Global evidence for joint effects of multiple natural and anthropogenic drivers on soil nitrogen cycling.

Global soil nitrogen (N) cycling remains poorly understood due to its complex driving mechanisms. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of global soil δ15N, a stable isotopic signature indicative of the N input-output balance, using a machine-learning approach on 10,676 observations from 2670 sites. Our findings reveal prevalent joint effects of climatic conditions, plant N-use strategies, soil properties, and other natural and anthropogenic forcings on global soil δ15N. The joint effects of multiple drivers govern the latitudinal distribution of soil δ15N, with more rapid N cycling at lower latitudes than at higher latitudes. In contrast to previous climate-focused models, our data-driven model more accurately simulates spatial changes in global soil δ15N, highlighting the need to consider the joint effects of multiple drivers to estimate the Earth's N budget. These insights contribute to the reconciliation of discordances among empirical, theoretical, and modeling studies on soil N cycling, as well as sustainable N management.

Deep-learning enhanced high-quality imaging in metalens-integrated camera.

Because of their ultra-light, ultra-thin, and flexible design, metalenses exhibit significant potential in the development of highly integrated cameras. However, the performances of metalens-integrated camera are constrained by their fixed architectures. Here we proposed a high-quality imaging method based on deep learning to overcome this constraint. We employed a multi-scale convolutional neural network (MSCNN) to train an extensive pair of high-quality and low-quality images obtained from a convolutional imaging model. Through our method, the imaging resolution, contrast, and distortion have all been improved, resulting in a noticeable overall image quality with SSIM over 0.9 and an improvement in PSNR over 3 dB. Our approach enables cameras to combine the advantages of high integration with enhanced imaging performances, revealing tremendous potential for a future groundbreaking imaging technology.

Electric Polarization from a Many-Body Neural Network Ansatz.

Ab initio calculation of dielectric response with high-accuracy electronic structure methods is a long-standing problem, for which mean-field approaches are widely used and electron correlations are mostly treated via approximated functionals. Here we employ a neural network wave function ansatz combined with quantum Monte Carlo method to incorporate correlations into polarization calculations. On a variety of systems, including isolated atoms, one-dimensional chains, two-dimensional slabs, and three-dimensional cubes, the calculated results outperform conventional density functional theory and are consistent with the most accurate calculations and experimental data. Furthermore, we have studied the out-of-plane dielectric constant of bilayer graphene using our method and reestablished its thickness dependence. Overall, this approach provides a powerful tool to accurately describe electron correlation in the modern theory of polarization.

Modulating solvated structure of Zn2+ and inducing surface crystallography by a simple organic molecule with abundant polar functional groups to synergistically stabilize zinc metal anodes for long-life aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have attracted significant attention owing to their inherent security, low cost, abundant zinc (Zn) resources and high energy density. Nevertheless, the growth of zinc dendrites and side reactions on the surface of Zn anodes during repeatedly plating/stripping shorten the cycle life of AZIBs. Herein, a simple organic molecule with abundant polar functional groups, 2,2,2-trifluoroether formate (TF), has been proposed as a high-efficient additive in the ZnSO4 electrolyte to suppress the growth of Zn dendrites and side reaction during cycling. It is found that TF molecules can infiltrate the solvated sheath layer of the hydrated Zn2+ to reduce the number of highly chemically active H2O molecules owing to their strong binding energy with Zn2+. Simultaneously, TF molecules can preferentially adsorb onto the Zn surface, guiding the uniform deposition of Zn2+ along the crystalline surface of Zn(002). This dual action significantly inhibits the formation of Zn dendrites and side reactions, thus greatly extending the cycling life of the batteries. Accordingly, the Zn//Cu asymmetric cell with 2 % TF exhibits stable cycling for more than 3,800 cycles, achieving an excellent average Columbic efficiency (CE) of 99.81 % at 2 mA cm-2/1 mAh cm-2. Meanwhile, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell with 2 % TF demonstrates a superlong cycle life exceeding 3,800 h and 2,400 h at 2 mA cm-2/1 mAh cm-2 and 5 mA cm-2/2.5 mAh cm-2, respectively. Simultaneously, the Zn//VO2 full cell with 2 % TF possesses high initial capacity (276.8 mAh/g) and capacity retention (72.5 %) at 5 A/g after 500 cycles. This investigation provides new insights into stabilizing Zn metal anodes for AZIBs through the co-regulation of Zn2+ solvated structure and surface crystallography.

