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Lysosomes are highly dynamic organelles that maintain cellular homeostasis and regulate fundamental cellular processes by integrating multiple metabolic pathways. Lysosomal ion channels such as TRPML1-3, TPC1/2, ClC6/7, CLN7, and TMEM175 mediate the flux of Ca2+, Cl−, Na+, H+, and K+ across lysosomal membranes in response to osmotic stimulus, nutrient-dependent signals, and cellular stresses. These ion channels serve as the crucial transducers of cell signals and are essential for the regulation of lysosomal biogenesis, motility, membrane contact site formation, and lysosomal homeostasis. In terms of pathophysiology, genetic variations in these channel genes have been associated with the development of lysosomal storage diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, inflammation, and cancer. This review aims to discuss the current understanding of the role of these ion channels in the central nervous system and to assess their potential as drug targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As one of the emerging hallmarks of tumorigenesis and tumor progression, metabolic remodeling is common in the tumor microenvironment. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of global tumor-related mortality, causing a series of metabolic alterations in response to nutrient availability and consumption to fulfill the demands of biosynthesis and carcinogenesis. Despite the efficacy of immunotherapy in treating HCC, the response rate remains unsatisfactory. Recently, research has focused on metabolic reprogramming and its effects on the immune state of the tumor microenvironment, and immune response rate. In this review, we delineate the metabolic reprogramming observed in HCC and its influence on the tumor immune microenvironment. We discuss strategies aimed at enhancing response rates and overcoming immune resistance through metabolic interventions, focusing on targeting glucose, lipid, or amino acid metabolism, as well as systemic regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of sacubitril/valsartan in managing hypertension and cardiac remodeling in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Methods: Hemodialysis patients with stable blood pressure control were enrolled in the study. Sacubitril/valsartan was prescribed to replace previously used angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker or other antihypertensive drugs. During a 6-month follow-up period, pre-dialysis blood pressure, routine biochemical markers, and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels were measured. Volume status was assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Endothelial damage was evaluated by measuring asymmetric dimethylarginine expression, while echocardiography and life quality assessed by Short Form-12 Health Survey were conducted at baseline and after treatment. Results: The median daily dose of sacubitril/valsartan in 32 participants was 200 mg, and no obvious adverse reactions were reported. The defined daily dose of other antihypertensive drugs (baseline 2.00 ± 1.18, end point 1.46 ± 1.30, t = 3.216, p = 0.003) reduced significantly. After treatment with sacubitril/valsartan, left ventricular ejection fraction significantly increased from 64.81 ± 8.16% to 67.55 ± 5.85% (t = −4.022, p ≤ 0.001) and the thickness of posterior wall of the left ventricle reduced from 1.05 ± 0.14 cm to 1.00 ± 0.11 cm (t = 2.063, p = 0.048). The interventricular septal thickness (baseline 1.08 ± 0.16 cm, endpoint 1.02 ± 0.12 cm, t = 2.260, p = 0.031) remarkably reduced by the end of follow-up. The tricuspid regurgitation pressure gradient decreased from 28.47 ± 8.26 mm Hg at baseline to 23.79 ± 6.61 mm Hg (t = 2.531, p = 0.020) after treatment. Conclusion: Sacubitril/valsartan effectively manages hypertension in hemodialysis patients and may also independently improve left ventricular hypertrophy and systolic function, regardless of changes in the blood pressure or the volume load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The optimal choice of dialysis modality remains contentious in older adults threatened by advanced age and high risk of comorbidities. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort and case-control studies to assess mortality risk between peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD) in older adults using PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library database from inception to June 1, 2022. The outcome of interest is all-cause mortality. Results: Thirty-one eligible studies with>774,000 older patients were included. Pooled analysis showed that PD had a higher mortality rate than HD in older dialysis population (HR 1.17, 95% CI: 1.10–1.25). When stratified by co-variables, our study showed an increased mortality risk of PD versus HD in older patients with diabetes mellitus or comorbidity who underwent longer dialysis duration (more than 3 years) or who started dialysis before 2010. However, definitive conclusions were constrained by significant heterogeneity. Conclusion: From the survival point of view, caution is needed to employ PD for long-term use in older populations with diabetes mellitus or comorbid conditions. However, a tailored treatment choice needs to take account of what matters to older adults at an individual level, especially in the context of limited survival improvements and loss of quality of life. Further research is still awaited to conclude this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Methods Results Conclusion To explored the dynamic changes of split phenomenon in multiple antagonistic muscle groups among amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients.One hundred and twenty limb‐onset ALS patients were followed up regularly with an interval of 3 months. Two clinicians collected the muscle strength of elbow extensor‐flexor, wrist flexor‐extensor, knee extensor‐flexor and ankle flexor‐extensor individually.Significant differences in muscles strength were observed between flexors and extensors of elbow, wrist, knee, and ankle (p < 0.05). The frequency of split phenomenon of elbow extensor‐flexor was 15.1%, 13.8%, 19.1%, 17.8%, and 12.5% at the baseline, 3‐, 6‐, 9‐, and 12‐month follow‐up points, respectively. For wrist flexor‐extensor, the frequency was 20.8%, 18.2%, 18.6%, 19.9%, and 20.4%, respectively. For knee extensor‐flexor, the frequency was 3.0%, 8.0%, 7.6%, 8.4%, and 8.9%, respectively. For ankle flexor‐extensor, the frequency was 8.8%, 9.2%, 10.9%, 15.4%, and 15.7%, respectively. For muscles with 3–4 levels of muscle strength, significant dissociation of muscle strength was common, especially among patients with a slow progression rate.Split phenomenon of muscle strength between antagonistic muscles was common in limb‐onset ALS patients. Muscle strength and progression rate were influence factors of the split phenomenon. As disease progressed, the split phenomenon gradually became obvious, and might then slowly disappeared due to the loss of LMNs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite that surgical resection is widely regarded as the most effective approach to the treatment of liver cancer, its safety and efficacy upon centrally located hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unsatisfactory. In consequence, seeking an integrated treatment, like combined with adjuvant radiotherapy, to enhance the prognosis of patients is of critical importance. By recruiting patients undergoing surgical resection for centrally located HCC ranging from June 2015 to 2020, they were divided into liver resection combined with adjuvant radiotherapy (LR + RT) and mere liver resection (LR) groups. The calculation of propensity score and model of Cox proportional hazards regression were utilized. 193 patients were recruited in aggregation, containing 88 ones undergoing LR + RT, while 105 handled with LR. RT was verified to be an independent factor of prognosis for relapse (HR 0.60). In propensity-score analyses, significant association existed between adjuvant radiotherapy and better disease-free survival (DFS) (Matched, HR 0.60; Adjustment of propensity score, HR 0.60; Inverse probability weighting, HR 0.63). The difference of DFS was apparent within two groups (p value = 0.022), and RT significantly down-regulated early relapse (p value < 0.05) in subgroup analysis. The calculation of E-value revealed robustness of unmeasured confounding. The combination of liver surgical resection with RT is safe and effective towards patients with centrally located HCC, which would notably enhance the prognosis and decrease the early relapse of HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study is to determine the incidence of genetic forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in clinic-based population. Methods: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of whole exome sequencing (WES) was conducted among a total of 374 patients with definite or probable ALS to identify ALS-associated genes based on ALSoD database (https://alsod.ac.uk) [2023–07-01]. Results: Variants of ALS-associated genes were detected in 54.01% (202/374) ALS patients, among which 8.29% (31/374) were