Structural variations of a new fertility restorer gene, Rf20, underlie the restoration of wild abortive-type cytoplasmic male sterility in rice.

The discovery of a wild abortive-type cytoplasmic male sterile line and the breeding of its restorer line have led to the commercialization of three-line hybrid rice, which has contributed greatly to global food security. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying fertility abortion and the restoration of wild abortive-type cytoplasmic male sterile lines largely remain elusive. In this study, we cloned a restorer gene, Rf20, following a genome-wide association study analysis of the core parent lines of three-line hybrid rice. We found that Rf20 was present in all core parental lines, but different haplotypes and structural variants of its gene resulted in differences in Rf20 expression levels between sterile and restored lines. Rf20 could restore fertility in the wild abortive-type cytoplasmic male sterile line and was found to be responsible for fertility restoration in some cytoplasmic male sterile lines under high temperature. In addition, we found that Rf20 encodes a pentatricopeptide repeat protein that competes with WA352 for binding with COX11. This interaction enhances COX11's function as a scavenger of reactive oxygen species, which in turn restores pollen fertility. In this study, a new model of pentatricopeptide repeat proteins involved in the fertility recovery of cytoplasmic male sterile lines was proposed, which provides an important theoretical basis for the breeding of strong restorer lines and for overcoming high-temperature fertility recovery of some three-line sterile lines.

Real world risk of discontinuing oral anticoagulation after successful catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.

Background: Many patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) discontinued oral anticoagulation (OAC) therapy after successful catheter ablation. We aimed to determine the real-world risks and consequences of discontinuing OAC use after catheter ablation for AF. Methods: Patients who underwent successful catheter ablation for AF from January 2004 to December 2020 were divided into continued long-term OAC (On-OAC, n = 1062) and discontinued (Off-OAC, n = 1055) groups. The long-term outcomes including thromboembolic events, major bleeding, all-cause mortality and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), were compared between the two groups. Results: The CHA2DS2-VASc score was 3.44 ± 1.12. After a mean follow-up of 37.09 months, thromboembolism risk was higher and major bleeding risk was lower in the Off-OAC than in the On-OAC group (Both log-rank P < 0.001). CHA2DS2-VASc score-stratified subgroup analysis showed similar cumulative event rates between the two groups in men and women with scores of 2 and 3 (intermediate risk for stroke), respectively, (P > 0.05), except for a higher major bleeding rate in the On-OAC group (P = 0.002). Patients at high risk for stroke (men and women with scores ≥3 and ≥ 4) had better non-thromboembolic and non-MACE results (Both log-rank P < 0.05). Conclusion: Men with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 2 and women with a score of 3 had a relatively low incidence of stroke events after successful catheter ablation for AF and may be safe for anticoagulation cessation. Greater benefits from long-term OAC were observed in men with CHA2DS2-VASc score ≥3 and women with score ≥4.

Intellectual assessment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using deep resemble forward neural network.

ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) is a neurodegenerative disorder causing profound physical disability that severely impairs a patient's life expectancy and quality of life. It also leads to muscular atrophy and progressive weakness of muscles due to insufficient nutrition in the body. At present, there are no disease-modifying therapies to cure ALS, and there is a lack of preventive tools. The general clinical assessments are based on symptom reports, neurophysiological tests, neurological examinations, and neuroimaging. But, these techniques possess various limitations of low reliability, lack of standardized protocols, and lack of sensitivity, especially in the early stages of disease. So, effective methods are required to detect the progression of the disease and minimize the suffering of patients. Extensive studies concentrated on investigating the causes of neurological disease, which creates a barrier to precise identification and classification of genes accompanied with ALS disease. Hence, the proposed system implements a deep RSFFNNCNN (Resemble Single Feed Forward Neural Network-Convolutional Neural Network) algorithm to effectively classify the clinical associations of ALS. It involves the addition of custom weights to the kernel initializer and neutralizer 'k' parameter to each hidden layer in the network. This is done to increase the stability and learning ability of the classifier. Additionally, the comparison of the proposed approach is performed with SFNN (Single Feed NN) and ML (Machine Learning) based algorithms, namely, NB (Naïve Bayes), XGBoost (Extreme Gradient Boosting) and RF (Random Forest), to estimate the efficacy of the proposed model. The reliability of the proposed algorithm is measured by deploying performance metrics such as precision, recall, F1 score, and accuracy.

