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Abstract The cultivation and differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into organoids are crucial for advancing of new drug development and personalized cell therapies. Despite establishing of chemically defined hESC culture media over the past decade, these media's reliance on growth factors, which are costly and prone to degradation, poses a challenge for sustained and stable cell culture. Here, we introduce an hESC culture system(E6Bs) that facilitates the long-term, genetically stable expansion of hESCs, enabling cells to consistently sustain high levels of pluripotency markers, including NANOG, SOX2, TRA-1–60, and SSEA4, across extended periods. Moreover, organoids derived from hESCs using this medium were successfully established and expanded for at least one month, exhibiting differentiation into cortical organoids, GABAergic precursor organoids and heart-forming organoids. This innovative system offers a robust tool for preserving hESC homeostasis and modeling the nervous system in vitro.

Video Super-Resolution (VSR) aims to reconstruct high-quality high-resolution (HR) videos from low-resolution (LR) inputs. Recent studies have explored diffusion models (DMs) for VSR by exploiting their generative priors to produce realistic details. However, the inherent randomness of diffusion models presents significant challenges for controlling content. In particular, current DM-based VSR methods often neglect inter-frame temporal coherence and reconstruction-oriented objectives, leading to visual distortion and temporal inconsistency. In this paper, we introduce VSRDiff, a DM-based framework for VSR that emphasizes inter-frame temporal coherence and adopts a novel reconstruction perspective. Specifically, the Inter-Frame Aggregation Guidance (IFAG) module is developed to learn contextual inter-frame aggregation guidance, alleviating visual distortion caused by the randomness of diffusion models. Furthermore, the Progressive Reconstruction Sampling (PRS) approach is employed to generate reconstruction-oriented latents, balancing fidelity and detail richness. Additionally, temporal consistency is enhanced through second-order bidirectional latent propagation using the Flow-guided Latent Correction (FLC) module. Extensive experiments on the REDS4 and Vid4 datasets demonstrate that VSRDiff achieves highly competitive VSR performance with more realistic details, surpassing existing state-of-the-art methods in both visual fidelity and temporal consistency. Specifically, VSRDiff achieves the best scores on the REDS4 dataset in LPIPS, DISTS, and NIQE, with values of 0.1137, 0.0445, and 2.970, respectively. The result will be released at https://github.com/aigcvsr/VSRDiff.

Abstract Bacterial blight (BB) of rice caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is an important disease in rice-growing countries, including Pakistan, where it was first reported in the mid-1970s. Transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) play vital roles in many plant diseases caused by Xanthomonas spp.; however, Pakistani Xoo TALome diversity and their contribution to pathogenicity is largely unknown. In this study, 101 Xoo strains were screened using specific PCR primers. The genomic DNA from these strains underwent BamHI digestion and hybridized with the internal SphI fragment of PthXo1. Southern blot analysis revealed 16 to 20 putative tale fragments among the tested strains. These strains were further classified into 11 genotypes based on the number and size of the hybridizing bands. Genotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4 represented 24, 2, 51, and 17 strains, respectively. Pathogenicity assays on near-isogenic lines (NILs) containing different resistance (R) genes exhibited that CBB23 was incompatible with all tested Pakistani-Xoo genotypes, whereas IRBB5 and IRBB4 showed resistance against specific genotypes. In contrast, paddy trails on NILs containing single, double, and triple mutants of OsSWEET11a, OsSWEET13, and OsSWEET14 in the effector binding elements (EBEs) of cv. Kitaake revealed that KP-22 and LD-5 harbor novel virulent TAL effector/s. Interestingly, the expression analysis of six clade-III OsSWEET genes suggests that novel TALE/s targeting unidentified susceptibility gene/s. Altogether, this study highlights gene-for-gene relationships between tested rice lines and Pakistani-Xoo strains. This is the first report providing the diversity of TALEs and their relationship to R and S (susceptibility) genes. Further identification of novel virulent TALE/s and their cognate target/s is warranted to precisely elucidate their role in BB.

Soy proteins are a popular alternative to animal proteins and contain all the essential amino acids. Their excellent gel properties make them useful in processing industries, including the production of tofu, soy yogurt, 3D food printing, and biological materials. Cation induction is a commonly used method to enhance the gel properties of soy proteins, with the type and concentration of cations influencing the structural properties of soy protein gels. This article explores the effects of different cations on soy protein gel formation and their fractions. It also summarizes the effects of cations on soy protein and its fractions in terms of aggregation and gelling. Finally, the article outlines the mechanism of cation-induced soy protein gelation, providing a valuable reference for the effective use of soy protein gel products.

Abstract Background Subarachnoid anesthesia is the primary anesthetic method for elective cesarean section surgery, characterized by rapidly taking effect and reliable analgesia. However, subarachnoid anesthesia is prone to cause a high block level, resulting in a high incidence of maternal hypotension. How to reduce the incidence of maternal hypotension under subarachnoid anesthesia is a practical problem that needs to be solved urgently in clinical practice. Methods This prospective cohort study was performed at Nantong Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital in China between January and July 2023. This study compared the incidence of hypotension in pregnant women undergoing subarachnoid anesthesia during elective cesarean section in four groups, including group A (control group) with 10 mg of 10% glucose solution; Group B with 5 mg 10% glucose solution group; Group C with 4 mg 10% glucose solution group; Group D with 2 mg 10% glucose solution group. Each group was given a dose of 10 mg Ropivacaine with a concentration of 0.5% and a volume of 2 ml. The primary outcome was the incidence of maternal hypotension. The secondary outcomes were the plane of anesthesia, abdominal wall muscle relaxation degree and the incidence of adverse events. Results Data from 74 (18, A group; 26, B group; 15, C group; 15, D group) participants were analyzed. Hyperbaric combined with hypobaric local anesthetic in subarachnoid anesthesia for cesarean section did not reduce the incidence of intraoperative hypotension in pregnant women (P = 0.152). The plane of anesthesia gradually shifted from T4 to T10 as the specific gravity of ropivacaine decreased (P

Video anomaly detection is a very important research topic, especially in the field of automatic driving, and timely acquisition of road conditions ahead is very important for safe driving. Past methods used convolution and other operations, resulting in severe delays or low detection accuracy. This paper introduces a cutting-edge video anomaly detection method that combines the advantages of image quality assessment and attention mechanisms while using image signal processing techniques to enhance the data. Our approach first uses image quality metrics to evaluate visual fidelity anomalies for each video frame, providing a computationally simple and effective method for initial anomaly recognition. Then, an attention mechanism is integrated into two deep learning models including convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and long short-term memory (LSTM) networks. This integration enables the system to dynamically focus on significant regions in the video. This capability is unmatched by traditional analysis methods. The dual-structure system shows higher sensitivity to various anomalies. In addition, the system is also equipped with image signals, which makes the data feature extraction more precise. Through thorough testing of the benchmark dataset, the proposed approach has been shown to significantly outperform current state-of-the-art models. It especially excels in challenging monitoring scenarios. For example, in the UCSD dataset, we achieved an area under curve (AUC) value of 99.9%, which exceeds most current methods.

In the realm of underwater object detection, conventional methodologies often encounter challenges in accurately identifying and detecting small targets. These difficulties stem primarily from the intricate nature of underwater environments, suboptimal lighting conditions, and the diminutive scale of the targets themselves. To address this persistent challenge, the MarineYOLO network is introduced. This approach involves refining the conventional C2f module into the EC2f module, alongside the integration of the Efficient Multi-scale Attention (EMA) module into YOLOv8. Additionally, the Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) is introduced to further refine the Feature Pyramid Network (FPN), facilitating enhanced feature extraction pertinent to small targets. Furthermore, the conventional CIoU is replaced with Wise-IoU to augment the precision and stability of target localization. Experimental findings demonstrate that MarineYOLO achieves an average precision (AP) of 78.5% on the RUOD dataset and 88.1% on the URPC dataset, marking improvements of 12.2% and 16.8%, respectively, compared to YOLOv8n. As an emerging paradigm in underwater object detection, MarineYOLO harbors significant potential in both practical applications and scholarly endeavors, furnishing an efficacious remedy to the challenges associated with detecting small targets in underwater settings.

