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Abstract Tropospheric ozone significantly damages vegetation and reduces net primary productivity (NPP). We developed a stable linear NPP response model based on accumulated ozone exposure over a threshold of 40 parts per billion (ppb) (AOT40). We then estimated the effects of regional ozone damage on NPP for different vegetation types. The study suggests an average decrease in NPP of 24.7% due to ozone pollution in the North China Plain, similar to previous estimates ranging from 10.1% to 24.7%, with a maximum reduction exceeding 200 [g C m‐2 yr‐1] and more than 50%. Vegetation types such as broadleaf forests, needleleaf forest, crops, and grasses showed significant NPP decreases of 47.1%, 37.8%, 36.7%, and 44.6%, respectively. Declining NPP also had negative impacts on several Chinese crop species. Our work highlights the need for urgent and effective action to mitigate ozone pollution's substantial detrimental effects on ecosystem health and productivity.

Abstract Using e + e − annihilation data sets corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.5 fb −1, collected with the BESIII detector at center-of-mass energies between 4.600 and 4.699 GeV, we report the first measurements of the absolute branching fractions B Λ c + → p K L 0 $$ \mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p{K}_L^0\right) $$ = (1.67 ± 0.06 ± 0.04)%, B Λ c + → p K L 0 π + π − $$ \mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p{K}_L^0{\pi}^{+}{\pi}^{-}\right) $$ = (1.69 ± 0.10 ± 0.05)%, and B Λ c + → p K L 0 π 0 $$ \mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p{K}_L^0{\pi}^0\right) $$ = (2.02 ± 0.13 ± 0.05)%, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. Combining with the known branching fractions of Λ c + → p K S 0 $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p{K}_S^0 $$ , Λ c + → p K S 0 π + π − $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p{K}_S^0{\pi}^{+}{\pi}^{-} $$ , and Λ c + → p K S 0 π 0 $$ {\Lambda}_c^{+}\to p{K}_S^0{\pi}^0 $$ , we present the first measurements of the K S 0 $$ {K}_S^0 $$ - K L 0 $$ {K}_L^0 $$ asymmetries R Λ c + K S , L 0 X = B Λ c + → K S 0 X − B Λ c + → K L 0 X B Λ c + → K S 0 X + B Λ c + → K L 0 X $$ R\left({\Lambda}_c^{+},{K}_{S,L}^0X\right)=\frac{\mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to {K}_S^0X\right)-\mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to {K}_L^0X\right)}{\mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to {K}_S^0X\right)+\mathcal{B}\left({\Lambda}_c^{+}\to {K}_L^0X\right)} $$ in charmed baryon decays: R Λ c + p K S , L 0 = − 0.025 ± 0.031 $$ R\left({\Lambda}_c^{+},p{K}_{S,L}^0\right)=-0.025\pm 0.031 $$ , R Λ c + p K S , L 0 π + π − = − 0.027 ± 0.048 $$ R\left({\Lambda}_c^{+},p{K}_{S,L}^0{\pi}^{+}{\pi}^{-}\right)=-0.027\pm 0.048 $$ and R Λ c + p K S , L 0 π 0 = − 0.015 ± 0.046 $$ R\left({\Lambda}_c^{+},p{K}_{S,L}^0{\pi}^0\right)=-0.015\pm 0.046 $$ . No significant asymmetries with statistical significance are observed.

Abstract The processes h c → γP (P = η′, η, π 0) are studied with a sample of (27.12 ± 0.14) × 108 ψ(3686) events collected by the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider. The decay h c → γη is observed for the first time with the significance of 9.0 σ, and the branching fraction is determined to be (3.77 ± 0.55 ± 0.13 ± 0.26) × 10 −4, while B $$ \mathcal{B} $$ (h c → γη′) is measured to be (1.40 ± 0.11 ± 0.04 ± 0.10) × 10 −3, where the first uncertainties are statistical, the second systematic, and the third from the branching fraction of ψ(3686) → π 0 h c . The combination of these results allows for a precise determination of R h c = B h c → γη B h c → γ η ′ , $$ {R}_{h_c}=\frac{\mathcal{B}\left({h}_c\to {\pi}^0\gamma \eta \right)}{\mathcal{B}\left({h}_c\to {\pi}^0\gamma {\eta}^{\prime}\right)}, $$ which is calculated to be (27.0 ± 4.4 ± 1.0)%. The results are valuable for gaining a deeper understanding of η − η′ mixing, and its manifestation within quantum chromodynamics. No significant signal is found for the decay h c → γπ 0, and an upper limit is placed on its branching fraction of B $$ \mathcal{B} $$ (h c → γπ 0) < 5.0 × 10 −5, at the 90% confidence level.

Abstract Using e + e − collision data collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider at center-of-mass energies between 3.510 and 4.914 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 25 fb −1, we measure the Born cross sections for the process e + e − → K − Ξ ¯ + Λ / Σ 0 $$ {e}^{+}{e}^{-}\to {K}^{-}{\overline{\Xi}}^{+}\Lambda /{\Sigma}^0 $$ at thirty-five energy points with a partial-reconstruction strategy. By fitting the dressed cross sections of e + e − → K − Ξ ¯ + Λ / Σ 0 $$ {e}^{+}{e}^{-}\to {K}^{-}{\overline{\Xi}}^{+}\Lambda /{\Sigma}^0 $$ , evidence for ψ 4160 → K − Ξ ¯ + Λ $$ \psi (4160)\to {K}^{-}{\overline{\Xi}}^{+}\Lambda $$ is found for the first time with a significance of 4.4σ, including systematic uncertainties. No evidence for other possible resonances is found. In addition, the products of electronic partial width and branching fraction for all assumed resonances decaying into K − Ξ ¯ + Λ / Σ 0 $$ {K}^{-}{\overline{\Xi}}^{+}\Lambda /{\Sigma}^0 $$ are determined.

