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CMV causes mostly asymptomatic but lifelong infection. Primary infection or reactivation in immunocompromised individuals can be life-threatening. CMV viremia often occurs in solid organ transplant recipients and associates with decreased graft survival and higher mortality. Furthering understanding of impaired immunity that allows CMV reactivation is critical to guiding antiviral therapy and examining the effect of CMV on solid organ transplant outcomes. This study characterized longitudinal immune responses to CMV in 31 kidney transplant recipients with CMV viremia and matched, nonviremic recipients. Recipients were sampled 3 and 12 months after transplant, with additional samples 1 week and 1 month after viremia. PBMCs were stained for NK and T cell markers. PBMC transcriptomes were characterized by RNA-Seq. Plasma proteins were quantified by Luminex. CD8+ T cell transcriptomes were characterized by single-cell RNA-Seq. Before viremia, patients had high levels of IL-15 with concurrent expansion of immature CD56bright NK cells. After viremia, mature CD56dim NK cells and CD28-CD8+ T cells upregulating inhibitory and NK-associated receptors were expanded. Memory NK cells and NK-like CD28-CD8+ T cells were associated with control of viremia. These findings suggest that signatures of innate activation may be prognostic for CMV reactivation after transplant, while CD8+ T cell functionality is critical for effective control of CMV.

Dioscin has been used as a treatment for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) in China. However, the molecular mechanisms governing the modes of action of dioscin have not been elucidated. In this study, flow cytometry and Western blotting were used to identify the proportions of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (Treg) cells and the expression of forkhead box P3 (Foxp3) and SUMO-specific protease 1 (SENP1) in HT patients’ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). A pTg-induced rat model of HT was established by injection of 100 μg pTg. Then, the model rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 5): control (NC), model (HT) and dioscin treatment. After oral administration of dioscin each day for two weeks, CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells were analysed by flow cytometry, and the protein expression levels of SENP1, Foxp3, SUMO-1 and SUMO-2/3 were measured by Western blotting. Co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) was used to identify the SUMOylation of interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4). The results showed that the proportions of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells and the expression of Foxp3 were significantly decreased in HT patients, but the expression of SENP1 was enhanced compared to healthy controls (HCs). However, compared to the pTg-induced HT rat group, the expression of Foxp3, SUMO-1, and SUMO-2/3 and the proportions of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells were increased, whereas the expression of SENP1 was decreased, in the dioscin-treated group. Furthermore, the SUMOylation of IRF4 was increased after SENP1 was knocked down. The results of our study indicate that dioscin can promote the differentiation of the CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells and subsequently upregulate the SUMOylation of IRF4 by downregulating SENP1 expression.

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a complex psychiatric disorder with unclear etiology and pathological features. Neuroscientists are increasingly proposing that schizophrenia is an abnormality in the dynamic organization of brain networks. Previous studies have found that the dynamic brain networks of people with SZ are abnormal in both space and time. However, little is known about the interactions and overlaps between hubs of the brain underlying spatiotemporal dynamics. In this study, we aimed to investigate different patterns of spatial and temporal overlap of hubs between SZ patients and healthy individuals. Specifically, we obtained resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the public dataset for 43 SZ patients and 49 healthy individuals. We derived a representation of time-varying functional connectivity using the Jackknife Correlation (JC) method. We employed the Betweenness Centrality (BC) method to identify the hubs of the brain's functional connectivity network. We then applied measures of temporal overlap, spatial overlap, and hierarchical clustering to investigate differences in the organization of brain hubs between SZ patients and healthy controls. Our findings suggest significant differences between SZ patients and healthy controls at the whole-brain and subnetwork levels. Furthermore, spatial overlap and hierarchical clustering analysis showed that quasi-periodic patterns were disrupted in SZ patients. Analyses of temporal overlap revealed abnormal pairwise engagement preferences in the hubs of SZ patients. These results provide new insights into the dynamic characteristics of the network organization of the SZ brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the problem that the general electronic instrument and equipment used for transient parameters testing can not work normally under the influence of strong electromagnetic interference, an overload testing device which can effectively shield the strong electromagnetic interference is designed. The shell structure of the testing device is made of multilayer metal materials with good electromagnetic shielding performance, and the internal structure is filled with polyurethane filling technology. The internal circuit system combines low-power design and data acquisition and storage technology to complete the acquisition and recording of overload parameters during the whole flight process. In the actual firing test of electromagnetic railgun, the test device reliably recorded the overload data of the projectile. The result of the experiment shows that the shell structure of the test device has effective electromagnetic shielding for strong electromagnetic fields，and the internal circuit system has successfully acquired the transient overload parameters of the projectile.

