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Abstract Ribosomal proteins (RPs) are essential components of ribosomes, playing a role not only in ribosome biosynthesis, but also in various extra-ribosomal functions, some of which are implicated in the development of different types of tumors. As universally acknowledged, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been garnering global attention due to its complex pathogenesis and challenging treatments. In this review, we analyze the biological characteristics of RPs and emphasize their essential roles in HCC. In addition to regulating related signaling pathways such as the p53 pathway, RPs also act in proliferation and metastasis by influencing cell cycle, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in HCC. RPs are expected to unfold new possibilities for precise diagnosis and individualized treatment of HCC.

Abstract Breastfeeding provides many health benefits, but its impact on respiratory health remains unclear. This study addresses the complex and dynamic nature of the mother-milk-infant triad by investigating maternal genomic factors regulating human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), and their associations with respiratory health among human milk-fed infants. Nineteen HMOs are quantified from 980 mothers of the CHILD Cohort Study. Genome-wide association studies identify HMO-associated loci on chromosome 19p13.3 and 19q13.33 (lowest P = 2.4e–118), spanning several fucosyltransferase (FUT) genes. We identify novel associations on chromosome 3q27.3 for 6′-sialyllactose (P = 2.2e–9) in the sialyltransferase (ST6GAL1) gene. These, plus additional associations on chromosomes 7q21.32, 7q31.32 and 13q33.3, are replicated in the independent INSPIRE Cohort. Moreover, gene-environment interaction analyses suggest that fucosylated HMOs may modulate overall risk of recurrent wheeze among preschoolers with variable genetic risk scores (P

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, characterized by a complex pathological process involving cartilage degradation, synovial inflammation, and subchondral bone remodeling. In recent years, ferroptosis, a form of programmed cell death driven by iron-dependent lipid peroxidation, has been recognized as playing a critical role in the onset and progression of OA. Investigating the molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis and its involvement in OA may offer novel strategies for diagnosing and treating this disease. This review first outlines the core mechanisms of ferroptosis, with a particular focus on the roles of critical molecules such as Glutathione Peroxidase 4 (GPX4), Transferrin Receptor 1 (TfR1), and Nuclear Receptor Coactivator 4 (NCOA4). Subsequently, this study examines the specific impacts of ferroptosis on the pathophysiology of OA. Building on this, the potential of ferroptosis-related biomarkers for OA diagnosis and treatment is highlighted, along with proposed therapeutic strategies targeting ferroptosis regulation. This review aims to deepen the understanding of ferroptosis mechanisms and advance the clinical application of regulatory therapies for OA.

Strong judicial support is an important guarantee for a country’s environment to achieve good governance. This paper utilizes a multi-period difference-in-differences approach to examine the impact of environmental justice reform, represented by environmental tribunals, on corporate green innovation and its underlying mechanisms. It is found that environmental courts can effectively promote green innovation in enterprises, and their effect on “substantive green innovation” is more significant than that on “strategic green innovation”. The environmental court is divided into the environmental resources trial court and the environmental resources panel court, and the trial court has a more pronounced effect on promoting corporate green innovation than the environmental resources panel court. The establishment of environmental protection courts can improve the efficiency of regional environmental justice, enhance the government’s awareness of environmental protection, and increase the cost of illegal activities by enterprises, thereby promoting corporate green innovation. The promotion effect of environmental courts on corporate green innovation is more significant in regions with non-state-owned enterprises, better legal environments, and lower levels of industry competition. The main findings still hold after considering robustness tests, such as the endogeneity of environmental court establishment. The study suggests that environmental judicial specialization has a positive impact on corporate green innovation, and that the reform of environmental judicial specialization should be continuously deepened to provide useful insights for the construction of the ecological rule of law and the green transformation of enterprises.

Neospora caninum is an important protozoan parasite that causes abortion in cattle and nervous system dysfunction in dogs. No effective drugs and vaccines for neosporosis are available. Further elucidation of proteins related to N. caninum virulence will provide potential candidates for vaccine development against neosporosis. In the present study, N. caninum c-Myc regulatory protein (NcMYR1) gene knockout strains (ΔNcMYR1-1, ΔNcMYR1-2, and ΔNcMYR1-3) were generated using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system to investigate phenotype changes and the potential of the ΔNcMYR1-1 strain as an attenuated vaccine, and this is the first time of using the N. caninum CRISPR-Cas9 gene knockout strain as an attenuated vaccine. NcMYR1 was determined to be a cytoplasmic protein in N. caninum tachyzoites. The deficiency of NcMYR1 decreased the plaque area and the rate of invasion, replication, and egression of the parasites. ΔNcMYR1-1 strain-infected C57BL/6 mice had 100% survival rate, reduced parasite burden, and alleviated pathological changes in tissues compared with those in Nc-1 strain-infected mice. Immunization with ΔNcMYR1-1 tachyzoites increased the productions of cytokines in mice, with a survival rate reaching 80%, and the parasite burdens in the liver and spleen were greatly reduced when challenged with the Nc-1 strain with a lethal dose after 40 days of ΔNcMYR1-1 tachyzoite immunization. ΔNcMYR1 immunization could decrease the abortion rate of female mice from 71.4% to 12.5% and increase the survival rate of pups from 12.5% to 83.3% against the N. caninum challenge. Above all, NcMYR1 is a virulence factor and the ΔNcMYR1-1 strain could be used as a candidate vaccine against N. caninum infection and vertical transmission.

Precocial Eriocheir sinensis, showing advanced sexual maturity, are a serious impediment to crab industry. The aim of this study was to identify miRNAs and its related pathways involved in regulation of precocity in E. sinensis. High-throughput sequencing was used to evaluate hepatopancreas of precocious and normal E. sinensis at the same period. A total of 101 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified as candidate target genes. KEGG analysis revealed retinol metabolism may contribute to the regulation of gonadogenesis. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 family member A1 (aldh1a1) was identified as the core gene in the retinol metabolism by gene expression, and subsequently, gene cloning was performed to further explore its function. The aldh1a1 gene was 1740 bp, including a 189 bp 5′ untranslated region (UTR), 75 bp 3′ UTR and a 1476 bp open-reading frame, encoding 491 amino acids. The corresponding protein is 87.98 % homologous in Portunus trituberculatus. The expression of aldh1a1 was highest in ovary, and then in the hepatopancreas. In addition, dual-luciferase reporter assay indicated that there was negative correlation between NW_020868524.1_2213 and aldh1a1. NW_020868524.1_2213 agomir treatment in the normal group increased testosterone and estradiol levels significantly, down-regulated aldh1a1 expression, and activated the retinol metabolism. By contrast, the administration of NW_020868524.1_2213 antagomir after a short-term induction of retinol resulted in increase in aldh1a1 expression, decrease in sex hormone levels, and inhibition in retinol metabolism. In short, NW_020868524.1_2213 in the hepatopancreas could activate the retinol metabolic pathway via aldh1a1, thus regulating precocious and gonadal development in E. sinensis. These findings would provide a potential pathway for decreasing crab precocity in practice.

