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When analyzing screening chest X-ray (CXR) images, radiologists can naturally consider information about the relationships between pathologies, namely pathological co-occurrence, and interdependence. Such topologically meaningful pathological relationships provide complementary a priori knowledge and can improve the radiologist’s classification accuracy. Unfortunately, most existing deep learning systems focus only on regression from input to binary labels, lack the ability to jointly analyze and integrate global and local information from these multiple labels, and the ability to exploit this valuable prior knowledge of topology. We suppose that the algorithm will distinguish co-occurring pathologies easily if it is guided to learn potentially valuable information between multiple pathologies. We propose a novel multi-label global–local analysis method named CXR × MLAGCPL for disease recognition in CXR images. We first designed two methods for constructing graphs: building adaptive local graph on a single image and creating global co-occurrence graph in a data-driven manner. Then two modules, local awareness module (LAM) and global co-occurrence priori learning module (GCPL), were designed to jointly learn local class correlation and global inter-class dependency patterns. We have evaluated the effectiveness of the proposed CXR × MLAGCPL in two large-scale CXR datasets (ChestX-Ray14 and CheXpert). Our model achieved state-of-the-art performance: the mean AUC scores for the 14 pathologies were 0.828 and 0.813, respectively. The proposed LAM and GCPL can jointly effectively improve the recognition performance. Our model is accurate in terms of classification accuracy and generalization due to competing approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interface-engineered 3D porous MoS 2 -ReS 2 in-plane heterojunction improved the hydrogen evolution reaction performance in seawater splitting. [Display omitted] Constructing in-plane heterojunctions with high interfacial density using two-dimensional materials represents a promising yet challenging avenue for enhancing the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in water electrolysis. In this work, we report that three-dimensional porous MoS 2 –ReS 2 in-plane heterojunctions, fabricated via chemical vapor deposition, exhibit robust electrocatalytic activity for the water splitting reaction. The optimized MoS 2 –ReS 2 in-plane heterojunction achieves superior HER performance across a wide pH range, requiring an overpotential of only 200 mV to reach a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in alkaline seawater. Thus, it outperforms standalone MoS 2 and ReS 2. Furthermore, the catalyst exhibits remarkable stability, enduring up to 200 h in alkaline seawater. Experimental results coupled with density functional theory calculations confirm that electron redistribution at the MoS 2 –ReS 2 heterointerface is likely driven by disparities in in-plane work functions between the two phases. This leads to charge accumulation at the interface, thereby enhancing the adsorptive activity of S atoms toward H* intermediates and facilitating the dissociation of water molecules at the interface. This discovery offers valuable insights into the electrocatalytic mechanisms at the interface and provides a roadmap for designing high-performance, earth-abundant HER electrocatalysts suitable for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ischemia–reperfusion injury (IRI) is one of the primary clinical causes of acute kidney injury (AKI). The key to IRI lies in immune‐inflammatory damage, where dendritic cells (DCs) play a central role in eliciting immune responses within the context of inflammation induced by ischemia–reperfusion. Our previous study has confirmed that delayed ischemic preconditioning (DIPC) can reduce the kidney injury by mediating DCs to regulate T‐cells. However, the clinical feasibility of DIPC is limited, as pre‐clamping of the renal artery is not applicable for the prevention and treatment of ischemia–reperfusion acute kidney injury (I/R‐AKI) in clinical patients. Therefore, the infusion of DCs as a substitute for DIPC presents a more viable strategy for preventing renal IRI. In this study, we further evaluated the impact and mechanism of infused tolerogenic CD11c+DCs on the kidneys following IRI by isolating bone marrow‐derived dendritic cells and establishing an I/R‐AKI model after pre‐infusion of DCs. Renal function was significantly improved in the I/R‐AKI mouse model after pre‐infused with CD11c+DCs. The pro‐inflammatory response and oxidative damage were reduced, and the levels of T helper 2 (Th2) cells and related anti‐inflammatory cytokines were increased, which was associated with the reduction of autologous DCs maturation mediated by CD11c+DCs and the increase of regulatory T‐cells (Tregs). Next, knocking out CD11c+DCs, we found that the reduced immune protection of tolerogenic CD11c+DCs reinfusion was related to the absence of own DCs. Together, pre‐infusion of tolerogenic CD11c+DCs can replace the regulatory of DIPC on DCs and T‐cells to alleviate I/R‐AKI. DC vaccine is expected to be a novel avenue to prevent and treat I/R‐AKI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a decision information preference which includes membership degree (MD), non-membership degree (NMD), and probability, the probabilistic dual hesitant fuzzy set (PDHFS) is a crucial tool for effectively expressing uncertain information. In the domains of multi-attribute decision making (MADM) and multi-attribute group decision making (MAGDM), distance measures are extremely helpful tools. In this study, a novel PDHFS distance measure is put out, on which a MAGDM method that takes decision-makers' (DMs') psychological behavior into account is proposed. First, a novel distance measure is put forward to effectively assess the difference between different PDHFSs by adding consideration of the distances between MDs and between NMDs. Second, a similarity-trust analysis method based on the new distance measure is employed to calculate expert weights for integrating group decisions, and the group satisfaction index and regret theory are extended to a probabilistic dual hesitant fuzzy information environment. A MAGDM method based on the novel distance measure and regret theory is proposed. Finally, the proposed method is applied to the selection of radiation protection strategies in nuclear power plants, and it is also determined through parametric analysis that DMs' tendency to avoid regret has an impact on the outcomes of decisions. When the method proposed in this study is compared to existing approaches, the findings demonstrate that the method's performance in resolving MAGDM issues in a PDHFS environment is superior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we report the temperature-dependent solid-state photoluminescence properties of the phosphine-supported copper(I) − halide dinuclear complexes, [(bdpb)CuX]2 (bdpb = 1,4-bis(diphenyl-phosphaneyl)butane, X = I, 1; Br, 2; Cl, 3). The X-ray diffraction analyses reveal that the metal centers exhibit a distorted tetrahedral structure in three complexes, wherein the dinuclear centers are separated via two bridging halide anions with the long Cu‒Cu distances [3.109(2) Å for 1, 3.200(2) Å for 2 and 3.181(2) Å for 3] in the X-ray structure. The luminescence properties of the three compounds were investigated in detail as a function of the temperature showing reversible luminescence thermochromism with an intense blue emission at low temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation Cell–cell interactions (CCIs) play critical roles in many biological processes such as cellular differentiation, tissue homeostasis, and immune response. With the rapid development of high throughput single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies, it is of high importance to identify CCIs from the ever-increasing scRNA-seq data. However, limited by the algorithmic constraints, current computational methods based on statistical strategies ignore some key latent information contained in scRNA-seq data with high sparsity and heterogeneity. Results Here, we developed a deep learning framework named DeepCCI to identify meaningful CCIs from scRNA-seq data. Applications of DeepCCI to a wide range of publicly available datasets from diverse technologies and platforms demonstrate its ability to predict significant CCIs accurately and effectively. Powered by the flexible and easy-to-use software, DeepCCI can