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Abstract Background Advanced glycation end product-modified low-density lipoprotein (AGE-LDL) is related to inflammation and the development of atherosclerosis. Additionally, it has been demonstrated that receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) has a role in the condition known as calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). Here, we hypothesized that the AGE-LDL/RAGE axis could also be involved in the pathophysiological mechanism of CAVD. Methods Human aortic valve interstitial cells (HAVICs) were stimulated with AGE-LDL following pre-treatment with or without interleukin 37 (IL-37). Low-density lipoprotein receptor deletion (Ldlr −/− ) hamsters were randomly allocated to chow diet (CD) group and high carbohydrate and high fat diet (HCHFD) group. Results AGE-LDL levels were significantly elevated in patients with CAVD and in a hamster model of aortic valve calcification. Our in vitro data further demonstrated that AGE-LDL augmented the expression of intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in a dose-dependent manner through NF-κB activation, which was attenuated by nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) inhibitor Bay11-7082. The expression of RAGE was augmented in calcified aortic valves, and knockdown of RAGE in HAVICs attenuated the AGE-LDL-induced inflammatory and osteogenic responses as well as NF-κB activation. IL-37 suppressed inflammatory and osteogenic responses and NF-κB activation in HAVICs. The vivo experiment also demonstrate that supplementation with IL-37 inhibited valvular inflammatory response and thereby suppressed valvular osteogenic activities. Conclusions AGE-LDL promoted inflammatory responses and osteogenic differentiation through RAGE/NF-κB pathway in vitro and aortic valve lesions in vivo. IL-37 suppressed the AGE-LDL-induced inflammatory and osteogenic responses in vitro and attenuated aortic valve lesions in a hamster model of CAVD. Graphic Abstract

Abstract During extensive periods without rain, known as dry-downs, decreasing soil moisture (SM) induces plant water stress at the point when it limits evapotranspiration, defining a critical SM threshold (θcrit). Better quantification of θcrit is needed for improving future projections of climate and water resources, food production, and ecosystem vulnerability. Here, we combine systematic satellite observations of the diurnal amplitude of land surface temperature (dLST) and SM during dry-downs, corroborated by in-situ data from flux towers, to generate the observation-based global map of θcrit. We find an average global θcrit of 0.19 m3/m3, varying from 0.12 m3/m3 in arid ecosystems to 0.26 m3/m3 in humid ecosystems. θcrit simulated by Earth System Models is overestimated in dry areas and underestimated in wet areas. The global observed pattern of θcrit reflects plant adaptation to soil available water and atmospheric demand. Using explainable machine learning, we show that aridity index, leaf area and soil texture are the most influential drivers. Moreover, we show that the annual fraction of days with water stress, when SM stays below θcrit, has increased in the past four decades. Our results have important implications for understanding the inception of water stress in models and identifying SM tipping points.

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) pollution poses significant health and ecological risks warranting cost-effective remediation. This study investigated the efficacy of zinc oxide nanoparticles (nZnO) and Miscanthus lutarioriparius synergism for Cr(VI) immobilization and stabilization. nZnO characterized by XRD, SEM-EDS and DLS was amended to 3 mg kg−1 Cr(VI) spiked soil pots at 0.5 % and 1 %. M. lutarioriparius seedlings were then transplanted and grown for 3 months. Results showed increase in residual soil Cr(III) from negligible to 68.9 % upon 1 % nZnO indicating reduction of Cr(VI). Maximum decline of 76.3 % in total Cr(VI) confirmed immobilization. Batch adsorption experiments revealed rising Cr(VI) removal from 61.3 % to 83.7 % by increase in nZnO dose from 0.2 to 1 g L−1. M. lutarioriparius demonstrated hyperaccumulator ability uptaking 208.3 and 156.8 mg kg−1 Cr in roots and shoots respectively. Restricted root-shoot translocation factor of 0.79 aided suitability for phytostabilization. The plant-nZnO synergy enhanced remediation efficiency as confirmed by tolerance index restoration from 38.6 % to 100 %. Increased growth performance reflected mitigation of toxicity by restricted bioavailability. Overall, the nanoremediation strategy displayed high potential for effective in situ stabilization of Cr(VI) contamination combining favorable properties of nZnO and plant tolerance mechanisms.

Abstract Background Transient symptomatic zinc deficiency (TSZD), an acquired type of zinc deficiency, is a rare, but probably underrecognized disease, extremely in breastfed premature with low birthweight infants. Its clinical manefestations are similar to Acrodermatitis enteropathica (AE), which is a genetic zinc absorption disorder caused by SLC39A4 gene mutations. This gene encodes a member of the zinc/iron-regulated transporter-like protein (ZIP) family. The encoded protein localizes to cell membranes and is required for zinc uptake in the intestine. TSZD is often misdiagnosed as AE because of their extremely similar manefestations, characterized by a typical rash. Therefore, the differention between them is still a clinical challenging. Case presentation Here, we present a case of TSZD in a 4 month and 23 days female Chinese Yi-ethnic premature with AE-like skin lesions, mainly presenting periorificial, perianal and perineal crusted, eroded, erythemato-squamous eruption. Laboratory examination showed the patient’s blood zinc level was significantly decreased. Further sequencing of the SLC39A4 gene showed no mutation in the infant and her parents. Skin lesions significantly improved after 6 days of initial zinc supplementation (3 mg/kg/d), and maintenance treatment with 1 mg/kg/day of zinc was discontinued after 8 months without recurrence. Conclusions The clinical manifestations of TSZD and AE are extremely similar, leading to a high rate of clinical misdiagnosis. While genetic analysis of the SLC39A4 gene is a reliable method for differentiating TSZD from AE. It is recommended that SLC39A4 gene test should be performed as far as possible in children with AE-like rash.

Abstract Kagome superconductors AV3Sb5 (A = K, Rb, and Cs) have attracted enormous interest due to the coexistence of charge density wave (CDW) order, unconventional superconductivity (SC) and anomalous Hall effect (AHE). In this paper, we reported an intensive investigation on Cs(V1−x Ta x )3Sb5 single crystals with systematic Ta doping. Ta was confirmed to be doped into V-site in the Kagome layer from both single crystal X-ray diffraction structural refinement and scanning transmission electron microscopy observation. The highest Ta doping level was found to be about 16%, which is more than twice as much as 7% in Nb-doped CsV3Sb5. With the increase of Ta doping, CDW order was gradually suppressed and finally vanished when the doping level reached to more than 8%. Meanwhile, superconductivity was enhanced with a maximum critical temperature (Tc) of 5.3 K, which is the highest Tc in the bulk crystal of this Kagome system at ambient pressure so far. The μ 0 H c2(T) behavior demonstrates that the system is still a two-band superconductor after Ta doping. Based on the electrical transport measurement, a phase diagram was set up to exhibit the evolution of CDW and SC in the Cs(V1−x Ta x )3Sb5 system. These findings pave a new way to search for new superconductors with higher Tc in the AV3Sb5 family and establish a new platform for tuning and controlling the multiple orders and superconducting states.

In this paper, the hot deformation behavior of Ti65 alloy was investigated over the temperature range of 930–1110 °C with the strain rate of 0.001–1 s−1. According to the stress-strain curves, the constitutive equation was developed to describe the flow behavior of Ti65 alloy. The processing maps were constructed based on the dynastic materials model (DMM) and the perfect formability zone of Ti65 alloy is found under the temperature of 970–1020 °C and the strain rate of 0.001–0.1 s−1. In addition, a three-dimensional nonlinear transient thermo-mechanically coupled finite element model of the multi-dimensional forging (MDF) process of Ti65 alloy was developed. The effects of the forging temperature and forging speed, on the temperature rise, residual stress, and grain refinement were predicted. By analyzing the temperature and stress distribution, the optimum forging temperature and speed for Ti65 alloys were determined to be 1000 °C and 10 mm/s, respectively. Increasing the forging temperature or reducing the forging speed reduces the temperature rise and the maximum tensile stress, thus reducing the risk of cracking. Additionally, the equivalent strain increases as forging speed decreases. Simultaneously, the accumulated strain is more significant for the inside of the forgings. The results of this research are instructive for the optimization of the MDF process.

