Search

Previous research on Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense MSR-1 found that MSR-1 has a good denitrification nitrogen removal ability and specific application prospects in the sewage biological nitrogen removal field. Therefore, this study selected the essential denitrification gene NapA in MSR-1-wt for overexpression, and the overexpressed MSR-1-NapA was successfully constructed. Q-PCR amplification experiment and AGAR gel electrophoresis experiment proved that the relative transcription level of the NapA gene was increased by more than four times, and the denitrification ability of MSR-1-wt and MSR-1-NapA was further determined by enzyme activity experiment, denitrification experiment, and flow cytometry. The results showed that overexpression of the NapA gene increased nitrate reductase activity in MSR-1-NapA by more than four times. In the solution with a nitrate concentration of 118.33 ± 3.23 mgN/L, the denitrification efficiency of MSR-1-NapA was superior to that of MSR-1-wt, significantly enhancing both the denitrification and nitrogen removal capacities of MSR-1. This indicates its greater potential for biological nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To provide molecular and immunological attributes mechanistic insights for the management of radiologically distinctive multiple primary lung cancer (MPLC). Methods: The Bulk RNA-seq data of MPLC were obtained from our center. The Bulk RNA-seq data and CT images of patients with single primary lung cancer (SPLC) were obtained from GSE103584. Immune infiltration algorithms were performed to investigate the disparities in the immunological microenvironment between the two groups. Single-cell gene analysis was used to explore immune cells composition and communication relationships between cells in MPLC. Results: In MPLC, 11 pure ground-glass opacity nodules (pGGN) and 10 mixed GGN (mGGN) were identified, while in SPLC, the numbers were 18 pGGN and 22 mGGN, respectively. In MPLC, compared to pGGN, mGGN demonstrated a significantly elevated infiltration of CD8+ T cells. Single-cell gene analysis demonstrated that CD8+ T cells play a central role in the signaling among immune cells in MPLC. The transcription factors including MAFG, RUNX3, and TBX21 may play pivotal roles in regulation of CD8+ T cells. Notably, compared to SPLC nodules for both mGGN and pGGN, MPLC nodules demonstrated a significantly elevated degree of tumor-infiltrating immune cells, with this difference being particularly pronounced in mGGN. There was a positive correlation between the proportion of immune cells and consolidation/tumor ratio (CTR). Conclusions: Our findings provided a comprehensive description about the difference in the immune microenvironment between pGGN and mGGN in early-stage MPLC, as well as between MPLC and SPLC for both mGGN and pGGN. The findings may provide evidence for the design of immunotherapeutic strategies for MPLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal mining in arid and semiarid regions often leads to numerous ecological and environmental problems, such as aquifer depletion, lake shrinkage, vegetation degradation, and surface desertification. The drainage from coal mining activities is a major driving force in the evolution of the groundwater-soil-vegetation system. In order to explore the effect of groundwater level fluctuation on soil properties and the response mechanism of surface vegetation in coal mining areas, this study is based on hydrogeological and ecological vegetation investigations in the Bojianghaizi Basin, and soil and vegetation samples are collected in the areas with different groundwater levels, and soil and vegetation indexes are analyzed with the aid of methods such as numerical statistics, linear regression, and correlation analysis with the aid of the Origin software. The results show that there is a significant negative correlation between groundwater table (GWT) and soil water content (SWC), soil conductivity, soil organic matter (SOM), soil available nitrogen (SAN), and soil available potassium (SAK). Mining activities have led to the destruction of the soil structure, greatly reducing its ability to retain water and fertilizer. The contents of SWC, SOM, and SAN in the mining area are significantly reduced, which are at least 49.73%, 47.56% and 59.90% lower than those around the mining area. On the northern and southern sides of the lake, serious soil salinization exists in the lakeshore zone where the depth to the water table is <0.5 m, and the water required for the growth of vegetation here mainly comes from the groundwater, so there are only a few water-loving and saline-resistant plants; when the depth to the water table is 0.5–7 m, the growth of surface vegetation is influenced by the double impacts of the water table and atmospheric precipitation with a high degree of species richness; when the depth to the water table is >7 m, the surface vegetation is only dependent on the limited atmospheric precipitation for water. When the depth of groundwater is >7 m, the surface vegetation only relies on limited atmospheric precipitation for water, and drought-tolerant plants mainly grow in these areas. This study not only provides a scientific basis for the sustainable development and environmental protection of similar mines in the world, but also has important significance in guiding the ecological management and rational utilization of water resources in coal mine areas. What is more, This study provides valuable insights into sustainable water resource management in arid and semi-arid regions, crucial for mitigating the ecological impacts of coal mining activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To further improve the application and promotion of 6xxx Al alloys, we researched the mechanical properties of the Mg2Si brittle phase. The influence of different transition metals (M = Sc, Ti, V, Cr Y, and Nb) on the stability and mechanical properties of the Mg2Si phase was studied using first-principles calculations. The results indicate that transition metals can effectively reduce the cohesive energy of the Mg2SiM phase compared to pure Mg2Si (Pure Mg2Si: − 2.831 eV; Sc–Mg-1: − 3.099 eV; Ti–Mg-1: − 3.197 eV; V–Mg-1: − 3.229 eV; Cr–Mg-1: − 3.243 eV; Y–Mg-1: − 3.097 eV; Nb–Mg-1: − 3.367 eV), thereby enhancing the material's energy stability. In terms of mechanical properties, Nb–Mg-1 exhibits superior toughness and lower hardness compared to the pure Mg2Si phase (Pure Mg2Si: Pugh's ratio = 1.184, HV = 11.337 GPa; Nb–Mg-1: Pugh's ratio = 1.639, HV = 6.431 GPa). The other five transition metals also contribute to improved toughness and reduced hardness in the Mg2SiM phase to varying degrees (Ti–Mg-1: Pugh's ratio = 1.617, HV = 6.692 GPa; Y–Mg-1: Pugh's ratio = 1.603, HV = 6.526 GPa; Cr–Mg-1: Pugh's ratio = 1.577, HV = 6.917 GPa; V–Mg-1: Pugh's ratio = 1.507, HV = 7.155 GPa; Sc–Mg-1: Pugh's ratio = 1.351, HV = 8.559 GPa). This is because the addition of Nb promotes orbital hybridization between Si and Nb, reduces the energy required for dislocation slip, and improves the mechanical properties of the material. The differential charge density and charge transfer also confirm this phenomenon. This study provides valuable insights into enhancing the ductility of the Mg2Si phase and improving the application of 6xxx Al alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listeria monocytogenes (LM) possesses the ability to breach multiple barriers and elicit intricate immune responses. However, there remains a lack of explicit understanding regarding how LM evades innate immune surveillance within the body. Here, we utilized liver intravital imaging to elucidate the dynamic process of LM during infection in the liver. We discovered that LM can rapidly escape from Kupffer cells (KCs) through listeriolysin O (LLO) and proliferate within hepatocytes. Upon LM exposure to the hepatic sinusoids, neutrophils rapidly aggregate at the site of infection. Subsequently, LM can induce type I interferon (IFN-I) production primarily in the spleen, which acts systemically on neutrophils to hamper their swarming by deactivating the ERK pathway, thus evading neutrophil-mediated eradication. Furthermore, our findings suggest that virus-induced IFN-I suppresses neutrophil swarming, and COVID-19 patients exhibit impaired neutrophil aggregation function. In conclusion, our findings provide compelling evidence demonstrating that intracellular bacteria represented by LM can hijack host defense mechanisms against viral infections to evade immune surveillance. Additionally, impaired neutrophil swarming caused by IFN-I is one of the significant factors contributing to the increased susceptibility to bacterial infections following viral infections. Intracellular bacterial infection triggers numerous innate immune responses. Here, Li et al. use intravital imaging to understand how L. monocytogenes invades the liver and avoids triggering neutrophil swarming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deep learning (DL)-based prediction of accurate lymph