provide the one-stop solution to discover meaningful intercellular interactions and build CCI networks from scRNA-seq data. Availability and implementation The source code of DeepCCI is available online at https://github.com/JiangBioLab/DeepCCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Apart from the immunohistochemical Ki-67 labeling index (LI), clinicians need a non-invasive and convenient way to predict the prognosis of patients with soft-tissue sarcoma (STS). Purpose: To investigate the correlation between quantitative parameters of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and Ki-67 LI in STS. Material and Methods: A total of 25 patients diagnosed with STS who underwent CEUS examination using SonoVue®, between January 2019 to November 2020, were included in the study. They were then divided into a high-proliferation group and low-proliferation group according to 30% Ki-67 positive tumor cells. The quantitative parameters in the semi-automatic time intensity curve analysis software, including arrival time, time to peak, peak intensity, rise time (RT), rise slope, 50% wash-out time, and 50% wash-out intensity, were extracted from the time intensity curve of CEUS by two independent observers. Statistical evaluation of the correlation and difference between CEUS quantitative parameters and Ki-67 LI between the two groups was performed. According to the area under the curve (AUC) analysis, optimal cutoff points of parameters with significant difference were determined. Results: CEUS RT of the high-proliferation group in STS was significantly higher than that of the low-proliferation group (ρ = 0.509, P = 0.01). The most reasonable cutoff to distinguish between low- and high-proliferation groups was 10.84 s. The sensitivity, specificity, and the AUC were 86.7%, 80%, and 0.80, respectively. Conclusion: CEUS RT was correlated with Ki-67 LI of STS, which can be used as a minimally invasive auxiliary tool to predict the prognosis of STS in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The change in material dimensional will lead to the decline of instrument accuracy and reliability. In this paper, the characterization and analysis of the lattice constant, precipitates, and dislocation density of the material by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveals the reason why the relative dimensional change in the rolled 2024Al is one order of magnitude lower than that of the as-cast 2024Al during isothermal aging. Compared with as-cast 2024Al, the dislocation density of rolled 2024Al is higher, the lattice constant decreases less before and after aging, and the precipitates have orientation and more content, resulting in the dimensional change in rolled 2024Al being smaller than that of as-cast 2024Al. In addition, two main reasons for decreasing the dimensional change in rolled 2024Al are discussed: the decrease in lattice constant, the formation and growth of the S phase before and after aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Once an emergency event (EE) happens, emergency decision-making (EDM) plays a key role in mitigating the loss. EDM is a complex problem. Compared with conventional decision-making problems, more experts participate in decision-making. It usually has the feature of large group emergency decision-making (LGEDM). This paper proposes a large group emergency decision-making method based on Bayesian theory, relative entropy, and Euclidean distance, which is used for large group emergency decision-making with uncertain probabilities of occurrence, unknown attribute weights, and expert weights. In order to improve the accuracy of decision-making, Bayesian method is introduced into the calculation of scenario probability in the process of LGEDM. In the decision-making process, the experts' risk preference is considered. The experts' decision preference information is a symmetric and uniformly distributed interval value. The perceived utility values of the experts are obtained by introducing prospect theory. Euclidean distance is used to measure the contributions of experts to aggregation similarity, and different weights are given to experts according to their contributions. A relative entropy model with completely unknown weight information constraints is established to obtain attribute weights, which takes into account the differences of different alternatives under the same attribute and the differences between alternatives and the ideal solution. An example of nuclear power emergency decision-making illustrates the effectiveness of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) radar suffers from severe performance degradation in range-velocity estimation in high mobility scenarios. In this paper, a novel intercarrier interference (ICI)-free parameter estimation method for OFDM radar is proposed. By employing a scale discrete Fresnel transform (SDFnT), the OFDM radar signals are converted to the scale Fresnel domain, and the orthogonality of subcarriers can be recovered with the optimal scale factor. Furthermore, due to the compatibility of the SDFnT and the discrete Fourier Transform (DFT), the proposed method has low computational complexity and high feasibility for OFDM radar implementation. Simulation results show that the proposed SDFnT-based scheme effectively eliminates the ICI effect for single and multiple targets and achieves high accuracy delay-Doppler estimation for OFDM radar systems in circumstances of high velocity and low SNR with consistency and robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since magnetic micro/nano-materials can serve as multifunctional transducers for remote control of cell functions by applying diverse magnetic fields, magnetic cell manipulation provides a highly promising tool in biomedical research encompassing neuromodulation, tissue regeneration engineering and tumor cell destruction. Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), which contain natural magnetic materials, can sensitively respond to external magnetic fields via their endogenous magnetosome chains. Here, we developed a technique for magnetotactic bacteria-based cell modulation and tumor suppression combined with a swing magnetic field. We enabled MTB cells to recognize and bind to mammalian tumor cells via functional modification with RGD peptides onto the surfaces of MTB cells, and RGD-modified MTB bacteria could interact with the targeted tumor cells effectively. The magnetic torque, which was due to the interaction of the long magnetosome chain inside the MTB bacterial cell and the applied swing magnetic field, could result in obvious swing magnetic behaviors of the modified MTB bacteria bound to tumor cell surfaces and thus subsequently exert a sustained magnetomechanical oscillation on the tumor cell surfaces, which could induce a significant activation of Ca2+ ion influx in vitro and tumor growth inhibition in vivo. These findings suggest that MTB cells mediated magnetomechanical stimulation, which is remotely controlled by dynamic magnetic fields, as an effective way to regulate cell signaling and treat tumor growth, which will shed the light on further biomedical applications utilizing whole magnetotactic bacteria. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel cooperative cruise control strategy to jointly optimize the energy consumption and ride comfort for multiple high‐speed trains. The cooperative control strategy is constructed by combining the consensus algorithm and potential function to achieve the synchronization of train speed and keep a safe tracking interval. A multi‐objective optimal function of multiple high‐speed trains is constituted of cruise following error, energy consumption and ride comfort. The non‐dominated quick sorting algorithm (NSGA‐II) is used to find the global Pareto‐optimal solutions to obtain the optimal cooperative control gains, which achieve the optimal trade‐offs between energy consumption and riding comfort for high‐speed trains. The asymptotic stability of the proposed control strategy is proved strictly. The simulation results verify that the proposed control strategy can effectively reduce energy consumption and improve the riding comfort simultaneously when compared with existing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the vanishing capillarity–viscosity limit of the incompressible Navier–Stokes–Korteweg (NSK) equations in a three-dimensional horizontally periodic strip domain, in which the velocity of the fluid is supplemented with slip boundary condition and the gradient of density with Dirichlet boundary condition on the boundary. We prove that there exists an positive constant T 0 independent on the capillarity and viscosity coefficients, such that the incompressible NSK equations have a unique strong solution on [ 0 , T 0 ] and the solution is uniformly bounded in H 3. Based on the uniform estimates, we further give the convergence rate in H 1 from the solutions of the incompressible NSK equations to the solution of the inhomogeneous incompressible Euler equations as the capillarity and viscosity coefficients go to zero simultaneously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to fabricate β-Lactoglobulin-catechin (β-La-Ca) conjugates as a natural designed antioxidant emulsifier to improve the physicochemical stability of resveratrol emulsion delivery system. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and fluorescence spectroscopy analysis confirmed the formation of conjugates using free radical grafting. The antioxidant ability of emulsion was evaluated by DPPH scavenging activities and ORAC experiments. The emulsion stabilized by β-La-Ca conjugates exhibited strong antioxidant activity with ORAC value of 2541.39 ± 29.58 μmol TE/g, which was significantly higher than that by β-Lactoglobulin alone with 387.96 ± 23.45 μmol TE/g or their mixture with 948.23 ± 32.77 μmol TE/g. During the whole simulated gastrointestinal digestion, emulsion stabilized by β-La-Ca conjugates exhibited excellent oxidative stability that the lipid was mainly digested in the small intestine. This behavior attributed to the greater stability of resveratrol to chemical transformation leading to a higher overall bioavailability in vivo. These results suggested that the β-La-Ca conjugates could be used to fabricate the emulsion-based delivery system to improve the oxidative stability and bioavailability of chemically labile hydrophobic bioactive compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) refers to the complete or partial lack of pituitary growth hormone synthesis and secretion. This study is aimed at investigating the efficacy of vitamin D and recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) in children with GHD. Methods. A total of 100 children with GHD at our hospital were included between 1st January 2018 and 31st October 2020. The patients were divided into a study group (n = 70 , received vitamin D combined with rhGH) and a control group (n = 30 , received rhGH). The growth and development (bone age, growth rate, and height), bone metabolism (bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), β-collagen degradation product (β-CTX), osteocalcin (OC), and amino-terminal propeptide type I procollagen (PINP)), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), ghrelin, and adverse reactions in the two groups were measured before and 12 months after treatment. Results. There were no significant differences in the bone age, growth rate, and height between the two groups before treatment. After 12 months of treatment, the bone age, growth rate, and height of the study group were significantly higher than those of the control group. After 12 months of treatment, the levels of serum BAP, PINP, and OC in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group, while the levels of β-CTX in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group. The serum IGF-1 level in the study group was significantly higher than that in the control group, while the ghrelin level in the study group was lower. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups. Conclusion. Combined rhGH and vitamin D treatment can promote growth and development, improve bone metabolism, and regulate IGF-1 and ghrelin levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a challenge to maintain a safe and efficient tracking for multiple high-speed trains under the moving block operational mode. In this paper, a novel cooperative tracking control based on a consensus algorithm and artificial potential field theory is proposed to realize the train tracking within a distance range. A tunable artificial potential function is first designed to dynamically adjust the distance between adjacent high-speed trains with real-time train states. By regulating the parameters of the artificial potential function, the safety distance can be adjusted according to the required tolerance deviation of the actual distance. Under the proposed strategy, each high-speed train operates with the desired speed and tracks the preceding one with an adjustable distance range. Numerical train operational cases are investigated to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical cyclone (TC) intensity estimation is critical for disaster forecasting and severe weather warning. In recent years, the performance of various TC intensity estimation models has been gradually enhanced, but the accuracy still needs to be improved. In this article, 71 intensity-related features are extracted from satellite infrared images of TCs. These features are grouped by eye features, circle features, texture features, and time-series features. Using the random forest model as the underlying algorithm of conformal prediction (CP), an intensity applicable CP framework is proposed. On the one hand, the proposed network can achieve point estimation of the TC intensity. On the other hand, it is also possible to realize the intensity interval estimation that satisfies a given significance level. In the experiments, the root mean square error of the point estimation algorithm is 7.86 kt (1 kt ≈ 0.51 m/s), and the performance of the proposed algorithm is better than the comparison algorithms. In addition, interval estimation enriches decision-making information. The experimental results show that the proposed model is a competitive and promising method for estimating the TC intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential nurses role to include the recognition and management of dementia has been acknowledged. Practice Nurses are well-positioned to provide comprehensive dementia information and support so that people living with dementia are better equipped to self-manage their health and live well with dementia. However, treatment of geriatric dementia has become difficult owing to co-morbidities and cognitive and physical deterioration of these patients. Thus, geriatric dementia patients require special attention during care in homes and clinical settings. In modern medical practice, the role of nurse has become dynamic, ranging from education and personal care. The profession of nursing is considered as critical to meets the needs of the elderly population with dementia and ensure the delivery of high-quality care. Since nurses play such an important role in caring for these individuals, comprehensive reviews lack on their role and experience in geriatric dementia treatment and issues. This review summarizes the expanding role of nurses in the management of geriatric dementia in terms of nurse's knowledge, role, communication, attitude and maintaining patient's quality of life through diverse activities. Furthermore, we also explain the future direction for improving the nursing care to treat dementia in elderly population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a special poly solid-phase extraction (in-tube SPE) column consisting of poly (POSS-octavinyl-co-N-methylacetamide-co-divinylbenzene) [poly (POSS-OS-co-DVB-co-NMA)] was prepared based on the chemical structure of the preservatives, and was used as medium for extraction analysis in combination with UPLC. The composition of polymer SPE was optimized and characterized; good scanning electron microscopy (SEM) properties and satisfactory porosity were obtained with 30% monomer (POSS-OS:DVB:NMA = 2 wt%:13 wt%:15 wt%) and 70 wt% porogenic solvent (PEG20000:DMSO:ACN = 10 wt%:50 wt%:10 wt%). The experimental parameters of the in-tube SPE-UPLC analysis were optimized systematically. Then, the in-tube SPE-UPLC method was applied for analyzing the beverage sample, and correlation coefficients (R2) > 0.99 were obtained for the linear relationship within limits of 0.1~5.0 μg mL−1. Excellent extraction efficiency, good precision, and satisfactory limit of detection sensitivity between 0.03 and 0.10 μg mL−1 were obtained. The recovery ranged from 71.5 to 88.0%, with RSD ≤ 6.1%. Furthermore, the proposed method has the features of simple sample pretreatment, high throughput, rapid analysis, cost-effectiveness, and satisfactory sensitivity. Hence, the developed in-tube SPE-UPLC method based on the poly (POSS-OS-co-DVB-co-NMA) SPE column can be potentially used for simple and sensitive