Impact of data processing varieties on DCM estimates of effective connectivity from task-fMRI.

Effective connectivity (EC) refers to directional or causal influences between interacting neuronal populations or brain regions and can be estimated from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data via dynamic causal modeling (DCM). In contrast to functional connectivity, the impact of data processing varieties on DCM estimates of task-evoked EC has hardly ever been addressed. We therefore investigated how task-evoked EC is affected by choices made for data processing. In particular, we considered the impact of global signal regression (GSR), block/event-related design of the general linear model (GLM) used for the first-level task-evoked fMRI analysis, type of activation contrast, and significance thresholding approach. Using DCM, we estimated individual and group-averaged task-evoked EC within a brain network related to spatial conflict processing for all the parameters considered and compared the differences in task-evoked EC between any two data processing conditions via between-group parametric empirical Bayes (PEB) analysis and Bayesian data comparison (BDC). We observed strongly varying patterns of the group-averaged EC depending on the data processing choices. In particular, task-evoked EC and parameter certainty were strongly impacted by GLM design and type of activation contrast as revealed by PEB and BDC, respectively, whereas they were little affected by GSR and the type of significance thresholding. The event-related GLM design appears to be more sensitive to task-evoked modulations of EC, but provides model parameters with lower certainty than the block-based design, while the latter is more sensitive to the type of activation contrast than is the event-related design. Our results demonstrate that applying different reasonable data processing choices can substantially alter task-evoked EC as estimated by DCM. Such choices should be made with care and, whenever possible, varied across parallel analyses to evaluate their impact and identify potential convergence for robust outcomes.

The causal effect of reproductive factors on pelvic floor dysfunction: a Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is an extremely widespread urogynecologic disorder, the prevalence of which increases with aging. PFD has severely affected women's quality of life and has been called a social cancer. While previous studies have identified risk factors such as vaginal delivery and obesity for PFD, other reproductive factors, including age at menarche (AAMA), have been largely overlooked. Therefore, we used a Mendelian randomization (MR) study for the first time to investigate the potential causal relationship between reproductive factors and PFD. METHODS: We obtained summary statistics from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for female genital prolapse (FGP), stress urinary incontinence (SUI), and five reproductive factors. Two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis (TSMR) was performed to explore the causal associations between these factors. The causal effects of reproductive factors on FGP and SUI were primarily estimated using the standard inverse variance weighting (IVW) method, with additional complementary and sensitivity analyses conducted using multiple approaches. A multivariate Mendelian randomization (MVMR) study was also conducted to adjust for pleiotropic effects and possible sources of selection bias and to identify independent exposure factors. RESULTS: Our findings revealed that advanced age at first sexual intercourse (AFS) and age at first birth (AFB) exhibited negative causal effects on both FGP and SUI. AAMA showed negative causal effects solely on FGP, while age at last live birth (ALB) and age at menopause (AAMO) did not demonstrate any causal effect on either FGP or SUI. And the MVMR results showed that AFB and AFS had independent negative causal effects on FGP and SUI, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study, for the first time, investigates the causal relationship between reproductive factors and PFD. The results suggested a causal relationship between some reproductive factors, such as AFB and AFS, and PFD, but there were significant differences between FGPand SUI. Therefore, future studies should explore the underlying mechanisms and develop preventive measures for reproductive factors to reduce the disease burden of PFD.

Comparative Analysis of the Complete Mitochondrial Genomes of Three Sisoridae (Osteichthyes, Siluriformes) and the Phylogenetic Relationships of Sisoridae.

The family Sisoridae is one of the largest and most diverse Asiatic catfish families, with most species occurring in the water systems of the Qinhai-Tibetan Plateau and East Himalayas. At present, the phylogenetic relationship of the Sisoridae is relatively chaotic. In this study, the mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of three species Creteuchiloglanis kamengensis, Glaridoglanis andersonii, and Exostoma sp. were systematically investigated, the phylogenetic relationships of the family were reconstructed and to determine the phylogenetic position of Exostoma sp. within Sisoridae. The lengths of the mitogenomes' sequences of C. kamengensis, G. andersonii, and Exostoma sp. were 16,589 bp, 16,531 bp, and 16,529 bp, respectively. They all contained one identical control region (D-loop), two ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs) and 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. We applied two approaches, Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML), to construct phylogenetic trees. Our findings revealed that the topological structure of both ML and BI trees exhibited significant congruence. Specifically, the phylogenetic tree strongly supports the monophyly of Sisorinae and Glyptosternoids and provides new molecular biological data to support the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships with Sisoridae. This study is of great scientific value for phylogenetic and genetic variation studies of the Sisoridae.

