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Abstract Background Sleep regularity has been linked to a risk of arterial stiffness (AS). However, the association between sleep regularity indicators, which reflect 24-hour sleep variability, and AS has not yet been examined. Methods We analyzed data from 516 adults, aged 40–65 years (the median age of 51 years), from the ‘Follow-up Study of Sleep Characteristics and Chronic Diseases in the Middle-aged and Elderly Population in Guizhou Province’. Participants underwent assessments of AS (OMRON HBP-8000, baPWV ≥ 1400 cm/s) and sleep (wrist smart band (Honor band 5i) for ≥ 7 days). Logistic regression was utilized to evaluate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of the association between sleep regularity and AS. Results A total of 516 people were included in this study, of which 279 (54.07%) were in the AS group. The univariate results showed that the AS group (Median 71.18) had lower SRI compared to the No-AS group (Median 75.00) (p

Abstract This study focuses on the design and preparation of a thin-walled plastic chair, and its mechanical properties were investigated by high load, cyclic load and drop impact. The finite element method (FEM) was employed to accurately evaluate the chair’s safety under these forces. Additionally, the effects of important structural parameters on the loading process in different states were investigated. Furthermore, a solid plastic chair prototype was created for experimental analysis. The findings revealed that increasing the thickness of the key structural parameters enhanced the safety properties of the chair under various load conditions. Optimal results were obtained when both dimensions were set to 5 mm. The deformation errors in FEM, experimental strength analysis, fatigue analysis, and drop impact analysis were measured at 3.7%, 3.6%, and 11.7%, respectively. Similarly, the stress errors were determined to be 5.9%, 5.2%, and 6.5%. These results suggest that the structural design of the chair demonstrates excellent reliability. Studying the crucial structural parameters of a plastic chair can provide valuable insights for the scientific design and safety evaluation of thin-walled furniture.

Abstract Background Both atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) are common cardiovascular diseases. If the two exist together, the risk of stroke, hospitalization for HF and all-cause death is increased. Currently, research on left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) in patients with AF and HF is limited and controversial. This study was designed to investigate the safety and effectiveness of LAAC in AF patients with different types of HF. Methods Patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and HF who underwent LAAC in the First Affiliated Hospital of Army Medical University from August 2014 to July 2021 were enrolled. According to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), the study divided into HF with reduced ejection fraction (LVEF

Background: The occurrence of immunity and inflammation outside the central nervous system frequently results in acute cognitive impairment among elderly patients. However, there is currently a lack of standardized methods for diagnosing acute cognitive impairment. The objective of our study was to identify potential mRNA biomarkers and investigate the pathogenesis of acute cognitive impairment in mice brains. Methods: To analyze changes in hub genes associated with acute cognitive impairment, bioinformatics analysis was performed on the mouse brain injury data of sterile saline control group and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced experimental group in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Functional analysis was conducted using Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), which facilitated to identify some potential mRNA biomarkers for hub gene expression in mice brains. Additionally, the ''CIBERSORT X″ R kit was employed to examine immune cell infiltrations of mice brains in LPS group and saline group. Results: In the LPS and saline group, 102 significantly upregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 32 downregulated DEGs were identified. The pathway enrichment analysis using GO and KEGG revealed that these DEGs were mainly related to the regulation of cytokine, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, as well as protein interaction with cytokine and cytokine receptor. Immune cell infiltration analysis indicated potential involvement of M1 macrophages, NK cells resting, T cells CD4 memory, and T cells CD8 naive in the process of cognitive impairment. By constructing a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, five hub genes (Cxcl10, Cxcl12, Cxcr3, Gbp2, and Ifih1) showed significant associations with immune cell types by using a threshold Spearman's rank correlation coefficient of R > 0.50 and p

Epicatechin (EC) is a water-soluble natural organic compound belonging to the flavanol class of compounds. It exhibits various physiological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, treatment of mitochondrial diseases, and prevention of cardiovascular diseases.To examineEC’s impact and mechanism on adult myoblasts’ insulin resistance. The effects of various EC concentrations on the viability of C2C12 adult myoblasts were measured, as were glucose consumption and glycogen content; in vitro antioxidant activity of EC was measured; cellular oxidative marker content and apoptosis were measured; and protein expression was detected by Western blot. A model of insulin resistance in C2C12 myogenic cells was established using palmitic acid. EC significantly increased the glucose consumption and glycogen content; EC increased the levels of CAT, SOD and GSH and decreased the levels of NO, MDA and ROS; EC decreased the apoptosis rate of cells; EC treatment upregulated the levels of GLUT4, p-AMPK, p-ACC, NRF2, and HO-1 proteins. These results suggest that EC can regulate the NRF2/HO-1 signaling pathway, enhance GLUT4 transport, activate AMPK/ACC pathway, enhance cellular uptake of glucose, thus effectively improving insulin resistance in C2C12 cells.