Abstract The reaction system of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) catalyzed by nanozyme has a broad prospect in antibacterial treatment. However, the complex catalytic activities of nanozymes lead to multiple pathways reacting in parallel, causing uncertain antibacterial results. New approach to effectively regulate the multiple catalytic activities of nanozyme is in urgent need. Herein, Cu single site is modified on nanoceria with various catalytic activities, such as peroxidase-like activity (POD) and hydroxyl radical antioxidant capacity (HORAC). Benefiting from the interaction between coordinated Cu and CeO2 substrate, POD is enhanced while HORAC is inhibited, which is further confirmed by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Cu-CeO2 + H2O2 system shows good antibacterial properties both in vitro and in vivo. In this work, the strategy based on the interaction between coordinated metal and carrier provides a general clue for optimizing the complex activities of nanozymes.

Exploding foil initiator (EFI) is a kind of advanced device for initiating explosives, but its function is unstable when it comes to directly igniting pyrotechnics. To solve the problem, this research aims to reveal the ignition mechanism of EFIs directly igniting pyrotechnics. An oscilloscope, a photon Doppler velocimetry, and a plasma spectrum measurement system were employed to obtain information of electric characteristics, impact pressure, and plasma temperature. The results of the electric characteristics and the impact pressure were inconsistent with ignition results. The only thing that the ignition success tests had in common was that their plasma all had a relatively long period of high-temperature duration (HTD). It eventually concludes that the ignition mechanism in this research is the micro-convection heat transfer rather than the shock initiation, which differs from that of exploding foil initiators detonating explosives. Furthermore, the methods for evaluating the ignition success of semiconductor bridge initiators are not entirely applicable to the tests mentioned in this paper. The HTD is the critical parameter for judging the ignition success, and it is influenced by two factors: the late time discharge and the energy of the electric explosion. The longer time of the late time discharge and the more energy of the electric explosion, the easier it is to expand the HTD, which improves the probability of the ignition success.

Abstract Background Interpregnancy interval (IPI) is associated with a variety of adverse maternal and infant outcomes. However, reports of its associations with early infant neurodevelopment are limited and the mechanisms of this association have not been elucidated. Maternal–fetal glucose metabolism has been shown to be associated with infant neurodevelopmental. The objective of this study was to determine whether this metabolism plays a role in the relationship between IPI and neurodevelopment. Methods This prospective birth cohort study included 2599 mother-infant pairs. The IPI was calculated by subtracting the gestational age of the current pregnancy from the interval at the end of the previous pregnancy. Neurodevelopmental outcomes at 12 months in infants were assessed by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Edition 3 (ASQ-3). Maternal fasting venous blood was collected at 24–28 weeks and cord blood was collected at delivery. The association between IPI and neurodevelopment was determined by logistic regression. Mediation and sensitivity analyses were also conducted. Results In our cohort, 14.0% had an IPI

Abstract Integrinβ-1 (ITGB1) is a crucial member of the transmembrane glycoprotein signaling receptor family and is also central to the integrin family. It forms heterodimers with other ligands, participates in intracellular signaling and controls a variety of cellular processes, such as angiogenesis and the growth of neurons; because of its role in bidirectional signaling regulation both inside and outside the membrane, ITGB1 must interact with a multitude of substances, so a variety of interfering factors can affect ITGB1 and lead to changes in its function. Over the past 20 years, many studies have confirmed a clear causal relationship between ITGB1 dysregulation and cancer development and progression in a wide range of benign diseases and solid tumor types, which may imply that ITGB1 is a prognostic biomarker and a therapeutic target for cancer treatment that warrants further investigation. This review summarizes the biological roles of ITGB1 in benign diseases and cancers, and compiles the current status of ITGB1 function and therapy in various aspects of tumorigenesis and progression. Finally, future research directions and application prospects of ITGB1 are suggested. Video Abstract

Biomass energy, recognized for its potential to supplant traditional energy sources, finds a promising alternative in Miscanthus. Particularly, M. lutarioriparius, a species within the Miscanthus genus, stands out as the most suitable for application. This study focuses on the impact of harvest timing on the biomass and combustion quality of M. lutarioriparius in the coastal wetlands of Dongting Lake, Hunan. A comprehensive field experiment was conducted in this area. The findings reveal several key trends: Firstly, the biomass yield of M. lutarioriparius decreased from 18.42 tons per hectare to 11.25 tons per hectare with the delayed harvest. there is a notable increase in the stem-to-leaf ratio of M. lutarioriparius, primarily attributed to leaf shedding. Secondly, the water content had dropped to 22.33% by the time of harvest in February of the following year. Ash content decreased from 4.55% to 2.17% from October to February of the following year. The calorific value, cellulose and lignin content increased with delayed harvest, while hemicellulose content decreased. Notably, the calorific value exhibits a significant positive correlation with cellulose and lignin content, and a markedly negative correlation with hemicellulose. Thirdly, most mineral elements in the plant demonstrate a significant decrease with delayed harvesting, except for potassium (K) and calcium (Ca), which initially increase and then decrease. The ash content shows a positive correlation with the contents of potassium (K) and silicon (Si). Despite a reduction in biomass yield due to delayed harvesting, combustion quality significantly improves. Therefore, it is concluded that optimal fuel quality is achieved when M. lutarioriparius is harvested in February of the following year.

IntroductionThe buffalo is an important domestic animal globally, providing milk, meat, and labor to more than 2 billion people in 67 countries. The rumen microorganisms of buffaloes play an indispensable role in enabling the healthy functionality and digestive function of buffalo organisms. Currently, there is a lack of clarity regarding the differences in the composition and function of rumen microorganisms among buffaloes at different growth stages.MethodsIn this study, metagenomics sequencing technology was applied to examine the compositional and functional differences of rumen microorganisms in adult and breastfed buffaloes.ResultsThe results revealed that the rumen of adult buffaloes had significantly higher levels of the following dominant genera: Prevotella, UBA1711, RF16, Saccharofermentans, F23-D06, UBA1777, RUG472, and Methanobrevibacter_A. Interestingly, the dominant genera specific to the rumen of adult buffaloes showed a significant positive correlation (correlation>0.5, p-value0.5, p-value

Microviridae is a family of phages with circular ssDNA genomes and they are widely found in various environments and organisms. In this study, virome techniques were employed to explore potential members of Microviridae in a poultry slaughterhouse, leading to the identification of 98 novel and complete microvirus genomes. Using a similarity clustering network classification approach, these viruses were found to belong to at least 6 new subfamilies within Microviridae and 3 higher-level taxonomic units. Genome size, GC content and genome structure of these new taxa showed evident regularities, validating the rationality of our classification method. Our method can divide microviruses into about 45 additional detailed clusters, which may serve as a new standard for classifying Microviridae members. Furthermore, by addressing the scarcity of host information for microviruses, the current study significantly broadened their host range and discovered over 20 possible new hosts, including important pathogenic bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori and Vibrio cholerae, as well as different taxa demonstrated different host specificities. The findings of this study effectively expand the diversity of the Microviridae family, providing new insights for their classification and identification. Additionally, it offers a novel perspective for monitoring and controlling pathogenic microorganisms in poultry slaughterhouse environments.

