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Abstract Non-hydraulic root signals (nHRS) are affirmed as a unique positive response to soil drying, and play a crucial role in regulating water use efficiency and yield formation in dryland wheat production. Strigolactones (SLs) can enhance plant drought adaptability. However, the question of whether strigolactones enhance grain yield and water use efficiency by regulating nHRS and antioxidant defense systems in dryland wheat remains unanswered. In this study, pot experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of strigolactones on nHRS, antioxidant defense system, and grain yield and water use efficiency in dryland wheat. The results showed that external application of SLs increased drought-induced abscisic acid (ABA) accumulation and activated an earlier trigger of nHRS at 73.4% field capacity (FC), compared to 68.5% FC in the control group (CK). This phenomenon was mechanically associated with the physiological mediation of SLs. The application of SLs significantly enhanced the activities of leaf antioxidant enzymes, reduced ROS production, and mitigated oxidative damage to lipid membrane. Additionally, root biomass, root length density, and root to shoot ratio were increased under strigolactone treatment. Furthermore, exogenous application of SLs significantly increased grain yield by 34.9% under moderate drought stress. Water use efficiency was also increased by 21.5% and 33.3% under moderate and severe drought conditions respectively, compared to the control group (CK). The results suggested that the application of strigolactones triggered earlier drought-sensing mechanism and improved the antioxidant defense ability, thus enhancing grain yield and water use efficiency in dryland wheat production.

Summary: Despite medical advances, there remains an unmet need for better treatment of obesity. Itaconate, a product of the decarboxylation of the tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediate cis-aconitate, plays a regulatory role in both metabolism and immunity. Here, we show that itaconate, as an endogenous compound, counteracts high-fat-diet (HFD)-induced obesity through leptin-independent mechanisms in three mouse models. Specifically, itaconate reduces weight gain, reverses hyperlipidemia, and improves glucose tolerance in HFD-fed mice. Additionally, itaconate enhances energy expenditure and the thermogenic capacity of brown adipose tissue (BAT). Unbiased proteomic analysis reveals that itaconate upregulates key proteins involved in fatty acid oxidation and represses the expression of lipogenic genes. Itaconate may provoke a major metabolic reprogramming by inducing fatty acid oxidation and suppression of fatty acid synthesis in BAT. These findings highlight itaconate as a potential activator of BAT-mediated thermogenesis and a promising candidate for anti-obesity therapy.

Study area: The Chengbi River Basin (CRB,106°21′ ∼106°48′ E, 23°50′ ∼24°45′ N) and the Chengbi River Reservoir (CRR) in Southwest China. Study focus: To quantitatively assess the combined impact of historical climate change and human activities (HCCHA) on flood control risk (FCR), this study proposes a framework including a characteristics analysis of the HCCHA, a more reasonable determining of the benchmark period and the influence period, and an evaluation of the combined impact of the HCCHA on the flood control risk with bi-variate flood frequency analysis. New hydrological insights for the region: Findings show that: (i) The annual rainfall (44.342 mm/10a) and annual average temperature (0.5796 ℃/10a) increased significantly, while the potential evaporation decreased(‐44.342decreased(−44.342 mm/10a). In the land use change that characterizes human activities, woodland and cropland showed upward trends while a decreasing trend in grassland. (ii) The starting time of climate change (1985) in the CRB is earlier than that of human activities (1988), thus the demarcation time of the benchmark period and influence period is 1985. (iii)As for bivariate flood frequency analysis, the G-H Copula function outperformed the other Copula functions with the error ranges of −0.1654 to 0.0965. (iv) Influenced by HCCHA, the FCR under the design condition decreased by 0.11211–0.05419%, and the corresponding flood control standard (FCS) increased from 892a to 1845a.

The impact of microplastics (MPs) as emerging pollutants on plant heavy metal toxicity has been extensively reported in vegetable–soil systems over recent years. However, little attention has been given to cultivar variations between degradable and non-degradable MPs. This study investigated the effects of degradable polylactic acid (PLA) and nondegradable polypropylene (PP) MPs on plant growth and biomarker (malonaldehyde (MDA) and antioxidant enzymes) performance in Cd-contaminated arable soil. The results show that both types of MPs significantly impacted plant biomass and biomarker contents across all three Cd levels. The degree of impact was significantly sensitive to both the type and dose of MPs, as they reduced the soil pH and cation exchange capacity (CEC) while increasing soil dissolved organic carbon (DOC), microbial biomass carbon, and nitrogen. PP exhibited greater root growth inhibition and phytotoxicity at higher doses of 1% and 5% compared to PLA. Specifically, the highest MDA contents were 1.44 and 2.20 mmol mg−1 protein for shoots and roots, respectively, in the 5% PLA treatment under a 10.1 mg kg−1 Cd level, which were 1.22 and 1.18 times higher than those in corresponding treatments of 5% PP. Overall, PLA had less significant effects on plant phytotoxicity, Cd availability, and soil properties compared to PP. Regression pathway analysis indicated that MPs increased shoot Cd uptake by altering both soil physical–chemical and microbial characteristics. Among the soil variables, pH, CEC, and Cd bioavailability were found to play vital roles. Yet, no single variable acts alone in the mechanism for plant Cd uptake. PLAs are suggested to replace conventional non-biodegradable plastics to control environmental MP pollution, particularly in agricultural systems with higher Cd contamination. However, the long-term effects of the by-products generated during the biodegradation process require further investigation.