Microwave ablation (MWA) is a potent cancer treatment tool, but its effectiveness can be hindered by the lack of visual feedback. This paper validates the feasibility of using microwave-induced thermoacoustic imaging (TAI) technique to monitor the MWA process. A feasibility analysis was conducted at the principle level and a high-performance real-time TAI system was introduced. To address the interference caused by MWA, a robust principal component analysis (RPCA)-based method for TAI was proposed. This method leverages the correlation between multiple signal frames to eliminate interference. RPCA’s effectiveness in TAI was demonstrated through three sets of different experiments. Experiments demonstrated that TAI can effectively monitors the MWA process. This work represents the first application of RPCA-related matrix decomposition methods in TAI, paving the way for the application of TAI in more complex clinical scenarios. By providing rapid and accurate visual feedback, this research advances MWA technology.

Background The effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in gallbladder cancer (GBC) patients remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of NACT on overall survival (OS) and cancer specific survival (CSS) in patients with localized or locoregionally advanced GBC, and to explore possible protective predictors for prognosis. Methods Data for patients with localized or locoregionally advanced GBC (i.e., categories cTx-cT4, cN0-2, and cM0) from 2004 to 2020 were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Patients in the NACT and non-NACT groups were propensity score matched (PSM) 1:3, and the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were performed to analyze the impact of NACT on OS and CSS. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression models were applied to identify the possible prognostic factors. Subgroup analysis was conducted to identify patients who would benefit from NACT. Results Of the 2676 cases included, 78 NACT and 234 non-NACT patients remained after PSM. In localized or locoregionally advanced GBC patients, the median OS of the NACT and non-NACT was 31 and 16 months (log-rank P < 0.01), and the median CSS of NACT and non-NACT was 32 and 17 months (log-rank P < 0.01), respectively. Longer median OS (31 vs 17 months, log-rank P < 0.01) and CSS (32 vs 20 months, log-rank P < 0.01) was associated with NACT compared with surgery alone. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that NACT, stage, and surgery type were prognostic factors for OS and CSS in GBC patients. Subgroup analysis revealed that the survival hazard ratios (HRs) of NACT vs non-NACT for localized or locoregionally advanced GBC patients were significant in most subgroups. Conclusions NACT may provide therapeutic benefits for localized or locoregionally advanced GBC patients, especially for those with advanced stage, node-positive, poorly differentiated or undifferentiated disease. NACT combined with radical surgery was associated with a survival advantage. Therefore, NACT combined with surgery may provide a better treatment option for resectable GBC patients.

IntroductionMembers of the plant-specific B3 transcription factor superfamily play crucial roles in various plant growth and developmental processes. Despite numerous valuable studies on B3 genes in other species, little is known about the B3 superfamily in pearl millet.Methods and resultsHere, through comparative genomic analysis, we identified 70 B3 proteins in pearl millet and categorized them into four subfamilies based on phylogenetic affiliations: ARF, RAV, LAV, and REM. We also mapped the chromosomal locations of these proteins and analyzed their gene structures, conserved motifs, and gene duplication events, providing new insights into their potential functional interactions. Using transcriptomic sequencing and real-time quantitative PCR, we determined that most PgB3 genes exhibit upregulated expression under drought and high-temperature stresses, indicating their involvement in stress response regulation. To delve deeper into the abiotic stress roles of the B3 family, we focused on a specific gene within the RAV subfamily, PgRAV-04, cloning it and overexpressing it in tobacco. PgRAV-04 overexpression led to increased drought sensitivity in the transgenic plants due to decreased proline levels and peroxidase activity.DiscussionThis study not only adds to the existing body of knowledge on the B3 family’s characteristics but also advances our functional understanding of the PgB3 genes in pearl millet, reinforcing the significance of these factors in stress adaptation mechanisms.

Enterovirus G (EV-G) belongs to the Picornaviridae family and infects porcine populations worldwide. A total of 20 EV-G genotypes (EV-G1 to EV-G20) have been identified. In this study, we isolated and characterized an EV-G strain, named EV-G/YN29/2022, from the feces of diarrheic pigs. This was the first EV-G6 strain isolated in China. Comparison of the whole genome nucleotide and corresponding amino acid sequences showed that the isolate was more closely related to those of the EV-G6 genotype than other genotypes, with the complete genome sequence similarity ranging from 83.7% (Iba46442) to 84.4% (PEV-B-KOR), and corresponding amino acid homology ranged from 96% (Iba46442) to 96.8% (PEV-B-KOR). Similarly, the VP1 gene and corresponding amino acid sequences of EV-G/YN29/2022 were highly similar to those of the EV-G6 genotype (>82.9% and >94.3%, respectively). Thus, the isolated strain was classified as EV-G6 genotype. This was the first EV-G6 strain isolated in China. Pathogenicity analyses revealed that EV-G/YN29/2022 infection caused mild diarrhea, typical skin lesions, and weight reduction. The strain was mainly distributed to the intestinal tissue but was also found in the brain, mesenteric lymph nodes, spleen, and liver. Our results can be used as a reference to further elucidate the epidemiology, evolution, and pathogenicity of EV-G.