detection of preservatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effects of chlorantraniliprole (CAP) pesticide stress on oilseed rape through comprehensive pot experiments. Assessing CAP residue variations in soil and oilseed rape (Brassia campestris L.), enzyme activities (POD, CPR, GST), and differential metabolites, we unveil significant findings. The average CAP residue levels were 18.38–13.70 mg/kg in unplanted soil, 9.94–6.30 mg/kg in planted soil, and 0–4.18 mg/kg in oilseed rape samples, respectively. Soil microbial influences and systemic pesticide translocation into oilseed rape contribute to CAP residue variations. Under the influence of CAP stress, oilseed rape displays escalated enzyme activities (POD, CPR, GST) and manifests 57 differential metabolites. Among these, 32 demonstrate considerable downregulation, mainly impacting amino acids and phenolic compounds, while 25 exhibit noteworthy overexpression, primarily affecting flavonoid compounds. This impact extends to 24 metabolic pathways, notably influencing amide biosynthesis, as well as arginine and proline metabolism. These findings underscore the discernible effects of CAP pesticide stress on oilseed rape. [Display omitted] • This study elucidates the impact of chlorothalonil (CAP) pesticide stress on oilseed rape through rigorous pot experiments. • Notable findings reveal CAP residue variations, enzyme activity (CPR, POD and GST) alterations, and significant differential metabolites in oilseed rape. • The systemic behavior of Brassica napus under CAP stress was revealed, highlighting its enzymatic responses and metabolic pathways affected by pesticide exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the serious threat of acetochlor (ACT) to the aquatic ecological environment, designing wastewater treatment–oriented adsorbents for the sustainable remediation of actual ACT-contaminated water is a promising yet challenging strategy. Herein, a novel P-doped biochar (PBC-800) with a high adsorption capacity (51.34 mg g−1) and a rapid reaction rate (47.35 mg g−1 h−1) for ACT was prepared through pyrolyzing of rice straw biomass pre-impregnated with potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH 2 PO 4). Additionally, P-doped biochars synthesized at different pyrolysis temperatures exhibited significant variations in ACT adsorption performance, which was mainly ascribed to the distinction between hydrophilicity and sp2 conjugate C (I D /I G = 0.84–1.08). The adsorption behavior of ACT on PBC-800 followed the Elovich kinetics and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. Thermodynamic calculations indicated that the adsorption of ACT by PBC-800 was a spontaneously disordered decreasing exothermic process. Besides, PBC-800 exhibited a powerful anti-interference for ACT adsorption within complex water matrices, highlighting its potential for various of practical applications. Through characterization analysis and further experiments, it was proved that the excellent adsorption performance of PBC-800 on ACT was ascribed to a combination of physical and chemical adsorption mechanisms, including 57.5% pore filling, 23.4% hydrophobic interaction, 12.7% π–π interaction, and 6.4% hydrogen bonding. Moreover, PBC-800 exerted a prominent adhesion impact upon Gram-positive and negative bacteria at 3 h. This study offers a new idea for the utilization of agricultural residues and provides insights into the mechanism of ACT adsorption through its derived biochar. [Display omitted] • A novel P-doped rice straw biochar was prepared through a one-step method. • PBC-800 exhibited a high adsorption capacity of 51.34 mg g−1 for ACT at 298K. • Hydrophobic interaction, pore filling, hydrogen bonding, and π–π interaction were main mechanisms. • The adhesion rate of PBC-800 on E. coli and E. faecalis was close to 30 % at 3 h. • This adsorbent has excellent potential for practical application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the situation and the characteristics of Omicron, the country has continuously optimized the rules for the prevention and control of COVID-19. The global epidemic is still spreading, and new cases of infection continue to emerge in China. To facilitate the infected person to estimate the course of virus infection, a prediction model for predicting negative conversion time is proposed in this article. The clinical features of Omicron-infected patients in Shandong Province in the first half of 2022 are retrospectively studied. These features are grouped by disease diagnosis result, clinical sign, traditional Chinese medicine symptoms, and drug use. These features are input to the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model, and the output is the predicted number of negative conversion days. At the same time, XGBoost is used as the underlying algorithm of the conformal prediction (CP) framework, which can realize the probability interval estimation with a controllable error rate. The results show that the proposed model has a mean absolute error of 3.54 days and has the shortest interval prediction result. This shows that the method in this paper can carry more decision-making information and help people better understand the disease and self-estimate the course of the disease to a certain extent.Graphical Abstract: In light of the situation and the characteristics of Omicron, the country has continuously optimized the rules for the prevention and control of COVID-19. The global epidemic is still spreading, and new cases of infection continue to emerge in China. To facilitate the infected person to estimate the course of virus infection, a prediction model for predicting negative conversion time is proposed in this article. The clinical features of Omicron-infected patients in Shandong Province in the first half of 2022 are retrospectively studied. These features are grouped by disease diagnosis result, clinical sign, traditional Chinese medicine symptoms, and drug use. These features are input to the eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) model, and the output is the predicted number of negative conversion days. At the same time, XGBoost is used as the underlying algorithm of the conformal prediction (CP) framework, which can realize the probability interval estimation with a controllable error rate. The results show that the proposed model has a mean absolute error of 3.54 days and has the shortest interval prediction result. This shows that the method in this paper can carry more decision-making information and help people better understand the disease and self-estimate the course of the disease to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial ordinal data observed separately for multiple subjects are common in biomedical research, yet statistical methodology for such ordinal data analysis is limited. The existing methodology often assumes a single realization of spatial ordinal data without replications, a commonplace in disease mapping studies, and thus are not directly applicable. Motivated by a dataset evaluating periodontal disease (PD) status, we propose a multisubject spatial ordinal model that assumes a geostatistical spatial structure within a regression framework through an elegant latent variable representation. For achieving computational scalability within a classical inferential framework, we develop a maximum composite likelihood method for parameter estimation, and establish the asymptotic properties of the parameter estimates. Another major contribution is the development of model diagnostic measures for our dependent data scenario using generalized surrogate residuals. A simulation study suggests sound finite sample properties of the proposed methods. We also illustrate our proposed methodology via application to the motivating PD dataset. A companion R package clordr is available for easy implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epigenetic aberrations have played a significant role in affecting the pathophysiological state of colorectal cancer, and global DNA hypomethylation mainly occurs in partial methylation domains (PMDs). However, the distribution of PMDs in individual cells and the heterogeneity between cells are still unclear. In this study, the DNA methylation profiles of colorectal cancer detected by WGBS and scBS-seq were used to depict PMDs in individual cells for the first time. We found that more than half of the entire genome is covered by PMDs. Three subclasses of PMDS have distinct characteristics, and Gain-PMDs cover a higher proportion of protein coding genes. Gain-PMDs