Ingesting yeast extract causes excitation of neurogenic and myogenic colonic motor patterns in the rat.

Fermented foods play a significant role in the human diet for their natural, highly nutritious and healthy attributes. Our aim was to study the effect of yeast extract, a fermented substance extracted from natural yeast, on colonic motility to better understand its potential therapeutic role. A yeast extract was given to rats by gavage for 3 days, and myogenic and neurogenic components of colonic motility were studied using spatiotemporal maps made from video recordings of the whole colon ex vivo. A control group received saline gavages. The yeast extract caused excitation of the musculature by increasing the propagation length and duration of long-distance contractions, the major propulsive activity of the rat colon. The yeast extract also evoked rhythmic propulsive motor complexes (RPMCs) which were antegrade in the proximal and mid-colon and retrograde in the distal colon. RPMC activity was evoked by distention-induced neural activity, but it was myogenic in nature since we showed it to be generated by bethanechol in the presence of tetrodotoxin. In conclusion, ingestion of yeast extract stimulates rat colon motility by exciting neurogenic and myogenic control mechanisms.

Advances in the study of gastric organoids as disease models.

Gastric organoids are models created in the laboratory using stem cells and sophisticated three-dimensional cell culture techniques. These models have shown great promise in providing valuable insights into gastric physiology and advanced disease research. This review comprehensively summarizes and analyzes the research advances in culture methods and techniques for adult stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids, and patient-derived organoids. The potential value of gastric organoids in studying the pathogenesis of stomach-related diseases and facilitating drug screening is initially discussed. The construction of gastric organoids involves several key steps, including cell extraction and culture, three-dimensional structure formation, and functional expression. Simulating the structure and function of the human stomach by disease modeling with gastric organoids provides a platform to study the mechanism of gastric cancer induction by Helicobacter pylori. In addition, in drug screening and development, gastric organoids can be used as a key tool to evaluate drug efficacy and toxicity in preclinical trials. They can also be used for precision medicine according to the specific conditions of patients with gastric cancer, to assess drug resistance, and to predict the possibility of adverse reactions. However, despite the impressive progress in the field of gastric organoids, there are still many unknowns that need to be addressed, especially in the field of regenerative medicine. Meanwhile, the reproducibility and consistency of organoid cultures are major challenges that must be overcome. These challenges have had a significant impact on the development of gastric organoids. Nonetheless, as technology continues to advance, we can foresee more comprehensive research in the construction of gastric organoids. Such research will provide better solutions for the treatment of stomach-related diseases and personalized medicine.

Is Chinese Medicine Facing a Potential Workforce Crisis in Australia? Demographic Changes in the Profession over the Last Decade.

Background: As a prominent part of complementary and alternative medicine, Chinese Medicine (CM) has proved its strengths in treating a diverse range of acute and chronic medical conditions and is at present recognized in 196 countries and territories worldwide. In 2012, Australia regulated the CM profession under the National Regulation and Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) by legislation and reports quarterly demographic information about individual CM practitioners so to ensure public interest, although research examining the change of CM workforce in Australia has been scarce. Objective: This study aims to investigate the construction of the CM workforce in Australia and more importantly, evaluated its development in the last decade to capture the trajectory and trend in the present period and future potential changes. Methods: Data were sourced from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) annual reports and the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia (CMBA) registration statistics from 2012 to 2023. A descriptive analysis was conducted with demographic variables, including profession, age, and gender, and chi-square tests and linear regression modeling were carried out to assess the variations between regions and across years. Results: The population of CM practitioners in 2022/2023 stagnated with slight decrease to 4,823, in contrast to the increase rate of 2.9% in the whole health care community. The number of young CM registrants (<35 y) shrank by 37.5% from 691 in 2012 to 432 in 2023. In comparison with other health care professions, CM comprises the smallest proportion of the population aged younger than 25 (0.2%) and the largest proportion aged older than 65 years (16.2%), advancing into an aging era. Conclusions: This study indicates a worrying potential decline in CM workforce in Australia, which is likely to be further exacerbated by the lack of new graduates and rise of median age among practitioners. Meanwhile, continued advancement in Western medicine technology and standards requires substantial efforts to increase both a better understanding of CM and demonstration of its efficacy. Furthermore, greater effort is needed to recruit and educate new young CM practitioners in Australia and to broaden the international training pipeline for a sustainable development of CM practice.

