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Type 2 diabetes mellitus combined with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) leads to an increasing incidence of liver injury year by year, and patients are at a significantly higher risk of developing cirrhosis or even liver failure. No drugs have emerged to specifically treat this disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms and causative hub genes of type 2 diabetes combined with MASLD. The data were obtained through the GEO platform for bioinformatics analysis and validated by in vitro experiments to find the causative targets of type 2 diabetes mellitus combined with MASLD, which will provide some theoretical basis for the development of future therapeutic drugs. GSE23343 and GSE49541 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in type 2 diabetes mellitus combined with MASLD for functional enrichment analysis. And STRING database and Cytoscape software were used to construct Protein–Protein Interaction (PPI) and hub gene networks. And GO (gene ontology, GO) analysis and KEGG (Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes, KEGG) enrichment analysis were performed on target genes. A total of 185 co-expressed DEGs were obtained by differential analysis, and 20 key genes involved in the development and progression of type 2 diabetes were finally screened. These 20 key genes were involved in 529 GO enrichment results and 20 KEGG enrichment results, and were mainly associated with ECM–receptor interaction, Focal adhesion, Human papillomavirus infection, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, and the Toll-like receptor signaling pathway. A total of two target genes (SPP1, collagen IV) were found to be highly correlated with type 2 diabetes mellitus combined with MASLD. Real time PCR results showed that there was a significant difference in SPP1 and collagen IV mRNA expression among the three groups (P < 0.05). SPP1 and Collagen IV may be candidate biomarkers for type 2 diabetes mellitus combined with MASLD, as verified by bioinformatics screening and in vitro experiments. Our findings provide new targets for the treatment of type 2 diabetes combined with MASLD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the predictive value of radiomics for surgical decision-making in neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) when abdominal radiographs (ARs) do not suggest an absolute surgical indication for free pneumoperitoneum. Methods: In this retrospective study, we finally included 171 newborns with NEC and obtained their ARs and clinical data. The dataset was randomly divided into a training set (70%) and a test set (30%). We developed machine learning models for predicting surgical treatment using clinical features and radiomic features, respectively, and combined these features to build joint models. We assessed predictive performance of the different models by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis and compared area under curve (AUC) using the Delong test. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to assess the potential clinical benefit of the models to patients. Results: There was no significant difference in AUC between the clinical model and the four radiomic models (P > 0.05). The XGBoost joint model had better predictive efficacy and stability (AUC, training set: 0.988, test set: 0.959). Its AUC in the test set was significantly higher than that of the clinical model (P < 0.05). DCA showed that the XGBoost joint model achieved higher net clinical benefit compared to the clinical model in the threshold probability range (0.2–0.6). Conclusion: Radiomic features based on AR are objective and reproducible. The joint model combining radiomic features and clinical signs has good surgical predictive efficacy and may be an important method to help primary neonatal surgeons assess the surgical risk of NEC neonates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

E-commerce platform financing is a new service pattern of supply chain finance. However, this pattern may bring some new issues when considering the problem of cash flow shortage and financing difficulties of small and medium-sized enterprises. When enterprises use this service, they worry about the leakage of preferential wholesale price when applying the full loan amount and providing the true transaction information. Based on the model consisting of a supplier, a retailer and a cross-border e-commerce platform, the authors design a price masking strategy to prevent the retailer's preferential wholesale price information from leakage. The authors analyze the profit of the retailer and the platform before and after adopting the price masking strategy. The authors find that the price masking strategy always benefits the retailer. Besides, the optimal profit of the retailer and the platform are both affected by the loan interest rate. Moreover, there exists a range of loan interest rates that can benefit both the retailer and the platform if the price masking strategy is adopted. The research emphasizes that platform can expand the total business volume by allowing retailers to use price masking strategy. In other words, there will be more and more retailers attracted by the strategy, which benefits the long-term growth of cross-border e-commerce platform financing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rare Metals is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Liver cancer is a serious global health problem and is associated with poor spiritual health. Bibliotherapy is beneficial in improving health outcomes in cancer patients, yet there is a lack of empirical evidence of its effect on the spiritual health of liver cancer patients in China. The study aimed to investigate the effects of bibliotherapy based on Chinese traditional culture on the spiritual health of patients with liver cancer in China. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hunan Normal University School of Medicine and registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry with the registration (No: 2021260), which registration in June 30th 2021. Methods: A total of 60 patients with liver cancer were divided into the intervention group (n = 30) and the control group (n = 30) through WeChat. The intervention group received bibliotherapy therapy based on traditional Chinese culture, while the control group received routine care. Spiritual health was assessed using the Spiritual Attitude and Involvement List (SAIL) and compared before and after the intervention between the two groups. The chi-square test and t-test were used to analyze the intervention effects. Results: The two groups were comparable in all baseline characteristics including the SAIL score. After 5 weeks of intervention, the score of SAIL increased significantly from 96.76 ± 15.08 to 106.93 ± 13.82 in the intervention group (t = − 29.380, p < 0.001), while no significant difference in SAIL score was observed in the control group (from 95.27 ± 16.40 to 95.31 ± 16.24, t = − 0.189, p = 0.852). Similar patterns were also observed in its three dimensions of connecting with oneself, connecting with the environment, and connecting with transcendence. Conclusions: Our study showed that bibliotherapy based on traditional Chinese culture using the WeChat platform can greatly improve the spiritual health of patients with liver cancer and has the potential to be widely applied to cancer patients to improve their well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ample evidence has suggested the stress etiology of depression, but the underlying mechanism is not fully understood yet. Here, we report that chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) attenuates the excitatory output of the claustrum (CLA) to the prelimbic cortex (PL) through the dynorphin/κ-opioid receptor (KOR) signaling, being critical for depression-related behaviors in male mice. The CSDS preferentially impairs the excitatory output from the CLA onto the parvalbumin (PV) of the PL, leading to PL micronetwork dysfunction by disinhibiting pyramidal neurons (PNs). Optogenetic activation or inhibition of this circuit suppresses or promotes depressive-like behaviors, which is reversed by chemogenetic inhibition or activation of the PV neurons. Notably, manipulating the dynorphin/KOR signaling in the CLA-PL projecting terminals controls depressive-like behaviors that is suppressed or promoted by optogenetic activation or inhibition of CLA-PL circuit. Thus, this study reveals both mechanism of the stress etiology of depression and possibly therapeutic interventions by targeting CLA-PL circuit. The stress etiology of depression remains elusive. Here, authors show that dynorphin/KOR signaling-mediated impairment of excitatory synaptic transmission from claustrum to prelimbic cortex PV interneurons contributes to stress-induced depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For security, economic, and efficiency reasons, many businesses supply mobile devices to employees to use both in the workplace and remotely, accompanied by policies governing their appropriate use. Extant research has shown that work-issued mobile devices can disrupt employees' perceptions of work-life balance (WLB) and, indeed, WLB can impact employees' job satisfaction and performance. The global COVID-19 pandemic meant that more employees than usual performed their work remotely, but this situation may have not fit the preferred WLB for some. Did this encroachment mean that appropriate use policies were forgotten? We conducted two rounds of surveys, one pre-pandemic and the other mid-pandemic, to determine whether those workplace changes led some employees astray. In other words, which type of WLB perceptions are more likely to lead to policy violations and how does the WLB mismatch cause deviant behaviors before and during the pandemic? The results from cluster analysis and the comparison between the pre and mid-pandemic suggest that policy violators were present in both time periods, but before the pandemic violators were in more compartmentalized work settings and mid-pandemic violators dominated all work settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of dual-phenotype hepatocellular carcinoma (DPHCC) and their diagnostic value.The data of 208 patients with primary liver cancer were retrospectively analysed between January 2016 and June 2021. Based on the pathological diagnostic criteria, 27 patients were classified into the DPHCC group, 113 patients into the noncholangiocyte-phenotype hepatocellular carcinoma (NCPHCC) group, and 68 patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) were classified into the ICC group. Two abdominal radiologists reviewed the preoperative MRI features by a double-blind method. The MRI features and key laboratory and clinical indicators were compared between the groups. The potentially valuable MRI features and key laboratory and clinical characteristics for predicting DPHCC were identified by univariate and multivariate analyses, and the odds ratios (ORs) were recorded. In multivariate analysis, tumour without capsule (P = 0.046, OR = 9.777), dynamic persistent enhancement (P = 0.006, OR = 46.941), and targetoid appearance on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) (P = 0.021, OR = 30.566) were independently significant factors in the detection of DPHCC compared to NCPHCC. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) > 20 µg/L (P = 0.036, OR = 67.097) and prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (P = 0.020, OR = 153.633) were independent significant factors in predicting DPHCC compared to ICC. The differences in other tumour marker levels and imaging features between the groups were not significant. In MR enhanced and diffusion imaging, tumour without capsule, persistent enhancement and DWI targetoid findings, combined with AFP > 20 µg/L and HBV infection-positive laboratory results, can help to diagnose DPHCC and differentiate it from NCPHCC and ICC. These results suggest that clinical, laboratory and MRI features should be integrated to construct an AI diagnostic model for DPHCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders. The pro-epileptic and antiepileptic roles of microglia have recently garnered significant attention. Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK)-M, an important kinase in the innate immune response, is mainly expressed in microglia and acts as a negative regulator of the TLR4 signaling pathway that mediates the anti-inflammatory effect. However, whether IRAK-M exerts a protective role in epileptogenesis as well as the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying these processes are yet to be elucidated. An epilepsy mouse model induced by pilocarpine was used in this study. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis were used to analyze mRNA and protein expression levels, respectively. Whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings were employed to evaluate the glutamatergic synaptic transmission in hippocampal neurons. Immunofluorescence was utilized to show the glial cell activation and neuronal loss. Furthermore, the proportion of microglia was analyzed using flow cytometry. Seizure dynamics influenced the expression of IRAK-M. Its knockout dramatically exacerbated the seizures and the pathology in epilepsy and increased the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) expression, thereby enhancing glutamatergic synaptic transmission in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in mice. Furthermore, IRAK-M deficiency augmented hippocampal neuronal loss via a possible mechanism of NMDAR-mediated excitotoxicity. IRAK-M deletion promotes microglia toward the M1 phenotype, which resulted in high levels of proinflammatory cytokines and was accompanied by a visible increase in the expressions of key microglial polarization-related proteins, including p-STAT1, TRAF6, and SOCS1. The findings demonstrate that IRAK-M dysfunction contributes