study, we established a subarachnoid hemorrhage model in male SD rats. We found that subarachnoid hemorrhage induced changes in ferroptosis-related indicators such as lipid peroxidation and iron metabolism, while intraperitoneal injection of melatonin (40 mg/kg) effectively ameliorated these changes to a certain degree. Moreover, in a subset of rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage who received pre-treatment via intravenous injection of the melatonin receptor antagonist Luzindole (1 mg/kg) and 4P-PDOT (1 mg/kg), we found that the protective effect of melatonin against subarachnoid hemorrhage includes inhibition of lipid peroxidation and reduction of iron accumulation depended on melatonin receptor 1B (MT2). Furthermore, our study demonstrated that melatonin inhibited neuronal ferroptosis by activating the NRF2 signaling pathway, as evidenced by in vivo inhibition of NRF2. In summary, melatonin acts through MT2 and activates NRF2 and downstream genes such as HO-1/NQO1 to inhibit ferroptosis in subarachnoid hemorrhage-induced neuronal injury, thereby improving neurological function in rats. These results suggest that melatonin is a promising therapeutic target for subarachnoid hemorrhage. [Display omitted] • This research found that ferroptosis occurred in neurons after subarachnoid hemorrhage, and melatonin can act on MT2 to activate KEAP1/NRF2 and downstream antioxidant genes, thereby rescuing ferroptosis and reducing early brain injury after subarachnoid hemorrhage. Melatonin may be a potential drug. MT2 and NRF2 may become new therapeutic targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Visual Dialog task requires retrieving the correct answer based on detected objects, a current question, and history dialogs. However, in real-world scenarios, most existing models face the hard-positive problem and are unable to reason about unseen features, which limits their generalization ability. To address this issue, we propose two Relation Regularized Modules (RRM) in this article. The first is the Visual Relation Regularized Module (VRRM), which seeks known visual features that have semantic relations with unknown visual features and leverages these known features to assist in understanding the unknown features. The second is the Text Relation Regularized Module (TRRM), which enhances the keywords in the answers to strengthen the understanding of unknown text features. To evaluate the effectiveness of these modules, we propose two zero-shot Visual Dialog splits for verification: Visual Zero-shot VisDial with unseen visual features and Text Zero-shot VisDial with unseen answers. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed modules achieve state-of-the-art performance in zero-shot Visual Dialog with unseen visual features and unseen answers, while also producing comparable results on the benchmark VisDial v1.0 test dataset. • Define a new Zero-shot Visual Dialog problem. • Propose Visual Relation Regularized Module. • Propose Text Relation Regularized Module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To establish a pre-test probability model of coronary heart disease (CHD) combined with cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) indexes and to compare the clinical effectiveness with Duke clinical score (DCS) and updated Diamond-Forrester model (UDFM), thus further explore the predictive value. 342 cases were used to establish the prediction model equation and another 80 cases were used to verify the effectiveness. The patients were divided into CHD group (n = 157) and non-CHD group (n = 185) according to coronary artery stenosis degree >50% or not. Combining DCS and UDFM as reference models with CPET indexes, a multivariate logistic regression model was established. The area under the ROC curve of the three models were calculated to compare the predictive effectiveness. There were significant differences in gender, chest pain type, myocardial infarction history, hypertension history, smoking, pathological Q wave and ST-T change between two groups (P < 0.01), as well as age, LVEF, heart rate at anaerobic domain, peak oxygen uptake in kilograms of body weight, percentage of peak oxygen uptake to the predicted value, the oxygen uptake efficiency slope and carbon dioxide ventilation equivalent slope (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed gender, age, chest pain type, myocardial infarction history, hypertension history, smoking, pathological Q wave, ST-T change, and peak oxygen pulse were independent risk factors of CHD. The pre-test probability model of CHD combined with CPET indexes has good distinguish and calibrate ability, its prediction accuracy is slightly better than DCS and UDFM, which still needs to be verified externally in more samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) accounts for a majority of primary liver cancer cases and related deaths. The purpose of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of splicing factor 3b subunit 4 (SF3B4) as a novel non-invasive biomarker for HCC and determine the association between SF3B4 expression and immune cell infiltration. Methods: An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect SF3B4 levels in plasma samples obtained from healthy controls (HCs) and patients with chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and HCC. The expression levels of autoantibodies that detect SF3B4 in the plasma samples of each group of patients were measured. Small extracellular vesicles (EVs) were isolated from patient sera, and the expression levels of EV-SF3B4 were measured using quantitative reverse transcription PCR. Results: ELISA results confirmed that the expression levels of SF3B4 proteins and autoantibodies in the plasma of patients with HCC were higher than those in HCs. However, their diagnostic performance was not better than that of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). The mRNA expression of SF3B4 in serum EV increased but not in the buffy coat or serum of patients with HCC. Serum EV-SF3B4 displayed better diagnostic power than AFP for all stages of HCC (AUC = 0.968 vs. 0.816), including early-stage HCC (AUC = 0.960 vs. 0.842), and this was consistent in the external cohort. Single-cell RNA sequencing indicated that SF3B4 expression was correlated with myeloid-derived suppressor cells. The Tumor Immune Estimation Resource database reconfirmed the correlation between SF3B4 expression and immune cell infiltration in HCC. Conclusions: SF3B4 may be associated with tumor immune infiltration in HCC, and EV-SF3B4 shows potential as a novel non-invasive diagnostic biomarker of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The below-cloud aerosol scavenging process by precipitation is one of the most important mechanisms to remove aerosols from the atmosphere. Due to its complexity and dependence on both aerosol and raindrop sizes, wet scavenging process has been poorly treated, especially during the removal of fine particles. This makes the numerical simulation of below-cloud scavenging in large-scale aerosol models unrealistic. To consider the slip effects of submicron particles, a simplified expression for the diffusion scavenging was developed by approximating the Cunningham slip correction factor. The derived analytic solution was parameterized as a simple power function of rain intensity under the assumption of the lognormal size distribution of particles. The resultant approximated expression was compared to the observed data and the results of previous studies including a 3D atmospheric chemical transport model simulation. Compared with the default GEOS-Chem coefficient of 0.00106 R 0.61 and the observation-based coefficient of 0.0144 R 0.9268, the coefficient of a and b in Λ m = aRb spread in the range of 0.0002- 0.1959 for a and 0.3261- 0.525 for b over a size distribution of GSD of 1.3–2.5 and a geometric mean diameter of 0.01- 2.5 µm. Overall, this study showed that the scavenging coefficient varies widely by orders of magnitude according to the size distribution of particles and rain intensity. This study also demonstrated that the obtained simplified expression could consider the theoretical approach of aerosol polydispersity. Our proposed analytic approach showed that results can be effectively applied for reduced computational burden in atmospheric modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To establish a pre-test probability model of coronary heart disease (CHD) combined with cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) indexes and to compare the clinical effectiveness with Duke clinical score (DCS) and updated Diamond-Forrester model (UDFM), thus further explore the predictive value. 