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The throttling process, as an important part of the heat pump system, plays a crucial role in the efficient and reliable operation of the whole system. This paper, taking the quasi two-stage compression high-temperature heat pump with green refrigerant HP-1 as the research subject, established the mathematical models of the circulatory system and electronic expansion valve by using MATLAB and considering the influence of the opening of electronic expansion valve and thermodynamic properties of the new green refrigerant. It simulated the matching characteristics of electronic expansion valve opening and flow rate under variable operating conditions, and fitted the HP-1 dimensionless flow coefficient correlation by power-law distribution using experimental data. The research results show that the electronic expansion valve with an elliptical conical body structure adapts to the throttling characteristics of the HP-1 high-temperature heat pump system under variable operating conditions. When the evaporating temperature varies from 50 ℃ to 90 ℃ and the condensing temperature varies from 60 ℃ to 120 ℃, the opening adjustment range of this type of valve body is from 49.8% to 69.8% for the main throttle valve, and from 41.5% to 56.0% for the injection throttle valve. The relative deviation of the fitted correlation results and the actual test data is between -7.8% and +7.5%, and the flow coefficient correlation can accurately predict the flow characteristics of the electronic expansion valve with a similar body structure. The selection of favorable electronic expansion valve matching refrigerant properties and the optimization of the electronic expansion valve control system are essential for the actual operating performance. This study provides a good research foundation for the selection of electronic expansion valves and the optimization of the control system for the HP-1 high temperature heat pump.

Word segmentation is a critical task in natural language processing for southeast Asian Abugida languages, including Thai, Burmese, and Khmer. Existing approaches demonstrate that models using fixed-length windowed context inputs can achieve high segmentation accuracy; however, they often rely on low-level character features or language-specific preprocessing. Character-based methods can limit feature learning, while language-specific features add complexity due to specialized preprocessing requirements. This paper introduces UnifiedCut, which is a neural model that leverages multiple n-grams within a windowed multi-head attention mechanism. This design captures segmentation features from local contexts and multi-perspective n-gram inputs, enhancing generalization and recall, particularly for out-of-vocabulary words. Compared to CNN- and RNN-based approaches, UnifiedCut's multi-head attention enables finer-grained feature extraction and greater parallelism, resulting in a faster, more scalable solution. Comprehensive experiments on public datasets for Thai, Burmese, and Khmer show that UnifiedCutachieves state-of-the-art performance in word segmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Superoxide dismutase (SOD), a critical enzyme within the plant antioxidant defense system, serves as the primary shield against reactive oxygen species (ROS) under adverse environmental conditions. However, the characterization of GbSODs in ginkgo remains incomplete. In our study, a total of eight GbSODs were identified, which were unevenly distributed across 10 chromosomes and predominantly localized on the plasma membrane. Our phylogenetic analysis revealed that GbSODs from ginkgo and other species form three distinct groups, each characterized by specific binding domains and supported by relatively high bootstrap values. Our promoter analysis indicated that all GbSODs contained multiple cis-elements related to various abiotic stress responses. Our systemic analysis revealed that only one pair of GbSODs underwent segmental duplications. The transcriptome analysis showed the variable expression of GbSODs across different tissues, which were significantly influenced by drought, ultraviolet (UV), and salt stress, with GbSOD8 showing a particularly notable induction. Transgenic plants that overexpressed GbSOD8 exhibited enhanced antioxidant enzyme activities, elevated proline levels, and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content, collectively contributing to their improved salt tolerance compared to wild-type plants. Our findings expand the comprehensive understanding of the GbSOD gene family and provide a solid foundation for further elucidating the molecular mechanisms of GbSODs under salt stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease that occurs mainly in the elderly population, and as medical advances and human lifespan grows, the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on the quality of human life is gradually expanding. This paper mainly discusses the Pathogenesis and the patients’ nursing issues of Alzheimer’s disease, hoping to help people understand more about the Alzheimer’s disease and get to grips with the treatment and care available to alleviate the impact of Alzheimer’s disease on patients’ life.

