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Abstract A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the risk factors associated with the Salmonella infection status of dairy herds in Henan and Hubei provinces, China. Herds were assigned a Salmonella status based on the isolation of Salmonella from fecal samples obtained from adult lactating dairy cows. Information on potential biosecurity risk factors was collected using a questionnaire template via a 15-min face-to-face interview with dairy cattle producers from May 2020 to March 2021. The questionnaire consisted of 23 questions across two broad categories of potential biosecurity risk factors: farm and biosecurity managemental factors. A total of 48 farms were surveyed. In all (100%, 48/48) of the surveyed farms, although sick animals were separated from healthy animals using fencing, there were no strict quarantine protocols for newly introduced animals. Mixed species rearing was practiced in 35.4% (17/48) of the farms. Feces were removed more than once a day in 45.8% (22/48) of the farms, whereas the remainder (54.2%, 26/48) only removed animal feces once a day. A total of 29.2% (14/48) of the farms were located

Objective To investigate the role of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes （hUC-MSC-Exo） in the tunicamycin-induced apoptosis of renal tubular epithelial cells （HKC）. Methods Endoplasmic reticulum stress （ERS） was induced by tunicamycin in HKC cells. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 assay. The expression levels of ERS-related proteins of glucose-regulated protein 78 （GRP78），GRP94 and C/EBP homologous protein （CHOP） were determined by Western blot. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. hUC-MSC-Exo were isolated and identified by flow cytometry. The effects of different concentrations of hUC-MSC-Exo （0，40，60，80，100，150 and 200 μg/mL） upon cell activity were evaluated. Cell proliferation and apoptosis after co-treatment with hUC-MSC-Exo and tunicamycin were assessed by resazurin assay and flow cytometry. Results Treatment with 1，2 and 4 μg/mL tunicamycin could inhibit the proliferation of HKC in a concentration-dependent manner. Different concentrations of tunicamycin could induce ERS and cell apoptosis in HKC. Treatment with 100，150 and 200 μg/mL hUC-MSC-Exo could enhance cell proliferation. Compared with the 2 μg/mL tunicamycin group，cell proliferation was significantly increased in the 2 μg/mL tunicamycin and 150 μg/mL hUC-MSC-Exo co-treatment group （P < 0.05）. The apoptosis rate in the 2 μg/mL tunicamycin group was （14.16±1.58）%，and （8.18±0.58）% in the 2 μg/mL tunicamycin and 150 μg/mL hUC-MSC-Exo co-treatment group，and the difference was statistically significant （P

Abstract Background Myocardial work acquired by echocardiography has emerged as a novel method to evaluate myocardial function. We investigated global and segmental myocardial work in hypertension (HT) among patients with different patterns of left ventricular (LV) geometry in order to analyze the contribution of segmental myocardial work to global myocardial work. Methods and results One hundred twenty-five patients with HT were divided into 4 groups: normal geometry (NG), concentric remodeling (CR), concentric hypertrophy (CH) and eccentric hypertrophy (EH). Longitudinal strain (LS) and the following indices were obtained by echocardiography: myocardial work index (MWI), myocardial constructive work (MCW), myocardial wasted work (MWW), and myocardial work efficiency (MWE). The global longitudinal strain (GLS) decreased gradually among the groups: NG, CR, CH and EH (P

Abstract Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD) is a hearing impairment caused by dysfunction of inner hair cells, ribbon synapses, spiral ganglion neurons and/or the auditory nerve itself. Approximately 1/7000 newborns have abnormal auditory nerve function, accounting for 10%-14% of cases of permanent hearing loss in children. Although we previously identified the AIFM1 c.1265 G > A variant to be associated with ANSD, the mechanism by which ANSD is associated with AIFM1 is poorly understood. We generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) via nucleofection with episomal plasmids. The patient-specific iPSCs were edited via CRISPR/Cas9 technology to generate gene-corrected isogenic iPSCs. These iPSCs were further differentiated into neurons via neural stem cells (NSCs). The pathogenic mechanism was explored in these neurons. In patient cells (PBMCs, iPSCs, and neurons), the AIFM1 c.1265 G > A variant caused a novel splicing variant (c.1267-1305del), resulting in AIF p.R422Q and p.423-435del proteins, which impaired AIF dimerization. Such impaired AIF dimerization then weakened the interaction between AIF and coiled-coil-helix-coiled-coil-helix domain-containing protein 4 (CHCHD4). On the one hand, the mitochondrial import of ETC complex subunits was inhibited, subsequently leading to an increased ADP/ATP ratio and elevated ROS levels. On the other hand, MICU1-MICU2 heterodimerization was impaired, leading to mCa2+ overload. Calpain was activated by mCa2+ and subsequently cleaved AIF for its translocation into the nucleus, ultimately resulting in caspase-independent apoptosis. Interestingly, correction of the AIFM1 variant significantly restored the structure and function of AIF, further improving the physiological state of patient-specific iPSC-derived neurons. This study demonstrates that the AIFM1 variant is one of the molecular bases of ANSD. Mitochondrial dysfunction, especially mCa2+ overload, plays a prominent role in ANSD associated with AIFM1. Our findings help elucidate the mechanism of ANSD and may lead to the provision of novel therapies.

With the deep coal tunnel surrounding rock as the research object, in view of the serious rock burst hazards, incomplete rock burst mechanism research, and the lack of more targeted guidance on the prevention and control of rock burst engineering, indoor tests, numerical simulation, theoretical analysis and other methods were used to reveal the deep coal roadway surrounding rock burst mechanism from the three-way stress difference perspective. Based on the understanding that excavation activity disturbs the three-way isobaric state of the coal rock body and causes damage to the surrounding rock, the response characteristics of the coal unit body under the action of different stress paths were studied by PFC simulation. The criterion of unit body instability based on the stress difference was obtained. The concepts of stress difference gradient and the rate of change of stress difference gradient were proposed. The Dg evolution characteristics of the surrounding rock were analyzed based on the Drucker-Prager criterion, and then the mechanism of action of the rock burst caused by the concentration of Dg in the surrounding rock was obtained. Finally, the prevention and control mechanism and rock burst accident cases were analyzed. The results show that the stress differential withstand capacity of the coal body differs significantly depending on the stress path. The objective of the evolution of the internal stresses in the surrounding rock is to reduce the peak Dg to a very small value, with the failure and yielding of the surrounding rock being the result of Dg-driven action. The stress difference gradient grows with the increasing depth of burial and coal seam bursting liability, and reflects the nature of the “rise-fall-fall” gradient. The Dgc characterizes the degree of Dg concentration within the surrounding rock. Under stress perturbation, a more stable deformation and displacement of the coal body in the Dg elevation zone occurs when the condition Dgc0 < D' gc < k1Dgc0 is satisfied, a more stable overall instability occurs when k1Dgc0≤D' gc < [Dgc] is satisfied, and a rock burst occurs when D' gc≥[Dgc] is satisfied. Rock burst of the surrounding rock is an extreme form of evolution of their own deformation and destruction. Rock burst prevention should be centered on weakening the Dg of the surrounding rock, with Dgc control as the main focus.

Abstract Many signaling and other genes known as “hidden” drivers may not be genetically or epigenetically altered or differentially expressed at the mRNA or protein levels, but, rather, drive a phenotype such as tumorigenesis via post-translational modification or other mechanisms. However, conventional approaches based on genomics or differential expression are limited in exposing such hidden drivers. Here, we present a comprehensive algorithm and toolkit NetBID2 (data-driven network-based Bayesian inference of drivers, version 2), which reverse-engineers context-specific interactomes and integrates network activity inferred from large-scale multi-omics data, empowering the identification of hidden drivers that could not be detected by traditional analyses. NetBID2 has substantially re-engineered the previous prototype version by providing versatile data visualization and sophisticated statistical analyses, which strongly facilitate researchers for result interpretation through end-to-end multi-omics data analysis. We demonstrate the power of NetBID2 using three hidden driver examples. We deploy NetBID2 Viewer, Runner, and Cloud apps with 145 context-specific gene regulatory and signaling networks across normal tissues and paediatric and adult cancers to facilitate end-to-end analysis, real-time interactive visualization and cloud-based data sharing. NetBID2 is freely available at https://jyyulab.github.io/NetBID .