342 cases were used to establish the prediction model equation and another 80 cases were used to verify the effectiveness. The patients were divided into CHD group (n = 157) and non-CHD group (n = 185) according to coronary artery stenosis degree >50% or not. Combining DCS and UDFM as reference models with CPET indexes, a multivariate logistic regression model was established. The area under the ROC curve of the three models were calculated to compare the predictive effectiveness. There were significant differences in gender, chest pain type, myocardial infarction history, hypertension history, smoking, pathological Q wave and ST-T change between two groups (P < 0.01), as well as age, LVEF, heart rate at anaerobic domain, peak oxygen uptake in kilograms of body weight, percentage of peak oxygen uptake to the predicted value, the oxygen uptake efficiency slope and carbon dioxide ventilation equivalent slope (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed gender, age, chest pain type, myocardial infarction history, hypertension history, smoking, pathological Q wave, ST-T change, and peak oxygen pulse were independent risk factors of CHD. The pre-test probability model of CHD combined with CPET indexes has good distinguish and calibrate ability, its prediction accuracy is slightly better than DCS and UDFM, which still needs to be verified externally in more samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of a drone-based, high-volume (38 L min−1) sampling system developed for time-resolved monitoring of elemental and organic carbon (EC and OC) is demonstrated in this study. Filter samples collected by the samplers were analyzed by a laboratory-based, thermal-optical transmittance (TOT) method of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health using a Sunset Laboratory OC-EC analyzer. The EC, OC, and total carbon (TC) results for filter samples collected by the high-volume (38 L min−1) sampler are compared to those obtained by a low-volume (4 L min−1) sampler at ground level. Prior to the use of the developed high-volume sampler at 150 m, three 30-min air samples, taken from 11:00 to 15:00, and three 1-h samples, taken between 15:00 and 22:00, were collected at ground level by the drone-based system. For reference, the low-volume filter sample was collected over the 12-h period on the same day. In addition, particulate matter and black carbon concentrations were obtained as supportive data. In the ground-level test, the average EC, OC, and TC concentrations determined with the high-volume (drone) samples agree well with those determined with the 12-h, integrated, low-volume sample. Further field samplings on the ground and at 150-m were conducted over 2 days to assess the developed drone-based sampling system for measurement of carbonaceous aerosols. The EC, OC, and TC concentrations at a 150-m altitude were successfully examined via drone-based, high-volume sampling and TOT analysis. Copyright © 2023 American Association for Aerosol Research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerosol water uptake and the related influence on its optical properties owing to the hygroscopic growth of polydisperse aerosols have a significant effect on air quality and climate. This study develops an analytical parameterization for a single hygroscopic optical parameter and the scattering enhancement factor for polydisperse aerosol sizes. Polydisperse lognormal size distributions for geometric mean diameters of 0.05–1 mm and geometric standard deviations of 1.3–2.5 are considered with real refractive indices between 1.35 and 1.6. The analytical expression obtained for the optical parameter is compared to Mie theory and reasonable agreements within the size range investigated in this study are observed. Further, our results show that the analytical expression could express polydispersed aerosol optical properties as a function of geometric mean diameter and geometric standard deviation of a lognormal distribution and the refractive index. The obtained analytical expression can be efficiently used for 3D models with a reduced computational burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inline gas-liquid cyclone separator has been gradually used in oil & gas industry due to its high separation efficiency and less footprint. However, under the inlet flow conditions with large range of gas volume fractions, the research on structure design and separation performance are seriously insufficient. The preliminary structural design of the inline gas-liquid separator was carried out according to the particle separation theory, and the key structural parameters were optimized by using the Response Surface Method (RSM) together with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). The structure optimization has improved the degassing efficiency by 17.44% and dehydration efficiency by 7.59%. With air and water as working medium, the separation performance of the inline gas-liquid cyclone separator was experimentally investigated in laboratory under a large range of gas volume fractions. The results show that the separation efficiency for both degassing and dehydration can exceed 80% with the inlet gas volume fraction ranges from 0.2 to 0.8. The optimum normalized flow split and liquid volume flow rate are 0.9 –1.2 and 8 m3/h, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Patients with vascular anomalies (VAs) who receive oral sirolimus may be at high risk of infectious complications. Antibiotic prophylaxis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) has been advocated. However, there have been few evidence-based analyses on this topic. This study assessed the effect of prophylactic TMP-SMZ on the incidence of infections in VA patients receiving sirolimus monotherapy. Methods: A retrospective, multicenter chart review was performed on all VA patients receiving sirolimus treatment from August, 2013 to January, 2021. Results: Before January 2017, 112 patients were treated with sirolimus without antibiotic prophylaxis. In the subsequent period, 195 patients were treated with TMP-SMZ for at least 12 months during sirolimus therapy. The percentage of patients with at least one serious infection during the initial 12 months of sirolimus treatment did not differ between the groups (difference, 1.1%; 95% CI − 7.0–8.0%). We observed no difference in the incidence of individual infection or total adverse events between the groups. The rate of sirolimus discontinuation due to adverse events did not differ significantly between groups. Conclusions: We demonstrated that prophylactic TMP-SMZ does not decrease the incidence of infection or improve tolerance in VA patients receiving sirolimus monotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most prevalent benign vascular tumor in infants, with distinct disease stages and durations. Despite the fact that the majority of IHs can regress spontaneously, a small percentage can cause disfigurement or even be fatal. The mechanisms underlying the development of IH have not been fully elucidated. Establishing stable and reliable IH models provides a standardized experimental platform for elucidating its pathogenesis, thereby facilitating the development of new drugs and the identification of effective treatments. Common IH models include the cell suspension implantation model, the viral gene transfer model, the tissue block transplantation model, and the most recent three-dimensional (3D) microtumor model. This article summarizes the research progress and clinical utility of various IH models, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of each. Researchers should select distinct IH models based on their individual research objectives to achieve their anticipated experimental objectives, thereby increasing the clinical relevance of their findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acrylamide (ACR) is an important chemical raw material for wastewater treatment, paper industry and textile industry, which is widely exposed from occupational, environmental and dietary situation. ACR has neurotoxicity, genotoxicity, potential carcinogenicity and reproductive toxicity. Recent study indicates that ACR affected oocyte maturation quality. In the present study, we reported the effects of ACR exposure on zygotic genome activation (ZGA) in embryos and its related mechanism. Our