Abstract With a sample of (10087 ± 44) × 106 J/ψ events accumulated with the BESIII detector, we analyze the decays η′ → π + π − l + l − (l = e, μ) via the process J/ψ → γη′. The branching fractions are measured to be B $$ \mathcal{B} $$ (η′ → π + π − e + e − ) = (2.45 ± 0.02(stat.) ± 0.08(syst.)) × 10 −3 and B $$ \mathcal{B} $$ (η′ → π + π − μ + μ − ) = (2.16 ± 0.12(stat.) ± 0.06(syst.)) × 10 −5, and the ratio is B η ′ → π + π − e + e − B η ′ → π + π − μ + μ − = 113.4 ± 0.9 stat . ± 3.7 syst . $$ \frac{\mathcal{B}\left({\eta}^{\prime}\to {\pi}^{+}{\pi}^{-}{e}^{+}{e}^{-}\right)}{\mathcal{B}\left({\eta}^{\prime}\to {\pi}^{+}{\pi}^{-}{\mu}^{+}{\mu}^{-}\right)}=113.4\pm 0.9\left(\textrm{stat}.\right)\pm 3.7\left(\textrm{syst}.\right) $$ . In addition, by combining the η′ → π + π − e + e − and η′ → π + π − μ + μ − decays, the slope parameter of the electromagnetic transition form factor is measured to be b η′ = 1.30 ± 0.19 (GeV/c 2) −2, which is consistent with previous measurements from BESIII and theoretical predictions from the VMD model. The asymmetry in the angle between the π + π − and l + l − decay planes, which has the potential to reveal the CP-violation originating from an unconventional electric dipole transition, is also investigated. The asymmetry parameters are determined to be A CP η ′ → π + π − e + e − = − 0.21 ± 0.73 stat . ± 0.01 syst . % $$ {\mathcal{A}}_{CP}\left({\eta}^{\prime}\to {\pi}^{+}{\pi}^{-}{e}^{+}{e}^{-}\right)=\left(-0.21\pm 0.73\left(\textrm{stat}.\right)\pm 0.01\left(\textrm{syst}.\right)\right)\% $$ and A CP η ′ → π + π − μ + μ − = 0.62 ± 4.71 stat . ± 0.08 syst . % $$ {\mathcal{A}}_{CP}\left({\eta}^{\prime}\to {\pi}^{+}{\pi}^{-}{\mu}^{+}{\mu}^{-}\right)=\left(0.62\pm 4.71\left(\textrm{stat}.\right)\pm 0.08\left(\textrm{syst}.\right)\right)\% $$ , implying that no evidence of CP-violation is observed at the present statistics. Finally, an axion-like particle is searched for via the decay η′ → π + π − a, a → e + e − , and upper limits of the branching fractions are presented for the mass assumptions of the axion-like particle in the range of 0 − 500 MeV/c 2.

Abstract Using e + e − collision data collected at the BESIII detector at center-of-mass energies between 4.128 and 4.226 GeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 7.33 fb −1, we determine the absolute branching fractions of fifteen hadronic D s + $$ {D}_s^{+} $$ decays with a double-tag technique. In particular, we make precise measurements of the branching fractions B D s + → K + K − π + = 5.49 ± 0.04 ± 0.07 % $$ \mathcal{B}\left({D}_s^{+}\to {K}^{+}{K}^{-}{\pi}^{+}\right)=\left(5.49\pm 0.04\pm 0.07\right)\% $$ , B D s + → K S 0 K + = 1.50 ± 0.01 ± 0.01 % $$ \mathcal{B}\left({D}_s^{+}\to {K}_S^0{K}^{+}\right)=\left(1.50\pm 0.01\pm 0.01\right)\% $$ and B D s + → K + K − π + π 0 = 5.50 ± 0.05 ± 0.11 % $$ \mathcal{B}\left({D}_s^{+}\to {K}^{+}{K}^{-}{\pi}^{+}{\pi}^0\right)=\left(5.50\pm 0.05\pm 0.11\right)\% $$ , where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second ones are systematic. The CP asymmetries in these decays are also measured and all are found to be compatible with zero.

Abstract Using (27.12 ± 0.14) × 108 ψ(3686) events collected by the BESIII detector at the center-of-mass energy of s $$ \sqrt{s} $$ = 3.686 GeV, we search for the first time for two nonleptonic hyperon decays that change strangeness by two units, Ω − → Σ0 π − and Ω − → nK − . No significant signal is observed. The upper limits on their decay branching fractions are determined to be B $$ \mathcal{B} $$ (Ω − → Σ0 π − ) < 5.4 × 10 −4 and B $$ \mathcal{B} $$ (Ω − → nK − ) < 2.4 × 10 −4 at the 90% confidence level.

Abstract Using 24.1 fb −1 of e + e − collision data collected with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII collider, the Born cross sections and effective form factors of the e + e − → Σ + Σ ¯ − $$ {e}^{+}{e}^{-}\to {\Sigma}^{+}{\overline{\Sigma}}^{-} $$ reaction are measured. The measurements are performed at center-of-mass energies ranging from 3.510 to 4.951 GeV. No significant evidence for the decay of the charmonium(-like) states, ψ(3770), ψ(4040), ψ(4160), Y(4230), Y(4360), ψ(4415), and Y(4660), into a Σ + Σ ¯ − $$ {\Sigma}^{+}{\overline{\Sigma}}^{-} $$ final state is observed. Consequently, upper limits for the products of the branching fractions and the electronic partial widths at the 90% confidence level are reported for these decays.

Abstract Using (27.12 ± 0.14) × 108 ψ(3686) events collected with the BESIII detector at BEPCII, the decay of ψ(3686) → Ω − K + Ξ ¯ 0 $$ {\varOmega}^{-}{K}^{+}{\overline{\Xi}}^0 $$ + c.c. is observed for the first time. The branching fraction of this decay is measured to be B ψ 3686 → Ω − K + Ξ ¯ 0 + c . c . $$ {\mathcal{B}}_{\psi (3686)\to {\varOmega}^{-}{K}^{+}{\overline{\Xi}}^0+\textrm{c}.\textrm{c}.} $$ = (2.78 ± 0.40 ± 0.18) × 10 −6, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. Possible baryon excited states are searched for in this decay, but no evident intermediate state is observed with the current sample size.

We present the first catalog of very-high-energy and ultra-high-energy gamma-ray sources detected by the Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory. The catalog was compiled using 508 days of data collected by the Water Cherenkov Detector Array from 2021 March to 2022 September and 933 days of data recorded by the Kilometer Squared Array from 2020 January to 2022 September. This catalog represents the main result from the most sensitive large coverage gamma-ray survey of the sky above 1 TeV, covering decl. from −20° to 80°. In total, the catalog contains 90 sources with an extended size smaller than 2° and a significance of detection at >5 σ . Based on our source association criteria, 32 new TeV sources are proposed in this study. Among the 90 sources, 43 sources are detected with ultra-high energy ( E > 100 TeV) emission at >4 σ significance level. We provide the position, extension, and spectral characteristics of all the sources in this catalog.