It is a longstanding and challenging task to develop sustainable environment-friendly and cost-effective corrosion-protection technologies for Mg alloys, especially under marine conditions in which corrosion can normally be significantly accelerated by bacterial activity. However, this paper reports on the corrosion of highly active Mg interestingly inhibited by an algal-symbiotic bacterium Bacillus altitudinis. The corrosion of Mg in the presence of the bacterium drastically reduced by one order of magnitude after 14 days of immersion. This means that the algal-symbiotic bacterium widely available in natural ocean environments may be employed as a green and sustainable inhibitor in the marine industry. Based on electrochemical measurements, surface analyses and microbe experiments, a combined inhibition mechanism is proposed in the paper to interpret the interesting corrosion behavior of Mg.

ABSTRACTTargeting disorders of glucose metabolism and the occurrence of hyperglycemia provides a potential therapeutic strategy for balancing energy to reduce insulin resistance such as type 2 diabetes. The present study investigated whether theasaponin E1 regulate energy metabolism in skeletal muscle cells. C2C12 mouse myoblasts were differentiated into myotubes . An MTT colorimetric assay verified cell viability. Theasaponin E1 (30, 45 or 60 mg/ ml), or metformin (2.5 mM), insulin (150 nM) for reference were used to treat the C2C12 myotubes. The expressions of energy metabolism were measured by western blotting in C2C12 myotubes. 2-NBDG kit to detect the glucose uptake capacity. Theasaponin E1 Treatment increases glucose uptake,GSK 3 β, as well as increases to the glycogen synthesis through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, while reducing AMPK and ACC activities, and reducing the adipose synthesis pathway. These results suggest that theasaponin E1 may be increases glucose uptake by improving muscle energy metabolism.

Abstract Background Gut microbiota are closely related to the development and regulation of the host immune system by regulating the maturation of immune cells and the resistance to pathogens, which affects the host immunity. Early use of antibiotics disrupts the homeostasis of gut microbiota and increases the risk of asthma. Gut microbiota actively interact with the host immune system via the gut‐lung axis, a bidirectional communication pathway between the gut and lung. The manipulation of gut microbiota through probiotics, helminth therapy, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to combat asthma has become a hot research topic. Body This review mainly describes the current immune pathogenesis of asthma, gut microbiota and the role of the gut‐lung axis in asthma. Moreover, the potential of manipulating the gut microbiota and its metabolites as a treatment strategy for asthma has been discussed. Conclusion The gut‐lung axis has a bidirectional effect on asthma. Gut microecology imbalance contributes to asthma through bacterial structural components and metabolites. Asthma, in turn, can also cause intestinal damage through inflammation throughout the body. The manipulation of gut microbiota through probiotics, helminth therapy, and FMT can inform the treatment strategies for asthma by regulating the maturation of immune cells and the resistance to pathogens.

In this study, we investigated the oxidative mechanisms of nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) enhanced potassium ferrate (K2FeO4), focusing on tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPhT) as target pollutants. The addition of nZVI enhanced the degradation of both organic tin compounds by K2FeO4, exhibiting pseudo-first-order kinetics influenced by pH, carbonate, and fulvic acid. nZVI, as a reducing agent, facilitated the generation of stronger oxidizing species Fe (V) and Fe (IV) from K2FeO4 through electron transfer. The presence of hydroxyl radicals (OH) was confirmed by tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) verification. Intermediate products of TBT degradation by nZVI-enhanced K2FeO4 were identified using GC-MS, confirming de-alkylation leading to stepwise oxidation to inorganic tin ions. Due to excessively long Sn-C bonds in diphenyltin, rendering them unstable, Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were employed. Results indicated that Fe (IV) and Fe (V) predominantly attacked the Sn-C bonds of TPhT, while OH primarily targeted the benzene ring. HOMO energy levels suggested that Fe (V) was more prone to oxidizing TPhT than Fe (IV). Gibbs free energy calculations demonstrated that, in the presence of Fe (IV) and Fe (V), the energy barrier for breaking bonds and oxidizing into inorganic tin ions decreased, favoring the process over the self-decomposition of TPhT. Additionally, the lower energy barrier for OH indicated an easier degradation of TPhT. This study reveals that nZVI-enhanced K2FeO4 effectively removes TBT and TPhT, contributing to the understanding of the ferrate-mediated degradation mechanism of organic tin compounds. The findings offer insights and theoretical guidance for remediating organic tin pollution in aquatic environments.