Abstract Coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CAD) is among the most prevalent chronic diseases globally. Circadian rhythm disruption (CRD) is closely associated with the progression of various diseases. However, the precise role of CRD in the development of CAD remains to be elucidated. The Circadian rhythm disruption score (CRDscore) was employed to quantitatively assess the level of CRD in CAD samples. Our investigation revealed a significant association between high CRDscore and adverse prognosis in CAD patients, along with a substantial correlation with CAD progression. Remarkably distinct CRDscore distributions were also identified among various subtypes. In summary, we have pioneered the revelation of the relationship between CRD and CAD at the single-cell level and established reliable markers for the development, treatment, and prognosis of CAD. A deeper understanding of these mechanisms may offer new possibilities for incorporating "the therapy of coronary heart disease based circadian rhythm" into personalized medical treatment regimens.

Abstract Aging is the main cause of many degenerative diseases. The skin is the largest and the most intuitive organ that reflects the aging of the body. Under the interaction of endogenous and exogenous factors, there are cumulative changes in the structure, function, and appearance of the skin, which are characterized by decreased synthesis of collagen and elastin, increased wrinkles, relaxation, pigmentation, and other aging characteristics. skin aging is inevitable, but it can be delayed. The successful isolation of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) in 1991 has greatly promoted the progress of cell therapy in human diseases. The International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) points out that the MSC is a kind of pluripotent progenitor cells that have self-renewal ability (limited) in vitro and the potential for mesenchymal cell differentiation. This review mainly introduces the role of perinatal umbilical cord-derived MSC(UC-MSC) in the field of skin rejuvenation. An in-depth and systematic understanding of the mechanism of UC-MSCs against skin aging is of great significance for the early realization of the clinical transformation of UC-MSCs. This paper summarized the characteristics of skin aging and summarized the mechanism of UC-MSCs in skin rejuvenation reported in recent years. In order to provide a reference for further research of UC-MSCs to delay skin aging.

Abstract The survival significance of the number of positive lymph nodes in salivary gland carcinoma remains unclear. Thus, the current study aimed to determine the effect of the number of positive lymph nodes on disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS) in cN0 mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the major salivary gland. Patients surgically treated for MEC of the major salivary gland between 1975 and 2019 were retrospectively enrolled from the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results database. The total population was randomly divided into training and test groups (1:1). Primary outcome variables were DSS and OS. Prognostic models were constructed based on the independent prognostic factors determined using univariate and multivariate Cox analyses in the training group and were validated in the test group using C-index. A total of 3317 patients (1624 men and 1693 women) with a mean age of 55 ± 20 years were included. The number of positive lymph nodes was an independent prognostic factor for both DSS and OS, but the effect began when at least two positive lymph nodes for DSS and three positive lymph nodes for OS were found. Predictive models for DSS and OS in the training group had C-indexes of 0.873 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.853–0.893) and 0.835 (95% CI 0.817–0.853), respectively. The validation of the test group showed C-indexes of 0.877 (95% CI 0.851–0.902) for DSS and 0.820 (95% CI 0.798–0.842) for OS. The number of positive lymph nodes was statistically associated with survival in cN0 major salivary gland MEC. The current prognostic model could provide individualized follow-up strategies for patients with high reliability.

With the rapid development of society and the economy, population aging has become a common challenge faced by many countries in the world today. Structural and functional changes in the cardiovascular system can occur with age, increasing the incidence and severity of cardiovascular diseases in older adults. Due to the limited regenerative capacity of myocardial cells, myocardial infarction and its resulting heart failure and congenital heart disease have become the number one killer of human health. At present, the treatment of cardiovascular diseases includes drug therapy and nondrug therapy. Nondrug therapy mainly includes minimally invasive interventional therapy, surgical diagnosis and treatment, and cell therapy. Long-term drug treatment may cause headache due to vasodilation, lower blood pressure, digestive system dysfunction and other side effects. Surgical treatment is traumatic, difficult to treat, and expensive. In recent years, stem cell therapy has exhibited broad application prospects in basic and clinical research on cardiovascular disease because of its plasticity, self-renewal and multidirectional differentiation potential. Therefore, this paper looks at stem cell therapy for diseases, reviews recent advances in the mechanism and clinical transformation of cardiovascular aging and related diseases in China, and briefly discusses the development trend and future prospects of cardiovascular aging research.

With rapid advancements in digital twin technology within the Industrial Internet of Things, integrating digital twins with industrial robotic arms presents a promising direction. This integration promotes the remote operation and intelligence of industrial control processes. However, the control and error management of robotic arms in digital twin systems pose challenges. In this paper, we present a digital twin-empowered robotic arm system and propose a control policy using deep reinforcement learning, specifically the proximal policy optimization approach. The construction and functionality of each subsystem within the digital twin-empowered robotic arm control system are detailed. To address errors caused by mechanical structure and virtual–real mapping in the digital twin, an integrated proximal policy optimization and fuzzy PID approach is proposed. Experimental results demonstrate that proximal policy optimization is adaptable to virtual–real mapping errors, while the fuzzy PID method corrects physical errors quickly and accurately. The robotic arm can reach the target point using this integrated approach. Overall, error management problems in digital systems have been well addressed, and our scheme can provide an accurate and adaptive control strategy for the robotic arm.

Examining the structure and acquisition mechanisms of a disciplinary knowledge system through the framework of knowledge behavior can greatly enhance science education and stimulate innovation in higher education in the long term. Within this framework, a disciplinary knowledge system can theoretically be segmented into a basic knowledge system and a knowledge network system. Drawing from knowledge structure theory and the philosophy of science, a basic knowledge system is characterized by a pyramid structure. When integrated with ecosystem research perspectives, the knowledge network system assumes a “center-periphery” circle structure which reveals the underlying meanings within the structure of disciplinary knowledge systems. On this basis, using energy chemical engineering as a case study, this paper examines a disciplinary knowledge system by analyzing citations and author collaborations in leading academic papers and explores interconnections within disciplinary knowledge systems. This process provides a methodological reference for other disciplines to identify the structure of their own knowledge systems. This study significantly contributes to educational reform and the development and innovation of academic disciplines by offering a robust framework for understanding and advancing the knowledge structures within various fields.

