Genome-wide analysis and functional validation reveal the role of late embryogenesis abundant genes in strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) fruit ripening.

BACKGROUND: Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins play important roles in plant growth and development, as well as stresses responsiveness. Nowadays, it has been found that LEAs also have function in fruit ripening. However, the comprehensive analysis on a genome-wide basis of LEA family remains limited, and the role of LEA in fruit ripening has not been fully explored yet, especially in strawberry, an economic important plant and ideal material for studying fruit ripening. RESULTS: In this study, a total of 266 putative LEA proteins were identified and characterized in strawberry genome. Subcellular localization prediction indicated that they were mostly localized in chloroplast, cytoplasm and nucleus. Duplication events detection revealed that whole genome duplication or segmental was the main driver for the expansion of LEA family in strawberry. The phylogenetic analysis suggested that FaLEAs were classified into eight groups, among which, LEA2 was the largest subgroup with 179 members, followed by LEA3, dehydrin (DHN), LEA4 and SMP (seed maturation protein). The LEA1 and DHN groups were speculated to play dominant roles in strawberry fruit development and ripening, according to their larger proportion of members detected as differentially expressed genes during such process. Notably, the expression of FaLEA167 belonging to LEA1 group was altered by strawberry maturation, and inhibited by overexpression of negative regulators of ripening (a cytosolic/plastid glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, FaGAPC2 and a cytosolic pyruvate kinase, FaPKc2.2). Subsequently, overexpression of FaLEA167 significantly increased the percentage of fruit at green stage, while reduced the full red fruit proportion. In consistent, the anthocyanins content and the fruit skin color variable reflecting a range from greenness to redness (a* value) were significantly reduced. Whereas, FaLEA167 overexpression apparently up-regulated citric acid, soluble protein and malondialdehyde content, but had no obvious effects on total soluble solids, sugar, flavonoids, phenolics content and antioxidant capacity. CONCLUSIONS: These findings not only provided basic information of FaLEA family for further functional research, but also revealed the involvement of FaLEA167 in negatively regulating strawberry fruit ripening, giving new insights into understanding of FaLEA functions.

Identifying potential anthocyanin biosynthesis regulator in Chinese cherry by comprehensive genome-wide characterization of the R2R3-MYB transcription factor gene family.

BACKGROUND: Chinese cherry [Cerasus pseudocerasus (Lindl.) G.Don] (syn. Prunus pseudocerasus Lindl.) is an economically important fruiting cherry species with a diverse range of attractive colors, spanning from the lightest yellow to the darkest black purple. However, the MYB transcription factors involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis underlying fruit color variation in Chinese cherry remain unknown. RESULTS: In this study, we characterized the R2R3-MYB gene family of Chinese cherry by genome-wide identification and compared it with those of 10 Rosaceae relatives and Arabidopsis thaliana. A total of 1490 R2R3-MYBs were classified into 43 subfamilies, which included 29 subfamilies containing both Rosaceae MYBs and AtMYBs. One subfamily (S45) contained only Rosaceae MYBs, while three subfamilies (S12, S75, and S77) contained only AtMYBs. The variation in gene numbers within identical subfamilies among different species and the absence of certain subfamilies in some species indicated the species-specific expansion within MYB gene family in Chinese cherry and its relatives. Segmental and tandem duplication events primarily contributed to the expansion of Chinese cherry R2R3-CpMYBs. The duplicated gene pairs underwent purifying selection during evolution after duplication events. Phylogenetic relationships and transcript profiling revealed that CpMYB10 and CpMYB4 are involved in the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in Chinese cherry fruits. Expression patterns, transient overexpression and VIGS results confirmed that CpMYB10 promotes anthocyanin accumulation in the fruit skin, while CpMYB4 acts as a repressor, inhibiting anthocyanin biosynthesis of Chinese cherry. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a comprehensive and systematic analysis of R2R3-MYB gene family in Chinese cherry and Rosaceae relatives, and identifies two regulators, CpMYB10 and CpMYB4, involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis in Chinese cherry. These results help to develop and utilize the potential functions of anthocyanins in Chinese cherry.

A histone deacetylase, FaSRT1-2, plays multiple roles in regulating fruit ripening, plant growth and stresses resistance of cultivated strawberry.