node (LN) clinical target volumes (CTVs) for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) radiotherapy (RT) remains challenging. One of the main reasons is the variability of contours despite standardization processes by expert guidelines in combination with scarce data sharing in the community. Therefore, we retrospectively generated a 262-subjects dataset from four centers to develop the DL models for LN CTVs delineation. This dataset included 440 computed tomography images from different scanning phases, disease stages and treatment strategies. Three clinical expert boards, each comprising two experts (totalling six experts), manually delineated six basic LN CTVs on separate cohorts as the ground truth according to LN involvement and clinical requirements. Several state-of-the-art segmentation algorithms were evaluated on this benchmark, showing promising results for LN CTV segmentation. In conclusion, this work built a multicenter LN CTV segmentation dataset, which may be the first dataset for automatic LN CTV delineation development and evaluation, serving as a benchmark for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzothiazole, hydrazine/ammonia and salicylaldehyde were selected as basic unit for constructing of bis-Schiff base molecules with excited state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) property. Herein, "turn-on" fluorescent performance and highly sensitive multifunctional fluorescence probes were developed to stably and efficiently detect Pb2+, Mg2+ and Al3+ in biological and environmental samples. Among them, BF-SJ could distinguish Pb2+ and Mg2+ ions under different pH conditions, while BF-SO could separate Pb2+ and Al3+ by different emission wavelength. More important, target ions could be distinguished by naked eyes with color change of solution under sun light and ultraviolet lamp. The LOD values of BF-SJ and BF-SO for Pb2+/Mg2+ and Pb2+/Al3+ were as low as 31.23 μM, 25.95 μM, 59.57 μM and 1.38 μM, respectively. Ideally, they showed low cytotoxicity and were successfully used for imaging of exogenous Pb2+/Mg2+ and Pb2+/Al3+ in HeLa cells. Also, BF-SJ exhibited satisfactory performance in detection of Mg2+ in seawater and test paper experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rising aquaculture industry has induced an increase in aquaculture waste, calling for advanced methods to recycle waste in the context of the circular economy. Here, we review methods to treat aquaculture wastewater such as the biofloc technique, aquaponic-aquaculture, rice-fish co-culture, microalgae culture, algal–bacterial culture, membrane and moving bed bioreactors, and electrochemical techniques. We discuss nitrogen cycling, resources recovery, and nitrous oxide emission and mitigations. We observed that aquaculture wastewater irrigation allows for enhanced plant biomass, and biofloc technology improves fish biomass. Nitrogen removal processes, including anammox and partial nitrification, show improved performance. Nitrous oxide emission is mainly dependent on the total ammonia and nitrite concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rice is a very important food crop: two-thirds of the population of the world depend on rice as a staple food. Furthermore, since grain size has great influence on rice yield and quality, it is important to study the regulatory genes and mechanisms related to grain size to help cultivate high-yield and high-quality rice varieties. In this study, rice ubiquitin-conjugated enzyme (UBC) gene OsUBC16 was been identified, cloned, and analyzed. The analysis showed that this gene has a negative regulatory effect on grain weight. Specifically, OsUBC16 knockout mutants produced short grain length, large grain width, and increased 1000-grain weight. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the epidermal cells of the mutants seed changed in size as well, and OsUBC16 was highly expressed in seeds and panicles. Subcellular localization revealed that OsUBC16 was located in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus. In addition, OsUBC16 had high homology with the related proteins of maize, Arabidopsis, and soybean. Yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation experiments showed that OsUBC16 interacts with Heading and Grain Weight (HGW), a ubiquitin-associated (UBA) domain protein. In conclusion, OsUBC16 may regulate rice grain size and weight through interaction with HGW, a finding that lays a foundation for elucidating the molecular mechanism of OsUBC16 in regulating rice grain size, and providing gene resources for the high-yield molecular breeding of rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study was to develop a combined model based on radiomics features of Sonazoid contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) during the Kupffer phase and to evaluate its value in differentiating well-differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma (w-HCC) from atypical benign focal liver lesions (FLLs). Methods: A total of 116 patients with preoperatively Sonazoid-CEUS confirmed w-HCC or benign FLL were selected from a prospective multiple study on the clinical application of Sonazoid in FLLs conducted from August 2020 to March 2021. According to the randomization principle, the patients were divided into a training cohort and a test cohort in a 7:3 ratio. Seventy-nine patients were used for establishing and training the radiomics model and combined model. In comparison, 37 patients were used for validating and comparing the performance of the models. The diagnostic efficacy of the models for w-HCC and atypical benign FLLs was evaluated using ROCs curves and decision curves. A combined model nomogram was created to assess its value in reducing unnecessary biopsies. Results: Among the patients, there were 55 cases of w-HCC and 61 cases of atypical benign FLLs, including 28 cases of early liver abscess, 16 cases of atypical hepatic hemangioma, 8 cases of hepatocellular dysplastic nodules (DN), and 9 cases of focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH). The radiomics model and combined model we established had AUCs of 0.905 and 0.951, respectively, in the training cohort, and the AUCs of the two models in the test cohort were 0.826 and 0.912, respectively. The combined model outperformed the radiomics feature model significantly. Decision curve analysis demonstrated that the combined model achieved a higher net benefit within a specific threshold probability range (0.25 to 1.00). A nomogram of the combined model was developed. Conclusion: The combined model based on the radiomics features of Sonazoid-CEUS in the Kupffer phase showed satisfactory performance in diagnosing w-HCC and atypical benign FLLs. It can assist clinicians in timely detecting malignant FLLs and reducing unnecessary biopsies for benign diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maize is a valuable raw material for feed and food production. Healthy seed germination is important for improving the yield and quality of maize. Seed aging occurs relatively fast in crops and it is a process that delays germination as well as reduces its rate and even causes total loss of seed viability. However, the physiological and transcriptional mechanisms that regulate maize seeds, especially aging seed germination remain unclear. Coronatine (COR) which is a phytotoxin produced by Pseudomonas syringae and a new type of plant growth regulator can effectively regulate plant growth and development, and regulate seed germination. In this study, the physiological and transcriptomic mechanisms of COR-induced maize seed germination under different aging degrees were analyzed. The results showed that 0.001–0.01 μmol/L COR could promote the germination of aging maize seed and the growth of primary roots and shoots. COR treatment increased the content of gibberellins (GA3) and decreased the content of abscisic acid (ABA) in B73 seeds before germination. The result of RNA-seq analysis showed 497 differentially expressed genes in COR treatment compared with the control. Three genes associated with GA biosynthesis (ZmCPPS2, ZmD3, and ZmGA2ox2), and two genes associated with GA signaling transduction (ZmGID1 and ZmBHLH158) were up-regulated. Three genes negatively regulating GA signaling transduction (ZmGRAS48, ZmGRAS54, and Zm00001d033369) and two genes involved in ABA biosynthesis (ZmVP14 and ZmPCO14472) were down-regulated. The physiological test results also showed that the effects of GA and ABA on seed germination were similar to those of high and low-concentration COR, respectively, which indicated that the effect of COR on seed germination may be carried out through GA and ABA pathways. In addition, GO and KEGG analysis suggested that COR is also highly involved in antioxidant enzyme systems and secondary metabolite synthesis to regulate maize seed germination processes. These findings provide a valuable reference for further research on the mechanisms of maize seed germination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent discovery of nanoplastics in most ecosystems