The Relationships of Oral Reading Fluency at Word, Sentence, and Passage Levels and Reading Comprehension in Chinese.

This study aims to expand our understanding of the relations of oral reading fluency at word, sentence, and passage levels to reading comprehension in Chinese-speaking secondary school-aged students. In total, 80 participants (46 males and 34 females) ranging from 13 to 15 years old joined this study and were tested on tasks of oral reading fluency at three levels, reading comprehension, and nonverbal IQ. Our results showed a clear relationship from fluency at the level of the word to the sentence and then the passage in oral reading fluency as well as both the direct and indirect importance of word-level oral reading fluency in reading comprehension. Only the indirect effect from word-level oral reading fluency to reading comprehension through passage-level oral reading fluency was significant. Our findings suggest that sentence-level oral reading fluency is the crucial component to reading comprehension in Chinese. Additionally, recognition of the potential value of unique features, such as syntactic awareness and word segment accuracy, that happen at the sentence level should be integrated into instructional activities for reading.

Different microbial functional traits drive bulk and rhizosphere soil phosphorus mobilization in an alpine meadow after nitrogen input.

Enhanced nitrogen (N) input is expected to influence the soil phosphorus (P) cycling through biotic and abiotic factors. Among these factors, soil microorganisms play a vital role in regulating soil P availability. However, the divergent contribution of functional microorganisms to soil P availability in the rhizosphere and bulk soil under N addition remains unclear. We conducted an N addition experiment with four N input rates (0, 5, 10, and 15 g N m-2 year-1) in an alpine meadow over three years. Metagenomics was employed to investigate the functional microbial traits in the rhizosphere and bulk soil. We showed that N addition had positive effects on microbial functional traits related to P-cycling in the bulk and rhizosphere soil. Specifically, high N addition significantly increased the abundance of most microbial genes in the bulk soil but only enhanced the abundance of five genes in the rhizosphere soil. The soil compartment, rather than the N addition treatment, was the dominant factor explaining the changes in the diversity and network of functional microorganisms. Furthermore, the abundance of functional microbial genes had a profound effect on soil available P, particularly in bulk soil P availability driven by the ppa and ppx genes, as well as rhizosphere soil P availability driven by the ugpE gene. Our results highlight that N addition stimulates the microbial potential for soil P mobilization in alpine meadows. Distinct microbial genes play vital roles in soil P availability in bulk and rhizosphere soil respectively. This indicates the necessity for models to further our knowledge of P mobilization processes from the bulk soil to the rhizosphere soil, allowing for more precise predictions of the effects of N enrichment on soil P cycling.

Molecular network mechanism in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion rats treated with human urine stem cells.

Objective: To explore the effect of human urine-derived stem cells (husc) in improving the neurological function of rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (CIR), and report new molecular network by bioinformatics, combined with experiment validation. Methods: After CIR model was established, and husc were transplanted into the lateral ventricle of rats，neurological severe score (NSS) andgene network analysis were performed. Firstly, we input the keywords "Cerebral reperfusion" and "human urine stem cells" into Genecard database and merged data with findings from PubMed so as to get their targets genes, and downloaded them to make Venny intersection plot. Then, Gene ontology (GO) analysis, kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis and protein-protein interaction (PPI) were performed to construct molecular network of core genes. Lastly, the expressional level of core genes was validated via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and localized by immunofluorescence. Results: Compared with the Sham group, the neurological function of CIR rats was significantly improved after the injection of husc into the lateral ventricle; at 14 days, P = 0.028, which was statistically significant. There were 258 overlapping genes between CIR and husc, and integrated with 252 genes screened from PubMed and CNKI. GO enrichment analysis were mainly involved neutrophil degranulation, neutrophil activation in immune response and platelet positive regulation of degranulation, Hemostasis, blood coagulation, coagulation, etc. KEGG pathway analysis was mainly involved in complement and coagulation cascades, ECM-receptor. Hub genes screened by Cytoscape consist ofCD44, ACTB, FN1, ITGB1, PLG, CASP3, ALB, HSP90AA1, EGF, GAPDH. Lastly, qRT-PCR results showed statistic significance (P < 0.05) in ALB, CD44 and EGF before and after treatment, and EGF immunostaining was localized in neuron of cortex. Conclusion: husc transplantation showed a positive effect in improving neural function of CIR rats, and underlying mechanism is involved in CD44, ALB, and EGF network.