Effective crosslinking among food constituents has the potential to enhance their overall quality. Distarch phosphate (DSP), a common food additive employed as a thickening agent, bears a pre-crosslinked oligosaccharide (PCO) moiety within its molecular structure. Once this moiety is released, its double reducing end has the potential to undergo crosslinking with amino-rich macromolecules through Maillard reaction. In this study, hydrolyzed distarch phosphate (HDSP) was synthesized, and spectroscopic analysis verified the presence of PCO within HDSP. Preliminary validation experiment showed that HDSP could crosslink chitosan to form a hydrogel and significant browning was also observed during the process. Furthermore, rehydrated sea cucumber (RSC) crosslinked with HDSP exhibited a more intact appearance, higher mechanical strength, better color profile, and increased water-holding capacity. This series of results have confirmed that HDSP is capable to crosslink amino-rich macromolecules and form more stable three-dimensional network., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that we are currently filing a patent to protect the intellectual property involved in this article., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The Upstream Binding Transcription Factor ( UBTF ) gene encodes two nucleolar proteins, UBTF1 and UBTF2. UBTF1 regulates rRNA transcription by RNA polymerase I, while UBTF2 regulates mRNA transcription by RNA polymerase II. A recurrent de novo dominant mutation c.628G>A (p.Glu210Lys) has been identified as a gain-of-function mutation associated with childhood onset neurodegeneration with brain atrophy (CONDBA). Evidence from large-scale population databases and Ubtf +/- mouse models indicates that UBTF haploinsufficiency is not tolerated., Methods: Three unrelated patients with global developmental delay and distinctive facial features were recruited for the study. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed to identify potential genetic abnormalities. Additionally, copy number variation analysis was conducted based on the WES data., Results: All three patients exhibited intellectual disabilities, social challenges and developmental delays in language and gross motor skills. Distinctive facial features included a wide forehead, sparse eyebrows, hypertelorism, narrow palpebral fissures, single-fold eyelids, a flat nasal bridge, anteverted nares, a long philtrum and a thin upper lip. Additionally, patient C presented with more severe language delay, recurrent hepatic dysfunction and an atrial septal defect. Patient A was found to have a nonsense variant, c.1327C>T (p.R443Ter), in the exon 13 of UBTF . Patients B and C both carried a heterozygous deletion encompassing the UBTF gene., Conclusion: In this study, we analysed the detailed phenotypes associated with UBTF haploinsufficiency, which, to our knowledge, have not been previously reported. We propose that UBTF haploinsufficiency-related global developmental delay and distinctive facial features, without neuroregression, constitute a new syndrome distinct from CONDBA., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Two triangular prismatic cages were synthesized by combining a trishydrazide and two bisformyl precursors in strongly acidic water, where the dynamic nature of hydrazone was turned ON. An anionic guest was used as the template to drive the cage formation. Performing counterion exchange removed both the template and the Brønsted acid. The removal of the latter afforded the cages' kinetic inertness by turning OFF the reversibility of hydrazone. The cages can thus be used for recognizing various guests in water without observable degradation, driven by the hydrophobic effect. Upon being accommodated within the cage cavities, an anthracene derivative was protected from UV-stimulated oxidation, which would occur otherwise in the bulk solution without the protection from the host.

The carbon emission trading scheme (ETS), a market-based environmental regulation, is critical for in combating climate change in China. According to the Porter effect, ETS can promote green innovation, while the specific impact of carbon price on a company's green innovation, and the role of price signals, remain unclear. This study examines the impact of carbon price on green innovation, utilizing a dataset of A-share listed companies spanning from 2010 to 2020. The difference-in-differences estimation results demonstrate that carbon price significantly increases green innovation, promoting both invention patents and utility model patents. Our findings further indicate that moderating variables such as ESG disclosure, larger institutional investor shareholding, local environmental penalties, price stabilization mechanisms, and free quotas allocation can all amplify the constructive influence of carbon pricing on sustainable innovation. Moreover, heterogeneity analysis suggests that state-owned and large-scale companies, particularly those in the power sector and polluting sector, are more sensitive to price signals impacting green innovation. Additionally, we discovered a spatial externality of carbon pricing on green innovation in a radius ranging from 150 km to 300 km. This paper provides specific policy recommendations to stabilize the carbon price signal., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is closely associated with dysregulated immune response, gut mucosal barrier, and microbiota. Conventional treatments suffer from inferior bioavailability and inadequate efficiency. Herein, we present a synergistic therapeutic strategy based on multifunctionalized probiotics to mitigate IBD through single oral administration. The probiotic (Escherichia coli Nissle 1917) is bioorthogonally conjugated with immunomodulators and subsequently encapsulated by an enteric coating. The viability and bioactivity of probiotics are not affected by the modifications. And the armored probiotics are able to resist the harsh environment of the stomach and shed their enteric coating in the intestinal tract, exposing immunomodulators to polarize pro-inflammatory M1-type macrophages into anti-inflammatory M2-type. In a mouse colitis model, orally administered multifunctionalized probiotics cooperatively alleviate IBD with increased body weight to 1.13 folds and decreased disease activity index to 0.43 folds, through downregulating the pro-inflammatory cytokines expression, upregulating the epithelial tight junction-associated proteins levels to restore the intestinal barrier, and increasing the microbiota richness and abundance. This work exhibits a feasible approach to construct functionalized orally administered probiotics for enhanced synergistic therapy of IBD., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Twenty-nine sesquiterpenoids, including pseudoguaiane-type (1-11), eudesmane-type (12-23), and carabrane-type (24-29), have been identified from the plant Carpesium abrotanoides. Of them, compounds 1-4, 12-15, and 24-27, namely carpabrotins A-L, are twelve previously undescribed ones. Compound 3 possessed a pseudoguaiane backbone with a rearrangement modification at C-11, C-12 and C-13, while compound 4 suffered a carbon bond break between the C-4 and C-5 to form a rare 4,5-seco-pseudoguaiane lactone. Compounds 1-3, 5, 13-16 and 25-27 exhibited anti-inflammatory activity by inhibiting NO production in LPS-induced RAW264.7 macrophages with IC 50 values less than 40 μM, while compounds 1, 2, 5, 13, 14, 16, and 25-27 showed significant inhibitory activity comparable to that of dexamethasone. The anti-atopic dermatitis (AD) effects of compounds 5 and 16 were tested according to 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB)-induced AD-like skin lesions in KM mice, and the results revealed that the major products 5 and 16 improved the histological features of AD-like skin lesions and mast cell infiltration in mice. This study suggested that sesquiterpenoids in C. abrotanoides should play a key role in its anti-inflammatory use., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Myoblast is a kind of activated muscle stem cell. Its biological activities, such as proliferation, migration, differentiation, and fusion, play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of the skeletal muscle system. These activities of myoblasts can be significantly influenced by the extracellular matrix. Collagen, being a principal constituent of the extracellular matrix, substantially influences these biological activities. In skeletal muscle, collagen I and III are two kinds of primary collagen types. Their influence on myoblasts and the difference between them remain ambiguous. The purpose of this study is to discover the influence of collagen I and III on biological function of myoblasts and compare their differences. We used C2C12 cell line and primary myoblasts to discover the effect of collagen I and III on proliferation, migration and differentiation of myoblasts and then performed the transcriptome sequencing and analysis. The results showed that both collagen I and III enhanced the proliferation of myoblasts, with no statistical difference between them. Similarly, collagen I and III enhanced the migration of myoblasts, with collagen I was more pronounced in Transwell assay. On the contrary, collagen I and III inhibited myoblasts differentiation, with collagen III was more pronounced at gene expression level. The transcriptome sequencing identified DEGs and enrichment analysis elucidated different terms between Type I and III collagen. Collectively, our research preliminarily elucidated the influence of collagen I and III on myoblasts and their difference and provided the preliminary experimental foundation for subsequent research., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