have extensive epigenetic heterogeneity between different cells of the same tumor, and the DNA methylation in cells is affected by the tumor microenvironment. In addition, abnormally elevated promoter methylation in Gain-PMDs may further promote the growth, proliferation and metastasis of tumor cells through silent transcription. The PMDs detected in this study have the potential as epigenetic biomarkers and provide a new insight for colorectal cancer research based on single-cell methylation data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetotactic bacteria are capable of biosynthesizing magnetic nanoparticles, also called magnetosomes, and swimming along magnetic field lines. The abilities endow the whole cells of magnetotactic bacteria with such applications as targeted therapy and manipulation of microrobots. We have shown that the intact marine magnetotactic bacteria MO-1 kill efficiently antibiotic-resistant pathogen Staphylococcus aureus in vivo, but the biocompatibility of this marine bacterium is unknown. In this study, the strain MO-1 was chosen to analyze its biocompatibility and potential for biomedicine applications. Results showed that MO-1 cells could be guided at 37 °C under an external magnetic field and swim in the blood plasma and urine. They could keep active locomotivity within 40 min in the plasma and urine, although their velocity slowed down. When incubated with human cells, magnetotactic bacteria MO-1 had no obvious effects on cellular viability at low dose, while the cell toxicity increased with the augmentation of the quantity of the MO-1 cells added. In the in-vivo experiments, the median lethal dose of magnetotactic bacteria MO-1 in rats was determined to be 7.9×1010 bacteria/kg. These results provided the foundation for the biocompatibility and safety evaluations of magnetotactic bacteria MO-1 and suggested that they could be basically used in clinical targeted therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Icaritin is a prenylflavonoid present in the Chinese herbal medicinal plant Epimedium spp. and is under investigation in a phase III clinical trial for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Here, we report the biosynthesis of icaritin from glucose by engineered microbial strains. We initially designed an artificial icaritin biosynthetic pathway by identifying a novel prenyltransferase from the Berberidaceae- family species Epimedium sagittatum (EsPT2) that catalyzes the C8 prenylation of kaempferol to yield 8-prenlykaempferol and a novel methyltransferase GmOMT2 from soybean to transfer a methyl to C4'-OH of 8-prenlykaempferol to produce icaritin. We next introduced 11 heterologous genes and modified 12 native yeast genes to construct a yeast strain capable of producing 8-prenylkaempferol with high efficiency. GmOMT2 was sensitive to low pH and lost its activity when expressed in the yeast cytoplasm. By relocating GmOMT2 into mitochondria (higher pH than cytoplasm) of the 8-prenylkaempferol–producing yeast strain or co-culturing the 8-prenylkaempferol–producing yeast with an Escherichia coli strain expressing GmOMT2, we obtained icaritin yields of 7.2 and 19.7 mg/L, respectively. Beyond the characterizing two previously unknown plant enzymes and conducting the first biosynthesis of icaritin from glucose, we describe two strategies of overcoming the widespread issue of incompatible pH conditions encountered in basic and applied bioproduction research. Our findings will facilitate industrial-scale production of icaritin and other prenylflavonoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new type of clean and environmentally friendly energy material that can mutually transform thermal energy and electric energy, thermoelectric materials have received extensive attention from researchers. In this study, the traditional high-temperature solid-phase reaction method was used to prepare Bi 1.9 Ba 0.1 Sr 2 Co 2 O y + g wt% SiC (g = 0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.15) polycrystalline samples. Ba element was used to substitute the Bi site of Bi 1.9 Ba 0.1 Sr 2 Co 2 O y , in an attempt to change the carrier concentration and raise its electrical transport performance. Then, based on Ba substituting, nano-SiC was introduced as the second phase to increase the grain boundary number, which would enhance phonon scattering and reduce its heat transport performance. Finally, the ZT value of Bi 1.9 Ba 0.1 Sr 2 Co 2 O y + 0.025 wt% SiC reaches 0.35 at 923 K, which is approximately 35 % higher than that of the pure sample Bi 2 Sr 2 Co 2 O y. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of microRNA (miRNA) in gestational diabetes mellitus has been widely investigated during the last decade. However, the altering effect of miR-6869-5p on immunity and placental microenvironment in gestational diabetes mellitus is largely unknown. In our study, the expression of miR-6869-5p was documented to be significantly decreased in placenta-derived mononuclear macrophages, which was also negatively related to PTPRO. Besides, PTPRO was negatively regulated by miR-6869-5p in placenta-derived mononuclear macrophages. In vitro, miR-6869-5p inhibited macrophage proliferation demonstrated by EdU and CCK-8 experiments. The inflammatory response in macrophages was also significantly inhibited by miR-6869-5p, which could regulate PTPRO as a target documented by luciferase reporter assay. Moreover, miR-6869-5p promoted M2 macrophage polarization and thus restrain inflammation. Accordingly, miR-6869-5p is involved in maintaining placental microenvironment balance by preventing from inflammation and inducing M2 macrophages in gestational diabetes mellitus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of potential vaccine targets for COVID-19 by combining single-cell and bulk TCR sequencing PBMCs were isolated for subsequent data generation: (1) single-cell transcriptome sequencing, (2) single-cell TCR sequencing, (3) deep TCR repertoire sequencing, and (4) HLA genotyping (Figure 1A and Table S1). Overall, we totally obtained single cell gene expression data from 26 223 T cells, single cell paired TCRs from 27 467 T cells and hypervariable regions of immune receptors from 4.9 million TCR clones (Table S2). Here, we use scRNA-seq, scTCR-seq, deep TCR-seq, and HLA-genotyping to decode the matching T cell phenotype and antigenic epitopes of 16 early-recovery COVID-19 patients in the context of human HLA haplotypes. [Extracted from the article]

We present a proposal to generate quintupartite entanglement with an optomechanical dual-cavity containing an ensemble of Λ-type three-level atoms. By solving the Heisenberg-Langevin equations, we show that entanglement among the two cavity fields, two mechanical oscillators, and atoms can be realized via atomic coherence and cavity field radiation pressure. In addition, within the experimentally available range of parameters, the larger the input laser power, atomic ensemble number, and quality factors of the cavity and mechanical oscillators, and the smaller the environmental temperature, the stronger the multipartite entanglement. This atom-cavity-optomechanical hybrid system provides an efficient and convenient platform for quantum states exchange between macroscopic (mechanical oscillators) and microscopic (atoms, photons) matters, and may find promising applications in realistic quantum information processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