Abstract Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is seriously limited by the inadequacy of exogenous catalytic ions and endogenous H2O2 in tumors. Herein, a multifunction nano-bomb integrated with calcium peroxide (CaO2) and β-lapachone as donors of H2O2 and GSH-sensitive Fe-based coordination polymer as provider of catalytic ions was constructed for dual cascade-amplified tumor CDT. This hyaluronic acid (HA)-modified nano-bomb could be specially endocytosed by breast cancer cells through a targeting pathway, degraded and released cargoes in response to the GSH-rich cytoplasm. Furthermore, the released CaO2 and β-lapachone could significantly self-generated sufficient H2O2, which could dual-cascade amplify CDT and induce severe oxidative to tumors via cooperating with the delivered iron ions from nano-bombs. Moreover, the unloaded iron and calcium ions could further accelerate tumor damage by overloading Ca2+ and ferroptosis, as accompanied by good magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In vitro and in vivo studies collectively reveal that this nano-bomb not only self-initiates double cascade-amplified CDT via self-generation of H2O2, but also efficiently activates ferroptosis and initiates Ca2+ overloading, consequently significantly tumor growth suppression. This study offers a novel tumor-initiated nano-bomb for dual cascade-amplified CDT and bioimaging with activated ferroptosis and self-supplying H2O2.

Abstract Greenwashing behaviors (GWBs) in green finance products (GFPs) by enterprises seriously hinder the realization of environmental protection goals. However, methods for effectively regulating GWBs in GFPs are unclear. This study constructed a tripartite evolutionary game model to analyze the formation and governance mechanisms of GWBs in GFPs among regulatory authorities, enterprises, and investors. Subsequently, the stability equilibrium strategy and key factors influencing the system equilibrium were discussed. Several interesting conclusions were drawn. First, we demonstrated that an interdependence mechanism exists among three game agents who mutually influence each other. The larger the probability of regulatory authorities choosing active supervision and investors adopting feedback, the more enterprises are willing to carry out green projects. Second, three corresponding governance modes for GWBs were put forward following the developmental stages of GFPs. Among these, the collaboration mode is the most effective in incentivizing enterprises to implement green projects. Third, based on sensitivity simulations, the initial willingness of the tripartite stakeholders, investor feedback cost, investor compensation, the penalty for greenwashing enterprises, and the reputational benefit of enterprises are critical factors that influence evolutionary results. Finally, targeted countermeasures were provided for regulatory authorities to prevent enterprises from engaging in GWBs.

Abstract With the increasing number of electric fast charging stations (FCSs) deployed along roadsides of both urban roads and highways, the long-distance travel of electric vehicles (EVs) becomes possible. The EV charging navigation scheme is significant for the quality of user experience. However, the variable conditions of both power grid and traffic networks make it a serious challenge. In this paper, we propose an efficient EV charging navigation scheme while considering both the electric and computation resource sharing. With the support of vehicular edge computing networks in intelligent transportation systems (ITSs), EVs perform both the flexible power load and edge computing nodes. When the traffic network in the established route starts to become congested, EVs can select to enter the nearest FCS. In addition to being supplemented by electric resources, EVs also benefit by sharing their own computing resource with FCSs. We formulate the EV charging navigation as a mixed integer programming problem, the EV moving route planning, FCS selection, and staying time in FCSs are optimized, to balance the relationships among the traveling time, traveling cost and reward. To address the influence caused by the randomness of traffic conditions and charging prices, a two-stage charging navigation algorithm combined with $$A^{*}$$ A ∗ algorithm and deep reinforcement learning (DRL) is proposed, with a novel designed reward function. Eventually, numerous experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed schemes.

Inappropriate kitchen cooking height may lead to uncomfortable and muscle fatigue. This study aims to compare the effects of kitchen cooking height on upper limb muscle activation, posture, and perceived discomfort among different age groups. Fifteen older women and fifteen young Chinese women each completed three consecutive 20 s simulated cooking tasks at five different heights. Surface electromyography, motion capture, and Borg CR10 scale were used to measure muscle loading. Results showed that the main power muscles of the cooking task were the anterior deltoid, brachioradialis, and biceps brachii. The higher muscle contribution rate of biceps brachii and triceps brachii was found in the younger group compared to the older group (p < 0.05). Muscle activation of the anterior deltoid (different in 1.28–2.87%), pectoralis major (different in 1.43–1.69%), and erector spinae (different in 0.6–1.21%), as well as right shoulder abduction (different in 5.91°–7.96°), were significantly higher in older group than in young group (p < 0.05). Muscle activation of the anterior deltoid and right shoulder abduction decreased significantly with decreasing height (p < 0.05). A height of 200–250 mm below the elbow was considered a more comfortable cooking height for both age groups. This provides data to support the design of cabinet sizes.

Abstract The inferotemporal cortex supports our supreme object recognition ability. Numerous studies have been conducted to elucidate the functional organization of this brain area, but there are still important questions that remain unanswered, including how this organization differs between humans and non-human primates. Here, we use deep neural networks trained on object categorization to construct a 25-dimensional space of visual features, and systematically measure the spatial organization of feature preference in both male monkey brains and human brains using fMRI. These feature maps allow us to predict the selectivity of a previously unknown region in monkey brains, which is corroborated by additional fMRI and electrophysiology experiments. These maps also enable quantitative analyses of the topographic organization of the temporal lobe, demonstrating the existence of a pair of orthogonal gradients that differ in spatial scale and revealing significant differences in the functional organization of high-level visual areas between monkey and human brains.