results showed that ACR treatment caused 2-cell arrest in mouse embryos, indicating the failure of ZGA, which was confirmed by decreased global transcription levels and aberrant expression of ZGA-related and maternal factors. We found that histone modifications such as H3K9me3, H3K27me3 and H3K27ac levels were altered, and this might be due to the occurrence of DNA damage, showing with positive γ-H2A.X signal. Moreover, mitochondrial dysfunction and high levels of ROS were detected in ACR treated embryos, indicating that ACR induced oxidative stress, and this might further cause abnormal distribution of endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and lysosomes. In conclusion, our results indicated that ACR exposure disrupted ZGA by inducing mitochondria-based oxidative stress, which further caused DNA damage, aberrant histone modifications and organelles in mouse embryos. • Acrylamide decreased global transcription levels and ZGA-related gene expression. • Acrylamide altered histone modification levels such as H3K9me3, H3K27me3 and H3K27ac. • Acrylamide caused mitochondria dysfunction and DNA damage. • Acrylamide induced oxidative stress and disrupted organelle functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of transglutaminase (TG) and glucose oxidase (GOX) on the water distribution, rheological properties, and microstructure of dough after freeze-thaw cycles were studied. The results showed that, when TG (1%, w/w) and GOX (0.006%, w/w) were added to the dough simultaneously, the syneresis rate of the dough after 8 freeze-thaw cycles reduced by 12.9%, and the extensibility and maximum resistance of the frozen dough increased by 9.6 mm and 14.7 g, respectively. Moreover, the G′ and G″ values of the frozen dough were significantly increased, and the hardness and freezable water content were reduced by 60.1% and 2.9%, respectively. The LF-NMR analysis showed that the tightly bound water content increased by 4.9%, and the semi-bound water content decreased by 4.0%. The number of free sulfhydryl groups in the dough treated with the two enzymes decreased by 16.3 μmol/g. Fourier IR revealed that the content of α-helix increased by 3.1%, β-sheet increased by 5.8%, and β-turn decreased by 4.8%. Scanning electron microscope images indicated that the gluten network of the two enzyme-treated dough remained uniform and dense after multiple freeze-thaw disruptions. [Display omitted] • Enzymes inhibited the migration of water in the frozen dough. • Enzymes mitigated the deterioration of dough quality during freeze-thaw cycles. • The combination of enzymes had a higher effect on delaying the deterioration of frozen dough quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-involuting congenital hemangiomas (NICHs) are fully formed vascular tumors at birth with distinctive clinical, radiologic, and histopathological profiles. In the literature, there is no effective therapy strategy for patients with NICH except surgery. Currently, no cell line or animal model exists for studying the mechanism of NICH and drug validation. We plan to construct a new strategy by constructing NICH organoids for further study. Result: Here, we report a novel NICH organoid system construction and optimization process. Both HE and immunohistological staining exactly matched NICH tissue. We further performed transcriptome analysis to elucidate the characteristics of NICH organoids. Both NICH tissue and NICH organoids manifested similar trends in download sites. NICH organoids display novel features to new cells derived from organoids and show spectacular multiplication capacity. In the preliminary verification, we found that cells splitting from NICH organoids were human endothelial cells. Drug validation demonstrated that trametinib, sirolimus, and propranolol showed no inhibitory effects on NICH organoids. Conclusion: Our data show that this new NICH-derived organoid faithfully captured the features of this rare vascular tumor. Our study will boost further research on the mechanism of NICH and drug filtering in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the reported P‐type pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins play roles in organelle RNA stabilization and splicing. However, P‐type PPRs involved in both RNA splicing and editing have rarely been reported, and their underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. Here, we report a rice floury endosperm22 (flo22) mutant with delayed amyloplast development in endosperm cells. Map‐based cloning and complementation tests demonstrated that FLO22 encodes a mitochondrion‐localized P‐type PPR protein. Mutation of FLO22 resulting in defective trans‐splicing of mitochondrial nad1 intron 1 and perhaps causing instability of mature transcripts affected assembly and activity of complex Ⅰ, and mitochondrial morphology and function. RNA‐seq analysis showed that expression levels of many genes involved in starch and sucrose metabolism were significantly down‐regulated in the flo22 mutant compared with the wild type, whereas genes related to oxidative phosphorylation and the tricarboxylic acid cycle were significantly up‐regulated. In addition to involvement in splicing as a P‐type PPR protein, we found that FLO22 interacted with DYW3, a DYW‐type PPR protein, and they may function synergistically in mitochondrial RNA editing. The present work indicated that FLO22 plays an important role in endosperm development and plant growth by participating in nad1 maturation and multi‐site editing of mitochondrial messager RNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common tumor among infants, but the exact pathogenesis of IH is largely unknown. Our previous study revealed that glucose metabolism may play an important role in the pathogenesis of IH and that the inhibition of the glycolytic key enzyme phosphofructokinase-1 suppresses angiogenesis in IH. 6-Phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3 (PFKFB3) is a metabolic enzyme that converts fructose-6-bisphosphate to fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (F-2,6-BP), which is the most potent allosteric activator of the rate-limiting enzyme phosphofructokinase-1. This study was performed to explore the role of PFKFB3 in IH. Methods: Microarray analysis was performed to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between proliferating and involuting IH tissues. PFKFB3 expression was examined by western blot and immunohistochemistry analyses. Cell migration, apoptosis and tube formation were analyzed. Metabolic analyses were performed to investigate the effect of PFKFB3 inhibition by PFK15. Mouse models were established to examine the effect of PFKFB3 inhibition in vivo. Results: PFKFB3 was identified as one of the most significant DEGs and was more highly expressed in proliferating IH tissues and hemangioma-derived endothelial cells (HemECs) than in involuting IH tissues and human umbilical vein endothelial cells, respectively. PFKFB3 inhibition by PFK15 suppressed HemEC glucose metabolism mainly by affecting glycolytic metabolite metabolism and decreasing the glycolytic flux. Moreover, PFK15 inhibited HemEC angiogenesis and migration and induced apoptosis via activation of the apoptosis pathway. Treatment with the combination of PFK15 with propranolol had a synergistic inhibitory effect on HemECs. Moreover, PFKFB3 knockdown markedly suppressed HemEC angiogenesis. Mechanistically, inhibition of PFKFB3 suppressed the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and induced apoptotic cell death. More importantly, the suppression of PFKFB3 by PFK15 or shPFKFB3 led to markedly reduced tumor growth in vivo. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that PFKFB3 inhibition can suppress IH angiogenesis and induce apoptosis. Thus, targeting PFKFB3 may be a novel therapeutic strategy for IH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Heavy-ion radiotherapy (HIRT) is associated with higher tumor cure rates compared with conventional radiotherapy (CRT). However, considering the high cost of HIRT, most tumor patients are still treated with CRT. The aim of this study was to elucidate the tumor inhibitory mechanism of HIRT by exploring gene expression signatures after heavy-ion exposure. We confirmed that the carbon ion-responsive long non-coding RNA endogenous bornavirus-like nucleoprotein 3, pseudogene (EBLN3P), is significantly decreased in carbon-ion irradiated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. The combination therapy of LNC EBLN3P-inhibition and X-ray irradiation can delay the progression of NSCLC both in vitro and in vivo, indicating the potential role of LNC EBLN3P as a target of radiosensitization in CRT. In recent decades, the rapid development of radiotherapy has dramatically increased the cure rate of malignant tumors. Heavy-ion radiotherapy, which is characterized by the "Bragg Peak" because of its excellent physical properties, induces extensive unrepairable DNA damage in tumor tissues, while normal tissues in the path of ion beams suffer less damage. However, there are few prognostic molecular biomarkers that can be used to assess the efficacy of heavy ion radiotherapy. In this study, we focus on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) radiotherapy and use RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analysis to investigate the gene expression profiles of A549 cells exposed to X-ray or carbon ion irradiation to screen the key genes involved in the stronger tumor-killing effect induced by carbon ions. The potential ceRNA network was predicted and verified by polymerase chain amplification, western blotting analysis, colony formation assay, and apoptosis assay. The results of the experiments indicated that lncRNA EBLN3P plays a critical role in inhibiting carbon ion-induced cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis of NSCLC cells. These functions were achieved by the EBLN3P/miR-144-3p/TNPO1 (transportin-1) ceRNA network. In summary, the lncRNA EBLN3P functions as a ceRNA to mediate lung cancer inhibition induced by carbon ion irradiation by sponging miR-144-3p to regulate TNPO1 expression, indicating that EBLN3P may be a promising target for increasing the treatment efficacy of conventional radiotherapy for NSCLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astrocyte-specific glutamate transporter subtype 1 (GLT-1) plays an important role in influencing glutamate excitatory toxicity and preventing the death of excitatory toxic neurons. Although the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/protein kinase B(Akt)/nuclear factor kappa B signaling cascade is involved in the upregulation of astrocytic GLT-1 in oxygen–glucose deprivation (OGD), it is unclear whether the mTOR/Akt pathway is involved in astrocytic GLT-1 upregulation in OGD and reoxygenation (OGD/R). In this study, we found that the treatment of cultured astrocytes with rapamycin and triciribine led to the decreased astrocytes' protrusions, smaller nuclei, and an increased apoptotic rate. The inhibitors of mTOR complex 1 significantly increased the expression levels of phosphorylated Akt-Ser473 (p-Akt), phosphorylated Akt-Thr308(p-Akt), and GLT-1, while Akt-specific inhibitors blocked GLT-1 expression, suggesting that the mTOR/Akt pathway is involved in GLT-1 upregulation. We further demonstrated that astrocytes under OGD/R adapted to environmental changes through the mTOR/Akt pathway, mainly by altering cell morphology and apoptosis and upregulating the expression levels of p-Akt and GLT-1. Our results suggested that astrocytes may adapt to short-term ischemic–reperfusion injury by regulating cell morphology, apoptosis and GLT-1 upregulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional connectivity (FC) disruption is a remarkable characteristic of schizophrenia. However, heterogeneous patterns reported across sites severely hindered its clinical generalization. Based on qualified nodal‐based FC of 340 schizophrenia patients (SZ) and 348 normal controls (NC) acquired from seven different scanners, this study compared four commonly used site‐effect correction methods in removing the site‐related heterogeneities, and then tried to cluster the abnormal FCs into several replicable and independent disrupted subnets across sites, related them to clinical symptoms, and evaluated their potentials in schizophrenia classification. Among the four site‐related heterogeneity correction methods, ComBat harmonization (F1 score: 0.806 ± 0.145) achieved the overall best balance between sensitivity and false discovery rate in unraveling the aberrant FCs of schizophrenia in the local and public data sets. Hierarchical clustering analysis identified three replicable FC disruption subnets across the local and public data sets: hypo‐connectivity within sensory areas (Net1), hypo‐connectivity within thalamus, striatum, and ventral attention network (Net2), and hyper‐connectivity between thalamus and sensory processing system (Net3). Notably, the derived composite FC within Net1 was negatively correlated with hostility and disorientation in the public validation set (p <.05). Finally, the three subnet‐specific composite FCs (Best area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.728) can robustly and meaningfully discriminate the SZ from NC with comparable performance with the full identified FCs features (best AUC = 0.765) in the out‐of‐sample public data set (Z = −1.583, p =.114). In conclusion, ComBat harmonization was most robust in detecting aberrant connectivity for schizophrenia. Besides, the three subnet‐specific composite FC measures might be replicable neuroimaging markers for schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CeOx-VOx/TiO2 catalysts (Ce-V/Ti) incorporating graphene oxide (GO) were synthesized via a sol–gel method and used for catalytic combustion of chlorobenzene (CB). Compared with Ce-V/Ti, GO supported catalysts (Ce-V/Ti-GO) presented more excellent performance. Characterization by XRD, TEM, BET, XPS, FTIR and H2-TPR revealed that the specific surface area of catalyst and the concentrations of surface Ce3+ and V4+ were enlarged after GO modification. However, introducing too much GO did not be conductive to promote catalyst activity. With the GO ratio increasing to 1.5%, Ce from catalyst was prone to form a separate crystal CeO2 with large size, resulting in a decline in specific surface area and uneven dispersion of active components. Ce-V/Ti-GO with 0.7% GO support showed high activity with the temperature for a 90% CB conversion (T90) of 236 °C. The main phase from Ce-V/Ti-GO(0.7) was anatase and evident lattice distortion resulted from Ce–O–Ti solid solution was observed. In the case of Ce-V/Ti-GO catalysts, V effectively promoted the activity of catalysts and the stability with the variation of GO ratio. The synergy between Ce and GO played the critical role on the low-temperature performance of catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is increasing at an alarming rate and further studies are needed to identify risk factors and to develop prevention strategies. Methods: Risk factors significantly associated with EOCRC were identified using meta-analysis. An individual risk appraisal model was constructed using the Rothman–Keller model. Next, a group of random data sets was generated using the binomial distribution function method, to determine nodes of risk assessment levels and to identify low, medium, and high risk populations. Results: A total of 32,843 EOCRC patients were identified in this study, and nine significant risk factors were identified using meta-analysis, including male sex, Caucasian ethnicity, sedentary lifestyle, inflammatory bowel disease, and high intake of red meat and processed meat. After simulating the risk assessment data of 10,000 subjects, scores of 0 to 0.0018, 0.0018 to 0.0036, and 0.0036 or more were respectively considered as low-, moderate-, and high-risk populations for the EOCRC population based on risk trends from the Rothman–Keller model. Conclusion: This model can be used for screening of young adults to predict high risk of EOCRC and will contribute to the primary prevention strategies and the reduction of risk of developing EOCRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nearly 50% missing linker defects per cluster, introduced in Ti-MOFs by Ar plasma. • Defects are adjustable by varying plasma duration and intensity. • Catalytic performance directly correlates with the number of missing linkers. • Enhanced activity results from increased intrinsic activity, not just quantity of defects. Titanium-based metal–organic frameworks (Ti-MOFs) are known for their redox catalytic potential, inherently limited by coordination saturation. Defect engineering introduces the unsaturated metal sites, but introducing defects for improved performance is challenging due to titanium's hydrolysis tendency and the absence of stable Ti-clusters. This study employs an Ar plasma post-synthesis treatment, adjusting defect quantities by varying duration and intensity. The