Sirtuins (SRTs) are a group of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent deacetylase that target both histone and nonhistone proteins. The biological function of SRT in horticultural plants has been rarely studied. In this study, FaSRT1-2 was identified as a key member of the 8 FaSRTs encoded in cultivated strawberry genome. Transient overexpression of FaSRT1-2 in strawberry fruit accelerated ripening, increased the content of anthocyanins and sugars, enhanced ripening-related gene expression. Moreover, stable transformation of FaSRT1-2 in strawberry plants resulted in enhanced vegetative growth, increased sensitivity to heat stress and increased susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea infection. Interestingly, knocking out the homologous gene in woodland strawberry had the opposite effects. Additionally, we found the content of stress-related hormone abscisic acid (ABA) was decreased, while the growth-related gibberellin (GA) concentration was increased in FaSRT1-2 overexpression lines. Gene expression analysis revealed induction of heat shock proteins, transcription factors, stress-related and antioxidant genes in the FaSRT1-2-overexpressed plants while knocked-out of the gene had the opposite impact. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated that FaSRT1-2 could positively promote strawberry plant vegetative growth and fruit ripening by affecting ABA and GA pathways. However, it negatively regulates the resistance to heat stress and B. cinerea infection by influencing the related gene expression.

DEC1 is involved in circadian rhythm disruption-exacerbated pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: The alveolar epithelial type II cell (AT2) and its senescence play a pivotal role in alveolar damage and pulmonary fibrosis. Cell circadian rhythm is strongly associated with cell senescence. Differentiated embryonic chondrocyte expressed gene 1 (DEC1) is a very important circadian clock gene. However, the role of DEC1 in AT2 senescence and pulmonary fibrosis was still unclear. RESULTS: In this study, a circadian disruption model of light intervention was used. It was found that circadian disruption exacerbated pulmonary fibrosis in mice. To understand the underlying mechanism, DEC1 levels were investigated. Results showed that DEC1 levels increased in lung tissues of IPF patients and in bleomycin-induced mouse fibrotic lungs. In vitro study revealed that bleomycin and TGF-ß1 increased the expressions of DEC1, collagen-I, and fibronectin in AT2 cells. Inhibition of DEC1 mitigated bleomycin-induced fibrotic changes in vitro and in vivo. After that, cell senescence was observed in bleomycin-treated AT2 cells and mouse models, but these were prevented by DEC1 inhibition. At last, p21 was confirmed having circadian rhythm followed DEC1 in normal conditions. But bleomycin disrupted the circadian rhythm and increased DEC1 which promoted p21 expression, increased p21 mediated AT2 senescence and pulmonary fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, circadian clock protein DEC1 mediated pulmonary fibrosis via p21 and cell senescence in alveolar epithelial type II cells.

Graphyne and graphdiyne nanoribbons: from their structures and properties to potential applications.

Graphyne (GY) and graphdiyne (GDY) have properties including unique sp- and sp2-hybrid carbon atomic structures, natural non-zero band gaps, and highly conjugated π electrons. GY and GDY have good application prospects in many fields, including catalysis, solar cells, sensors, and modulators. Under the influence of the boundary effect and quantum size effect, quasi-one-dimensional graphyne nanoribbons (GYNRs) and graphdiyne nanoribbons (GDYNRs) show novel physical properties. The various structures available give GYNRs and GDYNRs greater band structure and electronic properties, and their excellent physical and chemical properties differ from those of two-dimensional GY and GDY. However, the development of GYNRs and GDYNRs still faces problems, including issues with accurate synthesis, advanced structural characterization, the structure-performance correlation of materials, and potential applications. In this review, the structures and physical properties of quasi-one-dimensional GYNRs and GDYNRs are reviewed, their advantages and disadvantages are summarized, and their potential applications are highlighted. This review provides a meaningful basis and research foundation for the design and development of high-performance materials and devices based on GYNRs and GDYNRs in the field of energy.

Ursonic acid attenuates spermatogenesis in oligozoospermia mice through inhibiting ferroptosis.