Aims: Motor abnormalities have been identified as one common symptom in patients with generalized tonic–clonic seizures (GTCS) inspiring us to explore the disease in a motor execution condition, which might provide novel insight into the pathomechanism. Methods: Resting‐state and motor‐task fMRI data were collected from 50 patients with GTCS, including 18 patients newly diagnosed without antiepileptic drugs (ND_GTCS) and 32 patients receiving antiepileptic drugs (AEDs_GTCS). Motor activation and its association with head motion and cerebral gradients were assessed. Whole‐brain network connectivity across resting and motor states was further calculated and compared between groups. Results: All patients showed over‐activation in the postcentral gyrus and the ND_GTCS showed decreased activation in putamen. Specifically, activation maps of ND_GTCS showed an abnormal correlation with head motion and cerebral gradient. Moreover, we detected altered functional network connectivity in patients within states and across resting and motor states by using repeated‐measures analysis of variance. Patients did not show abnormal connectivity in the resting state, while distributed abnormal connectivity in the motor‐task state. Decreased across‐state network connectivity was also found in all patients. Conclusion: Convergent findings suggested the over‐response of activation and connection of the brain to motor execution in GTCS, providing new clues to uncover motor susceptibility underlying the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) is characterized by cryptogenic etiology and the striatum and cerebellum are recognized as modulators of epileptic network. We collected simultaneous electroencephalogram and functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 145 patients with IGE, 34 of whom recorded interictal epileptic discharges (IEDs) during scanning. In states without IEDs, hierarchical connectivity was performed to search core cortical regions which might be potentially modulated by striatum and cerebellum. Node–node and edge–edge moderation models were constructed to depict direct and indirect moderation effects in states with and without IEDs. Patients showed increased hierarchical connectivity with sensorimotor cortices (SMC) and decreased connectivity with regions in the default mode network (DMN). In the state without IEDs, striatum, cerebellum, and thalamus were linked to weaken the interactions of regions in the salience network (SN) with DMN and SMC. In periods with IEDs, overall increased moderation effects on the interaction between regions in SN and DMN, and between regions in DMN and SMC were observed. The thalamus and striatum were implicated in weakening interactions between regions in SN and SMC. The striatum and cerebellum moderated the cortical interaction among DMN, SN, and SMC in alliance with the thalamus, contributing to the dysfunction in states with and without IEDs in IGE. The current work revealed state-specific modulation effects of striatum and cerebellum on thalamocortical circuits and uncovered the potential core cortical targets which might contribute to develop new clinical neuromodulation techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the process of peripheral nerve repair, there are many complex pathological and physiological changes, including multi-cellular responses and various signaling molecules, and all these events establish a dynamic microenvironment for axon repair, regeneration, and target tissue/organ reinnervation. The immune system plays an indispensable role in the process of nerve repair and function recovery. An effective immune response not only involves innate-immune and adaptive-immune cells but also consists of chemokines and cytokines released by these immune cells. The elucidation of the orchestrated interplay of immune cells with nerve regeneration and functional restoration is meaningful for the exploration of therapeutic strategies. This review mainly enumerates the general immune cell response to peripheral nerve injury and focuses on their contributions to functional recovery. The tissue engineering-mediated strategies to regulate macrophages and T cells through physical and biochemical factors combined with scaffolds are discussed. The dynamic immune responses during peripheral nerve repair and immune-cell-mediated tissue engineering methods are presented, which provide a new insight and inspiration for immunomodulatory therapies in peripheral nerve regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an extremely toxic pollutant, formaldehyde (HCHO) is a risk to human health. Catalytic oxidation with noble-metal-based catalysts is considered to be the most effective and promising strategy for HCHO removal at room temperature. Unfortunately, it usually exhibits high cost. In this review, we aim to establish comprehensive viewpoints for noble-metal-based catalysts including platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), iridium (Ir), and gold (Au) using in ambient-temperature HCHO oxidation. Because the catalytic performance highly depends on the metal particle size for supported catalysts, we summarize the recent significant progress focusing on metal species with dispersions from nanoparticles to subnanoclusters and single atoms, which can yield