Bioinformatics and Functional Analysis of OsASMT1 Gene in Response to Abiotic Stress.

The study aimed to elucidate the functional characteristics of OsASMT1 gene under copper (Cu) or sodium chloride (NaCl) stress. Bioinformatics scrutiny unveiled that OsASMT1 is situated on chromosome 9. Its protein architecture, comprising dimerization and methyltransferase domains, showed significant similarities to OsASMT2 and OsASMT3. High expression in roots and panicles, along with abiotic stress putative cis-regulatory elements in the promoter, indicated potential stress responsiveness. Real-time quantitative PCR confirmed OsASMT1 induction under Cu and NaCl stress in rice. Surprisingly, yeast expressing OsASMT1 did not exhibit enhanced resistance to abiotic stresses. The results of subcellular localization analysis indicated that OsASMT1 plays a role in the cytoplasm. While OsASMT1 responded to Cu and NaCl stress in rice, its heterologous expression in yeast failed to confer abiotic stress resistance, highlighting the need for further investigation of its functional implications.

Socioeconomic inequalities in psychosocial well-being among adolescents under the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-regional comparative analysis in Hong Kong, mainland China, and the Netherlands.

BACKGROUND: Despite evidence on socioeconomic inequalities in psychosocial well-being of adolescents under the COVID-19 pandemic, the explanatory factors and their potential variations across contexts remained understudied. Hence, this cross-regional study compared the extent of inequalities and the mediating pathways across Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the Netherlands. METHODS: Between July 2021 and January 2022, 25 secondary schools from diverse socioeconomic background were purposively sampled from Hong Kong, Zhejiang (Mainland China), and Limburg (the Netherlands). 3595 junior students completed an online survey during class about their socioeconomic position, psychosocial factors, and well-being. Socioeconomic inequalities were assessed by multiple linear regressions using the Slope Index of Inequality (SII), whereas the mediating pathways through learning difficulty, overall worry about COVID-19, impact on family' financial status, resilience, trust in government regarding pandemic management, and adaptation to social distancing were examined by mediation analyses moderated by regions. RESULTS: The adverse psychosocial impact of COVID-19 was stronger in the Netherlands and Hong Kong compared with Mainland China. The greatest extent of socioeconomic inequalities in the change in psychosocial well-being was observed among students in the Netherlands (SII = 0.59 [95% CI = 0.38-0.80]), followed by Hong Kong (SII = 0.37 [0.21-0.52]) and Mainland China (SII = 0.12 [0.00-0.23]). Learning difficulty and resilience were the major mediators in Mainland China and Hong Kong, but to a lesser extent in the Netherlands. CONCLUSION: Socioeconomic inequalities in psychosocial well-being were evident among adolescents under the pandemic, with learning difficulty and resilience of students as the key mediators. Differences in the social contexts should be considered to better understand the variations in inequalities and mediating pathways across regions.

Study on dynamic characteristics of cavitation in underwater explosion with large charge.