Mechanism of acupuncture and moxibustion in ameliorating liver injury induced by cisplatin by regulating IRE-1 signaling pathway. / "扶正益肝"é’ˆç¸ç©´æ–¹åŸºäºŽè‚Œé†‡éœ€æ±‚é ¶1ä¿¡å·é€šè·¯æ”¹å–„é¡ºé“‚è‡´å°é¼ è‚æŸä¼¤çš„æœºåˆ¶.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the mechanism of the effect of acupuncture and moxibustion on improving liver injury in cisplatin (DDP) induced liver injury model mice by observing the changes of inositol-requiring enzyme (IRE) -1 signaling pathway. METHODS: Forty KM mice were randomly divided into control, model, acupuncture and moxibustion groups, with 10 mice in each group. The liver injury model was replicated by intraperitoneal injection of DDP (10 mg/kg). In the acupuncture group and the moxibustion group, acupuncture and moxibustion were performed at "Dazhui"(GV14), and bilateral "Ganshu"(BL18), "Shenshu" (BL23), and "Zusanli"(ST36), respectively for 6 min, once per day for 7 d. The apoptosis of hepatocytes was detected by TUNEL staining. The expression of phosphorylation(p)-IRE-1α, glucose-regulated protein (Grp) 78 and cysteine aspartic protease (Caspase) -12 in liver tissue were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot, respectively. The expression levels of Grp78 and Caspase-12 mRNA in liver tissue were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the apoptosis rate of hepatocytes was increased (P<0.05), the positive expression and protein expression of p-IRE-1α, Grp78, and Caspase-12 were increased (P<0.05), the expression levels of Grp78 and Caspase-12 mRNA were increased (P<0.05) in the model group. Compared with the model group, all these indicators showed opposite trends (P<0.05) in the acupuncture and moxibustion groups. CONCLUSIONS: Acupuncture and moxibustion can reduce liver injury due to DDP chemotherapy by modulating IRE-1 signaling pathway, inhibiting the excessive activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress, and reducing liver cell apoptosis.

Effect of ginger-partitioned moxibustion combined with ringheaded thumb-tack needle stimulation on gastrointestinal reactions of malignant tumor patients undergoing chemotherapy. / éš”å§œç¸è”åˆæ¿é’ˆå¯¹æ¶æ€§è‚¿ç˜¤åŒ–ç–—æ‚£è€ èƒƒè‚ é“ååº”çš„å½±å“.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the efficacy and safety of ginger-partitioned moxibustion combined with ringheaded thumb-tack needle stimulation in the prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in patients with malignant tumors. METHODS: Patients with malignant tumors and suffering from chemotherapy were randomly divided into control group (35 cases, 4 cases dropped off) and observation group (35 cases, 2 cases dropped off). The patients of the control group were treated by orally taking ondansetron hydrochloride tablets 8 mg/time, 3 times a day for 3 d, and those of the observation group treated by ginger-partitioned moxibustion combined with ringheaded thumb-tack needle stimulation of Zusanli(ST36), Neiguan(PC6), Tianshu(ST25), Zhongwan(CV12) and Guanyuan(CV4) once a day for a total of 3 d, based on the treatment of the control group. The patients' gastrointestinal reaction degree after the 1st , 2nd and the 3rd day of treatment were recorded. The Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score (0-100 points) was used for assessing the patients' quality of life. The TCM syndrome score (4 grades：no, mild, medium and severe, i.e. 0, 2, 4 and 6 points) was given according to the patients' severity of symptoms of spleen (stomach) qi deficiency (nausea and vomiting, abdominal distension after eating, belching, loss of appetite, weakness and laziness to speak, fatigue, and loose stool). The safety of the treatment was assessed by examining the patients' blood routine, liver function and kidney function, and the adverse reactions including blisters, allergies, burns and fainting during acupuncture treatment. RESULTS: After the 2nd and 3rd day of treatment, the patients conditions of vomiting and nausea in the observation group were significantly better than those of the control group (P<0.05). The TCM syndrome score and KPS score were significantly decreased in comparison with those of pre-treatment in both groups (P<0.05), and the TCM syndrome score was obviously lower in the observation group than in the control group (P<0.05). No significant differences were found between the two groups in the KPS score after the treatment , and in the levels of white blood cells (WBC), hemoglobin (HGB), platelets (PLT), absolute neutrophil count (ANC), alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatinine(Cr), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). CONCLUSIONS: The use of ginger-partitioned moxibustion combined with ringheaded thumb-tack needle stimulation is safe for CINV patients, and can effectively relieve nausea and vomiting and alleviate digestive symptoms.