Ketosis is a common metabolic disorder in the early lactation of dairy cows. It is typically diagnosed by measuring the concentration of β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in the blood. This study aimed to estimate the genetic parameters of blood BHB and conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) based on the estimated breeding value. Phenotypic data were collected from December 2019 to August 2023, comprising blood BHB concentrations in 45,617 Holstein cows during the three weeks post-calving across seven dairy farms. Genotypic data were obtained using the Neogen Geneseek Genomic Profiler (GGP) Bovine 100 K SNP Chip and GGP Bovine SNP50 v3 (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA, USA) for genotyping. The estimated heritability and repeatability values for blood BHB levels were 0.167 and 0.175, respectively. The GWAS result detected a total of ten genome-wide significant associations with blood BHB. Significant SNPs were distributed in Bos taurus autosomes (BTA) 2, 6, 9, 11, 13, and 23, with 48 annotated candidate genes. These potential genes included those associated with insulin regulation, such as INSIG2, and those linked to fatty acid metabolism, such as HADHB, HADHA, and PANK2. Enrichment analysis of the candidate genes for blood BHB revealed the molecular functions and biological processes involved in fatty acid and lipid metabolism in dairy cattle. The identification of novel genomic regions in this study contributes to the characterization of key genes and pathways that elucidate susceptibility to ketosis in dairy cattle.

Cross-species spillover to humans of coronaviruses (CoVs) from wildlife animal reservoirs poses marked and global threats to human and animal health. Recently, sporadic infection of canine coronavirus–human pneumonia-2018 (CCoV-HuPn-2018) in hospitalized patients with pneumonia genetically related to canine and feline coronavirus were identified. In addition, swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV) had the capability of broad tropism to cultured cells including from humans. Together, the transmission of Alphacoronaviruses that originated in wildlife to humans via intermediate hosts was responsible for the high-impact emerging zoonosis. Entry of CoV is mainly mediated by Spike and formation of a typical six helix bundle (6-HB) structure in the postfusion state of Spike is pivotal. Here, we present the complete fusion core structures of CCoV-HuPn-2018 and SADS-CoV from Alphacoronavirus at 2.10 and 2.59 Å, respectively. The overall structure of the CCoV-HuPn-2018 fusion core is similar to Alphacoronavirus like HCoV-229E, while SADS-CoV is analogous to Betacoronavirus like SARS-CoV-2. Collectively, we provide a structural basis for the development of pan-CoV small molecules and polypeptides based on the HR1-HR2 complex, concerning CCoV-HuPn-2018 and SADS-CoV.

Pile composite foundations (PCFs) have been commonly applied in reinforcement engineering to adjust the vertical stiffness of foundations, due to the displacement control design criteria for foundations. PCFs that have dissimilar pile lengths, located over inclined bedrock, have shown significantly different vertical behaviors from PCFs with equal pile lengths, placed over a semi-infinite medium. However, the vertical behaviors of dissimilar PCFs over inclined bedrock cannot be predicted with the current theoretical methods, although they have been widely adopted in engineering. An analytical method is proposed in this investigation to analyze the vertical bearing characteristics of dissimilar PCFs over inclined bedrock. A pile–soil system is decomposed into fictitious piles and extended soil, and then a control equation to determine the axial force along the fictitious piles is established, stemming from the compatibility conditions between them. The vertical behaviors of dissimilar PCFs can be obtained by solving the control equation with iterative procedures, and the equation is verified by two field load tests of single piles from the Honghe bridge and a numerical case. Then, the settlement and load transfer behaviors of 3 × 1 dissimilar PCFs and their influence factors are analyzed, and the results are as follows. (1) Obvious differences can be observed concerning the axial force distribution, settlement w, and load-sharing ratio (LSR) of each pile element for different pile–soil stiffness ratios (Ep/Es). (2) The LSR of pile 1 increases from 0.074 to 0.253 for the rigid pile and from 0.062 to 0.161 for the flexible pile condition when the cushion stiffness Kc changes from 1 × 104 kN/m to 3 × 108 kN/m. The non-dimensional vertical stiffness of the foundation, N0/wdEs, increases from 10.21 to 28.95 for the rigid pile condition and increases from 8.69 to 14.44 for the flexible pile condition, when Kc increases from 1 × 104 kN/m to 4 × 105 kN/m. (3) The neutral layer depth of the pile zn, the average settlement w, and the differential settlement wd of each element head decrease with Kc, and no negative friction zone exists (zn = 0 m) for all the pile elements when Kc> 2 × 105 kN/m. (4) The N0/wdEs decreases with the distance between the pile bottom and the inclined bedrock Δ. For the rigid and flexible pile conditions, the N0/wdEs is 22.16 and 13.48 for Δ = 1 m, and 13.13 and 10.10 for Δ = 8 m. The wd reaches 16.7 mm and 4.0 mm for Δ = 1 m and Δ = 8 m, respectively. (5) The N0/wdEs increases almost linearly with an increase in l/d for the rigid pile condition, and it gradually decreases for the flexible pile condition. The developed model can improve the design and analysis of PCFs located over inclined bedrock under vertical loading.

The stress distribution in prestressed filament wound components plays a crucial role in determining the quality of these components during their operational lifespan. This article proposes a physical model to analyze the stress and deformation of prestressed wound composite components with arch-shaped sections. Drawing upon the principles of beam theory, we delve into the analysis of prestressed wound components with metal liners featuring arch-shaped sections. Our investigation revealed a noteworthy phenomenon termed the “additional bending moment effect” within prestressed wound components with arch-shaped sections. Furthermore, this study establishes a relationship between this additional bending moment and the external pressure. In addition, a 3D finite element (FE) model for prestressed wound components with arch-shaped sections incorporating metal liners was developed. The model’s accuracy was validated through a comparison with prestressed wound experiments, showcasing an error margin of less than 2%. In comparison with prestressed wound components with circular cross-sections under identical load and dimensional parameters, it was observed that prestressed wound components with arch-shaped sections exhibit stress distributions in the arc segments akin to their circular counterparts, with differences not exceeding 5%. Notably, when the ratio of the straight segment length to the inner diameter of the arc segment inner is less than 4, the deformation on the symmetric plane of the arc segment in an arch-shaped component can be effectively considered as the summation of deformations in equivalent-sized arc and straight segments under identical loading conditions. This yields an equivalent physical model and a streamlined analysis and design methodology for describing the deformation characteristics of prestressed wound components with arch-shaped sections.

The reliability of power electronics is very important to the safety and efficiency operation of the multilevel inverters, and it is very necessary to quickly detect and locate the faults. To solve the difficulty in locating open-circuit faults and improve the diagnosis accuracy for the H-bridge cascaded five-level inverters, an improved support vector machine (SVM) with gray wolf (GWO) optimization method has been elaborated and proposed in this paper especially for single switch faults and double switches faults in one phase. Firstly, the output voltage signals are selected as the sampling data, and whose eigenvectors have been taken as the input signals of the wavelet packet energy entropy method, and the dimensionality of these extracted eigenvectors is furtherly reduced with a probabilistic principle component analysis (PPCA) method to reduce the calculations and improve the diagnosis efficiency. Then, the SVM method is used for the fault classification, during which the GWO optimization has been introduced to find the optimal value of SVM, so as to improve the diagnostic efficiency. Experimental results show that this diagnosis method can not only achieve higher diagnostic accuracy, smaller identification error, and has greater efficiency compared with ordinary SVM or some other traditional diagnosis methods and other intelligent optimization algorithms, which promotes the fault diagnosis research for these multilevel inverters.