A novel surfactant-free microemulsion (SFME) system was proposed in this study, and applied in the crude oil removal and recovery from oily sludge (OS). Based on an investigation of the SFME phase behavior and solution properties, a complete ternary phase diagram was constructed. The SFME with three-liquid phase equilibrium (Winsor III type) was selected for the treatment of OS to achieve simultaneous efficient removal (up to 95.1 %) and recovery (up to 83.2 %) of crude oil. The SFME could be reused continuously for OS treatment without purification. The removal efficiency could still keep >75.9 % after 5 times of reuse, showing high reusability. The detached crude oil could be automatically recovered based on the phase equilibrium principle without additional separation. In the washing experiments, single-factor and multi-factor orthogonal tests were applied to investigate the effects of different experimental conditions on oil removal efficiency and determine the optimal experimental scheme. The treated OS was sufficiently decontaminated according to the morphology, composition, and properties analysis by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and contact angle. The composition of the recovered crude oil was identical to that of commercial crude oil according to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, showing a high recovery value. The kinetic analysis revealed that crude oil desorption experienced three main stages: membrane diffusion, intra-particle diffusion and surface desorption, and identified the chemisorption was the main interaction between the oil-soil. Finally, the mechanism of SFME action was assessed for dissolution and activation based on ultra-low IFT., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Ubiquitous sensing from wearable devices in the wild holds promise for enhancing human well-being, from diagnosing clinical conditions and measuring stress to building adaptive health promoting scaffolds. But the large volumes of data therein across heterogeneous contexts pose challenges for conventional supervised learning approaches. Representation Learning from biological signals is an emerging realm catalyzed by the recent advances in computational modeling and the abundance of publicly shared databases. The electrocardiogram (ECG) is the primary researched modality in this context, with applications in health monitoring, stress and affect estimation. Yet, most studies are limited by small-scale controlled data collection and over-parameterized architecture choices. We introduce WildECG, a pre-trained state-space model for representation learning from ECG signals. We train this model in a self-supervised manner with 275 000 10 s ECG recordings collected in the wild and evaluate it on a range of downstream tasks. The proposed model is a robust backbone for ECG analysis, providing competitive performance on most of the tasks considered, while demonstrating efficacy in low-resource regimes.

Background: Arterial remodeling is a common pathophysiological change in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases in which the phenotypic switch of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) plays an important role. Recently, an increasing number of long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs) have been shown to encode micropeptides that play biological roles and have great clinical transformation potential. However, the role of micropeptides encoded by lncRNAs in arterial remodeling has not been well studied and requires further exploration., Methods and Results: Through bioinformatic analysis and experimental verification, we found that a new lncRNA, the mitochondrial function-related lncRNA (MFRL), encodes a 64-amino acid micropeptide, MFRLP. MFRL and MFRLP play important roles in the phenotypic switch of VSMC. Further experiments showed that MFRLP interacts with mitochondrial cytochrome b to reduce accumulation of reactive oxygen species, suppress mitophagy and inhibit the VSMC switch from contractile to synthetic phenotype., Conclusions: LncRNA MFRL encodes the micropeptide MFRLP, which interacts with mitochondrial cytochrome b to inhibit the VSMC switch from contractile to synthetic phenotype and improve arterial remodeling., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 /In(OH) 3 (BON) photocatalysts were synthesized by a one-pot method and loaded onto polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes to obtain a Bi 2 O 2 CO 3 /In(OH) 3 /PVDF (BON-M) catalytic membrane system. The catalytic membranes demonstrated complete degradation of tetracycline within 40 min under visible light. They demonstrated robust photocatalytic activity across a broad pH range (5-11) and in the presence of coexisting ions. The membranes demonstrated excellent self-cleaning performance. Following exposure to light, the irreversible contamination decreased from 27.1% to 4.7% and the membrane's permeability was almost completely restored. Moreover, the charge transfer mechanism at the S-scheme heterojunction interface of BON was demonstrated by Density functional theory and in-situ X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy characterisation, and the active sites involved in tetracycline's degradation were identified. Meanwhile, the mechanism of the "anemone effect" of BON-M was demonstrated in conjunction with Electron paramagnetic resonance, and the intrinsic Some factors enhancing the membranes' photocatalytic activity are specified., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study introduces an innovative approach for the real-time and efficient detection of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, using a calcein fluorescence probe and leveraging the static quenching properties of calcein fluorescence by Ce 3+ metal ions. In this method, calcein serves as the signal element, with its fluorescence effectively preserved through energy transfer or charge transfer when coordinated with Ce 3+ . Conversely, ALP catalyzes the phosphopeptide substrate to generate a substantial amount of Pi, preventing calcein fluorescence quenching due to the higher affinity between Pi and Ce 3+ compared with that between calcein and Ce 3+ . The fluorescence intensity ratio (F-F 0 /F 0 ) exhibited excellent linearity, facilitating sensitive ALP detection. The proposed ALP detection method covers a range from 0 to 1.4 mU/mL (R 2  = 0.9942), with the limit of detection at 0.069 mU/mL (S/N = 3). Additionally, this method was successfully applied for detecting ALP in serum samples and studying its inhibitors. This research introduces a novel clinical diagnosis approach for ALP sensing while broadening the potential applications of calcein., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH, DE part of Springer Nature.)

Swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV) is an emerging alpha-coronavirus that causes diarrhea in piglets and results in serious economic losses. During SADS-CoV infection, the spike protein (S) serves as a crucial structural component of the virion, interacting with receptors and eliciting the production of neutralizing antibodies. Due to the potential risk of zoonotic transmission of SADS-CoV, the identification and screening of epitopes on the S glycoproteins will be crucial for development of sensitive and specific diagnostic tools. In this study, we immunized BALB/c mice with recombinant SADS-CoV S trimer protein and generated two S1-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs): 8D6 and 6E9, which recognized different linear B-cell epitopes. The minimal fragment recognized by mAb 8D6 was mapped to 311 NPDQRD 316 , the minimal fragment recognized by mAb 6E9 was mapped to 492 ARFVDRL 498 . Homology analysis of the regions corresponding to 13 typical strains of different SADS-CoV subtypes showed high conservation of these two epitopes. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the structure of the SADS-CoV S protein, which is valuable for vaccine design and holds potential for developing diagnostic methods to detect SADS-CoV., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Desiccation-induced cracks in a compacted clay liner significantly deteriorate the hydraulic barrier performance of landfill covers. The present study explores the effects of polypropylene (PP) fiber reinforcement on the hydrological response and crack resistance of compacted steel slag (SS; 90 wt%) - bentonite (10 wt%) mixtures under drying and wetting cycles. Comprehensive tests were conducted to explore the impact of different fiber lengths (6-12 mm) and contents (0-0.4 % wt.%), including hydraulic conductivity tests for measuring the saturated hydraulic conductivity (k s ), unconfined-penetration tests for measuring the tensile strength, small-sized plate tests for quantifying crack development, and large-sized bucket tests for studying the hydrological response and crack characteristics. Higher fiber contents and longer fiber lengths increased the k s -value of the specimens. For a 0.3 % fiber content, the tensile strength peaked for the 9-mm fiber. Consistently, the specimen reinforced with the 9-mm fibers exhibited significantly fewer cracks than those reinforced with the 6-mm and 12-mm fibers. It was because the 6-mm fibers had a shorter anchorage length, while the 12-mm fibers tended to agglomerate. The large-sized bucket tests showed that fiber reinforcement limited crack development significantly under wetting and drying cycles, reducing the rainfall infiltration by 40 % and enhancing the soil water retention capacity. Finally, a 0.3 wt% of 9-mm PP was recommended to reinforce the compacted SS-bentonite mixtures., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Herbicides are essential for farmers to control weed. However, prolonged use of herbicides has caused the development of herbicide resistance in weeds. Here, the resistant Echinochloa crus-galli (RL5) was obtained by continuous treatment with metamifop for five generations in paddy fields. RL5 plants showed a 13.7-fold higher resistance to metamifop compared to susceptible E. crus-galli (SL5) plants. Pre-treatment with GST inhibitor (NBD-Cl) significantly increased the susceptibility of RL5 plants to metamifop. Faster metamifop metabolism and higher GST activity in RL5 plants than in SL5 plants were also confirmed, highlighting the role of GST in metabolic resistance. RNA-Seq analysis identified EcGSTU23 as a candidate gene, and this gene was up-regulated in RL5 and field-resistant E. crus-galli plants. Furthermore, the EcGSTU23 gene was overexpressed in the transgenic EcGSTU23-Maize, and the EcGSTU23-Maize showed resistance to metamifop. In vitro metabolic studies also revealed that the purified EcGSTU23 displayed catalytic activity in glutathione (GSH) conjugation, and metamifop was rapidly metabolized in the co-incubation system containing EcGSTU23 protein. These results provide direct experimental evidence of EcGSTU23's involvement in the metabolic resistance of E. crus-galli to metamifop. Understanding the resistance mechanism can help in devising effective strategies to combat herbicide resistance and breeding of genetically modified herbicide resistant crops., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Edible fungi are emerging as a valuable dietary fiber source with health benefits, where their bioactivity hinges on their structure. This study targets the structure-activity relationship of soluble dietary fibers from Lentinus edodes (LESDF), Agaricus bisporus (ABSDF), and Hericium erinaceus (HESDF), focusing on their impact on gut microbiota and health. We explored the properties and structures of edible fungi, finding their soluble fibers affect metabolites and gut microbiota by increasing gas and lowering pH. Among these, HESDF demonstrated superior effects (pH: △1.4 ± 0.07; Gas production: △24.5 ± 0.4 mL). Furthermore, different types of edible fungi dietary fiber exhibited distinct capabilities in promoting the production of short-chain fatty acids by gut microorganisms. For instance, ABSDF exceled in acetic acid production (26.12 ± 0.35 mM) and propionic acid production (9.50 ± 0.13 mM), while HESDF stood out in butyric acid production (17.86 ± 0.09 mM). LESDF showed higher levels of Phascolarctobacterium, ABSDF had elevated levels of Ruminococcus, and HESDF displayed increased levels of Faecalibacterium. These results contribute to our understanding of how soluble dietary fiber from different edible fungi impacts gut microbiota and offers insights for the development and utilization of these fibers as functional food., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Emerging evidence suggests that plants experiencing abiotic stress actively seek help from soil microbes. However, the empirical evidence supporting this strategy is limited, especially in response to heavy metal stress. We used integrated microbial community profiling and culture-based methods to investigate the interaction between mercury (Hg) stress, the entophytic root microbiome, and maize seedlings. The results of the pot experiment showed that soil Hg (20 mg/kg) strongly inhibited maize growth, indicating its strong phytotoxicity. Furthermore, Hg stress significantly altered the structure of the bacterial and fungal communities and enriched the potentially pathogenic Fusarium sp., suggesting that soil Hg stress may enhance the bio-stress induced by Fusarium species in maize. Additionally, soil Hg also led to the enrichment of beneficial bacterial members of Streptomyces, Lysobacter, and Sphingomonas (defined as differential species), which were also identified as keystone species in the Hg treatment by the analysis of co-occurrence networks. Therefore, it can be postulated that the members of Streptomyces, Lysobacter, and Sphingomonas function as stress-alleviating microbes. We successfully isolated the representatives of these stress-alleviating microbes. As expected, these strains mitigated the detrimental effects of Hg stess for the maize seedlings, suggesting that plants recruit the stress-alleviated microbiota to combat Hg stress. This study provides insights into the potential of manipulating the root microbiome to enhance plant growth in polluted environments., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

A Cu(I)-catalyzed highly regioselective synthesis of 2-acetamidequinoline N -oxides using dioxazolones with quinoline N -oxides has been reported. The reaction possesses mild reaction conditions and excellent functional group compatibility. Furthermore, the addition of hydrochloric acid promotes the decomposition of copper complexes, which is beneficial for postprocessing.

Electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) offers a promising approach to close the carbon cycle and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. However, traditional decoupled CO 2 RR processes involve energy-intensive CO 2 capture, conversion, and product separation, which increases operational costs. Here, we report the development of a bismuth-poly(ionic liquid) (Bi-PIL) hybrid catalyst that exhibits exceptional electrocatalytic performance for CO 2 conversion to formate. The Bi-PIL catalyst achieves over 90% Faradaic efficiency for formate over a wide potential range, even at low 15% v/v CO 2 concentrations typical of industrial flue gas. The biphenyl in PIL backbone affords hydrophobicity while maintaining high ionic conductivity, effectively mitigating the flooding issues. The PIL layer plays a crucial role as a CO 2 concentrator and co-catalyst that accelerates the CO 2 RR kinetics. Furthermore, we demonstrate the potential of Bi-PIL catalysts in a solid-state electrolyte (SSE) electrolyzer for the continuous and direct production of pure formic acid solutions from flue gas. Techno-economic analysis suggests that this integrated process can produce formic acid at a significantly reduced cost compared to the traditional decoupled approaches. This work presents a promising strategy to overcome the challenges associated with low-concentration CO 2 utilization and streamline the production of valuable liquid fuels and chemicals from CO 2 ., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Regular physical activity is widely recognized for reducing the risk of various disorders, with skeletal muscles playing a key role by releasing biomolecules that benefit multiple organs and tissues. However, many individuals, particularly the elderly and those with clinical conditions, are unable to engage in physical exercise, necessitating alternative strategies to stimulate muscle cells to secrete beneficial biomolecules. Histone acetylation and deacetylation significantly influence exercise-induced gene expression, suggesting that targeting histone deacetylases (HDACs) could mimic some exercise responses. In this study, we explored the effects of the HDAC inhibitor Trichostatin A (TSA) on human skeletal muscle myoblasts (HSMMs). Our findings showed that TSA-induced hyperacetylation enhanced myotube fusion and increased the secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs) enriched with miR-873-3p. These TSA-EVs promoted osteogenic differentiation in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) by targeting H2 calponin (CNN2). In vivo, systemic administration of TSA-EVs to osteoporosis mice resulted in significant improvements in bone mass. Moreover, TSA-EVs mimicked the osteogenic benefits of exercise-induced EVs, suggesting that HDAC inhibition can replicate exercise-induced bone health benefits. These results demonstrate the potential of TSA-induced muscle-derived EVs as a therapeutic strategy to enhance bone formation and prevent osteoporosis, particularly for individuals unable to exercise. Given the FDA-approved status of various HDAC inhibitors, this approach holds significant promise for rapid clinical translation in osteoporosis treatment., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: To analyze the diagnostic efficiency of the four absolute endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) indications for lymph node metastasis (LNM) of Chinese patients with early gastric cancer (EGC)., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed EGC patients who underwent radical D2 gastrectomy from January 2019 to December 2022. We evaluated the rate of LNM, false-negative rate, and negative predictive value of the four ESD indications., Results: Of enrolled 2722 EGC patients, 388 (14.3%) patients presented LNM. Tumor size > 2 cm, ulceration, submucosal invasion, undifferentiated type, and lymphovascular invasion were independent risk factors of LNM in patients with EGC. 1062 (39%) cases of EGC conformed to the four EDS indications; however, 4% of them had LNM. 451 cases were fully in accord with the fourth ESD indication (undifferentiated intramucosal carcinoma without ulceration and a maximum lesion diameter of ≤ 2 cm), and 35 of them had LNM, with a false-negative rate (FNR) of 9.02% and a negative predictive value (NPV) of 92.24%. There was significant difference among the four indications in terms of the rate of LNM (1.0% vs 1.5% vs 1.3% vs 7.8%, P < 0.001), FNR (1.03% vs 0.52% vs 0.26% vs 9.02%, P < 0.001), and NPV (98.99% vs 98.53% vs 98.75% vs 92.24%, P < 0.001)., Conclusion: Overall, the fourth ESD indication was associated with a high rate of LNM compared to the other three indications. Thus, it might not be safe to classify it as an absolute indication in Chinese patients with EGC., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Sirtuin 6 (SIRT6), a member of the SIRT family, plays essential roles in the regulation of metabolism, inflammation, aging, DNA repair, and cancer development, making it a promising anticancer drug target. Herein, we present our use of proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology to formulate a series of highly potent and selective SIRT6 degraders. One of the degraders, SZU-B6 , induced the near-complete degradation of SIRT6 in both SK-HEP-1 and Huh-7 cell lines and more potently inhibited hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell proliferation than the parental inhibitors. In preliminary mechanistic studies, SZU-B6 hampered DNA damage repair, promoting the cellular radiosensitization of cancer cells. Our SIRT6 degrader SZU-B6 displayed promising antitumor activity, particularly when combined with the well-known kinase inhibitor sorafenib or irradiation in an SK-HEP-1 xenograft mouse model. Our results suggest that these PROTACs might constitute a potent therapeutic strategy for HCC.

Background & Aims: Efficacy of upadacitinib, an oral Janus kinase inhibitor, for moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease was demonstrated in phase 3 induction (U-EXCEL, U-EXCEED) and maintenance (U-ENDURE) trials; this post hoc analysis evaluated upadacitinib outcomes in patients with fistulizing disease in these studies., Methods: Patients were randomized (2:1) to once-daily upadacitinib 45 mg (UPA45) or placebo for 12 weeks. UPA45 clinical responders were rerandomized (1:1:1) to upadacitinib 15 mg (UPA15), 30 mg (UPA30), or placebo for 52 weeks. In patients with fistulas (any and perianal), resolution of drainage, closure of external openings, clinical remission, endoscopic response, and safety were assessed., Results: Of 1021 patients in U-EXCEL and U-EXCEED, 143 (14.0%) had any fistulas at baseline (66 draining); of these, most (128) had perianal fistulas (56 draining). Greater proportions of patients receiving upadacitinib vs placebo achieved resolution of drainage of perianal fistulas at the end of induction (placebo, 5.6%, n/N = 1/18; UPA45, 44.7%, n/N = 17/38; P = .003) and maintenance (placebo, 0%, n/N = 0/11; UPA15, 28.6%, n/N = 4/14; P = .105; UPA30, 23.1% n/N = 3/13; P = .223) and closure of perianal fistula external openings (induction: placebo, 4.8%, n/N = 2/42; UPA45, 22.1%, n/N = 19/86; P = .013; maintenance: placebo, 0%, n/N = 0/30; UPA15, 18.8%, n/N = 6/32; P = .024; UPA30, 16.0%, n/N = 4/25; P = .037)., Conclusion: Patients with fistulizing disease (primarily perianal) treated with upadacitinib achieved higher rates of resolution of drainage, closure of external openings, clinical remission, and endoscopic response vs placebo., Clinicaltrials: gov numbers: U-EXCEL (NCT03345849), U-EXCEED (NCT03345836), U-ENDURE (NCT03345823)., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Inappropriate treatment of chronic inflammation and infection can lead to serious consequences, with anemia being the most common secondary disease that often requires systematic treatment. However, the complex pathology and gastrointestinal irritation associated with oral iron supplements limit their effectiveness. To address this, a bioactive ingredient derived from natural herbs, Angelica sinensis polysaccharide (ASP), was utilized as an ideal adjuvant for regulating the size and stability of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs). Highly hydrophilic ASP-modified IONPs (IONPs@ASP) with a mesoporous structure were developed under the induction of microemulsion.The as-prepared IONPs@ASP exhibited enhanced stability, retention performance and controlled degradation in blood and lysosomal environments, respectively, which is beneficial for long-term intravenous iron maintenance in anemia treatment. After confirming the biosafety of IONPs@ASP, pharmacodynamic results showed that hemoglobin levels increased significantly and rapidly returned to normal levels in anemia model rats treated with IONPs@ASP, even surpassing the effects of IONPs or ASP monotherapy. Additionally, analysis of inflammatory factors in rat serum suggested that ASP effectively upregulated the expression of anti-inflammatory factors, indicating synergistic effects of iron-based nanomedicine and immune regulation in anemia treatment. These findings represent a significant advancement in anemia treatment and open new possibilities for developing versatile nanoparticles based on ASP., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

RNA helicases constitute a large family of proteins that share a catalytic core with high structural similarity. DEAD-box (DDX) proteins belong to the largest RNA helicase subfamily, and DDX members have been implicated in all facets of RNA metabolism, from transcription to translation, miRNA maturation, and RNA delay and degradation. Interestingly, an increasing number of studies have suggested a relationship between DDX proteins and cancer initiation and progression. The expression levels of many DDX proteins are elevated in a majority of cancers, and recent studies have demonstrated that some DDX proteins have a potent positive effect on promoting the metastasis of malignant cells. Metastasis is a complex, multistep cascade process that includes local invasion, intravasation and survival in the circulation, arrest at a distant organ site, extravasation and metastatic colonization; here, we review this process and present the suggested functions and mechanisms of DDX family proteins in particular steps of the invasion‒metastasis cascade., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