Ursonic acid (UNA) is a natural pentacyclic triterpene found in some medicinal plants and foods. The reproductive protective effect of UNA was evaluated in a mouse model of oligozoospermia induced by busulfan (BUS) at 30 mg/kg b.w.. The mice were initially divided into groups with UNA concentrations of 10, 30, 50, 100 mg/kg. Subsequently, based on sperm parameters, the optimal concentration of 50 mg/kg was identified. As a control, an additional group was supplemented with ursolic acid at a concentration of 50 mg/kg. The results indicated that BUS caused the loss of spermatogenic cells in testis, the decrease of sperm in epididymis, the disorder of testicular cytoskeleton, the decrease of serum sex hormones such as testosterone which induced an increase in feedback of androgen receptor and other testosterone-related proteins, the increase of malondialdehyde and reactive oxygen species levels and the increase of ferroptosis in testis while UNA successfully reversed these injuries. High-throughput sequencing revealed that UNA administration significantly upregulated the expression of genes associated with spermatogenesis, such as Tnp1, Tnp2, Prm1, among others. These proteins are crucial in the histone to protamine transition during sperm chromatin remodeling. Network pharmacology analysis reveals a close association between UNA and proteins related to the transformation of histones to protamine. Molecular docking studies reveal that UNA can interact with the ferroptosis-inhibiting gene SLC7A11, thereby modulating ferroptosis. Taken together, UNA alleviated BUS-induced oligozoospermia by regulating hormone secretion, mitigating oxidative stress and promoting recovery of spermatogenesis by inhibiting the ferroptosis.

A novel R2R3-MYB transcription factor PbMYB1L of Pyrus bretschneideri regulates cold tolerance and anthocyanin accumulation.

KEY MESSAGE: PbMYB1L enhances the cold tolerance and anthocyanin accumulation of transgenic Arabidopsis by regulating the expression of genes related to the cold-responsive genes pathway and anthocyanin synthesis pathway. MYB transcription factors (TFs) have been demonstrated to play diverse roles in plant growth and development. In the present study, we identified a novel R2R3-MYB transcription factor, PbMYB1L, from the peel of 'Red Zaosu' pear (Pyrus bretschneideri), which was induced by cold stress and acted as a positive regulator in anthocyanin biosynthesis. Notably, the transgenic Arabidopsis lines exhibited enhanced tolerance to cold stress. Compared to the Arabidopsis wild-type plants, the transgenic lines displayed longer primary roots and reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels including O2-, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and malondialdehyde (MDA). Furthermore, significant upregulation of key cold-responsive genes AtCBF1, AtCBF2, AtCBF3, AtCBF4, and AtKIN1 was observed in the transgenic plants under cold stress conditions compared to wild type. Arabidopsis plants overexpressing PbMYB1L had significant anthocyanin accumulation in leaves after cold treatment with quantitative results indicating higher expression of anthocyanin structural genes compared to wild type. These findings suggest that PbMYB1L not only plays a vital role in conferring cold tolerance but also acts as a crucial regulator of anthocyanin biosynthesis.

Exposure to a mixture of metal(loid)s and sleep quality in pregnant women during early pregnancy: A cross-sectional study.

Biological characteristics of pregnant women during early pregnancy make them susceptible to both poor sleep quality and metal/metalloid exposure. However, the effects of metal(loid) exposure on sleep quality in pregnant women remain unknown and unexplored. We aimed to examine the relationship between exposure to a mixture of metal(loid)s and pregnant women's sleep quality during early pregnancy. We recruited 493 pregnant women in the first trimester from prenatal clinics in Jinan, Shandong Province, China, and collected their spot urine samples. All urine specimens were assessed for eight metal(loid)s: arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), molybdenum (Mo), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), and mercury (Hg). We used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess sleep quality. Linear regression, logistic regression, generalized additive models (GAMs), quantile g-computation, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were applied to investigate the relationships between metal(loid) exposure and sleep quality. The results from single metal(loid) models, quantile g-computation models, and BKMR models consistently suggested that Fe was positively related to women's sleep quality. Moreover, in the quantile g-computation models, As was the most critical contributor to the negative effects of the metal(loid) mixture on sleep quality. In addition, we found significant As by Fe interaction for scores of PSQI and habitual sleep efficiency, Pb by Fe interaction for PSQI and sleep latency, and Hg by Fe interaction for PSQI, suggesting the interactive effects of As and Fe, Pb and Fe, Hg and Fe on sleep quality and specific sleep components. Our study provided the first-hand evidence of the effects of metal(loid) exposure on pregnant women's sleep quality. The underlying mechanisms need to be explored in the future.