to the progression of epilepsy by increasing M1 microglial polarization and glutamatergic synaptic transmission. This is possibly related to NMDARs, particularly Grin2A and Grin2B, which suggests that IRAK-M could serve as a novel therapeutic target for the direct alleviation of epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Central South University is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: Postoperative adjuvant trans-catheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is regarded as a common strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients at a high risk of recurrence. However, there are currently no clinically available biomarkers to predict adjuvant TACE response. Vessels that encapsulate tumor clusters (VETC) can be used as an independent predictor of HCC prognosis. In this study, we aimed to explore whether the VETC pattern could predict adjuvant TACE benefit. Methods: Vascular pattern and HIF-1α expression were detected in immunohistochemistry. The survival benefit of adjuvant TACE therapy for patients with or without VETC pattern (VETC+ /VETC−) was evaluated. Results: The adjuvant TACE therapy obviously improved the TTR and OS in VETC+ patients, while adjuvant TACE therapy could not benefit from VETC− patients. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed that adjuvant TACE therapy significantly improved the TTR and OS in VETC+ patients, but not in VETC- patients. In addition, the VETC+ , but not VETC− , patients could benefit from adjuvant TACE therapy in patients with high-risk factors of vascular invasion, larger tumor or multiple tumor. The mechanistic investigations revealed that the favorable efficacy of adjuvant TACE on VETC+ patients, but not VETC− ones, may be not due to the activation of HIF-1α pathway. Conclusion: The VETC pattern may represent a novel and reliable factor for selecting HCC patients who may benefit from adjuvant TACE therapy, and the combination of VETC pattern and tumor characteristics may help stratify patients' outcomes and responses to adjuvant TACE therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new (1 and 2), together with five known (3–7) stilbene derivatives, were isolated from the tubers of Bletilla striata. The structures of these new compounds were elucidated by means of spectroscopic methods, while the known compounds were identified by comparison their data with those in the literature. Compounds 1 and 2 were tested for their anti-tobacco mosaic virus (anti-TMV) activities. The results revealed that 1 and 2 exhibited potential anti-TMV activities with inhibition rates of 31.5 and 30.6%, respectively, and these rates were close to that of a positive control. Compounds 1 and 2 were also tested for their anti-rotavirus activities, and compounds 1 and 2 showed potential activities with therapeutic index (TI) values of 15.5 and 16.2, respectively. These values are lower than that of a positive control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new chromones, 2-(2-(furan-2-yl)-2-oxoethyl)-6-methoxy-8-(2-oxopropyl)-chromone (1) and 2-(2-(furan-2-yl)-2-oxoethyl)-5-methoxy-8-(2-oxopropyl)-chromone (2), along with four known ones (3–6) were isolated from the stem bark of Cassia auriculata. The new compounds were elucidated by means of spectroscopic methods, whereas the known compounds were identified by comparison with the data in the literature. Compounds 1 and 2 were tested for their anti-tobacco mosaic virus (anti-TMV) activities. The results revealed that 1 and 2 exhibited potential anti-TMV activities with inhibition rates of 28.2 and 30.5% respectively, and these rates are close to that of the positive control. Compounds 1 and 2 were also tested for their anti-rotavirus activities, and compounds 1 and 2 showed potential activity with therapeutic index (TI) values of 14.8 and 15.9 respectively. These values are lower than that of the positive control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new indole alkaloids, 1-(5-prenyl-1H-indol-3-yl)propan-2-one (1) and 1-(6-methoxy-5-prenyl-1H-indol-3-yl)propan-2-one (2), along with five known ones (3–7) were isolated from the fermentation products of a cigar tobacco-derived endophytic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including extensive 1D and 2D NMR techniques. Compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated for their anti-tobacco mosaic virus (anti-TMV). The results showed that compounds 1 and 2 exhibited potential anti-TMV activities with inhibition rates of 26.5 and 28.8%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our search for new bioactive metabolites from plants of Cassia genus, the phytochemical investigation on the whole plants of C. rotundifolia was carried out, and that led to the isolation of two new (1 and 2) and five known (3–7) chromones. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including extensive 1D and 2D NMR techniques. Interestingly, 1 and 2 showed good anti-methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (anti-MRSA) activities with IZD of 13.2 ± 2.4 and 15.8 ± 2.6 mm, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new chromones, 8-(3-hydroxypropyl)-2-(3-hydroxy-1-oxopropyl)-6-methoxy-4H-chromen-4-one (1), 2-acetyl-8-(3-hydroxypropyl)-6-methoxy-4H-chromen-4-one (2), along with four known ones (3–6) were isolated from the fermentation products of an endophytic fungus Aspergillus versicolor derived from tobacco. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, including extensive 1D and 2D NMR techniques. Compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated for their anti-tobacco mosaic virus (anti-TMV) activities. The results showed that compounds 1 and 2 exhibited potential anti-TMV activities with inhibition rates of 35.3 and 30.6%, respectively, rates that are close to that of positive control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanosized drug delivery systems have rapidly emerged as a promising approach to tumor therapy, which still have many challenges in clinical application. In this study, doxorubicin-loaded O-carboxymethyl chitosan/perfluorohexane nanodroplets (O-CS-DOX NDs) were synthesized and functionally tested as an effective drug delivery system in vitro and in vivo. O-CS-DOX NDs with small size (159.6 nm) and good doxorubicin encapsuling ability showed pH- and ultrasound-dependent drug release profile and satisfying ultrasound imaging performance. With high biocompatibility and biosafety, these nanodroplets could accumulate in the tumor sites and exhibit high efficiency in inhibiting tumor growth with ultrasound irradiation. These stable, safe and smart O-CS-DOX NDs showed promising potential as a smart dual-responsive bomb for tumor ultrasonic imaging and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Tumor size is an important prognostic factor without consideration of the necrotic and cystic components within tumor for patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). We aimed to extract the enhancing viable component from the tumor using computed tomography (CT) post-processing software and evaluate the value of preoperative CT features for predicting the disease-free survival (DFS) after curative resection for patients with primary gastric GISTs. Methods: 132 Patients with primary gastric GISTs who underwent preoperative contrast-enhanced CT and curative resection were retrospectively analyzed. We used a certain CT attenuation of 30 HU to extract the enhancing tissue component from the tumor. Enhancing tissue volume and other CT features were assessed on venous-phase images. We evaluated the value of preoperative CT features for predicting the DFS after surgery. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to find the independent risk factor for predicting the DFS. Results: Of the 132 patients, 68 were males and 64 were females, with a mean age of 61 years. The median follow-up duration was 60 months, and 28 patients experienced disease recurrence and distant metastasis during the follow-up period. Serosal invasion (p < 0.001; HR = 5.277) and enhancing tissue volume (p = 0.005; HR = 1.447) were the independent risk factors for predicting the DFS after curative resection for patients with primary gastric GISTs. Conclusion: Preoperative contrast-enhanced CT could be useful for predicting the DFS after the surgery of gastric GISTs, and serosal invasion and enhancing tissue volume were the independent risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the L2,∞ normalization of the weight matrices is used to enhance the robustness and accuracy of the deep neural network (DNN) with Relu as activation functions. It is shown that the L2,∞ normalization leads to large dihedral angles between two adjacent faces of the DNN function graph and hence smoother DNN functions, which reduces over-fitting of the DNN. A global measure is proposed for the robustness of a classification DNN, which is the average radius of the maximal robust spheres with the training samples as centers. A lower bound for the robustness measure in terms of the L2,∞ norm is given. Finally, an upper bound for the Rademacher complexity of DNNs with L2,∞ normalization is given. An algorithm is given to train DNNs with the L2,∞ normalization and numerical experimental results are used to show that the L2,∞ normalization is effective in terms of improving the robustness and accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limited data are available for ceftazidime–avibactam (CZA) dosing in patients receiving renal replacement therapy, especially the data on the dosing in patients receiving intermittent hemodialysis (IHD). In this report, we firstly described a case in which CZA was administered as 2.5 g after each time of IHD, and a dose of 1.25 g was added on the 48th-hour for the 72-h interdialytic interval. Plasma concentrations of CZA measured at different time indicated that > 50% of administered ceftazidime and avibactam were removed during the 4-h hemodialysis. In addition, we described another case on continuous venovenous hemodialysis (CVVHD), in which CZA was administered as 2.5 g q12h in 2-h infusions. The dose regimen for these two cases could achieve trough concentration of ceftazidime higher than fourfold of the MIC and trough concentration of avibactam higher than the threshold of 1 μg/mL during the treatment, and exert efficient antimicrobial effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasitoid wasps are rapidly developing as a model for evolutionary biology. Here we present chromosomal genomes of two Anastatus wasps, A. japonicus and A. fulloi, and leverage these genomes to study two fundamental questions—genome size evolution and venom evolution. Anastatus shows a much larger genome than is known among other wasps, with unexpectedly recent bursts of LTR retrotransposons. Importantly, several genomic innovations, including Piwi gene family expansion, ubiquitous Piwi expression profiles, as well as transposable element-piRNA coevolution, have likely emerged for transposable element silencing to maintain genomic stability. Additionally, we show that the co-option evolution arose by expression shifts in the venom gland plays a dominant role in venom turnover. We also highlight the potential importance of non-venom genes that are coexpressed with venom genes during venom evolution. Our findings greatly advance the current understanding of genome size evolution and venom evolution, and these genomic resources will facilitate comparative genomics studies of insects in the future. Parasitoid wasps are rapidly developing as a model for evolutionary biology. Here, the authors analyze the genomes of two Anastatus wasps, revealing genomic innovations related to maintenance of genomic stability, and rapid turnover of venom genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive carcinoma with genome instability. Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have been functionally associated with genomic instability in cancers. However, the identification and prognostic value of lncRNAs related to genome instability have not been explored in hepatocellular carcinoma. In this study, we aim to identify a genomic instability-related lncRNA signature for predicting prognosis and the efficacy of immunotherapy in HCC patients. Methods: According to the somatic mutation and transcript data of 364 patients with HCC, we determined differentially expressed genome instability-related lncRNAs (GInLncRNAs). Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analyses and Kyoto Encyclopedia of genes and genomes enrichment analyses revealed the potential functions of genes co-expressed with those lncRNAs involved in cancer development and immune function. We further determined a genome instability-related lncRNA signature (GInLncSig) through Cox regression analysis and LASSO regression analysis. Thereafter, we performed correlation analyses with mutations, clinical stratification analyses, and survival analyses to evaluate GInLncSig predictive function. Subsequently, we construct a nomogram model for prognostic assessments of patients with HCC. Finally, we performed Immunocytes infiltration analysis, gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) of immunity circle-associated pathways, and T cell-inflamed score to explore GInLncSig's potential value in guiding immunotherapy. Results: We identified 11 independent prognosis-associated GInLncRNAs (AC002511.2, LINC00501, LINC02055, LINC02714, LINC01508, LOC105371967, RP11_96A15.1, RP11_305F18.1, RP11_342M1.3, RP11_432J24.3, U95743.1) to construct a GInLncSig. According to the risk score calculated by GInLncSig, the high-risk group was characterized by a higher somatic mutation count, significantly poorer clinical prognosis, higher T cell-inflamed score, and specific tumor immune infiltration status compared to the low-risk group. Furthermore, we constructed a nomogram model to improve the reliability and clinical utility of predicting the prognosis of patients with HCC. Conclusion: Our study