Previous research has shown that, in both laboratory and real-world contexts, punishment sensitivity is associated with lower risk-taking propensity. The neural underpinnings of the association between punishment sensitivity and risk-taking, however, remain largely unknown. To address this issue, we implemented resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) methodologies to investigate the neural basis of their relationship in the current study (N=594). The behavioral results confirmed a negative association between punishment sensitivity and risk-taking propensity, which supports the hypothesis. The VBM results demonstrated a positive correlation between punishment sensitivity and gray matter volume in the right orbitofrontal cortex (ROFC). Furthermore, the results of the RSFC analysis revealed that the functional connectivity between ROFC and the right medial temporal gyrus (RMTG) was positively associated with punishment sensitivity. Notably, mediation analysis demonstrated that punishment sensitivity acted as a complete mediator in the influence of ROFC-RMTG functional connectivity on risk-taking. These findings suggest that ROFC-RMTG functional connectivity may be the neural basis underlying the effect of punishment sensitivity on risk-taking propensity, which provides a new perspective for understanding the relationship between punishment sensitivity and risk-taking propensity., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca ) stands as a flagship and umbrella species, symbolizing global biodiversity. While traditional assisted reproductive technology faces constraints in safeguarding the genetic diversity of giant pandas, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) known for their capacity to differentiate into diverse cells types, including germ cells, present a transformative potential for conservation of endangered animals. In this study, primary fibroblast cells were isolated from the giant panda, and giant panda iPSCs (GPiPSCs) were generated using a non-integrating episomal vector reprogramming method. Characterization of these GPiPSCs revealed their state of primed pluripotency and demonstrated their potential for differentiation. Furthermore, we innovatively formulated a species-specific chemically defined FACL medium and unraveled the intricate signaling pathway networks responsible for maintaining the pluripotency and fostering cell proliferation of GPiPSCs. This study provides key insights into rare species iPSCs, offering materials for panda characteristics research and laying the groundwork for in vitro giant panda gamete generation, potentially aiding endangered species conservation.

Creating fluorophores that meet the Broadcast Service Television 2020 (BT.2020) standard is a significant achievement. In this paper, we present an innovative strategy that could revolutionize the development of high-performance narrowband fluorophores for ultra-high-definition displays. Our approach combines classic multi-resonance BN-doped fragments with naphthalene, creating two novel narrowband bright green quasi-fluorescent emitters, NT-2B and NT-3B. When tested in dilute toluene, these molecules exhibit emission peaks at 510 and 511 nm with extremely narrow FWHM values of 15 and 14 nm, respectively. Both molecules also demonstrate conventional fluorescence properties with high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) of up to 85%. Notably, OLEDs containing NT-2B achieve a peak EQE of approximately 30% and at a doping concentration of 5 wt.%, OLEDs based on NT-2B achieve a CIEy value of roughly 0.75, closely matching the BT.2020 standard., (© 2024 Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Lenvatinib is a targeted drug used for first-line treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A deeper insight into the resistance mechanism of HCC against lenvatinib is urgently needed. In this study, we aimed to dissect the underlying mechanism of lenvatinib resistance (LR) and provide effective treatment strategies. We established an HCC model of acquired LR. Cell counting, migration, self-renewal ability, chemoresistance and expression of stemness genes were used to detect the stemness of HCC cells. Molecular and biochemical strategies such as RNA-sequencing, immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry and ubiquitination assays were used to explore the underlying mechanisms. Patient-derived HCC models and HCC samples from patients were used to demonstrate clinical significance. We identified that increased cancer stemness driven by the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) pathway activation is responsible for acquired LR in HCC. Phosphorylated non-muscle myosin heavy chain 9 (MYH9) at Ser1943, p-MYH9 (Ser1943), could recruit ubiquitin-specific protease 22 (USP22) to deubiquitinate and stabilize HIF-1α in lenvatinib-resistant HCC. Clinically, p-MYH9 (Ser1943) expression was upregulated in HCC samples, which predicted poor prognosis and LR. A casein kinase-2 (CK2) inhibitor and a USP22 inhibitor effectively reversed LR in vivo and in vitro. Therefore, the p-MYH9 (Ser1943)/USP22/HIF-1α axis is critical for LR and cancer stemness. For the diagnosis and treatment of LR in HCC, p-MYH9 (Ser1943), USP22, and HIF-1α might be valuable as novel biomarkers and targets., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: Isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is considered as the strongest predictor of Parkinson's disease (PD). Reliable and accurate biomarkers for iRBD detection and the prediction of phenoconversion are in urgent need. This study aimed to investigate whether α-Synuclein (α-Syn) species in plasma neuron-derived extracellular vesicles (NDEVs) could differentiate between iRBD patients and healthy controls (HCs)., Methods: Nanoscale flow cytometry was used to detect α-Syn-containing NDEVs in plasma., Results: A total of 54 iRBD patients and 53 HCs were recruited. The concentrations of total α-Syn, α-Syn aggregates, and phosphorylated α-Syn at Ser129 (pS129)-containing NDEVs in plasma of iRBD individuals were significantly higher than those in HCs (p < 0.0001 for all). In distinguishing between iRBD and HCs, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) for an integrative model incorporating the levels of α-Syn, pS129, and α-Syn aggregate-containing NDEVs in plasma was 0.965. This model achieved a sensitivity of 94.3% and a specificity of 88.9%. In iRBD group, the concentrations of α-Syn aggregate-containing NDEVs exhibited a negative correlation with Sniffin' Sticks olfactory scores (r = -0.351, p = 0.039). Smokers with iRBD exhibited lower levels of α-Syn aggregates and pS129-containing NDEVs in plasma compared to nonsmokers (p α-Syn aggregates  = 0.014; p pS129  = 0.003)., Interpretation: The current study demonstrated that the levels of total α-Syn, α-Syn aggregates, and pS129-containing NDEVs in the plasma of individuals with iRBD were significantly higher compared to HCs. The levels of α-Syn species-containing NDEVs in plasma may serve as biomarkers for iRBD., (© 2024 The Author(s). Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Neurological Association.)