Development of Multimodal Fusion Technology for Tomato Maturity Assessment.

The maturity of fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes significantly impacts indicators of their quality, such as taste, nutritional value, and shelf life, making maturity determination vital in agricultural production and the food processing industry. Tomatoes mature from the inside out, leading to an uneven ripening process inside and outside, and these situations make it very challenging to judge their maturity with the help of a single modality. In this paper, we propose a deep learning-assisted multimodal data fusion technique combining color imaging, spectroscopy, and haptic sensing for the maturity assessment of tomatoes. The method uses feature fusion to integrate feature information from images, near-infrared spectra, and haptic modalities into a unified feature set and then classifies the maturity of tomatoes through deep learning. Each modality independently extracts features, capturing the tomatoes' exterior color from color images, internal and surface spectral features linked to chemical compositions in the visible and near-infrared spectra (350 nm to 1100 nm), and physical firmness using haptic sensing. By combining preprocessed and extracted features from multiple modalities, data fusion creates a comprehensive representation of information from all three modalities using an eigenvector in an eigenspace suitable for tomato maturity assessment. Then, a fully connected neural network is constructed to process these fused data. This neural network model achieves 99.4% accuracy in tomato maturity classification, surpassing single-modal methods (color imaging: 94.2%; spectroscopy: 87.8%; haptics: 87.2%). For internal and external maturity unevenness, the classification accuracy reaches 94.4%, demonstrating effective results. A comparative analysis of performance between multimodal fusion and single-modal methods validates the stability and applicability of the multimodal fusion technique. These findings demonstrate the key benefits of multimodal fusion in terms of improving the accuracy of tomato ripening classification and provide a strong theoretical and practical basis for applying multimodal fusion technology to classify the quality and maturity of other fruits and vegetables. Utilizing deep learning (a fully connected neural network) for processing multimodal data provides a new and efficient non-destructive approach for the massive classification of agricultural and food products.

Genome-Wide Identification, Expression Analysis under Abiotic Stress and Co-Expression Analysis of MATE Gene Family in Torreya grandis.

The multidrug and toxin efflux (MATE) family participates in numerous biological processes and plays important roles in abiotic stress responses. However, information about the MATE family genes in Torreya grandis remains unclear. In this study, our genome-wide investigation identified ninety MATE genes in Torreya grandis, which were divided into five evolutionary clades. TgMATE family members are located on eleven chromosomes, and a total of thirty TgMATEs exist in tandem duplication. The promoter analysis showed that most TgMATEs contain the cis-regulatory elements associated with stress and hormonal responses. In addition, we discovered that most TgMATE genes responded to abiotic stresses (aluminum, drought, high temperatures, and low temperatures). Weighted correlation network analysis showed that 147 candidate transcription factor genes regulated the expression of 14 TgMATE genes, and it was verified through a double-luciferase assay. Overall, our findings offer valuable information for the characterization of the TgMATE gene mechanism in responding to abiotic stress and exhibit promising prospects for the stress tolerance breeding of Torreya grandis.

[Mechanism of Dabugan Decoction in treatment of generalized anxiety disorder based on network pharmacology and experimental verification].

This study aims to explore the mechanism of Dabugan Decoction in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder(GAD) based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and animal experiments. Network pharmacology and molecular docking technology were used to obtain the possible targets and related signaling pathways of Dabugan Decoction in the treatment of GAD. The GAD rat model was established, and the corresponding drugs were given by gavage after randomization. After 28 days of continuous intervention, the anxiety state of rats was detected, and the pathological changes of the hippocampus were detected in each group. ELISA and Western blot were used to detect the protein expression levels of related molecules. A total of 65 drug compounds in Dabugan Decoction were obtained, involving 403 targets of action, 7 398 disease targets of GAD, and 279 common targets of "drug-disease". The key nodes in the protein-protein interaction(PPI) network were Akt1, TNF, IL-6, TP53, IL-1ß, etc. Function analysis of Gene Ontology(GO) and enrichment analysis of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) showed that the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway was the most important pathway. The results of molecular docking showed that the core components of the drug had good binding activity with the corresponding key targets. Animal experiments showed that Dabugan Decoction could effectively improve the anxiety behavior of rats and increase the open arm end movement distance and total distance of rats in the elevated cross labyrinth, the number and stay time of entering the open box, and the time(%) and the number of entering the center of the open field. At the same time, HE staining and Nicil staining showed that the number of hippocampal nerve cells in rats increased, and they were closely arranged. The damage to the cell body was improved, and there was an increase in Nissl substances in the cells. The expression of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1ß in rat hippocampus decreased, and the expression of TP53, p-Akt1, and p-PI3K increased. The mechanism may be related to the activation of the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and the inhibition of inflammatory response. Dabugan Decoction can play a good therapeutic and regulatory role in GAD, reflecting the overall effect of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) compound and the characteristics of multiple targets and multiple pathways. At the same time, it is preliminarily discussed that the state of GAD may be improved by Dabugan Decoction via-activating PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and inhibiting inflammatory response and anti-apoptosis, thus providing experimental data support for the clinical application of Dabugan Decoction.