Background: Grade IV circular hemorrhoids are difficult to treat. We aim to describe the modified whitehead hemorrhoidectomy procedure and to assess the effectiveness and safety of this procedure for grade IV circular hemorrhoid patients. Methods: Patients with grade Ⅳ circular hemorrhoids who underwent modified Whitehead hemorrhoidectomy and partial hemorrhoidectomy for fourth-degree circular mixed hemorrhoids were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical data were extracted from the database at our institution, and long-term postoperative complications were assessed through repeated outpatient examinations and telephonic communication. Results: A total of 205 patients were included in this study. The mean operative time was 59.2 ± 13.8 min. The average hospital stay was 4.6 ± 1.0 days. For postoperative complications, 66 (32.2%) patients had urinary retention, 10 (4.9%) patients had a sense of incomplete rectal emptying, 5 (2.4%) patients had anal incontinence, and 6 (2.9%) patients had wound infection. For long-term postoperative complications, 3 (1.5%) patients experienced mild to moderate anal stricture, 2 (1%) patients experienced mucosal ectropion, they all had smooth recoveries, and none of them needed secondary surgery. None of these patients had a hemorrhoid recurrence. A total of 205 patients who received modified Whitehead hemorrhoidectomy and 161 who received partial hemorrhoidectomy were included. There were no residual hemorrhoids in patients who received modified Whitehead hemorrhoidectomy, and none had hemorrhoid recurrence. Fifty-eight patients who received partial hemorrhoidectomy had hemorrhoidal residues, and 19 patients experienced hemorrhoid recurrence. After modified Whitehead hemorrhoidectomy, 3 patients developed anal stenosis, and 2 had mucosal ectropion. Four patients developed anal stricture after partial hemorrhoidectomy, and none had mucosal ectropion. They all had smooth recoveries, and none of them needed a secondary surgery. For the mean duration of surgery, postoperative bleeding, postoperative pain, wound infection, sense of incomplete rectal emptying, anal incontinence, and urinary retention, no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups. Conclusions: Compared with partial hemorrhoidectomy, modified whitehead hemorrhoidectomy is an effective and safe surgical procedure and does not significantly increase the risk of anal stenosis and mucosal ectropion for grade IV circular hemorrhoid patients. Prospective randomized controlled trials are needed to verify our results.

Summary: The recent surge in dam construction has sparked debates regarding their contribution to carbon neutrality and food security, focusing on trade-offs between production benefits and ecological drawbacks. However, how dams affect carbon emissions and land cover changes, including their spatial differentiations, remains unclear. We quantified spatiotemporal variations in carbon emissions and storage of 137 large dams in China from 1992 to 2020, resulting from land cover change in potentially affected areas. We observed a lesser increase in carbon emissions and a more pronounced increase in carbon storage driven by forest conservation and regeneration within dam-affected areas compared to unaffected areas. Additionally, we noticed an increased grain yield in nearby areas potentially due to increased water availability. Our findings highlight the importance of considering land cover change when assessing carbon neutrality or grain yield at regional and national scales. This study provides useful insights into optimizing dam locations to mitigate future carbon emissions effectively.

BackgroundChemotherapy with anthracyclines can cause cardiotoxicity, possibly leading to stopping treatment in some cancer patients. In cardio-oncology research, preventing and minimizing anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC) is a hot issue. For the treatment of AIC, calycosin (CA), an isoflavone component in astragali radix (AR), has become a research focus. However, the elaborate mechanisms of calycosin treating AIC remain to be unrevealed.Aim of the studyTo explore the effects of CA on AIC through multiple dimensions concerning network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental evaluations.MethodsThe study evaluated calycosin's potential targets and mechanisms for treating AIC using network pharmacology and molecular docking. The candidate genes/targets of CA and AIC were screened using the online-available database. Protein-protein interactions (PPI) between the common targets were constructed using the STRING platform, and the results were then visualized using Cytoscape. Molecular docking was used to evaluate the strength of the binding force between CA and the common targets. The possible pharmacological mechanisms of CA were explained by pathway enrichment and GSEA. Subsequently, the candidate targets were identified in vitro experiments.ResultsNetwork pharmacology effectively discovered the CA's multitarget intervention in AIC, including TNF, ABCC1, TOP2A, ABCB1, and XDH. CA binds to the ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1(ABCB1) had the highest binding energy (−7.5 kcal/mol) according to the molecular docking analysis and was selected and visualized for subsequent analysis. In vitro experiments showed that ABCB1 exhibited significant time-curve changes under different doses of doxorubicin (DOX) compared with DMSO control experiments. The anti-AIC pharmacological mechanism of CA were revealed by highlighting the biological processes of oxidative stress (OR) and inflammation.ConclusionsWe employed a practicable bioinformatics method to connect network and molecular docking to determine the calycosin's therapeutic mechanism against AIC and identified some bioinformatics results in in vitro experiments. The results presented show that CA may represent an encouraging treatment for AIC.

Carbon emissions have become a global challenge that threatens human development. Governments have taken various measures to reduce carbon emissions, and green finance is an important and innovative way to realize carbon emission reductions. This paper uses data on a prefecture-level city in China to explore the impact of green finance on carbon emission intensity from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, and analyzes the mechanisms by which green finance affects carbon emission intensity. On this basis, this paper further analyzes the impact of green finance on carbon emission efficiency. In addition, this paper introduces variables related to the digital economy to perform a comprehensive examination of the moderating effect of digital economy development on the relationship between green finance and both carbon emission intensity and efficiency. The results indicate that green finance reduces carbon emission intensity and that green innovation, green total factor productivity and the transformation and upgrading of industry are important mediating mechanisms. Meanwhile, analysis shows that green finance improves carbon emission efficiency. This paper also finds that the digital economy significantly enhances the role of green finance in reducing carbon emission intensity and promoting carbon emission efficiency, and makes a positive contribution to promoting carbon emission reduction. The findings will contribute to strengthening the government’s capacity for environmental protection, developing green finance, and reducing carbon emissions.

As data privacy issues become more and more sensitive, increasing numbers of websites usually encrypt traffic when transmitting it. This method can largely protect privacy, but it also brings a huge challenge. Aiming at the problem that encrypted traffic classification makes it difficult to obtain a global optimal solution, this paper proposes an encrypted traffic identification model called the ET-BERT and 1D-CNN fusion network (BCFNet), based on multi-scale feature fusion. This method combines feature learning with classification tasks, unified into an end-to-end model. The local features of encrypted traffic extracted based on the improved Inception one-dimensional convolutional neural network structure are fused with the global features extracted by the ET-BERT model. The one-dimensional convolutional neural network is more suitable for the encrypted traffic of a one-dimensional sequence than the commonly used two-dimensional convolutional neural network. The proposed model can learn the nonlinear relationship between the input data and the expected label and obtain the global optimal solution with a greater probability. This paper verifies the ISCX VPN-nonVPN dataset and compares the results of the BCFNet model with the other five baseline models on accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 indicators. The experimental results demonstrate that the BCFNet model has a greater overall effect than the other five models. Its accuracy can reach 98.88%.