The widespread sulfonamide resistance genes sul1 , sul2 , and sul3 in food and gut bacteria have attracted considerable attention. In this study, we assessed the in vivo fitness of sul gene-dependent sulfonamide-resistant Escherichia coli , using a murine model. High fitness costs were incurred for sul1 and sul3 gene-dependent E. coli strains in vivo . A fitness advantage was found in three of the eight mice after intragastric administration of sul2 gene-dependent E. coli strains. We isolated three compensatory mutant strains (CMSs) independently from three mice that outcompeted the parent strain P2 in vivo . Whole-genome sequencing revealed seven identical single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) mutations in the three CMSs compared with strain P2, an additional SNP mutation in strain S2-2, and two additional SNP mutations in strain S2-3. Furthermore, tandem mass tag-based quantitative proteomic analysis revealed abundant differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the CMSs compared with P2. Of these, seven key fitness-related DEPs distributed in two-component systems, galactose and tryptophan metabolism pathways, were verified using parallel reaction monitoring analysis. The DEPs in the CMSs influenced bacterial motility, environmental stress tolerance, colonization ability, carbohydrate utilization, cell morphology maintenance, and chemotaxis to restore fitness costs and adapt to the mammalian gut environment.IMPORTANCESulfonamides are traditional synthetic antimicrobial agents used in clinical and veterinary medical settings. Their long-term excessive overuse has resulted in widespread microbial resistance, limiting their application for medical interventions. Resistance to sulfonamides is primarily conferred by the alternative genes sul1 , sul2 , and sul3 encoding dihydropteroate synthase in bacteria. Studying the potential fitness cost of these sul genes is crucial for understanding the evolution and transmission of sulfonamide-resistant bacteria. In vitro studies have been conducted on the fitness cost of sul genes in bacteria. In this study, we provide critical insights into bacterial adaptation and transmission using an in vivo approach., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Zinc is essential for normal growth and reproduction in all animals and plays a crucial role in many biological processes. The present study aimed to compare the intervention effects of zinc on intestinal health in a high lipid diet or high starch diet. Seven iso-nitrogenous (∼520 g kg -1 ) diets were formulated containing a positive control diet (115 g kg -1 lipid + 115 g kg -1 starch + 20 mg kg -1 Zn), three high starch diets (HS, 166 g kg -1 starch) and three high lipid diets (HL, 182 g kg -1 lipid), with 0 (HS-LZn, HL-LZn), 20 (HS-MZn, HL-MZn) and 150 (HS-HZn, HL-HZn) mg kg -1 Zn being supplemented. High starch diet and high lipid diet promoted feed efficiency, as evidenced by the lower feed conversion ratio. Three-way factorial ANOVA analysis showed high starch diet (166 g kg -1 ) significantly decreased final body weight and weight gain compared to the normal starch level (115 g kg -1 ). Diamine oxidase in serum significantly increased in diets HS-LZn and HL-LZn. In addition, distal intestinal mucosal fold damage and inflammatory infiltration were observed in the HS-LZn, HS-HZn, HL-LZn and HL-HZn groups. Fish fed HL diets (HL-LZn, HL-MZn, HL-HZn) showed lower expressions of claudin 5 and claudin 34, and higher IgD and IgM. Diets HL-LZn and HL-MZn significantly up-regulated C4 and C7. Proinflammatory cytokines including il8, il1β and tnfα significantly up-regulated in diet HL-LZn, even higher than the HS-LZn. Intestinal microbial composition indicated the abundance of Cetobacterium in HL-LZn was significantly higher than the control and HL-MZn diets. Similarly, LEfSe showed that Cetobacterium (P = 0.039) significantly enriched in the HL-LZn group. This study clarified high energy diet induced intestinal damage, which can be alleviated by zinc., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declared that there were no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Herein, we propose a regional functionalization molecular design strategy that enables independent control of distinct pivotal parameters through different molecule segments. Three novel multiple resonances thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) emitters A-BN, DA-BN, and A-DBN, have been successfully synthesized by integrating highly rigid and three-dimensional adamantane-containing spirofluorene units into the MR framework. These molecules form two distinctive functional parts: part 1 comprises a boron-nitrogen (BN)-MR framework with adjacent benzene and fluorene units forming a central luminescent core characterized by an exceptionally rigid planar geometry, allowing for narrow FWHM values; part 2 includes peripheral mesitylene, benzene, and adamantyl groups, creating a unique three-dimensional "umbrella-like" conformation to mitigate intermolecular interactions and suppress exciton annihilation. The resulting A-BN, DA-BN, and A-DBN exhibit remarkably narrow FWHM values ranging from 18 to 14 nm and near-unity photoluminescence quantum yields. Particularly, OLEDs based on DA-BN and A-DBN demonstrate outstanding efficiencies of 35.0 % and 34.3 %, with FWHM values as low as 22 nm and 25 nm, respectively, effectively accomplishing the integration of high color purity and high device performance., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is recognized as the most toxic mycotoxin, widely present in nature and known to specifically target the liver, leading to severe consequences to animal and human health. The mechanisms underlying AFB1-induced hepatotoxicity involve oxidative stress and apoptosis. Radix Bupleuri (RB) and its extracts (RBE), traditional Chinese herbs with a rich history spanning over 2000 years, have been reported to possess hepatoprotective properties. Nevertheless, the impact of RBE on AFB1-induced liver injury remains to be fully elucidated. The current study utilized Pekin ducks as experimental models to explore the effects of RBE on AFB1-induced liver injury both in vitro and in vivo. In vitro findings indicated that RBE mitigated AFB1-induced cytotoxicity, improved primary duck hepatocytes (PDHs) morphology, and reduced intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. In vivo experiments demonstrated that: I) RBE alleviated the growth inhibitory caused by AFB1, as evidenced by improved final body weight and weight gain. II) AFB1 led to significant alterations in serum biochemical parameters (AST, ALT, TP, and ALB) and liver lesions attenuated by RBE supplementation at 2.5 g/kg. III) RBE significantly mitigated oxidative stress induced by AFB1. IV) AFB1-induced changes in mRNA and protein levels associated with oxidative stress and apoptosis were counteracted by RBE. In conclusion, our results suggest that RBE offers protection against AFB1-induced liver injury in ducks, primarily through its antioxidative and anti-apoptotic properties. These findings indicate the potential of RBE in preventing and treating AFB1 poisoning., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Depression and suicidal ideation often co-occur in children and adolescents, yet they possess distinct characteristics. This study sought to identify the different related factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation., Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional survey collected data from Chinese children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 (N = 160,962; 48.91 % girls). The survey included inquiries about demographics, depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, perceived stress, academic burnout, internet addiction, non-suicidal self-injury, bullying, and being bullied. Fifteen machine learning algorithms were conducted to identify the different related factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation. Additionally, we conducted external validation on an independent sample of 1,812,889 children and adolescents., Results: Our findings revealed seven related factors linked to depression and six associated with suicidal ideation, with average accuracy rates of 86.86 % and 85.82 %, respectively. For depression, the most influential factors were anxiety, perceived stress, academic burnout, internet addiction, non-suicidal self-injury, experience of bullying, and age. Similarly, anxiety, non-suicidal self-injury, perceived stress, internet addiction, academic burnout, and age emerged as paramount factors for suicidal ideation. Moreover, these related factors showed notable variations in their predictive capacities for depression and suicidal ideation across different subgroups., Conclusion: Anxiety emerged as the predominant shared factor for both depression and suicidal ideation, whereas the other related factors displayed distinct predictive patterns for each condition. These findings highlight the critical need for tailored strategies from public mental health service providers and policymakers to address the pressing concerns of depression and suicidal ideation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)