Litchi Procyanidins Ameliorate DSS-Induced Colitis through Gut Microbiota-Dependent Regulation of Treg/Th17 Balance.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a common chronic, relapsing inflammatory bowel condition. Procyanidins (PC) are known for their antiangiogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimetastatic properties. However, there is comparatively limited information on how PC interacts with UC. In this study, 5 mg/10 mL/kg body weight of PC was administered to mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice. PC treatment prolonged the survival period of mice, ameliorated UC symptoms, reduced damage to the intestinal mucosal barrier, and increased the protein expression of ZO-1 and occludin in the DSS-treated mice. Importantly, PC treatment significantly reduced gene expression related to Th17 cell differentiation, including STAT3, SMAD3, TGF-ß, and JAK1. The results of the flow cytometry analysis indicated significant increase in the number of Treg cells and a concomitant decrease in the proportion of Th17 cells in the colon following PC treatment. Additionally, PC increased the abundance of gut microbiota such as Bacteroidota, Oscillospiraceae, Muribaculaceae, and Desulfovibrionaceae, as well as the concentrations of acetate acid, propionate acid, and butyrate acid in the feces. PC also activated short-chain fatty acid receptors, such as G-protein coupled receptor 43 in the colon, which promoted the proliferation of Treg cells. The depletion of gut microbiota and subsequent transplantation of fecal microbiota demonstrated that PC's effects on gut microbiota were effective in improving UC and restoring intestinal Th17/Treg homeostasis in a microbiota-dependent manner. This suggests that PC could be a promising functional food for the prevention and treatment of UC in the future.

Population structure and selective signature of Kirghiz sheep by Illumina Ovine SNP50 BeadChip.

Objective: By assessing the genetic diversity and associated selective traits of Kirghiz sheep (KIR), we aim to uncover the mechanisms that contribute to sheep's adaptability to the Pamir Plateau environment. Methods: This study utilized Illumina Ovine SNP50 BeadChip data from KIR residing in the Pamir Plateau, Qira Black sheep (QBS) inhabiting the Taklamakan Desert, and commonly introduced breeds including Dorper sheep (DOR), Suffolk sheep (SUF), and Hu sheep (HU). The data was analyzed using principal component analysis, phylogenetic analysis, population admixture analysis, kinship matrix analysis, linkage disequilibrium analysis, and selective signature analysis. We employed four methods for selective signature analysis: fixation index (Fst), cross-population extended homozygosity (XP-EHH), integrated haplotype score (iHS), and nucleotide diversity (Pi). These methods aim to uncover the genetic mechanisms underlying the germplasm resources of Kirghiz sheep, enhance their production traits, and explore their adaptation to challenging environmental conditions. Results: The test results unveiled potential selective signals associated with adaptive traits and growth characteristics in sheep under harsh environmental conditions, and annotated the corresponding genes accordingly. These genes encompass various functionalities such as adaptations associated with plateau, cold, and arid environment (ETAA1, UBE3D, TLE4, NXPH1, MAT2B, PPARGC1A, VEGFA, TBX15 and PLXNA4), wool traits (LMO3, TRPS1, EPHA5), body size traits (PLXNA2, EFNA5), reproductive traits (PPP3CA, PDHA2, NTRK2), and immunity (GATA3). Conclusion: Our study identified candidate genes associated with the production traits and adaptation to the harsh environment of the Pamir Plateau in Kirghiz sheep. These findings provide valuable resources for local sheep breeding programs. The objective of this study is to offer valuable insights for the sustainable development of the Kirghiz sheep industry.

Chinese nursing students' academic self-concept and deep learning in online courses: Does psychological capital play a moderating role?