Underwater explosions (UNDEX) generate shock waves that interact with the air-water interface and structures, leading to the occurrence of rarefaction waves and inducing cavitation phenomena. In deep-water explosions, complex coupling relationships exist between shock wave propagation, bubble motion, and cavitation evolution. The shock wave initiates the formation of cavitation, and their growth and collapse are influenced by the pressure field. The collapsing bubbles generate additional shock waves and fluid motion, affecting subsequent shock wave propagation and bubble behavior. This intricate interaction significantly impacts the hydrodynamic characteristics of deep-water explosions, including pressure distribution, density, and phase changes in the surrounding fluid. In this paper, we utilize a two-fluid phase transition model to capture the evolution of cavitation in deep-water explosions. Our numerical results demonstrate that the introduction of a two-phase vapor-liquid phase change model is necessary to accurately capture scenarios involving prominent evaporation or condensation phenomena. Furthermore, we find that the cavitation produced by the same charge under different explosion depths exhibits significant differences, as does the peak value of cavitation collapse pressure. Similarly, the cavitation produced by different charge quantities under the same explosion depth varies, and the relationship between cavitation volume and charge quantity is not a simple linear increase. The research methods and results presented in this paper provide an important reference for studying the dynamic characteristics of deep-water explosions.

A novel immune-related long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) pair model to predict the prognosis of triple-negative breast cancer.

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent cancer type and is the principal cause of cancer-related death in women. Anti-programmed cell death protein 1/programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) immunotherapy has shown promising effects in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), but the potential factors affecting its efficacy have not been elucidated. Immune-related long noncoding RNAs (irlncRNAs) have been reported to be involved in immune escape to influence the carcinogenic process through the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway. Therefore, exploring the potential regulatory mechanism of irlncRNAs in PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy in TNBC is of great importance. Methods: We retrieved transcriptome profiling data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and identified differentially expressed irlncRNA (DEirlncRNA) pairs. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis was performed to construct a risk assessment model. Results: Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that the risk model may serve as a potential prediction tool in TNBC patients. Clinical stage and risk score were proved to be independent prognostic predictors by univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. Subsequently, we investigated the correlation between the risk model and tumor-infiltrating immune cells and immune checkpoints. Finally, we identified USP30-AS1 through the StarBase and Multi Experiment Matrix (MEM) databases, predicted the potential target genes of USP30-AS1, and then discovered that these target genes were closely associated with immune responses. Conclusions: Our study constructed a risk assessment model by irlncRNA pairs regardless of expression levels, which contributed to predicting the efficacy of immunotherapy in TNBC. Furthermore, the lncRNA USP30-AS1 in the model was positively correlated with the expression of PD-L1 and provided a potential therapeutic target for TNBC.

Prognosis and immunotherapy efficacy in dMMR&MSS colorectal cancer patients and an MSI status predicting model.

The inconsistency between mismatch repair (MMR) protein immunohistochemistry (IHC) and microsatellite instability PCR (MSI-PCR) methods has been widely reported. We aim to investigate the prognosis and the effect of immunotherapy in dMMR by IHC but MSS by MSI-PCR (dMMR&MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. A microsatellite instability (MSI) predicting model was established to help find dMMR&MSS patients. MMR and MSI states were detected by the IHC and MSI-PCR in 1622 CRC patients (ZS6Y-1 cohort). Logistic regression analysis was used to screen clinical features to construct an MSI-predicting nomogram. We propose a new nomogram-based assay to find patients with dMMR&MSS, in which the MSI-PCR assay only detects dMMR patients with MSS predictive results. We applied the new strategy to a random cohort of 248 CRC patients (ZS6Y-2 cohort). The consistency of MMR IHC and MSI-PCR in the ZS6Y-1 cohort was 95.7% (1553/1622). Both pMMR&MSS and dMMR&MSS groups experienced significantly shorter overall survival (OS) than those in dMMR by IHC and MSI-H by MSI-PCR (dMMR&MSI-H) group (hazard ratio [HR] = 2.429, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.89-3.116, p < .01; HR = 21.96, 95% CI: 7.24-66.61, p < .01). The dMMR&MSS group experienced shorter OS than the pMMR&MSS group, but the difference did not reach significance (log rank test, p = .0686). In the immunotherapy group, the progression-free survival of dMMR&MSS patients was significantly shorter than that of dMMR&MSI-H patients (HR = 13.83, 95% CI: 1.508-126.8, p < .05). The ZS6Y-MSI-Pre nomogram (C-index = 0.816, 95% CI: 0.792-0.841, already online) found 66% (2/3) dMMR&MSS patients in the ZS6Y-2 cohort. There are significant differences in OS and immunotherapy effect between dMMR&MSI-H and dMMR&MSS patients. Our prediction model provides an economical way to screen dMMR&MSS patients.