Anti-tumor effects of telmisartan in glioma-astrocyte non-contact co-cultures: A critical role of astrocytic IL-6-mediated paracrine growth promotion.

Telmisartan, an angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) blocker, exhibits broad anti-tumor activity. However, in vitro, anti-proliferative effects are shown at doses far beyond the therapeutic plasma concentration. Considering the role of tumor microenvironment in glioma progression, glioma-astrocyte co-cultures were employed to test the anti-tumor potential of low-dose telmisartan. When a high dose was required for a direct anti-proliferative effect on glioma cell lines, a low dose significantly inhibited glioma cell proliferation and migration in the co-culture system. Under co-culture conditions, upregulated IL-6 expression in astrocytes played a critical role in glioma progression. Silencing IL-6 in astrocytes or IL-6R in glioma cells reduced proliferation and migration. Telmisartan (5 µM) inhibited astrocytic IL-6 expression, and its anti-tumor effects were reversed by silencing IL-6 or IL-6R and inhibiting signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) activity in glioma cells. Moreover, the telmisartan-driven IL-6 downregulation was not imitated by losartan, an AT1R blocker with little capacity of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) activation, but was eliminated by a PPARγ antagonist, indicating that the anti-glioma effects of telmisartan rely on its PPARγ agonistic activity rather than AT1R blockade. This study highlights the importance of astrocytic IL-6-mediated paracrine signaling in glioma growth and the potential of telmisartan as an adjuvant therapy for patients with glioma, especially those with hypertension.

MRI versus Dual-Energy CT in Local-Regional Staging of Gastric Cancer.

Background Preoperative local-regional tumor staging of gastric cancer (GC) is critical for appropriate treatment planning. The comparative accuracy of multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) versus dual-energy CT (DECT) for staging of GC is not known. Purpose To compare the diagnostic accuracy of personalized mpMRI with that of DECT for local-regional T and N staging in patients with GC receiving curative surgical intervention. Materials and Methods Patients with GC who underwent gastric mpMRI and DECT before gastrectomy with lymphadenectomy were eligible for this single-center prospective noninferiority study between November 2021 and September 2022. mpMRI comprised T2-weighted imaging, multiorientational zoomed diffusion-weighted imaging, and extradimensional volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging. Dual-phase DECT images were reconstructed at 40 keV and standard 120 kVp-like images. Using gastrectomy specimens as the reference standard, the diagnostic accuracy of mpMRI and DECT for T and N staging was compared by six radiologists in a pairwise blinded manner. Interreader agreement was assessed using the weighted κ and Kendall W statistics. The McNemar test was used for head-to-head accuracy comparisons between DECT and mpMRI. Results This study included 202 participants (mean age, 62 years ± 11 [SD]; 145 male). The interreader agreement of the six readers for T and N staging of GC was excellent for both mpMRI (κ = 0.89 and 0.85, respectively) and DECT (κ = 0.86 and 0.84, respectively). Regardless of reader experience, higher accuracy was achieved with mpMRI than with DECT for both T (61%-77% vs 50%-64%; all P < .05) and N (54%-68% vs 51%-58%; P = .497-.005) staging, specifically T1 (83% vs 65%) and T4a (78% vs 68%) tumors and N1 (41% vs 24%) and N3 (64% vs 45%) nodules (all P < .05). Conclusion Personalized mpMRI was superior in T staging and noninferior or superior in N staging compared with DECT for patients with GC. Clinical trial registration no. NCT05508126 © RSNA, 2024 Supplemental material is available for this article. See also the editorial by Méndez and Martín-Garre in this issue.