Clubroot and herbicide resistance, high oleic acid (OA) content, and early maturity are targets of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) breeding. The objective of this study was to develop new male-fertility restorer lines by pyramiding favorable genes to improve these traits simultaneously. Seven elite alleles for the four traits were introduced into the restorer line 621R by speed breeding with marker-assisted and phenotypic selection. Six introgression lines (ILs) were developed with four- to seven-gene combinations and crossed with two elite parents to develop hybrids. All ILs and their corresponding hybrids displayed high resistance to both clubroot pathotype 4 and sulfonylurea herbicides. Three ILs and their hybrids showed large increases in OA contents and four showed earlier maturity. These new ILs may be useful in rapeseed hybrid breeding for the target traits.

Mozi first came to the English missionary Joseph Edkins’ attention in 1858 as a Confucian heretic. Subsequently, the Dutch missionary Johann Jakob Maria de Groot translated Mozi’s Funerary Doctrine, which has strong religious overtones. Protestantism missionaries were represented by Joseph and Groot, whose renderings of Mozi were replete with theological interpretations. Mozi was imagined as a religious canon, containing Christian doctrine, by the two missionaries who were keen to find commonalities between Mozi and Christianity. They also used Mozi’s status as a Confucian heretic to criticize Confucianism, the archenemy of Christianity. Through this religious imagination of Mozi, more missionaries and sinologists joined Mozi’s translation, and the journey of the canon’s transmission to the West started.

The theory of engrams, proposed several years ago, is highly crucial to understanding the progress of memory. Although it significantly contributes to identifying new treatments for cognitive disorders, it is limited by a lack of technology. Several scientists have attempted to validate this theory but failed. With the increasing availability of activity-dependent tools, several researchers have found traces of engram cells. Activity-dependent tools are based on the mechanisms underlying neuronal activity and use a combination of emerging molecular biological and genetic technology. Scientists have used these tools to tag and manipulate engram neurons and identified numerous internal connections between engram neurons and memory. In this review, we provide the background, principles, and selected examples of applications of existing activity-dependent tools. Using a combination of traditional definitions and concepts of engram cells, we discuss the applications and limitations of these tools and propose certain developmental directions to further explore the functions of engram cells.

Abstract Background The burden of obesity and chronic disease is increasing in the older US Hispanic/Latino adult population. There is limited evidence on successful weight management strategies as perceived by this population. Assessing barriers and opportunities for weight management using mixed methods is a robust approach to collect in‐depth information that can be applied to the development of well‐tailored weight management interventions for this population. Objective The objective of this study was to assess perceived individual, interpersonal, and environmental factors that influence weight management in older Hispanic/Latino adults. Methods This community‐based cross‐sectional study included 23 Hispanic/Latino older (>50y) adults with obesity (BMI >30 kg/m2). Perceived barriers and opportunities for weight management were assessed through validated questionnaires and focus groups. Prospectively registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03978416) on 7 June 2019. Results In this demographically heterogeneous population, language acculturation was generally low, and the frequency of poor dietary behaviors was high. Participants linked financial strain to lower diet quality, as well as anxiety to uncontrolled eating and food cravings. Social support and trust in healthcare professionals were perceived as priorities for healthy eating. Structural and environmental barriers such as affordability and availability of culturally preferred foods were also identified as influences on food choices and eating behavior. Conclusions This study revealed opportunities for culturally tailored weight management interventions in older Hispanic/Latino adults with obesity. Clinical Trial Registry Number NCT03978416 (ClinicalTrials.gov)

To increase the in vivo stability of cationic gene carriers and avoid the adverse effects of their positive charge, we synthesized a new shielding material by conjugating low molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) to a hyaluronic acid (HA) core. The HA-PEG conjugate assembled with the positively charged complex, forming a protective layer through electrostatic interactions. DNA/polyetherimide/HA-PEG (DNA/PEI/HA-PEG) nanoparticles had higher stability than both DNA/polyethyleneimine (DNA/PEI) and DNA/PEI/HA complexes. Furthermore, DNA/PEI/HA-PEG nanoparticles also showed a diminished nonspecific response toward serum proteins in vivo. The in vivo transfection efficiency was also enhanced by the low cytotoxicity and the improved stability; therefore, this material might be promising for use in gene delivery applications.