The advent of online education has become indispensable for nursing students seeking to acquire knowledge. However, the efficacy of online education often falls short of initial expectations. Deep learning (DL) can assist learners tackle complex problems and make innovative decisions. Despite its potential, there has been limited exploration into the underlying mechanisms of DL among nursing students, both domestically and globally. This study examined the potential moderating effect of psychological capital (PC) on the association between academic self-concept (AS-c) and DL among nursing students from China enrolled in online courses. Conducted from October 2022 to January 2023, the survey involved 635 nursing students from four public universities in eastern China, utilizing convenience sampling. Data was collected using the AS-c scale, psychological capital scale, and DL scale in online courses. Correlation analyses, univariate analyses, multiple linear regression analyses, and the PROCESS macro were employed for a comprehensive examination. The results revealed a strong positive relationship between nursing students' DL and both their AS-c (r = 0.766, P < 0.01) and PC (r = 0.714, P < 0.01), respectively. Additionally, the effect of AS-c on DL was stronger among individuals with high PC (ß = 0.34, SE = 0.03, P < 0.001) compared to those with low (ß = 0.29, SE = 0.02, P < 0.001) or medium (ß = 0.24, SE = 0.02, P < 0.001) levels of PC, indicating that PC exerts moderating effects and promotes DL among nursing students enrolled in online courses. Based on these findings, several implications are suggested for the theory and practice of facilitating DL.

Treatment of tetracycline in an aqueous solution with an iron-biochar/periodate system: Influencing factors and mechanisms.

In this study, a potassium ferrate (K2FeO4)-modified biochar (Fe-BC) was prepared and characterized. Afterwards, Fe-BC was applied to activated periodate (PI) to degrade tetracycline (TC), an antibiotic widely used in animal farming. The degradation effects of different systems on TC were compared and the influencing factors were investigated. In addition, several reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by the Fe-BC/PI system were identified, and TC degradation pathways were analyzed. Moreover, the reuse performance of Fe-BC was evaluated. The results exhibited that the Fe-BC/PI system could remove almost 100% of TC under optimal conditions of [BC] = 1.09 g/L, initial [PI] = 3.29 g/L, and initial [TC] = 20.3 mg/L. Cl-, HCO3-, NO3-, and humic acid inhibited TC degradation to varying degrees in the Fe-BC/PI system due to their quenching effects on ROS. TC was degraded into intermediates and even water and carbon dioxide by the synergistic effect of ROS generated and Fe on the BC surface. Fe-BC was reused four times, and the removal rate of TC was still maintained above 80%, indicating the stable nature of Fe-BC.

Adaptive dynamic inference for few-shot left atrium segmentation.

Accurate segmentation of the left atrium (LA) from late gadolinium-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance (LGE CMR) images is crucial for aiding the treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation. Few-shot learning holds significant potential for achieving accurate LA segmentation with low demand on high-cost labeled LGE CMR data and fast generalization across different centers. However, accurate LA segmentation with few-shot learning is a challenging task due to the low-intensity contrast between the LA and other neighboring organs in LGE CMR images. To address this issue, we propose an Adaptive Dynamic Inference Network (ADINet) that explicitly models the differences between the foreground and background. Specifically, ADINet leverages dynamic collaborative inference (DCI) and dynamic reverse inference (DRI) to adaptively allocate semantic-aware and spatial-specific convolution weights and indication information. These allocations are conditioned on the support foreground and background knowledge, utilizing pixel-wise correlations, for different spatial positions of query images. The convolution weights adapt to different visual patterns based on spatial positions, enabling effective encoding of differences between foreground and background regions. Meanwhile, the indication information adapts to the background visual pattern to reversely decode foreground LA regions, leveraging their spatial complementarity. To promote the learning of ADINet, we propose hierarchical supervision, which enforces spatial consistency and differences between the background and foreground regions through pixel-wise semantic supervision and pixel-pixel correlation supervision. We demonstrated the performance of ADINet on three LGE CMR datasets from different centers. Compared to state-of-the-art methods with ten available samples, ADINet yielded better segmentation performance in terms of four metrics.

Rural-urban difference in the association between particulate matters and stroke incidence: The evidence from a multi-city perspective cohort study.