Abstract Background Preoperative analgesia of hip fracture in elderly patients is important, but it is also lacking. In particular, nerve block was not provided in time. In order to provide more effective analgesia, we designed a multimodal pain management mode based on instant messaging software. Methods From May to September 2022, a total of 100 patients with unilateral hip fracture aged over 65 were randomly divided into the test group and the control group. Finally, 44 patients in each group completed the result analysis. A new pain management mode was used in the test group. This mode focuses on the full information exchange between medical personnel in different departments, early fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB), and closed-loop pain management. Outcomes include the time when FICB is completed for the first time; The number of cases of FICB completed by emergency doctors; Patients' pain score, pain duration. Results The time for patients in the test group to complete FICB for the first time was 3.0 [1.925–3.475] h, which was less than the time for patients in the control group (4.0 [3.300–5.275] h). The difference was statistically significant (P 3 time (35.00 [20.00–45.00] mins vs 72.50 [60.00–45.00] mins). The analgesic satisfaction of patients in the test group (5.00 [4.00–5.00]) was also significantly higher than that of the control group (3.00 [3.00–4.00]). The above four indexes were different between the two groups (P

Abstract Objective To estimate the global prevalence of hip osteoarthritis (HOA) through a systematic review and meta-analysis, and to determine by regression analysis the respective relationships between age and sex, and sex and prevalence. Methods EMBASE, PubMed, Web of science, CINAHL, and SCOPUS were searched from inception until August 2022. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed the quality of the retrieved literature. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed to derive the pooled prevalence. Variations in the prevalence estimate in different subgroups, including diagnostic methods, region, and patient sex, were examined by subgroup meta-analysis. Meta-regression was used to construct the age-specific prevalence of HOA. Results A total of 31 studies were included in our analysis, involving 326,463 participants. Quality evaluation showed that all studies included in the analysis had a Quality Score of at least 4. The most frequently used method for diagnosing HOA was the Kellgren–Lawrence (K-L) grade classification, accounting for 19/31 (61.3%) studies. The pooled prevalence of HOA diagnosed based on the K-L grade ≥ 2 criterion was 8.55% (95% CI 4.85–13.18) worldwide. The prevalence of HOA was lowest in Africa at 1.20% (95% CI: 0.40–2.38), followed by Asia at 4.26% (95% CI 0.02–14.93) and North America at 7.95% (95% CI 1.98–17.36), and highest in Europe at 12.59% (95% CI 7.17–19.25). There was no statistically significant difference in HOA prevalence between men (9.42%, 95% CI:4.81–15.34) and women at (7.94%, 95% CI: 3.57–13.81). The regression model showed a correlation between age and the prevalence of HOA. Conclusion HOA has high prevalence worldwide and increases with age. The prevalence varies significantly by region but not by patient sex. High-quality epidemiological studies are warranted to more accurately estimate the prevalence of HOA.

A kind of RV-like reducer is proposed. Taking the reducer as a model and according to its structural principle, the single-loop XP system type is derived. Based on the single-loop XP system, the reducer speed, the torque and the power matrix are established and the reducer input and output power matrix is obtained; the power flow direction of each component is analyzed, the power flow direction is mapped to the single-loop XP system, and the reducer power flow model is established; a conclusion has been drawn that the RV reducer has no internal circulation power and the overall transmission efficiency of the reducer is relatively high. The transmission efficiency of the reducer is calculated as an example and the overall transmission efficiency can theoretically reach 0.821 0.

Abstract Background DNA methylation is an essential factor in the progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) to cervical cancer. The aim was to investigate the diagnostic value provided by methylation biomarkers of six tumor suppressor genes (ASTN1, DLX1, ITGA4, RXFP3, SOX17 and ZNF671) for cervical precancerous lesions and cervical cancer. Methods The histological cervical specimens of 396 cases including 93 CIN1, 99 CIN2, 93 CIN3 and 111 cervical cancers were tested for methylation-specific PCR assay (GynTect®) of score and positive rate. Among them, 66 CIN1, 93 CIN2, 87 CIN3 and 72 cervical cancers were further used for paired analysis. A chi-square test was used to analyze the difference of methylation score and positive rate in cervical specimens. The paired t-test and paired chi-square test were for analyzing the methylation score and positive rate in paired CIN and cervical cancer cases. The specificity, sensitivity, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of the GynTect® assay for CIN2 or worse (CIN2 +) and CIN3 or worse (CIN3 +) were evaluated. Results According to the chi-square test trend, hypermethylation increased with severity of the lesions as defined by histological grading (P = 0.000). The methylation score above 1.1 was more common in CIN2 + than in CIN1. The DNA methylation scores in the paired groups of CIN1, CIN3 and cervical cancer were significant differences (P = 0.033, 0.000 and 0.000, respectively), except for CIN2 (P = 0.171). While the positive rate of GynTect® in each paired group had no difference (all P > 0.05). The positive rate of every methylation marker in the GynTect® assay showed differences in four cervical lesion groups (all P

With the implementation of low-carbon energy, the construction of a large number of hydropower stations has caused a large number of reservoir bank landslides. Reservoir bank landslides are significantly different from ordinary landslides, but in the process of actual engineering stability calculations, engineers still confuse the two and use the same ideas and methods for research. In order to better control the reservoir bank slope instability, according to the characteristics of the reservoir bank slope, and long-term field geological survey and indoor literature research, this paper puts forward the principle of reservoir bank slope zoning according to the structural surface characteristics, slope position and landslide material composition. According to the characteristics of reservoir bank landslide, the stability calculation formulas of traction landslide is derived in three cases: the traction section has thrust + the trailing edge tensile fracture surface has shear force, the traction section does not have thrust + the trailing edge tensile fracture surface has shear force, and the traction section does not have thrust + the trailing edge tensile fracture surface has no shear force. Combined with engineering examples, the improved transfer coefficient method for landslide stability evaluation based on reservoir bank slope characteristics is verified.

Abstract Background For elderly adults undergoing hip arthroplasty, fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) is often used before spinal anesthesia to reduce the pain of posture placement. However, the impact of FICB within 48 h needs further study. Methods 89 elderly adults scheduled to undergo arthroplasty for hip fracture were enrolled and randomized into the FICB group (n = 45) and the control group (n = 44). The fascia iliaca on the operated side was located using ultrasound, and a puncture needle was placed under the fascia iliaca. The FICB group was injected with 40 ml of 0.5% ropivacaine, and the control group was injected with 40 ml of normal saline. Spinal anesthesia was performed after 20 min. Our primary outcome measures were: duration of analgesia, muscle strength, and Quality of Recovery (QoR). Results The duration of analgesia in the FICB group was 403.5 ± 39.6 min, which was longer than that (357.5 ± 35.9 min) of the control group (P = 0.012). There were 19 (42.2%) patients with muscle strength of grade 4 in the FICB group and 36 (81.8%) patients with muscle strength of grade 4 in the control group. FICB group was lower (P

Objective(s): Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model becomes a more and more important tool for tumor research. This study aimed to establish a colorectal cancer PDX model and verify its applicability.Materials and Methods: Fresh human colorectal cancer tissue was surgically removed and subcutaneously inoculated into immunodeficient mice to establish the PDX model. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemical staining were used to evaluate the model. The successful PDX model was selected to study the efficacy of capecitabine in treating colorectal cancer. Results: HE staining showed that the PDX mice model of colorectal cancer could preserve the histological characteristics of the primary tumor. Immunohistochemistry staining showed α-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and E-cadherin were strongly positively expressed in primary human and PDX tumor tissues, with a high degree of similarity. Capecitabine significantly inhibited PDX tumor growth and reduced the expression of AFP and CEA proteins in the tumor tissues (all Ps

PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate the robustness with respect to the positional variations of five planning strategies in free-breathing breast hypofractionated radiotherapy (HFRT) for patients after breast-conserving surgery.MethodsTwenty patients who received breast HFRT with 42.72 Gy in 16 fractions were retrospectively analyzed. Five treatment planning strategies were utilized for each patient, including 1) intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) planning (IMRTpure); 2) IMRT planning with skin flash tool extending and filling the fluence outside the skin by 2 cm (IMRTflash); 3) IMRT planning with planning target volume (PTV) extended outside the skin by 2 cm in the computed tomography dataset (IMRTePTV); 4) hybrid planning, i.e., 2 Gy/fraction three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy combined with 0.67 Gy/fraction IMRT (IMRThybrid); and 5) hybrid planning with skin flash (IMRThybrid-flash). All plans were normalized to 95% PTV receiving 100% of the prescription dose. Six additional plans were created with different isocenter shifts for each plan, which were 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm, and 10 mm distally in the X (left-right) and Y (anterior-posterior) directions, namely, (X,Y), to assess their robustness, and the corresponding doses were recalculated. Variation of dosimetric parameters with increasing isocenter shift was evaluated.ResultsAll plans were clinically acceptable. In terms of robustness to isocenter shifts, the five planning strategies followed the pattern IMRTePTV, IMRThybrid-flash, IMRTflash, IMRThybrid, and IMRTpure in descending order. V95% of IMRTePTV maintained at 99.6% ± 0.3% with a (5,5) shift, which further reduced to 98.2% ± 2.0% with a (10,10) shift. IMRThybrid-flash yielded the robustness second to IMRTePTV with less risk from dose hotspots, and the corresponding V95% maintained >95% up until (5,5).ConclusionConsidering the dosimetric distribution and robustness in breast radiotherapy, IMRTePTV performed best at maintaining high target coverage with increasing isocenter shift, while IMRThybrid-flash would be adequate with positional uncertainty

Background: Presently, neurotransmitter deficits in GBA-related Parkinson's disease (GBA-PD) and relationships with cognitive impairment are poorly understood. A better understanding of neurotransmitter impairments in GBA-PD — particularly in the newly diagnosed drug-naïve phase — may support developing targeted intervention strategies. We aimed to investigate patterns of neurotransmitter deficits in GBA-PD and idiopathic PD (iPD) and cognitive performance correlations. Methods: We recruited 189 newly diagnosed PD patients for GBA sequencing. Voxel-wise gray matter volume (GMV) was evaluated in a subgroup of 17 GBA-PD, 100 iPD, and 32 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs). The JuSpace toolbox covering various neurotransmitter maps helped assess whether the spatial patterns of GMV alterations in GBA-PD or iPD patients (relative to HCs) were associated with specific neurotransmitter systems. Results: GBA-PD patients indicated widespread GM atrophy in the fronto-temporal-occipital region compared with HCs. GMV atrophy was spatially correlated in GBA-PD and iPD with serotonergic, dopaminergic, and acetylcholinergic pathway distributions (p

ObjectivesGalactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) is a critical effector molecule in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN), a leading renal disease without noninvasive assessment options. This updated systematic review aimed to determine the diagnostic and prognostic value of Gd-IgA1 assessment in biological fluids in patients with IgAN.MethodsPRISMA guidelines were followed in this review. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Biology Medicine disc, VIP Information/China Science and Technology Journal Database, and WANFANG for studies published between database inception and January 31, 2023. Eligible studies that evaluated aberrant IgA1 glycosylation in IgAN patients relative to controls were identified, and random effects meta-analyses were used to compare Gd-IgA1 levels in different groups. The quality of the evidence was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. This study was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42022375246).FindingsOf the 2727 records identified, 50 were eligible and had available data. The mean Newcastle-Ottawa Scale score was 7.1 (range, 6–8). Data synthesis suggested that IgAN patients had higher levels of blood and/or urine Gd-IgA1 compared with healthy controls (standard mean difference [SMD]=1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.19−1.68, P

IntroductionThis study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of the serum biochemical index, including alkaline phosphatase (AKP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), α-L-fucosidase (AFU), serum sialic acid (SA), and fibrinogen (FIB), for prostate cancer (PCa) and clinically significant prostate cancer (CSPCa) in patients with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) value between 4 and 20 ng/mL.Patients and methodsThis study retrospectively examined the clinical data of 408 eligible patients who underwent prostate biopsies in our hospital between March 2015 and July 2022. CSPCa was defined as a “Gleason grade group of≥2”. For analyzing the association between PCa/CSPCa and serum biochemical index, univariable logistic regression and multivariable logistic regression were conducted. Based on the multivariable logistic regression model, we constructed models and compared the area under the curve (AUC). We generated the nomogram, the ROC curve, the DCA curve, and the calibration curve for PCa.ResultsOverall, we studied 271 patients with PCa (including 155 patients with CSPCa) and 137 non-PCa patients. Patients with PCa were more likely to consume alcohol, have higher total PSA (TPSA) values, and have lower free PSA (FPSA) and free/total PSA (f/T) values. There were higher TPSA values and lower f/T values in the CSPCa group when compared with the non-CSPCa group. The univariate logistic regression analyses did not show significant results. However, AKP, AFU, SA, TPSA, and FPSA all retain significant significance when all factors are included in multifactor logistic regression analysis. This finding suggests that the exposure factor exhibited an independent effect on the outcome after controlling for other factors, including the potential confounding effects that may have been underestimated. Through ROC curves, we found that SA and TPSA levels are more powerful predictors. In contrast, there is a lack of excellent predictive value for PCA and CSPCa using Age, AFU, FIB, and FPSA.ConclusionIn our study, serum biochemical index is a potential prediction tool for PCa and CSPCa for patients with PSA values between 4 and 20 ng/mL. Additionally, the new serum biochemical index SA is also useful when diagnosing PCa and CSPCa, as we conclude in our study.

Abstract Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) play critical roles in hair follicle development, but the underlying mechanisms that contribute to hair regeneration have yet to be fully elucidated, particularly in terms of alterations in androgenetic alopecia patients. In this study, we demonstrated that hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is suppressed in scalp tissues of androgenetic alopecia patients and potentially associated with hair follicle development. Using RT-qPCR and western blot, we found that mRNA and protein levels of trichogenic genes, LEF1 and versican (VCAN), were attenuated in HIF-1α knockdown DPCs. Under an in vivo mimicked environment in a three-dimensional spheroid culture, HIF-1α-suppressed DPCs downregulated the expression of hair induction-related genes. Finally, treatment with a HIF-1α activator resulted in the elevated expression of trichogenic genes in DPCs. This study highlights the importance of dermal HIF-1α expression in regulating trichogenic genes and provides a promising therapeutic target and a fundamental tissue engineering approach for hair loss treatment.

Objective To explore the effect of group acceptance and commitment therapy on psychological distress and quality of life in patients with cervical cancer receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Methods Eighty-two patients with cervical cancer receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy were randomly divided into control group and observation group. The control group received routine nursing, and the observation group was given group acceptance and commitment therapy based on the routine care. The scores of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-Second Edition(AAQ-Ⅱ), Distress Thermometer(DT) and Quality of Life Instruments for Cancer Patients-Cervix Cancer (QLICP-CE) were compared between two groups before and after the intervention. Results After intervention, AAQ-Ⅱ and DT scores of the observation group were lower than those of the control group, and QLICP-CE score was higher than that of the control group, with statistical significance (P＜0. 01)．Conclusion Group acceptance and commitment therapy is an effective psychological behavioral intervention to enhance psychological flexibility, relieve distress, and improve the quality of live for cervical cancer receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy. (目的 探讨团体接纳与承诺疗法对宫颈癌同步放化疗患者心理痛苦和生活质量的影响。方法 将82例行同步放化疗的宫颈癌患者随机分为观察组和对照组, 各41例。对照组患者接受常规护理, 观察组在对照组基础上运用团体接纳与承诺疗法进行护理干预, 并于干预前后采用中文版接纳与行动问卷(AAQ-Ⅱ)、心理痛苦温度计(DT)、癌症患者生命质量测定量表之宫颈癌量表(QLICP-CE)进行评价。结果 干预后观察组AAQ-Ⅱ及DT得分低于对照组, QLICP-CE总分高于对照组, 差异有统计学意义(P

The pandemic caused by coronavirus disease of 2019 （COVID-19） has brought severe challenges to public health all over the world. Vitamin D plays an important role in immune regulation and anti-respiratory virus infection as an immune enhancer. Several studies have demonstrated that vitamin D can regulate the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2/angiotensin （1-7）/Mas receptor axis signaling pathway， inhibit the over-activation of renin-angiotensin system signal， fight against SARS-CoV-2 infection and suppress the production of inflammatory cytokine storm， thereby reducing the risk of pneumonia infection and improving acute respiratory distress syndrome， cardiogenic obstruction and thrombosis in COVID-19 patients. In this article， the mechanism of vitamin D in reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and mitigating clinical symptoms was reviewed. It is hypothesized that vitamin D plays a critical role in the prevention or adjuvant therapy for novel coronavirus pneumonia and alleviating clinical manifestations in COVID-19 patients.