Abstract Background Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is a major contributor to spinal disorders. Previous studies have indicated that the infiltration of immunocytes, specifically macrophages, plays a crucial role in the advancement of IVDD. Exosomes (exo) are believed to play a significant role in intercellular communication. This study aims to investigate the role of exosomes derived from degenerated nucleus pulposus (dNPc) in the process of macrophages M1 polarization. Methods Nucleus pulposus (NP) tissue and nucleus pulposus cells (NPc) were collected from patients with intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) and idiopathic scoliosis. Immunohistochemistry analysis was performed to determine the number of M1 macrophages in NP tissue. Subsequently, exosomes derived from degenerated NP cells (dNPc-exo) and non-degenerated NP cells (nNPc-exo) were collected and co-cultured with M0 macrophages, which were induced from THP-1 cells. The M1 phenotype was assessed using western blot, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence staining, and qRT-PCR. RNA-sequencing analysis was conducted to examine the expression levels of microRNAs in the dNPc-exo and nNPc-exo groups, and qRT-PCR was performed to investigate the effect pf different microRNA to induce macrophage polarization. Furthermore, western blot and qRT-PCR were employed to demonstrate the regulatory effect of microRNAs carried by dNPc-exo on downstream target signaling pathways in macrophages. Finally, an animal model of IVDD was utilized to investigate the impact of dNPc-exo on inducing M1 polarization of macrophages and its role in the IVDD process. Results In this study, we observed an increase in the number of M1 macrophages as the intervertebral disc (IVD) degraded. Additionally, we discovered that dNPc releases exosomes (dNPc-exo) could promote the polarization of macrophages towards the M1 phenotype. Notably, through RNA-sequencing analysis of dNPc-exo and nNPc-exo groups, we identified miR-27a-3p as a highly expressed miRNA in the dNPc-exo group, which significantly influences the induction of M1 polarization of macrophages. And then, we discovered that dNPc-exo has the ability to transport miR-27a-3p and target the PPARγ/NFκB/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, thereby influencing the M1 polarization of macrophages. We conducted experiments using rat model of IVDD and observed that the exosomes carrying miR-27a-3p actually induced the M1 polarization of macrophages and exacerbated the degradation of IVD. Conclusion In conclusion, our findings highlight the significant role of dNPc-exo in IVDD process and provide a basis for further investigation into the mechanism of IVDD and the potential of exosome-based therapy. Graphic abstract

Introduction:Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are endogenous noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) with transcriptional lengths ranging from hundreds to thousands. circRNAs have attracted attention owing to their stable structure and ability to treat complicated diseases. Our objective was to create a one-step reaction for circRNA synthesis using wild-type T7 RNA polymerase as the catalyst. However, T7 RNA polymerase is thermally unstable, and we streamlined circRNA synthesis via consensus and folding free energy calculations for hotspot selection. Because of the thermal instability, the permuted intron and exon (PIE) method for circRNA synthesis is conducted via tandem catalysis with a transcription reaction at a low temperature and linear RNA precursor cyclization at a high temperature.Methods:To streamline the process, a multisite mutant T7 RNA polymerase (S430P, N433T, S633P, F849I, F880Y, and G788A) with significantly improved thermostability was constructed, and G788A was used.Results:The resulting mutant exhibited stable activity at 45°C for over an hour, enabling the implementation of a one-pot transcription and cyclization reaction. The simplified circRNA production process demonstrated an efficiency comparable to that of the conventional two-step reaction, with a cyclization rate exceeding 95% and reduced production of immunostimulatory dsRNA byproducts.

Abstract Edge computing has been proved an efficient approach to provisioning computation offloading service to vehicles on road through Road‐Side Units (RSUs). However, the traffic volume on road is highly dynamic, while RSU‐based edge servers are static in terms of geographical location and computation capacity. To address this problem, this paper proposes a mobile edge server placement strategy using cruising UAVs along the roads based on the genetic algorithm. A mathematical model is first built to characterize the deployment cost of these UAV‐mounted servers and their routes. Next, a heuristic UAV‐mounted edge server deployment scheme based on K‐medoid clustering and genetic algorithms is designed. Experimental results verify that the proposed UAV deployment scheme satisfies the offloading demand of IoV nodes while reducing the total deployment cost by 17.05–48.94% compared with existing popular approaches.

In the vertebrate retina, several dozens of parallel channels relay information about the visual world to the brain. These channels are represented by the different types of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), whose responses are rendered selective for distinct sets of visual features by various mechanisms. These mechanisms can be roughly grouped into synaptic interactions and cell-intrinsic mechanisms, with the latter including dendritic morphology as well as ion channel complement and distribution. Here, we investigate how strongly ion channel complement can shape RGC output by comparing two mouse RGC types, the well-described ON alpha cell and a little-studied ON cell that is EGFP-labelled in the Igfbp5 mouse line and displays an unusual selectivity for stimuli with high contrast. Using patch-clamp recordings and computational modelling, we show that a higher activation threshold and a pronounced slow inactivation of the voltage-gated Na+ channels contribute to the distinct contrast tuning and transient responses in ON Igfbp5 RGCs, respectively. In contrast, such a mechanism could not be observed in ON alpha cells. This study provides an example for the powerful role that the last stage of retinal processing can play in shaping RGC responses.

Gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs) originate from both gastric adult stem cells and bone marrow cells and are conspicuously present within the histological milieu of gastric cancer tissue. GCSCs play pivotal and multifaceted roles in the initiation, progression, and recurrence of gastric cancer. Hence, the characterization of GCSCs not only facilitates precise target identification for prospective therapeutic interventions in gastric cancer but also has significant implications for targeted therapy and the prognosis of gastric cancer. The prevailing techniques for GCSC purification involve their isolation using surface-specific cell markers, such as those identified by flow cytometry and immunomagnetic bead sorting techniques. In addition, in vitro culture and side-population cell sorting are integral methods in this context. This review discusses the surface biomarkers, isolation techniques, and identification methods of GCSCs, as well as their role in the treatment of gastric cancer.

ABSTRACTHypertension, a prevalent chronic disease, has been associated with increased COVID-19 severity. To promote the COVID-19 booster vaccination of hypertensive patients, this study investigated the willingness to receive boosters and the related influencing factors based on the health belief model (HBM model). Between June and October 2022, 453 valid questionnaires were collected across three Chinese cities. The willingness to receive a booster vaccination was 72.2%. The main factors that influenced the willingness of patients with hypertension to receive a booster shot were male (χ2 = 7.008, p = .008), residence in rural (χ2 = 4.778, p = .029), being in employment (χ2 = 7.232, p = .007), taking no or less antihypertensive medication (χ2 = 9.372, p = .025), with less hypertension-related comorbidities (χ2 = 35.888, p

Thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) behaviour of 316L is investigated based on the internal stress and microstructural characterization at various cyclic stages. Results reveal that the cyclic stress response shows initial hardening followed by cyclic softening at a high strain amplitude, while presenting continuous cyclic hardening as the strain amplitude decreases. Among these, Out-of-phase TMF always shows cyclic softening irrespective of strain amplitude. It is important to note that the hardening of back stress and friction stress contribute to the initial and subsequent cyclic hardening. In contrast, the subsequent cyclic softening is mainly dominated by the reduced friction stress. It is observed that the proliferation of dislocations at grain boundaries and the enhanced dislocation interactions within the grains are primarily responsible for the hardening of back stress and friction stress, respectively. Specifically, the cyclic softening of friction stress is attributed to the annihilated dislocations as a result of cross-slip. It is also found from the hysteresis curves that the intensity of dynamic strain ageing is related to strain amplitude, loading history and phase angle, which correlates to the occurrence of cross-slip, the diffusion rate of the solute atom, the density of point defect and the mobility of vacancies. Finally, the effect of loading conditions on fracture behaviour is demonstrated from the point view of crack sources, secondary cracks, creep cavities and oxidation damage.