pathogenic/likely pathogenic (P/LP). The detection rates of P/LP variants were significantly higher in familial ALS than sporadic ALS (42.31% vs 5.75%, p < 0.001), while VUS mutations were more commonly detected in sporadic ALS (23.07% vs 47.13%, p = 0.018). There is no significant difference in detection rate between patients with and without early onset (8.93% vs 7.77%), rapid progression (9.30% vs 8.91%), cognitive decline (15.00% vs 7.93%), and cerebellar ataxia (20.00% vs 8.15%) (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Over half of our ALS patients carried variants of ALS-related genes, most of which were variants of uncertain significance (VUS). Family history of ALS could work as strong evidence for carrying P/LP variants regarding ALS. There was no additionally suggestive effect of indicators including early onset, progression rate, cognitive decline, or cerebellar ataxia on the recommendation of genetic testing in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Methods Results Conclusion To clarify the impact of specific risk/protective factors on the disease progression and survival in a large population of Chinese sporadic ALS (sALS) patients.We investigated a cohort of 937 sALS patients prospectively. Uni‐ and multivariate regression analysis were performed to analyze the influence of demographic factors, comorbidities and medication on the progression and survival of ALS.Our results showed younger age of onset (p < 0.05), long diagnostic delay (p < 0.001) and intake of riluzole (p < 0.001) were significantly related to low progression rate and long survival time. History of smoking (p < 0.05) and bulbar onset (p < 0.001) were risk factors for rapid progression and poor prognosis. Baseline ALSFRS‐R score (p < 0.001) and total MRC score (p < 0.05) were positively related to mean survival time of included patients. Neither comorbidities nor intake of antihypertensive drugs, antidiabetics, and statins as dependent variables showed considerable influence on ALS progression or survival.Our study revealed early onset and long diagnostic delay were indicators of slow progression and long survival. Smoking and bulbar onset were risk factors for shorter survival times and abstaining from smoking was beneficial to patients with ALS in improving median survival time. Long‐term intake of riluzole should be recommended for affordable patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau (NE Tibetan Plateau) exhibits active geological structures and has experienced multiple strong earthquakes, with M ≥ 7, throughout history. Particularly noteworthy is the 1920 M81/2 earthquake in the Haiyuan region that occurred a century ago and is documented as one of the deadliest earthquakes. Consequently, analyzing seismic risks in the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau holds significant importance. The b value, a crucial parameter for seismic activity, plays a pivotal role in seismic hazard analyses. This study calculates the spatial b values in this region based on earthquake catalogs since 1970. The study area encompasses several major active faults, and due to variations in b values across different fault types, traditional grid-search methods may introduce significant errors in calculating the spatial b value within complex fault systems. To address this, we employed the hierarchical space–time point–process (HIST-PPM) method proposed by Ogata. This method avoids partitioning earthquake samples, optimizes parameters using Akaike's Bayesian Information Criterion (ABIC) with entropy maximization, and theoretically allows for a higher spatial resolution and more accurate b value calculations. The results indicate a high spatial heterogeneity in b values within the study area. The northwestern and southeastern regions exhibit higher b values. Along the Haiyuan fault zone, the central rupture zone of the Haiyuan earthquake has relatively higher b values than other regions of this fault zone, which is possibly related to the sufficient release of stress during the main rupture of the Haiyuan earthquake. The b values vary from high in the west to low in the east along the Zhongwei fault. On the West Qinling fault zone, the epicenter of the recent Minxian–Zhangxian earthquake is associated with a low b value. In general, regions with low b values correspond well to areas with moderate–strong seismic events in the past 50 years. The spatial differences in b values may reflect variances in seismic hazards among fault zones and regions within the same fault zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many amphibian behaviors and physiological functions adapt to daily environmental changes through variations in circadian rhythms. However, these adaptations have yet to be reported in Dybowski's frog (Rana dybowskii). We aimed to elucidate the dynamic changes in the behavior and gut microbiota of R. dybowskii within a 24 h cycle during their migration to hibernation sites. Thus, we monitored their behavior at 4 h intervals and collected samples for microbiome analysis. We found that the juvenile frogs arrived at hibernation sites earlier than the adults. Among the adults, the male frogs arrived earlier. The richness and diversity of the gut microbiota in the adult R. dybowskii were lowest at 14:00. At 6:00, the differences between the males and females were most significant. At 18:00, there was an increase in the activity of Bacteroides, Coprobacillus, Ruminococcus, and Dorea in the intestinal tracts of the male frogs, whereas in the intestinal tract of the female frogs, there was an increase in the activity of Pseudoramibacter_Eubacterium, Desulfovibrio, Anaerotruncus, and PW3. This indicated diurnal rhythmic variations in the gut microbiota and significant sex-based differences in the microbial activity at different time points. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the circadian rhythm of R. dybowskii and provide crucial insights into improving breeding strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Readily accessible, oxygenated 6,6‐dibromobicyclo[3.1.0]hexanes react with isovanillin in the presence of silver salts and an inorganic base to afford ring‐expanded/nucleophilic trapping products of various regio‐ and stereo‐chemical forms. Most such products undergo efficient, intramolecular Mizoroki‐Heck reactions to give the corresponding tetrahydrodibenzofurans. In certain cases, simple variations in the first step of such reaction sequences enables the preparation distinct ring‐expansion products that also cyclise to give tetrahydrodibenzofurans embodying alternative substitution patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrochemical performance of aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs) is highly dependent on the electric double layer (EDL) properties at Zn electrode/electrolyte interface. Herein, a novel reconfigured EDL is constructed via a double‐charged theanine (TN) additive for super‐stable and deep‐rechargeable AZMBs. Experiments and theoretical computations unravel that the positively charged TN not only serves as preferential anchor to form a water‐poor Helmholtz plane onto the Zn anode, but also its anionic end could coordinate with Zn2+ to tailor the solvation structure in the diffusion layer and further reconstruct the inner H‐bonds networks, thus effectively guiding uniform Zn deposition and suppressing the water‐induced side reactions. Consequently, the Zn//Zn cells acquire outstanding cycling stabilities of nearly 800 h at a high depth of discharge of 80%. Moreover, the Zn//VOX full cells deliver substantial capacity retention (94.12% after 1400 cycles at 2 A g−1) under practical conditions. Importantly, the designed 2.7 Ah Zn//VOX pouch cell harvests a recorded energy density of 42.3 Wh Kgcell−1 and 79.5 Wh Lcell–1, with a remarkable capacity retention of 85.93% after 220 cycles at 50 mA g−1. This innovative design concept to reshape the EDL chemistry would inject fresh vitality into developing advanced AZMBs and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neural network innovation has become widely employed in many spheres of society, including education, due to the rapid growth of today's global technologies and science. Promoting and interpreting wealth creation as a fundamental aspect is necessary. Education must implement efficiency of the management creation and use novel technological and scientific resources to increase the level of management of teaching in this circumstance. The level of management over education systems may also be effectively increased, complementing the framework to manage students' academic development. An adequate learning idea, a specific instructional orientation, higher academic inspiration, joy of knowledge, and a readiness to study are the qualities intended to be established in the students. Initially, the student data are collected. Further, preprocessing has been achieved by using the normalization technique. Next, a convolutional neural network is proposed as a method for evaluating a student educational management system that takes into account dynamic student behavior during online learning. Moreover, statistical methods such as ANOVA and chi-square test are employed