Abstract Loss to follow-up (LTFU) in tuberculosis (TB) management increases morbidity and mortality, challenging effective control strategies. This study aims to develop and evaluate machine learning models to predict loss to follow-up in TB patients, improving treatment adherence and outcomes. Retrospective data encompassing tuberculosis patients who underwent treatment or registration at the National Center for Clinical Medical Research on Infectious Diseases from January 2017 to December 2021 were compiled. Employing machine learning techniques, namely SVM, RF, XGBoost, and logistic regression, the study aimed to prognosticate LTFU. A comprehensive cohort of 24,265 tuberculosis patients underwent scrutiny, revealing a LTFU prevalence of 12.51% (n = 3036). Education level, history of hospitalization, alcohol consumption, outpatient admission, and prior tuberculosis history emerged as precursors for pre-treatment LTFU. Employment status, outpatient admission, presence of chronic hepatitis/cirrhosis, drug adverse reactions, alternative contact availability, and health insurance coverage exerted substantial influence on treatment-phase LTFU. XGBoost consistently surpassed alternative models, boasting superior discriminative ability with an average AUC of 0.921 for pre-treatment LTFU and 0.825 for in-treatment LTFU. Our study demonstrates that the XGBoost model provides superior predictive performance in identifying LTFU risk among tuberculosis patients. The identification of key risk factors highlights the importance of targeted interventions, which could lead to significant improvements in treatment adherence and patient outcomes.

ABSTRACT Background Isolated 20q deletion [del(20q)] is a recurrent favorable abnormality in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and may cause deletion of the ASXL1 gene. Meanwhile, ASXL1 mutations are also common in individuals with MDS. This study aimed to describe the biological and clinical implications of ASXL1 mutations and deletion in newly diagnosed MDS patients with isolated del(20q). Methods Gene mutation and copy number alterations in 178 newly diagnosed MDS patients with isolated del(20q) were analyzed using DNA next generation sequencing. Results Twenty‐five (14%) of 178 patients were found to have ASXL1 mutations, which exhibited lower absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) (p = 0.006), a higher percentage of bone marrow blasts (p = 0.001), more mutant genes (p

Objective: There is uncertainty regarding whether an additional cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) after 2 cycles is superior in short- and long-term efficacy for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) patients. There also remain unresolved questions regarding the ideal timing of adjuvant locoregional treatment and predictors of NACT. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of LACC patients treated with NACT for 2 or 3 cycles during 2008–2023, and focused on the rates of objective response (ORR), postoperative supplementary radiotherapy, pathological risk factors, and long-term survival (progression-free and overall survival) as the primary outcome of interest. Also, a systematic review and single-group meta-analysis was conducted to summarize the effects of 2 or 3 cycles of NACT in LACC patients. Results: A significantly higher rate of postoperative supplementary radiotherapy was observed in patients treated with 3 cycles than 2 cycles (54.0 % vs. 37.2 %, P = 0.013), but no significantly higher ORR was found in the former group (P > 0.05). Among the 310 patients included in this study, the 3-, 5- and 10-year progression free survival (PFS) were significantly longer in those who received 2 NACT cycles (91.0 vs 79.0 %, 87.6 vs 76.5 %, 86.5 vs 73.0 %; P 0.05). For the meta-analysis, 51 prospective trials (2528 patients) and 33 retrospective studies (2011 patients) were analyzed. In prospective studies, pooled ORR of patients treated with 2 or 3 cycles NACT were 10 % (95%CI 5%–16 %) and 17 % (95%CI 14%–21 %), while the pooled pathological complete response (pCR) were 10 % (95%CI 5%–16 %) and 17 % (95%CI 14%–21 %), respectively. In retrospective studies, pooled ORR and pCR rates for 2-cycle and 3-cycle group were 66.5 % (95 % CI 48.4%–82.5 %; I2 = 84 %) and 20.3 % (95 % CI 10.5%–32.3 %; I2 = 70 %), respectively. Subgroup analysis of FIGO stage I-II patients indicated 5-year PFS superiority in 2-cycle group (81 %, 95%CI: 76%–85 %) compared to the 3-cycle group (70 %, 95%CI: 61%–78 %), while the 5-year OS was similar between the two groups. Conclusion: Prolonging NACT from 2 to 3 cycles seems to increase the incidence of postoperative supplementary radiotherapy and be associated with worse PFS. The advantages of pathological remission still need additional controlled trials to verify in the future.

Abstract Tumor‐derived cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) has been exploited as an effective liquid biopsy biomarker for early cancer diagnosis. However, the fragmented and low‐abundance nature in circulating blood pose challenges for highly sensitive cfDNA quantification. Herein, a multifunctional plasmonic biosensor termed Interfacial cfDNA Enrichment, Amplification and Sensing with on‐chip Thermoplasmonics (INEAST) is developed for cfDNA‐based liquid biopsy and lung cancer diagnosis. The INEAST biosensor achieved in situ thermoregulation and label‐free cfDNA biosensing by simultaneously harnessing interfacial thermoplasmonics and localized surface plasmon resonance. Typical cfDNA biomarkers, including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), tumor protein 53 (TP53), phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), and cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor (CDKN2A), are quantified with detection limits down to femtomolar‐level. Through further validation using blood samples from lung cancer patients, the proposed INEAST bioassays demonstrated superior reliability for lung cancer screening, particularly when combined with clinically available tumor‐protein metrics. This study demonstrated that the INEAST biosensor enables rapid and sensitive cfDNA quantification, yielding a promising and compatible liquid biopsy for early‐stage lung cancer diagnosis.

Enhancing the piezoelectricity of CaBi4Ti4O15 (CBT) ceramics is crucial for improving their application potential in high-temperature piezoelectric devices. Here, we propose a strategy involving the introduction of larger Na/Bi ions at the A-site, effectively inhibiting the tilt of oxygen octahedra and flattening the potential energy profile. This flattening enhances the variation in polarization under external fields. Concurrently, substituting Nb/Mn at the B-site increases the deviation between positive and negative ionic centers, leading to stronger spontaneous polarization, while the induced defect dipoles restrict oxygen vacancy migration and increase the direct current resistivity (ρdc). The flattened potential energy profile and increased spontaneous polarization significantly enhance the overall performance of CBT ceramics, with the piezoelectric constant (d33) reaching 25 pC/N when the Curie temperature (TC) = 752 °C. Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed submicron-long rectangular domains and nanoscale domains in the modified composition, indicating a high density of domain walls. This study presents an effective approach for enhancing the piezoelectric properties of bismuth layered-structured ferroelectrics (BLSFs), thereby improving the application potential of BLSFs at high temperatures.

The effects of 5 lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation on the pasting properties of glutinous rice flour were compared, and suitable fermentation strains were selected based on the changes of viscosity, setback value, and breakdown value to prepare LAB compound starter cultures. The results revealed that Latilactobacillus sakei HSD004 and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus HSD005 had apparent advantages in increasing the viscosity and reducing the setback and breakdown values of glutinous rice flour. In particular, the compound starter created using the two abovementioned LAB in the ratio of 3:1 had better performance than that using a single LAB in improving the pasting properties and increasing the water and oil absorption capacity of glutinous rice flour. Moreover, the gelatinization enthalpy of the fermented samples increased significantly. For frozen glutinous rice dough stored for 28 days, the viscoelasticity of frozen dough prepared by compound starter was better than that of control dough, and the freezable water content was lower than that of control dough. These results indicate that compound LAB fermentation is a promising technology in the glutinous rice-based food processing industry, which has significance for its application.