Abstract Background Recently, increasing attention has been drawn to the impact of the tumor microenvironment (TME) on the occurrence and progression of malignant tumors. A variety of 3D culture techniques have been used to simulate TME in vitro. The purpose of this study was to reveal the differences in transcriptional and metabolic levels between osteosarcoma (OS) 2D cells, 3D cells, 3D cell-printed tissue, isolated tissue, and transplanted tumor tissue in vivo. Methods We cultured the OS Saos-2 cell line under different culture methods as 2D cells, 3D cells, 3D cell-printed tissue and isolated tissue for 14 days and transplanted tumors in vivo as a control group. Through transcriptomic and metabonomic analyses, we determined the changes in gene expression and metabolites in OS tissues under different culture methods. Results At the transcriptional level, 166 differentially expressed genes were found, including the SMAD family, ID family, BMP family and other related genes, and they were enriched in the TGF-β signaling pathway, complement and coagulation cascades, signaling pathways regulating pluripotency of stem cells, Hippo signaling pathway, ferroptosis, cGMP-PKG signaling pathway and other pathways. At the metabolic level, 362 metabolites were significantly changed and enriched in metabolic pathways such as the Fc Epsilon RI signaling pathway, histidine metabolism, primary bile acid biosynthesis, steroid biosynthesis, protein digestion and absorption, ferroptosis, and arachidonic acid metabolism. After integrating the transcriptome and metabolomics data, it was found that 44 metabolic pathways were changed, and the significantly enriched pathways were ferroptosis and pyrimidine metabolism. Conclusion Different culture methods affect the gene expression and metabolite generation of OS Saos-2 cells. Moreover, the cell and tissue culture method in vitro cannot completely simulate TME in vivo, and the ferroptosis and pyrimidine metabolism pathways mediate the functional changes of OS Saos-2 cells in different microenvironments.

Abstract The modal parameters identification of bridges under non-stationary environmental excitation has caught the attention of researchers. This paper studies the non-stationarity of wind velocity, and extracts the time-varying mean wind velocity based on a discrete wavelet transform and recursive quantitative analysis. The calculated turbulence intensity and turbulence integral scale under the non-stationary model are smaller than those under the stationary model, especially the turbulence integral scale. The empirical wavelet transform is used to identify the modal parameters of long-span bridges, and the power spectral density spectrum is proposed as a replacement for the Fourier spectrum as the basis of the frequency band selection. The bridge modal parameters are then compared using the covariance-driven stochastic subspace system identification method (SSI-COV) and the Hilbert transform method based on an improved empirical wavelet transform (EWT-HT). Both methods can accurately identify the modal frequency, and the absolute difference between these two methods is equal to 0.003 Hz. The wind velocity results in a change of less than 1% in the modal frequency. The absolute difference between the modal damping ratios identified using SSI-COV and EWT-HT is significant and can reach 0.587%. The modal damping ratios are positively correlated with the mean wind velocities, which aligns with the quasi-steady assumption. In addition, the applicability of SSI-COV and EWT-HT is also evaluated using the standard deviation, coefficient of variation, and range dispersion indicators. The results show that the EWT-HT is more applicable to the identification of the modal parameters of long-span bridges under non-stationary wind velocities.

Soil total nitrogen content (TN) is a crucial factor in boosting the growth of crops. Its surplus or scarcity will alter the quality and yield of crops to a certain extent. Traditional methods such as chemical analysis is complicated, laborious and time-consuming. A faster and more efficient method to detect TN should be explored to address this problem. The hyperspectral technology integrates conventional energy and spectroscopy which aids in the simultaneous collection of spatial and spectral information from an object. It has gradually proved its significance and gained popularity in the analysis of soil composition. This study discussed the possibility of using hyperspectral technology to detect TN, analyzed six spectral data preprocessing methods and five modeling methods: partial least squares (PLS), back-propagation (BP) neural network, radial basis function (RBF) neural network, extreme learning machine (ELM) and support vector regression (SVR) with evaluation index R2 and RMSE. Setting the content of chemical analysis as the control and comparing the errors from spectral analysis. According to the results, all five models can be used for TN detection, and the SVR model with R2 0.912 1 and RMSE 0.758 1 turned to the best method. The study showed that the spectral model can detect TN quickly, providing a reference for the detection of elements in soil with favorable research significance.

There have been several false-positive results in the antibody detection of COVID-19. This study aimed to analyze the distribution characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunoglobulin M (IgM) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) in false-positive results using chemiluminescent immunoassay. The characteristics of false-positive results in SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG tests were analyzed. The false-positive proportion of single SARS-CoV-2 IgM-positive results was 95.88%, which was higher than those of single SARS-CoV-2 IgG-positive results (71.05%; p < 0.001) and SARS-CoV-2 IgM- and IgG-positive results (39.39%; p < 0.001). The S/CO ratios of SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG in false-positive results ranged from 1.0 to 50.0. The false-positive probability of SARS-CoV-2 IgM in the ratios of specimen signals to the cutoff value (S/CO) range (1.0–3.0) was 95.06% (77/81), and the probability of false-positive results of SARS-CoV-2 IgG in the S/CO range (1.0–2.0) was 85.71% (24/28). Dynamic monitoring showed that the S/CO values of IgM in false-positive results decreased or remained unchanged, whereas the S/CO values of IgG in false-positive results decreased. The possibility of false-positive single SARS-CoV-2 IgM-positive and single SARS-CoV-2 IgG-positive results was high. As the value of S/CO ratios decreased, the probability of false-positives consequently increased, especially among the single SARS-CoV-2 IgM-positive results.

Abstract Background Immaturity of ganglia (IG) is an extremely rare disease and always requires surgical intervention in the neonatal period, but without guidelines to choose the ideal enterostomy procedure, the timing of stoma closure remains controversial. The aim of this study was to report our experience using Santulli enterostomy for the treatment of nine infants diagnosed with IG. Methods Patients who underwent Santulli enterostomy and were diagnosed with IG in our center between 2016 and 2021 were retrospectively studied. Temporary stoma occlusion and a 24-h delayed film of barium enema (BE) were performed to evaluate intestinal peristalsis function to determine the timing of stoma closure. The demographic data, clinical and radiological findings, stoma occlusion and stoma closure results were explored. Results A total of 9 infants underwent Santulli enterostomy and were diagnosed with IG postoperatively. Their median gestational age at birth was 36 weeks (range 31–42), and their median birth weight was 2765 g (range 1300–3400). All patients had symptom onset in the neonatal period, including abdominal distension and biliary vomiting. Eight patients showed obvious small bowel dilatation in the plain films, except for one patient’s films that suggested gastrointestinal perforation with free gas downstream of the diaphragm. BE was performed in 6 patients, all of which had microcolons. The median age at operation was 3 days (range 1–23). Seven patients had an obvious transitional zone (TZ) during laparotomy, and the position of the TZ was 25–100 cm proximal above the ileocecal (IC) valve. Immature ganglion cells were present in the colon in 7 patients and the terminal ileum in 6 patients. The median age of successful stoma occlusion was 5 M (range 2–17) and 8 M (range 4–22) at ostomy closure. There was little or no barium residue in the 24-h delayed film of BE before stoma closure, and all patients were free of constipation symptoms during the follow-up. Conclusion Santulli enterostomy appears to be a suitable and efficient procedure for IG, combined with temporary stoma occlusion and 24-h delayed film of BE to evaluate the recovery of intestinal peristalsis function.