Essential role of the Cytochrome P450 2 (CYP2) in the mud crab Scylla paramamosain antioxidant defense and immune responses.

Cytochrome P450 (CYPs) enzymes are one of the critical detoxification enzymes, playing a key role in antioxidant defense. However, the information of CYPs cDNA sequences and their functions are lacked in crustaceans. In this study, a novel full-length of CYP2 from the mud crab (designated as Sp-CYP2) was cloned and characterized. The coding sequence of Sp-CYP2 was 1479 bp in length and encoded a protein containing 492 amino acids. The amino acid sequence of Sp-CYP2 comprised a conserved heme binding site and chemical substrate binding site. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed that Sp-CYP2 was ubiquitously expressed in various tissues, and it was highest in the heart followed by the hepatopancreas. Subcellular localization showed that Sp-CYP2 was prominently located in the cytoplasm and nucleus. The expression of Sp-CYP2 was induced by Vibrio parahaemolyticus infection and ammonia exposure. During ammonia exposure, ammonia exposure can induce oxidative stress and cause severely tissue damage. Knocking down Sp-CYP2 in vivo can increase malondialdehyde content and the mortality of mud crabs after ammonia exposure. All these results suggested that Sp-CYP2 played a crucial role in the defense against environmental stress and pathogen infection in crustaceans.

The causal effect of educational attainment on stress urinary incontinence: a two-sample mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is characterized by involuntary urine leakage in response to increased abdominal pressure, such as coughing, laughing, or sneezing. It significantly affects women's quality of life and imposes a substantial disease burden. While pregnancy and childbirth have been previously identified as risk factors for SUI, educational attainment may also play a role. Therefore, this paper investigates the causal relationship between educational attainment and SUI using two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) analysis, years of schooling (YOS), and college or university degree (CUD) as proxies. METHODS: Summary statistics of YOS, CUD, and SUI were obtained from genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and TSMR analysis was applied to explore potential causal relationships between them. Causal effects were mainly estimated using the standard inverse variance weighting (IVW) method, and complementary and sensitivity analyses were also performed using multiple methods. RESULTS: The results indicate that both YOS (OR = 0.994, 95% CI: 0.992-0.996; P = 7.764E-10) and CUD (OR = 0.987, 95% CI: 0.983-0.991; P = 1.217E-09) may have a negative causal effect on SUI. CONCLUSIONS: Improving educational attainment may go some way towards reducing the risk of SUI. Therefore, it is important to increase efforts to improve the imbalance in educational development and safeguard women's health.

Daphnia sp. (Branchiopoda: Cladocera) Mitochondrial Genome Gene Rearrangement and Phylogenetic Position Within Branchiopoda.

In high-altitude (4500 m) freshwater lakes, Daphnia is the apex species and the dominant zooplankton. It frequently dwells in the same lake as the Gammarid. Branchiopoda, a class of Arthropoda, Crustacea, is a relatively primitive group in the subphylum Crustacea, which originated in the Cambrian period of the Paleozoic. The complete mitogenome sequence of Daphnia sp. (Branchiopoda: Cladocera) was sequenced and annotated in this study and deposited in GenBank. The sequence structure of this species was studied by comparing the original sequences with BLAST. In addition, we have also researched the mechanisms of their mitochondrial gene rearrangement by establishing a model. We have used the Bayesian inference [BI] and maximum likelihood [ML] methods to proceed with phylogenetic analysis inference, which generates identical phylogenetic topology that reveals the phylogenetic state of Daphnia. The complete mitogenome of Daphnia sp. shows that it was 15,254 bp in length and included two control regions (CRs) and 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs and two ribosomal RNAs [16S and 12S]). In addition to tRNA-Ser (GCT), other tRNAs have a typical cloverleaf secondary structure. Meanwhile, the mitogenome of Daphnia sp. was clearly rearranged when compared to the mitogenome of typical Daphnia. In a word, we report a newly sequenced mitogenome of Daphnia sp. with a unique rearrangement phenomenon. These results will be helpful for further phylogenetic research and provide a foundation for future studies on the characteristics of the mitochondrial gene arrangement process in Daphnia.