Abstract Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has the characteristics of low immune cell infiltration, high expression of tumor programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), and abundant cancer stem cells. Systemic toxicity of traditional chemotherapy drugs due to poor drug selectivity, and chemotherapy failure due to tumor drug resistance and other problems, so it is particularly important to find new cancer treatment strategies for TNBC with limited treatment options. Both the anti-tumor natural drugs curcumin and ginsenoside Rg3 can exert anti-tumor effects by inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) of tumor cells, reducing PD-L1 expression, and reducing cancer stem cells. However, they have the disadvantages of poor water solubility, low bioavailability, and weak anti-tumor effect of single agents. We used vinyl ether bonds to link curcumin (Cur) with N-O type zwitterionic polymers and at the same time encapsulated ginsenoside Rg3 to obtain hyperbranched zwitterionic drug-loaded micelles OPDEA-PGED-5HA@Cur@Rg3 (PPH@CR) with pH response. In vitro cell experiments and in vivo animal experiments have proved that PPH@CR could not only promote the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) and increase the CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells by inducing ICD in tumor cells but also reduce the expression of PD-L1 in tumor tissues, and reduce cancer stem cells and showed better anti-tumor effects and good biological safety compared with free double drugs, which is a promising cancer treatment strategy.

AimTo quantitatively analyze the relationship between spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and retinal vascular changes in school-age children with refractive error by applying fundus photography combined with artificial intelligence (AI) technology and explore the structural changes in retinal vasculature in these children.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective case–control study, collecting data on 113 cases involving 226 eyes of schoolchildren aged 6–12 years who attended outpatient clinics in our hospital between October 2021 and May 2022. Based on the refractive spherical equivalent refraction, we categorized the participants into four groups: 66 eyes in the low myopia group, 60 eyes in the intermediate myopia group, 50 eyes in the high myopia group, and 50 eyes in the control group. All participants underwent a series of examinations, including naked-eye and best-corrected visual acuity, cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction, intraocular pressure measurement, ocular axial measurement (AL), and color fundus photography. Using fundus photography, we quantitatively analyzed changes in the retinal vascular arteriovenous ratio (AVR), average curvature, and vascular density with AI technology. Data were analyzed using the χ2 test and one-way analysis of variance.ResultsThe AVR in the low myopia group, moderate myopia group, high myopia group, and control group were 0.80 ± 0.05, 0.80 ± 0.04, 0.76 ± 0.04, and 0.79 ± 0.04, respectively, and the vessel densities were 0.1024 ± 0.0076, 0.1024 ± 0.0074, 0.0880 ± 0.0126, and 0.1037 ± 0.0143, respectively The difference between the AVR and vascular density in the high myopia group was statistically significant compared to the other three groups (p

PurposeTo observe the changes in peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and peripapillary vessel densities (VD) in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) after scleral buckling (SB) by OCTA.MethodsA total of 40 patients (40 eyes) with monocular RRD who underwent SB were included in the study, with the operated eyes (40 eyes) as the study group and the contralateral healthy eyes (40 eyes) as the control to analyse the changes in peripapillary RNFL thickness and VD before and after surgery. Data were analysed by paired samples t-test or Wilcoxon signed rank sum test.ResultsComparison of the peripapillary RNFL thickness in the 8 areas between the two groups during the 6-month follow-up period: All 8 peripapillary areas of the optic disc were statistically different before surgery, except for the tempo superior and tempo inferior, which were statistically different at each postoperative follow-up point, and the remaining 6 areas in the operated eyes group were progressively closer to those in the healthy eyes group, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. Comparison of peripapillary VD in the 8 areas between the two groups during the 6-month follow-up: Peripapillary VD in the 8 areas in the two groups were all statistically different before surgery, and except for superior tempo, which was statistically different at each postoperative follow-up time point, the remaining seven areas in the operated eyes group became progressively closer to that in the healthy eyes group and there was no significant difference.ConclusionRRD negatively affects the peripapillary RNFL, but both peripapillary RNFL thickness and VD gradually improved in the operated eyes close to the contralateral eyes after SB.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy, particularly PD1/PDL1 inhibition, has demonstrated success in bolstering durable responses in patients. However, the response rate remains below 30 %. In this study, we developed a polymeric bispecific antibody (BsAb) targeting PD1/PDL1 to enhance ICB therapy. Specifically, poly(L-glutamic acid) (PGLU) was conjugated with a double cyclic Fc binding peptide, Fc-III-4C, through condensation reactions between the -COOH group of PGLU and the -NH2 group of Fc-III-4C. This conjugate was then mixed with αPD1 and αPDL1 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in an aqueous solution. Mechanistically, the PD1/PDL1 BsAb (BsAbαPD1+αPDL1) acts as a bridge between tumor cells and CD8+ T cells, continuously activating CD8+ T cells to a greater extent. This leads to significantly suppressed tumor growth and prolonged survival in a mouse model of colon cancer compared to treatment with either a single mAb or a mixture of free mAbs. The tumor suppression rate achieved by the BsAbαPD1+αPDL1 was 90.1 %, with a corresponding survival rate of 83.3 % after 48 days. Thus, this study underscores the effectiveness of the BsAbαPD1+αPDL1 as a synchronizing T cell engager and dual ICBs, offering theoretical guidance for clinical ICB therapy.

The widespread adoption of nonlinear power electronic devices in residential settings has significantly increased the stochasticity and uncertainty of power systems. The original load power data, characterized by numerous irregular, random, and probabilistic components, adversely impacts the predictive performance of deep learning techniques, particularly neural networks. To address this challenge, this paper proposes a time-series probabilistic load power prediction technique based on the mature neural network point prediction technique, i.e., decomposing the load power data into deterministic and stochastic components. The deterministic component is predicted using deep learning neural network technology, the stochastic component is fitted with Gaussian mixture distribution model and the parameters are fitted using great expectation algorithm, after which the stochastic component prediction data is obtained using the stochastic component generation method. Using a mature neural network point prediction technique, the study evaluates six different deep learning methods to forecast residential load power. By comparing the prediction errors of these methods, the optimal model is identified, leading to a substantial improvement in prediction accuracy.