Abstract It is commonly accepted that host genes show high methylation in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 3 (CIN3) or worse (CIN3+). However, study quality varies, as does the clinical performance of markers in different populations. We aimed to validate candidate gene DNA methylation with standardized testing methods in the same batch of samples. We first compared the performance of 16 DNA methylation markers for detecting CIN3+ in the 82-sample training set, including 24 subjects with ≤ CIN1, 10 subjects with CIN2, 23 subjects with CIN3, and 25 subjects with cervical cancer (CC). Then five methylation markers were selected and subsequently validated among an independent set of 74 subjects, including 47 subjects with ≤ CIN1, 13 subjects with CIN2, 6 subjects with CIN3, and 8 subjects with CC. The results in the validation set revealed that methylation analysis of the SOX1 (SOX1 m ) showed a superior level of clinical performance (AUC = 0.879; sensitivity = 85.7%; specificity = 90.0%). SOX1 m had better accuracy than cytology, with a reduced referral rate (23.0% vs. 31.4%) and a lower number of overtreatment (5 vs. 13) cases among high-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV)-positive women. Importantly, among hrHPV-positive and SOX1 m -negative women, only 1 CIN3 patient was at risk for follow-up after 1 year, whereas 1 CIN3 patient and 1 CC patient were at risk among hrHPV-positive and cytology-negative women. In this investigation, we screened 16 reported methylation markers to provide a basis for future studies related to potential precancerous lesion/cancer methylation markers in the Chinese population. The study also revealed that SOX1 m has optimal CIN3+ detection performance, suggesting that it may be a promising biomarker for detecting CIN3+ in the Chinese population.

In order to solve the problem of spontaneous combustion of coal in U-shaped stope during dynamic advance, a multiphysical field coupled mathematical model including the inlet and return airway, working face and goaf is established, and the reasonableness of the model is verified by field measurement data. The simulation analyzed the law of temperature field and oxygen concentration field in the goaf with the dynamic advance of working face, and further studied the influence of surrounding rock temperature, air flow temperature and working face advance speed on the self-heating of coal oxidation in the mining area. The results indicate that the temperature field on the inlet side of the goaf forms the phenomenon of high temperature region tailing in the shape of “wing section” in the process of advancing the working face, and the temperature of the high-temperature area gradually decreases under the effect of compaction of the goaf and heat dissipation of the surrounding rock; the temperature in the goaf continues to rise after the stoppage of mining, but the high-temperature area migrates to the working face; in the early stage of mining, different ventilation temperature has almost no effect on the maximum temperature in the mining area, while in the later stage of mining, the higher the ventilation temperature, the higher the maximum temperature in the mining area; the faster the working face advances, the lower the maximum temperature in the mining area.

Abstract Purpose Detecting tumor progression of glioma continues to pose a formidable challenge. The role of fibroblast activation protein (FAP) in gliomas has been demonstrated to facilitate tumor progression. Glioma-circulating biomarkers have not yet been used in clinical practice. This study seeks to evaluate the feasibility of glioma detection through the utilization of a serum FAP marker. Methods We adopted enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique to quantify the relative FAP level of serum autoantibodies in a cohort of 87 gliomas. The correlation between preoperative serum autoantibody relative FAP levels and postoperative pathology, including molecular pathology was investigated. A series of FAP tests were conducted on 33 cases of malignant gliomas in order to ascertain their efficacy in monitoring the progression of the disease in relation to imaging observations. To validate the presence of FAP expression in tumors, immunohistochemistry was conducted on four gliomas employing a FAP-specific antibody. Additionally, the investigation encompassed the correlation between postoperative tumor burden, as assessed through volumetric analysis, and the relative FAP level of serum autoantibodies. Results A considerable proportion of gliomas exhibited a significantly increased level of serum autoantibody relative FAP level. This elevation was closely associated with both histopathology and molecular pathology, and demonstrated longitudinal fluctuations and variations corresponding to the progression of the disease The correlation between the rise in serum autoantibody relative FAP level and tumor progression and/or exacerbation of symptoms was observed. Conclusions The measurement of serum autoantibody relative FAP level can be used to detect the disease as a valuable biomarker. The combined utilization of its detection alongside MR imaging has the potential to facilitate a more accurate and prompt diagnosis.

Abstract Background Montelukast is a highly selective and specific cysteinyl leukotriene receptor antagonist used in the treatment of asthma. Whether montelukast as adjuvant therapy can significantly and safely treat adults with cough variant asthma (CVA) remains inconclusive. Aims This meta‐analysis systematically evaluated the efficacy and safety of montelukast as an adjuvant treatment for adults with CVA. Materials and methods Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on montelukast combined with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) and long‐acting β2 agonists (LABAs) to treat CVA in adults, from inception to March 6, 2023, were retrieved from the CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases and Clinical Trials website. Review Manager (version 5.4) and Stata (version 15.0) were used to conduct the meta‐analysis. Results A total of 15 RCTs were ultimately included in the meta‐analysis. It was established that montelukast as adjuvant therapy raised the total effective rate (RR = 1.20, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.13, 1.27], P < 0.01) and improved the FEV1% (SMD = 0.91, 95% CI [0.40, 1.41], P < 0.01), PEF% (SMD = 0.63, 95% CI [0.38, 0.88], P < 0.01), FEV1 (SMD = 1.15, 95% CI [0.53, 1.77], P < 0.01), PEF (SMD = 0.64, 95% CI [0.42, 0.86], P < 0.01), and FEV1/FVC% (SMD = 0.76, 95% CI [0.51, 1.01], P < 0.01) and reduced the recurrence rate (RR = 0.28, 95% CI [0.15, 0.53], P < 0.01). The incidence of adverse reactions was higher in the montelukast auxiliary group compared to the control group but with no statistical difference (RR = 1.32, 95% CI [0.89, 1.96], P = 0.17). Conclusion Existing evidence indicated that the use of montelukast as an adjuvant therapy had therapeutic efficacy superior to ICS + LABA alone for the treatment of adult patients with CVA. However, further research is needed, especially a combination of high‐quality long‐term prospective studies and carefully designed RCTs.

Abstract Background This study aims to investigate the association between sleep quality and infertility among women and to explore the mediating effects of DNA methylation in this association. Methods This study is a population-based case–control study. The relationship between sleep quality and infertility was investigated in women with anovulatory infertility (n = 43) and healthy controls (n = 43). Genome-wide DNA methylation was profiled from peripheral blood samples using the Illumina Infinium Human Methylation 850k BeadChip. Differentially methylated CpGs between cases and controls were identified using the ChAMP R package. The mediating effect of DNA methylation between sleep quality and infertility among women was investigated using the Bayesian estimation method provided by the R package “mediation”. Results The survey included 86 women of reproductive age, with 43 participants each in the case and control groups. The average age of the women was 27.6 ± 2.8 years (case group: 27.8 ± 3.0 years, control group: 27.4 ± 2.7 years). A total of 262 differentially methylated CpGs corresponding to 185 genes were identified. Difficulty falling asleep was a risk factor for infertility in women (OR = 3.69, 95%CI = 1.14, 11.99), and a causal mediation effect of DNA methylation CpGs was found. The mediating effect coefficient for cg08298632 was 0.10 (95%CI = 0.01–0.22), and the proportion of the total effect mediated by this methylation site increased to 64.3%. Conclusion These results suggest that DNA methylation CpGs (cg08298632) play a significant role in the relationship between difficulty falling asleep and infertility in females. These findings contribute to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms that connect difficulty falling asleep and infertility in women. Further studies are necessary to fully understand the biological significance and potential therapeutic applications of these findings. The identified DNA methylation sites provide new and valuable insights and potential targets for future studies aiming to prevent and treat female infertility.