atomic-level insight and enhance the utilization efficiency of metal atoms. First, the impacts of the noble-metal species status as well as their support properties are summarized. Relative humidity as a critical impact factor for catalytic activity during HCHO oxidation is also discussed. Then, the reaction mechanisms in terms of typical intermediates and reaction pathways are demonstrated. Importantly, the emerging combination method of adsorption and oxidation for the tandem elimination of HCHO is briefly introduced and discussed. Finally, the perspective on the challenges and opportunities to design highly efficient but low-cost noble-metal-based catalysts is put forward in combination with the process optimization technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Portulaca oleracea L. (purslane) is a food and a traditional drug worldwide. It exhibits anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-tumor, and anti-diabetic bioactivities; but its activity on diabetic-associated endothelial dysfunction is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effect of purslane on endothelial function and the underlying mechanisms. Male C57BL/6 mice had 14-week ad libitum access to a high-fat rodent diet containing 60% kcal% fat to induce obesity and diabetes whereas purslane extract (200 mg/kg/day) was administered during the last 4 weeks via intragastric gavage. Primary rat aortic endothelial cells and isolated mouse aortas were cultured with a risk factor, high glucose or tunicamycin, together with purslane extract. By ESI-QTOF-MS/MS, flavonoids and their glycoside products were identified in the purslane extract. Exposure to high glucose or tunicamycin impaired acetylcholine-induced endothelium-dependent relaxations in aortas and induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and oxidative stress with the downregulation of 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/ endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) signaling. Co-incubation with purslane significantly ameliorated these impairments. The effects of purslane were abolished by Compound C (AMPK inhibitor). Four-week purslane treatment ameliorated aortic relaxations, ER stress, and oxidative stress in diabetic obese mice. This study supported that purslane protected endothelial function, and inhibited ER stress and oxidative stress in vasculature through AMPK/eNOS activation, revealing its therapeutic potential against vascular complications in diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate potential functional and structural large‐scale network disturbances in untreated patients with generalized tonic–clonic seizures (GTCS) and the effects of antiseizure drugs. Methods: In this study, 41 patients with GTCS, comprising 21 untreated patients and 20 patients who received antiseizure medications (ASMs), and 29 healthy controls were recruited to construct large‐scale brain networks based on resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging. Structural and functional connectivity and network‐level weighted correlation probability (NWCP) were further investigated to identify network features that corresponded to response to ASMs. Results: Untreated patients showed more extensive enhancement of functional and structural connections than controls. Specifically, we observed abnormally enhanced connections between the default mode network (DMN) and the frontal–parietal network. In addition, treated patients showed similar functional connection strength to that of the control group. However, all patients exhibited similar structural network alterations. Moreover, the NWCP value was lower for connections within the DMN and between the DMN and other networks in the untreated patients; receiving ASMs could reverse this pattern. Significance: Our study identified alterations in structural and functional connectivity in patients with GTCS. The influence of ASMs may be more noticeable within the functional network; moreover, abnormalities in both the functional and structural coupling state may be improved by ASM treatment. Therefore, the coupling state of structural and functional connectivity may be used as an indicator of the efficacy of ASMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dried tangerine peel (Citri reticulatae Pericarpium, CRP; Chenpi in Chinese) possesses medicine and food homology with hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. This study aimed to explore the protective effect of CRP extract on endothelial function and inflammation in type 2 diabetic rats and the related mechanisms. Type 2 diabetes mellitus was induced by high-fat diet (HFD)/streptozotocin (STZ) in male Sprague Dawley rats, and CRP extract was orally administered at 400 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks. Rat and mouse aortas were treated with high glucose and CRP extract ex vivo. The data showed that the ethanolic extract of CRP normalized blood pressure and the plasma lipid profile as well as the plasma levels of liver enzymes in diabetic rats. Impaired endothelium-dependent relaxations in aortas, carotid arteries and renal arteries were improved. CRP extract suppressed vascular inflammatory markers and induced AMPK activation in aortas of diabetic rats. Exposure to high