In order to solve the insufficient timeliness in the detection of phenolic contents in fresh rice bran, a rapid nondestructive detection method by using Fourier transform near infrared spectroscopy (FT-NIR) was constructed in this work. Multiple batches of fresh rice bran were utilized as experimental samples. Contents of free, bound and total phenolic compounds in fresh rice bran were quantitatively detected, and the prediction models of partial least squares regression (PLSR), support vector machine (SVM) and back propagation neural network (BPNN) were established based on full and characteristic wavelengths of FT-NIR. The results showed that the models based on PLSR algorithm obtained the best predicted performance based on full-wavelength datasets, the \begin{document}$R_{\rm{p}}^2 $\end{document} reached 0.944, 0.943 and 0.937, and RPD reached 3.031, 2.779 and 2.863 for free, bound and total phenolic compounds, respectively. Two variable selection methods, named competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) and continuous projection (SPA) algorithms, were used in this work, and several key wavelengths from 4 to 8 numbers were selected. Best predicted models using key-wavelength datasets were constructed by CARS-PLSR, with \begin{document}$R_{\rm{p}}^2 $\end{document} of 0.953, 0.932 and 0.944 for bound, free and total contents, respectively. The RPD could obtain with 3.301, 2.759 and 3.031, respectively. Meanwhile, the running time of modeling was shortened by 2 times and only needed 2.0 s, which could meet the timeliness requirement of detection of phenolic compounds in rice bran. The results of this study confirmed that FT-NIR technique could be used for rapid and quantitative determination of phenolic components in rice bran.

Abstract Background The HTLV-1 prevalence in China varies geographically, while HTLV-2 infection has rarely been found so far. Proviral load is one of the determining factors of pathogenesis and progression of HTLV-1 related diseases. However, neither molecular assays nor commercial kits are available for HTLV-1 diagnosis in China. The objective of the present study was to develop and validate a TaqMan qPCR assay for HTLV-1 proviral load quantification. Results A plasmid containing both the HTLV-1 of interest and a fragment of the RNase P (RPPH1) gene was constructed and used to establish the standard curves. The assay has a wide dynamic range (2.5 × 108 copies/reaction ~ 25 copies/reaction) and sensitive to 1 copy for HTLV-1 and RPPH1. The limit of detection for Hut102 cell concentration was 0.0218% (95% confidence interval 0.0179–0.0298%). The assay gave coefficient of variation (CV) for both the HTLV-1 and RPPH1 Ct values. All of the HTLV-1 sero-negative samples and MOT cell line (infected with HTLV-2) amplified only the RPPH1 gene by our method, presenting 100% specificity. 85 Samples confirmed positive or indeterminate by LIA were performed by established qPCR assay and WB. 90.0% (27/30) of LIA-HTLV-1-positive, 33% (2/6) of LIA-untypeable and 2% (1/49) of LIA-indeterminate samples were defined as qPCR-positive. The median PVL of LIA-positive samples (n = 27, 1.780 copies/100 cells) was much higher than that of LIA-untypeable and (n = 2, 0.271 copies/100 cells) indeterminate samples (n = 1, 0.017 copies/ 100 cells). Additionally, compared to WB, the duplex qPCR verified more positive samples, demonstrating a better sensitivity. Conclusion The duplex qPCR developed here with high sensitivity, good specificity and reproducibility could accurately and quantitatively detect the HTLV-1 PVLs, which can be used to confirm the initial reactive samples for an improved cost/benefit ratio as well as to monitor the clinical progression and efficacy of therapy in patients with HTLV-1 related disease.

Occult HBV infection (OBI) is a special infection status during Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The underlying mechanism of its occurrence remains unclear. This study conducted sequencing analysis on 104 OBI plasma samples and 524 HBsAg positive samples from 29 blood centres, and searched for high-frequency mutations in transmembrane domain (TMD) of S protein in the OBI population. Plasmids with TMD high-frequency mutations were constructed, in vivo and in vitro functional experiments were performed to investigate possible molecular mechanisms of OBI occurrence. We found 22 high-frequency TMD mutations in genotype B OBI strains. Among them, five mutations can lead to impairment of HBsAg secretion; seven mutations had accumulated intracellular HBsAg while extracellular HBsAg didn’t decrease compared to wildtype. This study chose C85R from TMD2, F220C, and F220Y from TMD4 for further exploration. Protein structure predication showed these three mutant HBsAg displayed changed hydrophilic properties and tended to accumulate in the phospholipid bilayer of cell membrane. Mutant HBsAg’s secretion disorder may induce OBI. On the other hand, V168A + V177A from TMD3 expressed increased HBsAg both in intracellular and extracellular levels. This mutation had most unstable natural conformation and may be inclined to transition into V177A or V168A + S174N + V177A. These three mutations were more prone to mixed infection, presenting a state of coexistence, thus approaching the impaired secretion pattern of OBI. This study demonstrated TMD mutations could contribute to the occurrence of OBI and provided a theoretical basis for OBI study and the functional cure of chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

The origin and intrafamilial transmission of Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1) in non-endemic populations such as China is still unknown. In this study, donors from blood banks/centers in China (including 28 provinces and Shenzhen city) during 2019 and 2021 were screened for HTLV-1/2 antibody, and all the reactive samples were tested using a line immunoassay (LIA) and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Samples that can be detected using qPCR were amplified and sequenced for the long terminal repeat (LTR) region. The positive donors were contacted to identify their relatives. As a result, 4,451,883 blood donors were totally tested, and 50 of them were confirmed to be HTLV-1/2 positive. Viral LTR sequences genotyped from 26 HTLV-1 carriers demonstrated that all had the HTLV-1a genotype, of which Transcontinental and Japanese subgroups accounted for half each. There were 17 family members of 11 index donors detected, and the HTLV-1 infection rate in the spouses of male index donors (83.3%, 5/6) was significantly higher than that in the husbands of female index donors (0.0%, 0/4). However, 7 children of HTLV-1 positive women were tested and found negative. Therefore, our findings indicated that HTLV-1 is spreading silently from high-endemic to low-endemic areas in China. To prevent further HTLV-1/2 transmission, an efficient HTLV-1/2 screening strategy and counseling of the virus carriers are essential.