Zwitterionic hydrogels, with their unique antibacterial and tissue-adhesive nature, show great potential in the fields of wearable sensors, healthcare monitoring, and e-skins. However, it remains a huge challenge to integrate high elasticity and low hysteresis in such a hydrogel via simple methods. Herein, a novel tissue-adhesive zwitterionic hydrogel sensor was fabricated by a simple one-pot method using copolymerization of [2-(Methacryloyloxy) ethyl] dimethyl-(3-sulfopropyl) ammonium hydroxide (SBMA), N-[Tris (hydroxymethyl)methyl] acrylamide (THMA), and acrylic acid (AA), which was crosslinked by polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (PEGDE), a crosslinker famous for its low-toxicity and biocompatibility. The obtained SAT hydrogel shows robust elasticity with low hysteresis and fatigue resistance, which is essential for the long-term use. The introduction of THMA and PAA enhances the adhesive strength and reversible resilience of the hydrogel by interfacial hydrogen bonding, resulting in superior adhesion to skin without causing harm. The chemical crosslinker existing in SAT hydrogel enables it to withstand large deformations while maintaining stability. Besides the well-known antibacterial properties, the addition of SBMA enables the hydrogel to exhibit excellent electrical properties and a rapid response (19.5 ms) within a wide strain-sensing range, which facilitates accurate detection of various human body motions, such as joint bending, swallowing, and heartbeats. Moreover, the hydrogel demonstrates biocompatibility and excellent antibacterial activity, promising a safer and more comfortable experience for users.

This review summarizes recent insights into the Mg corrosion mechanism, clarifies many critical controversial points regarding the Mg corrosion behaviour, and updates some efforts made to extend the industrial application of Mg alloys. Based on the new understandings gained so far, future research directions are also suggested in the review. This review has the following logic. The first section “1. Scope” is a consolidation of the new understandings or developments regarding the Mg corrosion mechanism and the new applications for Mg alloys. It also highlights some key points for the review. The second section “2. Widely accepted knowledge” briefly summarizes the general understanding of Mg corrosion gained so far, which acts as the foundation for the following sections. The third section “3. Recently deepened insights” mainly briefs on some new insights into Mg corrosion phenomena based on recent findings. Different interpretations on the corrosion behaviours are comprehensively discussed in the fourth section “4. Controversial points” and the conclusions are drawn in the subsection “4.5 Clarified points”. Apart from the fundamental understandings, various efforts in the application of Mg alloys are presented in the fifth section “5. New applications”. Following the research tendency as indicated in the review, prioritized research areas are suggested in “6. Future directions”. The review is concluded with “7. Concluding remarks” at last.

Abstract Small-state stream ciphers (SSCs), which violate the principle that the state size should exceed the key size by a factor of two, still demonstrate robust security properties while maintaining a lightweight design. These ciphers can be classified into several constructions and their basic security requirement is to resist generic attacks, i.e., the time–memory–data tradeoff (TMDTO) attack. In this paper, we investigate the security of small-state constructions in the multi-user setting. Based on it, the TMDTO distinguishing attack and the TMDTO key recovery attack are developed for such a setting. It is shown that SSCs which continuously use the key can not resist the TMDTO distinguishing attack. Moreover, SSCs based on the continuous-IV-key-use construction cannot withstand the TMDTO key recovery attack when the key length is shorter than the IV length, no matter whether the keystream length is limited or not. Finally, we apply these two generic attacks to TinyJAMBU and DRACO in the multi-user setting. The TMDTO distinguishing attack on TinyJAMBU with a 128-bit key can be mounted with time, memory, and data complexities of $$2^{64}$$ 2 64 , $$2^{48}$$ 2 48 , and $$2^{32}$$ 2 32 , respectively. This attack is comparable with a recent work on ToSC 2022, where partial key bits of TinyJAMBU are recovered with more than $$2^{50}$$ 2 50 users (or keys). As DRACO’s IV length is smaller than its key length, it is vulnerable to the TMDTO key recovery attack. The resulting attack has a time and memory complexity of both $$2^{112}$$ 2 112 , which means DRACO does not provide 128-bit security in the multi-user setting.

Abstract Background Three‐dimensional visualization preoperative evaluation (3D‐VPE) and enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) have been suggested to improve outcomes of cancer surgery in patients, yet little is known regarding their clinical benefit in patients with gallbladder cancer (GBC). We hypothesized that the combination of 3D‐VPE and ERAS would improve the outcome of patients undergoing surgery for GBC. Objective This study aimed to determine if 3D‐VPE and ERAS can improve the outcomes and overall survival in patients with GBC, establishing a novel patient management strategy for GBC. Methods A total of 227 patients with GBC were recruited and divided into two groups: those who received traditional treatment between January 2000 and December 2010 (n = 86; the control group) and those who underwent 3D‐VPE and ERAS between January 2011 and December 2017 (n = 141). Univariate and multivariate analyses were employed to assess the relationship among disease stages, lymph node invasion, and cell differentiation between the two groups. Cox regression analysis was used to investigate patient survival in these groups. Results Patients who underwent 3D‐VPE and ERAS showed a significantly higher R0 resection rate (67.4% vs. 20.9%, p