glucose impaired vasodilation in aortas of rats and mice, and this impairment was prevented by co-incubation with CRP extract. In conclusion, our findings suggest that CRP extract protects endothelial function by inhibiting the vascular inflammatory state on activation of AMPK in diabetic rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jatrorrhizine (JAT) is one of the major bioactive protoberberine alkaloids found in rhizoma coptidis, which has hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic potential. This study aimed to evaluate the vasoprotective effects of JAT in diabetes and obesity and the underlying mechanism involved. Mouse aortas, carotid arteries and human umbilical cord vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with risk factors (high glucose or tunicamycin) with and without JAT ex vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, aortas were obtained from mice with chronic treatment: (1) control; (2) diet-induced obese (DIO) mice fed a high-fat diet (45% kcal% fat) for 15 weeks; and (3) DIO mice orally administered JAT at 50 mg/kg/day for the last 5 weeks. High glucose or endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress inducer tunicamycin impaired acetylcholine-induced endothelium-dependent relaxations (EDRs) in mouse aortas, induced oxidative stress in carotid arteries and HUVECs, downregulated phosphorylations of Akt at Ser473 and eNOS at Ser1177 and enhanced ER stress in mouse aortas and HUVECs, and these impairments were reversed by cotreatment with JAT. JAT increased NO release in high-glucose-treated mouse aortas and HUVECs. In addition, chronic JAT treatment restored endothelial function with EDRs comparable to the control, increased Akt/eNOS phosphorylation, and attenuated ER stress and oxidative stress in aortas from DIO mice. Blood pressure, glucose sensitivity, fatty liver and its morphological change, as well as plasma levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and plasma lipid profile, were also normalized by JAT treatment. Collectively, our data may be the first to reveal the vasoprotective effect of JAT that ameliorates endothelial dysfunction in diabetes and obesity through enhancement of the Akt/eNOS pathway and NO bioavailability, as well as suppression of ER stress and oxidative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple porous carbon materials have great promise and potential in the capacitive deionization (CDI) field. Specific surface area (SSA), pore size distribution, and preparation method of CDI electrode materials are essential for the treatment of heavy metal ions. In this work, PPy composited porous carbon electrodes (hypercrosslinked polymers/polypyrrole, HCPs/PPy) were obtained by one-step crosslinked carbonization preparation and electro-deposition. The diverse pore structure gives the composite electrode a large SSA and excellent adsorption performance. HCPs/PPy-4 gives a high SSA of 251.26 m2/g. In the CDI process, the adsorption capacity of HCPs/PPy-4 for Fe3+, Cu2+, Pb2+, and Ag+ is 20.69 mg/g, 37.81 mg/g, 26.86 mg/g, and 40.95 mg/g. The negative electrode recoveries for the adsorption of the four ions were reached 81.2%, 89.2%, 85.5%, and 100%, respectively. It indicates that HCPs/PPy is a novel and potentially porous carbon electrode for high-performance CDI. • A novel electrode material with diverse porous structure was obtained more easily by one-step preparation. • The contents of micropores, mesopores, and macropores can be adjusted by conditions of the amount of PAM. • Specific capacitance only 15.51% decay after 10 cycles and the regeneration rate was remained at 97.61%. • The adsorption capacity for Ag+, Cu2+, Pb2+, and Fe3+ is 40.95 mg/g, 26.86 mg/g, 37.81 mg/g and 20.69 mg/g. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is a well-recognised late adverse effect in female childhood cancer survivors (CCSs), especially after chest radiotherapy; information on subsequent male breast cancer (SMBC) is limited. We summarised the existing evidence on SMBC after childhood cancer in a systematic review and investigated the risk of SMBC among males in a Pan-European cohort. We searched Medline/PubMed for cohort studies and case reports/series that assessed SMBC after childhood cancer (≤21 years). Furthermore, we analysed data on SMBC in the PanCareSurFup cohort, reporting standardised incidence ratios (SIRs), absolute excess risks (AERs), and 5- and 10-year survival rates. The systematic review included 38 of 7080 potentially eligible articles. Cohort-specific SMBC frequencies were 0–0.40% (31 studies). SMBC occurred after a follow-up ranging from 24.0 to 42.0 years. Nine case reports/series described 11 SMBC cases, occurring 11.0–42.5 years after primary childhood cancer. In the PanCareSurFup cohort (16 SMBC/37,738 males; 0.04%), we observed a 22.3-fold increased risk of SMBC relative to the general male population (95% CI 12.7–36.2; absolute excess risk/100,000 person-years: 2.3, 95% CI 1.3–3.7). The five- and ten-year survival rates after SMBC diagnosis were 60.3% (95% CI 35.6%–85.0%) and 43.0% (95% CI 16.1%–69.9%), respectively. Clear evidence of risk factors did not emerge from these comprehensive efforts. Compared to the general population, male CCSs have an elevated risk of developing