High CRP/PNI levels predict an unfavorable prognosis in severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome: A propensity score matching study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to identify a novel inflammatory index and construct a nomogram for predicting in-hospital mortality due to severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS). METHODS: This cohort included 610 patients with SFTS hospitalized in Wuhan Union Hospital between March 2017 and November 2022. The ratio of C-reactive protein (CRP) to the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) was calculated and used to reflect patients' inflammatory status. Propensity score matching (PSM) was utilized to balance confounding factors between the low- and high-CRP/PNI groups. SFTS individuals from Jinyinhu Hospital were used as the validation cohort. RESULTS: Patients with SFTS and high CRP/PNI were significantly correlated with a higher percentage of severe and critical SFTS types and higher in-hospital mortality rates than those with low CRP/PNI. CRP/PNI was the potent risk indicator for in-hospital mortality in individuals with SFTS. The CRP/PNI nomogram showed a good predictive value for in-hospital mortality in patients with SFTS. After PSM, the predictive performance of CRP/PNI for 28-day mortality was excellent. Finally, the CRP/PNI could still assess patients with SFTS at different risks based on SFTS data from another medical center. CONCLUSION: The CPR/PNI ratio exhibited a strong positive correlation with the SFTS disease type and could predict in-hospital mortality in the early stages of SFTS. The CPR/PNI ratio could substantially help clinicians facilitate the early identification of patients with high-risk SFTS and the timely initiation of intensive therapy.

Bowl effect of irreversible primary salinization driven by geology in Hetao irrigation area, China.

Agricultural irrigation areas around the world employ similar planting methods, but there are notable disparities in salinization mechanism and management strategies. Many scholars have focused on human activities as the main cause of secondary soil salinization, while neglecting the underlying issue of primary soil salinization caused by geological factors. This study takes the Hetao irrigation area in China as a case study, delving into the geological forces responsible for primary salinization. Using historical survey data on geological structure, lake evolution, and sedimentation to analyze the stratigraphic distribution and groundwater storage characteristic. Additionally, using groundwater hydrochemistry data from historical literatures to analyze the concentration, distribution patterns, and source issues of salt ions. The research results show that a novel concept called the "bowl effect" can explain the unique cause of primary salinization in Hetao irrigation area. The bowl effect effectively transforms Hetao irrigation area into an enclosed space, which significantly limits the movement of groundwater and hinders the dilution of highly saline or alkaline water. The bowl effect has broad applicability and can serve as a useful framework for studying primary salinization challenges in agricultural irrigation areas worldwide. This research provides a scientifically reference for selecting salinization control methods, and will benefit local stakeholders, government agencies, and water resource managers.

Ursolic acid attenuates oligospermia in busulfan-induced mice by promoting motor proteins.

Background: Oligospermia is one of the most common reasons for male infertility which is troubling numerous couples of child-bearing age. This investigation scrutinizes the implications and mechanistic underpinnings of ursolic acid's effect on busulfan-induced oligospermia in mouse models. Methods: A singular intraperitoneal injection of busulfan at a dosage of 30 mg/kg induced oligospermia. Two weeks subsequent to this induction, mice were subjected to various dosages of ursolic acid (10, 30, and 50 mg/kg body weight, respectively) on a daily basis for four consecutive weeks. Following this treatment period, a meticulous analysis of epididymal sperm parameters, encompassing concentration and motility, was conducted using a computer-assisted sperm analysis system. The histopathology of the mice testes was performed utilizing hematoxylin and eosin staining, and the cytoskeleton regeneration of the testicular tissues was analyzed via immunofluorescent staining. Serum hormone levels, including testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone, as well as reactive oxygen species levels (inclusive of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde), were gauged employing specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Differentially expressed genes of testicular mRNA between the oligospermia-induced group and the various ursolic acid treatment groups were identified through RNA sequencing analysis. Results: The results revealed that a dosage of 50 mg/kg ursolic acid treatment could increase the concentration of epididymal sperm in oligospermia mice, promote the recovery of testicular morphology, regulate hormone levels and ameliorate oxidative damage. The mechanism research results indicated that ursolic acid increased the expression level of genes related to motor proteins in oligospermia mice.