Summary: Calcific tendinopathy (CT) is defined by the progressive accumulation of calcium crystals in tendonic regions that results in severe pain in patients. The etiology of CT is not fully elucidated. In this study, we elucidate the role of PPP1R3A in CT. A significant decrease in PPP1R3A expression was observed in CT patient tissues, which was further confirmed in tissues from a CT-induced rat model. Overexpression of PPP1R3A ex vivo reduced the expression of osteo/chondrogenic markers OCN and Sox9, improved tendon tissue architecture, and reduced intracellular Ca2+ levels. Overexpression of SERCA2 and knockdown of Piezo1 decreased expression of osteo/chondrogenic markers and intracellular calcium in PPP1R3A-knockdown tendon cells. Lastly, PPP1R3A expression was regulated at the posttranscriptional level by binding of HuR. Collectively, the present study indicates that PPP1R3A plays an important role in regulating calcium homeostasis in tendon cells via Piezo1/SERCA2, rendering it a promising target for therapeutic interventions of CT.

An efficient method to prepare enantiopure (S)-glycidyl pivalate from (R)-epichlorohydrin and pivalic acid is reported. This work provides an alternative to the synthesis of this important building block from readily available and inexpensive materials.

Green innovation is currently recognized as a critical aspect for organizations to create economic value while contributing to ecological sustainability. Using the rationale of upper echelons theory, the present study introduces CEO narcissism, an important but underexplored psychological trait, and dynamic capability to probe the mechanisms driving green innovation. The regression findings show that enterprises with narcissistic CEOs do better in terms of green innovation. According to the mediation study findings, dynamic capability mediates between the CEO narcissism and corporate green innovation. In addition, the examination of mediated moderation reveals that top management risk aversion could negatively moderate this mediation effect. Such observations not only show that the CEO's personality has the potential to enhance corporate green achievements, but also discover the underlying mechanism which would provide guidance to help firms to be green.

Summary: The neural code of faces has been intensively studied in the macaque face patch system. Although the majority of previous studies used complete faces as stimuli, faces are often seen partially in daily life. Here, we investigated how face-selective cells represent two types of incomplete faces: face fragments and occluded faces, with the location of the fragment/occluder and the facial features systematically varied. Contrary to popular belief, we found that the preferred face regions identified with two stimulus types are dissociated in many face cells. This dissociation can be explained by the nonlinear integration of information from different face parts and is closely related to a curved representation of face completeness in the state space, which allows a clear discrimination between different stimulus types. Furthermore, identity-related facial features are represented in a subspace orthogonal to the nonlinear dimension of face completeness, supporting a condition-general code of facial identity.

Abstract Background Acute liver failure (ALF) is a serious liver disease that is difficult to treat owing to its unclear pathogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the roles and molecular mechanisms of calycosin (CA) in ALF. Methods In this study, the roles and mechanism of CA in ALF were explored using an in vitro lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced ALF cell model. Additionally, 3‐(4,5‐dimethyl‐2‐thiazolyl)−2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was used to assess the effect of CA on the activity of LPS‐induced L02 human liver epithelial cells, and flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis in L02 cells. Expression levels of apoptosis‐related genes, Bax and Bcl‐2, were measured using reverse transcription‐quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. Expression levels of inflammatory factors in LPS‐induced L02 cells were measured using an enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Additionally, the effect of CA on ALF was inhibited via transfection of a toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4)‐plasmid to elucidate the relationship between CA and TLR4/nuclear factor (NF)‐κB signaling pathway in ALF. Results CA had no toxic effects on L02 cells, but enhanced the activity of LPS‐induced L02 cells in a dose‐dependent manner. Apoptosis and inflammatory factor release was increased in ALF, activating the TLR4/NF‐κB signaling pathway. However, CA treatment inhibited the apoptosis and release of inflammatory factors. Further mechanistic studies revealed that the upregulation of TLR4 expression reversed the alleviating effects of CA on inflammation and apoptosis in LPS‐induced L02 cells. Conclusion CA alleviates inflammatory damage in LPS‐induced L02 cells by inhibiting the TLR4/NF‐κB pathway and may be a promising therapeutic agent for ALF treatment.

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are widely involved in the transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of multiple biological processes. The transcriptional regulatory ability of RBPs was indicated by the identification of chromatin-enriched RBPs (Che-RBPs). One of these proteins, KH-type splicing regulatory protein (KHSRP), is a multifunctional RBP that has been implicated in mRNA decay, alternative splicing, and miRNA biogenesis and plays an essential role in myeloid differentiation by facilitating the maturation of miR-129. In this study, we revealed that KHSRP regulates monocytic differentiation by regulating gene transcription and RNA splicing. KHSRP-occupied specific genomic sites in promoter and enhancer regions to regulate the expression of several hematopoietic genes through transcriptional activation and bound to pre-mRNA intronic regions to modulate alternative splicing during monocytic differentiation. Of note, KHSRP had co-regulatory effects at both the transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels on MOGOH and ADARB1. Taken together, our analyses revealed the dual DNA- and RNA-binding activities of KHSRP and have provided a paradigm to guide the analysis of other functional Che-RBPs in different biological systems.

Objective To analyze the cost-effectiveness of ELISA grey area strategy through establishing the health economics model. Methods The serological grey area strategy evaluation model was composed of screening strategy subdecision tree, pathogen infection subdecision tree and pathogen detection subdecision tree. The key parameters in the model were obtained from literatures and research data. The cost-effectiveness of setting ELISA grey area strategy was compared by software, and multifactor sensitivity analysis was conducted. Results After setting the ELISA grey area, extra samples(5.86 cases/100 000) with serological false negativity could be detected, including HBV samples at 4.93/100 000, HCV samples at 0.27/100 000, HIV samples at 0/100 000, syphilis samples at 0.66/100 000. To yield an additional seropositive sample out of every 100 000 blood donors, blood center will afford extra 1 million yuan about. Conclusion Through this study, a cost-effectiveness evaluation model of serological detection strategy was established. Although the ELISA grey area setting can yield a small number of seropositive samples, the cost is much higher than the current affordability.