Microwave ablation (MWA) plays a crucial role in non-surgical liver cancer treatment, but the existing efficacy evaluation tools lack the characteristics of being real-time, non-invasive, and efficient. As an emerging imaging technology, thermoacoustic imaging (TAI) has attracted extensive clinical attention for its excellent merits, which combine the advantages of high contrast in microwave imaging and high resolution in ultrasound imaging. Particularly, the application of a circular scanned single-channel data acquisition system maximizes the capture of thermoacoustic signals, thereby providing more comprehensive image information and rendering reconstructed images closer to reality. This study aimed to verify the feasibility of TAI in non-invasive evaluation of the efficacy of MWA on ex vivo porcine liver and in vivo rabbit liver. During the experiments, ultrasound is used to cross-verify the results of TAI to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the method. Additionally, by altering the thickness of porcine liver tissue to increase the distance (from 0 mm to 80 mm) between the horn antenna and the target (soy sauce tube), TAI is used to observe the change of the image signal-to-noise ratio to preliminarily explore the imaging depth of TAI. The results of ex and in vivo experiments can not only promote the clinical application of TAI, but also be expected to provide a more accurate and reliable efficacy assessment method for MWA in liver cancer treatment.

Water scarcity is a major environmental constraint on plant growth in arid regions. Soluble sugars and amino acids are essential osmolytes for plants to cope with osmotic stresses. Sweet sorghum is an important bioenergy crop and forage with strong adaptabilities to adverse environments; however, the accumulation pattern and biosynthesis basis of soluble sugars and amino acids in this species under osmotic stresses remain elusive. Here, we investigated the physiological responses of a sweet sorghum cultivar to PEG-induced osmotic stresses, analyzed differentially accumulated soluble sugars and amino acids after 20% PEG treatment using metabolome profiling, and identified key genes involved in the biosynthesis pathways of soluble sugars and amino acids using transcriptome sequencing. The results showed that the growth and photosynthesis of sweet sorghum seedlings were significantly inhibited by more than 20% PEG. After PEG treatments, the leaf osmotic adjustment ability was strengthened, while the contents of major inorganic osmolytes, including K+ and NO3−, remained stable. After 20% PEG treatment, a total of 119 and 188 differentially accumulated metabolites were identified in the stems and leaves, respectively, and the accumulations of soluble sugars such as raffinose, trehalose, glucose, sucrose, and melibiose, as well as amino acids such as proline, leucine, valine, serine, and arginine were significantly increased, suggesting that these metabolites should play key roles in osmotic adjustment of sweet sorghum. The transcriptome sequencing identified 1711 and 4978 DEGs in the stems, as well as 2061 and 6596 DEGs in the leaves after 20% PEG treatment for 6 and 48 h, respectively, among which the expressions of genes involved in biosynthesis pathways of sucrose (such as SUS1, SUS2, etc.), trehalose (including TPS6), raffinose (such as RAFS2 and GOLS2, etc.), proline (such as P5CS2 and P5CR), leucine and valine (including BCAT2), and arginine (such as ASS and ASL) were significantly upregulated. These genes should be responsible for the large accumulation of soluble sugars and amino acids under osmotic stresses. This study deepens our understanding of the important roles of individual soluble sugars and amino acids in the adaptation of sweet sorghum to water scarcity.

At present, catch statistics in the pelagic fishery industry rely mainly on manual counting methods. However, this method suffers from low statistical accuracy and insufficient timeliness. An automatic tuna counting approach based on ByteTrack and YOLOv7-Tuna is presented in this research. The method selects YOLOv7 as the base model, adopts DySnakeConv to obtain more temporal features, combines it with CoordConv to enhance the location-awareness ability of the model, and introduces DyHead to suppress the interference of complex backgrounds. The experimental results show that YOLOv7-Tuna outperforms YOLOv7 in terms of precision by 5.2%, recall by 3.1%, mAP@0.5 by 0.5%, and mAP@0.5:0.95 by 10%. Furthermore, the ByteTrack algorithm was employed to achieve real-time tracking of targets, with specific counting areas added. The results indicate that the counting error of this method decreased to 3.1%. It can effectively accomplish automatic counting tasks for tuna, providing a new solution for the automatic quantification of catch in the offshore fishing industry.

Highland barley (Hordeum vulgare Linn. cv. nudum Hook. f.) is the principal cereal crop over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The response of highland barely to climate change in the past decades, especially in terms of yields still remains uncertain. In this study, its responses to climate change were investigated using daily weather data and agriculture data during 1961–2018. The results showed that the annual mean air temperature over the TP increased at 0.33 °C per decade during 1961–2018, and the rate of warming increased with altitude, reaching 0.41 °C per decade at altitudes of 4500–4700 m. The growing degree days (GDDs) increased by 9.6% during 2011–2018 compared with the 1960s, whereas low temperature degree days (LDDs) decreased by 40.3% over the same period, indicating that the thermal conditions for highland barley cultivation have improved. A strong relationship was observed between the yield of highland barley and LDDs (−0.76, p