Integrins as a bridge between bacteria and cells: key targets for therapeutic wound healing.

Integrins are heterodimers composed of α and ß subunits that are bonded through non-covalent interactions. Integrins mediate the dynamic connection between extracellular adhesion molecules and the intracellular actin cytoskeleton. Integrins are present in various tissues and organs where these heterodimers participate in diverse physiological and pathological responses at the molecular level in living organisms. Wound healing is a crucial process in the recovery from traumatic diseases and comprises three overlapping phases: inflammation, proliferation and remodeling. Integrins are regulated during the entire wound healing process to enhance processes such as inflammation, angiogenesis and re-epithelialization. Prolonged inflammation may result in failure of wound healing, leading to conditions such as chronic wounds. Bacterial colonization of a wound is one of the primary causes of chronic wounds. Integrins facilitate the infectious effects of bacteria on the host organism, leading to chronic inflammation, bacterial colonization, and ultimately, the failure of wound healing. The present study investigated the role of integrins as bridges for bacteria-cell interactions during wound healing, evaluated the role of integrins as nodes for bacterial inhibition during chronic wound formation, and discussed the challenges and prospects of using integrins as therapeutic targets in wound healing.

DEPDC1 affects autophagy-dependent glycolysis levels in human osteosarcoma cells by modulating RAS/ERK signaling through TTK.

The current treatment for osteosarcoma (OS) is based on surgery combined with systemic chemotherapy, however, gene therapy has been hypothesized to improve patient survival rates. The density-enhanced protein domain 1 protein (DEPDC1) functions as a crucial determinant in the advancement of OS, which is highly expressed in OS cells. The current study was designed to delve into the effect and mechanism of DEPDC1 and phosphotyrosine-picked threonine tyrosine kinase (TTK) in OS. The expression of DEPDC1 and TTK in OS cells was detected by western blotting. Furthermore, the assessment of glycolysis encompassed the quantification of extracellular acidification rate, glucose uptake rate, lactate concentration, and the expression of glucose transporter 1, hexokinase 2, and pyruvate kinase M2. Finally, the functions of DEPDC1 and TTK in autophagy and ras-extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling were determined by western blotting after interfering with DEPDC1 in SaOS-2 cells. The results revealed that DEPDC1 and TTK were upregulated in OS cell lines and interfering with DEPDC1 inhibited glycolysis and autophagy in OS cells. Furthermore, the STRING database suggested that DEPDC1 and TTK perform targeted binding. Notably, the results of the present study revealed that DEPDC1 upregulated RAS expression through TTK and enhanced ERK activity, thereby affecting glycolysis and autophagy in OS cells. Collectively, the present investigation demonstrated that DEPDC1 affected autophagy-dependent glycolysis levels of OS cells by regulating RAS/ERK signaling through TTK.

Chemically Mediated Artificial Electron Transport Chain.

Electron transport chains (ETCs) are ubiquitous in nearly all living systems. Replicating the complexity and control inherent in these multicomponent systems using ensembles of small molecules opens up promising avenues for molecular therapeutics, catalyst design, and the development of innovative energy conversion and storage systems. Here, we present a noncovalent, multistep artificial electron transport chains comprising cyclo[8]pyrrole (1), a meso-aryl hexaphyrin(1.0.1.0.1.0) (naphthorosarin 2), and the small molecules I2 and trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Specifically, we show that 1) electron transfer occurs from 1 to give I3 - upon the addition of I2, 2) proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) from 1 to give H 3 2 •2+ and H 3 2 + upon the addition of TFA to a dichloromethane mixture of 1 and 2, and 3) that further, stepwise treatment of 1 and 2 with I2 and TFA promotes electron transport from 1 to give first I3 - and then H 3 2 •2+ and H 3 2 + . The present findings are substantiated through UV-vis-NIR, 1H NMR, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopic analyses, cyclic voltammetry studies, and DFT calculations. Single-crystal structure analyses were used to characterize compounds in varying redox states.