Abstract Hepatocellular death is a sensitive parameter for detecting acute liver injury (ALI) of toxic, viral, metabolic, and autoimmune origin. Ferroptosis has recently been implicated in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced ALI. However, the underpinning mechanism and mechanistic basis remain elusive. In this study, bicyclol, a proprietary hepatoprotectant in China, and ferroptosis-specific inhibitor ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) were administered in CCl4-injured mice. A panel of ferroptosis-related markers, including mitochondria morphology, reactive oxygen species production, protein adducts in response to lipid peroxidation, and key modulators of ferroptotic process, was determined in vivo. Erastin-treated L-O2 hepatocytes were transfected with glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4) or nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) siRNA to delineate the pathway of bicyclol against ferroptosis in vitro. As a result, CCl4 led to iron accumulation, excessive reactive oxygen species production, enhanced lipid peroxidation, and characteristic morphological changes in mitochondria, along with a decrease in GPx4 and xCT protein levels in ALI mice liver, all of which were generally observed in ferroptosis. The use of Fer-1 further corroborated that ferroptosis is responsible for liver damage. Bicyclol exerted its hepatoprotection by preventing the aforesaid ferroptotic process. Furthermore, bicyclol alleviated erastin-induced cellular inviability, destruction, and lipid peroxidation in vitro. Knockdown of GPx4 diminished these protective activities against perturbations associated with ferroptosis in L-O2 hepatocytes. Additionally, Nrf2 silencing drastically reduced GPx4 levels, and further impeded the medicinal effects of bicyclol. In summary, positively regulating Nrf2-GPx4 axis by bicyclol can prevent ferroptosis in CCl4-induced ALI in mice.

In recent years, the development of image super-resolution (SR) has explored the capabilities of convolutional neural networks (CNNs). The current research tends to use deeper CNNs to improve performance. However, blindly increasing the depth of the network does not effectively enhance its performance. Moreover, as the network depth increases, more issues arise during the training process, requiring additional training techniques. In this paper, we propose a lightweight image super-resolution reconstruction algorithm (SISR-RFDM) based on the residual feature distillation mechanism (RFDM). Building upon residual blocks, we introduce spatial attention (SA) modules to provide more informative cues for recovering high-frequency details such as image edges and textures. Additionally, the output of each residual block is utilized as hierarchical features for global feature fusion (GFF), enhancing inter-layer information flow and feature reuse. Finally, all these features are fed into the reconstruction module to restore high-quality images. Experimental results demonstrate that our proposed algorithm outperforms other comparative algorithms in terms of both subjective visual effects and objective evaluation quality. The peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) is improved by 0.23 dB, and the structural similarity index (SSIM) reaches 0.9607.

The rapid development of natural language processing technology and improvements in computer performance in recent years have resulted in the wide-scale development and adoption of human–machine dialogue systems. In this study, the Icc_dialogue model is proposed to enhance the semantic awareness of moods for emotional interactive robots. Equipped with a voice interaction module, emotion calculation is conducted based on model responses, and rules for calculating users’ degree of interest are formulated. By evaluating the degree of interest, the system can determine whether it should transition to a new topic to maintain the user’s interest. This model can also address issues such as overly purposeful responses and rigid emotional expressions in generated replies. Simultaneously, this study explores topic continuation after answering a question, the construction of dialogue rounds, keyword counting, and the creation of a target text similarity matrix for each text in the dialogue dataset. The matrix is normalized, weights are assigned, and the final text score is calculated. In the text with the highest score, the content of dialogue continuation is determined by calculating a subsequent sentence with the highest similarity. This resolves the issue in which the conversational bot fails to continue dialogue on a topic after answering a question, instead waiting for the user to voluntarily provide more information, resulting in topic interruption. As described in the experimental section, both automatic and manual evaluations were conducted to validate the significant improvement in the mood semantic awareness model’s performance in terms of dialogue quality and user experience.