established a reliable prognostic prediction signature that could be a tool for prognosis prediction and a promising predictive biomarker of immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sensitivity of the solution of the periodic continuous Sylvester equation AkXkDk − BkXk⊕1Ck = Ek, k = 0,1,...,K − 1, depends on the separation of two periodic matrix pairs { (A k , B k) } k = 0 K − 1 and { (C k , D k) } k = 0 K − 1 . In this paper, we derive upper and lower bounds of this separation in terms of periodic generalized Schur decompositions. The theoretical results are verified by a numerical example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NLLoc is a nonlinear search positioning method. In this study, we use simulated arrival time data to quantitatively evaluate the NLLoc method from three aspects: arrival time picking accuracy, station distribution, and velocity model. The results show that the NLLoc method exhibits high positioning accuracy and stability in terms of arrival time picking accuracy and station distribution; however, it is sensitive to the velocity model. The positioning accuracy is higher when the velocity model is smaller than the true velocity. We combined absolute and relative positioning methods. First, we use the NLLoc method for absolute positioning of seismic data and then the double difference positioning method for relative positioning to obtain a more accurate relocation result. Furthermore, we used the combined method to locate the earthquake sequence after collecting dense seismic array data on the Luanzhou MS 4.3 earthquake that occurred on April 16, 2021, in Hebei Province. By fitting the fault plane with the relocated earthquake sequences, the results show that the strike and dip angles of the seismogenic fault of the Luanzhou MS 4.3 earthquake are 208.5° and 85.6°, respectively. This indicates a high-dip angle fault with North–North–East strike and North–West dip directions. Furthermore, we infer that the seismogenic fault of the Luanzhou MS 4.3 earthquake is the Lulong fault. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article titled "Retraction Note: Forkhead factor FOXQ1 promotes TGF-β1 expression and induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition" has been retracted by the Editors-in-Chief of Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry. Concerns were raised about image irregularities in the figures, including areas of high similarity and unusual patterns. The Editors-in-Chief no longer have confidence in the presented data. One of the authors, Xiao-Shan Feng, has not responded to correspondence from the publisher regarding this retraction. The publisher, Springer Nature, remains neutral in regards to jurisdictional claims and institutional affiliations. [Extracted from the article]

Objectives: To explore the importance of three-dimensional (3D) quantitative analysis during gadoxetic acid–enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of microvascular invasion (MVI) and early recurrence (< 2 years) after surgery of single hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ≤ 3 cm. Methods: Two hundred fourteen patients with pathologically confirmed HCC (training cohort: n = 169; validation cohort: n = 45) were included retrospectively. The 3D quantitative parameters (volume, sphericity, and compacity) and conventional MRI features were analyzed. The significant predictors for MVI were identified using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Nomograms were constructed from the prediction model, and the relationship between the significant predictors and early recurrence rates was evaluated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Results: Tumor sphericity (odds ratio [OR] = 0.000; p < 0.001), non-smooth tumor margin (OR = 3.353; p = 0.015), and peritumoral hypointensity on hepatobiliary phase (HBP) (OR = 14.067; p = 0.003) were independent significant factors for MVI. When these three factors were combined, the diagnostic specificity of the training and validation cohorts was 97.0 (128/132) and 87.9 (29/33), respectively. The nomogram based on the predictive model performed satisfactorily in the training (C-index: 0.885) and validation (C-index: 0.869) cohorts. Early recurrence rates of patients with two or three significant factors were significantly higher than those with none in the training (29.1% vs. 10.2%, p = 0.007) and validation (36.4% vs. 6.7%, p = 0.037) cohorts. Conclusions: Lower sphericity combined with non-smooth tumor margin and peritumoral hypointensity on HBP are potential predictive factors for MVI and associated with early recurrence after surgery of HCC ≤ 3 cm. Key Points: • Lower sphericity, non-smooth tumor margin, and peritumoral hypointensity on HBP were important indicators of the occurrence of MVI in HCC. • The combinational model prepared from these findings satisfactorily predicted MVI, and the presence of these predictors was associated with an early recurrence rate after surgical resection in HCC patients. • This model could help clinicians in the preoperative management of small HCC ≤ 3 cm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the effects of liraglutide (LRG) on the expression of FTO, AMPK, and AKT in the visceral adipose tissues of obese and diabetic rats and the underlying mechanisms thereof. Methods: Thirty SPF-grade, male SD rats were randomly divided into the healthy control, diabetic model (DM), and DM + LRG groups. The DM and DM + LRG groups were administered normal saline and LRG (0.6 mg/kg/d), respectively. After 12 weeks, the body weight of the rats was measured, and their visceral adipose tissues were collected and weighed; the levels of serum biochemical indicators and FTO, AMPK, and AKT in these tissues were then measured using qRT-PCR and western blotting. Results: Compared to the control group, the body weight and visceral fat accumulation and blood glucose, TG, TC, and LDL-C levels increased significantly, while the HDL-C levels decreased significantly, in the DM group (p < 0.05). After LRG treatment, the HDL-C levels increased significantly, but the levels of the other indicators decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Compared to the control group, the visceral adipose tissue levels of FTO and AKT increased significantly, while the AMPK levels decreased significantly in the DM group (p < 0.05). After LRG treatment, the FTO and AKT levels decreased significantly, and the AMPK levels increased significantly (p < 0.05). Conclusion: LRG may activate and inhibit the AMPK and AKT pathways, respectively, and decrease FTO expression, thereby alleviating abdominal obesity in type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In routine surveillance for avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in the environments of live poultry markets (LPMs), certain samples were positive for AIVs type A while negative for subtypes (e.g., H5, H7, and H9). However, little attention has been paid to these unsubtyped AIVs samples. To