for further analysis. Finally, the performance of the system has been evaluated. Thus, the effectiveness of the student educational management mechanism is analyzed well and effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Convincing studies demonstrated that cervicovaginal microbiota disorder and toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) high expression were related to cervical carcinogenesis. However, the effects of cervicovaginal microbiota integration TLR9 in cervical cancerization are unclear. Based on the biological basis that unmethylated cytosine–phosphate–guanine (CpG) motifs of bacteria could activate TLR9, we explored the effects of cervicovaginal microbiota disorder and CpG motif–TLR9 axis change in cervical carcinogenesis. Methods: A total of 341 participants, including 124 normal cervical (NC), 90 low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN1), 78 high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN2/3) and 49 squamous cervical cancer (SCC), diagnosed by pathology were enrolled in the study. Here, metagenomic shotgun sequencing was used to reveal cervicovaginal microbiota characteristics, and TLR9 protein was detected by western blotting. Results: Our results showed that the diversity of cervicovaginal microbiota gradually increased along with the poor development of cervical lesions, showing the abundance of Lactobacillus crispatus and Lactobacillus iners decreased, while the abundance of pathogenic bacteria gradually increased. The level of TLR9 expression was gradually increased with cervicovaginal microbiota diversity increasing, the abundance of Lactobacillus decreasing, and we found a positive correlation dependency relationship (r = 0.384, P = 0.002) between TLR9 and GTCGTT motif content. Stratified analysis based on HPV16 infection, we found that the characteristics of cervicovaginal microbiota and increased TLR9 expression were also closely related to HPV16 infection. Conclusions: Cervicovaginal microbiota dysbiosis might lead to the CpG motif increased, which was closely associated with TLR9 high expression, and ultimately might promote the progression of cervical lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Premise of research. The prevalence of sexual dimorphisms, which evolve due to contrasting strategies to maximize reproductive success in males and females, is variable among dioecious plant species. In the Salicaceae , many traits have been assessed across many studies, but direct or indirect associations between these traits and reproductive allocation are often neglected. Given the dynamic evolution of sex determination systems and the strong interest in wood production in the family, we wondered whether sexual dimorphisms related to reproduction may have gone unreported. Here, we assess sexual dimorphism in reproductive traits in two species of Salix. Recognition of reproductive sexually dimorphic traits will contribute to understanding the evolution of sex determination systems in the Salicaceae. Methodology. We conducted observational studies in natural populations to assess the presence of sexual dimorphisms in early spring bud density, catkin number, and flower number per catkin across four sampling periods in Salix exigua. We also analyzed flower number and catkin number per flower in Salix nigra. Pivotal results. We observed no sexual dimorphism in preseason buds per branch in S. exigua but did find that males produced more flowers per catkin and more catkins per branch than females in both S. exigua and S. nigra. Conclusions. Higher flower numbers in males compared to females are consistent with expectations from intrasexual selection among males. The presence of reproductive sexual dimorphisms in Salix suggests that sexual selection may affect the evolution of mating strategies in Salix species and the evolution of the sex determination system within this genus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A nomogram that integrates risk models and clinical characteristics can accurately predict the prognosis of individual patients. We aimed to identify the prognostic factors and establish nomograms for predicting overall survival (OS) and cause-specific survival (CSS) in patients with multi-organ metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: Demographic and clinical information on multi-organ metastases from 2010 to 2019 were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were used to identify independent prognostic factors that were used to develop nomograms to predict CSS and OS, and to assess the concordance index (C-index), area under the curve (AUC), and calibration curve. Results: The patients were randomly assigned to the training and validation groups at a 7:3 ratio. A Cox proportional hazards model was conducted for CRC patients to identify independent prognostic factors, including age, sex, tumor size, metastases, degree of differentiation, stage T, stage N, primary and metastasis surgery. The competing risk models employed by Fine and Gray were used to identify the risk factors for CRC. Death from other causes was treated as a competing event, and Cox models were used to identify the factors for death to identify the independent factors of CSS. By incorporating the corresponding independent prognostic factors, we established prognostic nomograms for OS and CSS. Finally, we used the C-index, ROC curve, and calibration plots to assess the utility of the nomogram. Conclusions: Using the SEER database, we constructed a predictive model for CRC patients with multi-organ metastases. Nomograms provide clinicians with 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS and CSS predictions for CRC, allowing them to formulate appropriate treatment plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We attempted to grow (10–13) semi-polar GaN on graphene to confirm the possibility of a remote epitaxy of semi-polar GaN. Single crystalline (10–13) GaN was obtained on an optimized template using optimized growth conditions. However, (10–13), (0002), and other GaN orientations were found under the same growth conditions on a graphene-coated template. Scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy revealed that multi-domain GaN and (0002) GaN occurred in areas with a damaged graphene interfacial layer and intact graphene, respectively. Raman spectroscopy confirmed that graphene could survive under the growth conditions used here. Using cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy, we propose a simple approach to distinguish damaged graphene. Although the remote epitaxy of semi-polar GaN has not been demonstrated despite the usage of an optimized template and growth conditions, our results confirm the importance of the interfacial state in determining the crystallinity of the overgrown layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Source time-reversal imaging (TRI) based on decoupled elastic wave equation can utilize vector P - and S -wave time differences and achieve high-precision source location in complex geological models. The imaging condition is critical for TRI. However, because of the orthogonally polarized properties of P and S waves, traditional vector dot product imaging condition directly applied to TRI will decrease the effective imaging values. In contrast, the energy current density vectors of P and S waves represent the propagation directions of the wavefields and are almost parallel. Their dot product can result in the maximum imaging energy. Based on this principle, we propose a P - and S -wave energy current density vectors dot product imaging condition (PSEDPIC), which uses the propagation direction information of P and S waves at the source point to suppress imaging artefacts generated by waves with inconsistent propagation directions. Numerical tests reveal that PSEDPIC can (1) reduce the image artefacts, (2) improve the imaging spatial resolution and (3) allow a shallower imaging region. In addition, if the numerical simulation algorithm used in TRI can reconstruct the seismic wavefield accurately in the presence of surface topography, the impact of an observation system with elevation differences on imaging can be eliminated automatically. For this reason, we use the curvilinear grid finite-difference method to directly reconstruct the wavefield in TRI to solve the problem of data elevation correction. The test results of 3-D synthetic and field data for microseismic monitoring demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale pre-trained language models (PLMs) such as BERT have recently achieved great success and become a milestone in natural language processing (NLP). It is now the consensus of the NLP community to adopt PLMs as the backbone for downstream tasks. In recent works on knowledge graph question answering (KGQA), BERT or its variants have become necessary in their KGQA models. However, there is still a lack of comprehensive research and comparison of the performance of different PLMs in KGQA. To this end, we summarize two basic KGQA frameworks based on PLMs without additional neural network modules to compare the performance of nine PLMs in terms of accuracy and efficiency. In addition, we present three benchmarks