To elucidate the influence of different concentrations of carrageenan (CA, 0.4%, 0.8%, 1.2%, 1.6%, 2.0%, w/w) on the gelation properties and structure of hemp protein isolate (HPI), with the hemp protein isolate without adding CA as the control, the water-holding capacity, texture, rheological properties of the composite gels were determined. Meanwhile, the effect of CA addition on the water distribution, protein structure and intermolecular forces in the composite gels was also investigated. The results showed that the addition of CA significantly (P

The regulation of the burning rate pressure exponent for the ammonium perchlorate/hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene/aluminum (AP/HTPB/Al) composite propellants under high pressures is a crucial step for its application in high-pressure solid rocket motors. In this work, the combustion characteristics of AP/HTPB/Al composite propellants containing ferrocene-based catalysts were investigated, including the burning rate, thermal behavior, the local heat transfer, and temperature profile in the range of 7–28 MPa. The results showed that the exponent breaks were still observed in the propellants after the addition of positive catalysts (Ce-Fc-MOF), the burning rate inhibitor ((Ferrocenylmethyl)trimethylammonium bromide, FcBr) and the mixture of FcBr/catocene (GFP). However, the characteristic pressure has increased, and the exponent decreased from 1.14 to 0.66, 0.55, and 0.48 when the addition of Ce-Fc-MOF, FcBr and FcBr/GFP in the propellants. In addition, the temperature in the first decomposition stage was increased by 7.50 °C and 11.40 °C for the AP/FcBr mixture and the AP/FcBr/GFP mixture, respectively, compared to the pure AP. On the other hand, the temperature in the second decomposition stage decreased by 48.30 °C and 81.70 °C for AP/FcBr and AP/FcBr/GFP mixtures, respectively. It was also found that FcBr might generate ammonia to cover the AP surface. In this case, a reaction between the methyl in FcBr and perchloric acid caused more ammonia to appear at the AP surface, resulting in the suppression of ammonia desorption. In addition, the coarse AP particles on the quenched surface were of a concave shape relative to the binder matrix under low and high pressures when the catalysts were added. In the process, the decline at the AP/HTPB interface was only exhibited in the propellant with the addition of Ce-Fc-MOF. The ratio of the gas-phase temperature gradient of the propellants containing catalysts was reduced significantly below and above the characteristic pressure, rather than 3.6 times of the difference in the blank propellant. Overall, the obtained results demonstrated that the pressure exponent could be effectively regulated and controlled by adjusting the propellant local heat and mass transfer under high and low pressures.

Abstract Background Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) is caused by reperfusion after ischemic heart disease. LncRNA Snhg1 regulates the progression of various diseases. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the frequent RNA modification and plays a critical role in MIRI. However, it is unclear whether lncRNA Snhg1 regulates MIRI progression and whether the lncRNA Snhg1 was modified by m6A methylation. Methods Mouse cardiomyocytes HL-1 cells were utilized to construct the hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) injury model. HL-1 cell viability was evaluated utilizing CCK-8 method. Cell apoptosis, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were quantitated utilizing flow cytometry. RNA immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase reporter assays were applied to measure the m6A methylation and the interactions between lncRNA Snhg1 and targeted miRNA or target miRNAs and its target gene. The I/R mouse model was constructed with adenovirus expressing lncRNA Snhg1. HE and TUNEL staining were used to evaluate myocardial tissue damage and apoptosis. Results LncRNA Snhg1 was down-regulated after H/R injury, and overexpressed lncRNA Snhg1 suppressed H/R-stimulated cell apoptosis, mitochondrial ROS level and polarization. Besides, lncRNA Snhg1 could target miR-361-5p, and miR-361-5p targeted OPA1. Overexpressed lncRNA Snhg1 suppressed H/R-stimulated cell apoptosis, mitochondrial ROS level and polarization though the miR-361-5p/OPA1 axis. Furthermore, WTAP induced lncRNA Snhg1 m6A modification in H/R-stimulated HL-1 cells. Moreover, enforced lncRNA Snhg1 repressed I/R-stimulated myocardial tissue damage and apoptosis and regulated the miR-361-5p and OPA1 levels. Conclusion WTAP-mediated m6A modification of lncRNA Snhg1 regulated MIRI progression through modulating myocardial apoptosis, mitochondrial ROS production, and mitochondrial polarization via miR-361-5p/OPA1 axis, providing the evidence for lncRNA as the prospective target for alleviating MIRI progression.

Abstract Background The study set out to develop an accurate and clinically valuable prognostic nomogram to assess the risk of in-hospital death in patients with acute decompensated chronic heart failure (ADCHF) and diabetes. Methods We extracted clinical data of patients diagnosed with ADCHF and diabetes from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database. Risk variables were selected utilizing least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analysis, and were included in multivariate logistic regression and presented in nomogram. bootstrap was used for internal validation. The discriminative power and predictive accuracy of the nomogram were estimated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), calibration curve and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results Among 867 patients with ADCHF and diabetes, In-hospital death occurred in 81 (9.3%) patients. Age, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, red blood cell distribution width, shock, β-blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, assisted ventilation, and blood urea nitrogen were brought into the nomogram model. The calibration curves suggested that the nomogram was well calibrated. The AUC of the nomogram was 0.873 (95% CI: 0.834–0.911), which was higher that of the Simplified Acute Physiology Score II [0.761 (95% CI: 0.711–0.810)] and sequential organ failure assessment score [0.699 (95% CI: 0.642–0.756)], and Guidelines-Heart Failure score [0.782 (95% CI: 0.731–0.835)], indicating that the nomogram had better ability to predict in-hospital mortality. In addition, the internally validated C-index was 0.857 (95% CI: 0.825–0.891), which again verified the validity of this model. Conclusions This study constructed a simple and accurate nomogram for predicting in-hospital mortality in patients with ADCHF and diabetes, especially in those who admitted to the intensive care unit for more than 48 hours, which contributed clinicians to assess the risk and individualize the treatment of patients, thereby reducing in-hospital mortality.

Abstract Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) injects major transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) into plant cells to activate susceptibility (S) genes for promoting bacterial leaf blight in rice. Numerous resistance (R) genes have been used to construct differential cultivars of rice to identify races of Xoo, but the S genes were rarely considered. Different edited lines of rice cv. Kitaake were constructed using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing, including single, double and triple edits in the effector-binding elements (EBEs) located in the promoters of rice S genes OsSWEET11a, OsSWEET13 and OsSWEET14. The near-isogenic lines (NILs) were used as tracers to detect major TALEs (PthXo1, PthXo2, PthXo3 and their variants) in 50 Xoo strains. The pathotypes produced on the tracers determined six major TALE types in the 50 Xoo strains. The presence of the major TALEs in Xoo strains was consistent with the expression of S genes in the tracers, and it was also by known genome sequences. The EBE editing had little effect on agronomic traits, which was conducive to balancing yield and resistance. The rice-tracers generated here provide a valuable tool to track major TALEs of Xoo in Asia which then shows what rice cultivars are needed to combat Xoo in the field.

Summary: Zebrafish and organoids, crucial for complex biological studies, necessitate an imaging system with deep tissue penetration, sample protection from environmental interference, and ample operational space. Traditional three-photon microscopy is constrained by short-working-distance objectives and falls short. Our long-working-distance high-collection-efficiency three-photon microscopy (LH-3PM) addresses these challenges, achieving a 58% fluorescence collection efficiency at a 20 mm working distance. LH-3PM significantly outperforms existing three-photon systems equipped with the same long working distance objective, enhancing fluorescence collection and dramatically reducing phototoxicity and photobleaching. These improvements facilitate accurate capture of neuronal activity and an enhanced detection of activity spikes, which are vital for comprehensive, long-term imaging. LH-3PM’s imaging of epileptic zebrafish not only showed sustained neuron activity over an hour but also highlighted increased neural synchronization and spike numbers, marking a notable shift in neural coding mechanisms. This breakthrough paves the way for new explorations of biological phenomena in small model organisms.