reveal the dynamic distribution and molecular characteristics of AIVs, especially the unsubtyped AIVs, we reported and analyzed 1969 samples collected from the water environments of LPMs in Changsha, China, from January 2014 to November 2018. Our results revealed that 1504 (76.38%) samples were positive for AIV type A. Of these samples, the predominant hemagglutinin (HA) subtype was H9, followed by H5 and H7 (P < 0.05). The positive rate of H5 subtype in water environmental samples exhibited seasonality, which reached a peak in each winter–spring season from January 2014 to March 2017. The positive rates of AIVs (including type A, subtype H9, and mixed subtype H5/H7/H9) in non-central-city regions were higher than that in the central-city regions (P < 0.05). Notably, 161 unsubtyped AIVs samples were detected during the routine surveillance. However, subtyping with the commercial kit further identified eight different HA and seven different neuraminidase subtypes. Analyses unraveled that further subtyped AIVs H1, H6, and H11 had only one basic amino acid (R or K) at the cleavage site and residues Q226 and G228 at the receptor-binding associated sites. Overall, in addition to H5, H7, and H9 subtypes, we should also pay attention to unsubtyped AIVs samples during the routine surveillance for AIVs in the environments of LPMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a quantum algorithm to decide whether a Boolean equation system F has a solution and to compute one if F does have solutions with any given success probability. The runtime complexity of the algorithm is polynomial in the size of F and the condition number of certain Macaulay matrix associated with F . As a consequence, the authors give a polynomial-time quantum algorithm for solving Boolean equation systems if their condition numbers are polynomial in the size of F . The authors apply the proposed quantum algorithm to the cryptanalysis of several important cryptosystems: The stream cipher Trivum, the block cipher AES, the hash function SHA-3/Keccak, the multivariate public key cryptosystems, and show that they are secure under quantum algebraic attack only if the corresponding condition numbers are large. This leads to a new criterion for designing such cryptosystems which are safe against the attack of quantum computers: The corresponding condition number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethylene/polar monomer coordination copolymerization offers an attractive way of making functionalized polyolefins. However, ethylene copolymerization with industrially relevant short chain length alkenoic acid remain a big challenge. Here we report the efficient direct copolymerization of ethylene with vinyl acetic acid by tetranuclear nickel complexes. The protic monomer can be extended to acrylic acid, allylacetic acid, ω-alkenoic acid, allyl alcohol, and homoallyl alcohol. Based on X-ray analysis of precatalysts, control experiments, solvent-assisted electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry detection of key catalytic intermediates, and density functional theory studies, we propose a possible mechanistic scenario that involves a distinctive vinyl acetic acid enchainment enabled by Ni···Ni synergistic effects. Inspired by the mechanistic insights, binuclear nickel catalysts are designed and proved much more efficient for the copolymerization of ethylene with vinyl acetic acid or acrylic acid, achieving the highest turnover frequencies so far for both ethylene and polar monomers simultaneously. The applications of polyolefins are limited by the nonpolar nature of the polymer. Here the authors show a method to copolymerize ethylene with the protic vinyl acetic acid via well defined multinuclear nickel catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective cohort study aimed to explore the optimal endometrial preparation protocols among different maternal age groups. A total of 16,867 frozen-thawed embryo transfer (FET) cycles were categorized into three groups based on endometrial preparation protocols: Natural cycle (NC n = 3893), artificial cycles (AC, n = 11456) and AC with GnRH-a pretreatment (AC+GnRH-a, n = 1518). To account for repeat cycles, a generalized estimating equation (GEE) method was applied to examine the associations between cycle regimens and pregnancy outcomes. Subgroup analyses were conducted to evaluate the best preparation methods for different maternal age groups. Primary outcomes were live birth and early miscarriage rates. After completing GEE, in overall population, the live birth rate [(NC as reference; AC: adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.837, 95% confidential interval (CI) 0.771–0.908; AC+GnRHa: aOR = 0.906, 95%CI 0.795–1.031)] in NC was significantly higher than that in AC, while comparable that in AC+GnRH-a. The early miscarriage rate (AC: aOR = 1.420, 95%CI 1.225–1.646; AC+GnRHa: aOR = 1.545, 95%CI 1.236–1.931) was significantly lower in NC compared to either AC group. Subgroup analysis showed that in younger women, the incidences of live birth (AC: aOR = 0.900, 95%CI 0.804–1.007; AC+GnRHa: aOR = 1.091, 95%CI 0.904–1.317) were equivalent between groups, with a slightly higher in AC+GnRH-a. Early miscarriage rate (AC: aOR = 1.462, 95%CI 1.165–1.835; AC+GnRHa: aOR = 1.137, 95%CI 0.948–1886) was only significantly lower in NC compared to that in AC. In older women, the live birth rate (AC: aOR = 0.815, 95%CI 0.722–0.920; AC+GnRHa: aOR = 0.759, 95%CI 0.627–0.919) was significantly higher, and early miscarriage rate (AC: aOR = 1.353, 95%CI 1.118–1.638; AC+GnRHa: aOR = 1.704, 95%CI 1.273–2.280) was significantly lower in NC compared to either AC group. Our study demonstrated that NC is associated with lower early miscarriage late in overall IVF population. There is a mild favor of AC+GnRH-a in younger women, while the priority of NC is remarkable in older women. Maternal age should be a considerable factor when determining endometrial preparation method for FET. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is a common congenital anomaly of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) in childhood. The present study identified the possible genetic contributions to primary VUR in children. Methods: Patients with primary VUR were enrolled and analysed based on a national multi-center registration network (Chinese Children Genetic Kidney Disease Database, CCGKDD) that covered 23 different provinces/regions in China from 2014 to 2019. Genetic causes were sought using whole-exome sequencing (WES) or targeted-exome sequencing. Results: A total of 379 unrelated patients (male: female 219:160) with primary VUR were recruited. Sixty-four (16.9%) children had extrarenal manifestations, and 165 (43.5%) patients showed the coexistence of other CAKUT phenotypes. Eighty-eight patient (23.2%) exhibited impaired renal function at their last visit, and 18 of them (20.5%) developed ESRD at the median age of 7.0 (IQR 0.9–11.4) years. A monogenic cause was identified in 28 patients (7.39%). These genes included PAX2 (n = 4), TNXB (n = 3), GATA3 (n = 3), SLIT2 (n = 3), ROBO2 (n = 2), TBX18 (n = 2), and the other 11 genes (one gene for each patient). There was a significant difference in the rate of gene mutations between patients with or without extrarenal complications (14.1% vs. 6%, P = 0.035). The frequency of genetic abnormality was not statistically significant based on the coexistence of another CAKUT (9.6% vs. 5.6%, P = 0.139, Chi-square test) and the grade of reflux (9.4% vs. 6.7%, P = 0.429). Kaplan–Meier survival curve showed that the presence of genetic mutations did affect renal survival (Log-rank test, P = 0.01). PAX2 mutation carriers (HR 5.1, 95% CI 1.3–20.0; P = 0.02) and TNXB mutation carriers (HR 20.3, 95% CI 2.4–168.7; P = 0.01) were associated with increased risk of progression to ESRD. Conclusions: PAX2, TNXB, GATA3 and SLIT2 were the main underlying monogenic causes and accounted for up to 46.4% of monogenic VUR. Extrarenal complications and renal function were significantly related to the findings of genetic factors in children with primary VUR. Like other types of CAKUT, several genes may be responsible for isolated VUR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A), the most abundant internal modification of mRNAs, plays key roles in human development and health. Post-translational methylation of proteins is often critical for the dynamic regulation of enzymatic activity. However, the role of methylation of the core methyltransferase METTL3/METTL14 in m6A regulation remains elusive. We find by mass spectrometry that METTL14 arginine 255 (R255) is methylated (R255me). Global mRNA m6A levels are greatly decreased in METTL14 R255K mutant mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). We further find that R255me greatly enhances the interaction of METTL3/METTL14 with WTAP and promotes the binding of the complex to substrate RNA. We show that protein arginine N-methyltransferases 1 (PRMT1) interacts with and methylates METTL14 at R255, and consistent with this, loss of PRMT1 reduces mRNA m6A modification globally. Lastly, we find that loss of R255me preferentially affects endoderm differentiation in mESCs. Collectively, our findings show that arginine methylation of METTL14 stabilizes the binding of the m6A methyltransferase complex to its substrate RNA, thereby promoting global m6A modification and mESC endoderm differentiation. This work highlights the crosstalk between protein methylation and RNA methylation in gene expression. The methyltransferase complex of METTL3-METTL14-WTAP is responsible for m6A modification on RNA. Here the authors report that METTL14 arginine 255 (R255) is methylated by PRMT1 and this modification increases interaction of METTL3/METTL14 interaction with WTAP and substrate RNA, promoting m6A methylation activity of the complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the concept of tropical differential Gröbner basis is introduced, which is a natural generalization of the tropical Gröbner basis to the recently introduced tropical differential algebra. Like the differential Gröbner basis, the tropical differential Gröbner basis generally contains an infinite number of elements. We give a Buchberger style criterion for the tropical differential Gröbner basis. For differential ideals generated by homogeneous linear differential polynomials with constant coefficients, we give a complete algorithm to compute the finite tropical differential Gröbner basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We calculated the crustal stress field using the composite focal mechanism method based on the P-wave initial motion polarity data of the Tengchong volcanic area from January 2011 to April 2019 obtained from the Bulletin of Seismological Observations of Chinese stations. The magnitude range of earthquakes used in this study is 0–4, and their magnitudes are mainly approximately 1.0. To investigate the influence of the source location on the stress field and obtain reliable stress fields of the study area, we applied the double-difference algorithm to relocate the seismic events, obtaining more accurate and reliable relative positions of seismic events with a clearer seismic belt. On the basis of relocation results, the study on the stress field along the fault zone was conducted, and the influence of seismic event position on the stress field was analyzed. Results show that, first, the current stress regime in the shallow crust of the Tengchong volcanic area is strike-slip faulting, the orientation of the principal compressive stress axis is NE-SW, the orientation of the principal extension stress axis is SE-NW, the principal compressive and extension stress axes are nearly horizontal, and the dip angle of intermediate principal stress axis is relatively large. This reflects that the volcanic and seismic activities in the Tengchong volcanic area are mainly controlled by the collision and squeezing effect of the Indian-Eurasian plate. It also reflects that the current tensile action caused by deep magma activity has little influence on the shallow crustal stress field. Second, the stress field along fault zones reveals that there exist local stress fields, such as the thrust stress regime at the strike-slip fault terminal area, which is consistent with the compressional area at the intersection of conjugate strike-slip faults indicated by previous study. Third, the stress field results are consistent, regardless of using the original location in the bulletin or the relocated location, indicating that the influence of the event location error can be neglected when there are sufficient data and reflecting the stability of the composite focal mechanism method. The findings can serve as a reference for investigating geological structure movement, seismic activities, and volcanic activities in the Tengchong volcanic area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: As an emerging interventional technique to treat resistant hypertension, renal denervation (RDN) has also attracted considerable attention due to its potential beneficial effects on glucose and lipid metabolism. Given that inconsistent results were documented among studies, we aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to elaborate on this issue. Methods: The PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science (SCI) and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were comprehensively searched from their inception date to June 18, 2020, for relevant clinical studies evaluating the efficacy of RDN on glucose and lipid levels. The outcomes of interest were changes in fasting glucose, insulin, C-peptide, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels before versus after RDN and also RDN versus the control group. The mean differences (MDs) of the outcomes measured before versus after RDN and RDN versus the control group were pooled by a randomized effects model. Heterogeneity was quantified with Chi-square (χ2) and inconsistency index (I2). Assessment of publication bias was performed by the funnel plot and Egger's test. Results: A total of 1600 studies were initially identified. Nineteen of the identified studies (six randomized controlled studies, one non-randomized controlled studies and 12 observational cohort studies) involving 2245 subjects were included in the final analysis. No significant change was observed after RDN in fasting glucose (weighted mean difference [WMD] − 0.19 mmol/L; 95% CI − 0.37, 0.00 mmol/L), insulin (standardized mean difference [SMD] − 0.01; 95% CI − 0.41, 0.39), C-peptide (SMD − 0.05; 95% CI − 0.30, 0.21), HbA1C (SMD − 0.05; 95% CI − 0.17, 0.07), HOMA-IR (SMD − 0.29; 95% CI − 0.72, 0.14), total cholesterol (TC) (WMD − 0.11 mmol/L; 95% CI − 0.37, 0.15 mmol/L), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (WMD − 0.18 mmol/L; 95% CI − 0.59, 0.24 mmol/L) during follow-up. Changes in fasting glucose, insulin, HbA1C and TC levels in RDN groups were not significantly different from those in the control group. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and TG were slightly improved after RDN (WMD 0.07 mmol/L, 95% CI 0.01, 0.14 mmol/L; WMD − 0.26 mmol/l, 95% CI − 0.51, − 0.01 mmol/L, respectively). The funnel plot and Egger's test demonstrated the absence of potential publication bias. Conclusions: Catheter-based RDN appeared to have no impact on glucose metabolism. There was a statistically significant but clinically negligible improvement in HDL-C and TG levels based on the current evidence. Future research with more rigorous designs is warranted to draw definitive conclusions. Registration details: The protocol of this meta-analysis was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020192805). (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?RecordID=192805) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Guangdong Xinhui National Wetland Park (GXNWP) in the Pearl River Delta is an important stopover for migratory birds in China and East Asia. Due to high levels of interference, high sensitivity and fragile environmental constraints, an efficient method to assess the health status of wetland parks such as the GXNWP is urgently needed for sustainable development. In this study, we proposed a habitat-landscape-service (HLS) conceptual model that can be used at the site scale to evaluate health status in terms of habitats, landscapes and services by considering the complex ecosystem of wetland parks. This HLS model included 28 evaluation indicators, and the indicator weights and health-grade divisions were based on expert scores using both the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy comprehension evaluation (FCE) methods. The results showed that the health status of the GXNWP was at the “subhealthy” level, with a membership function of 0.4643. This study found that habitat indicators (0.5715) were the key factors affecting the GXNWP health status, followed by service indicators (0.2856) and landscape indicators (0.1429). The HLS-AHP-FCE method provides a holistic health evaluation indicator system and diagnostic approach for rapidly developing wetland parks in the Pearl River Delta, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper focuses on algorithms for the truncated Takagi factorization of complex symmetric matrices. The problem is formulated as a Riemannian optimization problem on a complex Stiefel manifold and then is converted into a real Riemannian optimization problem on the intersection of the real Stiefel manifold and the quasi-symplectic set. The steepest descent, the Riemannian nonmonotone conjugate gradient, Newton, and hybrid methods are used for solving the problem and they are compared in their performance for the optimization task. Numerical experiments are provided to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study aimed to identify all relevant randomized controlled trials (RCT) and prospective non-RCTs to further investigate whether percutaneous vertebral augmentation (PVA) was associated with clinical and radiological subsequent fractures on unoperated levels. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, Google Scholar, web of science, and ClinicalTrial.gov from the establishment of the database to January 2020. All eligible studies comparing subsequent fractures after PVA with those after conservative treatment (CT) were incorporated. The pooled risk ratio (RR) with its 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) was used. Heterogeneity, sensitivity, and publication bias analyses were performed. Results: In all, 32 studies were included in the study: 82/512 patients (16.02%) and 58/433 patients (13.39%) had clinical subsequent fractures in the PVA group and CT group, respectively. No significant differences were observed between the two groups [RR = 1.22, 95% CI 0.70–2.12, P = 0.49]. Further, 175/837 patients (20.91%) in the PVA group and 160/828 patients (19.32%) in the CT group had radiological subsequent fractures. No significant difference was observed between groups [RR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.71–2.12, P = 1.16]. Further, no statistical difference was observed on subgroup analysis between RCTs and non-RCTs or PVP and PKP. Conclusion: Our systematic review revealed that subsequent fractures on unoperated levels were not associated with PVA, regardless of whether they were clinical or radiological subsequent fractures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, based on the two-step Newton iterative procedure, we propose a two-step inexact Newton-type method for solving inverse singular value problems. Under some mild assumptions, our results show that the two-step inexact Newton-type method is super quadratically convergent. Numerical implementations demonstrate the effectiveness of the new method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 31 March 2019, 68 school students suffered from vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain after participating in a group activity at a commercial park. In this outbreak, multiple norovirus genotypes were observed, including GII.2[P16], GII.17[P17], and GII.13[P21]. Further, we determined the full-genome sequences of two strains of GII.13[P21] recombinant noroviruses, which were 7434 nt long. Phylogenetic analysis based on open reading frames (ORFs) 1 and 2 revealed that these recombinants were related to stains of different genotypes from different countries. The full genome nucleotide sequences of the two isolates were 97.0% and 98.0% identical to those of strains from London and Thailand, respectively. Simplot analysis revealed the presence of a break point at nt 5059 in the ORF1 region. The histo-blood group antigen binding sites were conserved in both recombinant viruses. Our findings not only provide valuable genetic information about a recombinant norovirus but also contribute to our general understanding of the evolution, genetic diversity, and distribution of noroviruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]