Abstract Background CD8+ T cells are important for protective immunity against intracellular pathogens. Excessive amounts of antigen and/or inflammatory signals often lead to the gradual deterioration of CD8+ T cell function, a state called “exhaustion”. However, the association between CD8+ T cell exhaustion and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has not been studied. This study was conducted to elucidate how CD8+ T cells and inhibitory receptors were related to the clinical prognosis of ARDS. Methods A prospective observational study in an emergency department enrolled patients who were diagnosed with sepsis-associated ARDS according to the sepsis-3 criteria and Berlin definition. Peripheral blood samples were collected within 24 h post recruitment. CD8+ T cell count, proliferation ratio, cytokine secretion, and the expression of coinhibitory receptors were assayed. Results Sixty-two patients with ARDS met the inclusion criteria. CD8+ T cell counts and proliferation rates were dramatically decreased in non-surviving ARDS patients. Increasing programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) expression on the CD8+ T cell surface was seen in patients with worse organ function, while an increasing level of T cell immunoglobulin mucin-3 (Tim-3) was associated with a longer duration of the shock. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that low CD8+ T cell percentages and increased inhibitory molecule expression were significantly associated with a worse survival rate. Conclusions CD8+ T cells and coinhibitory receptors are promising independent prognostic markers of sepsis-induced ARDS, and increased CD8+ T cell exhaustion is significantly correlated with poor prognosis.

Exploring a photocathode with features of visible-light response, high quantum efficiency, long life-span, easy availability and low cost is the desire of electron source applications. Here, we report the photoemission behavior of nickel-supported few-layer graphene through Cs/O activation process. We observe that this Cs/O-activated graphene-based photocathode can possess a cut-off response wavelength of 750 nm, a quantum efficiency over 0.1% at 350 nm, and a 1/e operating lifetime of over 50 h under continuous mW-level laser irradiation at a pressure of 10-7 Pa. Importantly, the photoemission capability after degradation can be completely restored again to its original maximum through the additional Cs deposition process. Moreover, the changes in surface composition and work function characterized by in-situ photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrate the low work function and excellent stability. This metal-supported graphene material with low-work-function surface provides a route to obtain robust photocathode working from ultraviolet to visible waveband.

Accurately estimating the pose of spacecraft is indispensable for space applications. However, such targets are generally non-cooperative, i.e., no markers are mounted on them, and they include no parts for operation. Therefore, the detection and measurement of a non-cooperative target is very challenging. Stereovision sensors are important solutions in the near field. In this paper, a rectangular natural feature recognition and pose measurement method for non-cooperative spacecraft is proposed. Solar panels of spacecraft were selected as detection objects, and their image features were captured via stereo vision. These rectangle features were then reconstructed in 3D Cartesian space through parallelogram fitting on the image planes of two cameras. The vertexes of rectangle features were detected and used to solve the pose of a non-cooperative target. An experimental system was built to validate the effectiveness of the algorithm. The experimental results show that the average position measurement error of the algorithm is about 10 mm and the average attitude measurement error is less than 1°. The results also show that the proposed method achieves high accuracy and efficiency.

To build a long-wave infrared catadioptric optical system for deep space low-temperature target detection with a lightweight and wide field of view, this work conducted a study that encompasses a local cooling optical system, topology optimization-based metal mirror design, and additive manufacturing. First, a compact catadioptric optical system with local cooling was designed. This system features a 55 mm aperture, a 110 mm focal length, and a 4-degree by 4-degree field of view. Secondly, we applied the principles of topology optimization to design the primary mirror assembly, the secondary mirror assembly, and the connecting baffle. The third and fourth modes achieved a resonance frequency of 1213.7 Hz. Then, we manufactured the mirror assemblies using additive manufacturing and single-point diamond turning, followed by the centering assembly method to complete the optical assembly. Lastly, we conducted performance testing on the system, with the test results revealing that the modulation transfer function (MTF) curves of the optical system reached the diffraction limit across the entire field of view. Remarkably, the system’s weight was reduced to a mere 96.04 g. The use of additive manufacturing proves to be an effective means of enhancing optical system performance.

Pile raft foundation (PRF) is a common foundation type for buildings and bridge piers which has been commonly subjected to eccentric vertical load in engineering applications. Dissimilar PRF is often adopted to reduce the excessive settlement and differential settlement of superstructures. The behavior of dissimilar PRF under eccentric vertical load is a significant issue and investigated with the boundary element method in this paper. In this method, the dissimilar pile–soil system is decomposed into extended soil elements and fictitious pile elements. The second kind of Fredholm integral governing equation of the axial force of fictitious piles is established based on the compatibility condition of axial strain between the extended soil and fictitious piles. An iterative procedure is adopted to analyze the average settlement w and rotation slope θ of raft stemming from the settlement compatibility condition of the top of each element and the equilibrium condition of the raft. Furthermore, the axial force and settlement of each element along its depth can be predicted. The corresponding results agree well with a reported case and the finite element method. The characteristics of 3 × 1 and 3 × 3 dissimilar PRFs under eccentric vertical load, including non-dimensional vertical stiffness N0/wEsd, differential settlement wd and the load sharing ratio of typical elements Ni/N0, are systematically investigated by considering different eccentricity e, length/diameter ratios of pile l/d and pile–soil stiffness ratio Ep/Es conditions. The N0/wEsd increases with l/d, while the load sharing ratios of the raft Nraft/N0 and wd decreases with l/d. The eccentricity e has a significant effect on wd and Ni/N0 and a neglect effect on N0/wEsd and Nraft/N0. The N0/wEsd, wd and Ni/N0 are significantly increased with Ep/Es. This research is expected to provide insights to the practitioners into the dissimilar PRF design under eccentric vertical load.

To address the low level of intelligence and low utilization of logs in current rotary cutting equipment, this paper proposes a digital twin-based system for optimizing the rotary cutting of logs using a five-dimensional model of digital twins. The system features a log perception platform to capture three-dimensional point cloud data, outlining the logs’ contours. Utilizing the Delaunay3D algorithm, this model performs a three-dimensional reconstruction of the log point cloud, constructing a precise digital twin. Feature information is extracted from the point cloud using the least squares method. Processing parameters, determined through the kinematic model, are verified in rotary cutting simulations via Bool operations. The system’s efficacy has been substantiated through experimental validation, demonstrating its capability to output specific processing schemes for irregular logs and to verify these through simulation. This approach notably improves log recovery rates, decreasing volume error from 12.8% to 2.7% and recovery rate error from 23.5% to 5.7% The results validate the efficacy of the proposed digital twin system in optimizing the rotary cutting process, demonstrating its capability not only to enhance the utilization rate of log resources but also to improve the economic efficiency of the factory, thereby facilitating industrial development.

We extend the mental accounting perspective to build models on product quality matching strategy, which is effective in resolving the conflict between traditional and online channels. We consider that perceived values of high-quality and low-quality products belong to different mental accounts, and construct three product quality matching strategies for a dual-channel supply chain. Comparing the profit of each member, we find that (1) the strategy where the traditional channel distributes premium products, while the e-tailer sells low-quality products, is most conducive to the manufacturer; (2) the profit elasticity of the e-tailer is larger than that of the traditional retailer; (3) traditional retailers should sell more price elastic products, and e-tailers should sell the product with lower price elasticity; and (4) the manufacturer has more monopoly power if consumers have a higher degree of acceptance for the online channel that distributes premium products.

BackgroundThe primary motor cortex (M1) is an important hub in the motor circuitry of Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the subregions’ function and their correlation to tremor dominant (TD) and postural instability and gait disturbance (PIGD) with PD remain unclear. This study aimed to determine whether the functional connectivity (FC) of the M1 subregions varied between the PD and PIGD subtypes.MethodsWe recruited 28 TD patients, 49 PIGD patients, and 42 healthy controls (HCs). M1 was divided into 12 regions of interest using the Human Brainnetome Atlas template to compare FC among these groups.ResultsCompared with HCs, TD and PIGD patients exhibited increased FC between the left upper limb region (A4UL_L) and the right caudate nucleus (CAU)/left putamen (PUT), between the right A4UL (A4UL_R) and the left anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyri (ACG)/bilateral cerebellum4_5 (CRBL4_5)/left PUT/right CAU/left supramarginal gyrus/left middle frontal gyrus (MFG), as well as decreased connectivity between the A4UL_L and the left postcentral gyrus and the bilateral cuneus, and between the A4UL_R and the right inferior occipital gyrus. TD patients showed increased FC between the right caudal dorsolateral area 6 (A6CDL_R) and the left ACG/right MFG, between the A4UL_L and the right CRBL6/right middle frontal gyrus, orbital part/bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, and orbital part (ORBinf), and between the A4UL_R and the left ORBinf/right MFG/right insula (INS). PIGD patients displayed increased connectivity between the A4UL_L and the left CRBL4_5. Compared with PIGD patients, TD patients exhibited increased connectivity between the A6CDL_R and the left ACG/right MFG and between the A4UL_R and the left ACG/left ORBinf/right INS/right MFG. Furthermore, in TD and PIGD groups, the FC strength between the A6CDL_R and right MFG was negatively correlated with PIGD scores, while the FC strength between the A4UL_R and left ORBinf/right INS was positively correlated with TD scores and tremor scores.ConclusionOur results demonstrated that early TD and PIGD patients share some common injury and compensatory mechanisms. TD patients occupied more resources in the MFG, ORBinf, INS, and ACG, which can be used as biomarkers to distinguish them from PIGD patients.