is a major, yet poorly known health issue. Here, we review nanoplastics with focus on their presence in the environment, their methods of detection, and their impact on the nitrogen cycle. Nanoplastics are widely distributed in ecosystems; however, their real concentrations are not known due to the limitation of actual detection methods. Detection methods include techniques based on mass spectrometry, optical instruments, and total organic carbon. Total organic carbon-based methods involve first membrane filtration and oxidation as pretreatment, then the measurement of total organic carbon as the total concentration of nanoplastics. Total organic carbon-based methods are easy and cost-effective, compared with other methods. Nanoplastics negatively impact ecosystems and nitrogen removal. Nanoplastics can adsorb on microbial cell membranes then disrupt the membrane integrity. Nanoplastics can also induce oxidative stress. Nitrogen cycling is substantially inhibited by nanoplastics during laboratory tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we successfully established a novel gallbladder cancer cell line, designated as GBC-X1, derived from a primary tumor of a gallbladder cancer patient. By comprehensively analyzing the cell line’s phenotype, molecular characteristics, biomarkers, and histological characteristics, we confirmed that GBC-X1 serves as a valuable model for investigating the pathogenesis of gallbladder cancer and developing therapeutic agents. GBC-X1 has been continuously cultured for one year, with over 60 stable passages. Morphologically, GBC-X1 exhibits typical features of epithelial tumors. The population doubling time of GBC-X1 is 32 h. STR analysis validated a high consistency between GBC-X1 and the patient’s primary tumor. Karyotype analysis revealed an abnormal hypertetraploid karyotype for GBC-X1, characterized by representative karyotypes of 98, XXXX del (4) p (12) del (5) p (21) der (10). Under suspension culture conditions, GBC-X1 efficiently forms tumor balls, while subcutaneous inoculation of GBC-X1 cells into NXG mice leads to xenograft formation with a rate of 80%. Drug sensitivity testing demonstrated that GBC-X1 is resistant to oxaliplatin and sensitive to 5-FU, gemcitabine, and paclitaxel. Immunohistochemistry revealed positive expression of CK7, CK19, E-cadherin, MMP-2, CD44, SOX2, and TP53 in GBC-X1 cells, weak positive expression of Vimentin, and a Ki67 positive rate of 35%. Our research highlights GBC-X1 as a novel gallbladder cancer cell line and emphasizes its potential as an effective experimental model for investigating the pathogenesis of gallbladder cancer and drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to ensure the filling integrity of complex counter-gravity casting and improve metallurgical quality, it is necessary to shorten the filling time while avoiding air entrainments. To address this contradiction, a novel nonlinear pressurization method was proposed in this study. Through systematically analyzing the relationship between critical gating velocity and stable filling height, a criterion for iterative calculation of nonlinear pressurization curve was established, and an empirical expression between nonlinear pressurizing speed and the filling height was obtained. Based on the empirical expression, a nonlinear pressurization curve can be designed according to the casting structures and initial pressurizing speeds. The above nonlinear pressure curve design method was validated through water filling experiments. It was proved that the nonlinear pressure curve can shorten the filling time while avoiding air entrainments. It provides important processing control method for improving the low-pressure casting performance of complex castings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On account of the Mori-Tanaka approach, the effective elastic performance of composites containing decagonal symmetric two-dimensional (2D) quasicrystal (QC) coatings is studied. Explicit expressions for the effective elastic constants of rare-earth QC reinforced magnesium-based composites are provided. Detailed discussion is presented on the effects of the volume fraction of the inclusions, the aspect ratio of the inclusions, the coating thickness, and the coating material parameters on the effective elastic constants of the composites. The results indicate that considering the coating increases the effective elastic constants of the composites to some extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a novel pancreatic cancer cell line, termed pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)-X3 cell line, was successfully derived from the primary tumor. Comprehensive analyses of its malignant phenotype, molecular properties, specific biomarkers, and histological features confirmed that PDAC-X3 cells serve as a valuable model for investigating the underlying mechanisms driving pancreatic carcinogenesis and advancing potential therapeutic strategies. The newly established cell line was continuously cultured for over 12 months and was stably passaged through more than 50 generations. Morphologically, PDAC-X3 cells displayed characteristics typical of epithelial tumors. The population doubling time for PDAC-X3 cells was determined to be 50 h. Karyotype analysis revealed that 75% of PDAC-X3 cells presented as hypotriploid, while 25% were sub-tetraploid, with representative karyotypes being 53 and XY der (1) inv (9) der (22). In suspension culture, PDAC-X3 cells efficiently formed organoids. Upon inoculation into BALB/C nude mice, these cells initiated the development of xenograft tumors, achieving a tumor formation rate of 33%. Morphologically, these xenografted tumors closely resembled the primary tumor. Drug sensitivity assays indicated that PDAC-X3 cells exhibited resistance to oxaliplatin but demonstrated sensitivity to 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), gemcitabine, and paclitaxel. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that CK7, CK19, E-cadherin, Vimentin, CA19-9 were positively expressed in PDAC-X3 cells. Meanwhile, the expression rate for Ki-67 was 30%, and that for CEA was not detected. Our findings underscore that PDAC-X3 represents a novel pancreatic cancer cell line, positioning it as a valuable model for basic research and the advancement of therapeutic strategies against pancreatic cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have focused on the risk factors for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in small for gestational age (SGA) infants. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for NEC in SGA newborns. This study included consecutive SGA neonates admitted to a tertiary hospital in Jiangxi Province, China from Jan 2008 to Dec 2022. Patients with NEC (Bell's stage ≥ II) were assigned to the NEC group. Gestational age- and birth weight-matched non-NEC infants born during the same period at the same hospital were assigned to the control group. The risk factors associated with NEC were analyzed with univariate and logistic regression models. During the study period, 2,912 SGA infants were enrolled, 150 (5.15%) of whom developed NEC. In total, 143 patients and 143 controls were included in the NEC and control groups, respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed that sepsis (OR 2.399, 95% CI 1.271–4.527, P = 0.007) and anemia (OR 2.214, 95% CI 1.166–4.204, P = 0.015) might increase the incidence of NEC in SGA infants and that prophylactic administration of probiotics (OR 0.492, 95% CI 0.303–0.799, P = 0.004) was a protective factor against NEC. Therefore, sepsis, anemia and a lack of probiotic use are independent risk factors for NEC in SGA infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many studies have investigated the transfer of skills between laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgery (RAS). These studies have considered time, error, and clinical outcomes in the assessment of skill transfer. However, little is known about the specific operations of the surgeon. Clutch control use is an important skill in RAS. Therefore, the present study aimed to propose a novel objective algorithm based on computer vision that can automatically evaluate a surgeon's clutch use. Additionally, the study aimed to evaluate the correlation between clutch metrics and surgical skill on different surgical robot platforms. Methods: The robotic surgery training center of Wuhan University trained 30 laparoscopic surgeons as the study group between 2023 and 2024. Laparoscopic surgeons were trained by combining robotic simulator exercises and RAS animal experiments. During the training, video and hand movement data were collected. Hand movements identified by a skin-color model were combined with labeling information to classify clutch use. The metrics were validated on different robotic platforms (dv-Trainer, EDGE MP1000, Toumai™ MT1000, and DaVinci Xi system) and among surgeons with different surgical skill levels. Results: On the robotic simulator, clutch accuracy in the expert group was significantly higher than