Quantitative Proteomic Analysis Reveals the Key Molecular Events Driving Phaeocystis globosa Bloom and Dissipation.

Phaeocystis globosa is a marine-bloom-forming haptophyte with a polymorphic life cycle alternating between free-living cells and a colonial morphotype, that produces high biomass and impacts ecological structure and function. The mechanisms of P. globosa bloom formation have been extensively studied, and various environmental factors are believed to trigger these events. However, little is known about the intrinsic biological processes that drive the bloom process, and the mechanisms underlying P. globosa bloom formation remain enigmatic. Here, we investigated a P. globosa bloom occurring along the Chinese coast and compared the proteomes of in situ P. globosa colonies from bloom and dissipation phases using a tandem mass tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomic approach. Among the 5540 proteins identified, 191 and 109 proteins displayed higher abundances in the bloom and dissipation phases, respectively. The levels of proteins involved in photosynthesis, pigment metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, and matrix substrate biosynthesis were distinctly different between these two phases. Ambient nitrate is a key trigger of P. globosa bloom formation, while the enhanced light harvest and multiple inorganic carbon-concentrating mechanisms support the prosperousness of colonies in the bloom phase. Additionally, colonies in the bloom phase have greater carbon fixation potential, with more carbon and energy being fixed and flowing toward the colonial matrix biosynthesis. Our study revealed the key biological processes underlying P. globosa blooms and provides new insights into the mechanisms behind bloom formation.

Nanocomposites consisting of nanoporous platinum-silicon and graphene for electrochemical determination of bisphenol A.

Three-dimensional nanoporous PtSi (NP-PtSi) alloy was prepared by dealloying ternary PtSiAl alloy ribbons. By combining the nanoporous morphology of PtSi and graphene (GR), a new composite material was developed, which was used to modify the surface of a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The resulting modified electrodes showed an excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the electro oxidation of bisphenol A. Based on differential pulse voltammetry measurements, NP-PtSi/GR/GCE showed linear response over the concentration range 0.30 to 85 µM bisphenol A, while the detection limit was found to be 0.11 µM (S/N = 3). NP-PtSi/GR/GCE showed also satisfactory stability and selectivity over various compounds present in real samples, and they were successfully applied to the determination of bisphenol A in inoculated milk samples. Graphical abstract Nanoporous PtSi (NP-PtSi) was fabricated by dealloying PtSiAl alloy ribbons. Based on the NP-PtSi alloy and graphene (GR) composites that modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE), a sensitive and stable electrochemical sensor was developed for the determination of bisphenol A by differential pulse voltammetric (DPV) method.

iTRAQ-Based Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of a Toxigenic Dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella at Different Stages of Toxin Biosynthesis during the Cell Cycle.

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are a group of potent neurotoxic alkaloids that are produced mainly by marine dinoflagellates. PST biosynthesis in dinoflagellates is a discontinuous process that is coupled to the cell cycle. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism underlying this association. Here, we compared global protein expression profiles of a toxigenic dinoflagellate, Alexandrium catenella, collected at four different stages of toxin biosynthesis during the cell cycle, using an isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ)-based quantitative proteomic approach. The results showed that toxin biosynthesis occurred mainly in the G1 phase, especially the late G1 phase. In total, 7232 proteins were confidently identified, and 210 proteins exhibited differential expression among the four stages. Proteins involved in protein translation and photosynthetic pigment biosynthesis were significantly upregulated during toxin biosynthesis, indicating close associations among the three processes. Nine toxin-related proteins were detected, and two core toxin biosynthesis proteins, namely, sxtA and sxtI, were identified for the first time in dinoflagellates. Among these proteins, sxtI and ompR were significantly downregulated when toxin biosynthesis stopped, indicating that they played important roles in the regulation of PST biosynthesis. Our study provides new insights into toxin biosynthesis in marine dinoflagellates: nitrogen balance among different biological processes regulates toxin biosynthesis, and that glutamate might play a key modulatory role.

iTRAQ-based quantitative proteomic analysis of a toxigenic dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella and its non-toxic mutant.

Paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) are a group of potent neurotoxic alkaloids produced by cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates. The PST biosynthesis gene cluster and several toxin-related proteins have been unveiled in cyanobacteria, yet little is known about dinoflagellates. Here, we compared the protein profiles of a toxin-producing dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella (ACHK-T) and its non-toxic mutant (ACHK-NT), and characterized differentially displayed proteins using a combination of the iTRAQ-based proteomic approach and the transcriptomic database. Totally 3488 proteins were identified from A. catenella, and proteins involved in carbohydrate, amino acid and energy metabolism were the most abundant. Among them, 185 proteins were differentially displayed: proteins involved in amino acid biosynthesis, protein and carbohydrate metabolism and bioluminescence were more abundant in ACHK-T, while proteins participating in photosynthesis, fatty acid biosynthesis, and the processes occurring in peroxisome displayed higher abundances in ACHK-NT. Seven toxin-related proteins were identified but they varied insignificantly between the two strains. Different carbon and energy utilization strategies were potentially related to the toxin producing ability, and the regulation mechanism of PST biosynthesis was more complex in dinoflagellates. Our study provides the first comprehensive dataset on the dinoflagellate proteome and lays the groundwork for future proteomic study.

Comparative proteomics reveals highly and differentially expressed proteins in field-collected and laboratory-cultured blooming cells of the diatom Skeletonema costatum.

Diatoms are a major phytoplankton group causing extensive blooms in the ocean. However, little is known about the intracellular biological processes occurring during the blooming period. This study compared the protein profiles of field-collected and laboratory-cultured blooming cells of Skeletonema costatum, and identified highly and differentially expressed proteins using the shotgun proteomic approach. A total of 1372 proteins were confidently identified with two or more peptides. Among them, 222 and 311 proteins were unique to the laboratory and field samples respectively. Proteins involved in photosynthesis, translation, nucleosome assembly, carbohydrate and energy metabolism dominated the protein profiles in both samples. However, different features of specific proteins were also found: proteins participated in light harvesting, photosynthetic pigment biosynthesis, photoprotection, cell division and redox homeostasis were highly detected in the field sample, whereas proteins involved in translation, amino acid and protein metabolic processes, and nitrogen and carbon assimilation presented high detection rates in the laboratory sample. ATP synthase cf1 subunit beta and light harvest complex protein were the most abundant protein in the laboratory and field samples respectively. These results indicated that S. costatum had evolved adaptive mechanisms to the changing environment, and integrating field and laboratory proteomic data should provide comprehensive understanding of bloom mechanisms.

Proteomic analysis provides new insights into the adaptive response of a dinoflagellate Prorocentrum donghaiense to changing ambient nitrogen.

Nitrogen (N) is the major nutrient limiting phytoplankton growth and productivity over large ocean areas. Dinoflagellates are important primary producers and major causative agents of harmful algal blooms in the ocean. However, very little is known about their adaptive response to changing ambient N. Here, we compared the protein profiles of a marine dinoflagellate Prorocentrum donghaiense grown in inorganic N-replete, N-deplete and N-resupplied conditions using 2-D fluorescence differential gel electrophoresis. The results showed that cell density, chlorophyll a and particulate organic N contents presented low levels in N-deplete cells, while particulate organic carbon content and glutamine synthetase (GS) activity maintained high levels. Comparison of the protein profiles of N-replete, N-deplete and N-resupplied cells indicated that proteins involved in photosynthesis, carbon fixation, protein and lipid synthesis were down-regulated, while proteins participating in N reallocation and transport activity were up-regulated in N-deplete cells. High expressions of GS and 60 kDa chaperonin as well as high GS activity in N-deplete cells indicated their central role in N stress adaptation. Overall, in contrast with other photosynthetic eukaryotic algae, P. donghaiense possessed a specific ability to regulate intracellular carbon and N metabolism in response to extreme ambient N deficiency.