ABSTRACT: Precision biotics (PBs) are chemically synthesized complex glycans that modulate specific microbiome metabolic functions. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the supplementation of PB on the growth performance, and cecal microbiome modulation of broiler chickens raised under commercial conditions. A total of 190,000-day-old Ross 308 straight-run broilers were randomly assigned to 2 dietary treatments. There were 5 houses per treatment with 19,000 birds per house. In each house, there were 6 rows of battery cages with 3 tiers. The 2 dietary treatments included a control diet (a commercial broiler diet) and a PB supplemented diet at 0.9 kg/MT. On a weekly basis, 380 birds were randomly selected for body weight (BW) determination. At 42 d of age, the BW and feed intake (FI) of each house were recorded, the feed conversion ratio (cFCR) was calculated and corrected with the final BW, and the European production index (EPI) was calculated. Additionally, 8 birds per house (40 birds/experimental group) were randomly selected to collect cecal content for microbiome analysis. The supplementation of PB significantly improved (P < 0.05) the BW of the birds at 7, 14, and 21 d and numerically improved the BW of the birds by 64 and 70 g at 28 and 35 d of age, respectively. At 42 d, the PB numerically improved BW by 52 g, and significantly improved (P < 0.05) the cFCR by 2.2 points and the EPI by 13 points. The functional profile analysis showed a clear and significant difference in the cecal microbiome metabolism between control vs. PB supplemented birds. A higher abundance of pathways was modulated by PB which were associated with amino acid fermentation and putrefaction, particularly from lysine, arginine, proline, histidine, and tryptophane which led to a significant increase (P = 0.0025) in the Microbiome Protein Metabolism Index (MPMI) compared to nonsupplemented birds. In conclusion, the supplementation of PB efficiently modulated pathways related to protein fermentation and putrefaction, resulting in higher MPMI and improved growth performance of broilers.

Background Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (S-AKI) is a critical illness and is often associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. The soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) is an important immune mediator and is involved in kidney injury. However, its diagnostic value in S-AKI patients remains unclear. Therefore, we assessed the early predictive value of suPAR for S-AKI patients.Methods We prospectively enrolled adult patients, immediately after fulfilling the sepsis-3 criteria. Plasma suPAR levels at 0-, 12-, 24-, and 48-h post-sepsis diagnosis were measured. S-AKI development was the primary outcome. S-AKI risk factors were analyzed using logistic regression, and the value of plasma suPAR for early S-AKI diagnosis was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.Results Of 179 sepsis patients, 63 (35.2%) developed AKI during hospitalization. At 12-, 24-, and 48-h post-sepsis diagnosis, plasma suPAR levels were significantly higher in patients with S-AKI than in patients without S-AKI (p

Abstract Gaussian processes (GP) based extended target tracking (ETT) technique has attracted the attention of scientists since it can accurately estimate the kinematic states as well as the contour states of irregular-shape targets. Most traditional GP methods consider the ETT problem with a linear measurement model in Cartesian coordinates and ignore the input uncertainty of GP for simplicity. In many applications, however, measurements are generated with high-resolution sensors in polar coordinates. More importantly, the ignorance of input uncertainty in GP will exacerbate the tracking performance in these cases. In order to track an irregular-shape extended target in polar coordinates with input uncertainty, an improved GP-based probabilistic data association (IGP-PDA) algorithm is developed that includes the following enhancements: Firstly, a nonlinear measurement model is used and the unbiased converted measurement technique is invoked for the ETT problem. Secondly, the analytical form of statistical properties of the input uncertainty due to measurements noise and predicted error is derived. Thirdly, an IGP-PDA taking into account measurement origin uncertainty as well as input uncertainty is proposed, and three sub-optimal implementations are provided. Last, the posterior Cramer-Rao lower bound of ETT with input uncertainty is derived. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Abstract Background Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma is associated with high risk of intraoperative hemodynamic instability. Our study aimed to identify predictive factors for hemodynamic instability during laparoscopic resection of pheochromocytoma. Methods Between January 2011 and December 2021, 136 patients underwent unilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma. The patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the presence or absence of hemodynamic instability during surgery. Intraoperative hemodynamic parameters were compared between the 2 groups. Patient demographic characteristics and preoperative evaluations were assessed for their prognostic relevance with respect to intraoperative hemodynamic instability via both univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results There was greater blood pressure fluctuations and higher maximum blood pressure and heart rate in the hemodynamic instability group. More patients need intraoperative administration of vasoactive drugs in the hemodynamic instability group. In the univariate analysis, presence of coronary artery disease, tumour size, and previous hypertension history were significantly associated with intraoperative hemodynamic instability. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that tumour size and previous hypertension history were independent risk factors for intraoperative hemodynamic instability. Conclusion Tumour size and previous hypertension history were associated with hemodynamic instability during laparoscopic resection of pheochromocytoma.

Abstract Background Distant metastasis is the major cause of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC)-associated mortality. However, molecular mechanisms involved in ccRCC metastasis remain to be fully understood. With the increasing appreciation of the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer development, progression, and treatment resistance, the list of aberrantly expressed lncRNAs contributing to ccRCC pathogenesis is expanding rapidly. Methods Bioinformatics analysis was carried out to interrogate publicly available ccRCC datasets. In situ hybridization and qRT-PCR assays were used to test lncRNA expression in human ccRCC tissues and cell lines, respectively. Chromatin immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays were used to examine transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Wound healing as well as transwell migration and invasion assays were employed to monitor ccRCC cell migration and invasion in vitro. ccRCC metastasis was also examined using mouse models in vivo. RNA pulldown and RNA immunoprecipitation were performed to test RNA–protein associations, whereas RNA-RNA interactions were tested using domain-specific chromatin isolation by RNA purification. Results MILIP expression was upregulated in metastatic compared with primary ccRCC tissues. The increased MILIP expression in metastatic ccRCC cells was driven by the transcription factor AP-2 gamma (TFAP2C). Knockdown of MILIP diminished the potential of ccRCC cell migration and invasion in vitro and reduced the formation of ccRCC metastatic lesions in vivo. The effect of MILIP on ccRCC cells was associated with alterations in the expression of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) hallmark genes. Mechanistically, MILIP formed an RNA-RNA duplex with the snail family transcriptional repressor 1 (Snai1) mRNA and bound to Y-box binding protein 1 (YBX1). This promoted the association between the YBX1 protein and the Snai1 mRNA, leading to increased translation of the latter. Snai1 in turn played an important role in MILIP-driven ccRCC metastasis. Conclusions The TFAP2C-responsive lncRNA MILIP drives ccRCC metastasis. Targeting MILIP may thus represent a potential avenue for ccRCC treatment.