Introduction: Black ginseng (BG) was processed by “steaming and drying” (generally nine times) repeatedly to produce “rare saponins” and secondary ginsenosides. Both ginseng (GS) and red ginseng (RG) were commonly used in treating heart failure (HF), and the latter was confirmed to be more potent, implying the presence of rare ginsenosides that contribute positively to the treatment of heart failure. Previous research indicated that rare ginsenosides are more abundant in BG than in RG. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the effects of BG and its components on HF to elucidate the active substances and their underlying mechanisms in the treatment of HF.Methods: The effects of BG and its fractions (water-eluted fraction (WEF), total saponin fraction (TSF), and alcohol-eluted fraction (AEF)) on rats with isoproterenol (ISO)-induced HF were explored, and steroids belonging to the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) and hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axes were determined quantitatively using the ultra-performance liquid chromatography–triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-QqQ-MS/MS) method. In addition, 16S rDNA sequencing was performed on the gut microbiota, followed by GC–MS analysis of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), and the biochemical indexes related to energy metabolism and the serum cyclic nucleotide system were also analyzed by ELISA.Results: Based on a thorough evaluation of energy metabolism and the endocrine system, it was observed that the effects of BG components on the hypothalamic–pituitary–thyroid (HPT) and HPA axes were more pronounced. Notably, the treatment efficacy of the low dose of the total saponin fraction (TSFL), water decoction (WD), and high dose of the polysaccharide fraction (PSFH) was superior based on pharmacodynamic indicators such as brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), creatine kinase (CK), and estradiol (E2)/T). Furthermore, the WD and BG components exhibited significant effects on androgens (T and androstenedione (A4)). The TSFL group exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by regulating Lactobacillus/Erysipelotrichales. The WD, PSFH, and TSFL may impact inflammatory cytokines through the gut microbiota (Lactobacillus/Erysipelotrichales) and their metabolites (acetate and butyrate), exerting an anti-inflammatory effect.Discussion: The BG and all its split components demonstrated varying levels of efficacy in alleviating HF, and TSF and PSF exhibited a significant protective effect on HF. The main active components in TSF were revealed to be ginsenosides Rk1, Rk3, 20-(S)-Rg3, and 20-(S)-Rh2 by the H9C2 cell experiment. The decoction of BG and its components exhibited a potent impact on androgen hormones, with an elevation trend. This phenomenon may be attributed to the activation of the eNOS-NO pathway through androgen regulation, thereby contributing to its anti-HF activities. The WD, PSFH, and TSFL may exert anti-inflammatory effects through the intestinal flora (Lactobacillaceae/Erysipelotrichaceae) and its metabolites (acetic acid and butyric acid), which affect the inflammatory factors. The different mechanisms of action of each component of HF also reflect the significance and necessity of the overall role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Our research was the first to report that the E2/T is related to HF and can be used as an indicator to evaluate HF.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is the primary risk factor for the progress of gastric diseases. The persistent stomach colonization of H. pylori is closely associated with the development of gastritis and malignancies. Although the involvement of progranulin (PGRN) in various cancer types has been well-documented, its functional role and underlying mechanisms in gastric cancer (GC) associated with H. pylori infection remain largely unknown. This report demonstrated that PGRN was up-regulated in GC and associated with poor prognosis, as determined through local and public database analysis. Additionally, H. pylori induced the up-regulation of PGRN in gastric epithelial cells both in vitro and in vivo. Functional studies have shown that PGRN promoted the intracellular colonization of H. pylori. Mechanistically, H. pylori infection induced autophagy, while PGRN inhibited autophagy to promote the intracellular colonization of H. pylori. Furthermore, PGRN suppressed H. pylori-induced autophagy by down-regulating decorin (DCN) through the mTOR pathway. In general, PGRN inhibited autophagy to facilitate intracellular colonization of H. pylori via the PGRN/mTOR/DCN axis. This study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of gastric diseases, suggesting PGRN as a potential therapeutic target and prognostic predictor for these disorders.

The continuous supply of reliable and affordable energy sources is crucial for driving a nation's economic activities. The phenomenon of continuous energy supply at affordable prices is called energy security. To date, more than two-thirds of the global energy demand is met by non-renewable energy derived from natural resources. The empirical connection between natural resource depletion and energy security risk remains unexplored in the prior literature. Thus, this study analyzes the empirical linkage between natural resource depletion and energy security risk by applying the CS-ARDL and PMG-ARDL models. As per our findings, natural resource depletion increases long-term energy security risks Globally and in Asia, America, Europe, and Africa. In short run, the role of natural resource depletion is mostly insignificant in energy security risk. In contrast, the GDP, financial development, trade openness, and technological development help reduce long-run energy security risk in all regions except Africa. In the short run, only GDP and trade openness help reduce energy security risks in most regions. Therefore, policymakers should focus on efficiently utilizing natural resources to mitigate energy security risks.

Tofu is a widely consumed protein gel, which is the denaturation of soybean protein (specifically the 7S and 11S globulin), under heat treatment, and the aggregation by salt ions, hydrogen ions or enzymes, forming a dense and uniform protein gel with a network structure. The formation of tofu gel and quality of tofu are affected by many factors. In this paper, a comprehensive review of the impact factors on tofu gel formation and quality is presented. The types of coagulants including salts, acids, and enzymatic coagulants, together with processing conditions such as the processing raw material, pulping method, pH value, and heat treatment are all discussed. The research progress on the effects of coagulants and processing conditions on the formation and quality of tofu gel is reviewed, to provide a theoretical guidance for industrial tofu production and a scientific basis for research and development of tofu food and quality control.

Background: Glaucoma is marked by retinal neuron death in the ganglion cell layer, leading to irreversible vision loss. Aberrant long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) expression is associated with glaucoma. The study was to explore the latent molecular mechanism of lncRNA KCNQ1 opposite strand/antisense transcript 1 (KCNQ1OT1) in N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-stimulated glaucoma. Results: The data demonstrated that KCNQ1OT1 expression was elevated in glaucoma patients, serving as a diagnostic biomarker of glaucoma. Rats injected with NMDA developed visual loss and retinopathy and expressed high KCNQ1OT1. After treating retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) with NMDA, cell proliferation was suppressed and apoptosis was augmented. Silenced KCNQ1OT1 or HOXB3 or elevated miR-93-5p alleviated NMDA-induced suppression of RGC growth. KCNQ1OT1 mediated miR-93-5p expression by targeting homeobox box 3 (HOXB3). The protection of silenced KCNQ1OT1 in NMDA-treated RGCs was turned around by elevated HOXB3. Conclusions: Overall, KCNQ1OT1 accelerates glaucoma progression via miR-93-5p/HOXB3 axis.How to cite: Xie ZL, Wang H, Liu LL, et al. Long non-coding RNA KCNQ1 opposite strand/antisense transcript 1, a potential biomarker for glaucoma, accelerates glaucoma progression via microRNA-93-5p/Homeobox box 3 axis. Electron J Biotechnol 2024;67 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejbt.2023.10.002.

Abstract Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a chronic pulmonary vascular disease and causes massive deaths. Here, we intended to investigate the function and mechanism of SOCS5 in PH. We engineered a hypoxia-induced PH model in mice. HE staining were implemented to evaluate pathological alterations in the lung tissues. The potential mechanism of SOCS5 in regulating hypoxia-induced pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC) function was explored in vitro. RT-qPCR and western blot revealed that the level of SOCS5 was decreased both in PH mice and hypoxia-induced HPASMCs. Functional assays were performed for confirming the role of SOCS5 in modulating the cell phenotype and JAK2/STAT3 pathway in HPASMCs. Results revealed that overexpression of SOCS5 suppressed proliferation, migration and contraction of HPASMCs and negatively regulated the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in HPASMCs under hypoxia in vitro, while knockdown of SOCS5 accelerated it. As evidenced by mechanism studies, SOCS5 was targeted and regulated by miR-155-5p, hence affecting on HPASMC proliferation, migration and contraction. These outcomes indicated that the decreased level of SOCS5 in hypoxia-induced HPASMCs promoted the cell proliferation, cell migration, and cell contraction through activating JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway. Moreover, SOCS5 was targeted by miR-155-5p. All in all, our work hinted that miR-155-5p/SOCS5/JAK2/STAT3 axis played a crucial part in PH.