in the study group for all tasks. No significant differences were observed in the number of clutches between the expert and study groups. In the RAS experiment, the number of clutches decreased significantly for both study and expert groups. The accuracy was maintained at a high level in the expert group but decreased rapidly in the study group. Conclusions: We proposed a new objective assessment of surgical skills, clutch use metrics, in cross-platform RAS. Additionally, we verified that the metrics significantly correlated with the surgical skill levels of the surgeons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Longitudinal metabolomics data from a meal challenge test contains both fasting and dynamic signals, that may be related to metabolic health and diseases. Recent work has explored the multiway structure of time-resolved metabolomics data by arranging it as a three-way array with modes: subjects, metabolites, and time. The analysis of such dynamic data (where the fasting data is subtracted from postprandial states) reveals dynamic markers of various phenotypes, and differences between fasting and dynamic states. However, there is still limited success in terms of extracting static and dynamic biomarkers for the same subject stratifications. Objectives: Through joint analysis of fasting and dynamic metabolomics data, our goal is to capture static and dynamic biomarkers of a phenotype for the same subject stratifications providing a complete picture, that will be more effective for precision health. Methods: We jointly analyze fasting and dynamic metabolomics data collected during a meal challenge test from the COPSAC 2000 cohort using coupled matrix and tensor factorizations (CMTF), where the dynamic data (subjects by metabolites by time) is coupled with the fasting data (subjects by metabolites) in the subjects mode. Results: The proposed data fusion approach extracts shared subject stratifications in terms of BMI (body mass index) from fasting and dynamic signals as well as the static and dynamic metabolic biomarker patterns corresponding to those stratifications. Specifically, we observe a subject stratification showing the positive association with all fasting VLDLs and higher BMI. For the same subject stratification, a subset of dynamic VLDLs (mainly the smaller sizes) correlates negatively with higher BMI. Higher correlations of the subject quantifications with the phenotype of interest are observed using such a data fusion approach compared to individual analyses of the fasting and postprandial state. Conclusion: The CMTF-based approach provides a complete picture of static and dynamic biomarkers for the same subject stratifications—when markers are present in both fasting and dynamic states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simultaneously achieving high mass loading and superior rate capability in electrodes is challenging due to their often mutually constrained nature, especially for pseudocapacitors for high-power density applications. Here, we report a robust porous polyaniline hydrogel (PPH) prepared using a facile ice-templated in situ polymerization approach. Owing to the conductive, robust, and porous nanostructures suitable for ultrafast electron and ion transport, the self-supporting pure polyaniline hydrogel electrode exhibits superior areal capacitance without sacrificing rate capability and gravimetric capacitance at an ultrahigh mass loading and notable current density. It achieves a high areal capacitance (15.2 F·cm−2 at 500 mA·cm−2) and excellent rate capability (~92.7% retention from 20 to 500 mA·cm−2) with an ultrahigh mass loading of 43.2 mg cm−2. Our polyaniline hydrogel highlights the potential of designing porous nanostructures to boost the performance of electrode materials and inspires the development of other ultrafast pseudocapacitive electrodes with ultrahigh loadings and fast charge/discharge capabilities. Here, the authors establish a design approach for porous materials with a high mass loading polyaniline electrode by using a radial porous nanostructure. The design approach allows for electrodes with high mass loading and rate capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document explores the structure and function of gustatory receptors in insects, with a focus on two receptors involved in sugar perception. Using cryo-electron microscopy, the authors determined the structures of these receptors in both their inactive and sugar-bound states. They discovered that one receptor is specifically activated by fructose, while the other can be activated by multiple sugars, including sucrose. The structures of these receptors also revealed differences in their sugar binding pockets, which may explain their distinct sugar specificity. This research provides valuable insights into how insects perceive sweetness. [Extracted from the article]

As a common semiparametric mode, the partially linear additive model has flexible structures, and it has been widely used in practice. In this paper, we study the quantile regression estimation of the model when its responses are censored. In particular, we consider a more general censoring framework, which allows different types of censoring (left, right, double, or interval censoring) simultaneously. Based on the general principles of data augmentation, we propose a unified iterative algorithm, where the censored data is imputed by sampling data from the quantile process, and regression parameters are refitted by using bootstrap samples. Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to verify the finite-sample properties of the method, and the results show its good performance. The application to Boston housing price data further illustrates the advantages of this method in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An accurate understanding of the current and future water cycle over the Third Pole is of great societal importance, given the role this region plays as a water tower for densely populated areas downstream. An emerging and promising approach for skillful climate assessments over regions of complex terrain is kilometer-scale climate modeling. As a foundational step towards such simulations over the Third Pole, we present a multi-model and multi-physics ensemble of kilometer-scale regional simulations for the hydrological year of October 2019 to September 2020. The ensemble consists of 13 simulations performed by an international consortium of 10 research groups, configured with a horizontal grid spacing ranging from 2.2 to 4 km covering all of the Third Pole region. These simulations are driven by ERA5 and are part of a Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling EXperiment Flagship Pilot Study on Convection-Permitting Third Pole. The simulations are compared against available gridded and in-situ observations and remote-sensing data, to assess the performance and spread of the model ensemble compared to the driving reanalysis during the cold and warm seasons. Although ensemble evaluation is hindered by large differences between the gridded precipitation datasets used as a reference over this region, we show that the ensemble improves on many warm-season precipitation metrics compared with ERA5, including most wet-day and hour statistics, and also adds value in the representation of wet spells in both seasons. As such, the ensemble will provide an invaluable resource for future improvements in the process understanding of the hydroclimate of this remote but important region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isoprene is a common monomer in industrial synthetic rubber. We report the in vitro synthesis of isoprene in a multi-step enzyme cascade immobilized biocatalyst by the mevalonate pathway (MVA pathway). This method offers a new way for expanding the biosynthesis of isoprene. The cascade immobilized biocatalyst (PE-SBA-15-FiEs) was constructed by adsorption- cross-linking, with the five key enzymes (mevalonate kinase (MVK), phosphomevalonate kinase (PMK), Mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase (MVD), isopentenyl disphosphate isomerase (IDI), and isoprene synthetase (ISPS)) of the MVA pathway immobilized on mesoporous molecular sieve SBA-15 as the carrier with polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether as the cross-linker. At the optimal reaction pH and temperature, the yield of isoprene reached 453.15 mg/L with the PE-SAB-15-FiE, as compared to 274.52 mg/L with the free enzymes. After it had been used five times, the yield of isoprene was still 404.26 mg/L. Furthermore, the yield of isoprene still reached 372.59 mg/L when it was stored for 30 days at room temperature. Thus, the assembled PE-SBA-15-FiEs cascade immobilized biocatalyst has promising application prospects for the industrial production of isoprene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the surface-bulk correspondence has been ubiquitously shown in topological phases, the relationship between surface and bulk in Landau-like phases is much less explored. Theoretical investigations since 1970s for