for larger-scale KGs based on the popular SimpleQuestions benchmark to investigate the scalability of PLMs. We carefully analyze the results of all PLMs-based KGQA basic frameworks on these benchmarks and two other popular datasets, WebQuestionSP and FreebaseQA, and find that knowledge distillation techniques and knowledge enhancement methods in PLMs are promising for KGQA. Furthermore, we test ChatGPT (https://chat.openai.com/), which has drawn a great deal of attention in the NLP community, demonstrating its impressive capabilities and limitations in zero-shot KGQA. We have released the code and benchmarks to promote the use of PLMs on KGQA (https://github.com/aannonymouuss/PLMs-in-Practical-KBQA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To analyze the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors ( PPAR- y ) expression in P. acnes-induced pyroptosis, cell proliferation and apoptosis in human keratinocytes (HaCaT) so as to provide a new theoretical basis for clinical treatment. Methods Expression patterns of PPAR- y in acne and normal skin tissues were evaluated using IHC. By lentiviral transfection, PPAR-y was upregulated in HaCaT cells, and the expression of PPAR-y was verified by Western blot. ELISA was performed to analyze the levels of P. acnes-induced pyroptotic-associated inflammatory factors IL-1p and IL-18. EdU assay and flow cytometry were used to detect the cell proliferation and apoptosis ability. Western blot was used to determine the levels of NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1 (caspase-1), Gasdermin D (GSDMD) and PPAR-y expression. Results PPAR-y expression was significantly decreased in acne (P < 0.05). Compared with the control, the P. acnes-induced pyroptotic-associated inflammatory factors IL-ip and IL-18 were increased ( P < 0.01 ), the pyroptotic-associated proteins were increased significantly ( P < 0.05 ) . After treatment with P. acnes, the up-regulated PPAR-y reduced the expression of IL-ip and IL-18 and HaCaT cell apoptosis, promoted the cell proliferation, up-regulated the expression of NLRP3, Caspase-1 and GSDMD in human keratinocytes all in a statistically significant way (all P < 0.05). Conclusion PPAR-y can effectively regulate P. acnes-induced pyroptosis, cell proliferation and apoptosis in human keratinocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Leaf resorption is an important mechanism for plant nutrient conservation, but not all elements are resorbed by plants. It is generally believed that aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) are not resorbed from old leaves due to the potentially toxic effects. However, positive Al and Fe resorption has been found in some specific cases. To date, no one has addressed these specific cases and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Here, a data synthesis was conducted to explore the patterns and controls on leaf resorption efficiency of Al and Fe based on 34 published studies with 272 data points. Results: Low temperature and low soil pH may favor the positive resorption of Al from old leaves. Low precipitation and high soil pH may favor the positive resorption of Fe. In addition, the Fe resorption efficiency was positive in nitrogen-fixing plants (39.2%) but was negative in non-nitrogen-fixing plants (−30.5%). Conclusions: This study highlights that Al and Fe can be resorbed from old leaves, depending mainly on plant functional group and soil environment. This knowledge is an important supplement for understanding leaf resorption processes, and is helpful in modeling global biogeochemical cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To provide new and comprehensive evidence for diagnosis and management of FOSMN syndrome. Methods: We reviewed our database to identify patients with FOSMN syndrome. Online database including PubMed, EMBASE, and OVID were also searched for relevant cases. Results: We identified a total of 71 cases, including 4 cases from our database and 67 ones from online searching. A predominance of male was observed [44 (62.0%)] with median onset age of 53 (range: 7–75) years old. The median (range) disease duration was 60 (3–552) months at the time of the visit. The initial symptoms could be sensory deficits in face (80.3%) or oral cavity (4.2%), bulbar paralysis (7.0%), dysosmia (1.4%), dysgeusia (4.2%), weakness or numbness of upper limbs (5.6%), or lower limbs (1.4%). Abnormal blink reflex was presented in 64 (90.1%) patients. CSF tests showed elevated protein level in 5 (7.0%) patients. Six (8.5%) patients had MND-related gene mutation. Five (7.0%) patients showed transient responsiveness to immunosuppressive therapy, then deteriorated relentlessly. Fourteen (19.7%) patients died, with an average survival time of around 4 years. Among them, five patients died of respiratory insufficiency. Conclusion: The age of onset, progress of disease course, and prognosis of FOSMN syndrome could be varied significantly. The prerequisites of diagnosis were progressive and asymmetric lower motor neuron dysfunction, with sensory dysfunction which usually showed in face at the onset. Immunosuppressive therapy could be tried in some patients with suspected inflammatory clues. In general, FOSMN syndrome tended to be motor neuron disease with sensory involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore independent influencing factors for clinical efficacy of roxadustat in hemodialysis patients. Hemodialysis patients treated with roxadustat were enrolled. The plasma trough concentrations of roxadustat were measured using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). A multiple logistic regression model was established to determine the factors that affect clinical efficacy of roxadustat in patients undergoing hemodialysis. A total of 67 hemodialysis patients were enrolled in the study. The results showed that age, blood trough concentration of roxadustat, and baseline hemoglobin (Hb) level were independent factors of clinical efficacy of roxadustat (OR = 1.06, p =.025 for age; OR = 1.001, p =.037 for plasma concentration; and OR = 0.941, p =.003 for baseline Hb), with an AUC score of 0.859. Age, blood trough concentration of roxadustat, and baseline Hb level were independent influencing factors of the response to roxadustat in hemodialysis patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the differences of the level of homocysteine (Hcy) between ALS patients and controls. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, OVID, and other databases were searched systematically up to October 2022 for relevant reports about the level of Hcy, folic acid, and vitamin B12 (VB12) among ALS patients. Two reviewers screened and selected the titles and abstracts of the studies independently during the database searches and performed full-text reviews and extracted available data. The MD (mean difference) and 95%CI (credibility interval) of the level of Hcy, folic acid, and VB12 between ALS group and control group were calculated. Results: Pooled results of nine studies including 812 ALS patients and 2632 controls showed that the MD in plasma levels of HCY between ALS patients and controls was 1.56 (95%CI: − 0.07, 3.19) μmol/L with remarkable heterogeneity (I2 = 94%). The mean CSF levels of Hcy among ALS patients were significantly higher than that of controls (MD: 0.23, 95%CI: 0.21, 0.24 μmol/L) with no significant heterogeneity (I2 = 0%). No significant difference in the plasma level of folic acid (MD: − 0.52, 95%CI: − 1.89, 0.84 ng/mL) or VB12 (MD: − 9.76, 95%CI: − 83.41, 63.89) was found between ALS patients and controls. Conclusion: There was no significant difference in the plasma level of Hcy, folic acid, or VB12 between ALS patients and controls. The CSF level of Hcy among ALS population was remarkably higher than that among controls. Vitamin supplements including folate and VB12 might be recommended to ALS patients with the complication of deficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental pulp and periapical diseases make patients suffer from acute pain and economic loss. Although root canal therapies, as demonstrated through evidence-based medicine, can relieve symptoms and are commonly employed by dentists, it is still difficult to fully restore a dental pulp's nutrition, sensory, and immune-regulation functions. In recent years, researchers have made significant progress in tissue engineering to regenerate dental pulp in a desired microenvironment. With breakthroughs in regenerative medicine and material science, bioactive scaffolds play a pivotal role in creating a suitable microenvironment for cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation, following dental restoration and regeneration. This article focuses on current challenges and novel perspectives about bioactive scaffolds in creating a microenvironment to promote dental pulp regeneration. We hope our readers will gain a deeper understanding and new inspiration of dental pulp regeneration through our summary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Amaryllidaceae alkaloid (−)-galanthamine (1) is a reversible, competitive acetylcholinesterase inhibitor deployed clinically to treat the dementia associated with Alzheimer's