resulting plasma-induced defective MUV-10, with nearly 50 % missing linkers per cluster, displays heightened catalytic activity in oxidative desulfurization. This activity directly correlates with missing linker numbers, emphasizing the superior activity of defective open sites. Defect formation enhances intrinsic activity around unsaturated metal catalytic sites, rather than increasing active site density. This defect-generation method is adaptable to other Ti-MOFs and potentially to diverse MOFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are primarily emitted into the atmosphere through anthropogenic activities and can be transported to receptor sites at varying distances. In this study, the atmospheric PAH deposition was investigated using a dry deposition plate (DDP) with Mylar, a dry deposition disk (DDD) with Velcro, a resin bulk deposition sampler (Resin-BDS), and a water bulk deposition sampler (Water-BDS) in Ulsan, South Korea, during May–October 2013. Additionally, ambient PAH concentrations were monitored using high-volume air samplers. The mean deposition fluxes of Σ 13 PAHs were 8.62 ± 1.44, 36.9 ± 6.81, 56.9 ± 9.74, and 63.8 ± 8.04 μg/m2/d for the DDP, DDD, Resin-BDS, and Water-BDS, respectively. The DDD was more effective than the DDP because it could collect high molecular weight (HMW) PAHs from dry deposition, which are more toxic than low molecular weight PAHs. The Water-BDS had the highest fluxes of Σ 13 PAHs; however, the Resin-BDS may be more suitable for collecting HMW PAHs from both dry and wet deposition due to relatively constant values for the deposition velocity of PAHs. Furthermore, the PAH fluxes in the Resin-BDS samples were significantly positively correlated with the gaseous and total (gaseous + particulate) concentrations of ambient PAHs. Hence, the fluxes obtained by the Resin-BDS were further used to apply principal component analysis, multiple linear regression, and backward air trajectory simultaneously to identify the emission sources of the deposited PAHs. The results indicate that the combustion of fossil fuels and biomass was the major source. In particular, the industrial complexes using petroleum and coal on the city's east coast and vehicular exhausts were the main local sources. Meanwhile, long-range sources may be forest fires, harbors, and industrial activities in nearby countries. Our study suggests that BDS, considering both dry and wet deposition, can be selectively used for research on PAH deposition. [Display omitted] • The performance of four deposition samplers for ambient PAHs was evaluated. • Dry samplers using Mylar and Velcro collected mostly coarse particle-bound PAHs. • The water and resin bulk samplers were suitable to study both dry and wet deposition. • The resin bulk sampler collected more toxic PAHs with a constant deposition velocity. • The burning of fossil fuels and biomass was a major source of the deposited PAHs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, multi-view fusion methods fuse point- or proposal-level features from different views at the end stage of the backbone. This once-end-fusion method is not conducive to the timely adjustment of spatial misalignment for features from different views. Consequently, the discriminative depth and orientation details of the 3D oriented point cloud object may be filtered. To enhance the feature capture capability of the network, we introduce a cascaded multi-3D-view fusion method (CM3DV) to learn the implicit representation of object orientation. In particular, the proposed CM3DV method incorporates the cylindrical front view projection into a voxelised 3D bird's-eye-view representation in a cascaded manner, and vice versa. Through the learning of 3D-regulated instance representation, this bi-directional mutual fusion module, called cascaded multi-view feature fusion module, alleviates the spatial misalignment of the two views. Furthermore, to learn the rotation- and shape-invariant features of objects, modulated rotation head (MRH) develops a direction-guided adjustment instead of an axis-aligned structure to extract instance-consistent features. By excluding the irrelevant content using MRH, this instance-consistent feature will benefit the object classification and orientation regression. Extensive experiments on the KITTI dataset show that the proposed method achieves a significant improvement over existing advanced methods, especially for orientation estimation. [Display omitted] • A multi-3D-view fusion method for accurate 3D orientation detection is proposed. • A cascaded multi-view feature fusion module is proposed. • Multi-view features are fused in a cascaded bi-directional fusion manner. • Modulated rotation head to learn the deformable feature is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common benign tumor in infancy, but information about its pathogenesis is limited. The aim of this study was to determine maternal and perinatal risk factors for IH. Methods: A total of 1033 IH patients were enrolled in the study between 2017 and 2020. IH patients were matched with controls by sex. Trained investigators collected detailed information from the participants. Logistic regression models were used for multivariate analysis. Results: The statistical analysis demonstrated that miscarriage history (odds ratio [OR] = 4.275; 95% confidence interval [CI] [3.195, 5.720]), anemia in pregnancy (OR = 4.228; 95% CI [3.083, 5.799]), preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) (OR = 3.182; 95% CI [1.359, 7.454]), placenta previa (OR = 2.440; 95% CI [1.787, 3.333]), threatened miscarriage (OR = 2.290; 95% CI [1.726, 3.039]), premature rupture of membranes (PROM) (OR = 1.785; P < 0.05), progesterone use (OR = 1.614; P < 0.001) and abnormal amniotic fluid volume (OR = 1.499; P < 0.05) were independent risk factors for IH. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (OR = 0.607; 95% CI [0.464, 0.794]), multiple gestations (OR = 0.407; 95% CI [0.232, 0.713]), hypothyroidism (OR = 0.407; 95% CI [0.227, 0.730]) and uterine fibroids (OR = 0.393; 95% CI [0.250, 0.618]) may reduce the risk of IH. Conclusions: Maternal and perinatal factors are closely associated with IH occurrence. Our study provides reliable clues to guide further exploration of the pathogenesis of IH. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03331744. Plain Language Summary: Infantile hemangioma is the most common benign tumor in children, which seriously affects appearance and function and even threatens life. The pathogenesis is not clear, a detailed case-control study of the maternal and perinatal periods with a large sample size will facilitate the development of individualized and precise treatment, early and timely interventions for high-risk children and improvement of prognosis. Our study found that miscarriage history, anemia in pregnancy, preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM), placenta previa, threatened miscarriage, premature rupture of membranes (PROM), progesterone use and abnormal amniotic fluid volume were independent risk factors for IH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Currently, only a few studies have been conducted on the mental status recovery in elderly aortic stenosis (AS) patients after treatment. How transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) differentially impinge on the mental status of elderly AS patients is completely unknown. The present prospective study aims to investigate this question by comparing the post-treatment levels of depression and anxiety, quality of life and frailty.Methods: A total of 120 elderly patients (age above 70) with symptomatic AS were included, where 78 of them were treated with TAVR and 42 of them were treated with SAVR. Levels of depression and anxiety, quality of life and frailty were assessed by the Chinese version of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Older Adults Module (WHOQOL-OLD) and clinical frailty scale, respectively. Scores were recorded and compared at admission, 1 month, 4 months and 8 months after treatment.Results: Before treatment, both patient groups had similar baseline characteristics and all mental parameters. During the follow-up period, patients in the TAVR group demonstrated significant improvement in all assessed mental parameters to certain extent compared to the SAVR group. Specifically, frailty was significantly improved in the TAVR-treated patients at all three follow-up time points. Levels of depression and anxiety were significantly improved 