Objective To analyze testing ability of blood testing laboratories in domestic blood establishments, and to comprehensively understand the resource allocation, workload and unqualified blood samples. Methods All blood testing laboratories reported the quarterly quality indicator data via their EQA system on the website of National Center for Clinical Laboratories (https: //srv.clinet.cn/qblood/report/add1.aspx). We collected related quality indicators throughout 2020, including resource indicators, number of sample detection, and number (rate) of unqualified samples. All the data were integrated by EQA system. Results 1) Throughout 2020, 324 blood testing laboratories reported that 13 529 778 donations were tested by immunoassays and 13 892 927 donations were tested by nucleic acid testing(NAT). Among them, 253 laboratories reported the data correctly throughout four quarters, and they tested 12 015 407 donations. 2) The number of equipment varied greatly among different laboratories, and a certain equipment was often overloaded in some laboratories. 3) The proportion of domestic ELISA reagents was 100% (322/322), while the proportion of imported NAT reagents was 75.33% (220/300). 4) The positive rate of HBsAg was closely related to geographical locations, as Sichuan (0.86%, 5 895/689 445), Guangdong (0.57%, 5 147/895 929), and Guangxi (0.53%, 3 021/573 216) provinces demonstrated higher positive rates than that of other provincial regions. Conclusions There are many blood stations across China, with great differences in scale and equipment. There are obvious differences in the positive rates of infectious indicators in different regions. Therefore, the laboratory should make horizontal comparison with the laboratories in the same region, to improve the detection quality of the laboratory in time and effectively.

Global mean sea level (GMSL) change is one of the important indicators of global climate change and is a crucial scientific issue of continuing interest. As satellite altimeter data, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Argo continue to be updated, especially with the release of GRACE Follow-On (GRACE-FO) data, making it necessary to combine these latest data to estimate sea level change. Determinations on whether the GRACE and GRACE-FO observation systems provide unbiased global observation data have not been effectively evaluated. Therefore, this research mainly investigated the consistency of GRACE and GRACE-FO observation data in studying GMSL change. By comparing the sum of the GMSL calculated by the two gravity satellites and Argo data with the GMSL calculated by satellite altimeters, the discrepancy between GRACE-FO + Argo and satellite altimeter data is about 7.9 ± 2.3 mm, which is likely derived from the inconsistency between GRACE and GRACE-FO data.

Abstract. As human life expectancy continues to increase and the birth rate continues to decline, the phenomenon of aging is becoming more prominent worldwide. Therefore, addressing the problems associated with global aging has become a current research focus. The main manifestations of human aging are structural degeneration and functional decline of aging tissues and organs, quality of life decline, decreased ability to resist diseases, and high incidence rates of a variety of senile degenerative diseases. Thus far, no ideal treatments have been found. Stem cell (SC) therapies have broad application prospects in the field of regenerative medicine due to the inherent biological characteristics of SCs, such as their plasticity, self-renewal, and multidirectional differentiation potential. Thus, SCs could delay or even reverse aging. This manuscript reviews the causes of human aging, the biological characteristics of SCs, and research progress on age reversal.

Abstract The focus of this study was to explore the association between the non-HDL-cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol (non-HDLc/HDLc) ratio and mortality in septic patients. This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with sepsis in the eICU Collaborative Research Database (eICU-CRD) from 208 distinct ICUs across the United States between 2014 and 2015 that explored. All-cause mortality within 28 days after ICU admission. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to estimate the risk of death. Of the 724 patients with a median age of 68 years, 43 (5.94%) died within 28 days after ICU admission. When the non-HDLc/HDLc ratio was

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have unique advantages in capturing the details of the crack tip deformation at the atomic scale. As the accuracy of simulation results is heavily dependent on the selected interatomic potential, a comprehensive study of the anisotropic crack tip behavior of hcp titanium under plane strain mode-I loading with the commonly utilized potentials is presented in this paper. The typical crystallographic planes in hcp materials including {0001}, {101¯0}, {112¯0}, {101¯1} and {112¯2} are considered as the pre-existing crack planes. The intrinsic brittleness and ductility of different crack systems are discussed from the perspective of linear elastic fracture criteria. Depending on the selected potential, the dominant crack tip deformation mechanism may be basal a slip, prismatic a, pyramidal c+a slip or twinning modes in different crack systems. Finally, in comparison with experimental results, the different potentials are evaluated in the light of their capability to reproduce the experimentally observed crack tip deformation. Overall, the recent developed Mendelev-II potential is recommended for MD simulation of fracture behavior under mode-I loading, as this potential gives a more realistic crack tip response than other studied potentials.

In the background of the post-epidemic era, the consumption demand and market scale of cold chain logistics in China are expanding, but there is still an obvious gap with developed countries. To complete the balance between the supply and demand for aquatic products and the rational allocation of logistics resources and promote the rapid development trend of aquatic product cold chain logistics, it is particularly important to forecast and analyze the demand for aquatic product cold chain logistics. This article selects six main factors that affect the demand for aquatic products in cold chain logistics, uses the traditional grey model and the grey-BP neural network model to simulate and predict the demand for aquatic products in cold chain logistics in China from 2012 to 2021, and compares and analyzes the simulation results. Generally speaking, the demand for aquatic products from Chinese residents is on the rise. In the simulation prediction process, the prediction error of the grey-BP neural network is reduced compared to the traditional grey model, and the processing ability of the nonlinear system is ideal. The results show that the grey-BP neural network model is an effective method to predict the demand for cold chain logistics of aquatic products. Finally, suggestions are made on the future development of aquatic cold chain logistics in the post-epidemic era from the economic, social, and environmental aspects, which provide valuable decision-making reference for the development of marine aquaculture enterprises and cold chain logistics industry.

Little is known about the brain’s computations that enable the recognition of faces. Here, the authors use unsupervised deep learning to show that the brain disentangles faces into semantically meaningful factors, like age or the presence of a smile, at the single neuron level.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that negatively affects millions of people. Early detection is of vital importance. As recent researches showed dysarthria level provides good indicators to the computer-assisted diagnosis and remote monitoring of patients at the early stages. It is the goal of this study to develop an automatic detection method based on newest collected Chinese dataset. Unlike English, no agreement was reached on the main features indicating language disorders due to vocal organ dysfunction. Thus, one of our approaches is to classify the speech phonation and articulation with a machine learning-based feature selection model. Based on a relatively big sample, three feature selection algorithms (LASSO, mRMR, Relief-F) were tested to select the vocal features extracted from speech signals collected in a controlled setting, followed by four classifiers (Naïve Bayes, K-Nearest Neighbor, Logistic Regression and Stochastic Gradient Descent) to detect the disorder. The proposed approach shows an accuracy of 75.76%, sensitivity of 82.44%, specificity of 73.15% and precision of 76.57%, indicating the feasibility and promising future for an automatic and unobtrusive detection on Chinese PD. The comparison among the three selection algorithms reveals that LASSO selector has the best performance regardless types of vocal features. The best detection accuracy is obtained by SGD classifier, while the best resulting sensitivity is obtained by LR classifier. More interestingly, articulation features are more representative and indicative than phonation features among all the selection and classifying algorithms. The most prominent articulation features are F1, F2, DDF1, DDF2, BBE and MFCC.