Abstract Skeletal muscle and fat tissue show distinct pathophysiological roles and pivotal functions. The culmination of muscle wasting and fat accumulation represents an opposite terminal of each state. Specifically, this situation has been designated as sarcopenic obesity. However, sarcopenic obesity still lacks a unanimous definition, diagnostic criteria, and generalized modalities for assessment in the context of versatile liver diseases. Moreover, the underpinning mechanisms by which a combination of abnormal skeletal muscle and fat tissue leads to the progression of liver disease and impairs health‐related consequences are still elusive. Additionally, the interplay between skeletal muscle and fat, and the driving factors that shift different body compositions are not well understood. Therefore, in this review, we discuss skeletal muscle and fat components, with the purpose of conceptualization, as well as interpret their roles in liver diseases. We focus on the definitions, diagnostic criteria, and currently available measurements for sarcopenic obesity in the literature. We comprehensively discuss recent data and evidence regarding the potential role of sarcopenic obesity in the development and progression of numerous liver diseases and associated conditions, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver transplantation. Furthermore, explicit information related to the pathogenesis of sarcopenic obesity from basic research is also provided in this narrative review. Finally, we discuss, from the clinical perspective of view, how to manage sarcopenic obesity using nutritional, physical, and pharmacological methods.

It is essential to determine contributors around impairment in health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with cirrhosis aiming at improving health care and therapeutic strategy. Studies simultaneously incorporating disease severity based on biochemical parameters and other physical/psychological effects (i.e., sleep disturbance and frailty) are heterogeneous and the subject of the present study. We analyzed and compared HRQoL, using the EuroQol Group 5 Dimension (EQ‐5D) questionnaire and the utility index retrieved, in patients with cirrhosis and across groups stratified by sleep disturbance or frailty phenotype. Sleep disturbance and frailty were determined by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Frailty Index, respectively. Multiple linear regression was implemented to clarify contributors of poor HRQoL. In this cohort of 227 patients with mean age of 61.7 years and 47.2% male, more than half of the study population represented impairment in HRQoL in at least one domain, according to EQ‐5D. Furthermore, sleep disturbance and frailty have proved to be independently associated with poor HRQoL in two separate regression models, whereas conventional scoring systems such as Child‐Pugh classification and Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease are not closely relevant. Intriguingly, not all health domains within EQ‐5D correlated well with PSQI and Frailty Index, with the exception of usual activities. Pain and anxiety/depression were the most frequently affected HRQoL domains even in patients without sleep disturbance or frailty. Conclusion: Impaired HRQoL is prevalent in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Sleep disturbance and frailty are independently associated with poor HRQoL. It is imperative to timely intervene with these symptoms and deliver tailored health care.

To investigate the fire risk in a complex tunnel with varying cross-sections, sloped structures, and dense upper cover beams, this study considered four fire source positions: the immersed tube section, confluence section, highway auxiliary road section, and four-lane sections of the main line. It also considered four beam spacings: 1 m, 1.8 m, 3.6 m, and 7.2 m. The Fire Dynamics Simulation Software FDS was utilized to create a comprehensive tunnel model. The analysis focused on temperature and visibility changes at a 2 m height under a 20 MW fire condition for different fire source positions. These changes were then compared with critical danger values to assess the safety of evacuating personnel within the tunnel. Subsequently, this study proposed corresponding emergency rescue strategies. The findings indicated that when the beam grid spacing exceeded 3.6 m, the upper dense beam gap showed a robust smoke storage capacity, leading to a reduced distance of high-temperature smoke spread. However, this increased smoke storage disrupted the stability of the smoke layer, resulting in a heightened smoke thickness. The location of the ventilation vent at the entrance of the immersed tunnel section caused a non-uniform ventilation flow under the girder, deflecting the smoke front towards the unventilated side and decreasing visibility in the road auxiliary area. In comparison to scenarios without a beam lattice, the presence of a beam lattice in the tunnel amplified fire hazards. When the beam lattice spacing was 3.6 m or greater, the extent of the hazardous environment, which is unfavorable for personnel evacuation, expanded. With the exception of the scenario where the fire source was located in the highway auxiliary roadway, all other conditions surpassed 150 m, which is roughly one-third of the tunnel length. Consequently, more targeted strategies are necessary for effective evacuation and rescue efforts.

Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri), a type of Lactobacillus spp., is a gut symbiont that can colonize many mammals. Since it was first isolated in 1962, a multitude of research has been conducted to investigate its function and unique role in different diseases as an essential probiotic. Among these, the basic functions, beneficial effects, and underlying mechanisms of L. reuteri have been noticed and understood profoundly in intestinal diseases. The origins of L. reuteri strains are diverse, with humans, rats, and piglets being the most common. With numerous L. reuteri strains playing significant roles in different intestinal diseases, DSM 17938 is the most widely used in humans, especially in children. The mechanisms by which L. reuteri improves intestinal disorders include protecting the gut barrier, suppressing inflammation and the immune response, regulating the gut microbiota and its metabolism, and inhibiting oxidative stress. While a growing body of studies focused on L. reuteri, there are still many unknowns concerning its curative effects, clinical safety, and precise mechanisms. In this review, we initially interpreted the basic functions of L. reuteri and its related metabolites. Then, we comprehensively summarized its functions in different intestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, infection-associated bowel diseases, and pediatric intestinal disorders. We also highlighted some important molecules in relation to the underlying mechanisms. In conclusion, L. reuteri has the potential to exert a beneficial impact on intestinal diseases, which should be further explored to obtain better clinical application and therapeutic effects.