Residual stress induced by welding easily causes deformation and even fracture failure in welded structures. In this paper, a three-dimensional thermal-mechanical coupling finite element model of friction stir welding (FSW) was developed. The effects of different welding processes, namely conventional friction stir welding (C-FSW), stationary shoulder friction stir welding (SS-FSW), and bobbin tool friction stir welding (BT-FSW), on the temperature, residual stress, and deformation of welded joints were investigated by employing a heat source model and a force model to the welding analysis. The results reveal that a discernible disparity in temperature gradient is observed in the region ahead of the tool and behind it among various welding processes. The peak values of longitudinal residual stress along the surface and bottom paths of SS-FSW are reduced by 35.7% and 34.1%, respectively. In addition, the deformation at the initial end of the weld is slightly larger than that at the final end along the welding direction in three welding processes. Compared with other FSW processes, SS-FSW exhibits the smallest deformation, which is advantageous for improving assembly accuracy and enhancing the load-bearing capacity of weldments. The above results provide an important theoretical reference for the FSW process optimization of Ti62A alloy.

Abstract Background In recent years, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has been widely used to evaluate patients’ root canal anatomy due to its high resolution and noninvasive nature. As voxel size is one of the most important parameters affecting CBCT image quality, the current study evaluated the diagnostic potential of CBCT with 4 different voxel sizes in the detection of double root canal systems and accessory canals (ACs) in permanent mandibular incisors. Methods A total of 106 extracted mandibular permanent incisors were collected from the dental clinics, and then were scanned by using micro-CT with a voxel size of 9 μm. The teeth were then fixed in the tooth sockets of human dry mandibles and scanned by using a CBCT device with 4 different voxel sizes (300, 200, 250, and 125 μm). Four observers detected in blind the root canal morphology of the teeth according to the CBCT images, and the presence or absence of a double root canal system, and the presence or absence of ACs, were scored according to a 5-point scale, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed, and DeLong test was used to compare the area under the curve (AUC) values and the micro-CT data was taken as a gold standard. Results Among 106 sample teeth, 25 specimens with a double root canal system were identified by the micro-CT. ROC curve analysis of the data obtained by the four observers showed that in the detection of double root canal systems, the AUC values ranged from 0.765 to 0.889 for 300 μm voxel size, from 0.877 to 0.926 for 250 μm voxel size, from 0.893 to 0.967 for 200 μm voxel size, and from 0.914 to 0.967 for 125 μm voxel size (all p

Abstract Background The evidence on the associations of the timing of maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) with the comprehensive growth trajectory from perinatal to early childhood in offspring is limited. The potential mechanism remains elusive. Our aim is to estimate the associations of the timing of GDM diagnosis and gestational weight gains (GWG) with the growth trajectory of children from perinatal to early childhood. Methods A total of 7609 participants are included from the Maternal & Infants Health in Hefei cohort study. Primary predictors were the timing of maternal GDM diagnosis and GWG during pregnancy. The main outcomes included fetal ultrasonic measurements, birth size as well as BMI peak indicators during infancy within 48 months. Results GDM diagnosed before 26 weeks was associated with increased risks of overgrowth for fetal abdominal circumference (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.04–1.36) and birth weight (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.19–1.91) when compared with unexposed. GDM diagnosis 26 weeks (P

Citrus pests pose a major threat to both citrus yield and fruit quality. The early prevention of pests is essential for sustainable citrus cultivation, cost savings, and the reduction of environmental pollution. Despite the increasing application of deep learning techniques in agriculture, the performance of existing models for small target detection of citrus pests is limited, mainly in terms of information bottlenecks that occur during the transfer of information. This hinders its effectiveness in fully automating the detection of citrus pests. In this study, a new approach was introduced to overcome these limitations. Firstly, a comprehensive large-scale dataset named IP-CitrusPests13 was developed, encompassing 13 distinct citrus pest categories. This dataset was amalgamated from IP102 and web crawlers, serving as a fundamental resource for precision-oriented pest detection tasks in citrus farming. Web crawlers can supplement information on various forms of pests and changes in pest size. Using this comprehensive dataset, we employed the SPD Module in the backbone network to preserve fine-grained information and prevent the model from losing important information as the depth increased. In addition, we introduced the AFFD Head detection module into the YOLOv8 architecture, which has two important functions that effectively integrate shallow and deep information to improve the learning ability of the model. Optimizing the bounding box loss function to WIoU v3 (Wise-IoU v3), which focuses on medium-quality anchor frames, sped up the convergence of the network. Experimental evaluation on a test set showed that the proposed SAW-YOLO (SPD Module, AFFD, WIoU v3) model achieved an average accuracy of 90.3%, which is 3.3% higher than the benchmark YOLOv8n model. Without any significant enlargement in the model size, state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance can be achieved in small target detection. To validate the robustness of the model against pests of various sizes, the SAW-YOLO model showed improved detection performance on all three scales of pests, significantly reducing the rate of missed detections. Our experimental results show that the SAW-YOLO model performs well in the detection of multiple pest classes in citrus orchards, helping to advance smart planting practices in the citrus industry.

The creep behavior of Ultra-High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) was investigated by machine learning (ML) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP). Important features were selected by feature importance analysis, including water-to-binder ratio, aggregate-to-cement ratio, compressive strength at loading age, elastic modulus at loading age, loading duration, steel fiber volume content, and curing temperature. Four typical ML models—Random Forest (RF), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Extreme Gradient Boosting Machine (XGBoost), and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LGBM)—were studied to predict the creep behavior of UHPC. Via Bayesian optimization and 5-fold cross-validation, the ML models were tuned to achieve high accuracy (R2 = 0.9847, 0.9627, 0.9898, and 0.9933 for RF, ANN, XGBoost, and LGBM, respectively). The contribution of different features to the creep behavior was ranked. Additionally, SHAP was utilized to interpret the predictions by the ML models, and four parameters stood out as the most influential for the creep coefficient: loading duration, curing temperature, compressive strength at loading age, and water-to-binder ratio. The SHAP results were consistent with theoretical understanding. Finally, the UHPC creep curves for three different cases were plotted based on the ML model developed, and the prediction by the ML model was more accurate than that by fib Model Code 2010.

Cross-domain scene classification requires the transfer of knowledge from labeled source domains to unlabeled target domain data to improve its classification performance. This task can reduce the labeling cost of remote sensing images and improve the generalization ability of models. However, the huge distributional gap between labeled source domains and unlabeled target domains acquired by different scenes and different sensors is a core challenge. Existing cross-domain scene classification methods focus on designing better distributional alignment constraints, but are under-explored for fine-grained features. We propose a cross-domain scene classification method called the Frequency Component Adaptation Network (FCAN), which considers low-frequency features and high-frequency features separately for more comprehensive adaptation. Specifically, the features are refined and aligned separately through a high-frequency feature enhancement module (HFE) and a low-frequency feature extraction module (LFE). We conducted extensive transfer experiments on 12 cross-scene tasks between the AID, CLRS, MLRSN, and RSSCN7 datasets, as well as two cross-sensor tasks between the NWPU-RESISC45 and NaSC-TG2 datasets, and the results show that the FCAN can effectively improve the model’s performance for scene classification on unlabeled target domains compared to other methods.

We investigate the prospective the association of gestational cardiovascular health (CVH) with infant neurodevelopment, and whether such relation was mediated by cord blood metabolites. The data come from the prospective birth cohort study in Hefei of Anhui, China. A total of 1714 mother-infant pairs are included from March 2018 and June 2021. CVH was evaluated at 24 to 28 gestational weeks by the combination of five metrics: body mass index, blood pressure, total cholesterol, glucose, and smoking. Cord blood samples were collected at delivery for the detection of related indicators. Infant neurodevelopment at 12 months was assessed by the Ages and Stages Questionnaire Edition 3 (ASQ-3). We stratified the status of CVH into three levels, ideal, intermediate, and poor. Compared with the ideal CVH, poor CVH was associated with infant communication domain failure (RR = 2.06; 95 %CI, 1.24–3.42) and cord blood C-peptide levels (β = 0.09; 95 %CI, 0.06–0.13) were higher. Cord blood C-peptide level with infant communication domain failure risk increased (RR = 3.43, 95 %CI: 2.11–5.58). Mediation analysis showed that cord blood C-peptide mediated 13.9 % of the effect. Key findings indicated that maternal poor CVH at 24 to 28 weeks gestation was associated with an increased risk of infant neurodevelopment at ASQ-3 failure in the communication domain, and cord blood C-peptide might mediate this association. The findings, if confirmed by replications, specific nursing cares among pregnant women with poor CVH, might have implications for the offspring neurodevelopment prevention strategies targeting.