Comparative transcriptome analysis of a toxin-producing dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella and its non-toxic mutant.

The dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria are two major kingdoms of life producing paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), a large group of neurotoxic alkaloids causing paralytic shellfish poisonings around the world. In contrast to the well elucidated PST biosynthetic genes in cyanobacteria, little is known about the dinoflagellates. This study compared transcriptome profiles of a toxin-producing dinoflagellate, Alexandrium catenella (ACHK-T), and its non-toxic mutant form (ACHK-NT) using RNA-seq. All clean reads were assembled de novo into a total of 113,674 unigenes, and 66,812 unigenes were annotated in the known databases. Out of them, 35 genes were found to express differentially between the two strains. The up-regulated genes in ACHK-NT were involved in photosynthesis, carbon fixation and amino acid metabolism processes, indicating that more carbon and energy were utilized for cell growth. Among the down-regulated genes, expression of a unigene assigned to the long isoform of sxtA, the initiator of toxin biosynthesis in cyanobacteria, was significantly depressed, suggesting that this long transcript of sxtA might be directly involved in toxin biosynthesis and its depression resulted in the loss of the ability to synthesize PSTs in ACHK-NT. In addition, 101 putative homologs of 12 cyanobacterial sxt genes were identified, and the sxtO and sxtZ genes were identified in dinoflagellates for the first time. The findings of this study should shed light on the biosynthesis of PSTs in the dinoflagellates.

Perturbation diversity certificates robust generalization.

Whilst adversarial training has been proven to be one most effective defending method against adversarial attacks for deep neural networks, it suffers from over-fitting on training adversarial data and thus may not guarantee the robust generalization. This may result from the fact that the conventional adversarial training methods generate adversarial perturbations usually in a supervised way so that the resulting adversarial examples are highly biased towards the decision boundary, leading to an inhomogeneous data distribution. To mitigate this limitation, we propose to generate adversarial examples from a perturbation diversity perspective. Specifically, the generated perturbed samples are not only adversarial but also diverse so as to certify robust generalization and significant robustness improvement through a homogeneous data distribution. We provide theoretical and empirical analysis, establishing a foundation to support the proposed method. As a major contribution, we prove that promoting perturbations diversity can lead to a better robust generalization bound. To verify our methods' effectiveness, we conduct extensive experiments over different datasets (e.g., CIFAR-10, CIFAR-100, SVHN) with different adversarial attacks (e.g., PGD, CW). Experimental results show that our method outperforms other state-of-the-art (e.g., PGD and Feature Scattering) in robust generalization performance.

Responses of microeukaryotic community structure to a Phaeocystis globosa bloom in a semi-enclosed subtropical bay.

The occurrence of Phaeocystis globosa, a harmful algal bloom species in Chinese coastal waters, has significant impacts on marine organisms and poses a threat to the safety of coastal nuclear power plants. Although previous studies have established a close association between P. globosa blooms and the bacterial community, the relationship between the microeukaryotic community and P. globosa blooms remains poorly understood. In this study, the variations in the microeukaryotic community resulting from a P. globosa bloom were analyzed using 18S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. The results indicated that the diversity of the microeukaryotic community during the bloom phase was significantly higher than that during the dissipation phase. The microeukaryotic community compositions varied significantly between the two phases of the P. globosa bloom. During the bloom phase, the dominant microeukaryotic was Viridiplantae, which was then replaced by Dinoflagellata during the dissipation phase. Co-occurrence network analysis showed that the relationship among the microeukaryotic community during the bloom phase was more complex than that during the dissipation phase, and the keystone taxa varied as the bloom progressed. Additionally, microeukaryotic community assembly was primarily driven by stochastic processes during the bloom phase based on the ß-nearest taxon distance, whereas it was driven by both deterministic processes and stochastic processes during the dissipation phase. Overall, our findings provide novel insight into the mechanisms and interactions involved in microeukaryotic community dynamics in environments disturbed by P. globosa blooms.

A feasibility study of three-dimensional ultrasound imaging of the vagina under distension.