Empathy is essential for human survival and social interaction. Although mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been used to improve empathy in healthy populations, its therapeutic efficacy remains unknown. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effects of MBIs on empathy in a healthy population and the potential factors affecting the efficacy of MBIs. The literature search focused on PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and CNKI from inception to September 2022. Randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies reporting the effects of using MBIs on empathy in healthy populations were included. A total of 13 studies were included in this review. Results of the meta-analysis showed that MBIs improved empathy (SMD, 0.372, 95% CI, 0.164–0.579, p = 0.001) in the healthy population compared with that in the control group. Moreover, results of the subgroup analysis showed that intervention dose (over 24 h vs. under 24 h), format (online vs. offline), and types (different types) were important factors affecting treatment outcomes. This comprehensive review suggests that MBIs are effective treatment for empathy in healthy population. Future research should markedly focus on large-sample, rigorously designed experiments to explore the long-term effects of MBIs on empathy and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of MBIs. This study provides a reference for the daily application of MBIs.

BackgroundMyosteatosis is linked to dismal outcomes in the context of cirrhosis. However, the association of myosteatosis with various body composition abnormalities remains enigmatic. We aimed to clarify the determinants of myosteatosis and its relationship with other body composition profiles and length of hospitalization (LOH).MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the data of 473 consecutive patients with cirrhosis hospitalized for decompensation. Computed tomography-based segmentation of the cross-sectional area at the third lumbar vertebra was used to evaluate body composition abnormalities. The categories of myosteatosis were built according to our previously outcome-based cutoffs for each gender.ResultsTotally, 83 patients (17.55%) were stratified as myosteatosis, of whom 85.54% had concomitant high visceral adiposity indicative of increased visceral adipose tissue index (VATI). The prevalence of sarcopenia showed no significant difference between the groups with and without myosteatosis. Multivariate analysis showed that advanced age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.097, p < 0.001], higher visceral to subcutaneous ratio of adipose tissue area (VSR; OR = 1.574, p = 0.032), and higher VATI (OR = 1.026, p < 0.001) are independently associated with myosteatosis. Correlation analyses revealed a positive relationship between intramuscular adipose tissue content (IMAC) and VATI (ρ = 0.48, p < 0.001), subcutaneous adipose tissue index (SATI) (ρ = 0.36, p < 0.001), and age (ρ = 0.36, p < 0.001). None of the skeletal muscle or adipose tissue indicators were significantly related to longer LOH.ConclusionHigher VSR, higher VATI, and advanced age are associated with myosteatosis among patients with cirrhosis at the decompensation phase. It is tempting to target divergent adipose tissue depots aimed at timely intervention/prevention of myosteatosis.

Abstract Circular RNA (circRNA), a novel class of noncoding RNAs, has been used extensively to complement transcriptome remodeling in the central nervous system, although the genomic coverage provided has rarely been studied in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and is limited and fails to provide a detailed picture of the cerebral transcriptome landscape. Here, we described sequencing-based transcriptome profiling, providing comprehensive analysis of cerebral circRNA, messenger RNA (mRNA) and microRNA (miRNA) expression in ICH rats. In the study, male Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to ICH, and next-generation sequencing of RNAs isolated from non-hemorrhagic (Sham) and hemorrhagic (ICH) rat brain samples collected 7 (early phase) and 28 (chronic phase) days after insults, was conducted. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to determine miRNA binding sites and gene ontology of circRNAs, target genes of miRNAs, as well as biological functions of mRNAs, altered after ICH. These analyses revealed different expression profiles of circRNAs, mRNAs and miRNAs in day-7 and day-28 ICH groups, respectively, compared with the Sham. In addition, the expression signature of circRNAs was more sensitive to disease progression than that of mRNAs or miRNAs. Further analysis suggested two temporally specific circRNA-miRNA-mRNA networks based on the competitive endogenous RNA theory, which had profound impacts on brain activities after ICH. In summary, these results suggested an important role for circRNAs in the pathogenesis of ICH and in reverse remodeling based on self-protection support, providing deep insights into diverse possibilities for ICH therapy through targeting circRNAs.