BackgroundCervical carcinoma is a type of malignant tumor that primarily develops in the cervix, the lower part of the uterus. In recent years, Despite the considerable progress made in immunotherapy research for cervical carcinoma, an important aspect has been largely overlooked - the absence of a comprehensive bibliometric analysis in this field. By employing bibliometric techniques, this study aims to fill this gap and provide a comprehensive overview of the knowledge structure and research hotspots within the realm of immunotherapy in cervical carcinoma.MethodA comprehensive search was conducted on the web of science core collection(WoSCC) database to identify publications related to immunotherapy specifically for the treatment of cervical carcinoma. The search spanned the period from the year 2000 to 2023. Several analytical tools were employed. These included VOSviewers, CiteSpace, and the R package “bibliometrix”.ResultsA total of 654 research articles from 66 different countries have been included in the analysis. The United States and China have emerged as the leading countries in publishing research on immunotherapy in cervical carcinoma. Leiden University and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center from the Netherlands and the United States respectively have a close cooperation. Fudan University from China and the German Cancer Research Center are also among the key institutions leading research in this area. Frontiers in Oncology has emerged as the most popular and widely recognized publication in the field of immunotherapy in cervical carcinoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology is frequently cited by researchers in this area. Van Der Burg, Sjoerd H has published the highest number of papers. Tewari, Krishnansu S has been the most co-cited author. Keywords such as PD-L1, chemotherapy, and immune checkpoint inhibitors have gained significant attention in recent years.ConclusionThis is the first bibliometric study that comprehensively summarizes the research trends and developments of immunotherapy in cervical carcinoma. This groundbreaking study not only summarizes the current research trends and developments in immunotherapy for cervical carcinoma but also provides a reference for scholars studying the treatment of cervical cancer.

Primary borderline mucinous tumor of the testis is extremely rare and belongs to the ovarian epithelial type. Testicular borderline mucinous tumor is intermediate in malignancy between benign mucinous cystadenoma and mucinous carcinoma, and their clinical treatment is mainly based on radical testicular resection. The reported cases with PBMTs have a good prognosis with no cases of recurrence or metastasis after surgery reported. However, we herein report a 21-year-old male who may be the first reported case of PBMT of the testis with postoperative tumor metastasis.

A novel Mg-Al LDH film was in-situ prepared hydrothermally in an alkaline aqueous solution on an Al-alloyed AZ31 substrate. The structural, chemical and functional characteristics of the film were explored by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), polarization curve, AC impedance and salt immersion tests, respectively. The anti-corrosion results indicated that the Mg-Al LDH film on the Al-alloyed AZ31 surface could effectively protect the AZ31 from corrosion attack even after 90 days of immersion in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. The protection performance is surprisingly better than most of the reported coatings on Mg alloys. More interestingly, when the Mg-Al LDH film was scratched, the exposed Al-alloyed surface might gradually release metal ions and re-generate dense LDH nano-sheets in the corrosive environment to inhibit the further corrosion there, exhibiting a self-repairing behavior. The combination of the benign long-term protection and desirable self-repairing performance in this new process of surface-alloying and LDH-formation may significantly extend the practical application of magnesium alloys.

Abstract Background Previous studies had explored the diagnostic or prognostic value of NRP‐1/CD304 in blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and B‐cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B‐ALL), whereas the expression and application value of NRP‐1/CD304 in other common hematological diseases have not been reported. Methods Bone marrow samples from 297 newly diagnosed patients with various hematological diseases were collected to detect the expression of NRP‐1/CD304 by flow cytometry (FCM). The diagnostic efficacy of NRP‐1/ CD304‐positive diseases was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) was compared. Results In the research cohort, the total positive rate of NRP‐1/CD304 was 14.81% (44/297), mainly distributed in BPDCN (100%, 6/6), B‐ALL (48.61%, 35/72), and AML (4.48%, 3/67), with statistically significant differences (p

Abstract Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) agent sodium‐glucose co‐transporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors show special benefits in reducing body weight and heart failure risks. To accelerate clinical development for novel SGLT2 inhibitors, a quantitative relationship among pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and disease end points (PK/PD/end points) in healthy subjects and patients with T2DM was developed. PK/PD/end point data in published clinical studies for three globally marketed SGLT2 inhibitors (dapagliflozin, canagliflozin, and empagliflozin) were collected according to pre‐set criteria. Overall, 80 papers with 880 PK, 27 PD, 848 fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and 1219 hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) data were collected. A two‐compartmental model with Hill's equation was utilized to capture PK/PD profiles. A novel translational biomarker, the change of urine glucose excretion (UGE) from baseline normalized by FPG (ΔUGEc) was identified to bridge healthy subjects and patients with T2DM with different disease statuses. ΔUGEc was found to have a similar maximum increase with different half‐maximal effective concentration values of 56.6, 2310, and 841 mg/mL·h for dapagliflozin, canagliflozin, and empagliflozin respectively. ΔUGEc will change FPG based on linear function. HbA1c profiles were captured by indirect response model. Additional placebo effect was also considered for both end points. The PK/ΔUGEc/FPG/HbA1c relationship was validated internally using diagnostic plots and visual assessment and further validated externally using the fourth globally approved same‐in‐class drug (ertugliflozin). This validated quantitative PK/PD/end point relationship offers novel insight into long‐term efficacy prediction for SGLT2 inhibitors. The novelty identified ΔUGEc could make the comparison of different SGLT2 inhibitors' efficacy characteristics easier, and achieve early prediction from healthy subjects to patients.