ALPL regulates pro-angiogenic capacity of mesenchymal stem cells through ATP-P2X7 axis controlled exosomes secretion.

BACKGROUND: Early-onset bone dysplasia is a common manifestation of hypophosphatasia (HPP), an autosomal inherited disease caused by ALPL mutation. ALPL ablation induces prototypical premature bone ageing characteristics, resulting in impaired osteogenic differentiation capacity of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMMSCs). As angiogenesis is tightly coupled with osteogenesis, it also plays a necessary role in sustaining bone homeostasis. We have previously observed a decrease in expression of angiogenesis marker gene CD31 in the metaphysis of long bone in Alpl+/- mice. However, the role of ALPL in regulation of angiogenesis in bone has remained largely unknown. METHODS: Exosomes derived from Normal and HPP hBMMSCs were isolated and identified by ultracentrifugation, transmission electron microscopy, and nanoparticle size measurement. The effects of ALPL on the angiogenic capacity of hBMMSCs from HPP patients were assessed by immunofluorescence, tube formation, wound healing and migration assay. exo-ELISA and Western Blot were used to evaluate the exosomes secretion of hBMMSCs from HPP, and the protein expression of VEGF, PDGFBB, Angiostatin and Endostatin in exosomes respectively. RESULTS: We verified that ALPL ablation resulted in impaired pro-angiogenic capacity of hBMMSCs, accounting for reduced migration and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells, as the quantities and proteins composition of exosomes varied with ALPL expression. Mechanistically, loss of function of ALPL enhanced ATP release. Additional ATP, in turn, led to markedly elevated level of ATP receptor P2X7, which consequently promoted exosomes secretion, resulting in a decreased capacity to promote angiogenesis. Conversely, inhibition of P2X7 increased the angiogenic induction capacity by preventing excessive release of anti-angiogenic exosomes in ALPL deficient-hBMMSCs. CONCLUSION: The ALPL-ATP axis regulates the pro-angiogenic ability of hBMMSCs by controlling exosomes secretion through the P2X7 receptor. Thus, P2X7 may be proved as an effective therapeutic target for accelerating neovascularization in ALPL-deficient bone defects.

Development of a colloidal gold immunochromatographic strip for rapid detection of avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus.

Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) still causes serious economic losses in the poultry industry. Currently, there are multiple prevalent genotypes and serotypes of IBVs. It is imperative to develop a new diagnosis method that is fast, sensitive, specific, simple, and broad-spectrum. A monoclonal hybridoma cell, N2D5, against the IBV N protein was obtained after fusion of myeloma SP2/0 cells with spleen cells isolated from the immunized Balb/c mice. The N2D5 monoclonal antibody (mAb) and the previously prepared mouse polyclonal antibody against the IBV N protein were used to target IBV as a colloidal gold-mAb conjugate and a captured antibody, respectively, in order to develop an immunochromatographic strip. The optimal pH and minimum antibody concentration in the reaction system for colloidal gold-mAb N2D5 conjugation were pH 6.5 and 30 µg/mL, respectively. Common avian pathogens were tested to evaluate the specificity of the strip and no cross-reaction was observed. The sensitivity of the strip for detecting IBV was 10-1.4522 EID50/mL. The strip showed a broad-spectrum cross-reactive capacity for detecting IBV antigens, including multiple IBV genotypes in China and all of the seven serotypes of IBV that are currently prevalent in southern China. Additionally, the result can be observed within 2 min without any equipment. The throat and cloacal swab samples of chickens that were artificially infected with three IBV strains were tested using the developed strip and the qPCR method; the strip test demonstrated a high consistency in detecting IBV via qPCR gene detection. In conclusion, the immunochromatographic strip that was established is rapid, sensitive, specific, simple, practical, and broad-spectrum; additionally, it has the potential to serve as an on-site rapid detection method of IBV and can facilitate the surveillance and control of the disease, especially in resource-limited areas.