IntroductionOccult hepatitis B virus infection (OBI) is an HBsAg negative state in HBV infection with usually inactive HBV replication. However, there were a minority of individuals with positive HBeAg and anti-HBs among OBI blood donors and few studies have focused on this unusual serological pattern.Methods2022 plasma of blood donors that preliminary screened reactive for HBV DNA and non-reactive for HBsAg were collected from 16 provinces in China from 2015 to 2018. HBV DNA and HBsAg in these samples were retested using the Cobas TaqScreen MPX test and ARCHITECT HBsAg Quantitative II assay. Lumipulse HBsAg-HQ assay and polyethylene glycol (PEG)-double precipitation following HCl and trypsin digestion were performed to detect HBsAg from HBsAg-anti-HBs circulating immune complexes (CICs).Results1487 of 2022 samples were positive for Cobas HBV DNA test and non-reactive for ARCHITECT HBsAg assay, while 404 of them were positive using Lumipulse HBsAg-HQ assay. 10 HBsAg-/anti-HBs+/HBeAg+ OBI blood donor samples were further dissociated and HBsAg-CICs were detected in 7 samples. Sequencing analysis showed that D44N, N98T, G73S, Del 56-116, and I161T occurred in the pre-S region, and immune escape mutations such as P127T, F134L, G145R, V168A, and I126T/S in the S region were found.DiscussionIn conclusion, there were a minority of HBsAg-/anti-HBs+/HBeAg+ individuals in OBI blood donors. The undetectable HBsAg in these individuals was mainly due to HBsAg-CICs. Immune escape-associated mutations also happened under the host’s selective pressure. HBsAg dissociation methods or Lumipulse HBsAg-HQ assay is recommended to distinguish these individuals.

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) coinfected with HBV causes severe viral hepatitis, however, the number of HDV infection may be underestimated. In the present study, we enrolled 1,141,331 blood donations, routinely tested for HBsAg and/or HBV DNA, from 21 blood establishments in China. 2,690 donors were HBsAg and/or HBV DNA positive after screening tests. After verification of HBsAg and HBV DNA, 1,490 samples were HBsAg confirmed-positive, including 1,459 HBV DNA-positive samples, and 825 samples were seronegative but HBV DNA positive. We first analyzed demographic characteristics of involved 2,690 donors with different HBV infection status and found the proportions of males, the older donors, workers and farmers were higher in HBsAg-/HBV DNA+ group. Then we evaluated specificity of HDV IgG and IgM antibody assays with 375 HBsAg and HBV DNA confirmed-negative samples, and 374 were tested negative using the two assays, respectively, suggesting a specificity of 99.73% for both assays (374/375, 95% Cl: 98.51–99.95%). Subsequently, we tested for HDV IgG and IgM of 2,315 HBsAg and/or HBV DNA confirmed-positive samples, and nine showed reactivity for IgG, while two were reactive for IgM. All these 11 reactive samples were tested again with another HDV pan-Ig and IgM testing assays and HDV RNA, and only one donor was identified as HDV IgG positive and HDV RNA negative, showing an HDV seroprevalence of 0.067% (95%CI: 0.012–0.38%) among HBsAg-positive blood donors in China. The positive donor was followed up for 2 years after the donation date, and decreased antibody titer of HDV IgG and HBsAg conversion were observed, and the infection status of the donor was HDV infection with recovery and occult hepatitis B virus infection with genotype C2. These results indicated a low seroprevalence of HDV infection among blood donors and a low risk of HDV transmission through blood transfusion in China.

Abstract Background All commercial Hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV) assays use a combination of recombinant antigens to detect antibody response. Antibody responses to individual antigenic regions (core, NS3/4 and NS5) used in assays have not been investigated. Methods In this study, we quantified HCV viral load, tested anti-HCV with four commercial assays (Ortho-ELISA, Murex-ELISA, Architect-CMIA and Elecsys-ECLIA) in 682 plasma specimens. In antigenic region ELISA platform, microwells were coated with three antigens: core (c22-3), NS3/4 (c200) and NS5 individually. The signal-to-cutoff (S/Co) values of different assays, and antibody responses to individual antigens were compared. The specimens were divided into HCV RNA positive group, anti-HCV consistent group, and anti-HCV discrepant group. Results Anti-core and anti-NS3/4 were simultaneously detected in 99.2% of HCV RNA positive specimens and showed great consistency with total anti-HCV signals. Responses to the core region were more robust than those to the NS3/4 region in anti-HCV consistent group (p

Metabolomics-based genome-wide association studies (mGWAS) are key to understanding the genetic regulations of metabolites in complex phenotypes. We previously developed mGWAS-Explorer 1.0 to link single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), metabolites, genes and phenotypes for hypothesis generation. It has become clear that identifying potential causal relationships between metabolites and phenotypes, as well as providing deep functional insights, are crucial for further downstream applications. Here, we introduce mGWAS-Explorer 2.0 to support the causal analysis between >4000 metabolites and various phenotypes. The results can be interpreted within the context of semantic triples and molecular quantitative trait loci (QTL) data. The underlying R package is released for reproducible analysis. Using two case studies, we demonstrate that mGWAS-Explorer 2.0 is able to detect potential causal relationships between arachidonic acid and Crohn’s disease, as well as between glycine and coronary heart disease.

Sea level change is a part of global climate system change. It is an important indicator of environmental change and affects the ecological environment of coastal areas and islands. Global sea level change is composed of sea water mass change and steric sea level change. The change of sea water mass is mainly caused by the water produced by melting of polar ice sheets and glaciers in high mountain areas flowing into the ocean; the steric sea level change is caused by the change of sea water temperature and salinity, while the temperature variation is the most important factor. The study of sea level change is of great significance to science and society. For a long time, scientists have paid close attention to this issue, carried out a lot of research and made important progresses. This paper describes the development of various monitoring technologies for the sea level change and summarizes the research status of sea level change. All the research results shown that the global mean sea level has been rising for more than 100 years. In recent decades, the sea level has been rising faster and faster. There are still some problems, including (1) people have not fully understand the law of sea level change and there is a great uncertainty in the prediction of future sea level change; (2) measured data in deep sea are not enough; the law of ENSO and its impact on sea level is still not clear; (3) land and ocean signals in GRACE cannot be completely separated and the consistency analysis between GRACE and GRACE-FO needs to be developed. These problems need to be further studied.

Here, the authors determine seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in healthy blood donors in the cities of Wuhan, Shenzhen, and Shijiazhuang in China between January and April 2020. The age- and sex-standardized SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among 18–60 year-old adults is, with 2.66%, the highest in Wuhan.