Phascolosoma esculenta is an economically species inhabiting the intertidal zone and is farmed with high output. During artificial propagation, P. esculenta underwent mass death after torrential rain due to low salinity. In this paper, the effect of salinity on P. esculenta was studied for the first time. The results showed that P. esculenta died when exposed to water of 10‰ salinity, and their body lengths were about two times larger than when exposed to salinity of 25‰. The groups exposed to 10‰ salinity underwent severe necrosis. The activity of T-SOD and T-AOC in nephridial tissues increased between 3 and 12 h, but not at 9 h, T-SOD was highest in the control group and lowest in the death group, and T-AOC was highest in the death group and lowest in the survivor group. The concentration of MDA increased from 3 to 9 h and then decreased, and was highest in the death group and lowest in the control group. 35,053 unique genes, including 15,445 new genes, were acquired based on the 61.63 Gb Clean RNA-Seq Data. 27773 average alternative splicing (AS) events were found in the death group, which was 83.74% and 83.54% of that in the control and survivor group, respectively. Additionally, 1596 significantly differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were observed, which were classified into several functional categories, including genes involved in ion transporters, cation transport, RNA processing, immune response etc. The study had also found a significant number of genes involved in the pathways, including Mineral absorption, AMPK signaling pathway, Oxidative phosphorylation, and Phagosome pathways, such as Hsp70, Hsp20, Gst, solute carrier family genes, calcium channel regulatory activity genes, and pre-rRNA processing proteins. Overall, these results provide numerous candidate genes for future investigations and valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the culture of P. esculenta in lower salinity.

Helicobacter pylori infection is characterized as progressive processes of bacterial persistence and chronic gastritis with features of infiltration of mononuclear cells more than granulocytes in gastric mucosa. Angiopoietin-like 4 (ANGPTL4) is considered a double-edged sword in inflammation-associated diseases, but its function and clinical relevance in H. pylori-associated pathology are unknown. Here, we demonstrate both pro-colonization and pro-inflammation roles of ANGPTL4 in H. pylori infection. Increased ANGPTL4 in the infected gastric mucosa was produced from gastric epithelial cells (GECs) synergistically induced by H. pylori and IL-17A in a cagA-dependent manner. Human gastric ANGPTL4 correlated with H. pylori colonization and the severity of gastritis, and mouse ANGPTL4 from non-bone marrow-derived cells promoted bacteria colonization and inflammation. Importantly, H. pylori colonization and inflammation were attenuated in Il17a−/−, Angptl4−/−, and Il17a−/−Angptl4−/− mice. Mechanistically, ANGPTL4 bound to integrin αV (ITGAV) on GECs to suppress CXCL1 production by inhibiting ERK, leading to decreased gastric influx of neutrophils, thereby promoting H. pylori colonization; ANGPTL4 also bound to ITGAV on monocytes to promote CCL5 production by activating PI3K–AKT–NF-κB, resulting in increased gastric influx of regulatory CD4+ T cells (Tregs) via CCL5–CCR4-dependent migration. In turn, ANGPTL4 induced Treg proliferation by binding to ITGAV to activate PI3K–AKT–NF-κB, promoting H. pylori-associated gastritis. Overall, we propose a model in which ANGPTL4 collectively ensures H. pylori persistence and promotes gastritis. Efforts to inhibit ANGPTL4-associated pathway may prove valuable strategies in treating H. pylori infection.

Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) continues to pose a significant threat to patient survival. Emerging evidence underscores the pivotal involvement of long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the cancer process. Nevertheless, our understanding of the roles and processes of lncRNAs in HCC remains limited. Methods The expression level of USP27X‐AS1 was assessed in an HCC patient cohort through a combination of bioinformatics analysis and qRT‐PCR. Subsequent biological experiments were conducted to delve into the functional aspects of USP27X‐AS1. Additional molecular biology techniques, including RNA pulldown and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), were employed to elucidate the potential mechanisms involving USP27X‐AS1 in HCC. Finally, CUT–RUN assay and other investigations were carried out to determine the factors contributing to the heightened expression of USP27X‐AS1 in HCC. Results High expression of the novel oncogene USP27X‐AS1 predicted poor prognosis in HCC patients. Further investigation confirmed that USP27X‐AS1 promoted the proliferation and metastasis of HCC by enabling USP7 to interact with AKT, which reduced level of AKT poly‐ubiquitylation and enhanced AKT protein stability, which improves protein stabilisation of AKT and promotes the progression of HCC. Moreover, we also revealed that SP1 binds to USP27X‐AS1 promoter to activate its transcription. Conclusions Novel oncogenic lncRNA USP27X‐AS1 promoted HCC progression via recruiting USP7 to deubiquitinate AKT. SP1 transcriptionally activated USP27X‐AS1 expression. These findings shed light on HCC and pointed to USP27X‐AS1 as a potential predictive biomarker and treatment target for the malignancy.

Carbon emissions have become a global challenge, and China, as the world's largest developing country, has a serious emissions problem. Developing green buildings is an important way of reducing carbon emissions. China's low-carbon city pilot policy may be an effective way of promoting green building development and reducing these emissions. This study uses the low carbon city pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment and employs the staggered difference-in-differences method to investigate its impact on green building development. The results show that the low-carbon city pilot policy promotes green building development, and this policy promotes it by enhancing regional green innovation capacity, improving green total factor productivity at the firm and regional levels, and reducing the financing constraints of firms in the construction and real estate sectors. In addition, the promotion effect of the policy on green building development is stronger in western and non-resource-based regions and large-scale cities in China. This study contributes to the literature related to environmental policy, green building, and carbon emissions and supports the promotion of green building development and the reduction of carbon emissions.

Abstract Topological transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs) have attracted much attention due to their potential applications in spintronics and quantum computations. In this work, the structural and electronic properties of topological TMDCs candidate ZrTe2 are systematically investigated under high pressure. A pressure‐induced Lifshitz transition is evidenced by the change of charge carrier type as well as the Fermi surface. Superconductivity is observed at around 8.3 GPa without structural phase transition. A typical dome‐shape phase diagram is obtained with the maximum Tc of 5.6 K for ZrTe2. Furthermore, the theoretical calculations suggest the presence of multiple pressure‐induced topological quantum phase transitions, which coexists with emergence of superconductivity. The results demonstrate that ZrTe2 with nontrivial topology of electronic states displays new ground states upon compression.