Based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) data in maritime settings, this paper explores the limitations of traditional Recurrent Neural Networks in extracting features from complex vessel trajectory sequences. We propose a fusion model, namely CNN-RGRU-Attention, for vessel trajectory prediction. The model integrates Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Attention Mechanism, and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU). The effectiveness of the model is validated using actual AIS data, demonstrating significant improvements in metrics such as Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Squared Error (MSE), and Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE). The CNN-RGRU-Attention model provides crucial theoretical support for enhancing the safety management of maritime traffic services.

Abstract The explosive growth of social media means portrait editing and retouching are in high demand. While portraits are commonly captured and stored as raster images, editing raster images is non-trivial and requires the user to be highly skilled. Aiming at developing intuitive and easy-to-use portrait editing tools, we propose a novel vectorization method that can automatically convert raster images into a 3-tier hierarchical representation. The base layer consists of a set of sparse diffusion curves (DCs) which characterize salient geometric features and low-frequency colors, providing a means for semantic color transfer and facial expression editing. The middle level encodes specular highlights and shadows as large, editable Poisson regions (PRs) and allows the user to directly adjust illumination by tuning the strength and changing the shapes of PRs. The top level contains two types of pixel-sized PRs for high-frequency residuals and fine details such as pimples and pigmentation. We train a deep generative model that can produce high-frequency residuals automatically. Thanks to the inherent meaning in vector primitives, editing portraits becomes easy and intuitive. In particular, our method supports color transfer, facial expression editing, highlight and shadow editing, and automatic retouching. To quantitatively evaluate the results, we extend the commonly used FLIP metric (which measures color and feature differences between two images) to consider illumination. The new metric, illumination-sensitive FLIP, can effectively capture salient changes in color transfer results, and is more consistent with human perception than FLIP and other quality measures for portrait images. We evaluate our method on the FFHQR dataset and show it to be effective for common portrait editing tasks, such as retouching, light editing, color transfer, and expression editing.

Hot compression tests were conducted on 7055 aluminum alloy under different strain rates, temperatures, and reduction ratios. The influence of deformation parameters on microstructure evolution and hot deformation behavior was studied through EBSD and TEM characterization. An Arrhenius constitutive model was established and the recovery and recrystallization characteristics of the alloy under different conditions were analyzed. Results showed that the softening mechanism during the hot compression process of 7055 aluminum alloy was mainly attributed to recovery and partial recrystallization. The Zener-Holloman (Z) parameter was utilized to reveal the combined effects of strain rate and temperature on recrystallization behavior. Under conditions of high LnZ values (20

Flavonoids are critical secondary metabolites that determine the health benefits and flavor of tea, while chlorophylls are important contributors to the appearance of tea. However, transcription factors (TFs) that can integrate both chlorophyll biosynthesis and flavonoid accumulation in response to specific light signals are rarely identified. In this study, we report that the GOLDEN 2-LIKE TF pair, CsGLK1 and CsGLK2, orchestrate UV-B-induced responses in the chlorophyll biosynthesis and flavonoid accumulation of tea leaves. The absence of solar UV-B reduced the transcriptional expression of CsGLKs in the tea leaves and was highly correlated with a decrease in flavonoid levels (especially flavonol glycosides) and the expression of genes and TFs involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis and flavonoid accumulation. In vivo and in vitro molecular analyses showed that CsGLKs could be regulated by the UV-B signal mediator CsHY5, and could directly bind to the promoters of gene and TF involved in light-harvesting (CsLhcb), chlorophyll biosynthesis (CsCHLH, CsHEMA1, and CsPORA), and flavonoid accumulation (CsMYB12, CsFLSa, CsDFRa, and CsLARa), eventually leading to UV-B-induced responses in the chlorophylls and flavonoids of tea leaves. Furthermore, UV-B exposure increased the levels of total flavonoids, CsGLK1 protein, and expression of CsGLKs and target genes in the tea leaves. These results indicate that CsGLKs may modulate tea leaf characteristics by regulating chlorophyll biosynthesis and flavonoid accumulation in response to solar UV-B. As the first report on UV-B-induced changes in flavonoid and chlorophyll regulation mediated by CsGLKs, this study improves our understanding of the environmental regulations regarding tea quality and sheds new light on UV-B-induced flavonoid responses in higher plants.

AimMagnesium levels may influence the effect of vitamin D levels on the body. This study aimed to assess the combined effect of magnesium status as reflected by magnesium depletion score (MDS) and vitamin D status on the risk of retinopathy.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included participants aged 40 years and older with complete information on vitamin D, MDS, and retinopathy assessment from the 2005–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Logistic regression analysis was utilized to analyze the relationship of MDS and vitamin D with retinopathy and expressed as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).ResultsOf these 4,953 participants included, 602 (9.53%) participants had retinopathy. Serum vitamin D levels ≤30 nmol/L (vs. >30 nmol/L) (OR = 1.38, 95%CI: 1.05–1.81) and MDS >2 points (vs. ≤2 points) (OR = 1.47, 95%CI: 1.01–2.16) were associated with higher odds of retinopathy. There was an interaction between MDS and vitamin D on the increased odds of retinopathy (OR = 2.29, 95%CI: 1.12–4.68, Pinteraction = 0.025). In different MDS groups, serum vitamin D levels ≤30 nmol/L increased the odds of retinopathy only in the MDS >2 group (OR = 2.90, 95%CI: 1.16–7.24), but not in the MDS ≤2 group (p = 0.293). Subgroups analyses demonstrated that the interaction between MDS and serum vitamin D on retinopathy was observed in males (OR = 6.88, 95%CI: 1.41–33.66, Pinteraction = 0.019), people with diabetes (OR = 3.43, 95%CI: 1.78–6.63, Pinteraction

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy that remains incurable and poses a significant threat to global public health. The multifunctional transcription factor c-Myc plays a crucial role in various cellular processes and is closely associated with MM progression. As part of the basic-helix-loop-helix-leucine zipper (bHLHZip) family, c-Myc forms heterodimers with its obligate partner Max, binds to the Enhancer-box (E-box) of DNA, and ultimately co-regulates gene expression. Therefore, impeding the capacity for heterodimerization to bind to DNA represents a favored strategy in thwarting c-Myc transcription. In this study, we first synthesized a series of novel 2-iminobenzimidazole derivatives and further estimated their potential anti-MM activity. Notably, among all the derivatives, 5b and 5d demonstrated remarkable inhibitory activity against RPMI-8226 and U266 cells, with IC50 values of 0.85 μM and 0.97 μM for compound 5b, and 0.96 μM and 0.89 μM for compound 5d. Western blot and dual-luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that compounds 5b and 5d effectively suppressed both c-Myc protein expression and transcriptional activity of the c-Myc promoter in RPMI-8226 and U266 cells. Furthermore, these compounds induced apoptosis and G1 cell cycle arrest in the aforementioned MM cells. Molecular docking studies revealed that 5b and 5d exhibited strong binding affinity to the interface between c-Myc/Max and E-box of DNA. Taken together, our findings suggest that further investigations are warranted for potential therapeutic applications of 5b and 5d for c-Myc-related diseases.