Improving the total factor productivity (TFP) of animal husbandry enterprises is the key to promoting the sustainable development of animal husbandry. Technological progress is an important driving force for improving the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises, and research and development (R&D) investment determines the speed of technological progress. Based on the data of Chinese animal husbandry enterprises listed on Shanghai and Shenzhen A-shares in China between 2009 and 2022, this article empirically analyzes the impact of R&D investment on the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises and the moderating role of executive incentives in it and discusses the heterogeneity of this impact, using the fixed-effects model. It is found that R&D investment has a significant positive impact on the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises, and the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises increased by 0.00105 for every 1% increase in R&D investment. Equity incentives for executives positively moderated the relationship between R&D investment and the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises, while executive compensation incentives negatively moderated the relationship. Heterogeneity analysis shows that R&D investment has a significant effect on the TFP of non-state-owned animal husbandry enterprises, but has no significant impact on the TFP of state-owned animal husbandry enterprises. The impact of R&D investment on TFP showed a significant promotion in the livestock and poultry breeding and meat product processing industries, but not in the feed production, dairy product processing and animal health industries. R&D investment has a significant effect on the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises in Eastern China and Central China, but has no significant impact on the TFP of animal husbandry enterprises in Western China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study adopts the sol-gel method to prepare a TiO2 coating on the surface of the AZ91 magnesium alloy, hydrolyse C16H36O4Ti to generate the TiO2 coating and form a film with excellent corrosion resistance on the surface of an AZ91 magnesium alloy. The composition, surface structure and microstructure of the TiO2 coatings are characterised via X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy. The corrosion performance of the surface coatings was investigated through hydrogen evolution experiments and electrochemical tests. The results demonstrate that TiO2 sols prepared from a mixture of hydrochloric acid, deionised water, C16H36O4Ti and anhydrous ethanol can form stable layers on the surface of an AZ91 magnesium alloy after heat treatment. The results of hydrogen evolution experiments and electrochemical tests reveal that the TiO2 coating can effectively improve the corrosion resistance of the AZ91 magnesium alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Surgery is the only way to cure pheochromocytoma; however, postoperative hemodynamic instability is one of the main causes of serious complications and even death. This study's findings provide some guidance for improved clinical management., Patients and Methods: This study was to investigate the factors leading to postoperative hemodynamic instability in the postoperative pathology indicated pheochromocytoma from May 2016 to May 2022. They were divided into two groups according to whether vasoactive drugs were used for a median number of days or more postoperatively. The factors affecting the postoperative hemodynamics in the perioperative period (preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative) were then evaluated., Results: The median number of days requiring vasoactive drug support postoperatively was three in 234 patients, while 118 (50.4%) patients required vasoactive drug support for three days or more postoperatively. The results of the multivariate analysis indicated more preoperative colloid use (odds ratio [OR]=1.834, confidence interval [CI]:1.265-2.659, P=0.001), intraoperative use of vasoactive drug (OR=4.174, CI:1.882-9.258, P<0.001), and more postoperative crystalloid solution input per unit of body weight per day (ml/kg/d) (OR=1.087, CI:1.062-1.112, P<0.001) were risk factors for predicting postoperative hemodynamic instability. The optimal cutoff point of postoperative crystalloid use were 42.37 ml/kg/d., Conclusion: Hemodynamic instability is a key issue for consideration in the perioperative period of pheochromocytoma. The amount of preoperative colloid use, the need for intraoperative vasoactive drugs, and postoperative crystalloid solution are risk factors for predicting postoperative hemodynamic instability (registration number: ChiCT2300071166)., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Liu, Shang, Zhuang, Su, Li, Sun and Long.)

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a complex psychiatric disorder with unclear etiology and pathological features. Neuroscientists are increasingly proposing that schizophrenia is an abnormality in the dynamic organization of brain networks. Previous studies have found that the dynamic brain networks of people with SZ are abnormal in both space and time. However, little is known about the interactions and overlaps between hubs of the brain underlying spatiotemporal dynamics. In this study, we aimed to investigate different patterns of spatial and temporal overlap of hubs between SZ patients and healthy individuals. Specifically, we obtained resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from the public dataset for 43 SZ patients and 49 healthy individuals. We derived a representation of time-varying functional connectivity using the Jackknife Correlation (JC) method. We employed the Betweenness Centrality (BC) method to identify the hubs of the brain's functional connectivity network. We then applied measures of temporal overlap, spatial overlap, and hierarchical clustering to investigate differences in the organization of brain hubs between SZ patients and healthy controls. Our findings suggest significant differences between SZ patients and healthy controls at the whole-brain and subnetwork levels. Furthermore, spatial overlap and hierarchical clustering analysis showed that quasi-periodic patterns were disrupted in SZ patients. Analyses of temporal overlap revealed abnormal pairwise engagement preferences in the hubs of SZ patients. These results provide new insights into the dynamic characteristics of the network organization of the SZ brain.

Micropeptides are emerging as important regulators of various cellular processes. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) serve as a source of micropeptide-encoding small reading frames. The techniques to detect micropeptides or translating lncRNAs, such as mass spectrometry and ribosome profiling, are sophisticated and expensive. Here, we present an easy and cost-effective protocol to screen for potential micropeptide-encoding lncRNAs by polysome profiling in suspension cell lines. When combined with quantitative PCR, this protocol facilitates the identification of a number of translating lncRNAs simultaneously. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Sun et al. (2021)., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2021 The Author(s).)