Abstract Background Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common trauma in clinical practices. Subacute SCI is mainly characterized by neuronal apoptosis, axonal demyelination, Wallerian degeneration, axonal remodeling, and glial scar formation. It has been discovered in recent years that inflammatory responses are particularly important in subacute SCI. However, the mechanisms mediating inflammation are not completely clear. Methods The gene expression profiles of GSE20907, GSE45006, and GSE45550 were downloaded from the GEO database. The models of the three gene expression profiles were all for SCI to the thoracic segment of the rat. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) were performed using R software, and functional enrichment analysis and protein–protein interaction (PPI) network were performed using Metascape. Module analysis was performed using Cytoscape. Finally, the relative mRNA expression level of central genes was verified by RT-PCR. Results A total of 206 candidate genes were identified, including 164 up-regulated genes and 42 down-regulated genes. The PPI network was evaluated, and the candidate genes enrichment results were mainly related to the production of tumor necrosis factors and innate immune regulatory response. Twelve core genes were identified, including 10 up-regulated genes and 2 down-regulated genes. Finally, seven hub genes with statistical significance in both the RT-PCR results and expression matrix were identified, namely Itgb1, Ptprc, Cd63, Lgals3, Vav1, Shc1, and Casp4. They are all related to the activation process of microglia. Conclusion In this study, we identified the hub genes and signaling pathways involved in subacute SCI using bioinformatics methods, which may provide a molecular basis for the future treatment of SCI.

Carbonate rock from the Late Proterozoic to the Early Paleozoic is an important field of oil and gas exploration. The Sinian carbonate rock series in Tarim Basin are old, deep buried, with few drilling wells and various geological problems are unclear that restrict the exploration of deep carbonate rock. Based on the analysis of Sinian geological structure, by means of stratigraphic correlation and seismic prediction, the distribution of Sinian favorable source rocks, deep reservoir facies belts, and reservoir forming assemblages are studied to comb the exploration fields and favorable zones of Sinian in Tarim Basin. The findings reveal that slope-basin facies source rocks developed in Sinian. In the upper part of the Qigebulake Formation, high-quality dolomite reservoirs evolved, and mudstone from the Yuertus Formation at the foot of Cambrian can form favorable reservoir cap assemblage. The south slope of Tabei Uplift and the north slope of Tazhong Uplift are the most favorable exploration zones for Sinian dolomite, favorable exploration area of approximately 31,000 km2. The findings can provide a certain reference for the Sinian carbonate oil and gas exploration in the Tarim Basin.

Abstract Microgrids (MGs) provide a potential solution to accommodating renewable and distributed energy resources (DERs). MGs and the networked form of MGs, that is, networked MGs or NMGs, have received significant attention in the past two decades. However, several details that need to be considered for the practical operations of MGs and NMGs are often neglected in the literature. First, there is a need for a step‐by‐step sequence of operations (SOO) that clearly defines the procedures for changing the operation modes of MGs and NMGs for their reliable and resilient operation. Second, there is a need to develop a new control strategy for power exchange between networked MGs to ensure the information privacy and respect the electrical boundary of each MG. Third, there is a need for developing the model of MGs and NMGs in a real‐time simulator to safely evaluate the performance of the microgrid master controller (MMC) in making real‐time decisions and following the SOO. This paper proposes solutions for these three requirements and presents results to evaluate the performance of the proposed solutions. The IIT Campus Microgrid (ICM) and Bronzeville Community Microgrid (BCM), as well as their networked form, are selected as the practical testbeds and are modelled in real‐time digital simulator (RTDS). The RTDS model is interfaced with the MMC for real‐time data exchange and the operation of the MMC is tested to illustrate the importance of SOO in the real‐time control of MGs and NMGs.

Abstract Objective This study mainly observes changes in perioperative mineral bone metabolism‐related indicators and inflammatory factors in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT), and analyzed the correlation between mineral bone metabolism‐related indicators and inflammatory factors. Methods Clinical data were collected. The study detects mineral bone metabolism‐related indicators and inflammatory factor of perioperative patients with SHPT before and 4 days after operation. The production of high‐sensitivity c‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP) in human hepatocytes cells (LO2 cells) stimulated by different concentrations of parathyroid hormone‐associated protein was detected by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), and western blot. Results The levels of mineral bone metabolism‐related indicators and hs‐CRP in SHPT group were significantly higher than those of control group. After operation, serum calcium, serum phosphorus, iPTH, FGF‐23 decreased, and the level of osteoblast active biomarkers increased, while the level of osteoclast active biomarkers decreased. The levels of hs‐CRP decreased significantly after operation. With the increase of PTHrP concentration, hs‐CRP level in supernatant of LO2 cells decreased first and then increased. RT‐PCR and western blot shows the same trend. Conclusion Parathyroidectomy can significantly improve bone resorption and inflammation in SHPT patients. We speculate that there may be an optimal range of PTH concentrations to minimize inflammation in the body.

IntroductionTo retrospectively investigate the clinical characteristics and risk factors of cardiac surgery associated-acute kidney injury (CS-AKI) progressed to chronic kidney disease (CKD) in adults and to evaluate the performance of clinical risk factor model for predicting CS-AKI to CKD.MethodsIn this retrospective, observational cohort study, we included patients who were hospitalized for CS-AKI without a prior CKD [estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)

BackgroundMonitoring people’s perspectives on the COVID-19 vaccine is crucial for understanding public vaccination hesitancy and developing effective, targeted vaccine promotion strategies. Although this is widely recognized, studies on the evolution of public opinion over the course of an actual vaccination campaign are rare. ObjectiveWe aimed to track the evolution of public opinion and sentiment toward COVID-19 vaccines in online discussions over an entire vaccination campaign. Moreover, we aimed to reveal the pattern of gender differences in attitudes and perceptions toward vaccination. MethodsWe collected COVID-19 vaccine–related posts by the general public that appeared on Sina Weibo from January 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021; this period covered the entire vaccination process in China. We identified popular discussion topics using latent Dirichlet allocation. We further examined changes in public sentiment and topics during the 3 stages of the vaccination timeline. Gender differences in perceptions toward vaccination were also investigated. ResultsOf 495,229 crawled posts, 96,145 original posts from individual accounts were included. Most posts presented positive sentiments (positive: 65,981/96,145, 68.63%; negative: 23,184/96,145, 24.11%; neutral: 6980/96,145, 7.26%). The average sentiment scores were 0.75 (SD 0.35) for men and 0.67 (SD 0.37) for women. The overall trends in sentiment scores showed a mixed response to the number of new cases and significant events related to vaccine development and important holidays. The sentiment scores showed a weak correlation with new case numbers (R=0.296; P=.03). Significant sentiment score differences were observed between men and women (P

In this study, we investigated the effect of dietary methionine restriction (MR) on the antioxidant function and inflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged broilers reared at high stocking density. A total of 504 one-day-old male Arbor Acre broiler chickens were randomly divided into four treatments: 1) CON group, broilers fed a basal diet; 2) LPS group, LPS-challenged broilers fed a basal diet; 3) MR1 group, LPS-challenged broilers fed a methionine-restricted diet (0.3% methionine); and 4) MR2 group, LPS-challenged broilers fed a methionine-restricted diet (0.4% methionine). LPS-challenged broilers were intraperitoneally injected with 1 mg/kg body weight (BW) of LPS at 17, 19, and 21 days of age, whereas the CON group was injected with sterile saline. The results showed that: LPS significantly increased the liver histopathological score (p < 0.05); LPS significantly decreased the serum total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity at 3 h after injection (p < 0.05); the LPS group had a higher content of Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF)-α, but a lower content of IL-10 than the CON group in serum (p < 0.05). Compared with the LPS group, the MR1 diet increased catalase (CAT), SOD, and T-AOC, and the MR2 diet increased SOD and T-AOC at 3 h after injection in serum (p < 0.05). Only MR2 group displayed a significantly decreased liver histopathological score (p < 0.05) at 3 h, while MR1 and MR2 groups did so at 8 h. Both MR diets significantly decreased serum LPS, CORT, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α contents, but increased IL-10 content (p < 0.05). Moreover, the MR1 group displayed significantly increased expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), CAT, and GSH-Px at 3 h; the MR2 group had a higher expression of Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1), SOD, and GSH-Px at 8 h (p < 0.05). In summary, MR can improve antioxidant capacity, immunological stress, and liver health in LPS-challenged broilers. The MR1 and MR2 groups experienced similar effects on relieving stress; however, MR1 alleviated oxidative stress more rapidly. It is suggested that precise regulation of methionine levels in poultry with stress may improve the immunity of broilers, reduce feed production costs, and increase production efficiency in the poultry industry.