Available evidence suggests that air pollutants can cause stroke, but little research has investigated the confounding effects of urban-rural differences. Here, we investigated the urban-rural difference in the correlation between particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) exposure and stroke. This cohort study was based on a prospective multi-city community-based cohort (Guizhou Population Health Cohort Study (GPHCS)) in Guizhou Province, China. A total of 7988 eligible individuals (≥18 years) were enrolled with baseline assessments from November 2010 to December 2012, and follow-up was completed by June 2020. Two major particulate matters (PMs, including PM2.5 and PM10) were assessed monthly from 2000 by using satellite-based spatiotemporal models. The risk of stroke was estimated using a Cox proportional hazard regression model. The association between particulate matters' exposure and stroke in different areas (total, urban, and rural) and the potential modification effect of comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia) and age (≤65/>65 years) were examined using stratified analyses. The risk of stroke increased for every 10 µg/m3 increase in mean PMs' concentrations during the previous 1 year at the residential address (HR: 1.26, 95%CI: 1.24, 1.29 (PM2.5); HR: 1.13, 95%CI: 1.11, 1.15 (PM10)). The presence of diabetes and dyslipidemia increased the risk of PM10-induced stroke in whole, urban, and rural areas. Specifically, people living in rural areas were more likely to experience the effects of PMs in causing a stroke. The risk of stroke due to PMs was statistically increased in the young and older populations living in rural areas. In conclusion, long-term exposure to PMs increased the risk of stroke and such association was more pronounced in people living in rural areas with lower income levels. Diabetes and dyslipidemia seemed to strengthen the association between PMs and stroke.

Ovarian cancer: Diagnosis and treatment strategies (Review).

Ovarian cancer is a malignant tumor that seriously endangers health. Early ovarian cancer symptoms are frequently challenging to detect, resulting in a large proportion of patients reaching an advanced stage when diagnosed. Conventional diagnosis relies heavily on serum biomarkers and pathological examination, but their sensitivity and specificity require improvement. Targeted therapy inhibits tumor growth by targeting certain characteristics of tumor cells, such as signaling pathways and gene mutations. However, the effectiveness of targeted therapy varies among individuals due to differences in their unique biological characteristics and requires individualized strategies. Immunotherapy is a promising treatment for ovarian cancer due to its long-lasting antitumor effect. Nevertheless, issues such as variable efficacy, immune-associated adverse effects and drug resistance remain to be resolved. The present review discusses the diagnostic strategies, rationale, treatment strategies and prospects of targeted therapy and immunotherapy for ovarian cancer.

Structural analysis, acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity and immunoregulatory activity of two acidic polysaccharides from Chrysanthemum morifolium cv. Gongju.

The structural characteristics, acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity, and immune effects of two purified acid polysaccharides from Chrysanthemum morifolium cv. Gongju were investigated. GJP-1 and GJP-2 were isolated and purified using DEAE-sepharose and Sephadex G-100 chromatography. GJP-1 consisted of Man, Rha, Ara, Glc, Gal, and GalA, with a ratio of 1.99:3.98:81.2:2.65:7.03:3.15, while GJP-2 comprised of Man, Rha, Ara, Glc, Gal, and GalA in a ratio of 0.27:2.36:8.03:38.44:2.38:48.52. GJP-2 is a kind of pectin-type polysaccharide. GJP-1 and GJP-2 differed in average molecular weight of 5.86 kDa and 4.92 kDa. The results indicated that GJP-1 and GJP-2 significantly inhibited the activity of acetylcholinesterase and had good immunomodulatory activities. GJP-1 and GJP-2 are bioactive polysaccharides with the potential to improve cognitive function. GJP-2 promoted more proliferation, as well as the release of tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon γ. Clarifying the structures and bioactivities of polysaccharides could lay a foundation for the application of Gongju in functional foods and medicines production.

Inulin enhanced rifaximin-inhibited colon cancer pulmonary metastasis by flora-regulated bile acid pathway.

Inulin as a natural polysaccharide regulates intestinal microorganisms, and improves the immune and gastrointestinal function. In order to explore the effect of inulin on pulmonary metastasis of colon cancer, we set up a CT26 injected pulmonary metastatic model. The results showed that inulin used alone did not improve pulmonary metastasis of colon cancer, while inulin combined with rifaximin significantly prolonged the survival time of mice, and inhibited pulmonary metastasis compared with model and inulin groups. Inulin treatment increased the abundance of harmful bacteria such as Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, while combined treatment decreased their abundance and increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria containing Firmicutes and Eubacterium which belonged to the bile acid-related bacteria. The combination treatment decreased the content of primary bile acids and secondary bile acids in the feces of mice, especial for DCA and LCA which were the agonists of TGR5. Furthermore, the combination treatment reduced the mRNA expression of the TGR5, cyclin dependent kinase 4, cyclin 1 and CDK2, increased the mRNA expression of p21 in the lung, down-regulated the level of NF-κB p65, and up-regulated the level of TNF-α compared with the model group. The above may be the reason for the better use of the combination treatment.