subsequent breast cancer, although the absolute risk is low. Health care providers should be aware of this rare yet serious late effect; male CCSs with symptoms potentially related to SMBC warrant careful examination. • Male childhood cancer survivors have an elevated risk of developing breast cancer. • The absolute risk of male breast cancer in childhood cancer survivors is low. • Risk factors of subsequent male breast cancer remain unclear. • Survivors and their caregivers should be aware of this rare yet serious disease. • Male survivors with breast cancer-related symptoms warrant careful examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws from a mixed-methods approach to explore the relationship between sustainable urban renewal projects and the way Chinese urban residents perceive and act upon the environment. We examine sustainable urban renewal projects in the city of Chengdu, called Ecological Housing Estate projects. By collaborating with nongovernmental organizations and local officials, we used a two-step process, including collecting freelists and semi-structured interviews, to design a survey instrument used to interview 245 households in three Ecological Housing Estates and four Regular Housing Estates in Chengdu. Our findings demonstrate how recycling practices are reinforced by the Ecological Housing Estate projects but also explain why the rainwater collection aspect of the projects are not well matched with existing household water conservation practices. We argue that integrating mixed-methods research into the design of a sustainable urban renewal project will help mitigate the potential that projects will develop similar kinds of urban sustainable fixes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The simultaneous inhibition of PLK1 and BRD4 by a single molecule could lead to the development of an effective therapeutic strategy for a variety of diseases in which PLK1 and BRD4 are implicated. Herein, two series of novel pteridinone derivatives possessing a sulfonyl moiety were designed, synthesized and evaluated for their biological activity. Most compounds exhibited moderate to excellent cytotoxic activity against HCT116, PC3 and BT474 cell lines. Among them, the most promising compound B2 showed high antiproliferative effects on the three cell lines with IC50 values of 0.30 μM, 1.82 μM and 1.69 μM, respectively. In the enzymatic assay, B2 was identified as a potent PLK1 and BRD4 dual inhibitor (PLK1 IC50 = 6.3 nM, BRD4 IC50 = 179 nM). Further explorations in bioactivity were conducted to clarify the anticancer mechanism of compound B2. The results showed that compound B2 obviously inhibited the proliferation of HCT116 cell lines, induced a great decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential leading to apoptosis of HCT116 cells and arrested the G2 phase of HCT116 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate whether endometriosis could disturb the mental health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients and to provide a new prospective for further treatment of endometriosis. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted among 4 international databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) and 2 of the largest Chinese databases (the China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wangfang). The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used to assess the quality of the included articles. Six effect sizes were synthesized through a meta-analysis, and a subgroup analysis was performed to identify potential moderating factors, including types of control groups, methods of assessment, number of study groups, and origin of the study. Potential publication bias was examined using a funnel plot. Results: This meta-analysis pooled 44 articles from 4 continents and 13 countries and compared 6 types of main effect sizes (the odds ratio [OR] for depression, the OR for anxiety, the standardized mean difference [SMD] for depression, the SMD for anxiety, the SMD for the physical component summary [PCS] and the SMD for the mental component summary [MCS]) between endometriosis patients and controls. Except for the SMD for depression, all other effect sizes revealed statistically significant differences between the study group and the controls. The main effect size outcomes of the subgroup analysis were also similar. The type of control group (I2 = 35% in non-endometriosis control groups for the SMD of anxiety; I2 = 47% in non-endometriosis control groups for the MCS of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey) and the continent of origin (I2 = 0% in studies from South America for the OR of depression; I2 = 47% in studies from Europe for the SMD of anxiety) may influence heterogeneity in this analysis. Additionally, depression and anxiety symptoms in patients seemed to be more apparent compared with healthy controls when the sample was smaller and when a questionnaire was used. The publication bias of the articles was acceptable. Conclusion: Endometriosis can disturb mental health (specifically depression and anxiety) and decrease both the mental and physical HRQoL of patients. There may be some moderating factors that we were unable to identify in the subgroup analysis, but more research is necessary to