A machine learning approach for predicting radiation-induced hypothyroidism in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma undergoing tomotherapy.

The purpose of this study was to establish an integrated predictive model that combines clinical features, DVH, radiomics, and dosiomics features to predict RIHT in patients receiving tomotherapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Data from 219 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma were randomly divided into a training cohort (n = 175) and a test cohort (n = 44) in an 8:2 ratio. RIHT is defined as serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) greater than 5.6 µU/mL, with or without a decrease in free thyroxine (FT4). Clinical features, 27 DVH features, 107 radiomics features and 107 dosiomics features were extracted for each case and included in the model construction. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression method was used to select the most relevant features. The eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) was then employed to train separate models using the selected features from clinical, DVH, radiomics and dosiomics data. Finally, a combined model incorporating all features was developed. The models were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and decision curve analysis. In the test cohort, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the clinical, DVH, radiomics, dosiomics and combined models were 0.798 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.656-0.941), 0.673 (0.512-0.834), 0.714 (0.555-0.873), 0.698 (0.530-0.848) and 0.842 (0.724-0.960), respectively. The combined model exhibited higher AUC values compared to other models. The decision curve analysis demonstrated that the combined model had superior clinical utility within the threshold probability range of 1% to 79% when compared to the other models. This study has successfully developed a predictive model that combines multiple features. The performance of the combined model is superior to that of single-feature models, allowing for early prediction of RIHT in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma after tomotherapy.

Network meta-analysis of the effects of different cognitive trainings on the cognitive function of patients with mild cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE: Examining the relationship between the responses of a number of different cognitive trainings on cognitive functioning in middle-aged and elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment. METHODS: Randomized controlled experimental studies published publicly from the time of inception to October 30, 2023 were searched through Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library databases. Traditional and network meta-analyses were performed using Stata 17.0 software. RESULTS: Fifty papers on 4 types of cognitive training were included. Traditional meta-analysis showed that virtual reality training (SMD = 0.53, 95%CI: [0.36,0.70], P = 0.00), neuropsychological training (SMD = 0.44, 95%CI: [0.18,0.70], P = 0.00), cognitive strategy training (SMD = 0.26, 95%CI: [0.16,0.36], P = 0.00), and cognitive behavioral therapy (SMD = 0.25, 95%CI: [0.08,0.41], P = 0.00) all had significant improvement effects on the cognitive function of middle-aged and elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment. Network meta-analysis revealed neuropsychological training as the best cognitive training, and subgroup analysis of cognitive function subdimensions showed that neuropsychological training had the best effects on working memory, lobal cognitive function, memory, and cognitive flexibility improvement. Meanwhile, virtual reality training had the best effects on processing speed, verbal ability, overall executive function, spatial cognitive ability, and attention improvement. CONCLUSION: Cognitive training can significantly improve the cognitive function of middle-aged and elderly patients with mild cognitive impairment, and neuropsychological training is the best intervention, most effective in interventions lasting more than 8 weeks.

Atomic-scale observation of localized phonons at FeSe/SrTiO3 interface.

In single unit-cell FeSe grown on SrTiO3, the superconductivity transition temperature features a significant enhancement. Local phonon modes at the interface associated with electron-phonon coupling may play an important role in the interface-induced enhancement. However, such phonon modes have eluded direct experimental observations. The complicated atomic structure of the interface brings challenges to obtain the accurate structure-phonon relation knowledge. Here, we achieve direct characterizations of atomic structure and phonon modes at the FeSe/SrTiO3 interface with atomically resolved imaging and electron energy loss spectroscopy in an electron microscope. We find several phonon modes highly localized (~1.3 nm) at the unique double layer Ti-O terminated interface, one of which (~ 83 meV) engages in strong interactions with the electrons in FeSe based on ab initio calculations. This finding of the localized interfacial phonon associated with strong electron-phonon coupling provides new insights into understanding the origin of superconductivity enhancement at the FeSe/SrTiO3 interface.