Inherent dynamic constraints of distributed generations (DGs) and the correlation between injected variables bring great challenges to distribution network operation. In order to improve the degree of coupling and interconnection coordination between different energy devices, improve the ability of the distribution network to cope with the uncertainty of DGs, achieve low-carbon operation, and improve the environmental friendliness of distribution network operation, this article proposes a robust optimization approach involving risk assessment. The semi-invariant method and scene clustering are used to deal with the uncertainty of DGs and load, thus formulating a robust optimization model for distribution network distribution based on risk indices. To address the time-varying constraints of energy storage systems (ESSs) and gas turbines, a two-stage box-based decomposition model is established. Dynamic constraints are included in the first stage to constrain the operating state and operating domain of the unit and ESSs. In the second stage, the multi-timescale optimization problem is transformed into multiple single-timescale optimization problems, which are solved by the column and constraint generation (C&CG) algorithm to improve the solution efficiency. The feasibility of the comprehensive optimization model based on dynamic reconfiguration and distributed robust optimization (DRO) is demonstrated with the PG&E 69 bus system.

Background Intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD) is closely associated with senescence. Annulus fibrosus (AF) cell senescence is a crucial driver of AF tissue tearing and fissures, thereby exacerbating IVDD. Increased advanced oxidative protein products (AOPPs) were found in human degenerative discs and aged rat discs and may be involved in IVDD. This study aimed to explore the mechanism of AOPPs-induced senescence in AF cells. Methods The pathological effects of AOPPs in vivo were investigated using a rat lumbar disc persistent degeneration model and a rat caudal disc puncture model. Rat primary AF cells were selected as in vitro models, and AOPPs were used as direct stimulation to observe their pathological effects. Setanaxb (NOX1/4 inhibitor), apocynin (NADPH oxidase inhibitor) and adenovirus (ADV) packed NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) specific shRNAs were used for pathway inhibition, respectively. Finally, adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) packed with NOX4-specific blocking sequences were used to inhibit the in vivo pathway. Results AOPPs accumulated in the rat lumbar and caudal degenerative discs. Intra-discal loading of AOPPs up-regulated the expression of NOX4, p53, p21, p16, IL-1β, and TNF-α, ultimately accelerating IVDD. Exposure of AOPPs to AF primary cells up-regulated NOX4 expression, induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK), triggered senescence and increased IL-1β and TNF-α. Apocynin, setanaxib, and ADV pre-cultured AF cells abrogated AOPPs-induced senescence. AAV-mediated inhibition of NOX4 expression in vivo reduced the expression of p53, p21, p16, IL-1β and TNF-α in vivo and delayed IVDD. Conclusions AOPPs induced AF cell senescence through a NOX4-dependent and MAPK-mediated pathway.

ObjectiveThis research aims to explore the therapeutic effect of cognitive therapeutic exercise (CTE) in proprioception recovery after knee osteoarthritis (KOA) surgery.MethodsIn total, thirty-seven patients recovering from KOA surgery (including 27 patients who had undergone high-tibial osteotomy (HTO) procedure and 10 patients who had received total knee arthroplasty (TKA) treatment were randomly assigned to two groups: 18 patients in the CTE group and 19 patients for the control group (non-CTE). Patients in the CTE group received proprioceptive training as cognitive therapy to facilitate proprioception recovery for up to 4 weeks: 5 days a week and two 10-min sessions a day. Except for cognitive therapeutic exercise, the NCTE group and CTE group had the same treatment protocols. All the interventions began with permission from the surgeon-in-charge. In this research, we applied the joint repositioning training or joint-matching tasks, which is part of the proprioceptive training as a measurement for a proprioceptive training result where patients moved their knee joint from 0° (completely straight knee joint) to produce a presented joint angle, such as 30, 60, and 90° of flexion. Joint-matching task results were recorded before the treatment, at 2 and 4 weeks, postoperatively. The absolute difference between the results of these exercises and the knee flexion angle targets will be measured at each test—pre-rehabilitation (Pre-Reha), 2 weeks post-rehabilitation (2 weeks post-Reha), and 4 weeks post-rehabilitation (4 weeks post-Reha).ResultsThe absolute difference in the CTE group was significantly smaller than that of the control group after 4 weeks of treatment (P < 0.05). After 2 weeks of cognitive therapeutic exercise, the absolute difference between patients' exercises of joint repositioning and the target angle of 30° in the CTE group was smaller than that of the NCTE group (P < 0.01). After 4 weeks of therapy, the joint position sense (JPS) among patients who received cognitive therapeutic exercise when performing joint repositioning at angles of 30 and 60° were better improved than those without receiving proprioceptive training with the absolute difference smaller than those of the control group (P < 0.05).ConclusionThe joint reposition training provided for the CTE group is a painless proprioceptive training practice. This method is simple and effective, making it easy for patients to understand the purpose of training and improve patient engagement. The research showed that after 4 weeks of rehabilitation and physical training, the proprioception sense of both the NCTE and CTE groups improved significantly, and the efficacy of proprioceptive training in the CTE group was better than that of the NCTE group, which provided a new approach to the early proprioception recovery of a patient with KOA after surgery.