disease. Here, we describe a six-step synthesis of this natural product from simple, readily accessible starting materials. Enantioselective 1,2-reduction, Mitsunobu coupling, Heck cyclization and diastereoselective allylic oxidation reactions are used in our approach, which provides the shortest synthetic route to compound 1 reported to date. A simple modification to the closing stages of the sequence allows equally facile access to (−)- N- norgalanthamine (2), a compound with a range of distinctive biological properties. The concise and operationally simple synthetic protocols reported here could obviate the need to manipulate naturally sourced galanthamine in the pursuit of analogues required for pharmacological studies. Abbreviated total syntheses of the title alkaloids, the first of which is used in the symptomatic treatment of Alzheimer's disease, are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many physiological activities in amphibians show rhythmic changes to adapt to ambient light conditions. However, the effects of photoperiod variation on the immune and antioxidant status and their possible correlation with different tissues have not been reported in Dybowski's frog, Rana dybowskii. In this study, the specific activities of immune and antioxidant enzymes in R. dybowskii under different photoperiods were evaluated. The results demonstrated that the photoperiod significantly impacted antioxidant enzymes and immune enzymes in Dybowski's frog. In terms of antioxidant enzyme activity, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in frogs at 6 L:18D and 0 L:24D were significantly higher than those at 18 L:6D and 24 L:0D, respectively. Further, the activities of these enzymes increased during the dark phase and decreased during the light phase. The malondialdehyde (MDA) content decreased significantly with the decrease in photoperiod time. Lysozyme (LZM) activity in serum and the liver decreased with a prolonged photoperiod. LZM activity in the dark cycle was higher, but the peak activity in skin occurred at noon. Thus, long-term light exposure may cause oxidative stress in Dybowski's frog. Accordingly, a 6 L:18D photoperiod may be suitable for optimum physiological functions of this species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Human Cub and Sushi Multiple Domains 1 (CSMD1) is a novel candidate tumor-suppressor gene. We investigated CSMD1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) by performing an integrated analysis of somatic DNA alterations (i.e., copy number alteration, allelic imbalance, and loss of heterozygosity) with RNA expressions (mRNA and target miRNAs) on specimens from the same ESCC patients, using data from SNP, miRNA, and RT-PCR arrays. Our results indicate that the CSMD1 gene may play a role in the development of ESCC through complex patterns involving somatic alterations and mRNA expression. Furthermore, somatic copy number alterations in SNPs located in non-coding regions of CSMD1 appear to influence expression of both this gene and its target miRNAs. Background: Human Cub and Sushi Multiple Domains 1 (CSMD1) is a novel candidate tumor-suppressor gene that codes for multiple domains, including complement regulatory and adhesion proteins, and has recently been shown to have alterations in multiple cancers. We investigated CSMD1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) by performing an integrated analysis on somatic copy number alterations (CNAs), including copy-number gain or loss, allelic imbalance (AI), loss of heterozygosity (LOH), and the expressions of mRNA and its target miRNAs on specimens from the same patients with ESCC. Results: (i) Two-thirds of ESCC patients had all three types of alterations studied—somatic DNA alterations in 70%, and abnormal expressions of CSMD1 RNA in 69% and in target miRNAs in 66%; patterns among these alterations were complex. (ii) In total, 97% of 888 CSMD1 SNPs studied showed somatic DNA alterations, with most located near exons 4–11, 24–25, 39–40, 55–56, and 69–70. (iii) In total, 68% of SNPs with a CNA were correlated with expression of CSMD1. (iv) A total of 33 correlations between non-coding SNPs and expression of CSMD1 target miRs were found. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the CSMD1 gene may play a role in ESCC through complex patterns of DNA alterations and RNA and miRNA expressions. Alterations in some somatic SNPs in non-coding regions of CSMD1 appear to influence expression of this gene and its target miRNAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are few studies on the relationship between photoperiod and the melatonin cycle in amphibians. To elucidate the role of the photoperiodically modulated endogenous melatonin cycle in different tissues of Dybowski's frog (Rana dybowskii), its serum, liver, whole brain, skin, and eyeballs were collected under five photoperiods, and the daily variation in melatonin concentration was determined via high-performance liquid chromatography. Compared with the control group (12 L:12 D), melatonin concentration was increased under photoperiods 0 L:24 D and 6 L:18 D in serum, and the concentration peaked at 00:00 under photoperiod 0 L:24 D. This trend was synchronized with the peak melatonin concentration in the retinal, liver, and whole-brain tissues. After 24 h of light exposure, no significant daily variation was observed under photoperiod 24 L:0 D. Furthermore, we observed a significant peak at 04:00 in the serum under photoperiod 18 L:6 D. However, we observed the opposite trend in the circadian rhythm of the skin tissue. Our results underscore the high sensitivity of melatonin content to different photoperiods. These findings may have real-world implications in terms of furthering our understanding of circadian rhythms disruption induced by exposure to different photoperiods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is one of the most common autoimmune peripheral neuropathies in adults. Membranous nephropathy (MN), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), and other nephropathy have been reported in CIDP patients and are possibly correlated to CIDP pathogenesis. This study reviewed the previously described cases of patients with CIDP and nephropathy in order to provide comprehensive evidence on the diagnosis and treatment regarding CIDP patients in the context of renal diseases.Method: We reviewed our database to identify patients with CIDP and nephropathy. Online database including PubMed, EMBASE, and OVID were searched for relevant cases.Results: We identified a total of 18 cases with CIDP and nephropathy, including 2 cases from our database and 16 ones from online searching. A predominance of male was observed [14 (77.8%)] with the mean age of 53.3 (standard deviation, SD: 16.6) years old. Almost all patients complained paresthesia in distal limbs (94.4%), except one only presented weakness of four extremities. Corticosteroids were prescribed for 14 (77.8%) patients, and 10 showed responsiveness. Three patients experienced relapses during the gradual tapering of steroids.Conclusion: The same immune-mediated pathogenesis may be involved in CIDP and concomitant nephropathy. Male and sensory-predominant CIDP are red flags for complications of renal diseases in CIDP patients. Corticosteroids remain the first-line treatment for CIDP when complicated with renal diseases. Slower tapering or long-term maintenance of steroids may be beneficial for the prognosis of patients with CIDP and nephropathy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the role of ethylene in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit ripening has been intensively studied, its role in tomato fruit growth remains poorly understood. In addition, the relationship between ethylene and the developmental factors NON-RIPENING (NOR) and RIPENING INHIBITOR (RIN) during ripening is under debate. Here, we carried out comprehensive genetic analyses of genome-edited mutants of tomato ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE 2 (SlEIN2), four EIN3-like genes (SlEIL1–4), and three EIN3 BINDING F-box protein genes (SlEBF1–3). Both slein2-1 and the high-order sleil mutant (sleil1 sleil2 sleil3/SlEIL3 sleil4) showed reduced fruit size, mainly due to decreased auxin biosynthesis. During fruit maturation, slein2 mutants displayed the complete cessation of ripening, which was partially rescued by slebf1 but not slebf2 or slebf3. We also discovered that ethylene directly activates the expression of the developmental genes NOR , RIN , and FRUITFULL1 (FUL1) via SlEIL proteins. Indeed, overexpressing these genes partially rescued the ripening defects of slein2-1. Finally, the signal intensity of the ethylene burst during fruit maturation was intimately connected with the progression of full ripeness. Collectively, our work uncovers a critical role of ethylene in fruit growth and supports a molecular framework of ripening control in which the developmental factors NOR, RIN, and FUL1 act downstream of ethylene signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We designed a simple and efficient electrochemical sensor for the determination of gallic acid (GA) by modifying the glassy carbon electrode (GCE) with the