Searching for the optimal precondition procedure for mesenchymal stem/stromal cell treatment: Facts and perspectives.

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells are potential optimal cell sources for stem cell therapies, and pretreatment has proven to enhance cell vitality and function. In a recent publication, Li et al explored a new combination of pretreatment conditions. Here, we present an editorial to comment on their work and provide our view on mesenchymal stem/stromal cell precondition.

Chinese Medicine for Treatment of COVID-19: A Review of Potential Pharmacological Components and Mechanisms.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an acute infectious respiratory disease that has been prevalent since December 2019. Chinese medicine (CM) has demonstrated its unique advantages in the fight against COVID-19 in the areas of disease prevention, improvement of clinical symptoms, and control of disease progression. This review summarized the relevant material components of CM in the treatment of COVID-19 by searching the relevant literature and reports on CM in the treatment of COVID-19 and combining with the physiological and pathological characteristics of the novel coronavirus. On the basis of sorting out experimental methods in vivo and in vitro, the mechanism of herb action was further clarified in terms of inhibiting virus invasion and replication and improving related complications. The aim of the article is to explore the strengths and characteristics of CM in the treatment of COVID-19, and to provide a basis for the research and scientific, standardized treatment of COVID-19 with CM.

The mechanism and therapeutic potential of lncRNA MIR497HG/miR-16-5p axis in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer has become a major public health problem in the current society, and its incidence rate ranks the first among Chinese female malignant tumors. This paper once again confirmed the efficacy of lncRNA in tumor regulation by introducing the mechanism of the diagnosis of breast cancer by the MIR497HG/miR-16-5p axis. METHODS: The abnormal expression of MIR497HG in breast cancer was determined by RT-qPCR method, and the correlation between MIR497HG expression and clinicopathological characteristics of breast cancer patients was analyzed via Chi-square test. To understand the diagnostic potential of MIR497HG in breast cancer by drawing the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). The overexpressed MIR497HG (pcDNA3.1-MIR497HG) was designed and constructed to explore the regulation of elevated MIR497HG on biological function of BT549 and Hs 578T cells through Transwell assays. Additionally, the luciferase gene reporter assay and Pearson analysis evaluated the targeting relationship of MIR497HG to miR-16-5p. RESULTS: MIR497HG was decreased in breast cancer and had high diagnostic function, while elevated MIR497HG inhibited the migration and invasion of BT549 and Hs 578T cells. In terms of functional mechanism, miR-16-5p was the target of MIR497HG, and MIR497HG reversely regulated the miR-16-5p. miR-16-5p mimic reversed the effects of upregulated MIR497HG on cell biological function. CONCLUSIONS: In general, MIR497HG was decreased in breast cancer, and the MIR497HG/miR-16-5p axis regulated breast cancer tumorigenesis, providing effective insights for the diagnosis of patients.

Standard-definition White-light, High-definition White-light versus Narrow-band Imaging Endoscopy for Detecting Colorectal Adenomas: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the performance of standard-definition white-light endoscopy (SD-WL), high-definition white-light endoscopy (HD-WL), and high-definition narrow-band imaging (HD-NBI) in detecting colorectal lesions in the Chinese population. METHODS: This was a multicenter, single-blind, randomized, controlled trial with a non-inferiority design. Patients undergoing endoscopy for physical examination, screening, and surveillance were enrolled from July 2017 to December 2020. The primary outcome measure was the adenoma detection rate (ADR), defined as the proportion of patients with at least one adenoma detected. The associated factors for detecting adenomas were assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Out of 653 eligible patients enrolled, data from 596 patients were analyzed. The ADRs were 34.5% in the SD-WL group, 33.5% in the HD-WL group, and 37.5% in the HD-NBI group (P=0.72). The advanced neoplasm detection rates (ANDRs) in the three arms were 17.1%, 15.5%, and 10.4% (P=0.17). No significant differences were found between the SD group and HD group regarding ADR or ANDR (ADR: 34.5% vs. 35.6%, P=0.79; ANDR: 17.1% vs. 13.0%, P=0.16, respectively). Similar results were observed between the HD-WL group and HD-NBI group (ADR: 33.5% vs. 37.7%, P=0.45; ANDR: 15.5% vs. 10.4%, P=0.18, respectively). In the univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, neither HD-WL nor HD-NBI led to a significant difference in overall adenoma detection compared to SD-WL (HD-WL: OR 0.91, P=0.69; HD-NBI: OR 1.15, P=0.80). CONCLUSION: HD-NBI and HD-WL are comparable to SD-WL for overall adenoma detection among Chinese outpatients. It can be concluded that HD-NBI or HD-WL is not superior to SD-WL, but more effective instruction may be needed to guide the selection of different endoscopic methods in the future. Our study's conclusions may aid in the efficient allocation and utilization of limited colonoscopy resources, especially advanced imaging technologies.