8 months after treatment, although the remaining patient number is limited. Quality of life was only significantly improved 1 month after treatment.Conclusion: TAVR may provide a better mental recovery outcome in elderly AS patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amyloid-𝜷 (A𝜷) toxicity is considered to be companioned by Tau phosphorylation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The clinical AD therapy is usually subjected to low blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration and complex interaction mechanisms between A𝜷 and phosphorylated Tau. A "Drug-Carrier" synergy therapy is herein designed to simultaneously target A𝜷 and Tau-associated pathways for AD treatment. To imitate natural nanoparticle configuration, the endogenous apolipoprotein A-I and its mimicking peptide 4F fused angiopep-2 (Ang) are sequentially grafted onto lipid nanocomposite (APLN), providing liberty of BBB crossing and microglia targeted A𝜷 clearance. For synergy treatment, methylene blue (MB) is further assembled into APLN (APLN/MB) for Tau aggregation inhibition. After intravenous administration, the optimized density (5 wt%) of Ang ligands dramatically enhances APLN/MB intracerebral shuttling and accumulation, which is 2.15-fold higher than that Ang absent-modification. The site-specific release of MB collaborates APLN to promote A𝜷 capture for microglia endocytosis clearance and reduce p-Tau level by 25.31% in AD pathogenesis. In AD-A𝜷-Tau bearing mouse models, APLN/MB can relieve AD symptoms, rescue neuron viability and cognitive functions. Collectively, it is confirmed that "Drug-Carrier" synergy therapy of APLN/MB is a promising approach in the development of AD treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease is one of the most common degenerative disorders and is characterized by observable motor dysfunction and the loss of dopaminergic neurons. In this study, we fabricated curcumin nanoparticles using human serum albumin as a nanocarrier. Encapsulating curcumin is beneficial to improving its aqueous solubility and bioavailability. The curcumin-loaded HSA nanoparticles were acquired in the particle size and at the zeta potential of 200 nm and −10 mV, respectively. The curcumin-loaded human serum albumin nanoparticles ameliorated Parkinson's disease features in the C. elegans model, including body movement, basal slowing response, and the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. These results suggest that curcumin nanoparticles have potential as a medicinal nanomaterial for preventing the progression of Parkinson's disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In disordered transition‐metal dichalcogenide (TMD) superconductor, both the strong spin‐orbit coupling (SOC) and the disorder show remarkable effects on superconductivity. However, the features of SOC and disorder are rarely detected directly. Herein, the quantum transport behaviors arising from the interplay of SOC and disorder in the TMD superconductor 1T‐NbSeTe are reported. Before entering the superconducting state, the single crystal at low temperature shows a resistivity upturn, which is T1/2 dependent and insensitive to the applied magnetic fields. The magnetoresistance (MR) at low temperatures shows an H1/2 dependence at high magnetic fields. The characteristics are in good agreement with the electron–electron interaction (EEI) in a disordered conductor. In addition, the upturn changes and MR at low magnetic fields suggest the contribution of the weak antilocalization (WAL) effect arising from the strong SOC in the material. Moreover, the quantitative analyses of the transport features in different samples imply anomalous disorder‐enhanced superconductivity that needs to be further understood. The results reveal the disorder‐enhanced EEI and the strong SOC‐induced WAL effect in 1T‐NbSeTe, which illustrates the resistivity minimum in the widely studied doped superconductors. The work also provides insights into the disorder effect on superconductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Analyze the clinical and genetic characteristics of a rare Chinese family with Multiple synostoses syndrome and identify the causative variant with the high‐throughput sequencing approach. Methods: The medical history investigation, physical examination, imaging examination, and audiological examination of the family members were performed. DNA samples were extracted from the family members. The candidate variant was identified by performing whole‐exome sequencing of the proband, then verified by Sanger sequencing in the family. Results: The family named HBSY‐018 from Hubei province had 18 subjects in three generations, and six subjects were diagnosed with conductive or mixed hearing loss. Meanwhile, characteristic features including short philtrum, hemicylindrical nose, and hypoplastic alae nasi were noticed among those patients. Symptoms of proximal interdigital joint adhesion and inflexibility were found. The family was diagnosed as Multiple synostoses syndrome type 1 (SYNS1).The inheritance pattern of this family was autosomal dominant. A novel mutation in the NOG gene c.533G>A was identified by performing whole‐exome sequencing of the proband. The substitution of cysteine encoding 178th position with tyrosine (p.Cys178Tyr) was caused by this mutation, which was conserved across species. Co‐segregation of disease phenotypes was demonstrated by the family verification. Conclusion: The family diagnosed as SYNS1 was caused by the novel mutation (c.533G>A) of NOG. The combination of clinical diagnosis and molecular diagnosis had improved the understanding of this rare disease and provided a scientific basis for genetic counseling in the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limb-kinetic apraxia, the loss of the ability to make precise, independent but coordinated finger and hand movements affects quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease. We aimed to examine the effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation of the left posterior parietal cortex and upper extremity motor practice on limb-kinetic apraxia in Parkinson's disease. This study was conducted in a randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled fashion. Patients confirmed to have Parkinson's disease were recruited. Twenty-eight participants completed the study and were randomized to two groups: anodal or sham stimulation. For participants assigned to active stimulation, anodal stimulation of the left posterior parietal cortex was performed using 2 mA current for 20 min. Patients received anodal or sham stimulation, followed by motor practice in both groups. The primary outcome measure was time-performing sequential buttoning and unbuttoning, and several secondary outcome measures were obtained. A statistically significant interaction between stimulation type and timepoint on time taken to perform buttoning and unbuttoning was found. Patients who received anodal stimulation were found to have a significant decrease in sequential buttoning and unbuttoning time immediately following stimulation and at 24 h in the medication-ON state, compared to the medication-OFF state (31% and 29% decrease, respectively). Anodal stimulation of the left posterior parietal cortex prior to motor practice appears to be effective for limb-kinetic apraxia in Parkinson's disease. Future long-term, multi-session studies looking at the long-term effects of anodal stimulation and motor practice on limb-kinetic apraxia in Parkinson's disease may be worthwhile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and trimethylbenzene (BTEX) are known to contribute the most to the formation of ozone and secondary organic aerosols (SOA) in an urban atmosphere and their representation in chemical transport models (CTM) is still uncertain. In this study, we evaluated the model representation of BTEX concentrations and their seasonal difference at Beijing and Seoul using the GEOS-Chem CTM and ground observations from the Fine particle Research Initiative in East Asia considering National Differences (FRIEND) project in winter and summer. The model captured different levels of observed BTEX at Beijing and Seoul, where benzene (BENZ) was comparable and toluene + ethylbenzene (TOLU) and xylenes + trimethylbenzenes (XYLE) were higher at Seoul. The observed seasonal variations of BTEX were similar at both sites, with benzene being higher in winter and TOLU and XYLE being higher in summer. However, the magnitude and seasonal