T-cell receptor (TCR) is crucial in T cell-mediated virus clearance. To date, TCR bias has been observed in various diseases. However, studies on the TCR repertoire of COVID-19 patients are lacking. Here, we used single-cell V(D)J sequencing to conduct comparative analyses of TCR repertoire between 12 COVID-19 patients and 6 healthy controls, as well as other virus-infected samples. We observed distinct T cell clonal expansion in COVID-19. Further analysis of VJ gene combination revealed 6 VJ pairs significantly increased, while 139 pairs significantly decreased in COVID-19 patients. When considering the VJ combination of α and β chains at the same time, the combination with the highest frequency on COVID-19 was TRAV12-2-J27-TRBV7-9-J2-3. Besides, preferential usage of V and J gene segments was also observed in samples infected by different viruses. Our study provides novel insights on TCR in COVID-19, which contribute to our understanding of the immune response induced by SARS-CoV-2. • We performed single-cell V(D) J sequencing for 12 COVID-19 patients. • Comparative analyses of TCR repertoire between COVID-19 patients and controls, as well as other virus-infected samples. • TCR clonal diversity is significantly reduced in COVID-19 patients. • Preferential usage of T cell receptor is significantly different in several viral infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple systematic calibration method based on acceleration and angular rate measurements is introduced for the fiber-optic gyro strapdown inertial navigation system in this paper. Meanwhile, a unified mathematical framework and an iterative calculation method are designed for the systematic calibration method. Using this method, one can estimate the fiber-optic gyro inertial measurement unit (FOG IMU) parameters both at a manufacturer's facility and in the field. In order to get all FOG IMU parameters, a procedure adopted based on this approach consists of two stages: First, FOG IMU raw data (accelerometer and gyro readouts) are accumulated in 19 specified FOG IMU positions. Second, the accumulated data are processed by special software to estimate all FOG IMU parameters. In addition, observability analysis of the method in 19 specified FOG IMU positions is done without the limitation of FOG IMU's initial orientation, and this analysis provides theoretical support for the application in a complex terrain. Moreover, the influence of gravity disturbance is analyzed for the first time. The analysis and experiment results show that the systematic calibration method provided by this work can meet the requirement of FOG IMU calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation The Golgi apparatus has a key functional role in protein biosynthesis within the eukaryotic cell with malfunction resulting in various neurodegenerative diseases. For a better understanding of the Golgi apparatus, it is essential to identification of sub-Golgi protein localization. Although some machine learning methods have been used to identify sub-Golgi localization proteins by sequence representation fusion, more accurate sub-Golgi protein identification is still challenging by existing methodology. Results we developed a protein sub-Golgi localization identification protocol using deep representation learning features with 107 dimensions. By this protocol, we demonstrated that instead of multi-type protein sequence feature representation fusion as in previous state-of-the-art sub-Golgi-protein localization classifiers, it is sufficient to exploit only one type of feature representation for more accurately identification of sub-Golgi proteins. Compared with independent testing results for benchmark datasets, our protocol is able to perform generally, reliably and robustly for sub-Golgi protein localization prediction. Availabilityand implementation A use-friendly webserver is freely accessible at http://isGP-DRLF.aibiochem.net and the prediction code is accessible at https://github.com/zhibinlv/isGP-DRLF. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This meta-analysis was aimed at investigating the value of using contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant soft tissue masses (STMs). Relevant studies published before March 24, 2020 were identified through a comprehensive search of PubMed, Ovid, Cochrane and Web of Science. According to the inclusion criteria, five studies were selected comprising 746 patients. In the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant STMs, the pooled sensitivity and specificity of CEUS were 76% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 71%-81%; heterogeneity [I2] = 74.5%) and 67% (95% CI: 62%-71%; I2 = 36.5%), respectively. The diagnostic odds ratio was 7.37 (95% CI: 3.78%-14.35; I2 = 66.6%). The overall area under the curve was 0.77 (standard error: 0.0392). Subgroup analysis revealed that different index tests of CEUS resulted in different diagnostic performance. Importantly, CEUS is an effective method for the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant STMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNA (miRNA) has been widely suggested to play a vital role of in the pathogenesis of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). We have previously demonstrated that miR-657 can regulate macrophage inflammatory response in GDM. However, the role of miR-657 on M1/M2 macrophage polarization in GDM pathogenesis is not clear yet. This study is aimed at elucidating this issue and identifying novel potential GDM therapeutic targets based on miRNA network. miR-657 is found to be upregulated in placental macrophages demonstrated by real-time PCR, which can enhance macrophage proliferation and migration in vitro. Luciferase reporter assay shows the evidence that FAM46C is a target of miR-657. In addition, miR-657 can promote macrophage polarization toward the M1 phenotype by downregulating FAM46C in macrophages. The present study strongly suggests miR-657 is involved in GDM pathogenesis by regulating macrophage proliferation, migration, and polarization via targeting FAM46C. miR-657/FAM46C may serve as promising targets for GDM diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Catalytic system reaction conditions are mild. • The bifunctional imidazolium ionic liquids are environmentally friendly and do not contain metals and halogens. • The bifunctional imidazolium ionic liquids show high catalytic efficiency to cyclic carbonates. • No additional organic solvents and cocatalysts are needed. The bifunctional imidazolium ionic liquids ([HEMim][Glu], [HEMim][Asp], [HEBim][Asp], [HEBim][Ala], [HEBim][His]) were successfully synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, COSY, HSQC and FT-IR spectroscopy. The ionic liquids performed as bifunctional catalysts and exhibited high catalytic activity for the cyclic carbonate synthesis from CO 2 and epoxides under mild conditions with excellent yields in the absence of any solvents or co-catalysts. The reaction time, reaction temperature, CO 2 pressure and the amount of ionic liquid were systematically investigated. The catalyst can be reused for at least four cycles without any significant drop in the catalyst activity and hence represents a reasonably environmentally benign chemical process for CO 2 fixation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The octa(aminopropylsilsesquioxane) (POSS–NH 2) was synthesized by hydrolytic and condensation of γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane in isopropyl alcohol solvent with tetraethylammonium hydroxide as catalyst. The structure and morphology of products was characterized by Nuclear magnetic resonance (1H, 13C-NMR), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A novel chrome-free tanning process based on combination tanning with cage-like octa(aminosilsesquioxane) and tetrakis(hydroxymethyl) phosphonium sulfate (THPS) has been proposed. Hygrothermal stability test showed that the shrinkage temperature (T s) of THPS tanned leather was obviously increased with the introduction of POSS-NH 2 , implying that THPS and POSS nanoparticles had synergistic effect in the combination tanning process. The tanning process is optimized as 6.0% POSS-NH 2 combination with 2.5% THPS, endowing the leather with T s above 83.0 °C and thickness rate 44.6%. FT-IR analysis showed that hydrogen bond were formed between amino groups of POSS and hydroxyl groups of collagen during tanning process. The results of scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) results reveal that POSS and THPS tanning agents could penetrate and bind evenly in the leather matrix, thus promoting the weaving of collagen fibers into a tight network structure. Image 1 • A new and sustainable chrome-free tanning system has been proposed. • POSS-NH 2 could increase the binding sites between collagen. • The physical and mechanical properties of leather can be improved by POSS-THPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) can cause respiratory infections in animals that often lead to heavy losses for breeding industry. Ban-Qin-Fei-Re-Qing oral liquid (BQ), a Chinese herbal compound, has been used to treat infectious bronchitis (IB). This research aimed to assess the antiviral effect of BQ against IBV and elucidate the underlying mechanisms through bioinformatics analysis. The experiments designed in this study investigated how BQ inhibits IBV propagation in chicken embryos and enhances protective effects on chicken embryos. The findings indicated that, in comparison to the model group (untreated), the BQ-treated groups exhibited a significant protective effect on IBV-infected chicken embryos. Moreover, the groups administered medium or high doses of BQ demonstrated a superior protective effect compared to the group treated with a lower dose. In addition, even at a low dose (2.5 mL/L), BQ successfully treated IB in chickens. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses revealed that the differentially expressed genes were enriched in antiviral pathways, such as the JAK/STAT and type I interferon signaling pathways. In conclusion, the current study demonstrated that BQ has antiviral activity and plays an antiviral role through the combined action of multiple antiviral pathways. These findings could lead to future research on identifying drugs to prevent and treat IB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brucella abortus is facultative intracellular pathogen that causes chronic persistent infections and results in abortion and infertility in food animals. Recurrent infections can be one of the results of persister cells formation that transiently displays phenotypic tolerance to high dose of antibiotics treatment. We examined persister cells formation of B. abortus strain A19 in stationary phase and investigated a potential role for the (p)ppGpp synthetase Rsh in this process. We found that B. abortus stationary phase cells can produce higher levels of multi-drugs tolerant persister cells in vitro under high dose of antibiotics (20 × MIC) exposure than do exponential phase cells. Persister cell formation was also induced with environmental stressors pH 4.5, 0.01 M PBS (pH7.0), 2% NaCl and 25 °C, upon exposure to ampicillin, enrofloxacin and rifampicin. Persister cells were not formed following exposure to 1 mM H 2 O 2. The numbers of persister cells were significantly increased following uptake of B. abortus stationary phase cells by RAW264.7 macrophages in contrast with cultures in TSB liquid medium. Environmental stressors to B. abortus significantly increased expression of rsh mRNA level. The rsh null mutant (Δ rsh) formed significantly fewer persister cells than the complemented (CΔ rsh) and wildtype (WT) strains under high dose of rifampicin in vitro. These data for the first time demonstrate that B. abortus can produce multi-drug tolerant persister cells in stationary phase. The (p)ppGpp synthetase Rsh is necessary for persister cell formation in B. abortus in the presence of rifampicin. On this basis, a new understanding of the recurrent infections of Brucella was advanced, thus provided a new basis for revelation of pathogenic mechanism of the chronic persistent infection in Brucella. • Brucella abortus can form multi-drug tolerant persister cells in stationary phase in vitro. • Exposure to most environmental stressors induces persister cells formation and increases (p)ppGpp synthetase rsh expression. • Persister cells are more abundant when formed in RAW264.7 cells compared with TSB medium. • (P)ppGpp synthetase Rsh promotes rifampicin tolerant persister cells formation of B. abortus in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we report the synthesis, X-ray crystal structures, and temperature dependence of solid-state photoluminescence properties of two cuprous iodide complexes, namely, [(mpbi)CuI] n (1) and [(bimb)CuI] n (2) (mpbi = 1,1′-(5-methyl-1,3-phenylene)bis (1H-imidazole), bimb = 1,2-bis((imidazole-1-yl)methyl)benzene). The complexes exhibit efficient solid-state emission at room temperature, with peak emission wavelengths at 580 and 650 nm, respectively. Two complexes display outstanding thermal stability. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that the structure of 1 is a discrete metallacycle with the copper atom in the structure adopting a less common triangular configuration, while the structure of 2 is a one-dimensional chain structure of Cu 2 I 2 binuclear rhomboid. The temperature dependence of photoluminescence in the wide temperature range is investigated, which demonstrates that the thermal quenching of luminescence of copper complexes can be regulated by cuprophilic interaction. The synthesis, X-ray crystal structures, and temperature dependence of solid-state photoluminescence properties of two cuprous iodide complexes were reported. The results demonstrate that the thermal quenching of luminescence of copper complexes can be regulated by cuprophilic interaction. [Display omitted] • A discrete metallacycle and a one-dimensional extended structure were characterized by SC-XRD. • The PL thermal quenching of copper complexes can be regulated by cuprophilic interaction. • Two complexes display outstanding thermal stability. • The structure-property relationship was rationalized for the molecular-based luminescent materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preeclampsia is a serious complication of pregnancy and leads to maternal hypertension and proteinuria. It remains a major health problem for mothers and babies across the world due to high maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Accumulated data have implicated the critical role of microRNA in preeclampsia. However, to date, the role of miR‐548c‐5p in preeclampsia remains vaguely understood. In this study, we first elucidate the role of miR‐548c‐5p and its underlying molecular mechanism in preeclampsia. Compared with healthy controls, miR‐548c‐5p was obviously downregulated in serum exosomes and placental mononuclear cells in patients with preeclampsia. Nonetheless, PTPRO was significantly upregulated and negatively associated with miR‐548c‐5p in placental mononuclear cells in patients with preeclampsia. PTPRO was a target of miR‐548c‐5p. PTPRO was downregulated in the miR‐548c‐5p‐overexpressed macrophages. In addition, miR‐548c‐5p could inhibit the proliferation and activation of LPS‐stimulated macrophages, as evidenced by decreased levels of inflammatory cytokines (IL‐12 and TNF‐α) and less nuclear translocation of pNF‐κB in pTHP1 cells. MiR‐548c‐5p acts as an anti‐inflammatory factor in preeclampsia. The axis of miR‐548c‐5p/PTPRO/NF‐κB may provide novel targets for the diagnosis and treatment of preeclampsia. MiR‐548c‐5p was obviously downregulated in preeclampsia. MiR‐548c‐5p inhibited the proliferation and inflammation of pTHP1 macrophages dependent on the NF‐κB signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of studies have implicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, the role of miR‐657 in GDM remains vague up to date. We aim to investigate the modifying effect of miR‐657 on GDM, which will provide new insight into the pathogenesis of GDM and may help to identify new diagnostic or therapeutic targets for GDM. Increased expression of miR‐657 but decreased expression of interleukin‐37 (IL‐37) was observed in patients with GDM. Besides, negative association between miR‐657 and IL‐37 was demonstrated in this study. miR‐657 could targetedly regulate IL‐37 and enhance the proliferation of mononuclear macrophages. Moreover, miR‐657 promoted the generation of inflammatory cytokines (IL‐6 and tumor necrosis factor‐α [TNF‐α]) and activation of nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB) in lipopolysaccharide‐induced mononuclear macrophages, while its effect was significantly inhibited when exogenous recombinant IL‐37 was administrated into cells. Accordingly, dysregulation of miR‐657 contributes to the pathogenesis of GDM via IL‐37/NF‐κB signaling axis. MicroRNA‐657 (miR‐657) could targetedly regulate IL‐37 and enhance the proliferation of mononuclear macrophages. Dysregulation of miR‐657 contributes to the pathogenesis of GDM via IL‐37/NF‐κB signaling axis [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of novel aromatic poly(ether ketone amide)s (PEKAs) were synthesized by the heterogeneous palladium-catalyzed carbonylative polycondensation of aromatic diiodides with ether ketone units, aromatic diamines, and carbon monoxide in N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) at 120°C using 6 mol% of a magnetic nanoparticles–supported bidentate phosphine palladium complex (Fe3O4@SiO2-2P-PdCl2) as catalyst and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5,4,0]-7-undecene as base. The PEKAs had inherent viscosities ranging from 0.61 dl g−1 to 0.75 dl g−1. All the PEKAs were soluble in strong dipolar organic solvents. These PEKAs showed glass transition temperatures between 178°C and 232°C and 10% weight loss temperatures ranging from 443°C to 496°C in nitrogen. These PEKAs could be cast into transparent, flexible, and strong films from DMAc solutions with tensile strengths of 72.8–82.6 MPa, tensile moduli of 2.19–2.84 GPa, and elongations at break of 5.4–7.5%. Importantly, the heterogeneous palladium catalyst can be