Background: Emerging evidence has reported significant associations of prenatal air pollution exposure with neurodevelopmental delay in offspring. Sensitive exposure windows and the modifiable factor remain elusive. Objective: We aim to identify sensitive windows of air pollution during pregnancy on neurodevelopmental delay, and examine whether cord blood C-peptide mediates the relationship. Methods: This study included 7438 mother-newborn pairs in Hefei, China, from 2015 to 2021. Weekly exposure to particulate matter of aerodynamic diameter

Background Hypoxaemia plays an important role in the development of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). Patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in a high-altitude area have different pathophysiological characteristics from those patients in the plains. The goal of our study was to explore the clinical characteristics of PAH secondary to ARDS in a high-altitude area.Methods This was a prospective study conducted in the affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University. Two investigators independently assessed pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and right ventricular function by transthoracic echocardiography. Basic information and clinical data of the patients who were enrolled were collected. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to evaluate the risk factors for PAH secondary to ARDS in the high-altitude area.Results The incidence of PAH secondary to ARDS within 48 hours in the high-altitude area was 44.19%. Partial pressure of oxygen/fraction of inspired oxygen

Abstract Chemotherapeutic drugs can cause reproductive damage by affecting sperm quality and other aspects of male fertility. Stem cells are thought to alleviate the damage caused by chemotherapy drugs and to play roles in reproductive protection and treatment. This study aimed to explore the effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) on alleviating paclitaxel (PTX)-induced spermatogenesis and male fertility defects. An in vivo PTX-induced mice model was constructed to evaluate the reproductive toxicity and protective roles of hUC-MSCs in male fertility improvement. A 14 day PTX treatment regimen significantly attenuated mice spermatogenesis and sperm quality, including affecting spermatogenesis, reducing sperm counts, and decreasing sperm motility. hUC-MSCs treatment could significantly improve sperm functional indicators. Mating experiments with normal female mice and examination of embryo development at 7.5 days post-coitum (dpc) showed that hUC-MSCs restored male mouse fertility that was reduced by PTX. In IVF experiments, PTX impaired sperm fertility and blastocyst development, but hUC-MSCs treatment rescued these indicators. hUC-MSCs’ protective role was also displayed through the increased expression of the fertility-related proteins HSPA2 and HSPA4L in testes with decreased expression in the PTX-treated group. These changes might be related to the PTX-induced decreases in expression of the germ cell proliferation protein PCNA and the meiosis proteins SYCP3, MLH1, and STRA8, which were restored after hUC-MSCs treatment. In the PTX-treated group, the expression of testicular antioxidant proteins SIRT1, NRF2, CAT, SOD1, and PRDX6 was significantly decreased, but hUC-MSCs could maintain these expressions and reverse PTX-related increases in BAX/BCL2 ratios. hUC-MSCs may be a promising agent with antioxidant and anti-apoptosis characteristics that can maintain sperm quality following chemotherapy treatment.

Abstract Background Cell pyroptosis has a strong proinflammatory effect, but it is unclear whether pyroptosis of liver macrophages exacerbates liver tissue damage during liver ischemia‒reperfusion (I/R) injury. Maresin1 (MaR1) has a strong anti-inflammatory effect, and whether it can suppress liver macrophage pyroptosis needs further study. Methods This study aimed to investigate whether MaR1 can alleviate liver I/R injury by inhibiting macrophage pyroptosis. The effects of MaR1 on cell pyroptosis and mitochondrial damage were studied by dividing cells into control, hypoxia/reoxygenation, and hypoxia/reoxygenation + MaR1 groups. Knocking out RORa was used to study the mechanism by which MaR1 exert its protective effects. Transcriptome analysis, qRT‒PCR and Western blotting were used to analyze gene expression. Untargeted metabolomics techniques were used to analyze metabolite profiles in mice. Flow cytometry was used to assess cell death and mitochondrial damage. Results We first found that MaR1 significantly reduced liver I/R injury. We observed that MaR1 decreased liver I/R injury by inhibiting liver macrophage pyroptosis. Then, we discovered that MaR1 promotes mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, increases the synthesis of ATP, reduces the generation of ROS, decreases the impairment of mitochondrial membrane potential and inhibits the opening of mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pores. MaR1 inhibits liver macrophage pyroptosis by protecting mitochondria. Finally, we found that MaR1 exerts mitochondrial protective effects through activation of its nuclear receptor RORa and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Conclusions During liver I/R injury, MaR1 can reduce liver macrophage pyroptosis by reducing mitochondrial damage, thereby reducing liver damage.

Abstract Background To assess the association of pregnancy loss history with an elevated risk of Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and to investigate whether this association was mediated by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). Methods We prospectively collected venous blood and pregnancy loss history information from 4873 pregnant women at 16–23 weeks of gestation from March 2018 to April 2022. Hs-CRP concentrations were measured from collected blood samples. A 75 g fasting glucose test was performed at 24 to 28 weeks of gestation for the diagnosis of GDM, with data obtained from medical records. Multivariate linear or logistic regression models and mediation analysis were used to examine the relationships between pregnancy loss history, hs-CRP, and GDM. Results A multivariable-adjusted logistic regression analysis revealed that compared with pregnant women with no induced abortion history, subjects with 1 and ≥ 2 induced abortions had a higher risk for GDM (RR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.19–1.81; RR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.28–2.09). Additionally, the mediation analysis indicated this association was mediated by an increased hs-CRP level with a 20.4% of indirect effect ratio. However, no significant association between a history of miscarriage and the prevalence of GDM was observed. Conclusions A history of induced abortion was significantly associated with an increased risk of GDM, and this association occurred in a dose-response effect. Hs-CRP may be accounted for a mediation effect in the pathways linking induced abortion history with GDM.

Given that probiotics always have host-homologous and strain-specific effects on the hosts, lactic acid bacteria extracted and identified from porcine specimens can be potentially developed as probiotics for pig production. We aimed to identify lactic acid bacteria that are potentially probiotic, have good capacity of inhibiting pathogenic bacteria in intestine and are promising to be used as substitutes for antibiotics in pig production. Potential probiotic strains were extracted from 15 fecal specimens collected from 15 apparently healthy pigs, and were identified via 16S rDNA sequencing. The antimicrobial activity, tolerance to acid and bile salts, Caco-2 cell adhesiveness and susceptibility to antibiotics of the isolates were evaluated in vitro, and oral toxicity of the isolates were evaluated in mice. One Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (BJR2), two Lacticaseibacillus casei (HJD and TH2), one Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (MRS1), and two Enterococcus faecium (S-3 and S-4-H) were extracted from healthy pigs and underwent 16S rDNA sequencing identification. L. plantarum BJR2 and L. casei HJD exhibited broad-spectrum and higher antimicrobial activity against indicator enteric pathogens, including Salmonella choleraesuis CVCC 2139, Escherichia coli (O147:K89) CVCC 199, Escherichia coli (O141:K99) CVCC 223 and Escherichia coli (O139) CVCC 1496, among 6 tested strains. In addition, both L. plantarum BJR2 and L. casei HJD exhibited good tolerance to low pH (pH 2.5 and pH 3.5) and 0.30% bile salts, had relatively strong Caco-2 adhesiveness and carried no transferable resistant genes against antibiotics encoded by plasmid. In safety trials, these two isolates had no α or β-hemolysis activity, and were proved safe through oral toxicity tests in mice. It is concluded that L. plantarum BJR2 and L. casei HJD are potential probiotic candidate strains and their probiotic effects need to be further studied in pigs.

Abstract Chronic hepatitis B is a significant public health problem and complex pathologic process, and unraveling the underlying mechanisms and pathophysiology is of great significance. Data independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) is a label-free quantitative proteomics method that has been successfully applied to the study of a wide range of diseases. The aim of this study was to apply DIA-MS for proteomic analysis of patients with chronic hepatitis B. We performed comprehensive proteomics analysis of protein expression in serum samples from HBV patients and healthy controls by using DIA-MS. Gene Ontology (GO) terms, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways, and protein network analysis were performed on differentially expressed proteins and were further combined with literature analysis. We successfully identified a total of 3786 serum proteins with a high quantitative performance from serum samples in this study. We identified 310 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) (fold change > 1.5 and P value

For concrete structures in offshore areas, chloride ion erosion is one of the main factors affecting durability. It is crucial to evaluate the chloride ion permeability resistance of concrete structures. In this paper, a finite element simulation of the chloride ion diffusion process in concrete is conducted. A mass diffusion finite element model based on a random aggregate approach is established to investigate the influences of an aggregate, the interface transition zone, and micro-cracks on the chloride ion diffusion coefficients in concrete. The results show that the mass diffusion finite element analysis based on the exponential function model and the power function model can effectively simulate the chloride ion diffusion process in concrete. In addition, the data reveal that volume fraction and distribution aggregates considerably affect chloride ion diffusivity in concrete. Also, the interface transition zone significantly accelerates chloride ion diffusion in concrete. Moreover, this acceleration effect exceeds the barrier effect of an aggregate.