Background: Both sarcopenia and frailty are prevalent in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and associated with negative outcomes. However, few studies investigated the impact of their coexistence on mortality. We aimed to evaluate the role of sarcopenia and frailty on survival in a cohort of hospitalized cirrhotics. Methods: This was an observational cohort study including 221 patients hospitalized for decompensated events. The cutoff for low skeletal muscle index (SMI) at the third lumbar vertebra level on computed tomography built by our previous work (male: SMI 0.38 were considered frail. The sample was divided into four groups: sarcopenia and frailty (SF); sarcopenia and non-frailty (SN); non-sarcopenia and frailty (NF); and non-sarcopenia and non-frailty (NN). Follow-up for survival lasted 2 years. Results: Sarcopenia and frailty were present in 21.7% and 14.5% of the patients, respectively. The frequency of frailty in the group of sarcopenic patients was significantly higher than in the patients without sarcopenia (27.1% versus 11%, p = 0.009). In the survival analysis, the SF group showed a higher hazard ratio (2.604 in model 1; 4.294 in model 2) for mortality when compared with the NN group. In addition, the concurrence of those two conditions does give rise to incremental risk for mortality when compared with the group with each disturbance separately, namely, the SN/NF group. Conclusion: In conclusion, cirrhotic patients with sarcopenia and frailty combined showed higher mortality risk.

Existing deep learning-based methods for detecting fake news are uninterpretable, and they do not use external knowledge related to the news. As a result, the authors of the paper propose a graph matching-based approach combined with external knowledge to detect fake news. The approach focuses on extracting commonsense knowledge from news texts through knowledge extraction, extracting background knowledge related to news content from a commonsense knowledge graph through entity extraction and entity disambiguation, using external knowledge as evidence for news identification, and interpreting the final identification results through such evidence. To achieve the identification of fake news containing commonsense errors, the algorithm uses random walks graph matching and compares the commonsense knowledge embedded in the news content with the relevant external knowledge in the commonsense knowledge graph. The news is then discriminated as true or false based on the results of the comparative analysis. From the experimental results, the method can achieve 91.07%, 85.00%, and 89.47% accuracy, precision, and recall rates, respectively, in the task of identifying fake news containing commonsense errors.

Cell lysis is a key step for studying the structure and function of proteins in cells and an important intermediate step in drug screening, cancer diagnosis, and genome analysis. The current cell lysis methods still suffer from limitations, such as the need for large instruments, a long and time-consuming process, a large sample volume, chemical reagent contamination, and their unsuitability for the small amount of bacteria lysis required for point-of-care testing (POCT) devices. Therefore, a fast, chemical-free, portable, and non-invasive device needs to be developed. In the present study, we designed an integrated microfluidic chip to achieve E. coli lysis by applying an alternating current (AC) electric field and investigated the effects of voltage, frequency, and flow rate on the lysis. The results showed that the lysis efficiency of the bacteria was increased with a higher voltage, lower frequency, and lower flow rate. When the voltage was at 10 Vp-p, the lysis efficiency was close to 100%. The study provided a simple, rapid, reagent-free, and high-efficiency cleavage method for biology and biomedical applications involving bacteria lysis.

Mounting evidence has suggested the clinical significance of body composition abnormalities in the context of cirrhosis. Herein, we aimed to investigate the association between visceral adiposity and malnutrition risk in 176 hospitalized patients with cirrhosis. The adiposity parameters were obtained by computed tomography (CT) as follows: total adipose tissue index (TATI), visceral adipose tissue index (VATI), subcutaneous adipose tissue index (SATI), and visceral to subcutaneous adipose tissue area ratio (VSR). Malnutrition risk was screened using Royal Free Hospital-Nutritional Prioritizing Tool (RFH-NPT). Visceral adiposity was determined given a higher VSR based on our previously established cutoffs. Multivariate analysis implicated that male gender (OR = 2.884, 95% CI: 1.360–6.115, p = 0.006), BMI (OR = 0.879, 95% CI: 0.812–0.951, P = 0.001), albumin (OR = 0.934, 95% CI: 0.882–0.989, P = 0.019), and visceral adiposity (OR = 3.413, 95% CI: 1.344–8.670, P = 0.010) were independent risk factors of malnutrition risk. No significant difference was observed regarding TATI, SATI, and VATI among patients with low or moderate and high risk of malnutrition. In contrast, the proportion of male patients embracing visceral adiposity was higher in high malnutrition risk group compared with that in low or moderate group (47.27 vs. 17.86%, p = 0.009). Moreover, this disparity was of borderline statistical significance in women (19.05 vs. 5.88%, p = 0.061). Assessing adipose tissue distribution might potentiate the estimation of malnutrition risk in cirrhotics. It is pivotal to recognize visceral adiposity and develop targeted therapeutic strategies.