conveniently recovered from the reaction mixture by simply applying an external magnet and recycled up to eight times without significant loss of activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In bacteria, the enzyme catalyzing the transformation of 17β-estradiol is considered the key enzyme for its metabolism, whose enzymatic activity and regulatory network influence the biodegradation efficiency of this typical estrogen. In this work, a novel 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) was characterized from the estrogen-degrading strain Pseudomonas putida SJTE-1, and two regulators were identified. This 17β-HSD, a member of the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) superfamily, could be induced by 17β-estradiol and catalyzed the oxidization reaction at the C17 site of 17β-estradiol efficiently. Its Km value was 0.068 mM, and its Vmax value was 56.26 μmol/min/mg; over 98% of 17β-estradiol was oxidized into estrone in 5 min, indicating higher efficiency than other reported bacterial 17β-HSDs. Furthermore, two genes (crgA and oxyR) adjacent to 17β-hsd were studied which encoded the potential CrgA and OxyR regulators. Overexpression of crgA could enhance the transcription of 17β-hsd, while that of oxyR resulted in the opposite effect. They could bind to the specific and different sites in the promoter region of 17β-hsd gene directly, and binding of OxyR could be released by 17β-estradiol. OxyR repressed the expression of 17β-hsd by its specific binding to the conserved motif of GATA-N9-TATC, while CrgA activated the expression of this gene through its binding to the motif of T-N11-A. Therefore, this 17β-HSD transformed 17β-estradiol efficiently and the two regulators regulated its expression directly. This work could promote the study of the enzymatic mechanism and regulatory network of the estrogen biodegradation pathway in bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a hybrid intravascular imaging system for the early detection of vulnerable plaque by combining three complementary imaging techniques: ultrasound imaging (USI), photoacoustic imaging (PAI), and photoacoustic elasticity imaging (PEI). As a loading-free elasticity detection method, PEI can quantitatively obtain the tissue elasticity through the photoacoustic phase. By sharing the same ultrasound detection system, USI and PAI could be organically combined. Meanwhile, the optical absorption and elasticity images of plaque are simultaneously reconstructed by the same photoacoustic pulses. To prove the imaging capabilities and complementarity of the system, mimicking phantom experiments were conducted. Furthermore, ex-vivo experiments were performed on the rabbit abdominal aorta to achieve an early assessment of atherosclerosis by detecting the presence and the development extent of lipid plaques. The results illustrate that the system can simultaneously detect the structural composition and the mechanical properties of plaque, thereby showing great potential for accurately diagnosing the atherosclerosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Pseudomonas putida SJTE-1 can utilize 17β-estradiol (E2) as its carbon source, while the enzymes for E2 transformation in this strain is still unclear. 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (17β-HSD) can catalyze the reduction/oxidation at C 17 site of steroid hormone specifically, critical for steroid transformation. Here a novel 3-oxoacyl-(acyl-carrier protein) (ACP) reductase (ANI02794.1) was identified as it could bβ-estradiol, and was proved to be capable of functioning as 17β-HSD. Sequences alignment showed it contained the two consensus regions and the conserved residues of short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR). Its encoding gene was cloned and over-expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) strain, and the recombinant protein was purified by the metal-ion affinity chromatography with the yield of 18 mg/L culture. HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) detection showed this enzyme could convert 17β-estradiol into estrone using NAD+ as cofactor. Its K m value was 0.082 mM and its V max value was 0.81 mM/s; its transformation efficiency of 17β-estradiol into estrone was over 96.6% in five minutes. Its optimal temperature was 37 °C and optimal was pH 9.0; the divalent ions had different effects on the enzymatic activity. In conclusion, this 3-oxoacyl-ACP reductase functioned as 17β-HSD in P. putida SJTE-1 and played important role in its estrogen metabolism. Highlights • A novel NAD-dependent 3-oxoacyl-(ACP) reductase induced by 17β-estradiol functions as the 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A modulated pulsed magnetic field (PMF) containing both theta and gamma rhythms was conducted to perform whole brain stimulation on rodents. • Accelerated aging mice via chronic D-gal injection presented declined learning and memory abilities, as well as neuron degeneration especially in hippocampal CA3 area. • Modulated PMF stimulation during aging process enhanced the cognitive behavior performances of D-gal-induced aging mice. • Hippocampal neuron degeneration induced by D-gal could be partially rescued by the modulated PMF. Rhythmic physical stimulations have emerged as effective noninvasive intervention strategies in the treatment of pathological cognitive deficits. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can regulate neural firing and improve the learning and memory abilities of rodents or patients with cognitive deterioration. However, the effects of elaborate magnetic stimulation with low intensity during aging or other neurological disordering processes on cognitive decline remain unclear. In this study, we developed an elaborate modulated pulsed magnetic field (PMF) stimulation with a complex pattern in the theta repeated frequency and gamma carrier frequency and then determined the effects of this rhythmic PMF on the cognitive function of accelerated aging mice established by chronic subcutaneous injection of D-galactose (D-gal). The results of the Morris water maze (MWM) test showed that mice treated with modulated PMF displayed shorter swimming distance and latency time in the spatial exploration acquisition trial and exhibited a significant preference in the target presumptive platform area in the probe trial, all of which indicated the enhancement in spatial learning and memory abilities upon PMF stimulation of the accelerated aging mice. The novel object recognition (NOR) test results showed a similar tendency as the MWM results although without statistical significance. Further determination of histological structures demonstrated that the cognitive function-related hippocampal CA3 neurons degenerated upon D-gal injection, which could also be partially rescued by PMF application. In comparison with the high-intensity TMS approach, low-intensity magnetic stimulation could be much safer and allow deeper penetration without adverse effects such as seizure. In summary, modulated PMF, even with low intensity, could effectively improve rodent cognitive functions impaired by D-gal-induced accelerated aging, which might provide a new safe therapeutic strategy for cognitive deficits as well as other neurological disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An equilibrium passive sampler based on polyoxymethylene (POM) was used to determine the freely dissolved concentrations (C free ) of fipronil and ethiprole. The sorption equilibrium times of fipronil and ethiprole in POM were 14.2 d and 24.0 d, respectively. The POM-water partitioning coefficients (logK POM-water ) were 2.6 for fipronil and 1.4 for ethiprole. The method was further used to evaluate the sorption behavior of biochars which produced by pyrolysis of Magnolia wood ( Magnolia denudata ) at 300 °C, 500 °C and 700 °C. The amounts of target compounds adsorbed increased with increasing pyrolysis temperature of the biochars. Biochars characterized by a low polarity index had better sorption capacity for the target compounds. The additions of biochars to sediment were effective in reducing C free , and the enhancement was found to be more pronounced with high biochar content. C free in sediment with more organic matter was significantly higher after biochar addition. Increasing the sediment-biochar contact time from 7 to 30 d resulted in an increase in sorption of the compounds. We conclude that Magnolia wood biochar effectively reduces the content of freely dissolved fipronil and ethiprole content in sediment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]