carboxyl-group functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH). For this kind of carbon nanomaterial, MWCNTs-COOH possessed good electrical conductivity and enough specific surface area due to the one-dimensional hollow carbon skeleton with high charge transfer efficiency. Moreover, the carboxyl functionalization of MWCNTs-COOH could promote the homogeneous dispersion of multi-walled carbon nanotubes due to the enhanced surface wettability of carboxyl groups, which helped provide larger electrochemical active surface area and more efficient electron transport channels. Based on the above advantages, the fabricated MWCNTs-COOH/GCE sensor showed a low limit of detection of 0.0067 μM in the linear GA concentration range of 0.01-10 μM. In addition, the good reproducibility, repeatability, stability, and selectivity could be obtained at the fabricated sensor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and anthropogenic activities are producing a range of new selection pressures, both abiotic and biotic, on marine organisms. Although it is known that climate change can differentially affect fitness‐related traits at different trophic levels of the food web, it is not clear if different trophic levels will respond via phenotypic plasticity in the form of maintenance of phenotypes in the face of abiotic and biotic environmental stress similarly. To answer this question, we combined a mesocosm experiment (120 days) using a food web comprising three gastropod species from two trophic levels (grazers and meso‐predators) and a meta‐analysis including 38 studies to address whether different trophic levels exhibit similar phenotypic responses to abiotic and biotic variables. Abiotic (ocean acidification) and biotic (predation) stress significantly influenced body mass, shell mass, shell thickness and shell strength in both grazers and meso‐predators in the mesocosm experiment, with the magnitude of OA effects greater on the meso‐predator than the grazers; a result supported by the meta‐analysis. In contrast, both mesocosm experiment and meta‐analysis found that predation risk induced stronger responses in shell morphology for grazers compared to meso‐predators. Together, our findings indicate that higher trophic level species are better able to maintain aspects of their phenotype under OA, suggesting that they may show greater tolerance to climate change effects in general, while lower trophic levels express higher levels of plastic inducible defences to maintain function when under threat of predation. By using marine snails as a model, our study provides new knowledge for understanding how changing environmental conditions may alter biological interactions, and increases our understanding of how climate change may affect ecological communities in which gastropods play a key role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the association between the use of common medications on hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, OVID, and Web of Science were searched systematically until December 2021 for studies quantitatively investigating the effect of medications on hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes on the risk of ALS. We conducted a fixed-effects model or random-effects meta-analysis to calculate the summary ORs (odds ratios) and 95%CIs (confidence intervals). Results: Regular intake of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) (OR: 0.81, 95%CI: 0.74, 0.89), beta-blockers (OR: 0.82, 95%CI: 0.76, 0.90), calcium-channel blockers (CCBs) (OR: 0.85, 95%CI: 0.79, 0.93), or diuretics (OR: 0.87, 95%CI: 0.81, 0.93) was inversely associated with the incidence of ALS. There was no significant association between statin use and risk of ALS (OR: 0.92, 95%CI: 0.83, 1.03). Metformin (OR: 0.83, 95%CI: 0.75, 0.93) and sulfonylureas (OR: 0.79, 95%CI:0.71, 0.89) use could significantly reduce the risk of ALS. Conclusion: Regular use of anti-hypertensive drugs and anti-diabetes including ACEIs, beta-blockers, CCBs, diuretics, metformin, and sulfonylureas could protect against the incidence of ALS. No significant association between anti-hyperlipidemia drug use and risk of ALS was revealed. Regular medications for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes should be recommended regardless of the diagnosis of ALS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied indium incorporation into InGaN/GaN quantum wells grown by metal–organic vapor phase epitaxy by systematically varying of gallium and indium precursor flows on (0001), (10 1 ¯ 3), (11 2 ¯ 2), and (10 1 ¯ 0) orientations. The layer thickness and indium composition obtained from x-ray diffraction analysis were correlated with a model based on indium and gallium incorporation efficiencies. In the model, the indium incorporation efficiency is reproduced by the Langmuir surface coverage of gallium, indicating that indium atoms close to gallium atoms can be incorporated preferably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, social media has become an important arena for the public to transmit and exchange messages, feelings, opinions, and information about the epidemic. In the era of social media, many UGC contents from self-media and various information about the epidemic on social media have strong emotional colors. These contents are not only rich in resources for text sentiment analysis but also reveal the laws and characteristics of the evolution of users' emotional tendencies in public health emergencies. It even ties together the interaction between media content and society. Objective. As the Sina Weibo platform's characteristics of communication are real-time, open, and "many-to-many," the objective of this study is to collect Weibo-blog contents tagged with the outbreak of COVID-19 in a certain metropolis in China and analyze the emotional evolution situation of Weibo-blogs of the unexpected public health emergency involved. This will provide a dynamic understanding of the mechanisms underlying the evolution of emotional conditions in the context of public health emergencies. Methods. This paper uses a Python crawler, the SnowNLP sentiment analysis model, and correlation analysis to calculate the emotional tendencies of the event "Covid-19 outbreak in a Chinese metropolis" on the Sina Weibo platform. The study was carried out in terms of the evolutionary stages of the event and the factors which induce it. Results. This paper revealed characteristics of time-varying laws and dynamic propagation of users' emotional evolution in public health emergencies. (1) This study refers to the life cycle model of COVID-19, combined with the statistics of the time series of the quantities of Weibo-blog posting, and divides the law of the quantities of Weibo-blog posting changing with the event into three stages: outbreak period, stalemate period, and resolution period. (2) Users' emotional tendencies are changeable and unstable which are easily induced by various factors. (3) There is a significant positive correlation between the reported confirmed cases and the quantities of Weibo-blog posts. (4) Individual emotional tendencies will have a positive changing trend with the public's average emotional tendencies after the event occurs. (5) There is no correlation between reposts, comments, and Weibo-blog emotional tendencies. Conclusion. The research found that, given staged evolution and repeated fluctuations of emotional tendencies, relevant departments should effectively use this law and set up different response plans according to different stages. In addition, what is highly coupled with users' emotional tendencies is not only the information about the virus but more large-scale infected by different intensities of emotions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to solve the problems of high subjectivity, frequent error occurrence and easy damage of traditional corn seed identification methods, this paper combines deep learning with machine vision and the utilization of the basis of the Swin Transformer to improve maize seed recognition. The study was focused on feature attention and multi-scale feature fusion learning. Firstly, input the seed image into the network to obtain shallow features and deep features; secondly, a feature attention layer was introduced to give weights to different stages of features to strengthen and suppress; and finally, the shallow features and deep features were fused to construct multi-scale fusion features of corn seed images, and the seed images are divided into 19 varieties through a classifier. The experimental results showed that the average precision, recall and F1 values of the MFSwin Transformer model on the test set were 96.53%, 96.46%, and 96.47%, respectively, and the parameter memory is 12.83 M. Compared to other models, the MFSwin Transformer model achieved the highest classification accuracy results. Therefore, the neural network proposed in this paper can classify corn seeds accurately and efficiently, could meet the high-precision classification requirements of corn seed images, and provide a reference tool for seed identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the effectiveness of integrated models of mental healthcare in