HE-Mind: A model for automatically predicting hematoma expansion after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.

PURPOSE: To develop and validate an end-to-end model for automatically predicting hematoma expansion (HE) after spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) using a novel deep learning framework. METHODS: This multicenter retrospective study collected cranial noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) images of 490 patients with sICH at admission for model training (n = 236), internal testing (n = 60), and external testing (n = 194). A HE-Mind model was designed to predict HE, which consists of a densely connected U-net for segmentation process, a multi-instance learning strategy for resolving label ambiguity and a Siamese network for classification process. Two radiomics models based on support vector machine or logistic regression and two deep learning models based on residual network or Swin transformer were developed for performance comparison. Reader experiments including physician diagnosis mode and artificial intelligence mode were conducted for efficiency comparison. RESULTS: The HE-Mind model showed better performance compared to the comparative models in predicting HE, with areas under the curve of 0.849 and 0.809 in the internal and external test sets respectively. With the assistance of the HE-Mind model, the predictive accuracy and work efficiency of the emergency physician, junior radiologist, and senior radiologist were significantly improved, with accuracies of 0.768, 0.789, and 0.809 respectively, and reporting times of 7.26 s, 5.08 s, and 3.99 s respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The HE-Mind model could rapidly and automatically process the NCCT data and predict HE after sICH within three seconds, indicating its potential to assist physicians in the clinical diagnosis workflow of HE.

Effect of Music Therapy on the Psychological Well-Being of Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients: A Retrospective Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the management effect of music therapy on the psychological health of patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (MHD), with focus on improving levels of depression, anxiety and stress. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of clinical data was conducted for 218 patients with sleep disorders accompanied by hemodialysis (HD) from January 2020 to December 2023. The subjects were categorized into a control group comprising 122 cases and an observational group comprising 96 cases. The observation group received music therapy in addition to routine management for 3 months. The psychological health status of patients was assessed using the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Hemodialysis Stressor Scale (HSS), among other indicators. t Tests, χ2 test and Wilcoxon test were performed. RESULTS: After 3 months, the SDS and SAS scores of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). The scores for the "psychological stressors," "physiological stressors" and "social stressors" dimensions of HSS were also significantly lower in the observation group compared with those in the control group (P < 0.05). The overall satisfaction rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (96.88% vs. 88.52%, P = 0.022). CONCLUSION: Music therapy exerted a positive effect on improving the psychological health of HD patients, particularly in reducing stress levels. This study provides clinical evidence for music therapy as a low-cost and effective adjunctive treatment.

Ergothioneine Protects Against UV-Induced Oxidative Stress Through the PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 Signaling Pathway.

Background: Ergothioneine (EGT) is an antioxidant, which could be detected in human tissues, and human skin cells could utilize EGT and play an anti-oxidative role in keratinocytes. And in this study we are going to elucidate whether EGT could protect the skin from photoaging by Ultraviolet (UV) exposure in mice and its molecule pathway. Methods: Histological analysis was performed for evaluating the skin structure change. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were measured with biological assay for evaluating oxidative and antioxidative ability of skin exposed to UV light. And the level of marker molecules in mouse skin were detected by hydroxyproline (Hyp) assay, immunohistochemical analysis, Western blot, and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The markers of skin aging and cell death were tested by cell culture and treatment, Western blot and qRT-PCR. Results: EGT decreased the levels of inflammatory factors induced by UV exposure in mouse skin. MDA and SOD activity detection showed that EGT decreased MDA levels, increased SOD activity, and upregulated PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 signals in mouse skin exposed to UV, which further activated Nrf2 in the nucleus and enhanced the expression of Nrf2 target genes. In the cell model, we revealed that EGT could inhibit the increase in senescence-associated ß-galactosidase-positive cells and p16 and γ-H2A.X positive cells induced by etoposide and activate PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 signaling. Moreover, a PI3K inhibitor blocked EGT protection against etoposide-induced cell death. Conclusion: The study showed EGT may play an important protective role against cell damage or death through the PI3K/Akt/Nrf2 signaling pathway in skin.