Guest Editorial Introduction to the Special Section on Weakly-Supervised Deep Learning and Its Applications.

Researchers in biomedical engineering are increasingly turning to weakly-supervised deep learning (WSDL) techniques [1] to tackle challenges in biomedical data analysis, which often involves noisy, limited, or imprecise expert annotations [2]. WSDL methods have emerged as a solution to alleviate the manual annotation burden for structured biomedical data like signals, images, and videos [3] while enabling deep neural network models to learn from larger-scale datasets at a reduced annotation cost. With the proliferation of advanced deep learning techniques such as generative adversarial networks (GANs), graph neural networks (GNNs) [4], vision transformers (ViTs) [5], and deep reinforcement learning (DRL) models [6], research endeavors are focused on solving WSDL problems and applying these techniques to various biomedical analysis tasks.

Enhancing Machine-Learning Prediction of Enzyme Catalytic Temperature Optima through Amino Acid Conservation Analysis.

Enzymes play a crucial role in various industrial production and pharmaceutical developments, serving as catalysts for numerous biochemical reactions. Determining the optimal catalytic temperature (Topt) of enzymes is crucial for optimizing reaction conditions, enhancing catalytic efficiency, and accelerating the industrial processes. However, due to the limited availability of experimentally determined Topt data and the insufficient accuracy of existing computational methods in predicting Topt, there is an urgent need for a computational approach to predict the Topt values of enzymes accurately. In this study, using phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.X) as an example, we constructed a machine learning model utilizing amino acid frequency and protein molecular weight information as features and employing the K-nearest neighbors regression algorithm to predict the Topt of enzymes. Usually, when conducting engineering for enzyme thermostability, researchers tend not to modify conserved amino acids. Therefore, we utilized this machine learning model to predict the Topt of phosphatase sequences after removing conserved amino acids. We found that the predictive model's mean coefficient of determination (R2) value increased from 0.599 to 0.755 compared to the model based on the complete sequences. Subsequently, experimental validation on 10 phosphatase enzymes with undetermined optimal catalytic temperatures shows that the predicted values of most phosphatase enzymes based on the sequence without conservative amino acids are closer to the experimental optimal catalytic temperature values. This study lays the foundation for the rapid selection of enzymes suitable for industrial conditions.

BLAM6A-Merge: Leveraging Attention Mechanisms and Feature Fusion Strategies to Improve the Identification of RNA N6-methyladenosine Sites.

RNA N6-methyladenosine is a prevalent and abundant type of RNA modification that exerts significant influence on diverse biological processes. To date, numerous computational approaches have been developed for predicting methylation, with most of them ignoring the correlations of different encoding strategies and failing to explore the adaptability of various attention mechanisms for methylation identification. To solve the above issues, we proposed an innovative framework for predicting RNA m6A modification site, termed BLAM6A-Merge. Specifically, it utilized a multimodal feature fusion strategy to combine the classification results of four features and Blastn tool. Apart from this, different attention mechanisms were employed for extracting higher-level features on specific features after the screening process. Extensive experiments on 12 benchmarking datasets demonstrated that BLAM6A-Merge achieved superior performance (average AUC: 0.849 for the full transcript mode and 0.784 for the mature mRNA mode). Notably, the Blastn tool was employed for the first time in the identification of methylation sites. The data and code can be accessed at https://github.com/DoraemonXia/BLAM6A-Merge.