BACKGROUND: The distension properties of the vagina are critical to its function including support of surrounding organs, childbirth, and intercourse. It could be altered by many pathophysiological processes like pregnancy, radiotherapy, and reconstruction surgery. However, there are no clinically available diagnostic tools capable of quantifying the distension properties of the vagina. PURPOSE: A proof-of-concept study was designed to assess the feasibility of a novel three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging technique that allows quantitative evaluation of the vagina under distension. METHODS: Patients with symptomatic pelvic organ prolapse (POP) were recruited for the study. An ultrathin, oversized bag was inserted into the vagina and filled with water using a modified urodynamics system. The instilled water volume and intravaginal pressure were continuously recorded. At maximum vaginal capacity, 3D transintroital ultrasound of the distended vagina and surrounding pelvic structures was performed. Exams were performed in duplicate for each patient, two hours apart (round A and round B). Following the development of a 3D surface model of the distended vagina from each scan, several measurements were obtained, including cross-sectional area, anteroposterior (AP) length and lateral width in the plane of minimum hiatal dimensions (PMHD), AP and lateral diameter at the pubic symphysis (PS) level, maximum and minimum diameter, and maximum vertical length. To assess repeatability between measurements in two rounds, the coefficient of variation (CV) and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were calculated for each measurement. Correlations between physical measurements including the pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q) system and vaginal diameter measurements, and obtained metrics were also assessed. RESULTS: Sixteen patients with POP (average age 69 years) completed both rounds of imaging. There was sufficient echogenicity on 3D transintroital ultrasound of the distended vaginal wall to establish boundaries for 3D surface models of the vagina. Overall, all metrics had good or excellent reliability (ICC = 0.77-0.93, p < 0.05; CV = 3%-18%) except maximum diameter, which demonstrated only moderate reliability (ICC = 0.67, p = 0.092). Strong correlations were found between physical exam measurements including D point of POP-Q, introitus diameter and lateral diameter at apex, and maximum vaginal capacity, maximum vertical length, lateral diameter at PS, minimum diameter, and distended PMHD measurements. The results demonstrated that this system could generate 3D models of the shape of the distended vagina and provide multiple metrics that could be reliably calculated from automated analyses of the models. CONCLUSIONS: A novel system for evaluation of the distension properties of the vagina was developed and preliminary evaluation was performed. This system may represent a technique for evaluation of the biomechanical and structural properties of the vagina.

Diversity of Cellular Slime Molds (Dictyostelids) in the Fanjing Mountain Nature Reserve and Geographical Distribution Comparisons with Other Representative Nature Reserves in Different Climate Zones of China.

Protected areas are widely considered an essential strategy for biodiversity conservation. Dictyostelids are unique protists known to have important ecological functions in promoting soil and plant health through their top-down regulation of ecosystem processes, such as decomposition, that involve bacterial populations. But the relationship between dictyostelid diversity within protected areas remains poorly understood, especially on a large scale. Herein, we report data on the distribution of dictyostelids, identified with ITS + SSU rRNA molecular and morphology-based taxonomy, from soil samples collected in the Fanjing Mountain protected area of Guizhou Province, Southwest China. We compared the biodiversity data of dictyostelids in Fanjing Mountain with similar data from previously sampled sites in four other protected areas, including Changbai Mountain (CB), Gushan Mountain (GS), Baiyun Mountain (BY), and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QT) in China. We identified four species of dictyostelids belonging to three genera (Dictyostelium, Heterostelium, and Polysphondylium) and herein provide information on the taxonomy of these species. Two species (Heterostelium pallidum and Dictyostelium purpureum) are common and widely distributed throughout the world, but one species (Polysphondylium fuscans) was new to China. Our data indicate that there is no distinguishable significant correlation between the dictyostelid species studied and environmental factors. Overall, the similarity index between Baiyun Mountain in Henan Province and Fanjing Mountain in Guizhou Province, located at approximately the same longitude, is the highest, and the Jaccard similarity coefficients (Jaccard index) of family, genus, and species are 100%, 100%, and 12.5%, respectively. From a species perspective, species in the same climate zone are not closely related, but obvious geographical distributions are evident in different climate zones. This preliminary study provided evidence of the ecological adaptation of dictyostelids to different biological niches.

Global burden and risk factors of gastritis and duodenitis: an observational trend study from 1990 to 2019.