Zirconaaziridine-Mediated Ni-Catalyzed Diastereoselective C(sp2)-Glycosylation.

In the realm of organic synthesis, the catalytic and stereoselective formation of C-glycosidic bonds is a pivotal process, bridging carbohydrates with aglycones. However, the inherent chirality of the saccharide scaffold often has a substantial impact on the stereoinduction imposed by a chiral ligand. In this study, we have established an unprecedented zirconaaziridine-mediated asymmetric nickel catalysis, enabling the diastereoselective coupling of bench-stable glycosyl phosphates with a range of (hetero)aromatic and glycal iodides as feasible coupling electrophiles. Our developed method showcases a broad scope and a high tolerance for various functional groups. More importantly, precise stereocontrol toward both anomeric configurations of forming C(sp2)-glycosides can be realized by simply utilizing the popular chiral bioxazoline (biOx) ligands in this reductive Ni catalysis. Regarding the operating mechanism, both experimental and computational studies support the occurrence of a redox transmetalation process, leading to the formation of a transient, bimetallic Ni-Zr species that acts as a potent and efficient single-electron reductant in the catalytic process.

FTO deficiency in older livers exacerbates ferroptosis during ischaemia/reperfusion injury by upregulating ACSL4 and TFRC.

Older livers are more prone to hepatic ischaemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI), which severely limits their utilization in liver transplantation. The potential mechanism remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate older livers exhibit increased ferroptosis during HIRI. Inhibiting ferroptosis significantly attenuates older HIRI phenotypes. Mass spectrometry reveals that fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) expression is downregulated in older livers, especially during HIRI. Overexpressing FTO improves older HIRI phenotypes by inhibiting ferroptosis. Mechanistically, acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family 4 (ACSL4) and transferrin receptor protein 1 (TFRC), two key positive contributors to ferroptosis, are FTO targets. For ameliorative effect, FTO requires the inhibition of Acsl4 and Tfrc mRNA stability in a m6A-dependent manner. Furthermore, we demonstrate nicotinamide mononucleotide can upregulate FTO demethylase activity, suppressing ferroptosis and decreasing older HIRI. Collectively, these findings reveal an FTO-ACSL4/TFRC regulatory pathway that contributes to the pathogenesis of older HIRI, providing insight into the clinical translation of strategies related to the demethylase activity of FTO to improve graft function after older donor liver transplantation.

Clinical efficacy of HI-NPPV in the treatment of AECOPD combined with severe type II respiratory failure. / HI-NPPV治疗AECOPD合并严重II型呼吸衰竭的临床疗效.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) combined with severe type II respiratory failure have a high probability of ventilation failure using conventional non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV). This study aims to investigate the clinical efficacy of high intensity NPPV (HI-NPPV) for the treatment of AECOPD combined with severe type II respiratory failure. METHODS: The data of patients with AECOPD combined with severe type II respiratory failure (blood gas analysis pH≤7.25) treated with NPPV in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from July 2013 to July 2023 were collected to conduct a retrospective case-control study. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the inspired positive airway pressure (IPAP) used during the NPPV treatment: a NPPV group (IPAP<20 cmH2O, 1 cmH2O=0.098 kPa) and a HI-NPPV group (20 cmH2O≤IPAP< 30 cmH2O). Ninety-nine and 95 patients were included in the NPPV group and the HI-NPPV group, respectively. A total of 86 pairs of data were matched using propensity score matching (PSM) for data matching. The primary outcome indexes (mortality and tracheal intubation rate) and secondary outcome indexes [blood gas analysis pH, arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2), adverse reaction rate, and length of hospitalization] were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: The tracheal intubation rates of the NPPV group and the HI-NPPV group were 6.98% and 1.16%, respectively, and the difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant (χ2=4.32, P<0.05); the mortality of the NPPV group and the HI-NPPV group was 23.26% and 9.30%, respectively, and the difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant (χ2=11.64, P<0.01). The PaO2 at 24 h and 48 h after treatment of the HI-NPPV group was higher than that of the NPPV group, and the PaCO2 of the HI-NPPV group was lower than that of the NPPV group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The differences of pH at 24 h and 48 h after treatment between the 2 groups were not statistically significant (both P>0.05). The differences between the 2 groups in adverse reaction rate and hospitalization length were not statistically significant (both P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: HI-NPPV can reduce mortality and tracheal intubation rates by rapidly improving the ventilation of patients with AECOPD combined with severe type II respiratory failure. This study provides a new idea for the treatment of patients with AECOPD combined with severe type II respiratory failure.