Abstract The tumor microenvironment (TME) is made up of cells and extracellular matrix (non-cellular component), and cellular components include cancer cells and non-malignant cells such as immune cells and stromal cells. These three types of cells establish complex signals in the body and further influence tumor genesis, development, metastasis and participate in resistance to anti-tumor therapy. It has attracted scholars to study immune cells in TME due to the significant efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) in solid tumors and hematologic tumors. After more than 10 years of efforts, the role of immune cells in TME and the strategy of treating tumors based on immune cells have developed rapidly. Moreover, ICI have been recommended by guidelines as first- or second-line treatment strategies in a variety of tumors. At the same time, stromal cells is another major class of cellular components in TME, which also play a very important role in tumor metabolism, growth, metastasis, immune evasion and treatment resistance. Stromal cells can be recruited from neighboring non-cancerous host stromal cells and can also be formed by transdifferentiation from stromal cells to stromal cells or from tumor cells to stromal cells. Moreover, they participate in tumor genesis, development and drug resistance by secreting various factors and exosomes, participating in tumor angiogenesis and tumor metabolism, regulating the immune response in TME and extracellular matrix. However, with the deepening understanding of stromal cells, people found that stromal cells not only have the effect of promoting tumor but also can inhibit tumor in some cases. In this review, we will introduce the origin of stromal cells in TME as well as the role and specific mechanism of stromal cells in tumorigenesis and tumor development and strategies for treatment of tumors based on stromal cells. We will focus on tumor-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), tumor-associated adipocytes (CAAs), tumor endothelial cells (TECs) and pericytes (PCs) in stromal cells.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) show unique advantages in the treatment of lung cancer, making the treatment of lung cancer enter the era of immunotherapy, but ICIs will also have adverse reactions, and the incidence of immune-induced hematological toxicity is not very high. Immunotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia is a rare adverse event.We report one case of thrombocytopenia induced by ICIs and review the literature on thrombocytopenia associated with ICIs and discuss the clinical features, possible mechanisms, and optimal treatment.

Abstract Background The locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) of FIGO stage IB3-IIA2 is characterized by large local mass, poor prognosis and survival rate. Tumor response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for LACC, utilized as a surrogate endpoint, is urgently needed to improve. Given that the antitumor immune response can be suppressed by programed death-1 axis, the treatment paradigm of neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy has been explored as one of the prognostic treatments in a variety of solid carcinoma. So far, the application of sintilimab, a domestic immune checkpoint inhibitor, combined with neoadjuvant chemotherapy is still limited in LACC, especially in large lesions. Case description We present three postmenopausal women diagnosed with FIGO stage IB3-IIA2 cervical squamous cell carcinoma with lesions larger than 5 cm. Demographic, clinical, histopathological, laboratory and imaging data were record. At the completion of the neoadjuvant therapy with paclitaxel plus carboplatin combined with sintilimab, all patients underwent hysterectomy. After neoadjuvant treatment, a pathologic complete response in case 1 and partial responses in case 2 and case 3 were achieved, and neither patient showed any relapse during the follow-up period of 16 to 22 months. Conclusions This report provide evidence to support the combination of sintilimab with neoadjuvant chemotherapy in cervical cancer, which has yet to be validated in prospective studies. More clinical data are needed to verify the effectiveness of the combined regimens. This literature review also collected studies involving potential predictors of response to NACT and immunotherapy, which would be helpful in stratifying patients for future trials.

Abstract In this paper, a historical perspective is taken to investigate the variations in institutional and international entrepreneurship that occur throughout Africa. Drawing on the institutional theory of international entrepreneurship, we introduce ethnic fractionalization as an informal institution that influences new venture internationalization in African countries. Further, we identify the historical traumatic shock exerted by the epidemic disease spread by tsetse flies as the driver of the relationship between ethnic fractionalization and new venture internationalization. Based on a sample of 33,621 firm-year observations covering 40 African countries, Our empirical findings provide important insights into international entrepreneurship in Africa and offers a theoretical extension into the historical origins of informal institutions.

In order to investigate the species diversity of Herpothallon in China and further identify its distribution characteristics and species composition, one hundred and twenty-eight specimens of the lichen genus Herpothallon were collected from many provinces of tropical and subtropical regions of China as part of our field investigations. Identification was carried out using morphological, anatomical and chemical methods. The examined specimens were deposited in the Lichen Section of the Botanical Herbarium, Shandong Normal University (SDNU) and the Herbarium of Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China (KUN). A total of 12 species of Herpothallon are reported, of which H. australasicum (Elix) Elix & G. Thor, H. granulosum Jagadeesh Ram & G. P. Sinha, H. himalayanum Jagadeesh & G. P. Sinha, H. isidiatum Jagadeesh Ram & G. P. Sinha and H. minutum Jagadeesh are new records for China. Hitherto known species of Herpothallon in China were comprehensively analyzed. The results are as follows: (1) There are two additional species of Herpothallon found in China making a total of 14 and accounting for 29.17% of the known Herpothallon species worldwide. (2) These species belong to five types of geographical elements: Pantropical distribution, Tropical Asia to Tropical Australia distribution, Topical Asia and tropical America disjunctive distribution, Tropical Asia distribution, and Endemic to China. (3) Herpothallon species in China grows mainly in the altitude ranging 300 to 2 500 m. (4) Most of these species are mainly corticolous with a few being foliicolous, saxicolous and muscicolous in China. The results of initial filed work indicate that this group is distributed sporadically in some mountainous forests in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, and indicate that a higher biodiversity of Herpothallon in South China, changes in substrate and altitude also have important effects on the distribution of Herpothallon in China, which are important for the understanding of the genus composition and the protection of lichen diversity of Herpothallon in China. We plan to carry out further surveys and studies on this genus to provide more detailed and reliable data that can make species definition more objective and establish a more reliable classification.

In a previous study, rice bread was prepared using a combination of rice–wheat mixed flour. To investigate the impact of the partial adoption of extruded rice flour (ERF) on mixed flour (MF) and mixed dough (MD), the effects of adding ERF on the pasting, mixing characteristics, texture, and water retention of the MF and MD were examined by a rapid visco analyzer (RVA), Mixolab, texture profile analysis (TPA), and a low-field nuclear magnetic resonance analyzer (LF-NMR). The PV, TV, BD, FV, and SV of the MF declined as the incorporated amount of ERF increased. There was no significant difference in the PT at the 5–15% addition level (p < 0.05), but it showed an increasing trend at the 20–30% level (p < 0.05). The incorporation of ERF led to a significant increase in the water absorption (WA) of the MD, while the DT, ST, C2, C3, C4, and C5 exhibited a declining trend. The texture analysis revealed a significant decrease in the dough hardness with the addition of ERF, with a 55% reduction in the hardness of the 30% improved mixed dough (IMD), and the cohesiveness increased significantly (p < 0.05). The IMD was mainly composed of weakly bound water. The content of weakly bound water increased with the ERF amount.

Freezing affects texture and induces the loss of gel quality. This study investigated the effects of methylcellulose (MC) (0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%) and sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) (0.15%, 0.3%) on the gel textural and structural properties of SPI gels before and after freezing, and explores the synergistic enhancement of gel texture and the underlying mechanisms resulting from the simultaneous addition of SHMP and MC to SPI gels. It was revealed that MC improved the strength of SPI gels through its thickening properties, but it could not inhibit the reduction of SPI gels after freezing. The 0.4% MC-SPI gel exhibited the best gel strength (193.2 ± 2.4 g). SHMP inhibited gel reduction during freezing through hydrogen bonding and ionic interactions; it enhanced the freezing stability of SPI gels. The addition of 0.15% SHMP made the water-holding capacity in SPI gels reach the highest score after freezing (58.2 ± 0.32%). The synergistic effect of MC and SHMP could improve the strength and the freezing stability of SPI gels. MC facilitated the release of ionizable groups within SPI, causing negatively charged SHMP groups to aggregate on the SPI and inhibit the freezing aggregation of proteins. These results provide a strong basis for the improvement of cryogenic soy protein gel performance by SHMP and MC.