Preparation of Luvangetin Nanoemulsions: Antimicrobial Mechanism and Role in Infected Wound Healing.

Purpose: Incorporation of luvangetin in nanoemulsions for antimicrobial and therapeutic use in infected wound healing. Patients and Methods: Luvangetin nanoemulsions were prepared by high-speed shear method and characterized based on their appearance structure, average droplet size, polydispersity index (PDI), electric potential, storage stability. Optimized formulation of luvangetin nanoemulsion by Box-Behnken design (BBD). The antimicrobial activity and antimicrobial mechanism of luvangetin nanoemulsions against common hospital pathogens, ie, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), were investigated using luvangetin nanoemulsions. The biosafety of luvangetin nanoemulsion was evaluated through cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay experiments using human normal epidermal cells and endothelial cells. Finally, the effect of luvangetin nanoemulsion on healing of infected wounds was investigated in B6 mice. Results: Luvangetin nanoemulsion formulation consists of 2.5% sunflower seed oil, 10% emulsifier Span-20 and 7 minutes of shear time, and with good stability. Luvangetin nanoemulsion produces antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli by disrupting the structure of bacterial cell membranes. Luvangetin nanoemulsion are biologically safe for HaCat and HUVEC. Luvangetin nanoemulsion showed good therapeutic effect on MRSA infected wounds in mice. Conclusion: For the first time, developed a new formulation called luvangetin nanoemulsion, which exhibited superior antibacterial effects against Gram-positive bacteria. Luvangetin nanoemulsion has a favorable effect in promoting infected wound healing. We have combined luvangetin, which has multiple activities, with nanoemulsions to provide a new topical fungicidal formulation, and have comprehensively evaluated its effectiveness and safety, opening up new possibilities for further applications of luvangetin.

Spreading and Capillary Imbibition of Viscous Oil Lens into an Open-Cell Porous Structure.

Oil pollution in the ocean is becoming more and more of a serious issue, which increases interest in both ways for combating its cause and methods for observing and monitoring how oil spreads. A promising approach based on an optical method with empirical relations for selected viscous oil-water systems is presented. Based on a modified melamine sponge (MMS), the microscopic spreading and oil capillary penetration phenomenon of the porous structure were investigated. The objective of this study is 2-fold: (i) to present a more thorough experimental description of the spreading of viscous oil lens on the water surface and capillary action of oil lens into MMS porous structure; and (ii) to provide a theoretical description that helps to explain some of the observed behavior. With knowledge of δ∞2=-2SρW/gρO(ρW-ρO), we can determine the spreading coefficient S. It needs to be pointed out that the oil lens floating on the water surface does satisfy Neumann's rule as the spreading coefficient of the air-oil-water system is negative (- 9.8 mN/m), indicating the ability to form a stable oil lens with thickness δO = 3.04 mm and radius RL = 38.64 mm after 60 min of spreading test. Furthermore, to better understand the capillary phenomena from a mechanical approach, an oil lens in contact with the surface of the MMS porous structure, by in-depth visualization, is properly defined as the balance of forces acting. Finally, as an illustration of this method, we utilized this approach to obtain the equilibrium height of the capillary rise and take it into account in terms of effective material thickness.

Emergence of phase clusters and coexisting states reveals the structure-function relationship.

The Brain Connectome Project has made significant strides in uncovering the structural connections within the brain on various levels. This has led to the question of how brain structure and function are related. Our research explores this relationship in an adaptive neural network in which synaptic conductance between neurons follows spike-time synaptic plasticity rules. By adjusting the plasticity boundary, the network exhibits diverse collective behaviors, including phase synchronization, phase locking, hierarchical synchronization (phase clusters), and coexisting states. Using graph theory, we found that hierarchical synchronization is related to the community structure, while coexisting states are related to the hierarchical self-organizing and core-periphery structure. The network evolves into several tightly connected modules, with sparsely intermodule connections resulting in the formation of phase clusters. In addition, the hierarchical self-organizing structure facilitates the emergence of coexisting states. The coexistence state promotes the evolution of the core-periphery structure. Our results point towards the equivalence between function and structure, with function emerging from structure, and structure being influenced by function in a complex dynamic process.