develop proper management and improve the prognosis of endometriosis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) throughout the world, and the identification of novel biomarkers via bioinformatics analysis could provide research foundation for future experimental verification and large-group cohort in DN models and patients. Methods. GSE30528, GSE47183, and GSE104948 were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to find differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The difference of gene expression between normal renal tissues and DN renal tissues was firstly screened by GEO2R. Then, the protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of DEGs were performed by STRING database, the result was integrated and visualized via applying Cytoscape software, and the hub genes in this PPI network were selected by MCODE and topological analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were carried out to determine the molecular mechanisms of DEGs involved in the progression of DN. Finally, the Nephroseq v5 online platform was used to explore the correlation between hub genes and clinical features of DN. Results. There were 64 DEGs, and 32 hub genes were identified, enriched pathways of hub genes involved in several functions and expression pathways, such as complement binding, extracellular matrix structural constituent, complement cascade related pathways, and ECM proteoglycans. The correlation analysis and subgroup analysis of 7 complement cascade-related hub genes and the clinical characteristics of DN showed that C1QA, C1QB, C3, CFB, ITGB2, VSIG4, and CLU may participate in the development of DN. Conclusions. We confirmed that the complement cascade-related hub genes may be the novel biomarkers for DN early diagnosis and targeted treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia contributing to severe outcomes, including cardiac dysfunction and stroke, and it has drawn great attention around the world. Drug therapies have been available for many years to terminate AF and control heart rate. However, the results from clinical studies on drug therapies have been discouraging. Mounting evidence indicates that radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) is a safe and effective method to maintain sinus rhythm, especially in patients who are drug intolerant or for whom the drugs are ineffective, although it is a technically demanding and complex procedure. Fortunately, a novel application, cryoballoon ablation (CBA), with outstanding characteristics has been widely used. Great outcomes based on CBA have manifested its significant role in the treatment of AF. However, how to improve the safety and efficacy of CBA is a question that has not been well-answered. Would it be helpful to develop a different generation of cryoballoon? Is bonus freezing beneficial, or not? Is it better to prolong freezing time? Dose CBA combined with RFCA bring higher success rates? In this review, we comprehensively summarized useful applications for improving outcomes of CBA in AF patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor invasion and metastasis are the processes that primarily cause adverse outcomes in patients with cervical cancer. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), which participate in cancer progression and metastasis, are novel targets for the treatment of tumors. The present study aimed to assess the heterogeneity of CAFs in the cervical cancer microenvironment through single-cell RNA sequencing. After collecting five cervical cancer samples and obtaining the CAF-associated gene sets, the CAFs in the cervical cancer microenvironment were divided into myofibroblastic CAFs and extracellular (ec)CAFs. The ecCAFs appeared with more robust pro-tumorigenic effects than myCAFs according to enrichment analysis. Subsequently, through combining the ecCAF hub genes and bulk gene expression data for cervical cancer obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Ontology databases, univariate Cox regression and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator analyses were performed to establish a CAF-associated risk signature for patients with cancer. The established risk signature demonstrated a stable and strong prognostic capability in both the training and validation cohorts. Subsequently, the association between the risk signature and clinical data was evaluated, and a nomogram to facilitate clinical application was established. The risk score was demonstrated to be associated with both the tumor immune microenvironment and the therapeutic responses. Moreover, the signature also has predictive value for the prognosis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and bladder urothelial carcinoma, which were also associated with human papillomavirus infection. In conclusion, the present study assessed the heterogeneity of CAFs in the cervical cancer microenvironment, and a subgroup of CAFs that may be closely associated with tumor progression was defined. Moreover, a signature based on the hub genes of ecCAFs was shown to have biomarker functionality in terms of predicting survival rates, and therefore this CAF subgroup may become a therapeutic target for cervical cancer in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]