The knowledge structure and research trends between light and myopia: A bibliometric analysis from 1981 to 2024.

BACKGROUND: This bibliometric analysis explored the knowledge structure of and research trends in the relationship between light and myopia. METHODS: Relevant literature published from 1981 to 2024 was collected from the Web of Science Core Collection database. Visual maps were generated using CiteSpace and VOSviewer. We analyzed the included studies in terms of the annual publication count, countries, institutional affiliations, prolific authors, source journals, top 10 most cited articles, keyword co-occurrence, and cocitations. RESULTS: A total of 525 papers examining the relationship between light and myopia published between 1981 and 2024 were collected. The United States ranked first in terms of the number of publications and actively engaged in international cooperation with other countries. The New England College of Optometry, which is located in the United States, was the most active institution and ranked first in terms of the number of publications. Schaeffel Frank was the most prolific author. The most active journal in the field was Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. The most frequently cited paper in the included studies was written by Saw, SM and was published in 2002. The most common keywords in basic research included "refractive error," "longitudinal chromatic aberration," and "compensation." The most common keywords in clinical research mainly included "light exposure," "school," and "outdoor activity." The current research hotspots in this field are "progression," "refractive development," and "light exposure." The cocitation analysis generated 17 clusters. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to use bibliometric methods to analyze existing research on the relationship between light and myopia. In recent years, the intensity and wavelength of light have become research hotspots in the field. Further research on light of different intensities and wavelengths may provide new perspectives in the future for designing more effective treatments and interventions to reduce the incidence of myopia.

Relationship between socioeconomic status and hypertension incidence among adults in southwest China: a population-based cohort study.

PURPOSE: To investigate the correlation between socioeconomic status (SES) and the incidence of hypertension among adults aged 18 or above in southwest China. METHODS: A multistage proportional stratified cluster sampling method was employed to recruited 9280 adult residents from 12 counties in southwest China, with all participants in the cohort tracked from 2016 to 2020. The questionnaire survey gathered information on demographics, lifestyle habits, and household income. The physical exam recorded height, weight, and blood pressure. Biochemical tests measured cholesterol levels. The chi-square test was employed to assess the statistical differences among categorical variables, while the Cox proportional hazards regression model was applied to evaluate the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and the incidence of hypertension. RESULTS: The finally effective sample size for the cohort study was 3546 participants, after excluding 5734 people who met the exclusion criteria. Adults in the highest household income group had a significantly lower risk of hypertension compared to those in the lowest income group (HR = 0.636, 95% CI: 0.478-0.845). Besides, when compared to individuals in the illiterate population, the risk of hypertension among adults with elementary school, junior high school, senior high school and associate degree educational level decreased respectively by 34.4% (HR = 0.656, 95%CI: 0.533-0.807), 44.9% (HR = 0.551, 95%CI: 0.436-0.697), 44.9% (HR = 0.551, 95%CI: 0.405-0.750), 46.1% (HR = 0.539, 95%CI: 0. 340-0.854). After conducting a thorough analysis of socioeconomic status, compared with individuals with a score of 6 or less, the risk of hypertension in participants with scores of 8, 10, 11, 12, and greater than 12 decreased respectively by 23.9% (HR = 0.761, 95%CI: 0.598-0.969), 29.7% (HR = 0.703, 95%CI: 0.538-0.919), 34.0% (HR = 0.660, 95%CI: 0.492-0.885), 34.3% (HR = 0.657, 95%CI: 0.447-0.967), 43.9% (HR = 0.561, 95%CI: 0.409-0.769). CONCLUSION: The findings indicate a negative correlation between socioeconomic status and hypertension incidence among adults in southwest China, suggesting that individuals with higher socioeconomic status are less likely to develop hypertension.