semi-infinite systems have predicted the possibility of the surface order emerging at a higher temperature than the bulk, clearly illustrating a counterintuitive situation and greatly enriching phase transitions. But experimental realizations of this prediction remain missing. Here, we demonstrate the higher-temperature surface and lower-temperature bulk phase transitions in CrSBr, a van der Waals (vdW) layered antiferromagnet. We leverage the surface sensitivity of electric dipole second harmonic generation (SHG) to resolve surface magnetism, the bulk nature of electric quadrupole SHG to probe bulk spin correlations, and their interference to capture the two magnetic domain states. Our density functional theory calculations show the suppression of ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic competition at the surface is responsible for this enhanced surface magnetism. Our results not only show counterintuitive, richer phase transitions in vdW magnets, but also provide viable ways to enhance magnetism in their 2D form. Surface magnetic order could precede bulk order, but detecting such a separation necessitates experimental probes sensitive to both surface and bulk phase transitions. Here, using second harmonic generation, the authors propose that this situation is realized in a van der Waals antiferromagnet CrSBr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In enzymatic catalysis, the redox site and Lewis acid are the two main roles played by metal to assist amino acids. However, the reported enzyme mimics only focus on the redox-active metal as redox site, while the redox-inert metal as Lewis acid has, to the best of our knowledge, not been studied, presenting a bottleneck of enzyme mimics construction. Based on this, a series of highly efficient MxV2O5·nH2O peroxidase mimics with vanadium as redox site and alkaline-earth metal ion (M2+) as Lewis acid are reported. Experimental results and theoretical calculations indicate the peroxidase-mimicking activity of MxV2O5·nH2O show a periodic change with the Lewis acidity (ion potential) of M2+, revealing the mechanism of redox-inert M2+ regulating electron transfer of V-O through non-covalent polarization and thus promoting H2O2 adsorbate dissociation. The biomimetic synergetic effect of redox site and Lewis acid is expected to provide an inspiration for design of enzyme mimics. The so far reported enzyme mimics focus on the redox-active metal as a redox site, while the redox-inert metal as Lewis acid has so far not been reported. Here, the authors report efficient MxV2O5·nH2O peroxidase mimics with vanadium as redox site and alkaline-earth metal ion (M2+) as Lewis acid, where the peroxidase-mimicking activity shows a periodic change with the Lewis acidity of the metal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the growth trajectory of emotional exhaustion and its predictors in clinical nurses in the context of healthcare crisis in the post pandemic era. A total of 422 Chinese clinical nurses were followed up three times over two months from December 2022 to January 2023, and data from the final 358 clinical nurses were analyzed. The growth mixed model was used to identify the trajectory categories, and the predictive factors of the trajectory types were analyzed by logistic regression. The relationship of the trajectory types of emotional exhaustion with psychological capital were analyzed by variance analysis. The best-fit growth mixture modeling revealed three class models: Class 1 characterized by high and increasing levels of emotional exhaustion, Class 2 characterized by moderate and decreasing levels of emotional exhaustion, and Class 3 characterized by low and decreasing levels of emotional exhaustion. These classes accounted for 9.78%, 83.52%, and 6.70% of clinical nurses, respectively. The results of the univariate analysis indicated that age, years of working experience, gender, past participation in emergency public health event rescue, and sleep quality were associated with the trajectory of emotional exhaustion. Logistic regression analysis revealed that gender, past participation in emergency public health event rescue, and sleep quality were independent predictors of the emotional exhaustion trajectory. The variance analysis of the four dimensions of psychological capital showed that there were statistically significant differences in scores of self-efficacy and hope dimensions among the three groups of emotionally exhausted individuals. Our study demonstrated the heterogeneity of emotional exhaustion among clinical nursing personnel in coping with healthcare system overload. The psychological capital of nursing staff with different categories of emotional exhaustion varies. Managers should actively pay attention to the predictive role of gender, past participation in emergency public health event rescue, and sleep quality on the development of emotional exhaustion in clinical nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an extensive system of interrelated devices equipped with sensors to monitor and track real world objects, spanning several verticals, covering many different industries. The IoT's promise is capturing interest as its value in healthcare continues to grow, as it can overlay on top of challenges dealing with the rising burden of chronic disease management and an aging population. To address difficulties associated with IoT-enabled healthcare, we propose a secure routing protocol that combines a fuzzy logic system and the Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA) hierarchically. The suggested method consists of two primary approaches: the fuzzy trust strategy and the WOA-inspired clustering methodology. The first methodology plays a critical role in determining the trustworthiness of connected IoT equipment. Furthermore, a WOA-based clustering framework is implemented. A fitness function assesses the likelihood of IoT devices acting as cluster heads. This formula considers factors such as centrality, range of communication, hop count, remaining energy, and trustworthiness. Compared with other algorithms, the proposed method outperformed them in terms of network lifespan, energy usage, and packet delivery ratio by 47%, 58%, and 17.7%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate soil moisture (SM) prediction is critical for understanding hydrological processes. Physics-based (PB) models exhibit large uncertainties in SM predictions arising from uncertain parameterizations and insufficient representation of land-surface processes. In addition to PB models, deep learning (DL) models have been widely used in SM predictions recently. However, few pure DL models have notably high success rates due to lacking physical information. Thus, we developed hybrid models to effectively integrate the outputs of PB models into DL models to improve SM predictions. To this end, we first developed a hybrid model based on the attention mechanism to take advantage of PB models at each forecast time scale (attention model). We further built an ensemble model that combined the advantages of different hybrid schemes (ensemble model). We utilized SM forecasts from the Global Forecast System to enhance the convolutional long short-term memory (ConvLSTM) model for 1–16 days of SM predictions. The performances of the proposed hybrid models were investigated and compared with two existing hybrid models. The results showed that the attention model could leverage benefits of PB models and achieved the best predictability of drought events among the different hybrid models. Moreover, the ensemble model performed best among all hybrid models at all forecast time scales and different soil conditions. It is highlighted that the ensemble model outperformed the pure DL model over 79.5% of in situ stations for 16-day predictions. These findings suggest that our proposed hybrid models can adequately exploit the benefits of PB model outputs to aid DL models in making SM predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum circuit complexity—a measure of the minimum number of gates needed to implement a given unitary transformation—is a fundamental concept in quantum computation, with widespread applications ranging from determining the running time of quantum algorithms to understanding the physics of black holes. In this work, we study the complexity of quantum circuits using the notions of sensitivity, average sensitivity (also called influence), magic, and coherence. We characterize the set of unitaries with vanishing sensitivity and show that it coincides with the family of matchgates. Since matchgates are tractable quantum circuits, we have proved that sensitivity is necessary for a quantum speedup. As magic is another measure to quantify quantum advantage, it is interesting to understand the relation between magic and sensitivity. We do this by introducing a quantum version of the Fourier entropy-influence relation. Our results are pivotal for understanding the role of sensitivity, magic, and coherence in quantum computation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression poses a significant threat to global physical and mental health, impacting around 3.8% of the population with a rising incidence. Current treatment options primarily involve medication and psychological support, yet their effectiveness remains limited, contributing to high relapse rates. There is an urgent need for innovative and more efficacious treatment modalities. Stem cell therapy, a promising avenue in regenerative medicine for a spectrum of neurodegenerative conditions, has recently garnered attention for its potential application in depression. While much of this work remains preclinical, it has demonstrated considerable promise. Identified mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of stem cell therapy encompass the stimulation of neurotrophic factors, immune function modulation, and augmented monoamine levels. Nonetheless, these pathways and other undiscovered mechanisms necessitate further investigation. Depression fundamentally manifests as a neurodegenerative disorder. Given stem cell therapy's success in addressing a range of neurodegenerative pathologies, it opens the door to explore its application in depression treatment. This exploration may include repairing damaged nerves directly or indirectly and inhibiting neurotoxicity. Nevertheless, significant challenges must be overcome before stem cell therapies can be applied clinically. Successful resolution of these issues will ultimately determine the feasibility of incorporating stem cell therapies into the clinical landscape. This narrative review provides insights into the progress of research, potential avenues for exploration, and the prevailing challenges in the implementation of stem cell therapy for treatment of depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highway greenbelt, vigorously promoted in arid and semi-arid areas, has obvious impacts on beautifying the environment, absorbing dust, reducing noise, and maintaining soil and water. Moreover, it affects the characteristics of how water resources are distributed and the regional groundwater cycle. However, the impact of highway greenbelt construction on groundwater flow in semi-arid areas is unknown. The Hubao Highway greenbelt in the north part of the Tumochuan Plain was studied as an example. The paper combines field investigation, remote sensing and mathematical modeling to quantify the impact of highway green space construction on regional groundwater circulation. The results showed that: Trees, shrubs and grasses were the dominant vegetation types in the landscaped area, accounting for 42.17% of the studied area. The total evapotranspiration water consumption of the green belt during the growing season was 471.35 × 104m3. The groundwater recharge in the study area was mainly derived from the lateral recharge in front of the mountain, and the main discharge was the evapotranspiration water consumption of the green belt. This evapotranspiration accounts for 3.31% of the total groundwater recharge. Under the condition that the recharge in front of the mountain remains constant, the evapotranspiration water consumption of the green belt will still have an increasing trend in the future. Appropriate planting of poplar and other high water-consuming trees may be the best way to mitigate the adverse effects of greenbelt evapotranspiration on groundwater resources. The results of this study provide valuable insights for environmental protection and infrastructure development in similar areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drug exposure during pregnancy lacks global fetal safety data. The maternal drug exposure birth cohort (DEBC) study, a prospective longitudinal investigation, aims to explore the correlation of maternal drug exposure during pregnancy with pregnancy outcomes, and establish a human biospecimen biobank. Here we describe the process of establishing DEBC and show that the drug exposure rate in the first trimester of pregnant women in DEBC (n = 112,986) is 30.70%. Among the drugs used, dydrogesterone and progesterone have the highest exposure rates, which are 11.97% and 10.82%, respectively. The overall incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes is 13.49%. Dydrogesterone exposure during the first trimester is correlated with higher incidences of stillbirth, preterm birth, low birth weight, and birth defects, along with a lower incidence of miscarriage/abortion. Due to the limitations of this cohort study, causative conclusions cannot be drawn. Further follow-up and in-depth data analysis are planned for future studies. Drug exposure during pregnancy lacks sufficient fetal safety information world-widely. Here, the authors report the establishment a multi-center birth cohort to explore the correlation of maternal drug exposure during pregnancy with pregnancy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research has demonstrated that college freshmen sometimes experience notable depression, and a significant correlation has been observed between depressive state and helicopter parenting. However, the precise mechanisms through which helicopter parenting influences depression in college freshmen remain unclear. To elucidate these pathways, this study enlisted 931 college freshmen who participated in a comprehensive survey. The survey instruments included questionnaires that assessed helicopter parenting, short video addiction, the fear of missing out (FoMO), and depression. We examined the relationship between helicopter parenting and depression using analytical techniques developed by Hayes (2013). The findings revealed that helicopter parenting is intimately linked to depression among college freshmen. This association manifests not only as a direct correlation, but also as an indirect aggravation of depressive symptoms mediated by short video addiction and FoMO. While helicopter parenting is associated with short video addiction and depression, as well as FoMO, its primary association is with FoMO and depression, rather than with short video addiction. This study enhanced our understanding of the detrimental effects of helicopter parenting, clarified its relationship with depression, and offered valuable guidance for mitigating depressive symptoms in college students affected by helicopter parenting. For college freshmen, maintaining autonomy, reducing reliance on short videos, and adopting a more rational approach to anxiety triggered by missed positive events can be effective strategies for alleviating depression, especially in the context of controlling helicopter parenting. Nevertheless, given the cross-sectional nature of this study, caution is warranted when interpreting the causal relationship between helicopter parenting and depression among college freshmen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The defending behavior of bystanders toward bullied individuals in bullying situations can effectively prevent the occurrence and development of bullying incidents. However, owing to the influence of peer group behavior and specific situational factors, bystanders often do not undertake defending behaviors in bullying situations. To explore the influence of social norms (group factor) and bullying types (situational factor) on bystanders' defending intentions among 325 senior high school students in China, a 4 (social norms: descriptive, injunctive, descriptive-injunctive, no norms) × 4 (bullying types: physical, verbal, relational, cyber) two-factor mixed design was used. The results revealed that the interactive effect between social norms and bullying types was significant after controlling for gender and age. Only when descriptive norms and injunctive norms were presented concurrently was the level of defending intentions in verbal and cyber bullying situations significantly higher than that in physical bullying situations. These results indicate that social norms and bullying types jointly affect bystanders' defending intentions. This finding provides insight into the mechanisms underlying bystanders' defending intentions in bullying situations, and how to improve defending intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precisely modulating the Ru-O covalency in RuOx for enhanced stability in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis is highly desired. However, transition metals with d-valence electrons, which were doped into or alloyed with RuOx, are inherently susceptible to the influence of coordination environment, making it challenging to modulate the Ru-O covalency in a precise and continuous manner. Here, we first deduce that the introduction of lanthanide with gradually changing electronic configurations can continuously modulate the Ru-O covalency owing to the shielding effect of 5s/5p orbitals. Theoretical calculations confirm that the durability of Ln-RuOx following a volcanic trend as a function of Ru-O covalency. Among various Ln-RuOx, Er-RuOx is identified as the optimal catalyst and possesses a stability 35.5 times higher than that of RuO2. Particularly, the Er-RuOx-based device requires only 1.837 V to