Objective: PB-119, a PEGylated exenatide injection, is a once-weekly glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of PB-119 on insulin resistance and beta-cell function in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to uncover its antidiabetic characteristics.Methods: A total of 36 Chinese T2DM patients were randomized to receive 25 μg and 50 μg PB-119 once weekly and exenatide (5–10 μg injected under the skin 2 times a day adjusted by the doctor) for 12 weeks. Oral mixed meal tolerance tests were conducted before the study and on Day 79. The data were fitted to estimate beta-cell function and insulin sensitivity parameters using the SAAM II package integrating the oral minimal model (OMM), which was compared with Homeostatic Model Assessment (HOMA) analysis results.Results: Exenatide or PB-119 treatment, compared with their baseline, was associated with higher beta-cell function parameters (φb, φs and φtot), disposition index, insulin secretion rates, and a lower glucose area under the curve. High-dose PB-119 also has a higher insulin resistance parameter (SI) than the baseline, but HOMA-IR did not. For the homeostatic model assessment parameters, HOMA-IR showed no statistically significant changes within or between treatments. Only high-dose PB-119 improved HOMA-β after 12 weeks of treatment.Conclusion: After 12 weeks of treatment, PB-119 decreased glycemic levels by improving beta-cell function and insulin resistance.

Abstract Background Systemic sclerosis (SSc; also known as “scleroderma”) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by extensive fibrosis, vascular changes, and immunologic dysregulation. Baicalein (phenolic flavonoid derived from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi) has been used to treat the pathological processes of various fibrotic and inflammatory diseases. In this study, we investigated the effect of baicalein on the major pathologic characteristics of SSc: fibrosis, B-cell abnormalities, and inflammation. Methods The effect of baicalein on collagen accumulation and expression of fibrogenic markers in human dermal fibroblasts were analyzed. SSc mice were produced by injecting bleomycin and treated with baicalein (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg). The antifibrotic features of baicalein and its mechanisms were investigated by histologic examination, hydroxyproline assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blotting and flow cytometry. Results Baicalein (5–120 μM) significantly inhibited the accumulation of the extracellular matrix and fibroblast activation in transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1- and platelet derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced human dermal fibroblasts, as evidenced by abrogated deposition of total collagen, decreased secretion of soluble collagen, reduced collagen contraction capability and downregulation of various fibrogenesis molecules. In a bleomycin-induced model of dermal fibrosis in mice, baicalein (25–100 mg/kg) restored dermal architecture, ameliorated inflammatory infiltrates, and attenuated dermal thickness and collagen accumulation in a dose-dependent manner. According to flow cytometry, baicalein reduced the proportion of B cells (B220+ lymphocytes) and increased the proportion of memory B cells (B220+CD27+ lymphocytes) in the spleens of bleomycin-induced mice. Baicalein treatment potently attenuated serum levels of cytokines (interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-17A, tumor necrosis factor-α), chemokines (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, macrophage inflammatory protein-1 beta) and autoantibodies (anti-scleroderma 70 (Scl-70), anti-polymyositis-scleroderma (PM-Scl), anti-centromeres, anti-double stranded DNA (dsDNA). In addition, baicalein treatment can significantly inhibit the activation of TGF-β1 signaling in dermal fibroblasts and bleomycin-induce mice of SSc, evidenced by reducing the expression of TGF-β1 and IL-11, as well as inhibiting both small mother against decapentaplegic homolog 3 (SMAD3) and extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) activation. Conclusions These findings suggest that baicalein has therapeutic potential against SSc, exerting modulating B-cell abnormalities, anti-inflammatory effects, and antifibrosis.

To clarify the anodic dissolution mechanism of Mg, the hydrogen evolution from pure Mg in acidic solutions under galvanostatic conditions were systematically measured. With increasing anodic current density, the cathodic hydrogen evolution rate decreased, and the anodic hydrogen evolution became faster while some surface area on the Mg was becoming dark under anodic polarization. Based on the surface analysis results and the generally accepted basic electrochemical equations, the evolution kinetics of hydrogen from Mg was deduced, and the most possible surface intermediate active species that could facilitate the anodic Mg dissolution and anodic hydrogen evolution were proposed. This paper further develops the model of incomplete film Mg+ dissolution, explains many reported experimental phenomena, and clarifies misunderstandings of current mechanism.