Clinical Application of Artificial Intelligence in the Ultrasound Classification of Hepatic Cystic Echinococcosis.

Hepatic cystic echinococcosis (HCE) is a zoonotic disease that occurs when the larvae of Echinococcus granulosus parasitize the livers of humans and mammals. HCE has five subtypes, and accurate subtype classification is critical for choosing a treatment strategy. To evaluate the clinical utility of artificial intelligence (AI) based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in the classification of HCE subtypes via ultrasound imaging, we collected ultrasound images from 4,012 HCE patients at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University between 2008 and 2020. Specifically, 1,820 HCE images from 967 patients were used as the training and validation sets for the construction of the AI model, and the remaining 6,808 images from 3,045 patients were used as the test set to evaluate the performance of the AI models. The 6,808 images were randomly divided into six groups, and each group contained equal proportions of the five subtypes. The data of each group were analyzed by a resident physician. The accuracy of HCE subtype classification by the AI model and by manual inspection was compared. The AI HCE classification model showed good performance in the diagnosis of subtypes CE1, CE2, CE4, and CE5. The overall accuracy of the AI classification (90.4%) was significantly greater than that of manual classification by physicians (86.1%; P <0.05). The CNN can better identify the five subtypes of HCE on ultrasound images and should help doctors with little experience in more accurately diagnosing HCE.

Multiclassification of Hepatic Cystic Echinococcosis by Using Multiple Kernel Learning Framework and Ultrasound Images.

To properly treat and care for hepatic cystic echinococcosis (HCE), it is essential to make an accurate diagnosis before treatment. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of computer-aided diagnosis techniques in classifying HCE ultrasound images into five subtypes. METHODS: A total of 1820 HCE ultrasound images collected from 967 patients were included in the study. A multi-kernel learning method was developed to learn the texture and depth features of the ultrasound images. Combined kernel functions were built-in Support Vector Machine (MK-SVM) for the classification work. The experimental results were evaluated using five-fold cross-validation. Finally, our approach was compared with three other machine learning algorithms: the decision tree classifier, random forest, and gradient boosting decision tree. RESULTS: Among all the methods used in the study, the MK-SVM achieved the highest accuracy of 96.6% on the fused feature set. CONCLUSION: The multi-kernel learning method effectively learns different image features from ultrasound images by utilizing various kernels. The MK-SVM method, which combines the learning of texture features and depth features separately, has significant application value in HCE classification tasks.

The Clinical Value of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing in Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia.

Background: The incidence of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is increasing. Methods: 108 patients were analysed retrospectively at the Wuhan Union Hospital. The patients were classified into the PJP group or the P. jirovecii colonisation (PJC) group based on clinical diagnosis. Clinical data included demographics, laboratory examinations, treatment, and outcomes. Results: A notable difference in the fungal load was seen between two groups, with median reads of 3215.79 vs. 5.61 in two groups, respectively (P<0.001). The optimal threshold value for discriminating P. jirovecii infection between colonisation for mNGS was six, and serum (1,3)-ß-D-glucan (BDG) was 47.6 pg/mL. Besides, the positive detection rate of mNGS for co-pathogens in PJP patients was significantly higher than that of culture (88.16% vs. 22.37%, P<0.0001). Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus were the most common pathogens of co-infection in PJP patients. The antibiotic therapy in PJP patients was adjusted according to the mNGS results, of which seventeen (22.37%) were downgraded, 38 (50.0%) patients were upgraded, and 21 (27.63%) were unchanged. And almost all patients showed significant improvement in C-reactive protein. Conclusion: mNGS is a promising and valuable technique with good performance for differentiating P. jirovecii infection and colonisation, the detection of pathogens, and antibiotic treatment.