reach 3 A cm−2 and shows a long-term stability at 500 mA cm−2 for 100 h with a degradation rate of mere 37 μV h−1. Lack of stability in RuO2-based catalysts at industrial currents impedes their use in green hydrogen production. Here, the authors show that incorporating lanthanide elements into RuOx shields against external factors, enabling fine-tuned Ru-O covalency for durable oxygen evolution reaction electrocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, a comprehensive assessment of the relationship between ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) indicators and cataract risk is lacking. Life's Essential 8 (LE8) is the latest concept proposed by the American Heart Association to comprehensively reflect CVH status. LE8 includes four health behaviors (diet, physical activity, smoking, and sleep) and four health factors (blood lipid, blood sugar, blood pressure, and body mass index). This study tried to evaluate the association between LE8 and cataract using data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005–2008, a continuous research program which aims to monitor and evaluate the health and nutrition status of the US population. A cross-sectional study of 2720 non-cataract participants and 602 cataract participants. All participants were assigned to the poor, intermediate, and ideal CVH status groups based on LE8 score. Weighted multiple logistic regression was used to investigate the correlation between the LE8 score and cataract, as well as the correlation between each of the eight subitems and cataract, with potential confounding variables being adjusted. Then, restricted cubic spline analysis was used to further explore whether there was a nonlinear relationship between LE8 score and cataract. The proportion of cataract participants was 14.1%, 18.2%, and 20.6% in the ideal, intermediate, and poor CVH groups, respectively (P < 0.05). LE8 score was inversely associated with cataract risk, with each 10-point increase in LE8 score associated with a 14% reduction in cataract risk [odds ratio (OR) = 0.86, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.79–0.93, P < 0.01]. Among all the LE8 subitems, physical activity, sleep, and blood glucose were significantly associated with cataract risk (all P < 0.05). Better CVH, defined by a higher LE8 score, is associated with a lower cataract risk. Efforts to improve LE8 score (especially when it comes to physical activity, sleep, and blood glucose) may serve as a novel strategy to help reduce the risk of cataract. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies play an essential role in achieving Net Zero Emissions targets. Considering the lack of timely reviews on the recent advancements in promising CCUS technologies, it is crucial to provide a prompt review of the CCUS advances to understand the current research gaps pertained to its industrial application. To that end, this review first summarized the developmental history of CCUS technologies and the current large-scale demonstrations. Then, based on a visually bibliometric analysis, the carbon capture remains a hotspot in the CCUS development. Noting that the materials applied in the carbon capture process determines its performance. As a result, the state-of-the-art carbon capture materials and emerging capture technologies were comprehensively summarized and discussed. Gaps between state-of-art carbon capture process and its ideal counterpart are analyzed, and insights into the research needs such as material design, process optimization, environmental impact, and technical and economic assessments are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With better access to e-commerce and its adoption in rural China, farmer entrepreneurship has thrived and released renewed vigor and vitality in rural areas, serving as a reference for global poverty reduction and rural entrepreneurship. This paper probes into the relationship between e-commerce adoption, social networks, and farmer entrepreneurship to find a mechanism of e-commerce to promote farmer entrepreneurship. This research uses household survey data from the Chinese General Social Survey of 2017. The cross-sectional research method with a sample size of 1306 was adopted in this study to establish links between various constructs. This study used secondary data that had already been collected on the subject. In this research, the quantitative secondary data analysis method was applied to numeric data arithmetically analyzed. The findings indicate that, first, e-commerce has significantly boosted farmer entrepreneurship, particularly in less-developed regions, where the effect is slightly more robust (the central and western regions). Second, the size and heterogeneity of social networks partially mediate the relationship between e-commerce adoption and farmers' entrepreneurial decision-making at the state level. In addition, the current data analysis has not verified the logical relationship between e-commerce adoption, the strength of ties, and farmer entrepreneurship. Thirdly, social network size and heterogeneity have a greater mediation effect than the regional subsample study results. This paper adds to the current theoretical approach about farmer entrepreneurship, e-commerce adoption, their relationship with social network size, heterogeneity, and strength of ties based on the Chinese General Social Survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Linezolid is a commonly used antibiotic in the clinical treatment of gram-positive bacterial infections. The impacts of drug interactions on the pharmacokinetics of linezolid are often overlooked. This manuscript aims to review the medications that affect the pharmacokinetics of linezolid. Methods: In accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we queried the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for publications from database establishment to November 3, 2023, using the search terms: "Linezolid" and "interaction," or "interact," or "drug-drug interaction," or "co-treatment," or "cotreatment," or "combined," or "combination." Results: A total of 24 articles were included. Among the reported medication interactions, rifampicin, levothyroxine, venlafaxine, and phenobarbital could reduce the concentration of linezolid; clarithromycin, digoxin, cyclosporine, proton pump inhibitors, and amiodarone could increase the concentration of linezolid, while aztreonam, phenylpropanolamine, dextromethorphan, antioxidant vitamins, and magnesium-containing antacids had no significant effects on linezolid pharmacokinetics. The ratio of mean (ROM) of linezolid AUC in co-treatment with rifampicin to monotherapy was 0.67 (95%CI 0.58–0.77) and 0.63 (95%CI 0.43–0.91), respectively, in 2 studies, and co-treatment with 500 mg clarithromycin to monotherapy was 1.81 (95%CI 1.49–2.13). Conclusions: This systematic review found that numerous drugs have an impact on the pharmacokinetics of linezolid, and the purported main mechanism may be that linezolid is the substrate of P-glycoprotein. In clinical practice, it is prudent to pay attention to the changes in linezolid pharmacokinetics caused by interactions. Conducting therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is beneficial to improve efficacy and reduce adverse reactions of linezolid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to enhance the quality and processing efficiency of 0.5 mm micro-hole in high volume fraction (55%) SiCp/Al7075 composites used for electronic packaging. Initially, an analysis is conducted on the trajectory of the variable step pecking drilling. Subsequently, a formula is proposed for calculating the machining contact ratio. Furthermore, a two-phase simulation model of SiCp/Al composite with 55% SiC content is created. The optimal process parameters for micro-hole variable step pecking drilling are determined by analyzing the branch test. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed model exhibits superior predictive capabilities for the cutting force as well as the dimensions of the entrance and exit edge defects. According to the experimental results, variable step size pecking drilling not only achieves a cutting efficiency of 97.9% while reducing the number of drilling steps by 59% when compared to constant step size pecking drilling, but it also improves the quality of micro-holes as measured by cutting force, hole diameter, and defects in the entrance and exit edges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper was to unravel the clinical effect analysis of different doses of creatine phosphate sodium (CPS) combined with immunoglobulin in the treatment of pediatric viral myocarditis (VMC). One hundred and twenty children with VMC were recruited and randomized into three groups (40 patients each). Group I received 1.0 g of CPS dissolved in 100 mL of 5% glucose injection intravenously 1 time/day; group II received 1.25 g of CPS dissolved in 125 mL of 5% glucose injection intravenously 1 time/day; group III received 1.5 g of CPS dissolved in 150 mL of 5% glucose injection intravenously 1 time/day; then all three groups were treated with combined use of immunoglobulin (300–400 mg/day) intravenously once a day; and all three groups were treated for 14 days. The clinical efficacy, cardiac function, serum inflammatory factor levels, immune function, and the occurrence of drug toxicity and adverse effects of the children in the three groups were compared after 14 days of treatment. All three groups achieved better therapeutic effects after treatment, in which the effective rate of the Group II and Group III was notably higher versus the Group I. Lower levels of cTnI, CK-MB, LDH, AST, IL-18, IL-6, IFN-γ, and LVEDD and higher CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+, FS, and LVEF values were noted in the Group II and Group III versus the Group I, and the results were more pronounced in the high-dose group. The liver and kidney functions of the children in the three groups before and after treatment did not show any significant changes and the incidence of adverse reactions during the treatment period was low in all three groups. Children with VMC can be treated with high-dose CPS in combination with immunoglobulin, which can improve their cardiac function and immune function and reduce the inflammatory response with good overall therapeutic efficacy and fewer adverse effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pumpkin peel is a main by-product produced during pumpkin consumption and processing, which is often disposed of as food waste. Therefore, it is necessary to develop ways to utilize pumpkin peel. In this study, the pectic polysaccharides were extracted from pumpkin peel, and their properties were evaluated. Results indicated that the extraction yield of pectin polysaccharides from Dongsheng pumpkin peel was the highest. Meanwhile, among the pumpkin peel pectic polysaccharides (PPs), Dongsheng PP exhibited the highest methylation degree (22.38%), acetylation degree (15.92%), molecular weight (6.26 × 105 Da) and initial apparent viscosity. Variety had little effect on the microstructure and functional groups of PPs. Compared with the other PP samples, Beibei PP (BBP) had the lowest molecular weight coupled with highest protein content, resulting in the highest emulsifying activity, emulsion stability and antioxidant activity. In addition, all the PPs had the ability to promote the growth of probiotics, and BBP and Banli PP (BLP) shown better capacities to promote the growth of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium breve. Hence, it could be concluded that extraction pectin from pumpkin peel is a potential method for the utilization of pumpkin peel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Objective: There is some controversy about the effects of calcitonin (CT) on lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). This systematic review and meta-analysis is to assess the strength of the evidence supporting the use of CT in the treatment of patients with LSS. Material and Method: We performed an electronic search depicting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) through 4 databases from the date of database creation to January 2023. 3 different researchers conducted independent literature screening, data extractions, and quality assessments. The outcome measures included visual analogue scale (VAS), walking distance, and oswestry disability index (ODI). Meta-analysis and trial sequence analysis (TSA) were carried out using RevMan 5.4, Stata 16.0, and TSA 0.9. GRADE 3.6 was used to evaluate the evidence quality. Results: We accepted 9 studies with 496 participants. The meta-analysis revealed that CT offered no significant improvement in VAS, walking distance, or ODI in patients with LSS. Conclusion: There is no evidence that CT has a benefit in patients with LSS, either alone or in combination with other treatments, or depending on the route of administration, according to the systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant RCTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immobilization is a crucial method for enzyme recovery and utilization. Among all techniques, physical adsorption stands out as a commonly employed immobilization method, driven by the surface properties of the supporter. In this study, the focus is to investigate the effect of the nature of the supporter surface on the performance of the immobilized enzyme. A range of supporters with varying hydrophilic-hydrophobic properties was obtained by treating cover glasses with piranha etching solution and different silane coupling agents. Subsequently, cellulase was immobilized on these modified supporters for cellulose hydrolysis, aiming to investigate the supporter's impact on the activity and stability of immobilized enzymes. Additionally, the supporters were characterized using infrared spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, and Zeta potential analysis. The results indicate that the stronger the supporter's hydrophobicity, the more pronounced the hydrolytic efficiency of immobilized cellulase. This work provides an effective strategy for utilizing supporter surface properties in the context of physical adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Several recent studies have reported a possible association between gut microbiota and intervertebral disc degeneration; however, no studies have shown a causal relationship between gut microbiota and disc degeneration. This study was dedicated to investigate the causal relationship between the gut microbiota and intervertebral disc degeneration and the presence of potentially bacterial traits using two-sample Mendelian randomization. Methods: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study was performed using the summary statistics of the gut microbiota from the largest available genome-wide association study meta-analysis conducted by the MiBioGen consortium. Summary statistics of intervertebral disc degeneration were obtained from the FinnGen consortium R8 release data. Five basic methods and MR-PRESSO were used to examine causal associations. The results of the study were used to examine the causal association between gut microbiota and intervertebral disc degeneration. Cochran's Q statistics were used to quantify the heterogeneity of instrumental variables. Results: By using Mendelian randomization analysis, 10 bacterial traits potentially associated with intervertebral disc degeneration were identified: genus Eubacterium coprostanoligenes group, genus Lachnoclostridium, unknown genus id.2755, genus Marvinbryantia, genus Ruminococcaceae UCG003, family Rhodospirillaceae, unknown genus id.959, order Rhodospirillales, genus Lachnospiraceae NK4A136 grou, genus Eubacterium brachy group. Conclusion: This Mendelian Randomization study found a causal effect between 10 gut microbiota and intervertebral disc degeneration, and we summarize the possible mechanisms of action in the context of existing studies. However, additional research is essential to fully understand the contribution of genetic factors to the dynamics of gut microbiota and its impact on disc degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unique spontaneous polarization property of ferroelectric material makes it to be a special catalyst in photocatalysis. The spontaneous polarization property can induce the formation of built-in electric field, which can improve the separation of photoelectrons and holes to affect photocatalytic performance. The internal electric field induced by spontaneous polarization can be influenced by multiple factors such as the morphology, the concentration of defect, the type of doped heteroatoms, as well as the composition of heterostructures. Besides, the preparation method, pretreating temperature, the strength of prepolarized external electric field of ferroelectric-based photocatalysts as well as the strength of external mechanical force or external magnetic field in photocatalytic reactions can influence the photocatalytic effectivity via influencing spontaneous polarization-induced internal electric field. Thus, it is urgently to unveil the mystery of structure-activity relationships for ferroelectric materials-based photocatalysts, which is usually uncertain. With this in mind, this review was provided for the role of various complex influencing factors on ferroelectric materials-based photocatalysis based on the latest advancement in the fields of new energy development, environmental remediation. In the beginning, the basic structure and properties of ferroelectric material are given. Then, popular synthesis methods of ferroelectric-based photocatalysts are summarized. After that, two main mechanisms of ferroelectric photocatalysis are discussed. The research progress of ferroelectric photocatalysis is then given emphatically according to the classification of photocatalytic reactions. Finally, the problems existing nowadays and the challenges facing in the future on the application of ferroelectric materials-based photocatalysts are outlined in the summary and outlook section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]