The global development of livestock production systems, accelerated by the growing demand for animal products, has greatly contributed to land-use change, greenhouse gas emissions, and pollution of the local environment. Further, excessive consumption of animal products has been linked with cardiovascular diseases, digestive system diseases, diabetes, and cancer. On the other hand, snacks, pasta, and bread available on the market are made from wheat, fat, salt, and sugar, which contribute to the risk of cardiovascular diseases. To counter these issues, a range of plant protein-based food products have been developed using different processing techniques, such as extrusion. Given the easy scalability, low cost of extrusion technology, and health benefits of soy proteins, this review focuses on the extrusion of soy protein and the potential application of soy protein-based extrudates in the manufacture of healthy, nutritious, and sustainable meat analogs, snacks, pasta products, and breakfast cereals. This review discusses the addition of soy protein to reformulate hypercaloric foods through extrusion technology. It also explores physical and chemical changes of soy proteins/soy protein blends during low and high moisture extrusion. Hydrogen bonds, disulfide bonds, and hydrophobic interactions influence the properties of the extrudates. Adding soy protein to snacks, pasta, breakfast cereals, and meat analogs affects their nutritional value, physicochemical properties, and sensory characteristics. The use of soy proteins in the production of low-calorie food could be an excellent opportunity for the future development of the soybean processing industry.

High power output and high conversion efficiency are crucial parameters for microbial fuel cells (MFCs). In our previous work, we worked with microfluidic MFCs to study fundamentals related to the power density of the MFCs, but nutrient consumption was limited to one side of the microchannel (the electrode layer) due to diffusion limitations. In this work, long-term experiments were conducted on a new four-electrode microfluidic MFC design, which grew Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms on upward- and downward-facing electrodes in the microchannel. To our knowledge, this is the first study comparing electroactive biofilm (EAB) growth experiencing the influence of opposing gravitational fields. It was discovered that inoculation and growth of the EAB did not proceed as fast at the downward-facing anode, which we hypothesize to be due to gravity effects that negatively impacted bacterial settling on that surface. Rotating the device during the growth phase resulted in uniform and strong outputs from both sides, yielding individual power densities of 4.03 and 4.13 W m−2, which increased to nearly double when the top- and bottom-side electrodes were operated in parallel as a single four-electrode MFC. Similarly, acetate consumption could be doubled with the four electrodes operated in parallel.

Objective: The objective of the study was to use optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to analyze the effects of repeated low-level red-light (LLLT) therapy on macular retinal thickness and the microvascular system in children with myopia to evaluate the safety of this therapy. Methods: This prospective study included 40 school-age children with myopia (80 eyes), aged 7–14 years, who received therapy using a LLLT instrument. At baseline and therapy for 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, all children underwent comprehensive ophthalmological examinations, including slit-lamp examination, uncorrected visual acuity, best-corrected visual acuity, spherical equivalent degree, axial length, and OCTA. The vessel densities of the superficial retinal capillary plexus, macular inner retinal thickness, and full-layer retinal thickness were measured. Results: The macular inner retinal thickness increased at 1 month and remained unchanged thereafter, It differed significantly in nine areas at 1, 3, and 6 months compared to the thicknesses before therapy (P < 0.05); however, we observed no significant differences between the different time points (P > 0.05). The macular full-layer retinal thickness increased at 1 month and remained unchanged thereafter; the changes showed significant differences at 1 month and 3 months compared to before therapy, for the inner nasal region (P < 0.05). The other eight areas showed significant differences at 1, 3, and 6 months compared with before therapy (P < 0.05); however, no significant difference was observed between the different time points after therapy (P > 0.05). The vessel density of the superficial retinal capillary plexus did not differ significantly among the four groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions: LLLT therapy was safe. The school-aged children exhibited macular thickening after LLLT therapy, which had no significant effect on macular microcirculation.

Background and purposesTreating intracranial stenosis with distal thrombosis (IS&DT) using traditional mechanical thrombectomy (MT) techniques has proven challenging. This study aimed to summarize the experience of utilizing the balloon-assisted tracking (BAT) technique for IS&DT.MethodsDemographic and morphologic characteristics of patients with IS&DT were collected for this study. The BAT technique, involving a half-deflated balloon outside the intermediate catheter tip, was used in all patients to navigate through the proximal stenosis. Various parameters were recorded, including the sequence of vascular reperfusion, the puncture-to-reperfusion time (PRT), the residual stenosis rate, and the occurrence of re-occlusion. The thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) scale was used to assess the reperfusion of intracranial vessels, with a TICI score of ≥2b considered as successful perfusion. The clinical status of patients was evaluated at three time points: pre-procedure, post-procedure, and at discharge using the modified Rankin score (mRS).ResultsIn this study, a total of 10 patients were diagnosed with IS&DT, consisting of 9 male patients (90.0%) and 1 female patient (10.0%). The patients’ mean age was 63.10 years (ranging from 29 to 79 years). The mean National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score before treatment was 24.3 (ranging from 12 to 40), indicating the severity of their condition. Following the procedure, all patients achieved successful reperfusion with a thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) score of ≥2b. The average puncture-to-reperfusion time (PRT) was 51.8 min (ranging from 25 to 100 min), indicating the time taken for the procedure. During the perioperative period, three patients (30.0%) experienced complications. One patient had hemorrhage, while two patients had contrast extravasation. Among these cases, only the patient with hemorrhage (10%) suffered from a permanent neurological function deficit. At discharge, the patient’s condition showed improvement. The mean NIHSS score decreased to 13.2 (ranging from 1 to 34), indicating a positive response to treatment. The mean mRS score at discharge was 3.2 (ranging from 1 to 5), showing some level of functional improvement.ConclusionIn conclusion, the use of the balloon-assisted tracking (BAT) technique for treating intracranial stenosis with distal thrombosis (IS&DT) showed promising results. However, a moderate rate of perioperative complications was observed, warranting further investigation and refinement of the procedure.

Current cloud application program interface (API) recommendation methods mainly use similarity calculation or historical calls of Mashup to generate recommendation results, while ignoring the beneficial functional complementarity (FC) between Mashup and cloud API.To address the above issue, a FC relationship enhanced cloud API recommendation approach was proposed.Firstly, label co-occurrence was applied to describe the FC relationship.Then, the FC score was calculated to describe the degree of FC between the cloud API and the Mashup, and the FC vector was learned to describe the potential FC relationship.Based on this, FC scores and FC vectors were embedded into the cloud API recommendation model, so that FC relationship played a key role in the cloud API recommendation process.Experiments were conducted on real-world cloud API datasets, and the AUC, F1 and HR@5 of the proposed approach improved by an average of 2.32%, 1.86% and 9.15%, respectively, in the sparse scenario.Finally, the proposed approach can improve the accuracy of cloud API recommendation results, while improving the recommendation performance of long-tail cloud API.

Abstract Background Due to the heterogeneity of the phenotype of Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) patients, some patients may have rare clinical complications such as biliary obstruction and ultra-high bilirubinemia. Case presentation A 8-y-old boy presented to the emergency with complaints of anemia for 6 years and worsened abdominal pain and scleral yellowing of the skin for 2 days. Physical examination showed tenderness in the middle and upper abdomen and splenomegaly. Abdominal CT revealed biliary obstruction. Genetic analysis revealed a de novo mutation in the gene ANK1, HS with biliary obstruction was diagnosed. The surgery of bile duct exploration and T-tube drainage, and splenectomy were performed successively. This patient was followed up for 13 months after splenectomy, and his condition was stable. Conclusion The diagnosis of HS is not clinically difficult, and once a patient with HS is diagnosed, regular follow-up management and standardized treatment are required. Genetic testing is also needed to screen for other genetic disorders that may co-exist in patients with HS who do not have a good efficacy or who have a long-term chronic onset of jaundice.