Abstract Background Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are essential stromal components in the tumor microenvironment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection induces pathological changes such as liver fibrosis/cirrhosis and HCC. The aim of this research was to explore the novel mediators of CAFs to modulate HBV cirrhosis-HCC progression. Methods The single-cell transcriptome data of HCC were divided into subsets, and the significant subset related to fibrotic cells, along with biological function, and clinical information of HCC was revealed by integrated data analyses. The cell communication, cells communicated weight analysis of signaling pathways, and key genes in signaling pathways analysis of significant CAFs subclasses were conducted to discover the novel gene of CAFs. Bioinformatics, vitro and HBV transfection assays were used to verify the novel gene is an important target for promoting the progression HBV cirrhosis-HCC progression. Results Fibroblasts derived from HCC single-cell data could be separated into three cell subclasses (CAF0-2), of which CAF2 was associated with the HCC clinical information. Fibroblasts have opposite developmental trajectories to immune B cells and CD8 + T cells. CAF0-2 had strong interaction with B cells and CD8 + T cells, especially CAF2 had the highest interaction frequency and weight with B cells and CD8 + T cells. Moreover, PTN participated in CAF2-related pathways involved in the regulation of cell communication, and the interactions among CAF2 and PTN contributed the most to B cells and CD8 + T cells. Furthermore, the genes of PTN, SDC1, and NCL from PTN signaling were highest expression in CAF2, B cells, and CD8 + T cells, respectively, and the interaction of PTN- SDC1 and PTN- NCL contributed most to the interaction of CAF2- B cells and CAF2-CD8 + T cells. Bioinformatics and vitro experiments confirm PTN was upregulated in HCC and promoted the proliferation of tumor cells, and HBV infection could initiate PTN to perform cirrhosis-HCC progression. Conclusion Our findings revealed CAF was associated with hepatocarcinogenesis, and the functional importance of B cells and CD8 + T cells in modulating CAF in HCC. Importantly, PTN maybe a novel mediator of CAF to mediate HBV cirrhosis-HCC progression.

Abstract Surfactin has the potential to be used as a food preservative. However, efficiency and action mechanism in various applications need more assessments and research. In this study, the antifungal effects and the mechanism of action of surfactin on the fungus Botrytis cinerea were investigated. The effects of applying surfactin for the removal of gray mold on the quality of winter jujube were investigated based on the changes in fruit fatty acids. The results showed that (1) surfactin significantly inhibited the growth of B. cinerea, the EC50 at 5 d was 46.42 mg/L. (2) Surfactin significantly reduced the disease incidence and diameter of gray mold-inoculated winter jujube in a concentration-dependent manner. For that treated with surfactin at the EC50, the incidence decreased by 38.89%. (3) For B. cinerea under surfactin treatment, the mycelial morphology changed, the levels of total lipids and ergosterol decreased, the reactive oxygen species levels increased, and the cell integrity was completely damaged. (4) For winter jujube inoculated by B. cinerea, the contents of saturated fatty acids decreased and unsaturated fatty acids increased. For those under the surfactin treatments, winter jujube maintained the fatty acid composition at the level of non-inoculated groups. Mechanical injury significantly changed the fatty acid composition of winter jujube; however, surfactin not only was able to inhibit the growth of gray mold but also mitigated the adverse effects from mechanical injury. The present study demonstrated the potential applications of surfactin in the preservation of postharvest fruit quality.

Abstract In order to improve the performance of the mobile edge computing (MEC) system, the intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) has recently been included. This paper investigates the computation performance of an IRS‐aided MEC system, where an access point services multi‐MEC devices by utilizing two distributed IRSs to operate a partial offloading strategy. Through collaboratively constructing the cooperative passive beamforming at the two IRSs, the central processing unit (CPU) frequency, the offloading time allocation, and the transmit power of users, an optimization problem is constructed to maximize the sum computation rate of the proposed system. To tackle this non‐convex issue, the authors first illustrate that the design of passive beamforming is independent to optimize other variables and propose to solve it alternatively. Then the joint optimization problem of other parameters is proved to be a convex problem and is resolvable by adopting the Lagrange dual approach. Compared with the benchmark schemes, the simulation outcomes demonstrated that the performance of the proposed system is vastly improved by deploying two distributed IRSs.

BackgroundBehavioral patterns are sometimes associated with depression symptoms; however, few studies have considered the intra-couple effects. This study examined the effect of a spouses’ behavioral patterns on depression symptoms within themself and in their spouse.MethodsA total of 61,118 childbearing age participants (30,559 husband-wife dyads) were surveyed. The depression symptoms were assessed using the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). The behavioral patterns were identified by the latent class analysis. The effects of behavioral patterns on the couple’s own depression symptoms (actor effect) and their partner’s depression symptoms (partner effect) were analyzed using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM).ResultsThree behavioral patterns were identified: low-risk group, moderate-risk group, and high-risk group. The high risk of these behavior patterns would be associated with a higher score on the PHQ-9; for both husbands and wives, their behavioral patterns were positively associated with PHQ-9 scores (βhusband = 0.53, P < 0.01; βwife = 0.58, P < 0.01). Wives’ behavioral patterns were also positively associated with their husbands’ PHQ-9 scores (β = 0.14, P < 0.01), but husbands’ behavioral patterns were not associated with their wives’ PHQ-9 scores.ConclusionsWives’ depression symptoms were affected only by their own behavioral patterns, whereas husbands’ depression symptoms were influenced by both their own and their spouses’ behavioral patterns.

Only few studies have assessed the health effects due to preconception exposure to antibiotics among childbearing couples. This study investigated the status of preconception exposure to antibiotics among childbearing couples in Anhui, associated with health risks, and influencing factors. Overall, 1500 childbearing couples were randomly selected from the Reproductive Health of Childbearing Couples - Anhui Cohort (RHCC-AC). The urinary levels of 40 antibiotics and 2 metabolites were determined, and specific gravity (SG) adjusted concentrations of antibiotics were measured to assess health risks. Generalized linear models were used to assess the associations of urinary SG-adjusted concentration of antibiotics with demographic parameters and diet frequency. The total detection rates of all antibiotics were 98.9 % and 99.3 % in wives and husbands, respectively. The detection rates of veterinary antibiotics (VAs) and preferred as VAs (PVAs) were above 90 %. Among eight antibiotics, sulfonamides (95.1 %) and fluoroquinolones (87.6 %) had the highest detection rates in couples. Approximately four-fifths of couples were simultaneously exposed to at least three different antibiotics, and more than half of them were exposed to low concentrations of antibiotics. 8.9 % and 9.2 % of wives and husbands had hazard index value of antibiotics exposure greater than 1. Antibiotic concentrations were associated with residence, sampling season, and diet frequency. In Anhui, nearly 98 % of childbearing couples have environmental exposure to antibiotics, and VAs and PVAs are the primary antibiotics. More than 8 % of couples had health risks due to antibiotic exposure. Several potential determinants of urinary antibiotics deserve more attention in future research.