variation of TOLU at Seoul and BENZ at Beijing were not reproduced by the model. TOLU was underestimated in both seasons at Seoul especially in summer due to the underestimation of emission rates and evaporative emission being not included in the current emission inventory. At Beijing, BENZ was underestimated especially in winter and showed no seasonal variation which was different from the observations. Underestimated benzene emission rates or missing sources of it cause discrepancies between observed and modeled benzene concentrations at Beijing. • The observed toluene and xylenes were higher in summer while benzene was higher in winter at Beijing and Seoul. • The evaporative emission of toluene at Seoul needs to be considered in the model to reproduce the observed seasonal variation of toluene. • Benzene concentration at Beijing is underestimated likely due to a low bias in emissions from Beijing's own or upwind region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is increasing at an alarming rate and further studies are needed to identify risk factors and to develop prevention strategies.Methods: Risk factors significantly associated with EOCRC were identified using meta-analysis. An individual risk appraisal model was constructed using the Rothman-Keller model. Next, a group of random data sets was generated using the binomial distribution function method, to determine nodes of risk assessment levels and to identify low, medium, and high risk populations.Results: A total of 32,843 EOCRC patients were identified in this study, and nine significant risk factors were identified using meta-analysis, including male sex, Caucasian ethnicity, sedentary lifestyle, inflammatory bowel disease, and high intake of red meat and processed meat. After simulating the risk assessment data of 10,000 subjects, scores of 0 to 0.0018, 0.0018 to 0.0036, and 0.0036 or more were respectively considered as low-, moderate-, and high-risk populations for the EOCRC population based on risk trends from the Rothman-Keller model.Conclusion: This model can be used for screening of young adults to predict high risk of EOCRC and will contribute to the primary prevention strategies and the reduction of risk of developing EOCRC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pea (Pisum sativum L.) is an important legume crop that is widely grown worldwide for human consumption and livestock feed. Despite extensive studies, the population genetic structure and classification of cultivated and wild pea (Pisum sp.) remain controversial. To characterize patterns of genetic and morphological variation and investigate the classification of Pisum, we conducted comprehensive population genetic analyses for 323 accessions from cultivated and wild pea, representing three species of Pisum and utilizing 34 morphological traits and 87 polymorphic simple sequence repeat markers. First, we identified three distinct genetic groups among all samples. Group I was primarily composed of Pisum fulvum, Pisum abyssinicum, and some wild P. sativum accessions, whereas Groups II and III consisted of the two genetic groups under P. sativum that represented different geographic distributions of cultivated pea. Analyses of morphological variation revealed significant differences among the three species. Second, among pea germplasms representing eight taxa of Pisum, P. fulvum and P. abyssinicum possessed unique genetic backgrounds and morphological characteristics, corroborating their independent species status. The intraspecific subdivisions of P. sativum described by some authors were not supported in this study, with the exception of several genotypes of P. sativum subsp. elatius that clustered with P. fulvum and P. abyssinicum. Finally, we confirmed that the Chinese pea germplasm was genetically distinct and could be divided into two genetic groups, each of which included both spring‐sowing and autumn‐sowing ecotypes. These results provide a robust foundation for understanding pea domestication and the utilization of wild genetic resources of pea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flood disasters are sudden, frequent, uncertain and highly hazardous natural disasters. The precise identification of the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics, key driving factors and influencing mechanisms of resilience has become a hot spot in disaster risk reduction research. Therefore, the cumulative information contribution rate-Pearson correlation coefficient (CICR- PCC) model is used in this paper to construct a flood disaster resilience index system by quantitative methods, and a support vector regression model refined by the selfish herd optimizer with elite opposition-based learning (EO–SHO–SVR) is built to improve the accuracy of flood disaster resilience evaluation. On this basis, the EO–SHO–SVR model is used to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution of flood disaster resilience in the Jiansanjiang branch of China Beidahuang Agricultural Reclamation Group Co., Ltd. over the past 22 years. In addition, to verify the comprehensive performance of the EO–SHO–SVR model, support vector regression (SVR), imperial competition algorithm-improved support vector regression (ICA-SVR), and unimproved selfish herd optimizer support vector regression (SHO-SVR) models were selected for comparative analysis. The results show that during the study period, the resilience levels reached a plateau of high levels from 1997 to 2018 after experiencing a state of steady low levels followed by increased volatility. Among the investigated factors, land-average flood prevention investment, GDP per capita, agricultural machinery power per unit of arable land, water conservancy project investment as a percentage of GDP, and rainfall are the main driving factors that cause spatiotemporal differences in flood disaster resilience in the study area. Spatially, the resilience levels in the Jiansanjiang branch are ordered as northern farms > southern farms > central farms, and the comprehensive index of resilience shows an increasing trend from west to east. In the model comparison, the EO–SHO–SVR model has outstanding advantages in fitting performance, reliability, rationality and stability, which fully demonstrates that the EO–SHO–SVR model is highly advanced and practical in the measurement of flood disaster resilience. These research results can provide a more accurate evaluation model of regional flood disaster resilience. In addition, they can also provide valuable information for regional flood resilience improvement and flood risk avoidance. [Display omitted] • Based on the CICR-PCC model, select regional flood disaster resilience evaluation indicators. • Use the EO-SHO-SVR evaluation model to analyze the spatiotemporal variation in flood disaster resilience. • Evaluate the performance and applicability of the constructed EO-SHO-SVR model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Triphasic dynamic enhanced computed tomography (CT) scans were acquired to identify cholesterol and adenomatous gallbladder (GB) polyps that were inaccurately diagnosed before surgery. Purpose: To evaluate the CT findings of 1.0- to 2.0-cm GB polyps for differentiating between cholesterol and adenomatous polyps. Methods: Fifty-two patients with GB polyps were treated surgically from December 2017 to July 2020 and were retrospectively divided into 2 groups according to the postoperative pathologic results: a cholesterol group with 30 patients and an adenomatous group with 22 patients. Unenhanced and triphasic dynamic enhanced CT scans were performed for all the patients within 2 weeks before surgery. The CT image parameters were measured and analyzed by 2 senior radiologists blinded to the pathological diagnoses. Results: Of the 22 patients in the adenomatous group, 77.3% were female and 22.7% were male, with a mean age of 53.5 years; among the 30 patients in the cholesterol group, 66.7% were female and 33.3% were male, with a median age of 50.1 years. The CT image parameters of all 52 patients with GB polyps were analyzed. Significant differences were found in the arterial phase CT values, portal venous phase CT values, delayed phase CT values, ∆CT1 values (portal venous phase CT minus delayed phase CT values), and ∆CT2 values (arterial phase CT minus delayed phase CT values) between the cholesterol and adenomatous polyp groups (p < 0.05). In differentiating the two groups, the ∆CT1 and ∆CT2 values were superior to the arterial, portal venous and delayed phase CT values