In recent years, there has been a global trend of aging, which has resulted in significant changes to the burden of gastritis and duodenitis (GD). Using the global burden of disease (GBD) database spanning 1990 to 2019, we evaluated the temporal trends of age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR), age-standardized death rates (ASDR), and age-standardized disability-adjusted life years (AS-DALYs) for GD using estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC). Additionally, we examined the burden of GD across various strata, including social demographic index (SDI), age, and sex. Finally, the risk factors linked to the incidence and mortality of GD, utilizing Pearson correlation analysis. In 2019, there were 31 million GD patients globally, a notable increase of 12 million from 1990, while the ASIR, ASDR, and AS-DALYs for GD all showed a decrease. Correlation analysis showed a significant negative relationship between ASIR and SDI. Factors like hand hygiene and vitamin A deficiency had significant positive correlations with ASIR and ASDR in 2019. Over the past thirty years, the burden of GD has increased alongside global population aging. Future efforts should focus on exploring prevention for GD, with special attention to the elderly population in low SDI regions.

Development of a real-time loop-mediated isothermal amplification method for monitoring Pseudomonas lurida in raw milk throughout the year of pasture.

Introduction: The psychrophilic bacterium Pseudomonas lurida (P. lurida) and its thermostable alkaline proteases can seriously damage raw milk quality. Methods: In this study, specific primers were designed for P. lurida's gyrB and aprX genes, and a real-time loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RealAmp) rapid detection method was developed for the early monitoring of P. lurida and its proteases in raw milk. A phylogenetic tree of the gyrB and aprX genes of P. lurida was constructed to analyze the homology of the design sequence of the RealAmp primer. The DNA of 2 strains of P. lurida and 44 strains of non-P. lurida were detected via RealAmp to analyze the specificity of the primer. Results: It was found that aprX-positive proteases were produced by P. lurida-positive strains only when Pseudomonas fluorescens was negative. The dissociation temperatures of gyrB and aprX in the RealAmp-amplified products were approximately 85.0°C and 90.0°C, respectively. Moreover, DNA was detected through a 10-fold dilution of P. lurida in a pure bacterial solution and artificially contaminated skimmed milk. The limit of detection of P. lurida DNA copy number in the pure bacterial solution was 8.6 copies/µL and that in the 10% skimmed milk was 5.5 copies/µL. Further, 144 raw milk samples throughout the year from three farms in Hebei province were analyzed using RealAmp. The highest detection rate of P. lurida was 56% in the first and third quarters, and that of proteases was 36% in the second quarter. The detection rates of P. lurida and its proteases were the highest in samples collected from pasture 2 (52 and 46%, respectively), and the ability of P. lurida to produce proteases reached 88%. Discussion: In conclusion, RealAmp established an early and rapid method for the detection of P. lurida and its proteases in raw milk samples, allowing the identification and control of contamination sources in a timely manner to ensure the quality of milk and dairy products.

Bibliometric analysis of studies on stress urinary incontinence surgery.

Background: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is characterized by the involuntary leakage of urine during activities that increase abdominal pressure. In recent years, a considerable number of studies on SUI surgery have been published. However, there has been a lack of systematic quantification and comprehensive summarization of these studies. Bibliometrics is a discipline that utilizes measurement methods to quantify scientific literature. Thus, this study utilized publications from the Web of Science (WOS) as a data source and conducted a comprehensive analysis and visualization of studies related to SUI surgery in recent years using bibliometric techniques. Methods: We conducted a search and retrieved information on 988 studies related to SUI surgery in the WOS Core Collection. The data covered ten years from September 7, 2013, to September 7, 2023. We employed VOSviewer software, CiteSpace software, and Bibliometrix for analysis and visualization. Results: Over the ten years, the number of publications exhibited a fluctuating trend, initially decreasing and then increasing. The United States emerged as the leading contributor in terms of both publication volume and quality. The University of Alabama Birmingham ranked as the institution with the highest number of publications, while the International Urogynecology Journal featured the most publications among journals. Conclusions: This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of publications related to SUI surgery from 2013 to 2023. The aim is to offer researchers a concise overview of the field and inspire future research directions.