The "depict" strategy for discovering new compounds in complex matrices: Lycibarbarspermidines as a case.

The comprehensive detection and identification of active ingredients in complex matrices is a crucial challenge. Liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) is the most prominent analytical platform for the exploration of novel active compounds from complex matrices. However, the LC-HRMS-based analysis workflow suffers from several bottleneck issues, such as trace content of target compounds, limited acquisition for fragment information, and uncertainty in interpreting relevant MS2 spectra. Lycibarbarspermidines are vital antioxidant active ingredients in Lycii Fructus, while the reported structures are merely focused on dicaffeoylspermidines due to their low content. To comprehensively detect the new structures of lycibarbarspermidine derivatives, a "depict" strategy was developed in this study. First, potential new lycibarbarspermidine derivatives were designed according to the biosynthetic pathway, and a comprehensive database was established, which enlarged the coverage of lycibarbarspermidine derivatives. Second, the polarity-oriented sample preparation of potential new compounds increased the concentration of the target compounds. Third, the construction of the molecular network based on the fragmentation pathway of lycibarbarspermidine derivatives broadened the comprehensiveness of identification. Finally, the weak response signals were captured by data-dependent scanning (DDA) followed by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM), and the efficiency of acquiring MS2 fragment ions of target compounds was significantly improved. Based on the integrated strategy above, 210 lycibarbarspermidine derivatives were detected and identified from Lycii Fructus, and in particular, 170 potential new compounds were structurally characterized. The integrated strategy improved the sensitivity of detection and the coverage of low-response components, and it is expected to be a promising pipeline for discovering new compounds.

Compositional transferability of deep potential in molten LiF-BeF2 and LaF3 mixtures: prediction of density, viscosity, and local structure.

The accumulation of lanthanide fission products carries the risk of altering the structure and properties of the nuclear fuel carrier salt LiF-BeF2 (Flibe), thereby downgrading the operating efficiency and safety of the molten salt reactor. However, the condition-limited experimental measurements, spatiotemporal-limited first-principles calculations, and accuracy-limited classical dynamic simulations are unable to capture the precise local structure and reliable thermophysical properties of heterogeneous molten salts. Therefore, the deep potential (DP) of LaF3 and Flibe molten mixtures is developed here, and DP molecular dynamics simulations are performed to systemically study the densities, diffusion coefficients, viscosities, radial distribution functions and coordination numbers of multiple molten Flibe + xLaF3, the quantitative relationships between these properties and LaF3 concentration are investigated, and the potential structure-property relationships are analyzed. Eventually, the transferability of DP on molten Flibe + LaF3 with different formulations as well as the predictability of structures and properties are achieved at the nanometer spatial scale and the nanosecond timescale.

Chromosome-level genome assembly and characterization of the Calophaca sinica genome.

Calophaca sinica is a rare plant endemic to northern China which belongs to the Fabaceae family and possesses rich nutritional value. To support the preservation of the genetic resources of this plant, we have successfully generated a high-quality genome of C. sinica (1.06 Gb). Notably, transposable elements (TEs) constituted ~73% of the genome, with long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) dominating this group of elements (~54% of the genome). The average intron length of the C. sinica genome was noticeably longer than what has been observed for closely related species. The expansion of LTR-RTs and elongated introns emerged had the largest influence on the enlarged genome size of C. sinica in comparison to other Fabaceae species. The proliferation of TEs could be explained by certain modes of gene duplication, namely, whole genome duplication (WGD) and dispersed duplication (DSD). Gene family expansion, which was found to enhance genes associated with metabolism, genetic maintenance, and environmental stress resistance, was a result of transposed duplicated genes (TRD) and WGD. The presented genomic analysis sheds light on the genetic architecture of C. sinica, as well as provides a starting point for future evolutionary biology, ecology, and functional genomics studies centred around C. sinica and closely related species.