regarding both sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion: The arterial phase CT values, portal venous phase CT values, delayed phase CT values, and ∆CT values (including ∆CT1 and ∆CT2) from triphasic dynamic enhanced CT scans can differentiate the nature of gallbladder polypoid lesions, with the ∆CT values having the highest sensitivity and specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OIPN) is one of the most common side effects of oxaliplatin, which can cause reduction and cessation of oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy and significantly affect patients' quality of life. However, no drug has got recognition to prevent or treat OIPN. Yiqi-Wenjing-Fang (YWF) is a joint name of Chinese medicine prescriptions with similar effects of tonifying qi and warming meridians, represented by Huangqi Guizhi Wuwu decoction (HGWD) and Danggui Sini decoction (DSD), both from "Treatise on Cold Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases." YWF granules, including HGWD granules and DSD granules, have been, respectively, demonstrated to be effective in preventing OIPN in previous small-sample observations. The purpose of this study is to enlarge the sample size for further evaluation of the preventive efficacy and safety of YWF granules on OIPN. Methods and Analysis. This study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and multicenter clinical trial. 360 postoperative patients with stage IIa-IIIc colorectal cancer will be randomly assigned into placebo-control group, intervention group I, and intervention group II, taking the mimetic granules of YWF as placebo, HGWD granules and DSD granules, respectively. All subjects will receive oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy regimen at the same time. EORTC QLQ-CIPN20 will be used to assess the degree of OIPN as the primary outcome measure. The grades of OIPN, quality of life, chemotherapeutic efficacy, and the number of completed chemotherapy cycles are selected as the secondary outcome measures. Discussion. Based on the condition of no recognized effective drugs in preventing OIPN, evidence-based medical study will be conducted for seeking a breakthrough in the field of Chinese herb medicine. This protocol could provide reliable and systemic research basis about the efficacy of YWF granules and the differentiation of two classical prescriptions of YWF on preventing OIPN objectively. Trial Registration. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov on 26 December 2020 (ID: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04690283). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arf1In article number 2303009, Kun‐Huan Zhang, Shao‐Chen Sun, and co‐workers report the critical roles of Arf1 GTPase in mouse oocyte meiosis. During meiosis resumption, Arf1 regulated Myt1 for MPF‐based G2/M transition; while at metaphase I, Arf1 affected tubulin acetylation for meiotic spindle organization through Aurora A‐Plk1..By Kun‐Huan Zhang; Yuan‐Jing Zou; Meng‐Meng Shan; Zhen‐Nan Pan; Jia‐Qian Ju; Jing‐Cai Liu; Yi‐Ming Ji and Shao‐Chen SunReported by Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author [Extracted from the article]

Marine organic aerosols play crucial roles in global climatic systems. However, their chemical properties and relationships with various potential organic sources still need clarification. This study employed high-resolution mass spectrometry to investigate the identity, origin, and transportation of organic aerosols in pristine Antarctic environments (King Sejong Station; 62.2°S, 58.8°W), where complex ocean-cryosphere-atmosphere interactions occur. First, we classified the aerosol samples into three clusters based on their air mass transport history. Next, we investigated the relationship between organic aerosols and their potential sources, including organic matter dissolved in the open ocean, coastal waters, and runoff waters. Cluster 1 (C1), in which the aerosols mainly originated from the open ocean area (i.e., pelagic zone-influenced), exhibited a higher abundance of lipid-like and protein-like organic aerosols than cluster 3 (C3), with ratios 1.8- and 1.6-times higher, respectively. In contrast, C3, characterized by longer air mass retention over sea ice and land areas (i.e., inshore-influenced), had higher lignin- and condensed aromatic structures (CAS)-like organic aerosols by 2.2- and 3.4-times compared to C1. Cluster 2 (C2) has intermediate characteristics between C1 and C3 concerning the chemical properties of the aerosols and air mass travel history. Notably, the chemical properties of the aerosols assigned to C1 are closely related to those of phytoplankton-derived organics enriched in the open ocean. In contrast, those of C3 are comparable to those of terrestrial plant-derived organics enriched in coastal and runoff waters. These findings help evaluate the source-dependent properties of organic aerosols in changing Antarctic environment. • Back-trajectory cluster analysis reveals varied aerosol sources and characteristics. • Open ocean aerosols have more lipid and protein; possibly derived from phytoplankton. • Inshore aerosols contain higher lignin and condensed aromatic structures (CAS). • Organics of inshore aerosols likely originate from coastal and runoff waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common benign tumor in children. Propranolol is the first-line treatment for IH, but the underlying mechanism of propranolol treatment in IH is not completely understood. Integrated transcriptional and metabolic analyses were performed to investigate the metabolic changes in hemangioma-derived endothelial cells (HemECs) after propranolol treatment. The findings were then further validated through independent cell experiments using a Seahorse XFp analyzer, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and mitochondrial functional assays. Thirty-four differentially expressed metabolites, including the glycolysis metabolites glucose 6-phosphate, fructose 6-phosphate and fructose 1,6-bisphosphate, were identified by targeted metabolomics. A KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that the disturbances in these metabolites were highly related to glucose metabolism-related pathways, including the pentose phosphate pathway, the Warburg effect, glycolysis and the citric acid cycle. Transcriptional analysis revealed that metabolism-related pathways, including glycine, serine and threonine metabolism, tyrosine metabolism, and glutathione metabolism, were highly enriched. Moreover, integration of the metabolomic and transcriptomic data revealed that glucose metabolism-related pathways, particularly glycolysis, were altered after propranolol treatment. Cell experiments demonstrated that HemECs exhibited higher levels of glycolysis than human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs) and that propranolol suppressed glycolysis in HemECs. In conclusion, propranolol inhibited glucose metabolism in HemECs by suppressing glucose metabolic pathways, particularly glycolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accumulating evidence suggests that Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and −2 (MMP-2) are involved in the neuropathological processes by contributing to breaking the extracellular matrix and the tight junctions that constitute the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, the influences of arsenic (As) on these two MMPs were inconsistent. In the cross-sectional study of 500 adults, serum MMP-2 and MMP-9 positively correlated with urine arsenic. And the positive correlation between urine tAs and serum MMP-9/2 was found in people older than 59 years. In vivo studies, we found that arsenic exposure or senescence might decrease number of neurons and neuritic density and increase serum and cortical MMP-9/2 levels. Furthermore, arsenic exposure or senescence could disrupt the tight junction of BBB and elevate MMP-9 and MMP-2 expression in the cerebral microvascular endothelium. The MMP-9 and MMP-2 are of particular interest when researching the link between arsenic exposure and nerve damage. • Arsenic exposure significantly increased serum MMP2 and MMP9. • Age and arsenic metabolism ability might modify the relationship between arsenic and serum MMP-9 or MMP-2. • Arsenic exposure may disrupt the BBB by increasing endothelial MMP-9 and MMP-2 in mice. • Senescence and arsenic may combine damage to the BBB and increase the risk of brain injury in mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]