Rice, the main food crop in China, has been sporadically reported to suffer from weedy rice infestation. However, the overall occurrence and distribution pattern of Chinese weedy rice remains unclear because a systematic survey has not been conducted. In order to reveal the infestation of Chinese weedy rice, a field survey was conducted in 999 sampling sites all over the rice-growing regions in China from 2009 to 2016 using seven-scale visual scoring of the level of weed infestation. Weedy rice was found 39% occurrence incidence in a total of 387 sites. The sampling sites with 50% or higher overall weedy rice infestation index mainly radiated from Jiangsu, Heilongjiang, Ningxia and Guangdong to the whole East China, Northeast China, Northwest China and South China. A total of 45 morphological characters from 287 populations (collected simultaneously with the field survey) out of those occurred sites were observed and analyzed using multivariate analysis in common gardens with the same cultivation conditions in 2017 and 2019. Canonical correlation analysis showed that 45 morphological characters were significantly related to the latitude, mean temperature, minimum temperature, precipitation and mean diurnal range factors. The 287 weedy rice populations were divided into three morphological groups with climate-dependent geographical differentiation: strong tiller type only in Jiangsu, large leaf type in South China and Central China and large grain type mainly in North China. Weedy rice seriously infested rice fields and had a geography, climate and cultivated rice type-dependent morphological and biotype differentiation in China. It is suggested to pay attention to the harmfulness of weedy rice and adopt comprehensive control strategies.

Abstract Background Overweight and obesity rates have increased rapidly in Chinese school-age children, and previous studies have indicated that poor dietary literacy can lead to unhealthy eating behaviours. However, few studies have investigated the association between the dietary literacy of daily diet providers and the eating behaviours and nutritional status of school-age children raised by the providers. Thus, we aimed to explore this association. Methods We collected data on the eating behaviours and nutritional status of children in two primary schools in Anhui Province, as well as the dietary literacy of their daily diet providers. T-tests, one-way ANOVA, chi-square tests, and multiple linear regression were used to analyse the association. Results We found significant differences in the scores on the Questionnaire of Children's Daily Diet Providers' Dietary Literacy (QCDDPDL) by region, relationship with the child, age, and educational level of the daily diet provider (all p

In this study, the defects in the wall of petroleum casing steel pipe were investigated. The morphology and composition of inclusions in the defects of the steel pipe were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The thermodynamic calculation of the Ca‒Al equilibrium phase diagram of molten steel in tundish and the changes of the ladle slag phase composition with cooling temperature was performed using FactSage8.0. The results show that the longitudinal surface of the defect is mainly composed of shallow and deep stripes. A large number of MgO·Al2O3 inclusions containing a small amount of Mn is detected at shallow stripes, and a large number of inclusions, such as Al2O3, MgO·Al2O3, and CaO·Al2O3·SiO2 are detected at deep stripes. The three main types of inclusions in the cross-section of the defect zone are CaO·Al2O3·SiO2, CaO·Al2O3·MgO, and CaO·Al2O3·MgO·SiO2. According to the analysis results of inclusions in the cross-section and the calculation results of the phase transformation of slag droplets during solidification and cooling, the formation mechanism of the defects in the wall of steel pipe can be speculated as follows: (1) At the end of pouring, the ladle slag in molten steel in the ladle enters the tundish. Further, the slag droplets adsorb the fine xAl2O3·yCaO or Al2O3 inclusions with high Al2O3 content in molten steel, increasing the Al2O3 and CaO contents in the slag droplets. (2) Ladle slag in molten steel is subjected to strong stirring in Ar gas in the vacuum degassing (VD) refining process. Moreover, the slag droplets adsorb the fine Al2O3 inclusions in molten steel, increasing the Al2O3 content in the slag droplets. During solidification and cooling, the slag droplets formed in the two aforementioned forms of inclusions are transformed into three types of inclusions: CaO·Al2O3·SiO2, CaO·Al2O3·MgO, and CaO·Al2O3·SiO2·MgO. In the process of round billet piercing deformation, under the action of longitudinal tensile stress and transverse shear stress, the large slag droplets involved extend along the longitudinal cross-section and finally form defects in the wall of the steel pipe.

Abstract. Objective:. Shugan Hewei therapy (SHT) acts to soothe the liver and harmonize the stomach. It is a classical traditional Chinese medicine method widely used in China to treat chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) due to liver qi invading the stomach. However, the clinical effects of SHT remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate the overall clinical effective rate and safety of SHT in treating CAG. Methods:. We used the Jadad scale and Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool to evaluate the methodological quality of studies investigating SHT. Eight medical databases were searched to identify relevant studies. After data extraction and quality evaluation, 27 randomized controlled trials, including 2,441 patients, were considered eligible for analysis. No serious heterogeneity or publication bias was observed across the included studies. We used Revman 5.3 statistical software to evaluate the general clinical effective rate and safety of SHT. Results:. The results showed that SHT was more effective (RR=1.25; 95% CI [1.20, 1.29]; P