3D Printing Self-Healing and Self-Adhesive Elastomers for Wearable Electronics in Amphibious Environments.

To meet the demands of challenging usage scenarios, there is an increasing need for flexible electronic skins that can operate properly not only in terrestrial environments but also extend to complex aquatic conditions. In this study, we develop an elastomer by incorporating dynamic urea bonds and hydrogen bonds into the polydimethylsiloxane backbone, which exhibits excellent autonomous self-healing and reversible adhesive performance in both dry and wet environments. A multifunctional flexible sensor with excellent sensing stability, amphibious self-healing capacity, and amphibious self-adhesive performance is fabricated through solvent-free 3D printing. The sensor has a high sensing sensitivity (GF = 45.1) and a low strain response threshold (0.25%) and can be used to detect small human movements and physiological activities, such as muscle movement, joint movement, respiration, and heartbeat. The wireless wearable sensing system assembled by coupling this device with a bluetooth transmission system is suitable for monitoring strenuous human movement in amphibious environments, such as playing basketball, cycling, running (terrestrial environments), and swimming (aquatic environments). The design strategy provides insights into enhancing the self-healing and self-adhesive properties of soft materials and promises a prospective avenue for fabricating flexible electronic skin that can work properly in amphibious environments.

Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein as a Potential Indicator for Symptomatic Intracranial Hemorrhage in Acute Ischemic Patients Undergoing Endovascular Thrombectomy.

Background: The correlation between glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients undergoing endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) treatment remains uncertain. We aimed to assess the association between levels of GFAP in the bloodstream and the occurrence of sICH. Methods: Between June 2019 and May 2023, 142 consecutive AIS patients undergoing EVT at Stroke Center and 35 controls from the Physical Examination Center were retrospectively included. The levels of GFAP in the bloodstream were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay prior to endovascular treatment (T1) and 24 h after the procedure (T2). The identification of sICH was based on the Heidelberg Bleeding Classification. Results: Serum GFAP levels at T1 in AIS patients were significantly higher than those in the controls (0.249 [0.150-0.576] versus 0.065 [0.041-0.110] ng/mL, p = 0.001), and there was a notably elevation in GFAP levels at T2 compared to T1 (3.813 [1.474, 5.876] versus 0.249 [0.150-0.576] ng/mL, p = 0.001). Of the 142 AIS patients, 18 (14.5%) had sICH after EVT. Serum GFAP levels at T2 showed significant associations with sICH in both the unadjusted model (OR 1.513, 95% CI 1.269-1.805, p = 0.001) and multivariable adjusted model (OR 1.518, 95% CI 1.153-2.000, p = 0.003). Furthermore, the addition of GFAP at T2 to conventional model resulted in a significant enhancement of risk reclassification for sICH (integrated discrimination improvement [IDI] 0.183, 95% CI 0.070-0.295, p = 0.001). Conclusion: Serum GFAP levels were notably increased in AIS patients 24 h after EVT. Elevated GFAP levels were correlated to an elevated risk of sICH. GFAP could potentially serve as a dependable indicator for sICH in AIS individuals who treated with EVT.

Development and external validation of a nomogram for predicting overall survival of patients with non-endometrioid endometrial cancer: A population-based analysis.

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to identify the key predictors and construct a nomogram that can be used to predict the overall survival of individuals with non-endometrioid endometrial cancer. Methods: A total of 2686 non-endometrioid endometrial cancer patients confirmed between 1988 and 2018 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. They were divided into a training cohort and an internal validation cohort. Independent risk factors were chosen by Cox regression analyses. A predictive nomogram model for overall survival was constructed based on above factors. A Chinese cohort of 41 patients was collected to be an external validation cohort. Results: Eight variables were estimated as independent predictors for overall survival. A nomogram was established using these factors. The C-index for predicting the overall survival of patients with non-endometrioid endometrial cancer from the nomogram was 0.734, 0.700, and 0.767 in training, internal, and external validation cohort, respectively. Calibration plots and decision curve analysis showed that the nomogram was valuable for further clinical application. Conclusion: We constructed a nomogram which can be used as an effective tool to predict the 3- and 5-year overall survival of Non-endometrioid endometrial cancer patients.