Both sleep–wake disturbance and malnutrition are common in cirrhosis and might be associated with similar adverse outcomes, such as impaired health-related quality of life, hepatic encephalopathy, and sarcopenia, but there is no study investigating the relationship between these two. We aimed to explore the relationship between sleep–wake disturbance [estimated by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)] and malnutrition risk [estimated by the Royal Free Hospital-Nutritional Prioritizing Tool (RFH-NPT)]. About 150 patients with cirrhosis were prospectively recruited. The nutritional risk is classified as low (0 points), moderate (1 point), and high (2–7 points) according to the RFH-NPT score. A global PSQI >5 indicated poor sleepers. Furthermore, multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to determine the relationship between sleep–wake disturbance and malnutrition. The median PSQI was seven, and RFH-NPT was two in the entire cohort, with 60.67 and 56.67% rated as poor sleep quality and high malnutrition risk, respectively. Patients with cirrhosis with poor sleep quality had significantly higher RFH-NPT score (3 vs. 1, P = 0.007). Our multivariate analyses indicated that male patients (β = 0.279, P < 0.001), ascites (β = 0.210, P = 0.016), and PSQI (β = 0.262, P = 0.001) were independent predictors of malnutrition. In addition, the differences regarding PSQI score were more significant in male patients, as well as those >65 years or with Child-Turcotte-Pugh class A/B (CTP-A/B) or the median model for end-stage liver disease (MELD)

Background: Previous studies have shown that sarcopenia appears to be a significant contributor to physical frailty among outpatients with cirrhosis. However, the evidence is scant regarding the relationship between sarcopenia and multi-dimensional frailty among inpatients. We aimed to investigate the potential contribution of sarcopenia to frailty in hospitalized patients with cirrhosis in a sex-dependent manner. Methods: This cohort enrolled consecutive cirrhotics. Muscle quantity and quality were assessed using the computed tomography-based skeletal muscle index (SMI) and intramuscular adipose tissue content, respectively. Frailty phenotype was clarified by a self-reported Frailty Index. Multiple linear regression determined the association between sarcopenia and frailty phenotype. Results: A total of 202 cirrhotic patients with 48.5% male were included. The median Frailty Index was 0.13, rendering 17.3% subjects as frail. Among the 16 frail men, 68.8% had sarcopenia and 62.5% exhibited myosteatosis. In contrast, among the 19 frail women, 26.3% had sarcopenia and 15.8% exhibited myosteatosis. Frail patients had a significantly lower median SMI (42.80 cm 2 /m 2 ) compared with those with pre-frailty (48.23 cm 2 /m 2 ) and with robust status (50.82 cm 2 /m 2 ) in the male but not the female group. In male patients, multivariate linear regression implicated age (β = 0.330, p

In recent years, the path planning of robot has been a hot research direction, and multirobot formation has practical application prospect in our life. This article proposes a hybrid path planning algorithm applied to robot formation. The improved Rapidly Exploring Random Trees algorithm PQ-RRT∗ with new distance evaluation function is used as a global planning algorithm to generate the initial global path. The determined parent nodes and child nodes are used as the starting points and target points of the local planning algorithm, respectively. The dynamic window approach is used as the local planning algorithm to avoid dynamic obstacles. At the same time, the algorithm restricts the movement of robots inside the formation to avoid internal collisions. The local optimal path is selected by the evaluation function containing the possibility of formation collision. Therefore, multiple mobile robots can quickly and safely reach the global target point in a complex environment with dynamic and static obstacles through the hybrid path planning algorithm. Numerical simulations are given to verify the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed hybrid path planning algorithm.

This report presents an investigation into the use of carbon paper electrodes prepared from chitosan-adhered graphene magnetite nanoparticles for the analysis of Cr(VI). The preparation and storage of carbon paper electrodes is a simple process, and these electrodes are easier to replace than electrodes modified by more conventional methods. The electrochemical detection of Cr(VI) using square wave adsorption cathodic dissolution voltammetry (SWAdCSV) with high selectivity and sensitivity, as well as the optimum conditions for the preparation of the electrodes and the electrode parameters affecting the SWAdCSV signal, were the main points of focus of the investigation. Cr(VI) was detected linearly in the range of 4-40 μg L-1 with a detection limit of 2.84 μg L-1. The electrode output precision, calculated as %RSD, was 7.16% (n = 6), and this was the measurement used for the detection of Cr(VI) in standard and test samples with recoveries between 89% and 114%. The results were consistent with those obtained using the standard UV-Vis spectrophotometric method with a paired t-test at 95% confidence level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]