enhancing clinical outcomes, quality of life, satisfaction with care and health service delivery outcomes in young people aged 12–25 years. A secondary objective was to identify common components of integrated mental health interventions.A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published 2001–2023 that assessed clinical or health service use outcomes of integrated care, relative to treatment as usual, for any mental health condition in 12–25 years old accessing community-based care.Of 11,444 titles identified, 15 studies met inclusion criteria and 6 studies were entered in the meta-analysis. Pooled effect size found integrated care was associated with a greater reduction in depressive symptoms relative to treatment as usual at 4–6 months (standardised mean difference = −0.260, 95% confidence interval = [−0.39, −0.13], p = 0.001). Of the seven studies reporting access or engagement, all reported higher rates of both in the intervention arm. The most frequent components of integration were use of a multidisciplinary team (13/15 studies), shared treatment planning (11/15) and workforce training in the model (14/15).Integrated models of mental healthcare are associated with a small, but significant, increase in effectiveness for depressive symptoms relative to treatment as usual. Given integrated care may increase access and engagement, future research should focus on assessing the impact of integrated care in a wider range of settings and outcomes, including clinical and functional recovery, satisfaction with care and system-level outcomes such as cost-effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel tray, Flow-Divided Baffle-Bridge Tray was designed. • The novel tray shows good hydrodynamics in entrainment and wet pressure drop. • Three flow regimes found within the Flow-Divided Baffle-Bridge Tray's cap. • A wet tray pressure drop model based on flow regimes was developed. This study introduces the Flow-Divided Baffle-Bridge Tray (FDBBT), an innovative tray design featuring hole-bridge structures at the caps' base for pre-distribution of gas and liquid, and stepped baffles configuration at the caps' top to minimize entrainment. The pressure drop, weep and entrainment of FDBBT were evaluated in a Φ796 mm experimental setup. Compared to the sieve tray and Glitsch V-1 valve tray, FDBBT demonstrated lower pressure drops and significantly reduced entrainment, suggesting a higher operational ceiling. Furthermore, a specialized single-cap experimental apparatus was designed to assess the lifted liquid rate and uncover gas-liquid flow regimes within the cap, namely churn flow, free-surface flow, and periodic-free-surface flow. Employing data from the single-cap experiments, complemented by CFD-assisted analysis, FDBBT's pressure drop model was established and then validated by the Φ796 mm experiments, with most deviations falling within a 5 % threshold. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to assess the clinical epidemiological characteristics of children with electrical injuries and discuss the countermeasures for the prevention of electrical injuries in children. The children with electrical injuries were grouped according to whether or not they were admitted to the hospital for treatment into inpatient and outpatient groups. Clinical data such as gender, causes of injury and injury-causing voltage distribution in different age groups were analyzed. The factors affecting hospitalization were subjected to χ2 test, Kruskal-Wallis H test, and logistic regression analysis. A total of 321 children were included with 37 divided into inpatient group and 284 divided into outpatient group. The incidence of electrical injuries was highest in children ≤6 years old and in the summer. There were significantly different in gender, place of occurrence, cause of injury and injury-causing voltage between the two groups (p < 0.05). Injury-causing voltage is an independent risk factor affecting hospitalization of children with electrical injuries (OR = 0.116, 95 %CI = 0.040–0.334, p = 0.000). In children ≤6 years old, boys suffered electrical injuries more frequently than girls; battery powered vehicle (47.53 %) was primarily the cause of injury; most of the patients (64.64 %) were exposed to low voltage below 100 Vs, mainly in the case of adolescent children. Male preschoolers accounted for the majority of electrical injury cases, and these accidents mostly happened in household electrical appliances and household battery cars. Overall, it is necessary to improve family electrical safety education and reinforce protective measures against electric injury to children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) are persistent anthropogenic chemicals that are widely distributed in the environment and pose significant risks to human health. Foam fractionation has emerged as a promising method to recover PFOS/PFOA from water. However, PFOS/PFOA concentrations in wastewater are often inadequate to generate stable foams due to their high critical micelle concentrations and the addition of a cosurfactant is necessary. In this study, we developed whey soy protein (WSP) as a green frother and collector derived from soybean meal (SBM), which is an abundant and cost-effective agro-industrial residue. WSP exhibited excellent foaming properties across a wide pH range and demonstrated strong collection capabilities that enhanced the recovery of PFOS/PFOA. The mechanism underlying this collection ability was elucidated through various methods, revealing the involvement of electrostatic attraction, hydrophobic interaction, and hydrogen bonding. Furthermore, we designed a double plate internal to improve the enrichment of PFOS/PFOA by approximately 2.3 times while reducing water recovery. Under suitable conditions (WSP concentration: 300 mg/L, pH: 6.0, air flowrate: 300 mL/min), we achieved high recovery percentages of 94–98% and enrichment ratios of 7.5–12.8 for PFOS/PFOA concentrations ranging from 5 to 20 mg/L. This foam fractionation process holds great promise for the treatment of PFOS/PFOA and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. [Display omitted] • Whey soy protein (WSP) is developed as a frother and collector. • WSP significantly improves PFOS/PFOA foaming ability and stability. • Interaction mechanism between WSP and PFSO/PFOA is confirmed. • Double plate internal (DPI) have the ability to enhance the foam drainage. • PFOS/PFOA are effectively recovered by foam fractionation with WSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RUNX1T1 (Runt-related transcription factor 1, translocated to 1), a myeloid translocation gene (MTG) family member, is usually investigated as part of the fusion protein RUNX1-RUNX1T1 for its role in acute myeloid leukemia. In the main, by recruiting histone deacetylases, RUNX1T1 negatively influences transcription, enabling it to regulate the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic progenitors. Moreover, the formation of blood vessels, neuronal differentiation, microglial activation following injury, and intestinal development all relate closely to the expression of RUNX1T1. Furthermore, through alternative splicing of RUNX1T1, short and long isoforms have been noted to mediate adipogenesis by balancing the differentiation and proliferation of adipocytes. In addition, RUNX1T1 plays wide-ranging and diverse roles in carcinoma as a biomarker, suppressor, or positive regulator of carcinogenesis, closely correlated to specific organs and dominant signaling pathways. The aim of this work was to investigate the structure of RUNX1T1, which contains four conserved nervy homolog domains, and to demonstrate crosstalk with the Notch signaling pathway. Moreover, we endeavored to illustrate the effects of RUNX1T1 on cell fate from multiple aspects, including its influence on hematopoiesis, neuronal differentiation, microglial activation, intestinal development, adipogenesis, angiogenesis, and carcinogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphinans are essential medicines derived entirely from poppy supply chains rendered increasingly volatile by climate change. Here, we report a seven‐step, asymmetric chemical synthesis of (−)‐codeine from simple materials that requires a total combined reaction time of fewer than 24 hours. The efficiency of our approach arises from a double‐Heck cyclization reaction that generates two rings and two contiguous stereogenic carbon centres in the one pot. A subsequent photo‐redox hydroamination protocol provides a novel, atom‐economical means for assembling the piperidine D‐ring of codeine. Simple modifications to the closing stages of our sequence offer effective access to pharmacologically valuable derivatives of N‐demethyl codeine. Our work highlights the capacity for contemporary, stand‐alone chemical synthesis regimes to diversify access to essential opiate medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphinans are essential medicines derived entirely from poppy supply chains rendered increasingly volatile by climate change. Here, we report a seven‐step, asymmetric chemical synthesis of (−)‐codeine from simple materials that requires a total combined reaction time of fewer than 24 hours. The efficiency of our approach arises from a double‐Heck cyclization reaction that generates two rings and two contiguous stereogenic carbon centres in the one pot. A subsequent photo‐redox hydroamination protocol provides a novel, atom‐economical means for assembling the piperidine D‐ring of codeine. Simple modifications to the closing stages of our sequence offer effective access to pharmacologically valuable derivatives of N‐demethyl codeine. Our work highlights the capacity for contemporary, stand‐alone chemical synthesis regimes to diversify access to essential opiate medicines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public health measures to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic have altered health care for chronic conditions. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric asthma, the most common chronic respiratory cause of childhood hospitalisation, in Australia, remains unknown. In a multicentre study, we examined the impact of three waves of COVID-19 on paediatric asthma in New South Wales Australia. Time series analysis was performed to determine trends in asthma hospital presentations in children aged 2–17 years before (2015–2019) and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–2021) using emergency department and hospital admission datasets from two large tertiary paediatric hospitals. In this first report from Australia, we observed a significant decrease in asthma hospital presentations during lockdown periods including April (68.85%), May (69.46%), December (49.00%) of 2020 and August (66.59%) of 2021 compared to pre-pandemic predictions. The decrease in asthma hospital presentations coincided with the lockdown periods during first, second and third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and was potentially due to reduced transmission of other common respiratory viruses from restricted movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correction model is presented for sensor-size-related high-frequency attenuation when measuring the wall pressure fluctuations beneath turbulent boundary layers. The model is developed based on the wall pressure spectra measured on a flat plate model using sensors of different sizes and types. The measurement covers the range of Reynolds numbers, R e θ , based on the momentum thickness between 1500 and 11 400, including flows with adverse and favorable pressure gradients, which were produced by a National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) 0012 airfoil installed above the flat plate. The present model follows the principle of the Corcos correction and is expressed with a simple mathematical form. Major improvements compared with the Corcos correction are made with regard to determining the effective sensing area and the convection velocity for a specific sensor. With the help of convection velocity modeling, the present correction model can be applied to flows in pressure gradients with high accuracy. To assess the generality of the assumptions, the model is used to correct the wall pressure spectra measured at different test facilities with different sensor types, covering a large range of Reynolds numbers, 1.6 × 10 3 < R e θ < 1.19 × 10 5 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: The scheme for virtual emulation experiments based on discrete logic which appropriately lowers students’ cognitive burden and possesses manipulatable interactive logic in tune with real experiments is put forward. The relationship between students’ experiential learning and the influence of cognitive burden is also discussed. Background: Many kinds of research prove that a great deal of time expense and complex experiment setup strategies are a must if one needs adequate exploration experience and results through real experiments. These outputs are also limited to lab resources, leading to students’ less experience gaining. Moreover, conventional virtual emulation experiments are possible solutions but the lowering of cognitive burden is not adjustable. Students still lack practical experience due to the less challenging and more mechanic interaction. Intended Outcomes: A scheme for virtual emulation experiments based on discrete logic which appropriately lowers students’ cognitive burden and possesses manipulatable interactive logic in tune with real experiments and an experiment system based on this scheme. Application Design: Students will deal with different experiment missions and prompts according to their cognitive level in virtual experiment scenarios instead of complex real ones. Students’ operation strategies and parameter settings are analyzed and presented for more proper designs. Findings: The analysis of the experiment data is exciting: students who have accomplished virtual emulation experiments take up the absolute majority of successors when it comes to transfer questions, which means they have got more practical experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teleseismic P wave coda autocorrelation can retrieve reflections from subsurface structural boundaries, which can be used in lithospheric imaging. However, dipping structures cause difficulty in extraction of reflections and errors in depth estimation. Based on a previously proposed velocity analysis method, we formulated a method for estimating the dipping parameters and correcting the effects of dipping structures. First, we derived an arrival time formula for the PP reflection of the dipping Moho, which includes the effects of the ray parameters, dipping structures, and azimuthal distribution of available events. Second, the formula was used for move out correction and velocity analysis. Finally, by scanning the peak of the Moho energy group in the velocity spectrum, which varies with the azimuth and dip angles, a method was proposed to estimate the dipping parameters of the Moho. We referred to the scanning map as a dipping spectrum. A field data test at station NE44 revealed the prospects of the practical applications of this method. The dip angle of the Moho below the station was 3°, and exhibited an azimuth angle of 25°NE. The stacked waveform of the Moho reflection was significantly enhanced. This method was successfully applied to more stations adjacent to station NE44. Our results provide new insight on the Moho in this area, which are important for imaging and interpretation in areas that contain a dipping Moho such as plate subduction zones. Plain Language Summary: Fine imaging of lithospheric structure has important geological and tectonic significance. We propose a method to estimate the dipping parameters of Moho from teleseismic coda and enhance the extracted reflections. Synthetic tests and applications to field data demonstrate the feasibility of this method, which excels at imaging areas characterized by notable changes in crustal thickness such as plate subduction zones. Key Points: We propose a method to estimate parameters and enhance reflections of dipping Moho from teleseismic P wave coda autocorrelationSynthetic and field tests prove the validity of the proposed method, which helps in imaging and interpreting a dipping MohoA field data test at station NE44 in northeast China revealed the prospects of the practical applications of this method [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Biomarkers of bone and cartilage metabolism were proposed as early diagnosis indicators for knee osteoarthritis (OA), however, which were influenced by disease stage, age, and menopause state. Accurate diagnosis indicators are eagerly awaited. The current study aims to investigate associations of joint metabolism biomarkers and bone mineral density (BMD) with early knee OA in males and premenopausal females before age 50 years. Method: A total of 189 patients aged before 50 years with early knee OA and 152 healthy participants were enrolled. Levels of bone biomarkers (PINP, OC, and CTX-I) and cartilage biomarkers (PIIANP, COMP, CTX-II, and MMP-3) were assessed. BMD was measured at the lumbar, femoral neck, and hip. Multivariate regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between biomarkers, BMD, and early knee OA. Results: Serum COMP, urine CTX-II and BMD at femoral neck and hip were increased in premenopausal patients as compared to control; with serum PINP and OC reduced. Meanwhile, serum COMP, urine CTX-II, and BMD at femoral neck and hip showed positive associations with premenopausal early knee OA, while serum PINP had negative association. However, in male patients, only serum COMP was higher than control, and no association of biomarkers or BMD was found with early knee OA. Conclusions: The joint metabolism biomarkers and BMD showed multiple associations with early knee OA in premenopausal females, but not in males aged before 50 years. It was suggested that sex differences should be taken into account when evaluating cartilage and bone metabolism in early knee OA. Key Points • The joint metabolism biomarkers and BMD are associated with early knee OA in premenopausal females, but not in males aged before 50 years. • Sex differences should be taken into account when evaluating cartilage and bone metabolism in early knee OA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]